Good luck Chancie!

We're having to be frugal because we are only living off my income right now. We're getting the house ready to sell and will be downsizing so that I will be able to cover all the bills because Kris has had health problems since Feb.

I've made a start by planting some tomatoes. The price of tomatoes went up to $9 a kilo earlier this year (That's about $4.50 a pound)! It was ridiculous! Now that my tomatoes are starting to fruit, the prices have gone down again. Oh well... I'll still be saving money by growing them (and tomatoes are easy to grow).

I'm also trying to grow potatoes in a big pot... wondering how that will go.

I agree, it's important to have the security of knowing that you will be able to keep living in your house when you retire.

Re-store is awesome - don't have one too close.

I'm not fabulous at frugality, but M is which I very much appreciate.

That's a really interesting idea, Metro. I didn't know there were companies that helped to set things up like that.

Chancie, I know it might sound counter to what you wish, but if you decide to stay in your house, have you considered refinancing again--this time to lower the payment to what you can afford when you retire? You could continue paying each month as if you had not refinanced, but when you retire you could drop down to the lower payment without any penalties. It might give you some breathing space.

Ursy, I love that windowshade solar oven!

Gryph and I are also trying to be more frugal but I'm having a rough time trying to grow food--although my three surviving raspberry vines are tickling me pink by giving me berries in November--still, I think the effort is worth it even if the Kansas learning curve IS steep. Sheesh, now I know why Kansas was the place that broke so many pioneers! The weather is brutal on gardens!

Nat, what is re-store? I don't think we have them in Australia?

Cath, just looked up weather in Kansas - 13 degrees c - I'm jealous! We're in the middle of a heatwave! But I guess I shouldn't complain, our climate is much better for gardening. I think I can pretty much garden all year 'round.

I can't imagine trying to garden somewhere when it snows... I imagine it would be... impossible? Close to impossible?

LOL! {{{{{{{{{{{{Urs}}}}}}}}}}}}}} You garden during the three seasons when it doesn't snow, and the soil rests when it does snow. Unless you are a fanatic who uses hoop houses and/or cold frames. Not that I am such a fanatic, oh no, not I.... *just wait'll I get my hands on some money!*

http://westsidegardener.com/howto/hoophouse.html Scroll down for pics. The thing about a hoophouse is that it covers an entire garden bed and you can walk inside it. It would work to hold shadecloth in the summer too.

http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/coldframes coldframes are generally smaller than a garden bed, and they have lids you can open to reach in and harvest.

Re-Store is the name Habitat for Humanity gives its retail stores, because they sell used and reclaimed building supplies, appliances, furniture, etc.

Oooh Catie! I like the look of *both* the hoophouses and the cold frames :)
They would also be good for keeping critters at bay as well, I imagine!

Thanks for the explanation about Re-Store. We have a place in our town that operates on the same principle, it's called Reverse Garbage. I think it's a wonderful idea.

Reverse Garbage! lol!!! Love that name. :cheesy:

I think hoophouses and coldframes keep four-legged critters out, and even two-legged winged critters... but bugs can still get in and then they're just as protected as the plants, so it pays to watch for signs of infestation. Now the advantage we have here where it freezes is that one can get a coldframe or hoophouse up and the plants growing in the very earliest spring (while it's still snowing) before the bugs hatch out. It might be a little more difficult for you if your winters are mild... but then, if your winters are mild you don't need the coldframe!

I know when I was gardening in the desert though, I often wished for a structure with shade cloth to protect my plants. What stunned me is that I need one here in Kansas, too... sheesh, full-service weather: we broil AND we freeze. *eyeroll*

This is a subject written just for me lol. I could write pages about this but I will keep it brief. I make my own household cleaners, laundry detergent,candles and air freshener, about once a week I cook a couple of big meals and then freeze them into "tv dinner" sizes, I usually have my own vegetable garden (unfortunately I didn't have the time this last summer :( ), I am a thrift store junkie and I recycle and re-purpose. In addition I realized I am quite the pack rat and I have been working on downsizing all the junk I have accumulated. It isn't easy but I am determined!!

I get pre-tax dollars taken out of my paycheck to be put aside for my monthly Metro card (for the subway).

I'm going to dial down my cable subscription as soon as Homeland ends this Sunday. Then in the spring I'll ramp it up—with on Demand, too—just for a couple weeks, to catch up on the entire season of Enlightened and whatever else starts in January 2013.

With what I save, I'm joining a gym.

Also, I take my lunch every day and drink mate in my office instead of buying coffee. I'm saving over $250 a month doing that.

Update. I joined a gym tonight. My old gym was asking for $88 a month, plus a sign-on fee. I asked them to waive the sign-on fee, and they offered to cut it in half, but I said their competitor didn't have a sign-on fee and it was just as easy to get off the 2 train and go to their competitor's gym on my way home as it was to get off the 2 train a few stops later and go theirs.

But they weren't buying it. So I said I'd have to think about it (secretly, I wanted my old gym, for nostalgic reasons I would never admit in a negotiation). And the guy tried to pressure me, saying this deal was just for me and wouldn't last long and I said, "I'll take my chances." (It felt so bad ass to say that!)

Then at work I was talking to a guy and we started looking on line at a gym he'd heard of in our part of Brooklyn that is new and supposedly very very cheap, and on the way home I checked out two of their facilities, and picked one.

It's huge, bright, nice safe friendly vibe, has the kind of stationary weight machines I'm used to, everything I need.

And check this out, it's only $99 a year, only $8.25 a month, as opposed to ten times that for the gym in my more immediate neighborhood.

I can't believe it's so much cheaper. Okay, it doesn't have a steam room or sauna or hip hop DJ on thursday nights or pole dancing classes or yoga or personal trainers—but I don't even care about those things.

And I can get there and work out and still be home by 7:30 or so. It's really convenient.

Using money and resources wisely !!
 

A well planned meal offers us the nutrition we need to be healthy. I recently cut down my hours with my private client to rest I had been pushing to a point of exhaustion. Now I am able to enjoy cooking from scratch, baking a cake which I had not done in years due to lack of time. I also like shopping at the thrift store you could find great and expensive stuff there, for less. Freezing meals is a great Idea it saves time and money, I will try it. Thank you for sharing.

I recently had similar conversation with my daughter and the bottle water was a topic. I bought her a Brita bottle and filter I told her she could save at least $200 every 3 months and she did not have to carry the battles lol

We attempt at a frugal lifestyle....no credit cards, we spend only what we have. We don't OWE anything to anyone (except the hospital, but that will be addressed)

However,

Fate has made other plans for us. We now have to buy a car that we weren't planning to buy. We had 2 cars paid for outright and now one (mine) has shit the bed, for lack of less colorful term. SO we are now forced to buy a car, AND have car payments AND have higher insurance payments.....sigh....

I'd much rather prefer buying a car outright...just saying....

*nudge*

I'm bumping this thread because I need all the help I can get with living frugally!

I'm waiting to hear about a second job that I applied for ... my full time Social Work job does not pay enough to pay the bills these days. :(

I'm looking forward to hearing everyone's ideas. :)

I found this to be true for myself as well ... and it seems to be helping!