Do the little things *really* count?

[HeatherAtHome]

Every time someone talks about being frugal, they mention that they make their own laundry soap or bar soap and that it saves so. much. money. I haven't even bothered because I don't see it. I buy laundry soap when it's on sale, $3 for a bottle that lasts a month or two which is cheap enough in my books. And those are just a few examples. There are plenty of other frugal things people mention that leave me scratching my head. 

I guess what I'm saying is, do all you who do the tiny little frugal things also act very frugally on the BIG things? Or on the day to day latte factor type spending?

Because personally, I much prefer putting more focus on the bigger things and making sure they are done right and as frugally as possible, keeping a close eye on the "medium" spending and sort of to hell with the pennies. I know, I know, pennies add up to dollars!!!  But I'm just saying, does it *really* make a difference? Is the extra time involved really worth it? Or does it just make you feel good, like you're in control when things are spiraling? (I could see that, and think I was there once upon a time).  

[crunchy_mommy]

I focus on both the little AND the big things.

I do think the little things add up. I used to use conditioner before I went no-poo, for ex. -- and I was a good shopper, so rarely spent more than $1-2/month on it. But that adds up to $12-24/year... using ACV I spend maybe $2/year... so that's $10-20 savings per year. So then add in all those other little savings (family cloth, saves about $20/year; making our own laundry and dishwasher detergents = $50/yr, homemade toothpaste = $5/yr, etc.) those right there add up to about $100/year, but that doesn't factor in that I'm out in the stores WAY less, using less gas and less likely to make impulse purchases, as well as have healthier hair, healthier teeth, etc. which means less maintenance and other products to correct the issues some of the store-bought products can cause. Making coffee at home saves minimum $500/yr (really more, DH is a BIG coffee drinker!)... It adds up quite a bit IMO. But, maybe $100 doesn't sound like a lot to you?? It does to me, especially because the money we save goes right into savings & earns interest. My DH was laid off and spending so little on the little things means we have a lot in savings and that we don't really need to adjust our spending much to survive unemployment because our monthly spending is already very low.

Of course we pay attention to the big things too, but TBH we don't tend to make many big purchases so it has less of an impact.

IDK though, it's probably kind of subjective, because to me $5 is a big and wonderful savings, but a lot of people I know wouldn't want to bother with any extra thought/trouble/inconvenience for what is a small amount to them. And yeah, if you're only saving $5 ONCE then it won't have much impact, but if you are saving that much on a weekly (or daily!) basis then it will really add up. But even $500 is much to some people I guess. To me, it's a lot, but I've always lived with a frugal and kind of minimalist mindset, and prioritize the security of savings over the enjoyment of things... Either is valid, I just opt for the security, plus I happen to really enjoy the creativity, research, etc. that goes into saving on the little things.

[Vaske]

The little things do count when you're living right on the edge of Enough and Not Quite Enough.

Also, they matter when you're trying to bootstrap your way up into some kind of financial security.  Scarce jobs, high taxes, and abysmally low returns on conventional savings and investments make frugal pursuits relatively profitable.  But it's a lot like taking off clothes in hot weather, there's only so much that you can cut out, and at that point you're better off looking for a new external source of income.    

[Caitlin0919]

We've found that little things do make a HUGE difference. DH has to travel for work so it's very important that we have enough money for him to get gas every month so he can make money. $5 may not be a big expenditure itself, but if you add up just 3 or 4 $5 purchases, that's one less tank of gas my husband has to use for work. We've also found that sometimes if we just had an extra $20, $10 or even $5 we could buy something we really need instead of waiting until pay day. DD came down with a cold a few days ago and has been running a mild fever. I give her Tylenol at night to help her feel a little more comfortable so she can sleep better, but we ran out. DH had to run out to get some quick and it was around $3. We only had $6 available to spend in our checking account. Imagine if we had spent a little extra on something earlier in the month and didn't have that money available. If you itemize your spending, you'll probably be amazed at how much you spend on little purchases. They can really add up and put a huge dent in the money you have available for necessities if you're not careful.

