Thrifty Living Series - Entertainment on the Cheap

This week we are talking about entertainment and how to have some for little or no cost. Now this is an important topic in frugality as in order to keep frugal habits sustainable, you have to feel you are not deprived. Life needs to be fun and it really doesn't cost much of anything around here to have fun.

For the most part my husband and I would rather just stay home but of course our kids like to get out a little more. We have always home schooled so my kids are used to occupying themselves at home for longer periods of time but older kids do like to get out once in a while.

Really, I try to limit the running around and they know this so they will think ahead and come to me with an idea of how to get them to and from without too much extra driving. Our kids are expected to pay for their entertainment out of their allowance. This teaches them to find cheap entertainment and not ask for endless dollars to spend on movies and such. They are for the most part pretty frugal with what they spend out and it may be because they know they are spending their own money.

Honestly though, as a family, we stay home and just watch movies and play games. We enjoy this. We do use Netflix all the time and feel this is money well spent. We only have basic cable. Our major entertainment is really weekends on the coast using a family home and camping trips. We stay home most of the time and don't spend a lot so when we travel with the kids we will treat us all to dinner out and take advantage of some special excursions and stops at Starbucks, my favorite.

About twice a year we go to the movies and always go to the early bird showing for the cheaper rates. The library is another form of fun as we like to read and enjoy an hour or so at the library almost weekly. Entertaining friends is always fun and I can feed a group inexpensively if I make all the food.

Of course in Southern California we have lots of outdoor fun all year and we visit local parks and nature centers quite a bit. I love gardens and prefer these types of outings to museums. They are generally if not free, than reasonable.

Mostly, I would have to say, make your fun at home. If you are used to running around than give yourself some time to get out of the habit of always being on the go. By staying home you save gas, dollars on eating out and miles on your car. Enjoy your home. Get it cleaned up and straightened by Friday if you can so you can enjoy the weekend and not spend as much time cleaning. This way you will want to stay in and savor your cozy home.

Please visit Brenda at Cozy Little House, Claudia of Mockingbird Hill Cottage, Jen at Muddy Boot Dreams  and Diane of Lavender Dreams and see what the other bloggers in this series are up to.


Linking to:
Katherine's Corner
Raising Homemakers
Transformation Thursday
A Glimpse Inside
The Saved Quarter
Ladybird Ln.

Thrifty Living Series Part 3

Saving money on gas. 

Okay, now onto the meat and bones as they say. This week we are all sharing how we save on gas while still getting the errands ran and in my case getting kids to and from. If you don't think gas has gone up that much here are some statistics that are going to floor you. I knew we were paying way more for gas in the last couple of years but the hard numbers almost made me cry.

Okay, now onto the meat and bones as they say. This week we are all sharing how we save on gas while still getting the errands ran and in my case getting kids to and from. If you don't think gas has gone up that much here are some statistics that are going to floor you. I knew we were paying way more for gas in the last couple of years but the hard numbers almost made me cry.
The average price for a gallon of gas on 1/26/09 was $1.84
The average price for a gallon of gas on 1/23/12 was $3.39 (and in L.A. it was 3.69)
An increase of 84%.
Friends we are paying 84% more to drive than we were three years ago and the far reaching effects are that everything that is shipped with gas has skyrocketed too. So now that I am depressed and you are as well I will share how we are trying to save on gas.

On average our monthly fuel bill is $680. I know it is crazy. That is for my husband's small Ford Focus he commutes in and our other two cars. A truck and a mini van. Some months it can be lower if I am able to stay home more. This is killing us. That is not insurance and maintenance. We bought the small car used for the gas savings and it is a big help but we are three drivers and three cars. It is not prudent for us to buy new cars to replace the bigger ones as that takes lots of money and we need the truck and one large vehicle for when we all go somewhere.

So here is what we have done to help lower this where we can.
 1) Our oldest who is in college and works has now got to pay for her own fuel. She drives the truck and sees how costly it is to fill. Life lessons she needs to learn. We keep this vehicle because it is paid off and we use it to tow our trailer when we camp. She will buy her own car shortly but then daughter #2 will be driving and we will be again fueling this car. She has a job but we will help her in the beginning like we did #1.

2) We stay home. Especially me. If I can help it I don't even start my car. On weekends I use the small car for driving around as it has better mileage.

3) I combine errands. I try to see where I will be going at the beginning of the week and plan errands for days I will be in that area. Plan your errands in a circle. I start with the farthest stop and then just pop in wherever I need to go on my route back home. This is perfect for my shopping days. I don't want to waste gas while trying to save money with deals at the drugstores and such. That would defeat the purpose.

