tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78297910448990695102023-03-15T21:03:58.030-07:00Frugal-Living-Skills BlogFrugal-Living-Skills.org is a frugal blog that is maintained by Renee Rouse (wife & mother for a family of 8) as a FREE resource to show how to be more frugal and self-reliant through family preparedness and money saving skills.Greg Rousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764977502960820567noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829791044899069510.post-31863902302941924462011-03-23T14:53:00.000-07:002011-03-23T14:53:55.719-07:00The 1 Tool I Never Want to be WithoutI just have to say I love my Bissel Little Green Machine. It is the 1 tool I never want to be without. It has saved me soooo much money in cleaning bills. Sticky pop or koolaid spills, check. Spot was left in the house a little too long, check. "Mom, so and so just got sick", double check.
It's small and portable so you can use it almost anywhere. Love it!
What tools do you love that save you Greg Rousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764977502960820567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829791044899069510.post-91138842376494506122011-03-03T10:39:00.000-08:002011-03-03T11:38:03.474-08:00Welcome to Frozen Food MonthI Just thought I'd give you a heads up on some possible savings.
March is Frozen Food month. While this is not necessarily something you've marked on your calendar it is something you should look out for. There are usually some pretty good deals on your favorite frozen foods so it's a good time to stock up on the things you use a lot of.
Last week I was able to grab a bunch of 16oz frozen veggiesGreg Rousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764977502960820567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829791044899069510.post-35741704962908519322011-02-08T09:00:00.000-08:002011-02-08T09:00:02.951-08:00Pricematching 101Groceries are probably one of the biggest expenses in your household. Saving money here can be a big help. I thought I'd share what I do to save money at the supermarket.
There was a time when I used to run from store to store in order to get the best deals at each location. I thought I was saving money. Of course I did not account for all of the extra gas I was using up and the extra time it wasGreg Rousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764977502960820567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829791044899069510.post-67412454779306716852011-01-14T18:22:00.000-08:002011-01-14T18:23:04.548-08:00Why I do what I do - Part 2Since I already shared why I do this I thought it would be nice to share some of why I live a frugal lifestyle.
1. Respect - In our family it's my husbands job to make the money and it's my job to spend it. I figure I'm not a very nice wife if I go out and spend like crazy - and then tell him to go make more money. My husband works hard for our family and I need to work hard at spending that Greg Rousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764977502960820567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829791044899069510.post-16283316680264906452011-01-03T09:30:00.000-08:002011-01-03T09:30:00.323-08:00Why I do What I DoI thought I'd take just a second and share why I do this.
You all know me. I'm the lady in the lady in the grocery store who leans over to you and says "you know those are on sale at such and such a place for such and such price." You may look at me like I'm a little crazy, don't worry it's happened before. Or you may look at me, smile and thank me, or you may even say "yes I know! isn't that a Greg Rousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764977502960820567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829791044899069510.post-36002970996444686292011-01-01T11:47:00.000-08:002011-01-01T11:47:26.211-08:00Happy New YearHappy 2011 Everyone!
If you haven't noticed, I've been away for a little while. But here I am on New Years Day resolving to pay more attention to this little blog. Really I just need to manage my time better. Anyone else planning on doing that this next year? ;)
I've started a list of post ideas but also wanted your input. What frugal skills would you like to develop and learn more about?
Post aGreg Rousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764977502960820567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829791044899069510.post-53702673477692907272010-10-30T14:54:00.000-07:002010-10-30T14:54:01.942-07:00Quick Tip - Cheap CandyI just wanted to share something I do every year after Halloween. The day after Halloween (that's Monday) head to the store and stock up on candy. It will most likely be marked 50% off. Look for the kind that doesn't have the Halloween wrappers on it or isn't a Halloween candy like those gummy fingers, blah. Hershey's kisses and candy bars have been my favorites. I tuck this candy away and use itGreg Rousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764977502960820567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829791044899069510.post-47093100453991533802010-08-31T12:51:00.000-07:002010-09-02T09:05:28.434-07:00When Cheaper Isn't Always BetterAwhile back my mother-in-law asked me "why are your kitchen towels so grey?" I thought that this was just one of those "mother-in-law" things and since I have the most wonderful mother-in-law, I let it pass with an "I dunno".