[PoetryLover]

We don't make a lot of big purchases, so the little things we do to save money really count. Simply buying things used can save TONS of money, especially when they can be big purchases. Accepting hand me downs for DS, in clothing and toys & baby equipment/accessories, has saved us LOTS of money. Cloth diapering has saved us a lot of money. We use mostly flats, prefolds, Dappi covers and wash cloths as wipes. I did just get a smoking deal on one size wonder wrap covers for $4 each, that will last my DS as well as my new baby through the diapering stage. I LOVE them. And it's a lot less expensive than buying diapers and wipes on a regular basis.

One thing that we won't buy used are car seats, but we shopped around and were able to use a coupon for 20% off. When we bought DS's car seat, Toys R Us was giving coupons for 25% off with the donation of an old piece of baby equipment.

To touch on things like laundry detergent, we'd been buying Purex Free & Clear (DS has incredibly sensitive skin) at $5.77 for 100 oz. I recently discovered this recipe for extremely cheap liquid laundry detergent: 

http://www.duggarfamily.com/content/duggar_recipes/30455/Homemade%20Liquid%20Laundry%20Soap-%20Front%20or%20top%20load%20machine-%20best%20value

I can't say enough good things about this recipe. There are only 3 ingredients, all cheap and all found at Walmart. A container of Borax was $2.98 and the Washing Soda was $3.24. Fels-Naptha Soap was 97 cents a bar. Following the recipe, when all was said and done, it cost us less than &1.70 to make 10 gallons of liquid detergent. That's less than 17 cents a gallon. It was so easy to make, not at all time consuming, smells nice and clean and I LOVE using it! Absolutely! In fact, it brings me great joy. We usually do a load of laundry a day, plus a load of diapers, so we go through laundry detergent. It also cuts the shopping bill because things like cat litter and cat food can be expensive. It's nice not to have to add laundry detergent onto the bill, especially when we feel so much better about the detergent we make. Honestly, it's so cheap that I feel like it's almost free, in both labor and cost.

We also clean with baking soda and vinegar. It works well and it's wonderful not to have to add cleaning supplies to the shopping list--and not to have the chemicals in the house. Added together the little things really do add up, at least for my family. And I find we can save the most there because even though they cost less, we purchase them more often. Things like car seats (which for us is a bigger purchase) aren't bought very often. (But we try to save on those purchases, too.)

[lilyka]

They don't make that much of a difference for me.  First of all I found making my own bread/soap/whatever did not really save me much money.    I could never slice the bread as thin so we went through it faster.  The homemade cleaners did not clean anything unless I used a truck load of it.  Also I work full time and time is money.  I can only do so much in a day.  Spending an hour making laundry detergent means I won't have as much time or energy to cook and shop wisely.  (and the laundry soap mentioned above....it didn't clean our clothes, left residue in our washer and molded long before we could use it all.  waste of time and money).   I don't generally mess with coupons (there is not doubling here and the store I work at does not take computer print offs...so it really is just pennies here).  I do focus on the big things.  I have an efficient car and drive carefully, I don't run my AC unless it is over 90 degrees, I watch for sales (although I don't drive all over the world to save a few dollars on groceries), I collect rain water to water my garden.  I do a lot of my shopping online which prevents browsing induced impulse buys and saves on gas, when I indulge my daily starbucks habit I get something cheap (iced coffee in my own cup is $1, brewed coffee is $.50...this is only at my starbucks though) and teach my kids to like that too.  I do swag bucks but use the gift cards for fun and frivolous spending.  I pack my lunch instead of buying it at work....

I guess I do some little things but I do them selectively.  If it is easy.  I know that may sound lazy but the few hours I have a day are worth the money and have to be used wisely.   And saving $100 year...just not that big of a deal to me.  And yes, I live right on the edge.  This month I have gone completely over the edge....but all that work for so little savings, i would rather spend that time and money enjoying myself a little.  

Edited by lilyka - 7/20/11 at 10:36am

[littlest birds]

Originally Posted by Vaske 

The little things do count when you're living right on the edge of Enough and Not Quite Enough.

Also, they matter when you're trying to bootstrap your way up into some kind of financial security.  Scarce jobs, high taxes, and abysmally low returns on conventional savings and investments make frugal pursuits relatively profitable.  But it's a lot like taking off clothes in hot weather, there's only so much that you can cut out, and at that point you're better off looking for a new external source of income.    

ITA with this. 

