Adventures In Frugal Land

Simply Frugal. Simply Natural.

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The Best Podcasts of 2019

I am loving podcasts. I know they’ve been around for a while but I only got into them in the last 2-3 years. I definitely have jumped in headfirst though. My podcast queue is longer than what I normally have time to listen to!

If you do not know how to listen to podcasts or what they are (radio shows on your phone), leave me a comment or message and I’ll help you out.

Podcasts are a great way to entertain yourself while cleaning, working or exercising. You can listen to podcasts for free on your phone or computer. I’ve saved a lot of money on audiobooks since I listen to primarily podcasts now.

The following are the podcasts that I never miss an episode of. These are my absolute favorites and first on my playlist.

Cultivating The Lovely
Sorta Awesome
Jim Harold’s Campfire
True Crime Obsessed
The Crystal Paine Show
The Same Page
Aaron Mahnke’s Cabinet of Curiosities
Lore
The Popcast
The Bible Binge
Lighten Up With Melanie Dale

The following list are podcasts that I enjoy but don’t listen to every single episode. I skip the ones that done interest me and listen to the ones that do. These are my frequently listened to podcasts

Welcome Home
The Mom Hour
10 Things to Tell You
That Sounds Fun with Annie F. Downs
The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey

Everything by The Parcast Network

I’m subscribed to just about every podcast by The Parcast Network. The following are my favorites but I suggest checking out their entire selection if you’re into weird or crime type of podcasts.


Cults
Unsolved Murders
Conspiracy Theories
Extraterrestrial
Female Criminals

What are your favorite podcasts?

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Planning A Frugal Wedding

Back in November 2017, something great happened. I finally tied the knot after over 5 years of living with Brandon. We’ve planned to marry for years and never got around to doing it.

I have a complicated history with an abusive ex-husband and really wasn’t in any hurry to remarry. My ex-husband wanting to sign off on his rights to my daughter to allow Brandon to adopt her was the kick in the pants we needed.

Originally, we planned on having a courthouse ceremony but my daughter had her heart set on being in a wedding. We managed to pull off a memorable ceremony with only a few weeks of planning. And the best part, it was super frugal.

Disclaimer: I am writing this post for those couples who either can’t afford an elaborate wedding or choose not.

 I’m NOT judging anyone who decides to spend more on their wedding. It is a special day and I know that for many couples, the expense of a fancy wedding is worth it. And that is great, it just wasn’t what we wanted.

I never dreamed of having a fairy tale wedding and don’t particularly enjoy having a ton of people staring at me. Don’t worry, we spend money of other things some people might find’ ridiculous (way too many books and video games).

We only had a few close family members and friends in attendance, if you have a larger ceremony, I recommend budgeting more money for food for your guests.

plan a wedding frugally

License

Cost $50

I couldn’t find any way to save money on the marriage license. It was fairly inexpensive, under $50.

Food & Cake

Cost $50

We chose not to have a reception. Instead, we had family members over to our home for pizza and cake. It was very low key and low stress. Family chipped in on the cost of pizza so our expenses were very low.

Venue

Cost $0

We got married at a local church. They didn’t charge us a fee to use the facilities.

Photography

Cost $0

Our family did our photography. We have a couple budding photographers in our family.

Dress

Cost $28

Funny thing about my dress, I didn’t pick it out. Brandon did. I was looking at other dresses when he found the perfect one. It was in my size, the perfect style for me and the price was great. I bought it from Goodwill for $28. Yep. I went to Goodwill for my wedding dress. Zero regrets. I was really planning on purchasing a long casual dress but I started looking at their strongly good selection of wedding dresses and I was sold.

My daughter’s dress we had found (for free!) months prior.

Rings

Cost $100

I am not a jewelry person. Don’t worry, I’m plenty expensive in other areas (like technology!). My wedding band and Brandon’s cost us under $100 combined.

Flowers

Cost $20

I didn’t carry a bouquet but my daughter did. She gave me away and walked down the aisle with me. She originally wanted to be a flower girl but didn’t want to throw her flowers, so, she got a bouquet.

