I'm so honored to have Melinda from Musings of a Minister's Wife, here with us today! She's a very "frugal Frannie", and more than willing to share a few of her ideas with us!!
Melinda writes....
My husband loves to tell his friends stories of how frugal I can be. He has one friend whose wife is also frugal, so they are always telling stories that start with, "My wife is so frugal that she (fill-in-the-blank)." There was a point in our life where our existence depended on our frugality, but, hey, we made it! We have a little bit more room to breathe these days, but I will always be a Frugal Frannie.
Melinda writes....
My husband loves to tell his friends stories of how frugal I can be. He has one friend whose wife is also frugal, so they are always telling stories that start with, "My wife is so frugal that she (fill-in-the-blank)." There was a point in our life where our existence depended on our frugality, but, hey, we made it! We have a little bit more room to breathe these days, but I will always be a Frugal Frannie.
Here are a few ways that I still pinch pennies, even when it's a splurge.
- Medicine – I always buy the off-brand. If you will compare active ingredients, you will find that they are exactly the same. This will save you at least $2 per bottle of off-the-shelf medicine.
- Convenience Soda – This makes me cringe! $1.50 for a 20 oz bottle of cold soda? Tempting, I know. But here is what I like to do. You can get a whole 2-liter bottle of name-brand soda for $1.50 or less. If you are at the grocery store, no need to grab that cold soda out of that convenient fridge by the register. Go to the deli department, get a cup of ice for $0.25, and you can have several refills!
- Milk – This may be a little too frugal for some of you, but I like to buy the gallon of whole milk, and when it gets halfway empty, I fill it up with water. I'm used to drinking 2% milk, so I can't taste the difference. And I buy powdered milk to use in my bread baking and some sweets, if the fat content can still be upheld by using real butter.
I've got so many more tips (i.e. quirks) to share, but I don't want to show my whole hand at once. I'm the type of girl who forbids my husband from buying me flowers. If he just feels the pressing urge to buy me flowers, it needs to be something I can plant.
Note: I have never eaten an animal that we ran over. Even if it was in season. : )
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A Walmart pharmacist told my mom once that all of the "Equate" brand medicines (their store brand) are made by the same people who manufacture Johnson and Johnson stuff. So basically you're getting the same product with less fancy packaging, which is fine with me. That junk is expensive otherwise! Thanks for the tips. :o)
ReplyDeleteI buy store brand any and everything. My mom works for a grocery store (Safeway here in California) and told me basically the same thing that Anne (above) said: typically store brand products are made by the "big name"/"popular" brands.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to clothing shopping, I shop in the off season (summer clothes in winter and vice versa), I use my phone to snap pictures of model numbers/style names and I search for these items online, I've starting following DIY blogs and making things myself, and I ALSO try to buy with a coupon. No coupon? No buy! ;) Oh, and thrift stores are my friend!
Thanks for featuring Melinda!
Chandra
More Modern Modesty
http://www.momomod.com