Upcycling

...ever heard of it? Neither had I until a week or so ago. I'd been doing it a long time, just called it something different.

Upcycling: the process of converting waste materials or useless products into new materials or products of better quality or a higher environmental value.

The goal of upcycling is to prevent wasting potentially useful materials by making use of existing ones...in other words repurposing. Take something that in its current form has no use to you any longer and find a way to change it, restructure it, or modifiy it . Why fill up your garage can or spend money unless you have to...make something that fits your needs.

Upcycling is a chance to get your creative jucies flowing, before thowing something out, take a long hard look at it and think...what can I do with this, how can I reuse all or part of it, what can be done with it so it better fits my needs.

being fabulous with freecycle

Not heard of freecycle?!? Well, let me share with you!

Freecycling is when a person passes on, for free, an unwanted item to another person who needs that item. From silverware to mobile homes, people worldwide are choosing to freecycle rather than discard. The practice frees up space in landfills and cuts down on the need to manufacture new goods. Thousands of groups dedicated to connecting people who want to give away something to people with a need are forming worldwide. From coffee grinders to refrigerators, there are times when people decide they simply have no more use for an item. Understandable, but dumping an item when there others struggling to afford that same item is fundamentally wrong. Pass it on to someone else who can use it. Others may be able to repair it or even glean parts from it,

How to get started: 1. Find a freecycling group near you at Recycling Group Finder 2. Each freecycle group will have its own rules, so learn and abide by those rules. But commonly there are four kinds of posts: Wanted is you searching for an item; Found is telling others that you got what you were searching for; Offer is letting the group know what item you have to give away; and Taken 3. Before buying something, check to see if any one in your group is looking to get rid of the item you need. Before throwing an item in the trash, post an offer for the item to see if any one needs that item.is informing the group that you found a person who needed the item offered.

And thats it! You are off and freecycling. You are saving money and saving landfill space...its a win-win!

Frugal Food Deals: Week 1

Kroger is having an awesome 10 for $10 sale this week! First let me say, if you are not a Kroger Plus Member, you need to be! The savings is quite simply unbelievable. Not only can you save on groceries, but fuel costs too. A Kroger Plus member can save 3 cents per gallon…and….if you spend $100 per month on groceries, you can save 10 cents per gallon, which is a terrific savings. Becoming a Kroger Plus member is free and just takes a few minutes...you’ll realize huge savings almost immediately.

Now, on to this week’s Frugal Food Deal of the Week:

Half gallon of Kroger white or chocolate milk or orange juice is 10 for $10

Kroger jumbo biscuits, crescent rolls or cinnamon rolls are 10 for $10

World Pride pure protein bars are 10 for $10

Kroger brand cottage cheese, sour cream and assorted dips are 10 for $10

Duncan Hines cake mix is 10 for $10

Keebler crackers and cookies are buy one get one free

Field bacon is buy one get one free

A few things to remember: Kroger will double your coupon up to $1.00. For the 10 for $10 deals, you don’t have to buy ten. You can purchase any number AND you can mix and match the ten items. For the BOGO deals, you don’t have to buy two. One will essentially be half price.

My great deal of the week was bacon for a quarter! I had a 50 cent coupon for Field bacon (priced at $2.49) With the BOGO deal, one package of bacon is $1.25…my coupon doubled means that I paid 25 cents for a package of Field bacon.

I’d love to hear your great deals of the week.

Stockpiling…what is it and why should we do it?

Stockpiling is getting goods at low sale prices and stocking up on them to last a specific time. The reason behind it is fairly simple…it saves money. If you can combine a sale price with a coupon then all the better! You want to create a stockpile of goods that you acquired on sale...buying enough to hopefully last until the next great sale…in theory never paying full price for certain items again. Once you get a stocked pantry, you will find that your grocery bill decreases. Not because you are buying less, but because you are paying less.

Not only can a stockpile help with saving money, but going into the winter you’ll want to have extra on hand in case money runs tight or (and perhaps more importantly) a winter storm hits. We here in Western Kentucky know all too well about the havoc an ice storm can play on day to day living. Running to the store for a gallon of milk was not possible. Not only was travel a challenge but for several days the stores were not open, but since we had a fairly well stocked pantry it wasn’t too much of an issue…I had powdered milk and all the other “necessities” that my family needed.

So…get to stockpiling! First you’ll need to take inventory. What does your family use on a regular basis. We don’t drink coffee at my house, but for most folks that is high on the necessity list. Everyone’s panty is different. We like canned fruit, so I keep high levels of fruit. Tuna is a near necessity at our house; needless to say, I stock high levels of tuna. Beans (unless in a soup) are not real popular at my house, so I keep low levels of beans. Make a list and start from there. Set aside money each week. If you do not have much to spend, don’t worry, you can buy a lot of staples with little money. Rice and oatmeal are particularly inexpensive but super filling. Buy the essentials first and go from there.
Food is of course what most people think of when they think of stockpiling, but don’t forget the other necessities. Soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toilet paper etc. For our family of 6, our toiletry needs are more than some others but this is what seems to work for us. I replenish whenever the items I use are on sale, but at any given time we have:
20 bottles of shampoo & 10 bottles of conditioner
10 bottles of body wash
8 packages of razors & 6 cans of shave cream
12 tubes of toothpaste & 12 toothbrushes
6 bottles of hair product, 6 bottles of lotions & 3 bubble bath (I have girly girls…what can I say)
20 bars of soap & 10 deodorants
6 packages of Always
8 boxes of band aides and other assorted first aid items
48 rolls of toilet paper
…..and the list goes on, but you get the idea.

