Become a Fabulous, Frugal Super Woman
We had to come up with a plan of action to get the extra debt paid off. We looked at the numbers. Then we looked at them harder. Every area in our budget got slashed. My grocery budget got cut in half and I was terrified we were all going to starve to death. My kids did not get back to school clothes and I worried that they would be teased.
Gone were the days of eating out several times a week. Goodbye mall, hello thrift shops.
Going without and being content with what I already had were foreign ideas to me. It was uncharted territory but I dove in with every part of me-I didn’t have a choice. I started researching things that I could do to make our new budget work and discovered an entire new world. I used to despise cooking; now I dream about it. I used to buy my kids stuff all the time, now I find new ways to use the things they already have.
Do you want to be a fabulous frugal super woman? There are so many things you can do to become more thrifty -little things you can change right now that will have long term benefits. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Cut back or totally eliminate eating out-most of its bad for you anyway.
- Learn how to cook beyond boxed meals. It’s amazing what you can do with basic (i.e. cheap) ingredients.
- Utilize your kitchen appliances-like the crock pot that’s been collecting dust in your basement since your bridal shower.
- Stop buying things you don’t need-does your kid really need 10 pairs of shoes? He’s only got two feet.
- Learn how to make your own cleaning supplies and HBA items. It’s a great feeling to make something that in the past I would have bought at the store. Who knew baking soda could be used for shampoo AND deodorant?! Yeah, I’ve gone hard core.
- Make some phone calls and get lower rates on things like your vehicle insurance and trash service. I have saved several hundred dollars on services we already use just by calling around.
- Buy used whenever possible-this saves you money and also keeps stuff out of landfills.
- And of course, use cloth diapers as a way to save money. You can even go a step further and use cloth wipes, cloth towels in the kitchen instead of paper towel, mama cloth, family cloth….you get the idea.
Nothing earth shattering-just simple little things that can save you big money.
Learning to be more frugal has been an experience that has changed my life, I bet it can change yours too.
My homemade laundry detergent!
whitneywalters on March 17th, 2010 2:15 am
Great post!
mamachrista on March 17th, 2010 2:30 am
fabulous article Sara!!!
GEM Cloth on March 17th, 2010 2:58 am
Wonderful ideas! Being green and thrifty is fun!
BabyKakes on March 17th, 2010 12:21 pm
Great article!
Skittle on March 17th, 2010 2:03 pm
Your laundry detergent looks great. What’s the pink stuff?
Great post.
minneapolisite on March 17th, 2010 2:15 pm
Love it! Thank you for sharing your story!
keonli on March 17th, 2010 2:32 pm
Great post!
MyFrugalFunLife on March 17th, 2010 3:47 pm
Skittle-the pink in the detergent is Zote bar soap
I hand grate it with a cheese grater. I also like Kirks Castile bar soap to use in the recipe too.
swalker97 on March 17th, 2010 5:24 pm
Would you care to share more on how you do this? Like some of your recipes-for food and laundry detergent. We need details.
2queens1princenmyhouse on March 17th, 2010 6:31 pm
I love it! Way to go thrifty mama!
huffmama on March 17th, 2010 6:53 pm
Terrific post! We are a family who sees money not as our own, but as a resource God has entrusted us to steward. I used to love spending money too, and admit that I still love to go out to eat once in awhile. But making wise decisions with your money and breaking out of the consumer cycle is the best thing you can do for yourself and your family. Our favorite family frugal thing (besides CDing)-we make our own yogurt and bread. It saves tons of money, is really easy, and is much better for you without all the unnecessary ingredients you find in store bought varieties. I love reading tips from other frugal moms!
gkatieh on March 17th, 2010 8:30 pm
Hahahaha my crock pot is totally collecting dust… It’s embarrassing… Wonder if is even clean-able. I should buy a new one… Wait, that’s not very frugal
holyscrapbeth on March 17th, 2010 10:41 pm
Great article! I implemented some of these ideas when we thought DH’s company was going to close last June (it did close in Dec). I haven’t missed all the stuff I used to buy and it’s SO freeing to pay off bills1! I hope to pass these ideas on to my girls.
ckmom07 on March 17th, 2010 11:11 pm
I would LOVE to get the recipe for your detergent. I have thought about making my own because we also have to be cutting back on some costs. Is it easy for a hubby to use as well? His is going to have to start helping out soon(I am going back to work FT for the 1st time since we have been married). Thanks so much!!!