Then, while at church, I looked at my teenage son in his white shirt standing next to the other teenage boys in their white shirts, only, my sons shirt is more on the grey Greg Rousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764977502960820567noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829791044899069510.post-50006721073574002702010-07-28T15:07:00.000-07:002010-09-01T07:46:19.576-07:00Quick Tip - Try Something NewA couple of weeks ago I found a recipe for making jam without added pectin. I had just gotten some apricots and wanted to make jam with them since I love apricot jam.
Since I have always wanted to try making it without added pectin, I decided, why not?
It was relatively easy. The recipe was easy to follow, not a whole lot to do, just a lot of cooking. I learned about and was able to try 3 Greg Rousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764977502960820567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829791044899069510.post-6962565988139839502010-07-14T00:12:00.000-07:002010-07-14T00:12:09.985-07:00Quick Tip - Savings on your phone billHave you ever opened your phone bill and noticed a little flyer stuffed inside advertizing a new phone plan? It's probably cheaper than the one you're currently on too. Ever wonder why the phone company didn't tell you about this new, cheaper plan earlier? Yeah...they don't do that do they.
That's why it's a good idea to check with your phone company often and see if a better, cheaper plan is Greg Rousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764977502960820567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829791044899069510.post-9561916863532693812010-07-05T10:00:00.000-07:002010-07-14T00:29:03.024-07:00Quick tip - Back to School ShoppingI realize that this might sound crazy since it's just the beginning of July, but the back to school sales are going to start soon and I wanted to give you a heads up.
Start watching the weekly circulars for the best deals. Some of my past favorites have been the penny sales at Staples. I hope they continue this year.
You can usually find a supply list on your school districts website if you Greg Rousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764977502960820567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829791044899069510.post-72031478550514308942010-06-30T18:11:00.000-07:002010-06-30T18:11:38.513-07:00What I look for at Garage SalesOne of the simple pleasures I have in my life is the fun I have garage saleing. Sounds crazy maybe, but then again if you live a frugal lifestyle, you know just what I mean. This past weekend I found a huge roll of vinyl flooring which I need for a bathroom for $10! The next day I found a tub of flooring glue for 50c. Imagine that, a new bathroom floor (and maybe even the laundry room) for $10.50Greg Rousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764977502960820567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829791044899069510.post-23306300601598180902010-06-08T08:30:00.000-07:002010-06-08T08:30:00.085-07:00Quick tip - Cheap Greeting CardsWith weddings, graduations and Father's Day just around the corner I thought I'd share a tip I've found that can save you money when you need to send a greeting card.
Check out the dollar store and/or the thrift store first. Thrift stores have lots of cards for really cheap, I'm talking anywhere from 10c - 50c. The selection is OK.
Dollar Stores have a much broader choice and their cards can Greg Rousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764977502960820567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829791044899069510.post-84591622959060256752010-06-01T11:32:00.000-07:002010-06-01T11:40:50.594-07:00Quick tip - Make a listHave you ever been sucked into the vortex of the grocery store? Yeah, I have plenty of times.
Studies show that the longer you are in the store the more money you will spend. Makes sense. Think of all the things the stores do to try and get you to stay longer. Samples, nice music, the nice little coffee spots. I'm sure there are dozens more.
When you're trying to stick to a budget the last Greg Rousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764977502960820567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829791044899069510.post-46809459606210217122010-05-28T09:00:00.000-07:002010-05-31T09:58:04.960-07:00Family Meals Under $5 - Maple Dump ChickenI love the crock pot. Not just because it makes cooking so easy but also because there are some really tasty meals that can be cooked in them.
As I told you before, I've stocked up on some cheap chicken, so this week I'm making Maple Dump Chicken.
My friend Louise made this when I was part of a freezer meal co-op. It was one of my children's favorites.
I hope you like it too.
Maple Dump ChickenGreg Rousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764977502960820567noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829791044899069510.post-73616715235043755102010-05-25T09:00:00.000-07:002010-05-25T22:41:59.281-07:00Christmas....in May? It always seems that I never have enough money to do all the fun things that I want to do during the holidays. Sound familiar? One thing I try to do is to buy things when I see it on sale during the year. For example I just got a big tub of Knex at Walmart.com for $10 shipped to the store for free. I have a little guy who will love these.
Now my list will be smaller in December and my stress a Greg Rousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764977502960820567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829791044899069510.post-83272119352195160022010-05-21T10:00:00.000-07:002010-05-21T10:29:28.797-07:00Family Meals Under $5 - Crock Pot Ginger ChickenOne blog I like to follow is The Grocery Cart Challenge. Gayle put up a link for a great recipe for Crock Pot Ginger Chicken. I made this last night and my family liked it.
