Just to add to the above what wasn't mentioned but is important:
Having a gas burner in your kitchen
Keeping and renewing at least 15-40 gallons of filtered water (or buying large sized water bottles which stays good indefinitely) and/or having a water filter set-up, one portable, one built in to your kitchen sink.
Having the proper clothing for all seasons. (Note, in the summer, you can jump into a cold shower to stay cool)
Having your home water either solar heated or gas heated.
Having walkie talkies to communicate with neighbors that you may be sharing things with (I did so with my next door neighbor who was, initially, sharing my generator but for whom I lent a 1000 watt sine wave inverter to, saving their food and providing energy for their lights, TV, DVD while their refrigerator was on, though sometimes they had to cycle their fridge during times it wouldn't be opened for awhile, all from their car's engine).
Having prescriptions for all medications prefilled out (sans the date) to be used in emergencies.
Having a bicycle with a trailer or panniers, or a backpack.
Staying in good physical condition.
Instead of going to the gym I workout outside (i know, a crazy idea). But when I do want to take a class I find deals on Groupon or other local deal sites--I just got a discounted race entry fee through one, and got 10 yoga classes for $30!
For gear, I go to consignment shops, and flash sale sites like Backcountry, and Theclymb (my favorite)--you get brand new equipment for way cheaper than retail prices.
In the summer, I put the teensy soap slivers in an old sock and hang it from the hose bib for after gardening washups. Just rub the sock around on your wet hands. I got this idea from Mother Earth News in about 1977, I did not think of it myself.
Recently I've started using body resistance exercises only. I was reading a couple of things that brought me to this approach. The first was the observation that 3 key behaviors led to permanent weight loss, more so than others: eating breakfast every day, weighing in every day, and working out at home. That combined with a book from Mark Lauren (The Bodyweight Exercise Bible) and the fact that he used such an approach training military special operators (he was USAF combat control) was enough evidence to get me to try it. The advantage is that I always have what I need, wherever I am.
A frugal advantage for paper books is that you can often buy used books from Amazon for less than the e-book download. I have a kindle and it is great, except for those times on the plane when you can't have them turned on.
Kindle is also good for books you will just read once. Books with info that I will need to refer to many times, and in which I might want to make notes, don't work so well on a kindle. I know they have features that you can use to highlight, but it isn't quite the same as thumbing through a book to find just what you need, and maybe seeing something else you didn't know that you needed.
Great article. Careless, unrestrained spending has to end. Living on far less than you can is a recommended course of action, these days. The West had always advised the rest of the developing world to learn to live within its means. I guess now it's time that they did the same.
Some of these things, like calling credit card companies for a reduced rate take only a few minutes and could easily be done on a lunch break.
I would suggest cleaning out your closets and donating old clothes you don't wear anymore to a Goodwill store. While you may not save money at that moment, hopefully seeing how many articles of clothing you have that you never wear will make a light bulb go off and stop you from buying that new pair of jeans that you really don't need.
I own three dogs--small, medium, and large--and they insist that I walk them at least two miles every day of the week. I do this frugally, as do my dogs. It's great exercise for all of us. If I do it right, they don't bug me for several hours ... until it's time for our next walk. All three are field dogs, so we all head out to the fields for our walks.
Have a couple of friends chip in for some workout videos. You can pass them around and for only about $5.00 you can workout to five videos or so. I personally love Zumba and Hip Hop Abs! Also incorporate a walk around the neighborhood a couple of times a week.
I actually just discovered the idea of homemade toys last week when my dog got ahold off tennis ball tied in sock while I was washing/drying our pillows. I made me wonder why I spend so much on toys. I will definitely be making some of these!
There are countless cheap ways for a person to stay fit: for my exercise, I walk the dog daily (he lets me know when it is time). Additionally, I exercise with a free class offered at the loal mall (10 min ea. warmup/cooldown, 20 min cardio, 20 min weight/pilates) three times a week (in early am). I also stand on tippy-toes or on one leg, or hold a balance pose waiting in line, work with stretch bands on legs or arms while watching TV, and am writing this comment sitting and fidgeting on a balance ball.
