Tuesday 3 March 2015

15 simple Frugal Tips that can save you money

Simple Frugal Tips: DIY Christmas Decoration
Since we decided that we had to pay attention to our lifestyle as we really wanted to enjoy our life and become a Frugal Family, we tried to focus our attention on the simple things and we found that there is a large amount of small things that can save us money over the time.

Actually,  every little amount adds up and even a small amount of 10 Euro each month turns into 120 Euro a year and in 1.200 Euro for a period of 10 years!!!!






Today we want to share with you a list of  15 Frugal Tips that do not require effort as they are so simple. These are tips that work perfectly for our family as they do not change the way we live but, perhaps won't work for you, so, please, feel free to share with us your advice.

Let's go with the list:

1. we use microfiber or cotton sponges for the kitchen. They are washable and last much longer

2. we keep the empty bottle of liquid detergent for dishes and,  once we buy  the new one, we mix it with water ( 3/4 of detergent and 1/4 of water ) and we really do not notice the difference

3. once we decide that some clothes can not be sold or donated and must be thrown away, we remove buttons and zippers and store them for future repairs

4. we do the same with shoelaces ( so we do not have to buy them when we have to replace shoelaces on other shoes ! )

5. before throwing old clothes away, we cut well usable parts to make dust cloths or rags ( it depends on the fabric ). Rags are very useful when Mr. Frugal Italian Family is working at our DIY House Improvements

6. we normally use tablet detergent for our dishwasher and we ever use half tablet for each washing. It works really well with our dishwasher

7. we always reduce the recommended amount of detergent for the washing machine and we have now found the perfect quantity that works for us

8. we keep the good part of old towels, they are very useful when we need to do a quick cleaning of the bathroom

9. sometimes we use paper towels ( for outdoor trips ) and usually cut them into two parts, it works well for us and we can always use 2 parts if needed

10. before throwing away the bottles of shampoo or liquid detergent, we always add some water ( not too much ). This is enough for at least another washing .

11. we really like transforming old clothes in new useful things ( as gift bags etc. )

12. when cooking, we always check if it is possible to replace an expensive ingredient with a cheaper one or if we can go without it (our Frugal Homemade Bechamel Sauce is without butter )

13. some packs of biscuits have a silver paper inside . We keep it for Christmas decorations

14. Some clothes are sold in transparent plastic bags. We do not throw these bags away. They are very useful for different things


15. we love creating DIY gifts,well, actually we create DIT gifts just for people we know will appreciate them ( as the Christmas decoration on the photo )

Do you have any advice for us?








10 comments:

  1. Every penny counts when you live a frugal life. Reusing, repurposing and repairing items are a great way to keep the family frugal and treat the world better. I tried to keep a running total in my mind about the money I saved when I repurposed or repaired something but lost track. It doesn't matter how much it is, $1, $10 or $100. I like it better when it stays in my pocket!

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  2. I like these tips because they are so simple and easy to do. In fact, I'm already doing many of them so reading this post makes me feel good about my frugality.

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  3. You are on the right track that's for sure and every little bit does help. I always turn my bottles of shampoo, conditioner, dishwashing liquid upside down to make sure I get every last drop from them. Same with laundry detergent and fabric softener.

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  4. I like these tips! It sounds like you are not only saving money, but also being less wasteful in general. That counts for something too!

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  5. I liked this post because we do a lot of the same things. Reading advise no 10, I thought of tube squeezers, just look it up on Amazon or Google. They are great for squeezing out every little rest out of everything that comes in tubes. Best wishes, Chris.

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