$50 per month makes a big difference to my budget.  I do enough small frugal things to make at least that much difference.  A few $10-20 saving per month in different areas really adds up.  We save $100-200 per month in winter just on heat-related frugality.  Assuming these are irrelevant, I realized, is just rationalizing for me.  I give myself permission to indulge consciously but I don't think to myself that a few dollars doesn't matter when I do so.  I also choose my frugal practices with care because I am super busy and no--not all of them are worth for me personally.  I always think about my time's value and whether an activity has other fringe benefits when I decide, along with $$$

But the big stuff:  We chose to live where we can walk to work and to work where we can walk to home in a town where everything is within a few miles-- so cars last longer, less gas is used, and vehicle emergencies aren't really emergencies.  (There are also multiple small benefits with these choices: We are in easy reach of one another so things like cell phones and fast transportation and even (now that our kids are older) babysitters aren't needed.  Workday lunches are eaten at home so not even in a pinch are restaurants or packaged convenience foods tempting.)   We choose lots of free humble entertainments that are close to home instead of pricey treats and even in-state travel, we haven't made a car payment in about four years due to our approach to vehicles (nor have we had significant repair expenses--maybe about $100-200 per year)

Another benefit of many frugal practices is the heightened attention to the rhythms of life.  I find it very enriching.  I also get a lot of exercise doing real work and things like that.  I made a commitment to be actively productive as a way of living, and I love how in tune I feel when it's going well.  Frugality isn't only about money.  It's about wise and efficient use of resources and appreciation for those resources.  That can have deep effects on a person's life and spirit and relationships in a community.
 

[A&A]

little things can and do add up, but you really have to do the cost-benefit analysis of whether or not it's worth your time. 

[PoetryLover]

Originally Posted by lilyka 

They don't make that much of a difference for me.  First of all I found making my own bread/soap/whatever did not really save me much money.    I could never slice the bread as thin so we went through it faster.  The homemade cleaners did not clean anything unless I used a truck load of it.  Also I work full time and time is money.  I can only do so much in a day.  Spending an hour making laundry detergent means I won't have as much time or energy to cook and shop wisely.  (and the laundry soap mentioned above....it didn't clean our clothes, left residue in our washer and molded long before we could use it all.  waste of time and money).   I don't generally mess with coupons (there is not doubling here and the store I work at does not take computer print offs...so it really is just pennies here).  I do focus on the big things.  I have an efficient car and drive carefully, I don't run my AC unless it is over 90 degrees, I watch for sales (although I don't drive all over the world to save a few dollars on groceries), I collect rain water to water my garden.  I do a lot of my shopping online which prevents browsing induced impulse buys and saves on gas, when I indulge my daily starbucks habit I get something cheap (iced coffee in my own cup is $1, brewed coffee is $.50...this is only at my starbucks though) and teach my kids to like that too.  I do swag bucks but use the gift cards for fun and frivolous spending.  I pack my lunch instead of buying it at work....

I guess I do some little things but I do them selectively.  If it is easy.  I know that may sound lazy but the few hours I have a day are worth the money and have to be used wisely.   And saving $100 year...just not that big of a deal to me.  And yes, I live right on the edge.  This month I have gone completely over the edge....but all that work for so little savings, i would rather spend that time and money enjoying myself a little.  

Wow, it sounds like we have had completely opposite experiences with this detergent.  I haven't had it mildew or leave residue in my washer and it has done a very good job cleaning my clothes, better, I would say than the commercial detergent I'd been buying. I'm very pleased with it.

Originally Posted by Vaske 
 

The little things do count when you're living right on the edge of Enough and Not Quite Enough.

This is so true. A couple years ago, DH and I were both laid off from our jobs at the same time and saving in the small ways made survival during that time possible for us.

[ameliabedelia]

Yes, I do think the little things do add up.    Of course not always, but sometimes.  I used to bake our own bread because all the "cheap" store-bought brands were full of processed ingredients and the decent brands without all the junk in them were much more.  So, it was definitely cheaper to bake my own bread with wholesome ingredients than to buy the "good" bread with wholesome ingredients.  Of course, if I were to buy "cheap" bread, that would be cheaper, but I don't feel comfortable feeding that to my family..  Now, we are gluten free, so I bake our bread since it is much cheaper as gluten free loaves are more expensive...plus it's healthier as I can control the ingredients more.