I went to an auction, and bought a bunch of dvds. it looks like the previous owner may have used the discs as a serving dish for their cat? idk.. But anyway, i only picked a couple of the discs out i want to keep and the rest i'll take to a buy/sell/trade place and trade them for store credit for other dvds i want. so... I NEED TO COMPLETELY REMOVE ALL SCRATCHES FROM DISC. I don't want them to "just play so I can watch them." No. I don't care. I want them to look new so I can trade them off and the store wont take scratched discs. I have over 400 movies here to "fix" What can i do to make them look NEW? THANK YOU
I have a 100lb. Alaskan Malamute dog that insists that I walk him every morning and every night after dinner. It has to be pretty nasty outside for me to skip this workout with him. He will not easily take "no walk" for an answer!
Quite interesting lists. Though we cannot deny the fact that there are times or most of the time, these are the common things we will buy in a grocery store. As for me, before I will buy anything, I will look at the price and also see if it is on sale or promotion is on going. Nothing wrong is we think of our budget, of course we don't like to spend many money, we still need money for emergency purposes. Also, we should be aware in ordering online, as we all know, scams are everywhere.
I run and I bike. From May-October, when it's warm outside, I get my exercise biking to and from work. It's great because in addition to burning calories, I also save money on gas! During the colder part of the year, I run after work. Even though it's dark outside, it gives me a nice boost of energy. Both running and biking are extremely convenient (just go out the front door), and awesomely frugal because I don't have to pay any monthly fees. Woo!
I do about 30 minutes of exercises as soon as I get up in the morning: a mix of pilates and yoga that alternates strengthening and stretching for the core body muscles.
When I'm a registered college student I use the university pool, and during the summer I buy a $20 water aerobics pass for my local community pool.
Uhm, Me again. Netspend got your husband's name from one of his friends, by the way.
Refer a friend and you'll each get up to $20 loaded onto your NetSpend prepaid debit card. There's no limit to the number of referrals you can make!
You can blame your neighbor for why a company is trying to do business with you. Also, anyone can access records of where you live along with publicly listed phone numbers. People need to stop freaking out. It's crazy, there is nothing that attaches to your SSN on these cards.
Just to add to the above what wasn't mentioned but is important:
Having a gas burner in your kitchen
Keeping and renewing at least 15-40 gallons of filtered water (or buying large sized water bottles which stays good indefinitely) and/or having a water filter set-up, one portable, one built in to your kitchen sink.
Having the proper clothing for all seasons. (Note, in the summer, you can jump into a cold shower to stay cool)
Having your home water either solar heated or gas heated.
Having walkie talkies to communicate with neighbors that you may be sharing things with (I did so with my next door neighbor who was, initially, sharing my generator but for whom I lent a 1000 watt sine wave inverter to, saving their food and providing energy for their lights, TV, DVD while their refrigerator was on, though sometimes they had to cycle their fridge during times it wouldn't be opened for awhile, all from their car's engine).
Having prescriptions for all medications prefilled out (sans the date) to be used in emergencies.
Having a bicycle with a trailer or panniers, or a backpack.
Staying in good physical condition.
I walk everywhere
Did you use google to search for it? it is all over ebay, digikey, mouser and other electronics stores.
Instead of going to the gym I workout outside (i know, a crazy idea). But when I do want to take a class I find deals on Groupon or other local deal sites--I just got a discounted race entry fee through one, and got 10 yoga classes for $30!
For gear, I go to consignment shops, and flash sale sites like Backcountry, and Theclymb (my favorite)--you get brand new equipment for way cheaper than retail prices.
In the summer, I put the teensy soap slivers in an old sock and hang it from the hose bib for after gardening washups. Just rub the sock around on your wet hands. I got this idea from Mother Earth News in about 1977, I did not think of it myself.
Recently I've started using body resistance exercises only. I was reading a couple of things that brought me to this approach. The first was the observation that 3 key behaviors led to permanent weight loss, more so than others: eating breakfast every day, weighing in every day, and working out at home. That combined with a book from Mark Lauren (The Bodyweight Exercise Bible) and the fact that he used such an approach training military special operators (he was USAF combat control) was enough evidence to get me to try it. The advantage is that I always have what I need, wherever I am.
I like to work out in our community pool. I also like to walk the neighborhood.
A frugal advantage for paper books is that you can often buy used books from Amazon for less than the e-book download. I have a kindle and it is great, except for those times on the plane when you can't have them turned on.
Kindle is also good for books you will just read once. Books with info that I will need to refer to many times, and in which I might want to make notes, don't work so well on a kindle. I know they have features that you can use to highlight, but it isn't quite the same as thumbing through a book to find just what you need, and maybe seeing something else you didn't know that you needed.
