Some Answers

Fantastic ideas from readers about being ‘frugal’ (a word used much more in English), which does not mean being ‘very cheap’ and of poor quality, but being economical and not wasteful.

And because I talk so much about this… some of you have sent me tips about what has been achieved.

I decided to publish them, maybe not all at once, but little by little… thanks to all the people who sent them in.

I save by shopping online with promotional codes. You “Google” the name of the store and then ‘promotional code’. I have gotten many discounts that way. (Ellen, MI) Only make phone calls after 7 pm, when the price goes down, unless it’s an emergency. Each cell plan is different, so you have to check this beforehand with your provider. (Marie-NY) We saved a lot of money, using the largest consumers of energy in the house (washing machines, driers etc.) outside of hours most used by everyone. Last month we noticed a difference of $80 a month in electrical energy. (Liz – AZ) We plan and buy large household appliances, in stores that have low prices or in liquidation, and that doesn’t charge interest for the first year. We divide the cost by 12 and pay it off before the interest starts. (Brenda – NC) We canceled our cable tv and we’re saving $70 a month. We watch the TV shows on the web… I buy mdicines where pharmacies are offering a ‘free gift card’ (cards that you give someone as a present). The cards are scattered throughout the country. I collect enough money on the ‘gift cards’ and then don’t spend my money! (Tyler – GA) We started using a clothesline for almost any type of clothing, but put them under a protection, that way they don’t have to be washed again, because some bird decided to use it as a toilet. (Laurie-OH) We traveled to a wedding in another city, a family of 6 people using MEGABUS.COM. It cost us $100 for 6 adults round trip. We liked the buses so much that we have already scheduled a trip on them for Christmas. (Mary – Indianapolis) Last summer, I bought a ticket with the right to use ALL the amusements in my state, that way we can visit with our children, several on the weekends, especially those who live near the beach. (Ellen – NY)

Now I’m going to give you idea for a Christmas present that’s not that expensive and is really beautiful! I have made several in the past, and everybody loved them. I guarantee success.

You purchase (or look for at home) a glass jar with a big mouth. You put Pouporri smelling dried leaves and mix with mini Christmas lights. (I used the ones that come in packages of 35 small lights.) You arrange the bulbs so that they are more or less on the outside of the leaves (you can also use sand or whatever you can imagine that won’t catch fire with the heat).

Make sure the lights show up well. Try to hide the wire as much as you can. If you want to cover the mouth of the glass, put crochet or something of that sort that has holes that you can pass the wire through and connect it to an outlet (leave a certain amount of wire to reach the outlet). Close it with with a bow or whatever you think is beautiful and it’s READY!

It wouldn’t be wise to leave it on and leave the house…

It looks like it has fireflies inside!

With a ‘cover’ it looks like this. I LOVE fireflies and these smell delicious.

Filed under: Information • Inspiration

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