Tag: Frugal
Best Frugal Books
Best Frugal Books Reviewed!
There are not that many frugal books around so it is a good opportunity to review the best ones that are available. Some of the Frugal Books are available in Kindle editions so they are far cheaper than the paper versions which make great sense for the frugal savey shopper!
The Frugal Shopper by Penny Lopez
Only available in the Kindle edition so this is a great instant buy and a small investment that you will save many times over. Really tackles the tough issue of helping you stop wasting money by being an educated shopper. Something for everybody and a good introduction to the topic.
Frugal Living: How to Save Money and Not Feel Like You’re Broke by Jamie Walker
Another Kindle only edition which is easy on the pocket! A slim book and quite a fast read that passes on proven techniques for saving money without while still having a healthy and enjoyable lifestyle.
Frugal Living: How to Save Money and Not Feel Like You’re Broke Price: — 0 used & new available from 
(2 customer reviews)
Frugal Living for Dummies by Deborah Taylor-Hough
The “Dummies3 books always cover a subject thoroughly and this one is no exception and at 288 pages it contains a wealth of useful and practical information. Some sections are a little dated regarding the latests innovations in technology, but apart from that this is pretty much the essential “Frugal Bible”.
Suddenly Frugal: How to Live Happier and Healthier for Less by Leah Ingram
This is a bargain price paperback so snap it up while it is still in print. Full of excellent day to day saving tips as well as the most useful websites. It is important to focus on happiness and health rather than “conspicuous consumption!”
Suddenly Frugal: How to Live Happier and Healthier for Less Price: $10.31 101 used & new available from $0.01
(20 customer reviews)
Frugal Travel Guy Handbook by Rick Ingersoll
Even Frugal Zealots need a holiday sometime and this book will help you learn how to achieve that at the lowest cost. Quite a slim volume but it fully describes the methods the Author has used reliably over the years to cut his holiday travel costs to virtually nothing. Although it focuses on frequent flyer miles other topics like car hire are also covered.
(29 customer reviews)There is a huge amount of information on the internet about Frugality, Frugal Living and how to live a simpler life in general….however it can take a good many hours to track down all the information that you need. By investing a some Frugal Books you will save time and get the latest knowledge without having to search around.
Investing in a couple of Frugal Books will save you many hours of searching for information on the internet…..
For further reading ideas and even more Frugal Books check this link:
Best Books about Frugal Living – Frugalliving-about.com
Take a Frugal Tip from the MeanyGoat and invest in one or two Frugal Books….they will inspire you and will always be there for ready reference. Feel free to add your own Frugal Favorites in the comments!!
Print This Post
Frugal Computing
Frugal Computing Costs
I guess you are thinking that the words “Frugal” and “Computing” should not be in the same sentence! Well maybe yes, maybe no… part of being frugal is to take advantage of all the modern developments in technology to help ensure a good standard of living at the lowest cost. So this is where frugal computing fits in and why it is important to check out the details before you make a purchasing choice.
New Computer Choices:
When you buy a new computer you need to look at the initial cost, the possible resale value later if you want to change it and of course the electrical running costs. First off, the standard tower computer that most people have uses a huge amount of electricity…even if all the energy saving settings are tweeked. They are pretty expensive to buy, they go obsolete within a year or less and so have a low resale value…and, on top of all that, they use a large amount of electricity to run. At the other end of the spectrum you have the modern tablet computers like the iPAD. These cost a similar amount to a standard PC, but retain a higher resale value and cost virtually nothing to run. Somewhere in the middle you have the laptop computer ….which can also be costly to buy if you want a decent one but has drastically lower running costs than a standard PC.
Frugal Computing & Electricity Consumption:
Get your energy monitor out, check the specs of some computers and do a few simple calculations. If a standard 450 Watt PC is run 8 hours a day it will cost around 25 Euros a year to run in France where electricity is cheap…plus an additional 5 Euros or so for the LCD monitor. A Modern laptop which is charged up say 250 times a year will only cost around 5 Euros a year to run. Right at the bottom of the scale is the iPAD which will cost less then 10 centimes a year to run even if it is charged over 75 times each year. Frugal computing….it is pretty obvious which kinds of choices to take!
