I just got a new job, and moved from Wisconsin to Texas in a week. We could have either paid $1500 to have it all moved (or rent a truck a move it ourselves). After looking around at what wouldn’t fit in the car, there wasn’t $1500 worth of stuff left. And I’m about 45 minutes from an IKEA now. We got new pots, pans, dishes, glassware, etc for around $100. Beds for the kids (bunks) were $200 with the mattresses. I bought a living room set (matching furniture!! that’s something new) on closeout from a leasing place for 1/4 of the retail price. I’ve basically refit our entire house for what it would have cost to bring our old, worn out stuff along. I recycled/donated/sold everything we left behind. Some might not find scrapping nearly everything all that thrifty, but it sure saved a lot of my sanity, we have a lot less un-needed junk, and it was fun finding the best deals on all the new stuff we got. After an incredible hard couple of years, my husband and I are calling this Life 2.0. Not hauling around old junk with more bad memories than good seems like a bargain to me.

With my new job, I’m going to need better clothing. I recently lost a bunch of weight, so not only are my clothes too warm for down here, they are way too big. I have tried the thrift stores around town, but Southern Mom seems to be the going style down here.. and that’s just not me. There are, however, two massive outlet malls in the next town over. I think I’m going to try to make due with what I’ve got for now and take a couple hundred from my first paycheck and get some decent pieces that I can get a lot of wear from up there.

For these sales (which are going on every week) I score in many ways. I snag clothes for the family, of course, but I don’t overlook the things we can’t wear. Once it hits the super cheap rack I grab all I can find that is flannel, denium, or velvet(ish). With these I can cut out blocks and make: quilts, scarves, curtains, tablecloths… you name it (although my sewing skills are restricted to the easy projects). I keep the seams from the jeans and braid them for rugs. By the time we get through winter and breakup, last years rugs are ready for the trash, lol.

We do utilize the libraries in the area, both for books and videos. However, Bishop’s Attic has a book sale during the third week of every month. Paper backs are 10 for $1, and hard backs are 40 cents (Unless they’re marked, then they’re half of that price). I don’t go book shopping often, but when I do I shop by the box load.

On shoes it depends on who we’re talking about. My husband has to have steel toes, so we end up paying for those, but they seem to last a while. My youngest son can tear up shoes like crazy, so we stick with the cheaper brands, unless we find good ones at the thrift store. I soak them pretty good with lysol, and then put them through the wash. My shoes go the middle road. I work as a waitress, so I can’t settle for bottom of the barrel shoes, but I don’t go for high line brands. I did pop for some good arch supports from The Good Feet Store (around $85, I think) but they’ve lasted the last 3 years, and don’t show any signs of stopping.

Our newest foray into thriftiness is making our own laundry soap. 2 gallons of water, a bar of soap and some baking soda. It doesn’t suds up like commercial soap, but I’ve learned that the suds aren’t actually that important. Plus at 1/2 cup per load (unless really soiled) it lasts a good while. I want to start making my own soap, but have to wait until we move so that we can have a wood stove (need the wood ash to make lye).

Our biggest and best project, though, is taking place over this summer and next. After TONS of looking we found some property that suits us, for a decent price. A couple that we’re friends with are buying the connecting property. We have some building materials that we’ve been collecting (Craig’s List and yard sale left overs – a good bit has been free). They have TONS of materials (windows, doors, pipes, studs, insulation – a lot of the high dollar stuff). They have medical conditions, though, that will keep them from being able to handle a lot of the physical work in building houses.

Soooooooo, they’re putting in most of the materials, and we’re covering most of the heavy work, and between us we’ll both have a little house. The well/septic tank guys are willing to cut prices if we do all at one time, so this summer we’ll be working on the property and saving up for the well and septic that can be installed next summer. We’re probably going to have to go with an outhouse for this summer, just so that we’ll have facilities of some sort while working on the property.

There’s more, I’m sure, but I just noticed that I’ve been typing for quite a while, lol.

Exercise – We qualify for a reduced rate at the YMCA because of our low income. They maintain the pool and have more exercise equipment than we could pay for or have room for. Medical conditons make membership a necessity.

Internet and Computer – Gave up my monthly haircuts and the newspaper to pay for these.

Thrifty
–learning to shop for grocery ingredients rather than pre-made food
–not eating out much at all
–all of my baby’s clothes, or almost all, are hand-me-downs or thrift store purchases
–We carpool to work in a high-mileage car.
–I don’t buy some of the groceries we used to buy, like soda and juice, except some O.J. once in awhile.
–I go to dollar stores when I can take the time, to buy some toiletries and other staples.
–I’m learning to use leftovers better.
–I make my own breadcrumbs–it sounds silly, but I’m amazed at how much bread we would throw away that I now put to good use making something like Heather’s Fake and Bake or fish and chips…
–We go to Costco when we have time.
–My husband fixes our cars and pretty much anything at our house; he also does maintenance on the cars.
–We switched to pay-as-you-go cell phones.
–I’m talking to all of our utility co.’s to see if we can get cheaper rates
–We heat our house almost exclusively with wood felled on our property or that my husband has collected. He started going on Craig’s List and looking for people who will give you free wood if you come and cut and/or remove the wood from their property.
–And, I use Craig’s List and thrift stores somewhat regularly.

Not-so-Thrifty
–I really believe in organic and natural foods, so I am willing to spend more on organic milk, vegetables, etc. However, I’m also learning which items really should be eaten organic, and which are rarely sprayed or don’t normally include toxic ingredients. There’s a great website for that: http://www.ewg.org. For example, I have discovered that tomatoes don’t generally have a lot of pesticides on them, so I stopped buying organic there. On the other hand, we have a market in our area that isn’t that much more expensive, if at all, for natural and organic foods.
–We have satellite TV because we live up in the mountains and wouldn’t get TV at all otherwise. I keep suggesting that we drop it, but my husband isn’t ready for that.
–We have a long commute, which I know costs us. However, the job market such as it is and other factors have kept us at jobs not so close to home.
–If I’m hot and can’t stand it, I turn on the A.C. If we haven’t started a fire in the winter, I turn on the propane-fueled central heating. Life’s too short to be miserable in your own house.
–I don’t buy shoes often, but I’ve learned that often the more expensive shoes are more thrifty in the end. I wear them for years and years, compared with the practically disposable Payless shoes I’ve often bought. I do look for good shoes at outlet stores so it’s cheaper.

There are other things, but that’s what I can think of right now.

I do tease him that his shoe wardrobe cost more than mine!

I just throw the kid shoes in the washer to make sure they are clean. (We often get them as hand me downs from other families). If they fall apart in the wash, we throw them out!

OTOH, I was working online watching TV and *had* to get certain channels anyway; with telecommuting (as a freelancer), homeschooling, and blogging (it does bring in a little money), the fastest internet I could get more than paid for itself.

We also run our AC more than most frugal people would. Then again, my husband works in an unairconditioned shop all day (in Houston!). So it’s worth the expense to us.

OTOH, we have a minimal amount of clothes and shoes. I have no problem accepting hand me downs. I refill our own print cartridges, even though it means black fingers. I cut the kid’s hair. Our van has no AC (in HOUSTON!)

Frugality is all about saving $ in the way that’s the best for YOUR family.

However, I took a 2nd job (I’m a school librarian, and single with no kids, so I have the spare time) at a clothing store I love to shop at. Now, I get full priced items at 50% off and sale merchandise at 40% off. I can look current and professional without bankrupting myself.

I also am a big library card user. Since I am a librarian and LOVE books.

I have not bought salad dressing at a store since I made it myself and discovered how easy, cheap, and tasty it is.