Suddenly Frugal

How to Live Happier and Healthier for Less

Leah Ingram

• Publisher: Adams Media
• Year: 2009
• ISBN:
  9781440512933
• Topic: Développement personnel
• Subtopic: Finances personnelles

Live a happier and healthier life for less and save thousands of dollars each year with this essential guide to living on a budget. Many people know one or two things they can do to save money, like cutting back on vacations and meals out, but beyond that, they're stumped. When they look at their current lifestyle, they have no idea where they can trim the fat without sacrificing their quality of life.That's exactly what this guide will do. It will help you identify small, painless changes you can make to your daily habits that can add up to big savings—while bringing you closer as a family. By grouping these money-saving tips into a room of the house or errand on a to-do list, you can immediately put your suddenly frugal plan into action—and instantly begin saving money.By pinpointing the dollar amount associated with each cost-saving step, financial whiz and mom Leah Ingram will inspire you to embrace—and enjoy—your new frugality.

chapter one
REBOOTING YOUR
DAILY ROUTINES

When you adopt a frugal lifestyle, start by re-examining your daily routines to make sure that you don’t spend any more money than is necessary to get the job done—whatever that job may be. This chapter talks about tweaking such daily routines as cleaning, doing laundry, packing lunches, and cooking meals so you can get them done efficiently and inexpensively. In addition, with your daily routines come everyday expenses that might be up for reconsideration, now that you’re looking to slice-and-dice your spending budget. This chapter gives you advice on how to do that, too.

Cleaning House

A few years ago I was a spokesperson for a certain cleaning product that was extremely convenient yet extremely pricey. Because I was going out on a ten-city media tour on behalf of this cleaning product, I had cases of it in my house. Even after the tour was over, I still had leftovers of this cleaning product, and I used it all the time to tidy up my house.

Then two things happened. One, I ran out of the product, as I knew I eventually would. And, two, we moved and became frugal. So when it was time to restock my supply of this cleaning product, I just couldn’t justify the cost when there were cheaper options available.

For me, and probably for you too, getting used to different products was the hardest initial change to make when it came time for frugal housecleaning. I wanted to be able to use the products that I was familiar with—but, frankly, I’d never paid attention to how much they cost. By cutting out those pricey items, plus a really bad paper-towel habit, and replacing them with either store-brand cleaners or cleaning products I could make at home, I was able to slash my shopping budget and still keep my home tidy and spotless.

Rag Time

During this cleaning metamorphosis, I reached back to my roots and remembered some of the tricks that my Yankee mother had taught me about effective cleaning tools that were essentially free. I remembered how even though we had a sparkling house when I was growing up, my mother didn’t use any fancy cleaning tools—not even basic stuff like sponges and mops! No, when my mother needed to clean, her go-to tools were always rags.

My mom favored rags because:

They were free. These were old T-shirts and towels we otherwise would have thrown out.

They were reusable. She could just toss them in the washing machine when done with her chores, and then use them again the next time she needed to clean.

They were recyclable. When the rags became too threadbare to use anymore, my mom would shred the rags and toss them in the compost pile.

Soon after adopting my frugal lifestyle, I adopted my mother’s rag-using habit. I started to scour the laundry for T-shirts that were past their prime, or bath towels that had become so worn out that they were too embarrassing to put out when guests visited. Soon enough, I had all the rags a frugal gal could want.

Here’s how you can find free rags around your house, too. Each time you do a load of laundry this week, take a really critical look at your husband’s undershirts, your kids’ old sports T-shirts, and any hand towels or bath towels that are simply beyond their prime. Start putting them aside so that the next time you need to clean something, you can forgo the paper towels and use your free cleaning rags instead.

The key to using rags is making sure that you keep them in a convenient place so using them doesn’t become a big hassle. If they aren’t in an easy-to-access place, you might fall back on your paper towel habit, which, as you know, costs money.

To decide where to put your rags, consider where you use them most. You might keep a main rag bin in a convenient place with plenty of storage—maybe the garage, mudroom, or basement—with satellite rag stashes in the laundry room, in the kitchen, and under the sink in the master bathroom.

Frugal Cleaners

The cost of cleaning products can add up quickly when you think about what you purchase regularly—window cleaner, bathroom cleaner, floor cleaner, rug cleaners . . . the list goes on and on. To live frugally, I’m sticking with two kinds of cleaners: the concentrated kind that you can buy in gigantic bottles and add water to and cleaners you make yourself.

CLEANERS YOU CAN MAKE YOURSELF
Some DIY cleaners include:

Vinegar and baking soda to clear plumbing clogs.

Baking soda as a scouring powder for the tub.

Vinegar as an all-purpose cleaner, such as for windows, floors, and appliances. (Note: Do not use vinegar on any kind of stone countertops. It will damage them.)

Laundry detergent, made with borax, washing soda, and ground soap.

For more on making your own cleaners on a frugal budget, please check out Chapter 8, “Becoming a Do-It-Your selfer” .