Decorations

Cost $0

Music

Cost $0

Officiant Donation

Cost $200

This was our most expensive part of our wedding. The pastor provided us with marriage counseling prior to the ceremony and we felt it was important to prioritize this cost.

Favors

Cost $0

Hair/Makeup/Nails

Cost $0

Final cost: $448

What did you do for your wedding or what do you plan on doing? What is/was your biggest money saving trick?

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Fighting the Stigma of Poverty

I recently finished “More Than Just Making It: Hope for the Heart of the Financially Frustrated” by Erin Odom of The Humbled Homemaker. Before delving into my thoughts about the book I want to mention that if you pre-order it before the release date of September 5, 2017, you are eligible for some amazing goodies. Some of the best goodies (in my opinion anyway) is the free gift package from Free Reign Farm, access to the first 3 chapters while you wait for the book and a printable gratitude journal. If you are going to order this book, pre-order it now to get all of these goodies plus a ton more! Visit MoreThanJustMakingIt.com for more details.

Pre-order More Than Just Making It

One of the hardest struggles I’ve faced while in poverty is the stigma. I love how Erin addresses the stigma she felt while in the trenches of barely surviving. She is honest with her feelings that she was above the stereotypes. She was educated and a hard worker. Then she goes on to say “None of it mattered. So instead, I told the truth.” That sentence gave me chills. I shared my introduction into poverty in an earlier post and had many of those same thoughts. And just like Erin, none of it mattered. Poverty is humbling but it does not define you.

The stigma of poverty is hard to rise above. Especially when our families and friends contribute to it. Sometimes, we contribute to it ourselves. I’ve heard so many comments from wealthier people about low-income families. Maybe you have heard the comments too.

 

“Poor people shouldn’t breed.”

“If you only worked hard, you wouldn’t be in this position.” 

“Learn how to manage your money and you’ll be fine.”

“Poor people are lazy.”

“My tax dollars pay for your family.”

“How dare you enjoy any luxuries, you should be eating rice and beans. Meat is for the better people.”

 

These comments can hurt even the strongest of us. Every so often on social media, a picture of a fridge full of junk is posted beside a picture of a fridge with barely anything in it with the caption “The difference between a working class fridge and a food stamp fridge. Implying that those on food stamps can afford a fridge full of junk food.

I need to jump on my soapbox for just a moment. The idea that those struggling with poverty can afford a fridge full of food bought with food stamp dollar is absurd. Now, someone with food stamps may be able to stretch those dollars by using coupons and fill their fridge that way.

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Social media often brings the worst in people out. Hidden behind their screens, they feel they can say anything they want, regardless of who they hurt. And yes, it hurts. Even comments by complete strangers can make you feel small.

What the people making these types of comments don’t realize is that they could easily find themselves at the other end with one major health problem or loss of a job. Yes, there are some people who abuse the “system” and that is sad. But, the majority of low-income people are hard working folks facing hard times.

Erin has a whole chapter in More Than Just Making It titled “Eating Well on a Rice and Beans Budget”. That chapter shows the reader how to stretch the money they have (whether it’s food stamp dollars or not) and feed their families well. Yes, it is hard work but it has great rewards.

Fighting the Stigma of Poverty Learn how to fight the stigma of poverty. Whether you are the one struggling or you know someone that do. Be part of the solution. Find practical tips and tricks to help you survive and gain hope through this difficult season of your life. #morethanjustmakingit

What I love the most about this book is that Erin shares her story while giving hope to those still just barely surviving. She shares how she helped her family make it through hard times with practical advice and ideas. Throughout the book, hope is found.

If you or someone you know is struggling with poverty, this is the book for you.

Being poor is nothing to be ashamed of.

If there is one thing that you take away, I hope you learn how to stop being ashamed of being poor. Learning that poverty doesn’t define your character is so important. Believe me, I get it. I’ve struggled with low self-esteem because of poverty. I wish I would have realized earlier that the amount of money I have is not equal to my self-worth.

 

Paine_EndorsementV2

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How Did I Get Here?

