Frugal Mom Blog

Hi there. This is Lou Manfredini, Ace’s “Helpful Hardware Man.” Composting is a great way to reduce what heads to the landfill and also the amount of fertilizer you need to buy for your garden. You can turn just about any table scraps or cooking leftovers into compost, but remember not to add in any meat products (it will make your compost stink and could attract rodents!).

I am a fan of the rotating bin style of composter, which resembles a barrel on a stand.  You open the lid and insert your scraps and then rotate it to help it all meld together.  Banana peels, coffee grounds, and leftover cereal — all make a great foundation for your new super fertilizer.  After about a month you can open up your composter and dump the contents into a wheelbarrow or buckets.  Use this in your vegetable garden or flower garden and mix in with the top 4-6” of soil.  There will be an odor for about a day or so but once you water it and give it some time your plants will be smiling. It’s a great way to save green by going green!

About the Author

Lou Manfredini is a nationally recognized DIY expert, sought after both for his expertise and his energetic, entertaining style. In an extension of his ongoing effort to help people maximize the value and enjoyment of their homes, he is also Ace Hardware’s “Helpful Hardware Man” and editorial media spokesperson. Along with his wife and four children, Manfredini lives in Chicago, where they also own and operate a neighborhood Ace Hardware store.

We have a great stickied thread on our message board titled, “So How Are You Saving $ Today?” The thread is filled with ways the ladies have saved money each day by choosing to live frugally.  Here are some ways they have saved money… I hope you can glean from these great ideas!

1. Wash laundry in cold water
2. Use homemade detergent for washing clothes
3. Eat all of your meals at home
4. On warm days, hang laundry on the line outside to dry
5. Knit a blanket with leftover yarn instead of buying one
6. Cut dryer sheets in half
7. Eat leftovers for lunch
8. Borrow movies from the library instead of going to the movie theater
9. Turn in books to the used book store for store credit, & use the credit to get new-to-you books.
10. Shop at Dollar Tree
11. Save vegetable seeds to plant
12. Stay home & don’t go to Wal-mart!
13. Make homemade snacks
14. Use rags instead of paper towels
15. Cloth diapers instead of disposable
16. Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins
17. Clip coupons
18. Turn day old bread into breadcrumbs
19. Keep lights & tv off during the day
20. Don’t buy frivolous stuff – ask yourself if you really need it
21. Bring lunch to work instead of eating out
22. Use up leftovers – don’t let them go to waste
23. Make birthday cards
24. Watch the cash register and check receipts to keep from getting overcharged on items
25. Use a calculator as you shop to help you from going over your budget
26. Save gas by doing all of your errands in one day instead of little trips throughout the week
27. Make a grocery list before going to store, and stick to the list when shopping
28. Buy plastic washable bottles and fill with water instead of buying bottled  water
29. Make homemade pizza instead of ordering out
30. Use craft materials you have on hand to make gifts
31. In the summer, use ceiling fans instead of the AC
32. Buy paint from the “oops paint” section at Home Depot
33. Shop at Goodwill
34. Shop at Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore for home improvement
35. Do once a month cooking
36. Used powdered milk for cooking
37. Make meal menus
38. Check paper for grocery specials in your area
39. Cook from your freezer using up odds and ends
40. Only run dishwasher when you have a full load
41. Reuse Ziploc storage baggies
42. Don’t pay full price for anything – buy on clearance
43. Unplug appliances when not in use
44. Bake your own bread
45. Make homemade soup instead of buying canned soup
46. Do your own oil change
47. Check Freecycle in your area for things you need
48. Shop around for prescriptions.  Walmart has deeply discounted prices on many medications.
49. Walk instead of drive, if possible
50. Take advantage of CVS’s ECBs (extra care bucks)
51. Shop at garage sales
52. Cook frugal meals
53. Use cell phones only
54. Can fruits & veggies from your garden
55. Barter
56. Put together a price book so you know the best places to buy items
57. Rent carpet cleaning machine and do it yourself
58. Use the crock pot on busy days so you won’t be tempted to pick up fast food
59. Research free things to do in your town
60. Cook fewer meat meals each week
61. Make sun tea
62. Eat before you go to the grocery store
63. Wear jeans more than once before washing
64. Use rechargeable batteries (there’s a higher upfront cost, but you only buy them once)
65. Use fluorescent light bulbs – they last longer, and use less energy

Let us know what ways you’ve found to save today!

Are you in need of graphics for your blog or website but don’t want to spend a lot of money?

Fotolia.com and istockphoto.com are two resources I use exclusively, and are the lowest prices I have found for high quality images.

Both sites have a searchable database of royalty free stock photos for purchase on just about any topic you need.  Fotolia is the cheaper of the two; most xs small graphics (around 460 x 460) sell for 1 credit.  istockphoto normally start around 3 credits for an xs graphic, although you can find xs graphics for 1 credit.

As you browse Fotolia and istock and come across images you like, you can put them in a lightbox for later purchase.  istock allows you to organize your lightbox with folders so you can have images on different topics saved and sorted.

Once you are ready to purchase, you will need to buy credits, which is their form of currency.   They accept all major credit cards, as well as Paypal.  Both sites have a minimum number of credits you must buy.  Fotolia’s minimum purchase is 10 credits for $10.00 and istock’s minimum purchase is 12 credits for $18.00.  You do not have to use your credits all at one time – you can save them for later use.

If you don’t want to pay for images, try some of the copyright free image sites that allow you to use images free of charge.  Make sure you read their terms before downloading the images.  Two popular sites for free images are Freefoto and Stock Exchange.

Do you know of a place to get frugal graphics?  Let us know in the comments!