Where are you the most frugal?

I enjoy trying to be frugal whenever/wherever possible. I cut my own hair. I have a very small wardrobe by other's standards. I make my own bread, yogurt, laundry soap, liquid soap, lip balm, shampoo and conditioner. I don't purchase commercial cleaners. I find that vinegar and baking soda work wonders. I use cloth napkins and hankies that have been made from old table cloths and other linen like clothing. I sew and this allows me to make dishcloths from old towels, duvets from second hand sheets, fitted sheets from discarded full sheets in good condition and aprons from older items so as to keep my clothing in good condition. I keep the temperature of my home at a level in the winter that requires slippers, long sleeve clothing and a blanket if you're sitting watching tv, all to save on heating costs. I have installed CFL where appropriate to cut down on hydro usage. When I use my oven I try to make more than one item to get the most out of the heating. I also am sure to open the oven door when finished to help heat the kitchen and let my dishwashing water cool before it drains to also help heating in the kitchen. I also line dry in the good weather and will use a clothes horse and a short dryer time during the winter. My food budget is very lean as I don't purchase processed food. Coupons are looked at however it is difficult to get coupons for the items I purchase. I use a price book so that I am aware of regular prices and know a bargain when I see. The price book also allows me to see patterns in sales and I can stock up with an amount that will last until the next expected sale. I hope this hints are helpful.

I have to say for me it is groceries. I use coupons, sales, warehouse stores and any other means to save money. I guess I would have to say food in general. I would much rather eat homecooked food than food from somewhere else.

I clip lots of coupons and watch for sales everywhere. I always go through the paper everyday to check out sales on everything and look for coupons. I also check online for coupons frequently. I check with mypoints first so I can see if I can get bonus points for printing them and using them. Then you get twice the reward! I use disposable diapers because I can't do laundry. Anyway, I am always checking for sales and coupons and refuse to pay more for brand name diapers than for store brands. And we can't use store brands because my son is so tall and thin and we would need such a big size that it would definitely be more expensive per diaper. We also buy lots of stuff on ebay. I'm getting ready to start working on my son's summer wardrobe. I'm going to start with Ebay. Recently I got a bunch of coupons on ebay. Some of them were save $.75 when you buy two Gerber Graduates items. My son really likes the little fruit and veggie dices. And they were on sale for like 44 cents each at the commissary. So we got him some for like 7 cents a jar.

I want to say I save on food because we're vegetarian, so we don't buy meat and we cook everything from scratch, but we also eat about 90% organic, and fruits and vegetables are really expensive! I think we save the most money on things like furniture and household items. For example, my husband made our coffee table out of scrap wood from a construction site he was working on (he frequenly salvages materials) and he and I used different color and sized tiles on the top (also salvaged). It's colorful and gorgeous! I sew, so I make all the curtains and some throw pillows and things ... And I love craigslist, freecycle, and Goodwill. Looking around my house right now I see a free desk we got from a friend, a free end table and a free bookshelf that we found curbside on big trash pick-up day. We also got a dresser this way. All they need is a fresh coat of bright paint and they're good as new! Sometimes we check out estate sales... we got a king-sized four poster bed for around $300. A new four-poster would have easily cost over a thousand. I really enjoy decorating and having a clean, artsy home. Moreover, I enjoy DIY and salvaging perfectly good materials. The only thing I buy new and spend money on are interesting rugs and new sheets. Also, my hubby does artistic welding, so he's made me a beautiful metal potrack, towel rack, and hat rack. Oh, and the best score ever was from an old kitchen store his construction crew was turning into a Pilates studio. A bunch of brand new stuff was just left at the site, so he brings home a complete set of plates and bowls, new silverware, strainer, dish towels, rolling pin, tea kettle, coffee pot, serving platters, cookie sheets, mugs, glasses, and a complete matching set of stemware. I imagine the items probably would have cost several hundred dollars in the store... just left for garbage. I think keeping our eyes open, recycling and freecycling are what saves us the most money. And it's a great rush to find such treasures for free!

I have stopped eating out so much....and really try hard to not throw food away by eating what needs to be eaten when I plan dinner.

Whne my children were in diapers I would use cloth ones as well. Now I find I tend to cut back on buying my own clothes, and by making play clothes for the children, or buy shopping in second shops. When it comes to the food budget, no-name brands of rice and pasta and tinned vegetables (like tomato and corn) you can't really tell the difference in taste and the difference in price can be quite a lot. A cheaper cut of meat can be made quite tender by cooking it in the slow cooker/crockpot as well.

I'm very careful in my food budget. We spend as little as possible, using coupons and going on "sale" days, as well as only buying ingredients, no processed foods. We cook all of our meals at home and pack lunches and snacks.