Definitely little things like coffees out, dinners out, a quick drive-through all add up.  At the grocery store, little differences in price add up.  Sure, maybe 20 cents more for a carton of eggs or 50 cents more for a gallon of milk of X brand or Y store doesn't seem like much...but all those small differences add up quickly.  I have read several "frugal mom" type blogs or books and they all say to keep a price book and commit to never paying more than X amt. for an item.  Stock up on sale when it is at that price, buy it at the cheapest store, etc as all those 20 cent and 50 cent and 1 dollar differences can add up to 25 (or more) extra dollars a week on groceries which would be 100 dollar difference each month.

[yeahwhat]

One factor you have to consider is that the savings for 2 people or a small family just won't be as great as savings for a larger family.

Eg.  I make most of our bread, tortillas, cookies, muffins, etc.  If you only go through 1 or 2 loaves per week, this won't seem like a big savings.  When you go through about a loaf per day, it really starts to add up.  I also never just bake bread, I make some cookies or muffins or brownies at the same time, so we have desserts/sweet treats ready at the same time.

I don't make my own laundry soap either.  I tend to buy the giant jugs at costco when they're on sale, and those last me about 6 months, even with doing laundry for 6.  I only use about 1/2 of the suggested amounts.

I rarely buy coffee out, because that would also involve getting in the car and I tend to try and avoid that whenever possible.  For someone that does buy a coffee every morning, making it at home would be a huge savings over time, and probably better for you if it means you avoid buying the occasional doughnut too.

Grocery shopping carefully saves me only a bit at a time, but in the big picture it allows us to eat well on a limited budget.  As has been said, saving a few cents per item really adds up over the course of the month for us.

[crunchy_mommy]

Originally Posted by Vaske 

The little things do count when you're living right on the edge of Enough and Not Quite Enough.

Originally Posted by littlest birds 

I give myself permission to indulge consciously but I don't think to myself that a few dollars doesn't matter when I do so.  I also choose my frugal practices with care because I am super busy and no--not all of them are worth for me personally.  I always think about my time's value and whether an activity has other fringe benefits when I decide, along with $$$

I think this is key. Few of us will be 100% frugal in both the big & the small things. There will always be things that are just not worth the time, effort, sacrifice, etc. compared to the money savings, and there will also always be people who will go above and beyond to save 5 cents. IMO, the important thing is an awareness of what you're doing and what it will cost you (and not just in terms of money!!) Most of the 'frugal' things I do take very little time & effort. We make our own 'detergents' but we don't premix or cook them or anything, so it's not really different from dumping in the store-bought stuff. I do spend about 5 minutes a month mixing up toothpaste but sometimes I'm too lazy even for that and we just use baking soda or water only. Sometimes we use canned beans so we don't have to remember to soak dry ones & cook 'em for an hour. I am lazy (that's not the right word, there's a lot more to it than that, but you get the idea). So of course sometimes I choose things that are more convenient and make my life easier, but I try to do it with an awareness of and appreciation for what it will ultimately cost me. And I'm much more motivated to do 'make your own' projects when the alternative is not as good for health etc. so it's certainly not all about money anyway.

[onlyzombiecat]

I think that it is helpful to be frugal with big and little things but what saves significantly for one person may not be worth it to another.

I don't make my own laundry soap either. Maybe some day I'll try it but right now an inexpensive store bought detergent works and lasts for a good while.

I don't think a loaf of homemade bread saves us money because my family will consume a homemade loaf in a few hours vs. a store bought loaf that lasts a week. I can't keep up with their demand so it becomes less worth it on a daily basis.

I  do think cooking from scratch mostly  and dh taking lunch from home instead of buying it or skipping lunch is generally more cost effective and important for my family though.

We recently went through our bank records and were horrified that we spent so much on small purchases. I know we can cut that way down.

[littlest birds]

And really, if I find a practice inherently unpleasant for me I don't do it.  I have a pretty broad range of ability to enjoy doing frugal things so it works okay for me.

I am slightly picky about detergent --not health food types but some of the cheapest bother me and seem too diluted...

Anyhow, I would spend about $5-8 per month at the store and a $10 investment lasts me over 6 months making my own.  For a family of 6

[PoetryLover]

Originally Posted by littlest birds 

And really, if I find a practice inherently unpleasant for me I don't do it.  I have a pretty broad range of ability to enjoy doing frugal things so it works okay for me.

I am slightly picky about detergent --not health food types but some of the cheapest bother me and seem too diluted...

