is adapting to a more natural (and frugal) way of life difficult?
Question by pariah: is adapting to a more natural (and frugal) way of life difficult?
Me and my fiance’ are about to make a jump to this kind of life. Both of us are passionate about the idea and have wanted to do it for years. Now that we found a place in the country (and are about to move in a couple months), part of me wonders if we can really pull this off. I personally think we can, I was just wanting to hear some insight from people who do live that way.
What do you think? Answer below!
3 Responses to is adapting to a more natural (and frugal) way of life difficult?
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I’m also learning about frugality. A website that will be helpful to you is the Living On A Dime site (www.livingonadime.com, they also have a Facebook Page). This has ideas, a blog, and message boards. Their newsletter comes out twice a week (Tuesday and Thursday).
Some ideas:
Grow a garden. I’m trying this with herbs (with very limited success).
Make extra batches of some things and freeze them. This works for soups, stews, and stocks.
Try canning. This is good for produce.
Coupons can be your friends. Check your local stores’ coupon policies and watch the expiration dates. Same for store fliers.
Some stores (such as Vons or Ralphs) have store cards. A card gets you a lower price on an item (a bottle of wate that normally cost a dollar would be 69 cents with the card).
Have reusable bags? Keep some in the car and use them when shopping–some stores (such as Whole Foods and Sprouts) offer 5 cents PER BAG used for your order.
Sometimes you can reuse something. A jar that once stored spaghetti sauce can be washed and reused to store something else.
A book that might help (actually a series of books) is “The Tightwad Gazette”/Amy Dacyzyn. You can get all three volumes, or get “The Complete Tightwad Gazette” (best of all three).
flyingbug
October 26, 2013 at 5:13 pm
When you realize all the natural fruits and vegetables, legumes and fish make you feel incredibly light and alert, and junk food makes you feel like crap food choices are relatively easy and economical.
It’s worth it to go to the Government Surplus Website and see if you can bid on auctions such as battery operated computers, lights, ovens and also cars and furniture, for less money than is usually spent on these.
I have been frugal for over forty years and I have always been happy,
LaDoG
October 26, 2013 at 6:01 pm
Yes it is! It means giving up lots of comfort you took for granted. You will have to change your diet and get a better pair of gloves.
It will take making much of your own stuff, like cooking: Make your own bread, crackers, soups, casseroles and Chinese egg roles (From scratch) and everything else.
Grow your own garden, raise your own bees, can your own stuff, and butcher your own meat.
Learn to make sausage, jerky, and salami.
Iron your own clothes, forget the TV cable, McDonald’s, and Sears.
Hello to Wal-Mart and the mark-down bin. Buy a sewing machine.
oletafive
October 26, 2013 at 6:51 pm