Saving on Your Work Wardrobe

High ho, high ho, it’s off to work and school we go…. Heading off to thrift stores or swapping clothes with friends is a lot of fun, but what else can you do to save on your work wardrobe this year? Choose basic items so that you don’t feel compelled to buy, buy, buy! Black pants go with any number of different tops. So do white shirts. If you’re staying home with the kids or in a more casual job, jeans are a great standby and go with just about everything. Avoid dry clean and hand wash only items. Have … Continue reading

Tips for a Free Wardrobe

When I was in college, I had a couple of girls approach me and ask if my parents owned a clothing store. I replied NO… why? They answered, we notice that you always have on a nice outfit and thought you might have a hookup. I was flattered. The truth is, that I did not in fact know anyone who owned a clothing store. Instead, I actually only owned two pairs of well fitting jeans and a few skirts. The rest of my wardrobe was from my older sister who was a bank manager. I was not afraid of hand-me-downs. … Continue reading

Selling Your Stuff on Ebay

One thing that many thrifty people do is to sell their used items on Ebay. Not only do these people generally recoup the cost of their items and thereby reduce their budget, but they also can make a profit. This is a nice way to get paid to have your kids wear nice clothes, for example. Some people make selling on Ebay a full time job, scouting out suppliers and then selling the goods. While I’ll leave the heavy business selling strategies to the Home Biz blog, I do have a few tips for those of us who can use … Continue reading

Organizing Your Coat Closet

Is your coat closet an eye sore? When you open the door, do hats, scarves and mittens tumbled down on your head? Can you never find that other boot or glove when you need it? Now that January is here, why not organize that coat closet? It will help organize your life and make it easier to com in and out of the cold. This is part of a continuing series on organizing your home. We have started with the front entry of your home and developed a system to deal with incoming mail. The coat closet is next on … Continue reading

Tips to Help You De-Clutter Your Wardrobe (3)

How are you doing with de-cluttering your wardrobe? Here are the remaining questions that you can ask yourself about all of those clothes that are taking over your life. We are in the home stretch now and well on our way to organized closets. Is the item in good condition? Fading, tears and worn spots are a signal that it should go in the rag bag, not on your body. Will you alter this piece to make it wearable? Pants that have been too long since you bought them five years ago, meaning to hem them, still can’t be worn. … Continue reading

How Being a Stay-at-Home Parent Saves Money

Are you a stay-at-home parent or want to be? Good news! While you may not be earning and income, chances are you are saving a ton of money. Here is how. Child Care Fees Let us start with the obvious, child care fees. If you aren’t staying home with your children, you will probably need to pay for child care. The cost of child care can be high, sometimes wiping out any income you are gaining by working. Obviously this depends on your position and income level, but it is the first expense you should allow for in your budget. … Continue reading

Earning Money for Furniture

I’m trading in my clutter for some nice, new bedroom furniture. I’ve always dreamed of some gorgeous bedroom furniture. The set we have now belonged to my husband for more years than he can remember. As a bachelor, he purchased it at an estate sale. He was going for more function than form and the idea that bigger is better, I think. It does have a ton of storage, I do have to admit. In fact, the headboard with its attached  sets of doors and drawers have more storage than we have clothes. I’ve taken to storing books in them. … Continue reading

Making Money When You Are Already Too Busy

These days, many of us need to find ways to make some extra money. Figuring out how to fit that in when we already have families and jobs (in the home or outside of it) to fulfill  can be tough. How do we find the time to make money when we are already so busy? Combining Jobs When I got a call last week asking if I would babysit for our church’s Women’s Bible Study that takes place one morning a week I readily agreed. While the money isn’t much, it allowed me to take my youngest child with me, … Continue reading

Six Critical Skills for Frugal and Eco-Friendly Kids

These are frugal times, and these are times when environmental consciousness is rising. How can you prepare your kids to live as adults when times are more frugal and much more ecologically conscious? This generation of parents has lost a lot of the skills that our grandparents had. I know I have, and I’m trying to regain them. Here are six ways that you can help your children become frugal adults. By modeling these skills and allowing your kids to help, you’ll give them great know-how for the future. Preparing Food Prepared food is something that is easy for kids … Continue reading

When You Want to Stay at Home

Many moms, myself included, learned how to live a frugal lifestyle in order to be able to stay at home with their kids. If you are feeling the same way, but you don’t know where to begin, whether or not staying home could be a reality, or how to convince your spouse that it is possible, keep reading. I have real life advice and experiences. It Costs Less Than You Think For most people, having one parent give up an income to stay at home has less impact on your daily finances than you might think. This is because there … Continue reading