My Favorite Frugal Money Saving Ideas
Gift Giving
 If
you're like I am, you are constantly giving presents to people, either for
birthdays, weddings, etc. The cost of wrapping paper is outrageous. Try using
wallpaper. It lasts forever, and comes in beautiful moire designs, good for
weddings; kid's patterns, and other generic designs. Comic strips from the
newspaper also work great for kid's gifts. Another idea is just brown wrapping
paper (from grocery bags), decorated and tied with raffia or starched fabric
strips. Also, when you buy your Christmas wrapping paper, be sure to buy paper
that can be used on other occasions, like pretty silver, gold, or blue patterns,
or solid colors. Keep an eye out at thrift stores for inexpensive wallpaper
leftovers.
Clothes
 Try and buy most of your clothes in separates.
Mixing and matching blouses, sweaters, skirts, pants, vests and blazers makes
for many outfits on a small budget. Buy all your basics (skirts, pants, blazers)
in neutral colors and traditional styles. Then, for fun, you can put trendy
color and designs in the more temporary blouses, sweaters, scarves, etc., that
you wear near your face- and they will go with all your neutral pieces.
Cars
Never buy a completely new car. You can save
thousands of dollars buying a rental car that hat has only been used one year.
Buy one with 5,000
 or less miles on it. These
cars usually have been well maintained and serviced. You can also buy them from
Dealerships. Also, plan your buying for the end of the year, when the new models
are in. Your car will be considered a year older, and priced less.
Home Decorating
As an Interior Design Graduate, it pains me to say
this, but when you decorate, try to use all neutrals for your walls, carpets,
drapes, and major fu furniture pieces. Color
becomes dated so easily. Remember the latest trends- country blues, then
pastels, mauve, jewel tones, and the extremely popular Hunter Green? (And look
what happens to appliances. How many olive green or gold appliances make a house
look dated?) If your walls, carpets, and major furniture pieces are neutral, you
can change the look of your room to keep it up to date by just changing the
colors in the accessories, such as pillows, flower arrangements, paintings,
bedspreads, tablecloths, accent rugs, etc. Also, when you go to sell your home,
you won't be faced with painting all your rooms white so they will appeal to the
most people (per your Realtor). Also, be careful when adding wallpaper. If the
design is strong, you will soon be sick of it, and stripping it off the wall.
Food
 A great way to avoid stress is to avoid walking
down the meat aisle at the store. Believe it or not, once you cut down, or quit
eating red meat, you lose your taste for it. We still eat it in moderation, but
it is not healthy or good for your budget to eat too much of it. There is one
purchase I have to recommend to everyone. Buy a bread machine. We grind up our
own wheat, and then combine the wheat flour with white (half and half) to make
bread. There is nothing more nutritious and delicious than a fresh baked loaf of
bread with a bowl of soup. It only takes 5 minutes to make the bread, and the
machine is worth every penny it takes to buy it! The economy of the meals you
make around the bread will make up for the purchase price in no time.
Pianos
Consider buying a Digital piano. Digital Pianos are much
cheaper than
 regular pianos. The keys are touch sensitive and have a great
action. It is just like playing a regular piano, except that it doesn't need
tuning, you can play it with earphones in the middle of the night, and it weighs
a whole lot less! If you also like to sing, you can change the key for your
voice range. The Grand Piano Sound is usually recorded from a concert Steinway,
and is exquisite! One word of caution- check prices! Some states have only one
store with exclusive rights to certain models, and they may be over-priced.
Check out neighboring states. They easily fit into the back of a pickup truck.
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