I've run into 2 really great deals on chicken lately so you'll be seeing lots of under $5 chicken meals. The first deal was whole chickens advertised for 79c/lb but were 59c/lb when I got to the store. No complaints here! TheGreg Rousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764977502960820567noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829791044899069510.post-1649154536024207092010-05-18T22:46:00.000-07:002010-05-18T23:01:46.856-07:00Quick tip - Freezer MealsMonday is a busy day at our house. It's my heavy cleaning day, the day I bake my bread, and we have Family Night on Mondays. With all this going on, dinner is sometimes late. This pushes everything else back, so we get to bed late, we're tired the next morning...you get the picture.
In order to make things go a little smoother I've decided to make this night my freezer meal night.
I've always Greg Rousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764977502960820567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829791044899069510.post-24380059885083340422010-04-23T10:00:00.000-07:002010-04-24T10:37:26.484-07:00Family Meals for Under $5 - Hamburger SoupThis was one of my husbands favorites when he was growing up. The nice thing about this is you can open up your fridge and use up some of your leftovers. Let it simmer on the stove while you do other things.
Hamburger Soup - $4.13
French Bread - .66c
Total - $4.79
1 1/2 lbs ground turkey - $2.04 (I buy the 1 lb frozen ground turkey tubes. These are a lot cheaper than ground beef but taste justGreg Rousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764977502960820567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829791044899069510.post-56448229381065817862010-04-22T10:00:00.000-07:002010-04-22T10:00:02.796-07:00Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Day 3Last but not least in our series on being green and frugal is recycle. This one can be lots of fun. I'm so impressed with the myriad of ways people use things in a different way.
At our house we participate in our communities recycling programs. We have curbside recycling, which is just as easy as taking out the trash. We can also take our recyclables to our schools and drop them off there. ThisGreg Rousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764977502960820567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829791044899069510.post-56935371408488136692010-04-21T10:00:00.000-07:002010-04-21T10:08:34.442-07:00Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - Day 2How'd you do yesterday? Were you able to get rid of anything you didn't need? I took one box to St. Vinny's, should've taken more, but I did tell the ARC they could come next week. Now I have a few days to collect more "stuff" for them. My friend Julie told me that when they call you should always tell them to come by even if you don't have anything. They give you a week and in that time you'll Greg Rousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764977502960820567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829791044899069510.post-67131971042946541112010-04-20T10:00:00.000-07:002010-04-22T07:55:22.814-07:00Reduce, Reuse, RecycleDid you realize that by being frugal you were also being "green"? Many of the frugal things I naturally do are good for the environment as well. Think of the slogan reduce, reuse, recycle. It goes hand in hand with frugal living.
For the next few days I'll be addressing each of these areas and sharing ways you can be both frugal and green.
Today we start with reduce.
No brainier here. The less Greg Rousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764977502960820567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829791044899069510.post-79497477910777121832010-04-19T11:31:00.000-07:002010-04-19T11:47:30.599-07:00Save Water ChallengeMy kindergartener came home with a "Save Water" challenge from one of the local girl scout troops. They asked us to have one of our family members brush their teeth with the water running for the reccomended 2 minutes. We were to collect the water and measure how much was used. WOW! It was really amazing to see how much water was wasted. I even had the water on low, not full force like the kids Greg Rousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764977502960820567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829791044899069510.post-29670449185769802592010-04-09T10:33:00.000-07:002010-04-09T10:33:24.839-07:00Family Meals Under $5 - Split Pea SoupIt's time to use that leftover hambone from Easter dinner. What better way than yummy split pea soup. This is really easy to make and can even be done in the crockpot. Add a salad and some toasted french bread for a complete meal.
Split Pea Soup - $3.37
French Bread - $0.88
Tossed Green Salad - $0.67
Total - $4.92
Split Pea Soup
1 hambone with meat - $1.52 ( I was able to get 3 meals out of Greg Rousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11764977502960820567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7829791044899069510.post-11929620053810934792010-04-09T09:37:00.000-07:002010-04-09T09:37:09.566-07:00Walgreens Photo DealsToday only, (Friday) you can get a free 8 x 10 with Walgreens 7 Days of Deals promotion. Just head on over here to check it out.
Live less, live more
Renee
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