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New frugal mamas thread? - Page 2

post #21 of 97
9/1/04 at 10:24am
I agree that srain's post was probably not meant to be rude, but srain's post seems to be strange b/c this is the frugal mamas thread, not the diapering or such thread (sheesh, they make me nauseaus over there ). I mean, what's been talked about here, so far? A couple yardsale finds, home canning, bathing children with less water, freecycling, homemade gift-giving, cloth diapering, etc. Hardly anything seems wasteful.
Kleine~ I'm sorry you got a neg. vibe from first coming over here. It is truly an excitement, not a contest. It's the same thing IRL for me, how my frugal-living friends will purposely call/email to let someone else know when something (essential) goes on sale, if a thrift is having a blow-out sale, if they know a good fruit tree with ripe fruits, if they saw something we might use in the Free section of the paper, free/cheap activities for the family, etc. I my friends! It's been so helpful to me to have almost all frugal living or frugal-aspiring friends.
OTOH~ Admittedly, I do buy more than a lot of mamas, b/c I resell a good portion of it.

Alright, moving on... WeLove2Farm emailed me this morning letting me know that Walmart matches any other store's weekly sales. Did anyone else know that? Do you do it? I've never heard of it. Although when I was in the Omaha WM, I was confused as to why they had the other stores' sale fliers up!

More to write, but this post is quite long already, so I'll write later

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post #22 of 97
9/1/04 at 12:35pm
I'm sorry; I didn't mean to rain on your parade! This is a support thread, and I in no way want to challenge/ debate you. I briefly ran a "help people save money/ get out of debt" business and found that a lot of people, especially those just beginning to realize that they needed to/ wanted to spend less money, started out by jumping on sales/ used stuff/ free stuff. In the long run, this made it harder for them to de-attach themselves from "consumer mode," which was a goal most of them had. [It may or may not be any of yours.] After six months or so, they realized that they had usually spent about the same amount of money, but acquired many more "things" than they would have in their "old" lifestyle. So they were definitely learning to use their dollars more efficiently, but had a lot of things they didn't really need. Some of them were happy with this, and continued to use their newfound skills to get the things they saw on TV for much less; more power to them. More of them, however, wanted to make more dramatic changes in their lives, and eventually lost the need to buy virtually anything other than consumables. (And that's when they started to REALLY save money!)

So, I'm sorry if I pissed you off, but I do think the questions I posted are good ones- even if what you're getting is free!
post #23 of 97
9/1/04 at 1:32pm
making your own : popcorn
post #24 of 97
9/1/04 at 2:12pm
Hi, y'all. I'm joining. I posted to the previous thread this morning. I really need help cutting back since DH will be laid off in 2 weeks time. I'm getting my first freecycle today when I go pick up some clothes for myself. And tomorrow I'm getting a free bag of clothes for my DS. I'm also trying to limit spending all together. I hope I can draw some great tips from y'all.
Thanks!
post #25 of 97
9/1/04 at 2:22pm
Just adding myself in here. Im very bad at frugal, so Im on babysteps. I made my own coffe for the 3rd day in a row, no more $2 lattes for me. yeah
post #26 of 97
9/1/04 at 2:28pm
I think that's great!! Coffee is one of my greatest weaknesses. I'm forever running out for more. So, I can totally relate. You can do it!!
post #27 of 97
9/1/04 at 2:42pm
[QUOTE=srainMore of them, however, wanted to make more dramatic changes in their lives, and eventually lost the need to buy virtually anything other than consumables. (And that's when they started to REALLY save money!)[/QUOTE]

I joined this thread because of this. We have too much stuff and I want to tread more lightly upon the earth. How do you lose the consumerism addiction? I have a really hard time passing up sales. I am also a terrible pack rat. Some is buying in bulk to save money but I do find myself buying a lot of stuff I really don't need.
post #28 of 97
9/1/04 at 3:14pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by srain
they realized that they had usually spent about the same amount of money, but acquired many more "things" than they would have in their "old" lifestyle. So they were definitely learning to use their dollars more efficiently, but had a lot of things they didn't really need.


DH & I definitely went through that stage. We kinda thought, it was cheap, so why not pick it up even if it wasn't that needed/wanted/great? Until we realized how full our house was of crap that no-one was really appreciating or using (and how fast those small sums of money added up!