If you are reading this, you probably asked the question “how did I get here” a million times. I know I have. Poverty is a struggle that transcends all races and religions. Any struggles seem to be magnified if facing them as a low-income family. Maybe you’re here because you lost your job suddenly, maybe you are facing medical issues or it could be that you are unable to find a job. Whatever your situation is, you are welcome here.

I know how hard it is to have chosen which bill to NOT pay each month. I know what it’s like to live off of the cheapest meals you can find. I know what it’s like to cry at night over the balance in my bank account.

I never made the choice to live in poverty. I don’t think many people do. I went to college to pursue a degree to become a paralegal. My plans were to continue on and go to law school after that. That didn’t happen. I got married young and went through a horrible, abusive marriage. Right after my ex-husband decided to walk out on me, I learned that I was pregnant. He refused to provide any sort of support to me during the pregnancy. Even going as far as to quit his job and cancel my health insurance. I had a complicated pregnancy that left me unable to work through most of it. As the medical bills piled up, I swallowed my pride and walked in the county assistance office.

When I looked around, I saw different types of people. I saw the elderly. I saw the young. I saw people dressed in rags and people dressed in their best. To be honest, before that I assumed that everyone who was on welfare was some sort of “welfare queen” living off of the government for fun. I was so wrong. No one else wanted to be in that office any more than I did. We were all there because it was the last option we had.

After I delivered my daughter and healed, I began to look for work. I was appalled at the cost of childcare. It was impossible for me to find a job that paid enough to cover the costs of childcare. (I didn’t realize there was childcare assistance available!) It was then that I started to look at options I could do from home. There were many nights I stayed up crying and praying that I could figure out how to support this little person that was totally dependent on me and me alone.

Thankfully, things can change.

It is now five years later. I’ve been with my current “lobster” for five years now. (If you don’t get the lobster reference, you must go watch Friends). I’ve learned how to make a dime stretch into a dollar. I’ve learned how other people make an income from home. And most importantly, I’ve learned that poverty doesn’t define anyone as a person. I feel as if I’m ready to share what I’ve learned now. Hopefully, I can spare someone the headaches that I went through trying to figure it all out.

I’ve been at the bottom of the income ladder. I’ve climbed slightly higher up and fell back down again. And so the cycle goes. I would often find myself on the internet searching for ways out. I didn’t find much information and what I did find was confusing. I hope to break some of the information out there down in a way that is easy to understand.

I fully believe that the church should support the poor and disabled, not the government but this country isn’t there yet. Contrary to popular belief, the majority of people who accept help do not make it a “career”. Rather, the majority of people only stay on assistance for a few months.

I have a free e-book that the above information is listed in. I wrote it as a way to help families in poverty find the assistance they need. Throughout the next week or two, I’m breaking apart the book into easy to manage blog posts. It’s occurred to me that not everyone is interested in reading about all of the different ways to get help. By breaking it apart into blog posts, anyone can easily pick and choose the posts that are applicable to them. Of course, if you do want the information in a book format, that is always available for my email subscribers.

 

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That Time When My Own Money Saving Advice Failed

Many people are surprised to find out that I am not a fan of the cash only method of spending. I rarely carry cash and when I do, I spend it. I am much more likely to hand over a $20 bill than swipe a card.

That being said, this method became a slight annoyance when I was scheduled for surgery almost 3 hours away. The quickest route was taking a toll road. Guess what you need to pay tolls? Cash. Yes, there are systems like EZ Pass but you have to sign up for them ahead of time. You would’ve thought that I would’ve simply gone to the bank and pulled out the cash a day or two before. Nope, this never even occurred to me until the night before, after everything was closed.

Our only option was to stop by an ATM. Granted, this is not that big of a deal. But…I HATE paying ATM fees.

Obviously, I am aware that paying a small ATM fee is not the end of the world and this is basically a random rant but I did want to point out that everyone has these days. Everyone has something they stress about that the rest of the world doesn’t see as important.

Now, I’ve changed my thoughts about never carrying cash. I think I’ll keep $20 on me, just in case. Because that $2 ATM fee is really bothering me that much.