Time to Upgrade:
There has never been more choice in the computing market so now is a good time to think about upgrading. If you factor in all the costs it will not be nearly as expensive as you think…and you could be saving a lot of electricity into the bargain! So there you have it, investing a modest amount in leading edge technology can enable you to dramatically lower your electricity costs. Factor in the ease of use and time saving you achieve with these modern devices (no bootup or shutdown time etc) and really it time to regard the standard tower PC as a fossil relic! Being frugal does not mean cutting yourself off from the world and living in a cave. Make sure that you fully embrace frugal computing ideas in order to stay connected at the lowest possible cost.
Checkout other statistics for costs of running a computer here: How Much Does Your PC Cost to Run
What are your Frugal Computing Tips?
Print This Post
How to wash clothes
How to Wash Clothes Cheaply using Frugal Ideas
Washing clothes takes up both time and energy so is a good target for investigation using frugal ideas. Lets look at how we can save time and money every week….mostly by using common sense! Read on to learn how to wash clothes efficiently.
Ditch the Nuts!
Soap Nuts really don't seem to do much good in a washing machine, but may work ok with hand washing. Probably better to not waste your money as they are expensive.
There are lots of adverts on the internet and at Health food shops telling you how to wash clothes with special nuts so the MeanyGoat went and got some to try out. Salvo nuts, or soap nuts, from India and Nepal are being widely touted as the green and frugal way to wash your clothes cheaply. After trying them for quite a while the MeanyGoat concludes that while these nuts may work well in traditional hand washing they have no apparent effect when used in a normal machine wash! On the plus side they can be re-used several times and are really sticky so you feel that they are doing “something”! On balance, don’t waste your money on soap nuts, better to choose a good quality, non-allergic product and use half the recommended dose. Always be a MeanyGoat with portion sizes!!
When to Wash Clothes:
We will look at HOW TO WASH CLOTHES in a minute, but first think about WHEN TO WASH CLOTHES. Not such a simple question really. When I was a kid I was issued with a clean shirt, a vest, a pair of underpants and a pair of socks each Monday morning…..fresh for the whole week! These days we wear a shirt for an evening out and then throw it straight in the wash basket. So which extreme is right?
How to Wash Clothes the MeanyGoat Way:
Follow these simple rules to learn how to wash your clothes at the right time so you don’t go around stinking like a goat, but equally you save yourself time and money…..
- Wash Clothes When they SMELL or when you can see DIRT: If they don’t look dirty and they don’t smell then they skip the wash!
- Air Clothes AFTER Use: After wearing a shirt hang it up on a coat hanger and let it “air” for a day. In the summer put it outside in the sun. You can also air clothes in the bathroom after a bath (a rare event I hope!) or after a 3 minute shower (the correct frugal alternative…) since the steam will help refresh the clothes. Works well for shirts, dresses, blouses, jumpers, trousers etc. Use this method to double the interval between washing.
- Always use a FULL Load: When running a washing machine it is more efficient to run it full even if it has a half load option…but don’t overfill since that can damage the machine
- Use the 30C Temperature Setting: For a “normal wash” ie clothes that are often not really dirty at all, bung them in the washing machine at the minimum temperature
- Use HALF the Recommended amount of Detergent: Buy a decent quality, non-allergenic product (powder or liquid) and use half the amount that it says on the packet. Why? The manufacturer wants you to use it up quickly so that you buy more….
- Use the Fastest Spin Available: This gets maximum amount of moisture out of your clothes taking with it any residual pong…and of course the dryer they come out of the machine the quicker they will dry overall
How to Wash Clothes with the Secret Ingredient:
What secret ingredient? For a cold wash of really stinky sports kit then add a wine glass full of vinegar to the wash as well as your normal amount of detergent. You will really notice the difference and even the worst socks will come out smelling fresh….and don’t worry, they won’t come out smelling of pickled onions either!
Drying Clothes:
Ditch the Tumble Dryer and always dry your clothese outside if you can!