Stockpiling is such a benefit to living a fabulous but frugal lifestyle. It will not only help save you money but in times of crisis like a winter storm or when a month run particularly tight, you will have your stockpile to fall back on.

The ABC's of frugal living

A Ask about lowering your interest rates on credit cards, it never hurts to ask right
B Brown bag it. Taking your lunch to work instead of eating out can save more than $700 per year
C Clearance sales can be your best friend for holiday gifts as well as shopping early.
D Don’t put yourself in a position where you have to pay late fees. Manage your finances and pay bills on time.
Evaluate the purchase beforehand. Do you really need it? Is it a necessity? Can you get it cheaper somewhere else? Can you buy it secondhand for a fraction of that cost?
F Freecycle! Not a member? Become one! There are Freecycle groups in almost every community. You can get rid of unwanted items and get some items...for free! http://www.freecycle.org/
G Grocery list! Shopping without one will cause you to overspend. Make a list and stick to it.
H Have a budget. This sounds so simple but many people dont know where their money goes. You have to know your expenses before you can cut them.
I Invest in things that will assist you in being frugal...if you grow your own vegetables, you'll need items to store and preserve them...if you can sew your own clothes you may want a quality sewing maching...if you can turn trash into treasure you'll need the proper tools to do that etc.
J Jump into being thrifty! Saving money is fun!
K Kick old spending habits to the curb, if you want to start living a frugal lifestyle, you’ll need to learn new ideas on ways to spend and ways to save.
L Look into selling unwanted things on ebay or craigslist...it will declutter and put money in your pocket
M Maintenance is very important. A properly maintained car will be less costly in the long run. Perform regular maintenance on your heat/air unit to help it run at its best.
N Never buy something just because its on sale, Sure everyone loves a great buy, but if you can't utilize it then you are wasting money.
O Open a savings account and make regular deposits.
P Penny, nickel and dime yourself! Collect change in a jar and see how the savings add up. However, when you cash the money in, take it to the bank and not a coin machine. Those coin machines charge a fee for converting your coins.
Q Quit beating yourself up for past overspending. Sometimes these are the most valuable lessons. Take what you know now and learn from there, adjust your spending habits but dont beat yourself up for whats already been done.
R Recycle! Its not only good for the environment, its good for your pocketbook!
S Stop living above your means. Sometimes drastic cutbacks are needed. You really don’t have to have a new car when a used car will get you where you are going.
T Taxable deductions. When you donate to Salvation Army or Good Will, get a charitable deduction slip. It might be a small amount but that is a less amount that you might have to pay come tax time.
U Use things till the wear out and then find a NEW use for them. A dish sponge can have many lives. When it gets too old to use on the dishes, use it on the floor, when it gets too old to use on the floor, use it on the toilet. Find ways to repurpose things instead of of throwing them away
V Visit free attractions. Not everything has an admission fee. Try your local art museums, or city park.
W Winter proof your home.
eXamine (X is a hard one give me a break) monthly bills each month. The utility company DOES make mistakes like everyone else....be sure you are not overcharged
Y Yearn for that buzz you get when you find a great buy. Develop the craving for saving. Its really quite empowering.
Z Zap the high electric bills by replacing standard lightbulbs with energy efficient ones.

Tips to save on your electric bill

1. Change filters regularly - Your air conditioner and/or heating unit have filters that clean the air as it goes into the machine. It will help it run more efficiently. Changing your filter every month will not only conserve that energy now, but it will also reduce wear and tear on the motor, keeping you from needing to buy a new one as soon. Also, clean your refrigerator coils. Dirty coils will make it work harder.

2. Adjust your thermostat - An air conditioner uses a tremendous amount of electricity when it runs. During the summer, you can realize major savings by raising the set temperature to 78 degrees F. or higher so the air conditioner will run less. Conversely, turn the set temperature down during the winter

3. Replace standard incandescent light bulbs with highly efficient bulbs

4. Keep your refrigerator and freezer full. Food acts as insulation and keeps it cooler longer. Also, open and close the doors as less as possible, you want to maintain a constant internal tempature.

5. Add weather stripping to doors and windows. It will cut down on the drafts and help your air conditioner/heating unit to be more effective.

6. Only wash full loads of dishes and laundry. Running the dish washer for a small load today and one tomorrow will be more costly than running a large load tomorrow.

Do you have the craving for saving? Do you want to have more money for the more important things in life? I certainally do! I enjoy the feeling I get when I get that great deal, when I find that fantastic sale, when I buy something secondhand at a fraction of what it would have cost new. There are many ways to be frugal. In my blog I will share my thoughts and ideas and I welcome yours too! I'll share frugal tips on decorating, grocery shopping, family activities and much more.