Anyhow, I would spend about $5-8 per month at the store and a $10 investment lasts me over 6 months making my own.  For a family of 6

What recipe do you use?
 

[maptome]

For me, I start caring when I think of effort to savings ratio.  To me, it's not a big effort to not buy coffee every time I'm out, even though I want to, saving probably... $20/month.  But it is a big effort for me to shop around and stock up on a bunch of stuff in order to save $20/month.  So, if it's something I feel like I can easily do something to save a little money, I do it, and I think it adds up.

I don't think saving $20, 50, or 100 makes a "difference" for us financially, but I think it's a good practice that does positively influence our finances.

[littlest birds]

I think it is a bar of soap, a cup of washing soda, and a cup of borax for a small batch that fills two jugs.  I'm only about halfway through my borax and my washing soda, and have used four bars of soap--in four months.   I estimated the $10--think these actually cost around 12 dollars but I think it will last longer than 2 more months--and I even gave a jug away too.

[PoetryLover]

Originally Posted by littlest birds 

I think it is a bar of soap, a cup of washing soda, and a cup of borax for a small batch that fills two jugs.  I'm only about halfway through my borax and my washing soda, and have used four bars of soap--in four months.   I estimated the $10--think these actually cost around 12 dollars but I think it will last longer than 2 more months--and I even gave a jug away too.

Cool, those are the ingredients in mine, except mine is half a cup of borax and it makes 10 gallons. It's exciting to save so much money. My family can spend a lot on laundry detergent. :-)

[seawitch]

For us, this is exactly why I'm so disillusioned. We save and save and save and live on a shoestring budget. Really. We just cancelled Netflix because it was $8 a month too much. (And that was our only source of entertainment that we paid for - we never go out for fun at all. We don't eat meat at every meal, and I try to stretch a pound of ground beef through several meals. I don't buy the kids toys, I get them freecycled or make them from felt myself for pennies. I am the queen of frugal (i.e. cheap).

Then we get stuck with 30K in medical bills in the course of a month. That's more than three times more than we spend in an entire year, and for what, two ultrasounds and advice to go home and rest? Or our transmission blew and we had a bunch of car trouble, so we had to pay $6000 in one month, before we had to just say screw it and buy a new car. Then our furnace died, $2000. Our roof started leaking, another $3000 to fix. Then our dish washer, stove, and fridge all died in the course of a month. OK, so that's another couple of hundred right there. It's just insane how many pounds of meat - heck, organic, free range, hand-fed, flower-lei-wearing beef we could have bought for the price of those things.

It ate all our savings, left us in complete debt. When my phone broke I couldn't afford to replace it with even the cheapest version - but we're tens of thousands in debt for things out of our control.

I'm a bitter, bitter person over it. If I'm in debt I want it to be because I'm living it up. Not because I'm doing everything "right" and STILL getting screwed left and right by unexpected blows. I know it's a cruddy attitude and I'm trying to get over it, but I want to believe that all our "sacrifices" are worth it. It doesn't seem like they are...

[crunchy_mommy]

Originally Posted by seawitch 

Then we get stuck with 30K in medical bills in the course of a month. That's more than three times more than we spend in an entire year, and for what, two ultrasounds and advice to go home and rest? Or our transmission blew and we had a bunch of car trouble, so we had to pay $6000 in one month, before we had to just say screw it and buy a new car. Then our furnace died, $2000. Our roof started leaking, another $3000 to fix. Then our dish washer, stove, and fridge all died in the course of a month. OK, so that's another couple of hundred right there. It's just insane how many pounds of meat - heck, organic, free range, hand-fed, flower-lei-wearing beef we could have bought for the price of those things.

It ate all our savings, left us in complete debt. When my phone broke I couldn't afford to replace it with even the cheapest version - but we're tens of thousands in debt for things out of our control.

I'm a bitter, bitter person over it. If I'm in debt I want it to be because I'm living it up. Not because I'm doing everything "right" and STILL getting screwed left and right by unexpected blows. I know it's a cruddy attitude and I'm trying to get over it, but I want to believe that all our "sacrifices" are worth it. It doesn't seem like they are...

Wow that's some BAD luck. I thought we had it tough with the car and computer and phone etc. etc. all dying at once and DH getting laid off at the same time, but I have to say, I think you've got me beat. I truly hope things start looking up for you.