So I told you I’m learning about frugality. I know, along with the rest of the country. But hear me out. This has been a 5-year journey. But I’ve only been couponing for over a year. I resisted for a long time. I say that like it’s a good thing to wait a long time to get free or almost-free things for your family and others.
Anyway.
I wanted to pass on my 5 favorite Frugal Bloggers. There are tons more, but these are mine. One of them lives in Kansas, so her prices most accurately reflect those in our stores.
On with it…
http://www.moneysavingmom.com/ Money Saving Mom. This chick was frugal when frugal wasn’t cool. Her mom put her in charge of food budget, couponing and grocery shopping in high school. She knows everything. My favorite thing about this couple is they’re like 60-70% towards their goal of buying their first house with cash! (They’re big Ramsey fans). They’re just now in their 30’s. Think of all the money they can give to Kingdom Living from now until they die because they soon won’t pay anything each month for rent or mortgage. And he’s a lawyer. Whoa.
http://www.grocerycartchallenge.blogspot.com/ This lady doesn’t coupon, but still finds a way to feed her family of 6 with 60 bucks a week. She is very creative in making things stretch. And coupons aren’t the only way to make your budget Kingdom-friendly.
http://www.commonsensewithmoney.com/ Common Sense with Money. She’s a former CPA and very smart. She shares all kinds of tips for saving money, and not just on groceries. I’ve learned a lot from her.
http://www.momsneedtoknow.com/ I love reading this one. She is in Philly and lots of her posts have nothing to do with the Midwest. But she’s funny. In her bio she wrote something like, “I’m not as nice as other frugal mommy bloggers. Or at least I cuss a lot more than them.” She goes on these really funny rants. I’ve learned a lot from her, too.
http://jane4girls800dollarannualbudget.blogspot.com/ Okay. This lady is my financial hero. As a single mom she feeds her 3 daughters, two dogs and herself on Eight Hundred Dollars a Year!!! I know. She explains how. It took her 3 years to get where she is now. But come on.
Here’s the low down: The basic premise is to get a good stockpile going so that you can “cherry pick” each week. Meaning you have lots of basics on hand, including cheap meat, so all you buy each week are the best deals. They match up each store’s weekly deals with coupons that are out there, showing you how to get tons of stuff for $3 to $30 a week. Some of it you may not need or normally eat. But hey. If it’s free, you can get it and give it away.
Here’s how I look at it. It takes me maybe 2 hours a week to cut coupons, check blog deals, and shop at two different stores (versus just going to Dillon’s or just Wal-Mart or whatever). My receipt regularly says I save $15 – $90 each time. If I save us that much for two hours’ worth of work, then a part-time “job” that “pays” $7.50 – $45 an hour is pretty worth it!
It takes a while to get your rhythm. And I have weeks where I cuss the whole system, get burnt out and just shop. But for the most part, this has really revolutionized how I look at my job around here. My man really appreciates me making things stretch. And it feeds my competitive desires – I’m constantly trying to challenge myself to see how good a deal I can get.
And remember. It’s not about just hoarding cash you save. It’s about getting your family set so you can give give give to others. That’s the big picture I try to keep in mind. Otherwise I feel cheesy about the whole deal. No, you’re not a repressed 50’s housewife to implement these things. You are powerful and playing a huge role in your family, community and the Kingdom in our generation.
Have fun with it!