So you get the idea now about how to wash clothes, but the next step in the process is drying the buggers. I guess some people with large families and loads of children might be able to justify running a tumble dryer on the grounds that it drys the clothes quickly so that they can be re-used the same day. In this way fewer clothes are needed. However, for most people the tumble dryer should be avoided since it is expensive to run and clothes are always better aired afterwards anyway so you are just introducing an unnecessary step in your washing process. Dry clothes outside on a line or clothes horse whenever you can….this is the quickest and simplest method that has been in use for centuries and has the great benefit of really giving the clothes a good airing so that they are nice and fresh. In bad weather hang them up on a clothes horse inside in the warmest room while you are out at work. Try to resist cloaking all the radiators with wet sheets since this will force them to dry rapidly and can cause excessive condensation and dampness in the house.
Start Saving Time and Money Now!
By now you should have picked up enough tips about how to wash clothes so that will enable you to save between 25% and 50% of your time and money. How so? Always run the machine full, only wash the clothes that need it, use less detergent and normally run the wash at at 30C. How to wash clothes….Pretty simple really!!
Print This Post
Frugal Diet
Frugal Diet and Exercise Plan
A “diet” is not a means of loosing weight, rather it is a lifestyle choice that you follow. Creating your own Frugal Diet that works for you is an important step in optimizing both your health and your expenditure. Read on in order to find how to make the right choices.
Healthy Lifestyle
We all know the basic rules for having a healthy lifestyle, but how many of us actually follow them?
- Eat a balanced diet of lean meat, oily fish, diary products and plenty of fresh fruit & vegetables
- Limit your salt and sugar intake replacing sugar with honey where possible
- Avoid processed, packaged and microwave ready food as this is expensive and can contain a lot of sugar, salt & a cocktail of chemical additives
- Avoid junk food like burgers and chips
- Snack on things like raw carrots rather than biscuits. Cut out cakes, ice cream & fancy deserts
- Eat a piece of dark chocolate a day but avoid other sweets
- Drink at least 1.5 litres of water a day and avoid any other bottled or canned drinks
- Limit your drinking to the recommended allowances and avoid binging except on your birthday!
- Don’t even think about smoking
The important lifestyle choice is to decide if you want to “buy-in” to these kinds of choices or not. If you do, then try to live by them as much of the time as possible while recognising that nobody is perfect and everybody needs a blowout once in while. The problem today is that the blowout becomes a daily event for so many people…and we see the visible proof struggling at the supermarket checkout with a trolley packed with processed food and a backside the size of a greyhound bus.
Frugal Benefits
Grow your own great tasting healthy salads!
Everybody knows that the “fad diets” like the Grapefruit Diet, the Atkins Diet or the Cabbage Soup diet will help you loose weight in the short term…but so will the Suck on a Teabag Diet or the Eat all the Chicory you want Diet. The important thing is to know the rules and stick to them as much as possible. And sticking to a healthy lifestyle will save you a lot of money.
Following a frugal diet will help you save thousands of dollars or euros a year…why? Simple, booze, fags, snack and junk food on top of your standard shopping soon adds up to a whopping amount every week. Keep track of all the “extra” treats you buy for a week and multiply the cost by 52 to find out how much you are wasting in a year. And don’t forget that all that extra food also means extra calories….so if you don’t burn them off in exercise then you will put on weight.
Where does Exercise fit in?
Workout with weights either at home or in the gym
We evolved from a hunter gatherer lifestyle which was pretty active since we had to spend most of our time finding food to eat or chasing after animals to catch. Don’t forget, there wasn’t daytime TV in those days… Compare that to a typical day in the office where the only exercise we get is walking along the corridor to get a coffee or go to the toilet! Exercise is really important to help ensure a long and happy life:
- Generally, the fitter you are the healthier you are so that means fewer colds etc as well as reducing the risk of more serious issues in later life like heart disease
- The more exercise you do, either at the gym or just by being active, the more calories you burn and so the more likely you are to keep to a stable healthy weight
So I think you already know what to do…..eat sensibly, avoid junk food, get plenty of exercise and enjoy yourself! Along the way being happy and healthy will also cost a lot less than if you are a “blow out binger”. Small changes every day will add up to big changes in your lifestyle and overall quality of life.
Print This Post
The Best Frugal Deodorant
The Best Frugal Deodorant – Ball or Aerosol?
