Kudos to everyone for such good tips.  I agree with nearly all of them.  But be careful with used upholstered furniture or mattresses now that bedbugs are coming back.

Invest in frugality.  Lay out the cash for things that will pay for themselves and then keep on.  Like extra insulation in the attic, replacement windows, caulking, storm doors, an attic fan, etc. 

Just because something is on sale doesn’t mean you should buy it.  Think about whether you will use it or not.  If you will not use it, you have wasted the money no matter how little the item cost. 

Take care of things you have.  Do proper maintenance on everything.  Don’t leave tools and things out in the weather.   

Be careful who you loan things to.  Some people will return them broken or dirty, if they return them at all. 

If there is something you’d like to have that you can learn how to make, you are ahead of the game.   

Eliminate the middleman whenever possible.  Buy products that go through as few processes as possible.   

My kids and grandkids always used to love to hold sleepover parties.  Rent movies, everyone brought their games, I made individual pizza crusts ahead of time and they put on their own toppings.  You can entertain six kids on what one movie ticket costs. 

Take care of your health.  Know yourself and your body well enough to know what you can take care of yourself.  Don’t run to the doctor for something (like a cold or a sprain) that will have to run its course anyway.  Go to the doctor’s office or a clinic instead of the ER.  Even if you’re one of those people who never plans to pay the bill, know that your non-payment results in EVERYONE ELSE, maybe someone you love, being charged more to absorb the costs of caring for people who don’t pay. 

Do all home repairs that you can do.  Even if you have to go to the library or the internet and research it.  If you have to hire someone, always get more than one estimate.  Don’t choose the lowest, or the highest.  Get references. 

Obey the law.  Don’t speed.  Traffic tickets and other fines are expensive. 

Check out resources that are available to you in your home or area.  Someone in KS may be able to buy wheat cheaper than flour, and grind the wheat herself, but you may not be able to do it in another state without paying a king’s ransom.  In our area, we can pick up pecans and black walnuts for free and crack them ourselves; we can grow something in our gardens 9 months out of the year.  I can pick up things at garage sales cheaper than at thrift shops and cheaper than I can make them.  My home has a cistern that fills from the rain gutters, which we use to water our garden.  We have an attic in which I can dehydrate things during the summer.  Put your thinking cap on. 

Buy things in bulk to get cheaper prices.  I buy oatmeal, cocoa, yeast, ascorbic acid, etc., etc. from Bulkfoods.com or Barryfarm.com.  I buy spices from there or from Penzey’s.  If you can’t use a large container of something, split the order with a friend or two.  Some things can be sealed.  Invest in a FoodSaver that has the jarlid sealer, or get one of those Pump-n-Seals.  I have one, it was only about $20, it works like a little bicycle pump, and seals things in regular canning jars.  You can use lids that have been used before if when you open the jar for the first time, you are careful not to bend up the flat. 

Sometimes things are not as good a deal as they look like they are.  I will not buy grocery store beef because they inject water into it.  It shrinks upon cooking and makes a watery mess in the skillet if I’m trying to panfry it.  Instead, I buy local beef from a family-owned butcher shop near here.  I buy the cheaper cuts, but they are still better than grocery store beef.   

Pay attention to what you are buying in the store.  Cheese food is not the same as real cheese.  If you buy yogurt, read the label and make sure you are getting active cultures.  Stay away from those highly sugared, artificially flavored kinds.  Buy plain and doctor it up yourself with real fruit or jam you’ve made yourself from real fruit and no artificial anything.  Buy popsickle or push-up molds and make popsickles with pudding or fruit or juices.  Or make smoothies and freeze.  Ever had a watermelon popsickle?  Don’t buy boxed cereals.  There’s hardly any real grain in there and lots of sugar, even in the ones that aren’t supposed to be sweet.  Serve corn muffins instead of corn chips with chili.  Make French fries instead of buying chips to serve with hamburgers.  Make your own hamburger buns.   

Don’t hang out with people who have expensive habits.  If your friends make fun of your frugal ways that’s the first sign you’re hanging out with the wrong crowd! 

Watch your credit buying.  If you use a credit card, pay it off in full every month.  If you must carry a balance, don’t go over your credit limit or skip a payment.  There are stiff fees involved.  Try to pay off your home ahead of time.  Buy used cars that you can afford to pay cash for.  You can save thousands of dollars by avoiding interest costs, and Uncle Sam hasn’t figured out a way to tax you on money you DON’T spend. 

We’ve lived frugally almost all our married lives, Hubs and I, and we’ve been together since 1967.  At first it was out of necessity.  Now it’s a matter of choice.  --Ilene

Do you trade coupons by mail with anyone? I do…with a couple ladies. I send them my list of what I want and they do the same. it does help!

Mrs. Turkey