Frugal Fran

It's not an exaggeration to say we're not rich people. And now that there are three of us, money is not going to get looser (Side note: do people say that? Or do they just say that money is tight?). So here's a list of things we do to save money, along with helpful links where appropriate.

• Make our own laundry detergent. We're powdered detergent people, so it's actually remarkably easy. We've been doing this for a few months now, and I don't notice our clothes being more or less dirty. The are without scent, which I think is a good thing. And since we have borax handy, I use that to pre-treat special stains. 
• Line-dry our clothes. Although there was an initial investment ($60ish) to put up the clothesline, I'm convinced this will be a money-saver in the long run. Caveats: We don't line dry our towels or jeans (because they get too stiff), and as we live in Minnesota this is strictly weather-permitting. 
• Make our own baby wipes. We priced these out at about 1 cent apiece, which is about half the price of store-bought wipes. It's not a huge saving per wipe, but as we will go through many wipes over the years it will add up. And these are made with things we always have around the house. 
• Ride a scooter. Nick was lucky enough to be gifted a motorized scooter (like a Vespa) from my parents. It gets about 75 mpg, and it's handy for going on short trips (like his work) on nice days. 
• Eating at home. Enough said. We've always done this, and it's a good idea for many reasons. Last night I made a pizza. Usually when we eat out we go for something cheap, use a coupon or do a mystery shop. 
• Stay out of the store. No temptation. 
• Coupons. 

I'm sure there are more ... I will share as I think of them. Next I will share areas where we splurge.