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Thursday, July 19, 2012

Non-Frugal Confessions

I used to make all our food from scratch. Fruits and vegetables never went to waste because I always found a way to use them, even if they were overripe. I would never pay for shipping on items I could pick up from the store. I went to several different grocery stores to get good deals on all of our food.

Then I had two boys. Two wonderful, smiley, energetic, healthy children who don't love running errands. I hate having to buckle & unbuckle two car seats. (Those of you with three, four, or more children, my heart goes out to you. All those car seats must be tough.) With one child, I could manage my formerly frugal lifestyle.

However, since the joyful addition of our second child, I've noticed my frugality slipping. I have been feeling a little guilty lately, but then I saw this post on BargainBabe.com. I left a comment for her, letting her know that having a child has caused me to deviate a bit from my formerly frugal ways as well. 

Here are some non-frugal confessions from my life lately:

-Library book fines. It doesn't help that the library changed the check-out period to two weeks and upped the fines to $.25 per day per book! I used to be rigid about due dates on library books to avoid fines.

-I ordered from Omaha Steaks. They had a great deal and I couldn't pass up meat being delivered to my door. And yes, I paid shipping.

-Ordering extra items to get my Target.com diaper order above $50 so I can get the free shipping. (However, the last two times I just ordered extra diapers!) 

-Not going to three different grocery stores to get the best bargains on staples like pasta sauce or bread. I just shop once per week and get what we need at one store. 

-Not baking our own bread. Sometimes I get out the breadmaker, though. 

-Keeping the AC between 72* and 74*. I used to try and turn it off during the day! But if I want those boys to nap, they need to be comfortable!

-Forgetting reusable bags in my car when I go to Target. And not taking both boys back out to the car to retrieve them. $.05 lost per bag.

-Not having a backyard herb garden. It died.

So...what frugal practices do I still keep? 
-Clean with vinegar or other homemade cleaners
-Eat at home
-Use rags instead of paper towels 
-Reusing barely-used zip lock bags and cereal box liners
-Cutting my husband's hair myself.
-Not using the full recommended amount of laundry or dish washing detergent.

I'd love to hear from you! 
Do you have any frugal practices you'd like to suggest I implement? 

3 comments:

  1. oddly enough- i'm totally ok with the buckling up the kids (the two oldest are in the back and can buckle themselves, the two littles have help from me)... it's the fact that if i'm at the grocery store i can't think about anything extra because i need one eye for food, and one for the three {often wandering} kids. i've even had them help me and they'll pick the worst fruit and i realize it when i get home because another one distracted me while it was placed in the bag.
    i think that you surpass me in frugality, but i am going to try out the vinegar for weed killing as soon as the rain stops. and dries up. i have tons of it in the bricks. should be like less than $2 for it all.

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  2. Use baking soda to scour dirty dishes. Keep your dishcloth or dish brush barely wet so baking soda clings to it. Baking soda will scour glass & china without scratching. (Our decades-old Corningware casserole dishes look new because they've never been scratched.) Also, used dryer sheets can be rubber-banded over a broom or brush to clean cobwebs off lights & ceilings, and are also great, folded over one's hand, to scoop up all the furballs that collect under radiators & furniture. They can also be laid in the bottom of a flower pot to keep the dirt from washing out the drain hole(s).

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