WFMW: Finding the Time to Be Frugal (Reader Help Needed)
Molly reader, Kim, left the below post and I though it would make a great topic for Readers Helping Readers.
How do you all have time for this? I so want to be frugal and I’m stressed trying to keep up with it all. I do homeschool my children, like most of you, and I’m trying to do a pampered chef business, but thinking of quitting so i can focus more on my family, but we need the money i bring in. It’s so challenging, God helps me each day! Thanks for the sites, I’ll try to keep up with all you frugal moms, lol.
She has a good point. Bargain shopping and making frugal choices DOES take time. Here are a few of my thoughts on the matter.
- I view my “frugality” as a job. I consider my savings to be my hourly wage. It may take me an extra two hours to plan out my grocery shopping, use coupons, etc. (It’s sometimes shocking how long it can take, isn’t it??!!) But I can easily cut my grocery bill in half when I do so. Even if I only save $50 a trip, that comes out to $25/hr. Not bad. So, if I’m “too busy” to coupon, am I busy doing something that is going to make me $25/hr. Usually not.
- Alternatively, some frugal practices are NOT worth my time. The time you have to spend on frugal endeavors will be limited by the number of small children you have, whether or not you homeschool, whether you work for hire, outside commitments, etc. Before I worked from home and homeschooled, I would can fruits and vegetables every summer. Now, I just don’t have the time. When I calculate out the savings they just weren’t there to justify it. Now, if I had a garden or access to free foods, that might change. But for now, I make more at “work” than I save by canning.
- I enlist the children. As my kids get older I give them more responsibilities. Currently, they are capable of keeping the house relatively presentable. I am willing to pay one of my kids a dollar or two to cut my coupons and put them in my coupon binder. It saves me a good chunk of time and I know I’ll save much more by having them clipped, organized and available. When I was a child, my siblings and I were each responsible for making a batch of bread once each week. Making your children responsible for a small garden, even a container garden could be helpful. Keeping the budget on track is a family affair, not just Mom’s responsibility.
- Consider the learning curve. Sure, the first time you create a menu plan (join our newsletter for a free quide!) or try a new recipe, extend a mix, or make your own laundry soap, it may be a bit time consuming. But many of these tasks become second nature after a few tries and take considerably less time. As with most anything you’ll need to allow some time for education and practice on your road to becoming a practiced frugalite. Is it worth it? Absolutely!
- Don’t forget the real issue. Why are you doing what you do? Being thrifty isn’t about saving every little penny. It’s about being conscious of your spending and making deliberate choices about how you spend your money. If you choose to spend on a luxury or forgo a frugal practice, that’s fine. Just know that you are making the choice and why. The more ways you are aware of to save money, the more choices you have in what you choose to do or not do. Don’t feel you have to do everything!
- I recognize that I’m modeling stewardship and educating my family through my thriftiness. Saving money and being financially responsible isn’t about just the money itself. It is about using the resources we’ve been given in a responsible manner. Our children learn from what they see us do. I am confident that my children can get by with less income than the average young adult simply because they’ve grown up watching us make money-saving decisions. Whether they choose to use those skills or not is their decision, but the knowledge will make them that much stronger as they set out on their own. So I’m not only saving money, I’m teaching at the same time. Plus, most thrifty activities involve learning or practicing a variety of useful life skills.
Those are just a few of my thoughts regarding “finding the time” to be frugal. What about you? How do you find the time, in your busy schedules, to save money? I can’t wait to hear your comments!
Taking time to save money works for me! To see more Works for Me Wednesday tips visit We Are That Family.
I agree with all of what you’ve said. I try to save time through efficiency. Here are two examples:
Yesterday I made a large batch of laundry detergent. I hope it’ll last for several months.
Earlier this week I made a double-batch of macaroni and cheese; we had one portion for dinner and I froze the other. This will save time on a busy day, and it didn’t take much longer to double the recipe. I also make large batches of spaghetti sauce and freeze it in portions for dinners and for making pizza.
Hope this helps! I also hope to glean some time-saving tips here!
If she’s stressed trying to keep up w/ it all, I’d guess her kids are little. My “big kids” are 8-12 years old. Most of their school work is independent and they do their own laundry start to finish. That takes a huge chunk of time off my work load.
But we have time for what we make time for. People are always saying: How do you have time to read? I don’t have time.
But they have time to watch TV. It’s simply a matter of priorities.
Instead of spending time at the mall looking for clothes, I go to the thrift store. That doesn’t take any more time.
I make biscuits instead of buying canned. That takes about 10 extra minutes but saves me gobs.
I make oatmeal or hardboiled eggs & toast for breakfast instead of cold cereal. That also takes about 10 extra minutes but saves me a bunch of money.
The kids all help me get dinner in the crock-pot after breakfast so we don’t have a need to run out and get fast food b/c we weren’t prepared for dinner. That takes forethought, but not really more time.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Molly Green, George Lamonte. George Lamonte said: Econobusters » Blog Archive » WFMW: Finding the Time to Be Frugal …: I so want to be frugal and I'm stressed try… http://bit.ly/cKR5cU [...]
There is definitely a time for everything — He tells us this. It is indeed tough to balance little ones and making things from scratch. Ginger and Melissa make wise points above: Forethought and doing what takes only an extra few minutes. (Make a double batch, grate your own cheese, shop at the consignment store, etc.) My girlfriend and I were discussing controlling spending as well. Molly posted and awesome link to Women Living Well where I viewed a fabulous video on how to shop on consignment and still look nice for your husband. I am interested in doing as much of this as possible. I looked at what I spent on my hair last year and was astounded. I do use my MILs stylist who is in a more rural setting and much less expensive, and she (MIL) cares for my 3 homeschooled boys while I go, but I am still spending on highlights and cut. Any advice on how to save on hair without looking like a total (mousy brown/grey hair too that should be covered) frump? I am committed to maintaining my looks such that I am a reasonable facsimilie of the woman my husband married, but I want to do this in a way that honors my husband and the budget. This is an area where I could greatly improve myself. Perhaps Molly can help us on this one!
Molly says: This is a great question, Tiff! We’ll have to run it next week. I’d love to hear some ideas as well!
Hi Molly. This may not be the place to post this, but the website that has saved me TONS of money and time is http://www.pocketyourdollars.com. She is a Christian mom with a passion for helping people spend money wisely. Check it out. I’ve followed her website and shopping lists/coupon lists for a year now. I’ve saved over $1000 on groceries alone compared to what I was spending before (over the course of a year). Not to mention all my savings at Walgreens and CVS for household/health/beauty items. I had all but given up coupons because of the time factor. I’m back to them and loving my savings! So is my hubby! Thanks for a great website!
I love Molly’s statement that we need to think through what we are doing. That is key! There are time when we will choose NOT to do something frugal because we decide we need the convenience of a higher priced item or service. But it seems that many families just blindly spend money on restaurant meals or frequent car trips or expensive activities because they are easy and the “usual thing to do.”
I can relate to time limits with kids…we have 6 children ages 10 to 2, and the 7th child is on the way. I find getting out to be super difficult, so I don’t do garage sales or Goodwill stores. However, we have a local children’s thrift store that is a bit more expensive than Goodwill, but where I can get in and out quickly. I HATE shopping for clothes with a PASSION, so for me it makes sense to spend a bit more a few times a year than to visit a Goodwill reqularly in search of great bargains. I have accepted the fact that I don’t like shopping and so I don’t hunt for bargains as much as I could…on the other hand, I know we save money because I’m just not in stores much. It is all a balance — the important thing is to have a godly attitude, communicate well with my husband, and keep a close eye on the budget.