What have the personal finance bloggers been talking about this week with regards to frugality? Being frugal reminds us that baby steps are the keys to success! Almost Frugal gives us a frugal concept to work on. And Frugal Dad reminds us that while it is easy to cut the grocery budget, it may not neccesarily be a good thing for your waistline.
At beingfrugal.net, we are reminded to “pick one area of your life where you want to save money. And then pick one thing you can change to save money in that area. Let’s say you want to save money on food. Resolve to take your lunch to work every day, instead of buying lunch. If that’s too much, shoot for 4 times a week, and treat yourself to lunch out on Fridays.” It’s win win. You are working on your goal of being frugal, and at the same time, you are not depriving yourself completely of things that you are used to having. When you start to do well in this area, it’s time to pick something new to work on.
Beingfrugal also reminds us that you really do need support in order to do something well. “It’s important to know other people who are frugal and happy being that way.” And here at Geezeo, we make finding those people easy. We have a number of groups that can help out in almost any area of your life :
Almost Frugal says “Western cultures are built on the principle of spend, spend, spend, France less so than the United States, but catching up fast. And I think that it’s hard to be immune to this urge. See the pretty, shiny thing! Want the pretty, shiny thing! Buy the pretty shiny thing!”
Many people can agree on that statement. It’s so easy to get caught up in the mindset. However, if you can train yourself to wait it out, you can usualy find a much better deal, or you may even realize that you don’t even need the item anyways.  Almost Frugal gives a few examples such as furniture, and a laptop. Check out Almost Frugal to see how these purchases were made.
And finally, Frugal Dad discusses something very similar to a recent post here at Geezeo. There’s no doubt that trimming your budget can be a difficult task. But when it comes to your groceries, remember that it’s important to still eat as healthy as possibly as to not impose more costs down the line from health related problems. Frugal Dad gives some great tips on ways to save money and still be healthy:
- Shop for deli meats late in the day. Often deals can be found just before the deli closes on shaved turkey and other meats nearing the “sell by†date. Deli meats are typically of a higher quality because they are not packaged in sodium and other preservatives. Be sure to check out the meat case while you are at it. Many time we pick up a pork tenderloin or whole chicken marked “manager’s special†which is perfectly good if eaten or frozen that day or the next.
- Declare a “Meatless Monday.†I was raised on meat and potatoes, so this concept seemed a little strange at first. But replacing meat with other proteins such as beans and lentils one meal a week is a great way to reduce your food budget and your intake of saturated fats. My family also eats breakfast for dinner a couple times a month, including eggs, turkey sausage and fruits.
- Eliminate “empty-calorie†foods from your grocery list. When trying to save money on groceries, or lose weight, it is a good idea to remove empty-calorie foods such as chips, candies, cookies and soft drinks. They really add little to no nutritional value to your diet. I guess this means I’ll have to give up Little Debbie snack cakes.
Check out Frugal Dads other tips!
And that’s it for this round up. Have you come across a good read out there? Please let us know about it! Post it here, or in one of our many groups.
Don’t forget that $6,000 could go a long way toward reducing your debt. Win this or other great prizes in The Great Geezeo Bailout!
January 18th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
Another way to be frugal… just spend less money on the stuff you need. For example, clearance-portal.com links just to clearance sales at sites across the internet. They even have an e-book “The Ultimate Guide to Target Clearance Deals” which is AMAZING!
January 30th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Hi, really like your blog! Have now bookmarked it and will surely visit again sometime.