I have been thinking lately about getting back to how I live more frugally and ways that I can improve. With that in mind, my post today will explore the different ways I save money by talking about the things that I do not buy.
In the pantry:
Because I cook mostly from scratch. I rarely buy prepared meals. I will freeze my own cooked meals for certain occasions. We rarely eat out in a restaurant or even fast food places, so it is important to keep such foods for convenience.
I make porridge for breakfast most mornings, but I also make my own granola for breakfast cereal. Muffins or pancakes are made from scratch.
Most soups in this house are of the homemade variety, made with vegetable or bone broth that I make. I still buy canned tomato soups and cream of...soups for making casseroles, but in a pinch I have a recipe for making cream of .....soup base. I also like to make and keep my own soup mixes on hand.
I still buy my whole wheat breads and buns, so there is also room for improvement here. I have made my own bread in the past. I have a great recipe for making my own Bisquick to make biscuits and casserole toppings.
I should grow my own herbs and dry them, but I do not. I buy them from the Bulk Barn and create all of my seasoning mixes from these. Instead of buying canned gravy or gravy mix, I make my own mix and keep a supply in a mason jar.
I do not buy canned beans. I cook them from dry and freeze in one cup measures for when I need to add them to a recipe.
My barbecue sauce is homemade. Salad dressings are very easy to make. I have horse radish growing in my garden. This year I will make horse radish sauce.
I make my own freezer jams, but I want to learn how to make cooked jams and jellies. I also want to learn how to can food from my garden instead of freezing it all.
In my cleaning closet:
With baking soda, washing soda, borax, bar soap, dishwashing soap, and vinegar, I make all of my own cleaning products from laundry detergent to an all purpose spray cleaner. I do buy rubbing alcohol, peroxide, essential oils, bleach and ammonia to expand some of my cleaning products.
So there you have it. Have I forgotten anything? What are some of the products you use that you no longer buy from the stores?
I went to bed thinking about your post last night and I woke up thinking about your post this morning and I'm still thinking about your post and despairing that there is nothing that I don't buy... I'm sure there is but I can't seem to wrap my head around it right now. For the past 2 months, however, I have had a note to myself to update a post that I wrote 2 years ago about things that I did/didn't do back then. So whenever I update it, that will be the answer to your question. http://imperfectlyfrugally.blogspot.com/2014/04/frugal-things-that-i-do-regularly-and.html
ReplyDeleteSo after thinking about it, off the top of my head: I don't buy vitamins or supplements. I don't pay for cable TV, although we do have Netflix, Amazon Prime and right not HBONow subscriptions. I don't buy make-up. I don't buy magazines (anymore). I rarely buy books (I do buy cookbooks or books that my kids need for school projects). Right now I don't buy liquid hand soap (I made my own).
I have stopped using paper napkins. I made cloth napkins from baby receiving blankets and we use those and paper napkins that come with our fast food orders when we go out.
I've stopped buying weed killer thanks to you! I've started buying vinegar 4 and 5 gallons at a time and getting weird looks from my Save A Lot cashier when I do, lol.
I made my own window cleaner and I really like it but I'm also finishing some bottles of Windex.
I make a lot of seasonings and spice mixes from herbs that I grow and buy and spices that I buy: Montreal Steak Seasoning, Taco Seasoning, Enchilada Seasoning, Chinese 5 Spice powder, "Ten Things Farm Chicken Seasoning" and more.
I can make my own bread and I have...a lot, but I eat too much of it when I make it so I have stopped for now.
I would also like to can and have been a failure at it so far. I would like to attend a hands-on class about it because I'm terrified that I will poison my family. Also, my garden just doesn't yield enough for me to can, I don't think.
Oh Boy! You have my head spinning. I retired over 6 years ago and I have not bought any makeup since. I do make myself up from time to time with stuff I still have and with samples. None of it has gone "off", although there are certainly people who will tell me that it should be thrown out for health reasons. I personally think that makeup has an indefinite "use up by date". Ha.
ReplyDeleteWe still pay for cable. It is part of our cable subscription that includes our phone and internet, and my Sweetie loves his TV watching. We are presently using my son's GF's Netflix, and really enjoying it. I don't buy magazines or books. I don't buy paper towels or serviettes. I am still working on the paper plates and cups that was purchased "pre-retirement".
I buy shampoo for my husband's stocking, but otherwise I don't think I buy shampoo or conditioner any other time of the year. I get enough samples through the mail, that I have a glut of them on hand. I refill my hand soap dispensers with gifts of shower gel that I have received. I just add water.
I have printed out the "Ten things farm chicken seasoning" from your website, I believe. I only buy socks and undies brand new, and on sale. All my clothes are kept items from the past or bought from a Thrift store.
Thank you for reminding me of all of these. And when you think about it further, you do have quite a long list of "do not buys". *laugh* When you add up all the DIY's that we do in a day, that adds loads to our accomplishments.
I'm with you on the make-up, although I guess you'd need to be careful with mascara because if at one point you had any kind of conjunctivitis and didn't necessarily notice, you'd reinfect yourself. They do say never to share make-up and I agree with that.
DeleteI have a large stock of shampoo, deodorant and other beauty products bought back when I was using a lot of coupons and rolling ECBs at CVS. The only shampoo that I buy nowadays is the anti dandruff shampoo because Greg and my youngest demand it, but I get it at Dollar Tree. I have a ton of samples of shampoo, etc too and I have to remember to start using them up, as you do. Maybe I'll spend an afternoon emptying them all into a bottle because having those tiny packets in the shower or bathtub just irks me, lol.
I only buy razor blades or razors to give to Greg and the kids at Christmas time in their stockings, although I recently bought new ladies' razors and I gave a pack to my daughter right away because I forgot that I meant it for her stocking. Doh.
Oh I thought of another one: we don't buy cigarettes or cigars. But that's because we don't smoke, LOL.
Excellent one. We don't smoke either. My husband just told me that to buy a pack of "no name" cigarettes is $10.25 I never heard of those before. A pack of branded cigarettes costs closer to $12 OUCH! And I don't buy cigs to give as a gift either. My hubby, however pays about $6 a week on lottery tickets. He holds his "winnings" to buy more in the following weeks....always hoping for the big wins.
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