4) I am sure most of you know these tips but here are some other things we do to save on fuel consumption.
  -Keep tires properly inflated.
  -Drive slower. Accelerate slower too as this is where most fuel is used.
  -Carpool if you can. My husband is able to do this some weeks and though it takes a few extra minutes to meet up with the guys, the savings on gas and miles on your car are too good to pass up.
  -Reduce weight in your car. Don't drive around with extra stuff in your car you don't need. Takes more fuel to move a heavier car.
  -Reduce use of A/C. I am guilty of this as I don't like my windows down but I read recently that this can save on fuel. Turn A/C off five minutes before you arrive at your destination and try to park in the shade. This is new to me so I will start this immediately.
  -Watch how you brake. If the light ahead turns red let off the gas an coast since you will be stopping anyway. This helps save on brakes as well.

Now some months like while the kids were on break I was able to stretch fueling to almost two weeks but I also stayed home 11 days in January and for us that is big. School starting up does not afford me that luxury but I do it on the weekends a lot. I usually stay home on Saturdays if we don't have plans.

Thrifty Living Series 2012, Part Two

For this week  in the thrifty living series we are going into more detail of each of our lives and why we are on a path of frugality. If you have read my blog for any time you know I have been on this path for a few years but am earnest in my dedication to it. Frugality for us is born out of necessity.Well, just a couple months after I left my job in 2008 the bottom of the economy fell out. Thankfully, my husband's job was not and has not been affected and trust me I know how very lucky we are, but the rapid rise in the cost of EVERYTHING it takes to live and our oldest starting college, squeezed our resources. We had some savings for college but my husband felt it was better to pay cash if we could and save the money for our other kids in case his income ever dropped in the future.

It has been tight. I have learned a great deal and wish I had lived like this all along. I now only use cash and am trying to pay off the bills we have as rapidly as I can. My long term goal would be to pay our mortgage off early as well. But one step at a time.

Before, we took several trips a year, nothing fancy but nice family trips, we ate out, I bought clothes when we needed them and I bought things for the house whenever I wanted. Those days are gone. I now find myself on a strict budget, couponing for things when I can, eating almost exclusively at home, growing as much of our produce as I can from our small city garden and really not buying myself much at all. If there is money in the clothing budget, it usually goes to the kids. They have far fewer new clothes than before but don't care. The improvement in our quality of life has risen immensely over the last few years. Living more simply, focusing on only the basics and just enjoying our home more as a result of our frugal life now, is the bonus. Money really cannot buy happiness but I also have seen very dear people and family members lose everything in the last few years. It can't buy happiness but it is a very necessary thing to have in order to survive.

We are ever conscience of the fact that we have been spared so far, this fate. It could happen to anyone. Loss of a job, death of a spouse, divorce or major illness can strike any of us. That is why my husband and I are committed to a different way of living. We want to be good stewards of our money and though it is tight right now, I hope it will be worth it in the long run. Honestly, I don't think I could ever go back to the way I lived before. I am happier now, content, satisfied with small things like my kids coming in at night safely and a trip to the store where I can stock our shelves and be here to care for the ones I love. I am so thankful for the privilege to be a part of this series and hope what we share will be helpful to you all.

Thrifty Living 2012

Welcome. Today is the first post in a new series.

In this series, there will be five women sharing the individual struggles they face economically with their families in a particular region. 

We run the gamut. Brenda is the only single family household. Claudia and Don live with their two dogs in New York. Elaine and her husband have a small daughter and older children in Southern California. Jen and Gar have just relocated to another part of Canada and are looking for their first house. (In fact I think they just found one.) Diane and Ron live in Florida and are retired. 

Here is my introduction:

 If you are new here my name is Elaine and I am a wife and mother of four. I have been married 22 years and have four daughters that are 20, 17, 14 and three. As you can see we run the gammut of ages around here. I have kids in college and one not even in pre-school yet.

 I worked for the first 18 years of my marriage but came home full time when I had my last baby. It was always a dream and it finally came true. Thanks to a husband that works very hard and very long hours, we are able to survive here in expensive Southern California on one income. Needless to say though when we gave up my extra income, we had to change our ways if we were to survive not only on one income but on what was and is some the most expensive years as a parent. Kids starting to drive and entering college.

Before, when I was working, I would pretty much shop and buy whatever we needed or wanted. Not a good plan. Now I am a whole different person. I consider every dollar spent, working hard to pay cash only and pay off some loans so we can be debt free eventually. Frugality has become my mantra and feeding, clothing and providing for this large family as thriftily as I can has become my new job here at home. I am always reading a book on frugal this and that. You know what I also discovered? That when I starting turning my focus inward to our home and living a more simplified life, a result of our newer frugal ways, that I became a happier person. Buying and shopping was not making me happy but now cooking up a good meal and stretching our money, keeping the house warm and inviting was really what I was in search of all along. I think many people are struggling right now just to cover the basics and I hope what I have learned can help.