Or as the old joke goes, “…neither, it’s for my armpits actually”…..boom boom! Faced with a crowded supermarket shelf which one is the best frugal deodorant to choose? Read on to find out and you might be surprised by the answer….
Frugal Deodorant Choices
Ask most people and they will probably say you can choose between aerosol or roll-on type deodorants. The CFC propellant scare triggered a minor upset in the market during the 1980′s - the gasses in the aerosols used to contain chemicals which scientists have shown damage the ozone layer. The aerosols still need compressed gas to make them squirt but they don’t damage the ozone layer any more. However, it is “back to business” for all the standard hi-tech chemical cosmetics now. Both aerosols and roll-ons typically contain some kind of aluminium based active ingredient to inhibit perspiration, but which can in turn trigger dermatitis in some people. Bacteria thrive in a warm sweaty environment and release a gas called 3-methyl-2-hexenoic acid in their waste…..and this is what smells bad, the sweat just looks bad! Don’t forget that we need to sweat in order to regulate our body temperature and to eliminate toxins. Lets look at the choices in a bit more detail and see if we can identify the best frugal deodorant.
Roll-On Deodorant
A "roll-on" type of deodorant
The first ever commercially patented deodorant was “Mum” (for keep silent), which was manufactured in the USA during the late nineteenth century as a cream. It was re-launched in 1952 as a roll-on. The one in the picture is typical of a modern product and contains over 20 ingredients. The idea is that the active ingredients reduce the amount you sweat and so this in turn deprives those stinky bacteria of food. Common sense says that all those chemicals can’t be good for your skin…and just think of the resources that have been consumed inventing and commercializing the product. However, it works ok and doesn’t smell much at all. As a roll-on it would take ages to cover your whole body so really only suitable for use under your arms.
Aerosol Deodorant
A typical aerosol deodorant
They work in a similar way often using the aluminium based active ingredients to inhibit sweating. The big difference is that the aerosols contain gasses to squirt them everywhere. The gas makes the fine droplets have a better coverage compared to a roll-on. Unfortunately the manufacturers also stuff a load of pongy fragrances in as well so that when you give your armpits a quick blast the whole gym changing room smells of cat pee! The example shown smells pretty dreadful and contains over 20 ingredients with butane and propane as the propellants. Same kind of hi-tech product as a roll-on really – it works ok but smells horrible. Gives good coverage.
Alum Stone Deodorant
An Alum Stone deodorant
Ever heard of this alum stone deodorant? Probably not. Guess why….it is a natural crystal. Yes, the full name is Potassium Alum and it is a naturally occurring sulphate mineral. It works by inhibiting the growth of the bacteria (by reducing the pH) but does not interfere with the natural perspiration process. So you will still sweat but not smell. To use it you just take the top off and moisten the end a bit and rub it on. The crystal is very smooth….not spiky…so is really easy to apply where ever you need it. Take care not to drop the crystal otherwise it will shatter! I was pretty sceptical at first, but it certainly seems to work and I like the idea that it doesn’t block up the pores of your skin or stop the natural perspiration process. Like any cosmetic some people will find they have an allergy, but with only one natural ingredient rather then 20 chemical ones I know which one I would choose. Works well and has no smell. Perhaps the best choice for a a frugal deodorant…
The Bottom Line
A complex topic that has created plenty of scare stories over the years….but why not simplify you life a little, start looking for natural cosmetics rather than chemically manufactured ones…and along the way you can save yourself some money. If you have read to the bottom of the page then I think that you already know which is the best frugal deodorant!
Print This Post
How to get Free Water at the Airport
Toilet Water !
Since the new airport security measures came into force after 911 it has been an expensive business getting a drink at the airport. But there are still ways to get free water. The extra security has made queues even longer and this makes you even more thirsty. But read on….there is a really simple and FREE solution, you just need to do a bit of advance planning !
Here is your MeanyGoat plan for getting free water at the airport:
Find yourself an empty water bottle
Rinse the tap and then fill the bottle from the airport toilet
- First of all just get an empty 0.5 litre plastic water bottle and rinse it out thoroughly. In fact you can use any size you like, but this is quite a good size for hand luggage.
- When you leave home fill the bottle with the amount of water you will need until you get to the security check.
