Frugal families: how to save money?
Photo by Michael Longmire on Unsplash
A large family entails a lot of joy but like everything in life, it does come with a high cost. Luckily, the price is expressed in dollar bills so there are many ways to be thrifty. Frugal families have learned to cut corners and can boast a huge monthly safe. From the family’s lifestyle, all the way to the selection of windows, there are so many ways in which you can save money and, no matter how much mafia-like this might sound, run a profitable family, much in the way you would run a business.
Ditch the car
A caravan, a minivan or an SUV are the vehicle of choice for families with small children. However, once they grow old enough to go to school on their own, you no longer have an excuse to drive everywhere. Opting not to drive to work will save you thousands in gas money. You can commute on a bike or take the train which both cost far las then pulling up the nearest gas station to full up the tank. In fact, if you cycle to work you will also exercise for free. In addition, you can get bikes for the entire family so you would all cycle together for the next family outing.
Bulk cooking
You know how each Sunday has those few extra hours when you are well-rested but still have nothing to do and you feel plain bored? The ideal Sunday activity is bulk cooking. Stack up on groceries during the weekend and then prepare several meals for the coming week. You can refrigerate some of them, so they can be used even after several months. This way, you save not only money for dining out during workdays but also the precious time you could spend more productively.
Who needs the gym!
We have all watched that Friends episode when Chandler and Ross find it impossible to quit the gym. The sad truth is that many people have an active gym membership that they are not using and why should they. There are many alternatives to exercising in a gym, such as the aforementioned cycling through the park with your family, jogging, and even running around the house playing with your kids. The amount you are paying each month for a gym is a huge expense that you need to have the willpower to cancel.
Losing heat
During winter, one thing that can down the family budget is utility bills. If you live in an old house or building with poor insulation, then you are probably wasting a lot of heat energy through the roof, the walls, and the floors. However, you are not entirely powerless. Installing high-quality doors and windows is a great way to preserve heat energy. Once heat stops escaping through faulty windows’ caulking, your power bills will start going down. Furthermore, you will benefit from a safer home because modern doors and windows are harder to tamper with.
Ridesharing
We have mentioned how you can cycle to work and opt-out of driving a car but for longer journeys, you can rideshare. There are many online apps that connect you with people who have a car or a van and are traveling in your direction. If you don’t feel safe riding with strangers, then you can always arrange with a friend to take you and the family for a summer vacation or a weekend picnic. In any case, avoiding the car totally is not as unimaginable as it might and it will account for a huge save in the family’s budget. Even moving stuff is not an excuse to turn the car engine on, as you can rent a car with a large trunk to fit all your belongings into.
Bring lunch from home
How many times have you felt guilty going down to the hotdog stand in front of the office to grab a quick bite? Street food is not that healthy so you should prepare your own meals. This might take up an extra 20 minutes of free time in the evening but it will be fully worth it the next day. You’ll get a chance to create a balanced diet and you know that all the ingredients are 100% fresh and without preservatives or additives.
Embracing the LED technology
The final touch to a thrifty home budget is the installation of LED lightbulbs. We assume that you have already introduced a few LED lightbulbs but you should head to the nearest DIY center and bulk buy them. They are more efficient than incandescent light bulbs because they use 95% of the power they get to generate light, rather than heat.
As far as the outdoors are concerned, you can try installing solar lights that are turned on using a motion sensor. You might pay more at first but this lighting solution will completely do away with paying for power consumed in your outdoor living area. In fact, you should consider installing solar panels on your roof to generate power if there are enough sunny days in your region.
As you have seen from these 7 examples, saving money is not that hard. In fact, it only gets easier over time as you implement more and more of these money-saving methods. The end result is that you can truly call your home a frugal one.