 

 

 

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When Healthy Is Unhealthy

We live in a wonderful age of information. Everywhere you go, there is information. You can even learn anything, at any time, with your cell phone. This is great but can lead to information overload. Which can be particularly harmful when talking about healthy living.

When you begin to research different aspects of healthy living, you will come across a lot of information. Some of that information is scary. You might learn that your favorite soap is full of toxins. Or, that the plastic wrap you’ve used for years has been recalled due to it causing cancer. This happens more frequently that you could imagine. It seems that people today are scared. Of everything. I’ve experienced “toxin anxiety” on several occasions. It seems that EVERYTHING is bad for you. I’ve had to stop researching and focus on “good enough”.

Melanie Dale, of Unexpected.org and author of “It’s Not Fair“, wrote a post about her New Year’s goals that really resonated with me. In it, she shared how she was going to focus on being mediocre this year. Seriously, read her post. And her books. She’s that awesome. My point (other than to get you to go read Melanie’s posts) is that you don’t have to be the best. You don’t have to make the absolute best decisions. Especially when it comes to healthy, natural living. If you change one thing, it’s still better. You can choose to do “good enough”.

 

I have a whole series right now called “From Toxic to Healthy” where I’m sharing what is working for me, right now, in my home. You might not be able to implement some of what I do. That’s all right. You do what you can. Other people can cut out so many other toxins and “bad things” from their homes that I just can’t right now. And that’s fine too.

When starting your healthy living journey, remember this: If striving to be healthy puts you into a position where you are making less healthy choices, stop, and focus on “good enough”. What do I mean by this?

Example:

You can’t stand the taste of tap water, even with a filter, so you drink your water primarily from bottled water. Then, you learn that some brands of bottled water have BPAs in their plastic. So, you stop drinking as much water. What’s healthier? To continue to drink the bottled water or not drink any water at all?

Bad Choice:

Not drinking any water.

Good Enough Choice:

Look for bottled water labeled BPA free and buy that or, buy a reusable BPA free bottle.

Best Choice:

Find a pure, natural spring where you can gather your water in glass bottles that you’ve blown yourself.

Focusing on all the bad stuff out there can drive anyone insane. It is very important to make healthy changes slowly. When I first started on my healthy living journey (health nut bandwagon as others call it), I freaked out and wanted to change everything at one time. That wasn’t possible financially for me. And now, I’m glad that it wasn’t. I’ve learned that it’s better to do it slowly. Remember, healthy living isn’t just about freeing your homes of toxins. It’s also about making sure your mental state is good too. If you are stressing yourself out over being healthy, it’s counterintuitive.

I’ve recently posted about finding a non-toxic laundry detergent. I’ve received some feedback that some of my suggestions contain this chemical or that toxin. And, I’m all right with that. I need to be all right with making some “good enough” decisions for the sake of my sanity.

And remember, take everything you read with a grain of salt. There is a lot of information out there about everything. Some of it great information with real credibility. Other information if of the “fear mongering” type. Some information is simply incorrect. And others are just people’s opinions. You need to make the best decisions for your family and yourself. If those decisions look different than someone else’s, that’s normal. I honestly feel that healthy living has become a new way to “keep up with the Jones'”. Don’t fall into that way of thinking.

Now, go read Melanie’s post and tell me what you think!

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10 Ways to Save on Gifts

I love giving gifts to other people. It’s my love language. I do try to stick to a budget though. If you aren’t careful, buying gifts can be very expensive. How many Christmas, Birthdays, Easter, Teacher Appreciate, Weddings, and Anniversaries gifts do you purchase every year? Use these 10 ways and save on buying all of those gifts.

Plan Ahead

Planning ahead is the number one way to save on gifts. Make a list of all the people you expect to purchase gifts for throughout the year. By having a plan, you can shop throughout the year instead of at the last minute.

Gift Closet

Do you have a gift closet? You should. No, it doesn’t have to be an actual closet. It just has to be somewhere you stash gifts for future use. When things go on clearance, stock up for future gift giving. Many stores have great sales on toys after Christmas, buy a few extra board games or Lego sets and you are all set for birthday parties that pop up through the year!