- Just before you get to the security check make sure that you drink the remaining water and then store the bottle in your hand luggage.
- Immediately after the security check find the nearest toilet and re-fill your bottle from the cold tap. Good idea to just rinse the tap and bottle first.
- You now have free water that you can use at the airport and on your flight
People might give you a funny look, but who cares. I give people a funny look when they queue up at the airport shop and pay $1 or £1 or 1€ for a 0.33 litre bottle of water that is just the same as the water in the tap !
The waiting room is a really challenge of will power - don't give in!
Airports are a real challenge of will power since you have time to kill and are surrounded by shops full of things to buy. If you think you will need a snack make sure to take a sandwich from home rather than buy the limp white bread triangle in the plastic box. Don’t even think about going into the book shop, you will never read that fascinating book on how to loose weight by dreaming……
Have fun, fly safe and don’t go thirsty !
Print This Post
Frugal Shopping | Buy 1 and get 1 FREE…..or do you?
Frugal Shopping
Shopping at a supermarket and taking advantage of their special offers is a good frugal way of saving money right? Not necessarily, because by the time you get to the checkout you might have filled your basket with loads of unnecessary purchases….which is the real reason why the supermarkets give special offers in the first place…..supermarkets don’t want you to perfect Frugal Shopping because they know that you will actually end up spending Less ! Hmmm whats all that about then?
How to Save Money at a Supermarket:
In fact if you are sensible you can turn the tables on the money magnates and actually play them at their own game. This way you win and you really can buy one and get one free, which of course will save you money. But how can you do this? Simple, follow the MeanyGoat’s Frugal Shopping Rules…….
- Make a shopping list, and stick to it. If you don’t have a list don’t go into a shop because you will end up making an impulse buy and wasting money.
- Before you go into the shop review you list, remove anything unnecessary and remind yourself where the different items are located in the store. Make a mental plan of how to get in and out of the shop as quickly as possible. The longer you stay the more money you will spend.
- Only get a trolley if you know that the items on your list will be too heavy to carry in a basket. If you get a trolley when you don’t need one then you will end up buying extra items because you can easily push them to the checkout.
- Locate the items on your list and review the purchasing options. Brand, purchase quantity and special offers can all influence your decision here. Make a sensible fact based choice….use your trusted friend the calculator if you need to work out the cheapest option.
- Check the sell by dates. If there is a special offer, or a “reduced for quick sale” item check the sell by dates to make sure that you will have used the items by the time they expire. This applies to food, drink cosmetics etc.
- If there is a genuine special offer for something with a decent sell by date that is on you list then STOCK UP !
- Ignore the “free taster” from the lady at the end of the counter unless a) she is really nice and you want to talk to her or b) you skipped breakfast knowing that you could graze for free in this shop.
- When you have found all the items on your list go straight to the checkout. This is the really critical phase….you have found bread making flour at half price and you bought 6 bags. Don’t look at the offer on sun screen because you are not going on holiday for another two months anyway.
- At the checkout don’t look at the sweets, condoms, batteries and pre-paid envelopes. You don’t need any of them and buying even just a few extra things can soon wipe out your entire hard earned gain from the “buy 1 and get 1 free” offer.
Frugal Shopping – Can You Do This?
Have you ever thought about shopping in this way? Be honest….probably not. Of course it takes planning and discipline and is much harder if you have small children pestering you all the time for all the things their friends have. (Or rather all the things they SAY their friends have….) Even if you can’t manage to do everything on the list then you will still save money if you make consistent small changes which is the key to successful Frugal Shopping.
Do a simple calculation and work out your value to your local supermarket. Imagine you spend $100 or 100€ a week then over 25 years that adds up to 130,000 $’s or Euros. See how many people there are in the shop. This is big, big business and the supermarkets rely on our loyalty and fact that we are creatures of habit. If you target a 20% reduction in your weekly shop by just following sensible frugal shopping rules then you will end up with an extra $1000 or €’s a year.
Get in and out of the shop as quickly as possible!
Remember:
If you forget everything else please remember these two points when you next go Frugal Shopping:
- Never go shopping without a list
- Get in and out of the shop as quickly as possible…the longer you are there the more you will spend
Here is another great place to learn Strategies to Save Money in the Supermarket , this website www.household-budget-made-easy.com/ has plenty of practical advice.