Sakari on March 18th, 2010 3:35 am
Awww, the pink makes it so pretty
Great article, Sara!
BNC on March 18th, 2010 12:44 pm
WTG!
Ang on March 18th, 2010 1:58 pm
Care to share your laundry soap recipe?
mrother on March 18th, 2010 3:07 pm
What a great article!! I would love to hear more about how you went about things!! Thanks for the inspiration.
MyFrugalFunLife on March 18th, 2010 4:38 pm
swalker97-I plan on going into much more detail about the thrifty things I do, in future posts
I’m still trying to figure this all out but hopefully I’ll be able to post on a regular basis soon.
If you want some scent just add a few drops of eo/fo. I also skip fabric softner and just use a bit of white vinegar in the rinse cycle of my wash-works great 
For my laundry detergent, I actually got the recipe from the Green Forum, right here on DS! Its very easy to make:
1 bar soap-I like Kirks castile or Zotes but others use Fels Naptha, Ivory, Buddy bars etc etc.
1 cup Borax
1 cup Wash Soda (NOT baking soda)
1 cup Oxi/generic Sun OPTIONAL
essential oil or fragrance oil-OPTIONAL
Grate the soap with a hand cheese grater (what I do) or with a food processor. Mix the ingredients together and voila! You’ve just made detergent
Kwizsica on March 18th, 2010 6:05 pm
Wow! How does that work with sensitive skin? I have exzema and my 3 1/2 month old appears to have inherited it, so I need something that’s gentle yet still gets the job done! Awesome post. I love to make things, and if it saves us money, that’s even better!
mrother on March 18th, 2010 6:16 pm
Would your soap work in a FL?
MyFrugalFunLife on March 18th, 2010 6:40 pm
mrother-I’ve read that you can, you just need to cut back the amount (I have a top loader and use 2-4tbsp per load). If you do an online search there’s a lot of resources/recipes available-you’ll probably be able to find the right amount for a FL
spottycat on March 18th, 2010 7:18 pm
Great post! Very inspiring! Thank you so much for sharing!
napua on March 18th, 2010 9:09 pm
This is a great thread!
MyFrugalFunLife on March 18th, 2010 10:27 pm
Kwizsica-my oldest has very mild exzema and it hasn’t caused any issues-I’d go with the Kirks Castile bar soap though, since its very natural (its actually a beauty bar for your body) and is as close to homemade as I could find
I have found it at Meijer for a little over $1 per bar, or you can order it for around $1.25 a bar at Amazon but you’d have to pay for shipping.
DreamingTree on March 19th, 2010 2:57 am
Thanks for the reminder that being thrifty can be a fun challenge for those of us that have the time.
kochmm on March 19th, 2010 5:44 pm
I also make my detergent, same recipe but haven’t used it on cloth
for cloth i use 1c borax 1c washing soda 1c oxiclean but the dipes aren’t coming out smelling great, we have a fl any other cloth washing recipes??
mommyof2munchkins on March 19th, 2010 7:38 pm
FANTASTIC! I may try making this! We are trying to get a bit thriftier here as well. The crock pot is a fabulous invention…I use it for EVERYTHING
scaryari on March 21st, 2010 12:49 pm
Well I found some castile so I’m trying to make some shampoo today. I’m actually excited to try it out! Thanks for the inspiration to take action and be more frugal and natural at the same time:)
isabelsmom on March 22nd, 2010 2:19 pm
Wonderful post, mama! Thank you for posting your laundry soap recipe~
pinkandgreen on March 22nd, 2010 5:38 pm
great post…can’t wait to reread it again when I want to spend!!
BabyRooSlings on March 25th, 2010 4:21 am
We haven’t tried laundry soap yet but DH makes awesome bar soap!
angelnalex on April 7th, 2010 3:02 pm
Great post, never thought to make my own laundry detergent. Can’t wait to try it out myself, I need to find lavender essential oil first. I use a specific laundry detergent as it is now because dd is very hyper active and has been having problems in school because of it. Since I started washing all of her things in a lavender detergent she has improved slightly, I mean the teacher noticed a difference
I have always considered myself thrifty, I only shop sales and the thrift stores:) Oh and FYI The Salvation Army has five for five every friday and saturday so you can get five of (what ever color tag they have on sale) for $5.00. It is best to go on friday mornings though as this is the color tag that has been on sale for 25% to 50% off all week long. Mom2mom sales are good as well there are usually 20 or more mama’s in one place at one time selling baby and kids things.