Staying frugally minded

 Some of my ideas for staying frugally minded

 Photo by Taryn Elliott: https://www.pexels.com/photo/clear-glass-jars-on-white-wooden-shelf-4112620/

Have a well stocked working pantry, which has all the staples to make a meal. Catch things that I use on a regular base on sale and buy a few extra.  I do this as often as I can

I have invested in good cookware.  I have a set of Pioneer Woman cookware and a few thrift store finds that are Emeril cookware.  I wish Emeril cookware was still in the stores, it's the best!

Savings: Retirement, Emergency, Freedom, New to us Car, Health

 Budget Spending on Bills: Shelter and HOA, Transportation, Communication, Electricity, Insurances

Giving: Churches, Missionaries

Spending on Other: Food, Gas, Restaurants, Other

Debts: Medical, 2 credit cards, student loan 

I'm working on selling things that we don’t use to raise extra money.  My husband usually does not want to give things away that he hasn't used, he wants to keep things for a long time. :)

I'm going to try to grow and can tomatoes and cucumbers. The cukes came out really good this year, but we ate them instead of canning.  Our tomatoes did not come in like they should.  We would get green tomatoes, they would turn yellow, and then rot from the bottom.  The ones I got last year did not have a problem. So we got tomatoes from a guy at church who was letting people pick and take what they want. We got a whole bunch of tomatoes and made some salsa and tomato sauce. We only have about 6 jars, but 6 is better than none!

 Turn up the A/C and turn down the heat.  By doing this our electric bills have been lower

Limit my screen time: TVs, computers, phones, charging computers and phones

Limit hot water uses: lukewarm to hot showers in the morning, cool water for washing clothes, Warm for washing dishes

Use Peak Light Hours – depend on the sun for light, use racks for drying clothes, only use dryer and dishwasher in the morning or after 7 pm during the summer. Our electric company has peak critical hours started June 1 and ending September 30.

We try to cook outside on our propane grill when we can.  Otherwise, using our instant pot, crockpot, stovetop, microwave, air cooker, or indoor grill will save on keeping the house cool when it's hot outside,

I have the supplies to make my own laundry detergent.  I am using up the containers of laundry detergent I already have first.

We need to maintain what we already own – clothes, shoes, machines in the home, car, furnace and air system.

I need to make minimalism as part of my self-reliant lifestyle and limit my consumption

Buy clothes on sale or at thrift stores, furniture at thrift stores, some gifts at thrift stores, good shoes through Amazon, machines on sale (Costco)regular foods (Aldi, Meijer or Walmart, Costco, produce stands, famers markets)

We will eat at restaurants when traveling or for special occasions/dates Dates nights 2x a  month. In October we went to Greenville MI.  It's a nice hour drive in the country. We went to Winter Inn which is usually a quiet place but they had a homecoming banquet in one of their rooms, and many people were in the bar to watch the Michigan State. It was okay and we had a Groupon so we paid $25 for a meal that would be more, but I'm not sure if I want to do it again.

Then we did a little shopping, and then went to an ice cream place a little way north. We both ate a little too much, but I can't help it when there's a brownie involved!

Entertain ourselves: TV, library books, streaming, Kindle Unlimited, games, cards, crafts, walking, biking, exercising, hanging out, gardening, making food from scratch, handcrafts.

Lose bad habits: eating too much sugar

**Exercise more

Good health habits: Drink 8-10 glasses of water, 4-5 servings of fruit and veggies, at least 8 hours of sleep, see the doctor regularly

*Be self-reliant with a strong work ethic

We need to have a self-reliant giving, saving and spending plan. In order to stay reliant on ourselves we need to work on becoming debt free

We try not to rely on credit cards. Some things go on them, but we pay them off the next month.

When it comes to holiday or birthday gifts, I try to make something homemade, something inexpensive but beautiful or useful, something to consume, or gift cards. I try to shop quality, as in good fabric or ribbon, something beautiful, a useful book or cooking tool, breads, cookies, or fruit, or a favorite restaurant card.

*Healthy Relationships

*Some Self Care and doing what I love – home keeping, hospitality, caring for those in my home, and living for the long term, soak in a bath, walk, gardening, snuggle with the cat, read, listen to music

*Use less paper napkins and paper towels

*Manage leftovers: store in easy to see containers, and in easily consumed portions, have an “eat me first” shelf or bowl that needs to be eaten soon, keep bits of leftover veggies in the freezer, eat leftovers for lunch, make weekly meal plans and don’t overbuy, be creative with recipes, have a leftovers night,

Buy food at:CSAs, Farmers Markets, Amish Community