Don’t Buy “Extras”

You don’t have to buy fancy ribbons and bows to decorate your gifts. Skip the extras, especially on something that is just going to get thrown away.

Give Practical Gifts

When buying gifts for Easter baskets and Christmas stockings, think about practical gifts. I like to give things like flip flops, bathing suits, beach towels and other warm weather stuff for Easter. For Christmas, socks, underwear, gloves and hats are always needed.

Set A Budget

It’s tempting to overspend on gifts but setting a budget is crucial for your finances.

Use Reward Programs

If you are going to purchase a gift, why not get a few extra dollars back to put back into your gift budget? I use eBates and Swagbucks the most.

Give Non-Traditional Presents

Think outside the box when it comes to presents. That new mom in your life might enjoy a home cooked meal more than another (overpriced) baby outfit. Your brother’s family might enjoy season passes to the Zoo rather than toys. Magazine subscriptions are another cheap gift that I always loved getting.

Use Wish and Aliexpress

There are a few things I will only buy from these two sites now. Barbie Doll clothes and accessories, American Girl Doll outfits and hair accessories are a few. I recently bought 12 Barbie outfits for $1!

Since orders from Wish and Aliexpress come from China, it takes a few weeks to ship. I suggest giving an order a good two months to get to your house.

Secret Santa

Suggest a Secret Santa exchange for your extended family instead of buying for each individual person.

Buy Used

I am not saying that you should buy a pair of worn-out shoes to give to your nephew for his Birthday. But, if you find a really nice, name-brand hoodie in perfect condition, wrap it up! I am always on the hunt for good quality, lightly used items that I can put into my gift closet.

Also, check out thrift stores. I’ve found many items with tags still attached for a fraction of retail value. It’s really just silly not to check there first.

I love giving gifts, especially when I know I didn’t spend more than I can afford. How do you make sure that you don’t spend too much on gifts? Do you keep a set budget for the year or do you take a more relaxed approach?

 

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7 Ways to Stick to Your Grocery Budget

I used to have a much smaller grocery budget. Those were the days when I had the time to coupon hardcore. I was also single, in college, childless and had a much higher eating out budget. These days, I am not single, I have one child, hardly ever eat out and don’t have time to coupon every day. I have to make my grocery budget stretch for 2 adults and one child. I am happy with where we are with our grocery budget but I know I could lower it more if we absolutely had to.

If you are wondering what the number actually is, it’s $300 total. I do not include household goods into my grocery budget. Those come out of my household budget. By household goods, I mean things like toilet paper, cleaners, laundry soap, medicine, ect. I recently had to up my budget from $250 to $300 due to my daughter having a yeast allergy. We know have to spend a lot more on certain food items than before. For example, pasta. I used to be able to find it for $.88 per box consistently. Now, I pay almost $3.00 per box for Quinoa pasta.

$300 is about $3.34 per person, per day or $1.12 per meal (assuming 3 meals per day and 30 days in a month). $1.12 per meal doesn’t seem like that much but it’s very doable. We don’t eat beans and rice for every meal. I don’t use a giant stack of coupons every day. And, I don’t have a garden or animals to offset the cost. What I do is plan. That’s really what saving money is all about. Planning ahead.

Shop Sales

I used to only shop once a month. It was just easier for me as I lived a good half an hour away from any grocery store. Now, I live much closer and shop once a week. This means I can purchase the loss-leaders every week. I don’t purchase much else at regular grocery stores than the specific products that are on sale. Each week, I look through the sale ads for each local grocery store and plan my list based on that.

Bulk Purchases

I don’t buy all of my food in bulk. I don’t belong to any warehouse clubs either. Don’t thing that you have to join a club to save money on bulk purchases. I mainly purchase my meat in bulk. I have a local store that offers discounts on bulk chicken and beef purchases. This week, I purchased a 40-pound box of boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $42.00 and a 40-pound box of chicken leg quarters for $20! By purchasing the 40-pound boxes of chicken, I saved a lot more than I would have just purchasing them one pack at a time.