Great article. Careless, unrestrained spending has to end. Living on far less than you can is a recommended course of action, these days. The West had always advised the rest of the developing world to learn to live within its means. I guess now it's time that they did the same.
Some of these things, like calling credit card companies for a reduced rate take only a few minutes and could easily be done on a lunch break.
I would suggest cleaning out your closets and donating old clothes you don't wear anymore to a Goodwill store. While you may not save money at that moment, hopefully seeing how many articles of clothing you have that you never wear will make a light bulb go off and stop you from buying that new pair of jeans that you really don't need.
Great article Oleg! I agree whole heartedly :) hope all is well...
I own three dogs--small, medium, and large--and they insist that I walk them at least two miles every day of the week. I do this frugally, as do my dogs. It's great exercise for all of us. If I do it right, they don't bug me for several hours ... until it's time for our next walk. All three are field dogs, so we all head out to the fields for our walks.
Have a couple of friends chip in for some workout videos. You can pass them around and for only about $5.00 you can workout to five videos or so. I personally love Zumba and Hip Hop Abs! Also incorporate a walk around the neighborhood a couple of times a week.
i go running around the block, park, or school
I actually just discovered the idea of homemade toys last week when my dog got ahold off tennis ball tied in sock while I was washing/drying our pillows. I made me wonder why I spend so much on toys. I will definitely be making some of these!
I like running. It's a good exercise and it's free
There are countless cheap ways for a person to stay fit: for my exercise, I walk the dog daily (he lets me know when it is time). Additionally, I exercise with a free class offered at the loal mall (10 min ea. warmup/cooldown, 20 min cardio, 20 min weight/pilates) three times a week (in early am). I also stand on tippy-toes or on one leg, or hold a balance pose waiting in line, work with stretch bands on legs or arms while watching TV, and am writing this comment sitting and fidgeting on a balance ball.
I run along the local greenway. I spent $3 on my running clothes (bought at a yard sale) and $60 on last year's model of running shoes.
I went to an auction, and bought a bunch of dvds. it looks like the previous owner may have used the discs as a serving dish for their cat? idk.. But anyway, i only picked a couple of the discs out i want to keep and the rest i'll take to a buy/sell/trade place and trade them for store credit for other dvds i want. so... I NEED TO COMPLETELY REMOVE ALL SCRATCHES FROM DISC. I don't want them to "just play so I can watch them." No. I don't care. I want them to look new so I can trade them off and the store wont take scratched discs. I have over 400 movies here to "fix" What can i do to make them look NEW? THANK YOU
I have a 100lb. Alaskan Malamute dog that insists that I walk him every morning and every night after dinner. It has to be pretty nasty outside for me to skip this workout with him. He will not easily take "no walk" for an answer!
Quite interesting lists. Though we cannot deny the fact that there are times or most of the time, these are the common things we will buy in a grocery store. As for me, before I will buy anything, I will look at the price and also see if it is on sale or promotion is on going. Nothing wrong is we think of our budget, of course we don't like to spend many money, we still need money for emergency purposes. Also, we should be aware in ordering online, as we all know, scams are everywhere.
Me, too, Karen! Some leftovers get better, too, like Italian food - the flavors seem to be better on day 2. Here are some more strata instructions, too. Thanks for commenting and happy planning/cooking! http://www.cruelironing.com/1/post/2012/04/thrifty-housewife-using-up-fr...
I run and I bike. From May-October, when it's warm outside, I get my exercise biking to and from work. It's great because in addition to burning calories, I also save money on gas! During the colder part of the year, I run after work. Even though it's dark outside, it gives me a nice boost of energy. Both running and biking are extremely convenient (just go out the front door), and awesomely frugal because I don't have to pay any monthly fees. Woo!
I do about 30 minutes of exercises as soon as I get up in the morning: a mix of pilates and yoga that alternates strengthening and stretching for the core body muscles.
When I'm a registered college student I use the university pool, and during the summer I buy a $20 water aerobics pass for my local community pool.
Uhm, Me again. Netspend got your husband's name from one of his friends, by the way.
Refer a friend and you'll each get up to $20 loaded onto your NetSpend prepaid debit card. There's no limit to the number of referrals you can make!
You can blame your neighbor for why a company is trying to do business with you. Also, anyone can access records of where you live along with publicly listed phone numbers. People need to stop freaking out. It's crazy, there is nothing that attaches to your SSN on these cards.