Now I ask myself questions like srain's before I buy something and as soon as I started that, the number of items coming home with me dropped dramatically. It used to be that I felt obligated to buy something, for example, if I stopped at a ys. Now DH & I can go to 4 or 5 and only buy at maybe 1.

For the most part, we only bring home things we've consciously decided to go out & look for (like the cds in my first post, ones I've been looking for for literally months!) Impulse purchases like the pearls are things that a) delight me utterly and b) don't represent a big financial splurge, damage the environment or otherwise spend my $ on something I don't want to support.

Of course sometimes I'm better at it than other times. Sometimes I get home & say "What was I thinking?!" Good thing I can keep my husband in tow so we can help balance each other out!
post #29 of 97
9/1/04 at 3:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by srain
I'm sorry; I didn't mean to rain on your parade! This is a support thread, and I in no way want to challenge/ debate you. I briefly ran a "help people save money/ get out of debt" business and found that a lot of people, especially those just beginning to realize that they needed to/ wanted to spend less money, started out by jumping on sales/ used stuff/ free stuff. In the long run, this made it harder for them to de-attach themselves from "consumer mode," which was a goal most of them had. [It may or may not be any of yours.] After six months or so, they realized that they had usually spent about the same amount of money, but acquired many more "things" than they would have in their "old" lifestyle. So they were definitely learning to use their dollars more efficiently, but had a lot of things they didn't really need. Some of them were happy with this, and continued to use their newfound skills to get the things they saw on TV for much less; more power to them. More of them, however, wanted to make more dramatic changes in their lives, and eventually lost the need to buy virtually anything other than consumables. (And that's when they started to REALLY save money!)

So, I'm sorry if I pissed you off, but I do think the questions I posted are good ones- even if what you're getting is free!

I appreciate that you are trying to help I think what got to me is the way it was worded. - The hey why are you all buying bit - I agree that your list is helpful and can be applied even to free items. It sounded , to me , like you were jumping on everyone who posted that they aquired something - and that's not fair. Unless you know the circumstances of every post you can't imply that they are wrong. I do tend to take things personally so I know it might have bothered me more than others - I'm not " pissed off" just annoyed that it seemed everyone was being looked down on.

I'm not trying to put words or feelings into your post just trying to explain how it got to me.
post #30 of 97
9/1/04 at 3:23pm
Thread Starter 
Oh, and in light of srain's questions, I think it would be interesting to discuss what people have NOT had to buy recently. What did you find a nonconsumer substitute for? I used to keep a "Things I Did Not Buy This Week" journal, when I was first trying to simplify, & it was really motivating!

I'll go first:

We haven't bought any pears this whole winter/spring/summer, because we canned the ones from our tree. Ditto for jam; I made wild-blackberry jam. We still have to use up the last of what we have before it's time to can more!

We didn't buy the set of hair clippers from last week's church rummage sale because we've decided everyone in the family will grow their hair out.

(I feel pathetic now. I used to be able to list what I did not buy on a weekly basis and that's all I can come up with now? : I need to get my butt in gear.)
post #31 of 97
9/1/04 at 3:44pm
i dint buy new tigts for the winter, I will have to eventually, but Im going to wait til the 1st snow.
I didnt buy any perishables at the grocery because we are going away on sat and need to empty our fridge.
I didnt buy a Diva Cup cause they're $25 and I have pads left over from last month.
I didnt buy.. ok I bought hair dye and tiger balm and rescue remedy, but hey a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do!
post #32 of 97
9/1/04 at 4:12pm
I did not buy a bunch of Halloween decorations even though I LOVE Halloween and I've just started seeing things in the store.

I did not go out for coffee this morning.

I did not schedule a massage even though I'm so tense I could burst!
post #33 of 97
9/1/04 at 5:06pm
Joining the thread...we are in a definite less-consumerism mode because we are living on one income. Also, DH prefers a more minimalistic environment and we are decluttering. I signed up for freecycle, but I have yet to use it. I did try to give away a desk, though.

As for saving money, I want to bring my lunch to work everyday. I'm just not in the habit and most mornings, I just plain forget.