I’ve found that many areas have stores that offer bulk meat discounts. If you don’t know of one around you, try asking in a community online group or your friends. Chances are, someone knows where the best meat deals are. If you still can’t find one, talk to the managers at different stores and/or meat markets and ask if you can receive a discount on bulk meat purchases. This usually works better with local businesses rather than large chain stores. It might take a little bit of searching to find the best places to purchase meat in bulk but once you do, it will all be worth it.

I don’t only buy my meat in bulk with advertised bulk sales. If I find a really awesome deal on meat in individual packs, I purchase several packs at a time. A local grocery store frequently offers buy one get two free deals on pork. I wait to buy pork until these sales and then I buy enough to last until the next sale.

I will also use Amazon subscribe and size to purchase bulk non-perishable items. Just this past week, I was able to order individually packaged chips for cheaper than I would have bought the big bags!

Keeping a Pricebook

A pricebook is simply a list of products with their average cost from store to store. I keep my pricebook in my bullet journal but any notebook or electronic note app would work.  I don’t list every single product I’ve ever purchased. I only keep track of the items I purchase constantly. It does take a few weeks to know what the best price is, so have a little bit of patience with yourself. Stay consistent and write down the cost of products from week to week and soon you will be able to see the lowest amount. I’m going to go back to my pasta example. $0.88 was the lowest amount I knew I could purchase pasta for without using coupons. When I saw it for that price, I would buy enough to last my family a few months. By doing this, I never had to pay full price. This way of shopping can be applied to any product.

Stockpiling

I am a wanna-be minimalist. I hate clutter and am constantly purging items from my house. I do have exceptions to this. I don’t see my stockpile as clutter. I see it as a money pile. It does help that I keep my stockpile out of sight. No, I don’t have walls of toilet paper stacked all over the house. Although that would be nice, toilet paper is expensive! When I say stockpile, I simply mean a pantry and freezer that is full of products purchased at sale prices. You don’t have to go overboard. Most sales happen every month or every other month.

Utilizing Reward Programs & Coupons

I am loving reward programs. I don’t have a capable device to use Ibotta but I do have a few others that I can use. I mainly use the reward programs for their produce offers. It’s not much, usually only a dollar or so a week, but it adds up! The two I’ve listed below are not referral links. I don’t believe either one of them offers referral credits. I’ve chosen these two based on the offers they list and ease of use. There are many other reward programs out there but I don’t use them, don’t have a capable device or don’t like how their system is. I’m basing this on simplicity, and the following two win that award.

Checkout 51

Checkout 51 is easy to use. They have an app but I use the website. I check their offers once a week when I’m making my grocery list. When I get home from the store(s), I scan the receipt immediately so it doesn’t get lost. I upload it to the website when I get on the computer that night or next day. A check is sent once you get $20 in the account. Only selected stores are able to be used with Checkout 51, mainly larger chain stores. They do allow more than one account per household but each receipt can only be claimed once.

Saving Star

With Saving Star, the offers are linked to my store rewards card. Once a week, I select the offers I want. The rewards are automatically deposited once Saving Star processes it. It usually takes a couple days. You can also upload a receipt from their selected stores that don’t have store reward cards

While I don’t have the time to think of elaborate coupon scenarios at this moment of my life, I do use coupons when I can. I quickly scan a few coupon blogs to see any good match-ups and pull the coupons out from my inserts or print the ones I need. I pretty much only use coupons this way now. Also, many grocery stores offer e-coupons now. I add them my store card and they are deducted automatically. This saves me from having to remember a bunch of paper coupons.

Using My Freezer

I use my freezer a lot. I freeze leftovers if I know we won’t use them up before they go bad. When I find a really good deal on product, I cut a bunch up and freeze it for later use. I prepare some meals ahead of time and freeze them for busy nights. We also keep shredded chicken and stock in the freezer for easy meal preparation. Always make sure you label everything and take some time each month to inventory what you’ve got. You don’t want to have a bag of freezer burnt mystery meat a year from now! That sure won’t save you any money.