SEAL OF APPROVAL MICROFIBER CLOTHS

While I’m a huge fan of using free cleaning tools, I recently discovered that microfiber cloths are a worthwhile investment for cleaning a frugal home—especially because you can pick up a four-pack of decent-sized cloths (about 12" × 6") at a dollar store for, what else, one dollar.

One of the great things about microfiber cloths is that, like rags, they can be washed and used repeatedly. In addition, they are definitely a multipurpose cleaning tool.

Here are some uses we’ve discovered for them:

Clean computer and electronics screens.

Replace Swiffer-like dusting cloths.

Wipe down sealed countertop surfaces, such as marble and granite.

Dust.

Dry off a dog after a bath.

Shine and de-fingerprint windows and glass.

Use in lieu of paper towels.

Here’s one way that microfiber cloths beat regular old rags: if you use a mop made for a Swiffer, with push-in holes to grip the cloth, the microfiber cloths stay on easier than T-shirts-as-rags do. The microfiber cloths tend to stay flat on the mop “head” whereas T-shirts-as-rags bunch up as you push them across the floor.

Rags for Good Cause
At some point, you’re probably going to find yourself overrun with rags. It is inevitable, especially if you’ve got kids, who seem to collect T-shirts like rock stars collect groupies. Instead of cluttering up your home with rags you’re just never going to use, here’s what you can do: donate those would-be rags to an animal rescue organization or shelter. Many of these facilities welcome used (but clean) towels and sheets so they can line cages and pens.

For those who don’t already have a plethora of rags like I do, I would recommend picking up a couple of packs of microfiber cloths at the dollar store to get your frugal cleaning started. Given the versatility of microfiber cloths, they’ve definitely earned my Suddenly Frugal Seal of Approval.

Doing Laundry

When we decided to start living frugally, I made two big changes in how I approached the laundry:

1. I made everyone wear clothing more than once (if possible).

2. I tried to stop relying on the dryer.

These two methods alone are huge energy- and money-savers in the laundry department.

Doing Laundry Less Often

I’ve changed my approach to frequently washing clothes for two reasons. One, doing fewer and shorter loads of laundry can help cut our energy bills. And, two, our clothes will last longer if they’re washed less often. And if they last longer, I can go for extended periods of time when I don’t have to spend money on new clothes.

Plus, when you think about it, this notion of wearing clothes more than once makes a lot of sense. Unless you’ve been rolling in the dirt or have gotten sweaty, there’s no reason to automatically throw something in the laundry. Underwear, socks, and sports uniforms? Yeah, they can go right into the hamper at the end of the day. But shirts, sweaters, sweatshirts, pants, and the like? Unless they are noticeably dirty, smelly, or downright gross, fold them back up and put them away in your dresser or closet for another day. Surely you can go a couple of wearings without washing a pair of jeans. Is anyone really going to notice?

If you have kids, you might not be able to have them reuse clothes quite so much. Of course, I can get away with having my whole family follow this rule because my kids are older and aren’t outside playing in the dirt, or dropping food on themselves because they’re just learning how to use utensils. If you have younger kids, you might not save as many loads of laundry, but it’s still a tip worth trying. Every little bit counts.

The idea of rewearing clothes was something my mother tried to drum into me when I was a preteen, and now I’m trying it with my own kids. But guess what I’ve figured out? You can nag everyone to keep their relatively clean clothes out of the laundry, and then get frustrated when they don’t listen to you. Or, when you find something that could easily be worn again, you can just pluck it from the hamper, fold it up with the clean laundry, and put it “away” back in that person’s room. No one is the wiser.

Use the Dryer Less Often

If you’re trying to be more frugal with your dryer, the most important secret to keep in mind actually has to do with the washing machine: the spin cycle. Clothes dry faster if they’re not saturated with water, and the best way to get as much water out of your clothes is to use the spin cycle. Think of it as your laundry centrifuge that spins the water molecules right out of the fabric. (My apologies to Mr. Hamilton, my eleventh grade science teacher, for this oversimplification of how a centrifuge works.) So make sure you’re not rushing your clothes into the dryer before the spin cycle is 100 percent completed.

Here are some other ways that you can start to use the dryer less often.

DRY FOR SHORT PERIODS OF TIME ONLY

If you have just washed clothes that you plan on hanging up to dry, try tossing those items in the dryer for, say, ten minutes only. This little bit of time will help to dewrinkle these articles of clothing and get any excess water out of them. I’ve found that this trick helps make the clothes softer and smoother when I hang them up to dry. Have you ever pulled a wet pair of jeans out of the washing machine and then hung them up to dry? They’re kind of crunchy when they do eventually dry, and I gotta tell you, I’m no fan of crunchy jeans. Neither are my kids.

DRY SMALLER LOADS

By pulling clothes out of the dryer one by one, you end up with fewer articles in the dryer overall. And that means that the drying cycle won’t have to run as long to get everything dry. Since I draw the line at hanging up underwear and socks, these are usually all that’s left in the dryer. Because they’re smaller and lighter, socks and underwear usually dry faster without bulky items in the dryer with them. If there are only a few of these lighter items left in the dryer, I’ll turn the dryer off completely, and wait until the next load of laundry to turn it back on.

HANG CLOTHES TO DR...