Happy Frugal Shopping and feel free to add your own comments and ideas !
Print This Post
Frugal Calculator
Calculator – Friend or Foe?
Everybody has a calculator at home, but how often do you actually use it….and why keep it at home? Make friends with your calculator…use it every day, take it to the shops and definately take it on holiday. Just using a calculator for simple cost per kilo and cost per year type maths will help you make better purchasing and frugal lifestyle choices.
Cost per Kilo
Make sure you are getting the best buy, claculate the cost per kilo
The better supermarkets and shops now show the cost per kg or pound on the shelf mounted price label. Use this information to identify the best packet size to buy. For example for staple foods like pasta and rice with long shelf lives buy the largest quantity you can store and it will work out much cheaper. But not all shops are equal and often you will need to do this calculation yourself and using a calculator takes away the guesswork.
Cost per year
Do you really need to spend nearly 500€ a year on this?
Annulaizing costs is a crutial tool for achieving real savings in a frugal lifestyle. Small differences repeated every day or every week can soon add up….but you need the calculator to actually see it happen. Lets use the office coffee machine as an example:
Cost per coffee = 0.5 Euros
Number of cups per workday = 4
Number of workdays per year = 235 (assuming 5 weeks holiday 47 weeks x 5 days = 235 workdays)
Number of drinks per year 235 x 4 = 940
Cost per year 940 x 0.5 = 470 Euros
If the company provides a kettle then you could easily reduce this by half by switching toinstant coffee, using tea bags or using a flask. The smart frugal choice is drink water from the tap and save the whole whopping 470 Euros!
Get into the habit
Question every purchasing decision with the hard facts using your calculator. Get into the habit of automatically working out the cheapest packet size or the total annual cost so that you can make a data driven purchasing choice rather than an impulse buy. The natural consequence of this process is that when you see the number on the calculator display you will often decide that you dont want to make the purchase at all! This really harnesses the power of the calculator to help you make better lifestyle choices that will save loads of money.
Print This Post
The Best Way to Boil Water
Save Time and Money by Choosing the Best Way to Boil Water….
Most people probably remember reading that the best way to boil water is by using the microwave – in fact this is wrong and the correct use of an electric kettle is quicker and cheaper.
Checklist for Saving Money when you Boil Water:
- Find a small kettle that allows you to boil a single cup at a time
- The standard size is 1.7 litres, try to find a 1 litre model
- Never fill the kettle full, just add the amount you need
- Keep a measuring jug beside the kettle to help use the right amount
- Keep the kettle clean and de-scaled
- Switch off as soon as the steam comes out – the cut-off is often too slow to react
How much can I save?
That depends on your kettle and your habits, but here is a summary of real tests carried out by the MeanyGoat using an Energy Monitor:
- Full Kettle with 1.4 litres of water uses 0.13kw/hr of electricity to boil
- 1 x 300ml cup of water boiled in the kettle uses 0.03kw/hr of electricity
- 1 x 300ml cup of water heated for 2 minutes in the microwave use 0.04kw/hr of electricity
Kettle connected to an Energy Monitor
Energy Monitor showing real time results
Boiling a single cup in the kettle rather than filling up the kettle and boiling the whole lot (we all do that because it is easier) uses 77% more energy. Wow, what a waste!!
Find your best friend the calculator….
Lets do some simple sums on the calculator to work out an annual saving…..
- Saving per cup = 0.1kw/hr
- Four cups a day all year = (0.1 x 4) x 365 = 146kw/hr
- Here in France a unit of electricity (1kw/hr) costs 0.0826€ for daytime units
- 146 units x 0.826€ = 12.06€
The Bottom Line
So by keeping a measuring jug next to the kettle and only boiling the amount of water you need each time you need a cup of tea or coffee should save you around 12 euros a year. Now that doesn’t sound much….but think of another nine or ten simple ways to save a similar amount and you have an extra 100 euros. Lots of very small changes in you lifestyle can really add up to a big overall saving of energy and resources. Give it a try, give yourself a free payrise!
Print This Post
Commuting to Work by Bike
Make Soya Milk
How to Make an Insect Hotel