Meal Planning

I am a planner. I have to plan everything out or I feel frazzled. Each week, I plan a list of meals. I also make sure we have enough food to prepare a few different breakfast options and lunch options. I don’t plan snacks, they are whatever happens to be on sale or what we have stockpiled. I do plan for leftovers. I have two set days each week that are leftovers night. This helps me to cut down on food waste and it also means less cooking. Meal planning allows me to plan meals based on what I already have and what is on sale. This saves a ton of money. There have been several times that my meal plan had to be switched up due to an unexpected event. This is when freezer meals come in handy. Always have backup options available to prevent emergency pizza runs. Note: there is nothing wrong with planning a Pizza night occasionally. I fully support that. Just budget for it and plan ahead of time.

I understand that it’s difficult to start bulk purchasing or even just shopping sales in the beginning. Allow yourself a few weeks or months to get into the swing of things. If you can, allow yourself an extra $10 or $20 to purchase stockpile/bulk purchases and then lower your budget once you have enough staples that you can only shop sales. Or, if your budget doesn’t allow for that, plan cheaper meals to free up some extra cash to bulk purchase with. Focus on one or two items at a time. Do not try to build a stock of every kind of meat, pasta sauce, canned food, cheese or snack foods at one time. It takes time. If I find a really amazing sale on meat that I just can’t pass up, I will “borrow” money from another part of my budget. I do not recommend you borrow from bill money. Rather, take it from the portion of your budget that you plan for entertainment, “blow” money, household expenses or clothing. I rarely have to do this anymore now that I’ve gotten into the swing of things again. We did have a really rough financial patch last year that wiped most of our food stockpile and caused a lot of credit card debt. It took me a good 6 months to build it back to where I’m happy with it.

 

Are you able to stick to your grocery budget? What is your number one grocery shopping tip?

 

 

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Other Reusable Menstrual Options

Last week, I shared what you’ve always wanted to know about cloth pads, reviewed some cloth pad companies and showed how much you can save by switching to reusable options.

If you aren’t into the idea of using cloth pads, there are still many other options for you!

Menstrual Panties

Have you heard about menstrual panties? I didn’t till a few months ago. Once I heard about them, I really wanted to try them out. They sounded good for backup but they were very pricey. I recently found them on wish.com and decided to test them out. Menstrual panties are supposed to be able to be used in place of a pad or a tampon. I tested the panties the same way I had tested cloth pads. It soaked through immediately. The only thing that made them menstrual panties was a super thin extra piece of fabric.

I took the chance on another pair from aliexpress.com and am pleased. The fabric is much thicker and not as cheap feeling as the other pair. They help up to my test. They are the equivalent of a moderate cloth pad, absorbency wise. I do not like the fabric, though. I have issues with certain textures. But, I guess this just goes to show that sometimes, you get what you pay for. Like I did with the first pair I bought.

In the picture below it is just water on them. I can control my bladder, thank you very much. I am amazed at how much they hold! That’s about a quarter of a cup of water. The back is totally dry.

Sea Sponge Tampons

I only found about these when I was researching this post. I’m upset that I didn’t get the chance to order any before writing. They are definitely on my list of things to order in the future. I love that they are all-natural, which greatly reduces the risk of toxic shock syndrome. I’m not sure how they would be comfort-wise though. I would love any opinions you have on them.

Menstrual Cups

I absolutely love my menstrual cups. They have saved me hundreds of dollars in the past few years. Don’t be afraid of the upfront cost of cups. I’ve tried some of the expensive, name-brand options and didn’t like them. I’ve found that the cheaper ones work just as good. I use one that I ordered from Amazon for very cheap and another that I received for a review. You should be aware that it’s important to get one that’s the right size and shape for your body type. I have so much to say about menstrual cups that I’m dedicating an entire post to them later this week. I store my cups in a mason jar that doubles as a cleaning jar.

Cotton Tampons

Cotton tampons are perfect for those who want the convenience of a tampon with the cost saving aspect of cloth pads. I bought a sample pack from Cloth Junkies (full review later this week) to try but haven’t had a chance to yet. I will share my thoughts about them when I do. They are pretty much just a small bit of fabric with a string attached. You roll it together and then insert.

