[Kind‏]

I’d love to hear your frugal routines, short cuts and time savers.
The ones I swear by: instapot and rice cooker as time savers (Both gifts).

Frozen or cheap pizza every Friday night bc I’m wiped from the work week and need a break from cooking.

I also go through all mail and kid backpacks the second I get home and get rid of anything possible to cut down on extra junk/trash so I don’t have to deal with it later.

Run a load of laundry while I sleep. Move into the dryer/hang up air dry stuff while drinking my morning coffee.

My daychter and I wash hair at night for extra morning time/sleep.

[Darla]

Time savers = Eliminating wasteful movements = Having a process for everything = Everything has a place

1. Simple living. We’re close to being minimal after having acquired too many things over 32 years of marriage.

Too much stuff = stuffed closets, drawers,and, storage spaces, and cabinets = Inefficiency and loss of productivity

2. Routines are a consistent way of doing something.
This is my CURRENT M-F schedule (my weekends are dedicated to getting laundry, shopping, and finances done) but it has changed in each season of life.

This particular schedule would not have worked for me while raising kids, but back then I was able to create a consistent schedule, even then, while working, coaching, co-leading a scout troop, and being active at church. It just required me to stay up later to get things done.

6am eat breakfast and gather items needed for my day. Wipe down kitchen counters and appliances.

7am get ready for work
8am leave the house
4:30pm leave work

4:45 home. Get mail, sort and place in each person’s wall folder.
5pm change clothes and begin making dinner and water outdoor plants.
6pm eat dinner

6:30 tidy/organize/clean 1 room/space.

Each day of the week has a designated room. 30 minutes each weekday plus some time on the weekends is enough time to keep my home looking great and unexpected company-worthy.

7pm: Plan the next day in my planner.
7:30pm: Time with family and downtime
9:30pm: get ready for bed
10pm: sleep

Awaking at 6am every day has helped me get a good start to the day BEFORE my family gets up. I look forward to this quiet time in my home.

3. Have a dedicated space for budgeting, bill paying, planning, and finances. Even if it’s a corner of a room with a tv tray.

4. When our kids became teenagers, Wednesday nights we began “Fend for yourself for dinner” nights. The freezer has leftovers and all they have to do is reheat.

Leftovers also worked well during our active sports years. This time allows me to have extra time for special projects or catch up each week.

5. Our kids didn’t know what restaurants were until the high school years. Cooking at home saves $$$$.

6. MOST frugal tip: Buy reliable cars, and keep them maintained and they will last 10+ years. We are brand loyal because we don’t want unexpected problems which requires using time away from work and family.

Vehicles are our means to earn money and transport our families safely. We don’t need fancy, but we need reliable!

Our oldest car was kept for 17 years, and it became the hand-me-down car for our daughters while in high school (which didn’t have bussing during their years).

It was still running strong when it was replaced with an AWD to navigate snow in the winter.

[Jean]

I am trying hard not to waste food. I don’t like having too many Tupperware type containers, but I focus on getting the sizes I need.

I had put a pound of asparagus in the back of my fridge, and it spoiled.

So, I try to arrange perishables close to the front and check items frequently.

[Claudette]

Cook once, eat several times!
I set aside a time to make several meals, vacuum seal them, freeze them and defrost for meals as desired or needed.

I cook a Thanksgiving meal that is enough for Christmas and New Year’s dinner. Three-in-One.

I let food cook in the crockpot while I am asleep. Put it on a timer and when I awake food is done.

Sometimes, I get one of those lunch meal deals which are usually two meals for me.

[Kathy]

My toaster oven air fryer combo In hot months
Make coffee and ice tea at home
Shop at aldi if possible

Make your own veggie trays and cut your own fruits
All that convenient stuff is expensive
Don’t buy anything you don’t need

Meal plan cuts down on store trips
Pack your work lunches

Use the library
Go to the parks

Season Pass for families r the best
Pack a lunch
Then get ice cream

[Diane]

I shop reduced meat bins and then batch cook once a week. I can PACK and oven!

I cook a variety of meats and sides (like scalloped potatoes, lasagna, small casseroles in pyrex dishes on bottom rack, top those with cookie sheets (like lids) containing meats wrapped in foil and then cook greens, beans and corn on the stove top.

I even use a strainer over the corn and steam broccoli over it. Then we eat, I plate up leftovers in those sectioned microwavable plates that stack well in the fridge and the freezer.

I run the dishwasher once and hand wash the rest of the week. When I make something like lasagna I cut it like cake, wrap individual servings in plastic wrap and stick inside a gl ziplock bag in the freezer and pull out for quick lunches or to brown bag at the office.

I save money & TIME get variety, transport the plates for work lunches 2-3x per week for me and the hubby and can accommodate all sorts of schedules.

I start early & work hard one day a week cause I do laundry, vacuum, etc while I do the oven (& sometimes the grill) …but it makes the rest of the week easy..

[Dennise]

I love my toaster oven. Cheaper to use than full size oven and needs very little warmup time so much quicker.

[Melissa]

My cheapest power rates are 11pm – 5am. I do laundry, dishwasher, vacuum and baking. Not everything gets done every night so I am usually in bed by 12

I keep a cooler in my car. I can keep things cold as I continue errands. No need for ice. A couple of frozen items keeps everything cold until I get home.

I have truck stop gas APPS (Pilots & Loves) I road trip, alot, and this is the cheapest gas prices with their discount.

I comfortably sleep in my car if I am traveling more than 1 day.
I grow things and forage.

My husband is Mr. Fixit and the workplace used to call me Macgyver because I can come up with a solution for most things.

You, young people can google Macgyver.

My vehicle has been involved in more hit and runs then I care to count.

It’s full of dents and scratches but it runs great.

[Nola]

at my place we started packing leftovers into meal size portions by default because it makes taking a lunch to work extremely easy.

my “every Friday” meal is nachos and I started prepping the toppings to make it even easier and also very cheap.

when I come back from the store every week I chop the fruit and veggie snacks and we actually eat them in the week

I don’t miss any preventative screening or vaccination and I try to eat my 5 fruits and vegetables a day and get my exercise

[Ellen]

I bulk cook and then portion out in meal portions and freeze. This allows me many days of just grabbing a meal from the freezer in the morning, thawing it on my counter and having ready made dinners at night. Bonus: everybody can choose what they want in the morning.

[Linda]

I sort my laundry by” can it sit in a basket for a year” or ” does it have to be hung up right away so it doesn’t have to be ironed.”

I can run the dryer while I’m sleeping and it doesn’t matter if the towels, sheets, work out clothes, etc are wrinkled.

I can leave those same clothes in a basket and fold and put away when I have time.

I can pull clean clothes straight from the basket if I’m really overwhelmed and can’t seem to get to the laundry.

This is a strategy I had to adopt when I had a baby because with my stupid ADD I just could not keep up with the laundry.

By sorting by “not folding right now” and “folding clothes right away'” I was able to ensure that we had clean clothes but not worry about getting everything folded and put away right away.

It really saved me in those really hard years when the babies need so much attention.

[Mindy]

When I run errands, I make a list and drive in order to the places to avoid wasting gas and time.

[Kay]

I reuse everything I can. Clean out the refrigerator soup every 2 weeks. Reuse clean paper towel on floors if I just wipe upspulls. Usually use rags for cleaning? Old tees clothes.

Thrift stores everything I can. Except sleep wear and underwear.

cut tube toiletries and toothpaste open get a lot more uses.

Coupon and shop sales.

Eat seasonal fruits and veggies. Buy nothing groups Facebook

[Author]

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