Oh and one of my money-saving techniques...I don't run to Target cuz I *need* something. I determine if we can live without it for a week. If so, I wait to make the shopping trip. The less often I'm *in* the store, the less I will spend.

The same for sales and coupons. I don't follow them. I only buy what I need. If I happen to find a coupon great, if not, no big deal. When I was younger, I tried using coupons. I swear I spent more!

This may sound funny, but online grocery shopping has helped cut down our food bill. The delivery charge is $10 (for under $150), but if you do one delivery and wait 10 days to do your next, they will send you a coupon for 3 free deliveries.

It is so helpful to me to see the running tab on my grocery "cart". Also, I tend to just consider price when I'm choosing products, not the packaging or whatever.

I don't do any of the price matching things. I don't have time. Time is money, too, you know.

I don't do yard sales. I know I would always find something that I "need".

I never thought of reselling good deals. Hmmm...maybe DH can do that from home.

We will be doing homemade gifts for Christmas.
post #34 of 97
9/1/04 at 5:56pm
we're on one income now too, I know Ill spend my extra time buying stuff if Im not careful. I wish we had online grocery shopping. Im a sucker for stuff I see, and forget it when the kids are there, Ill spend 2xs as much. We're going away for 10 days, we have $100 per day spending limit. Can you come up with helpful cheap ways to vacation. we're going to denver and south dakota. the flight, car, and hotels are all already paid for. We definatley plan on going grocery shopping for cereal and sandwhich stuff to cut the cost of eating down allot. Anyone have any good ideas?
post #35 of 97
9/1/04 at 6:20pm
I don't know if this is helpful, but when we are on vacation, I notice that if we eat a big breakfast, we can usually go until dinner with a snack inbetween. I gather you will be in hotel room, not a home or condo? I've also noticed that it's worth the extra money for the micro/frig in the room. You're more likely to eat leftovers.
post #36 of 97
9/1/04 at 6:31pm
We're also going to Denver in about a week. I saw you already had booked a hotel, but for next time, a thought would be to stay in a Homestead Suite. Sometimes the price is cheaper on their website and sometimes cheaper on those discount websites. It's comparable in price to any other regular motel. The upsides are that they are REALLY clean (at least in my experience) and have a kitchenette in every room (fridge, micro, freezer, stovetop, dishwasher, dishes, pots, pans, utensils). Saves us so much money, b/c we never have to look for somewhere to eat, and end up spending tons on eating out. They are only in big cities, though. www.homesteadhotels.com

Another idea for cheap travelling is to go to the city's website and find out what free events are scheduled for the same time you'll be there. They also have good ideas on hikes around the area, etc.
post #37 of 97
9/1/04 at 11:32pm
Went to church playgroup today and another mom gave my DD a doll house wiht the some accessories. Her DD got a new one for her bday so she gave us the other one which her DD never even played b/c of her age. DD LOVES it and didn't even want to stop playing to eat. (that saves food money, right )
post #38 of 97
9/2/04 at 8:43am
thats great about the doll house!!!! we got a 3 story hand me down Barbie house afew years ago that we are going to re-paint soon.

hows this for frugal, we got rooms at the double tree in denver for FREE! My dads highschool pal is a big wig in hilton! good idea about a big breakfast!
post #39 of 97
9/3/04 at 7:48pm
I saved $150 today!!
Since I will soon be out of insurace, I called my OB about birth control. She agreed to give me 3 free samples to tide me over while we're looking for work! I love her! It never hurts to ask
post #40 of 97
9/4/04 at 12:59pm
Hi everyone!

We also live a frugal lifestyle.

Our family had a wonderful evening out on Thursday, for almost free. There's an outdoor symphony concert here every year that always ends with the 1812 Overture, with cannons and fireworks. I packed a picnic dinner, instead of buying the outrageously expensive (and not very good) food sold there.
The only thing we had to pay for was parking - discounted to $2 after 6pm.

I also have had limited luck with Freecycle. I have gotten a few cool things - tiki torches and books. Does anyone else have problems with people responding to an "offered" post, and then not showing up? : That makes me crazy - it seems I never give things to the first reply - I have to go down the list to find someone who will actually show up. I mean, what is with these people? (Sorry, just had to vent!)

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