Intra-Labial Pads

I never heard of this option till I saw it listed in an Etsy shop. These are great for women who have very light flows. They are quite small but does the job. They are also good for a backup when using tampons or a menstrual cup.

 

Are you reading this series but have to use disposable menstrual options? Don’t worry, I’m not leaving you out! I will be sharing my favorite, non-toxic disposable options later this month.

 

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How Much Can You Save By Using Reusable Menstrual Products?

Figures below are estimates, your amounts may be a little more or a little less. I’m going to call her Eve because I don’t like not naming things or people, even hypothetical ones.

On average, a young woman can expect to start her period around age 12. Let’s say she enters menopause at age 52. That’s 40 years of menstruating! Of course, if she has children, she won’t have as many months of menstruating. I’m going to assume Eve has 2 children and got her cycle back 3 months after delivery (which is when I did even though I breastfed, not fair!). Now, Eve can expect 38 years or 456 months of menstruation.

Cost of Menstrual Products 

Let’s say Eve uses 20 tampons and 10 pads per cycle. Her cost per period would be around $8. Each year, she will spend $96 just on pads and tampons.

Eve decides she is sick of throwing away her money and invests in some reusable options. She decided to buy a menstrual cup and cloth pads. She bought enough pads to get through her entire cycle. She purchases 5 overnight pads that cost $14 each and 5 moderate pads that cost $13 each. Upfront cost: $135. She also buys a menstrual cup that costs $15, bringing her total upfront cost to $150.

That sounds like a lot of money, doesn’t it? Well, the pads and menstrual cup should each last at least 5 years, possibly more. If Eve continued to purchase disposable options, she would have spent $480 in five years. By purchasing reusable options, she is actually SAVING $330!

But what if Eve doesn’t use and only uses pads? We can assume she goes through 5 pads a day if she’s changing every 4 hours and 1 overnight each day. Eve purchases Ultra-Thin Heavy Flow Pads for daytime use and Ultra-Thin All Night Pads for nighttime use. Her daytime pads cost $0.36 per pad while her nighttime pads cost $0.27 per pad. Over the course of her cycle, she spends $10.35 on pads.

Each year, she will spend $124 on pads. Over a five-year period, she would spend $620 on pads!

She purchases. 5 overnight cloth pads at $14 each and 25 moderate cloth pads at $13 each. Her total upfront cost is $395. She just saved herself $225.

But, Eve doesn’t have $395 right now. She goes to Party In My Pants Pads and chooses the “surprise party” print options. Now, the cost per large pad is only $10 and the cost per overnight pad is only $11, bringing her total down to $305. She then uses the coupon code frugalland to save an additional 10%, bringing her final cost to $275.

Of course, there are other ways to offset the initial cost of reusable menstrual products.

Buy Slowly

Many women choose to purchase their reusable menstrual products over a period of time rather than all at once. If you choose to use cloth pads, you can buy enough to get through three days and do a load of laundry halfway through your cycle. This method allows you to purchase less pads but does mean you are washing them twice as much which can wear them out quicker. You might choose to buy two cloth pads each month. You can build up a stash over a year this way.

Find Cheap Options

There are cheaper options when it comes to cloth pads. Some women really like the pads available on Wish.com. I’m not a big fan of them but they are a cheap and viable option. There are also several sellers on Etsy that have lower prices. Be aware that buying the cheapest option really isn’t the best deal if the pad is poorly made. This is not a case where cheaper is better. My advice is to look for a coupon code or wait for sales to build your stash.

Make Your Own Cloth Pads

If you are handing with a sewing machine, you might want to think about sewing your own. This is a great way to cut down on the initial costs of purchasing cloth pads.

Regardless of which option you choose, using reusable menstrual products will save you quite a bit of money over the years. I believe the cheapest option is the menstrual cup but that’s not a good alternative for women who can’t use anything internally. But, if you can, it’s a great way to save a lot of money. I will be posting a full menstrual cup review next week.

Are you surprised at how much disposable pads and tampons cost over a five year period?