As a part of our recently started Frugality Series, we would like to take the time to talk about living better with less. It is possible. I promise.
What Does Living Better With Less Look Like?
Most people’s knee-jerk reaction when they hear ‘living better with less’ is to recoil and cringe. Thoughts of living solely on potatoes and water, walking around in bonnets and overalls, and pumping water into a bucket like Little House on the Prairie start flashing through their minds.
I’m here to tell you, it doesn’t have to look like that. …it can, if that’s cool with you, but it doesn’t have to.
Believe it or not, there are quite a few steps that people can take in their daily lives that will get them on the path to cutting costs, thus living better with less.
Getting Started – Living Better With Less
So, let’s talk about small steps first; things that anyone can do, easily, to cut basic expenses and start living better with less.
- Energy – it’s a no-brainer to adjust the thermostat; turn the heat down and put on more clothes, etc. but there are also other ways to save on energy.
- Hang your clothes to dry instead of running the dryer
- Don’t run a half full washing machine or dishwasher
- Turn off unused lights
- Unplug unused appliances
- Other Utilities
- Don’t overuse your water; shorter showers, turn off the water when you are brushing your teeth, etc. Water your plants with leftover water from boiling pasta.
- If you live in a rural area and can opt out of trash service then do so. You can separate your trash and recycle or compost most of out and you can use a burn barrel to get rid of items that can safely burn
- We are all tied to our phones these days and that is not necessarily a horrible thing. They are very useful but you can absolutely search for the best plan possible and if you still have a landline, ditch it. It’s a dinosaur that you no longer need with the advent of cell phones
- Say good riddance to your cable company. We got rid of our long time satelite tv provider and went with a much more reasonable service. To be honest, we were paying a ridiculous amount for a bazillion channels that we never used. Three channels. That’s all we watched. So we found a better way to watch them.
Additional Steps for Living Better With Less
Now let’s talk about other little steps that many people don’t think about.
- Stop and think before you throw anything away.
- Old t-shirts can be cut up for rags. Paper towels are expensive.
- Torn or stained kids clothes can still be play clothes.
- Torn or stained grown-up clothes can still be work clothes (I paint in old clothes I’ve kept that I would never wear in public, but I don’t have to buy ‘work clothes’.
- Glass bottles and jars have so many additional uses. Never throw these away. If you can’t use them, you probably know someone else who can.
- Cardboard boxes make terrific ground liners underneath a garden bed.
- When I ‘unbuild’ anything, I keep any screws that are still good for my next project.
- If you don’t already have one, start a compost pile or bin. It’s a great way to help any of your plants or garden beds and the earth will thank you.
- Don’t throw food out. Eat leftovers and scrape your plates into a bowl for animals, etc. I feed my pigs all of our scraps. If you don’t have those, maybe you know someone who would appreciate them.
- Make your own laundry detergent. It’s not hard and it will save you so much!
- Make your own household cleaning solutions. They are natural, non-harmful and will save you tons!
- Stay with me on this…Yard sales!! I love them! Have them, shop at them, let them work for you. I have found some of my favorite things at yard sales. Things that other people had no use for but I did. And I have a yard sale every year to cull out the clutter of things that are no longer useful to me but could be to someone else. …and don’t forget thrift stores!
The Daunting Expense of Food
Now let’s talk about groceries. This is where most people are really suffering now. There are many ways to save here and there when you buy groceries, but even with that in mind, inflation has made groceries a no-win situation.
- Always have a plan. You’ve heard the saying ‘never go shopping on an empty stomach.’ Well I go further than that, ‘Never go shopping without a plan’.
- Know what is in your pantry. Take an inventory. Create a menu. Only buy what you need for those meals.
- Check the grocery fliers in the newspaper or online.
- Don’t be afraid to use coupons. In fact, these days, many coupons are online so it’s even easier.
- Check out savings apps. There are apps like Ibotta and Checkout51 that will give you cash back for the groceries you buy.
- You should also check the store apps because many times you can get better deals through those.
- During difficult financial times, eat at home. I realize that sometimes it can’t be helped but I would caution you at least don’t get fast food. For one, it’s not a healthy option and will end up costing you more in medical bills, but it’s always more expensive.
- If you have a regular need for ‘quick meals’, it is absolutely possible to make these ahead at home. Nothing wrong with brown-bagging it!
- Cut out Starbucks. I am a coffee girl myself but I know that there are so many options these days for coffee from home. Spending $4-$6 per day on a coffee is ridiculous if you are trying to find ways to save money.
- Cook from scratch–it’s easy! So many people think it’s super hard to cook from scratch and it’s not. Society has just gotten pulled into how fast and simple it is to open a bag and heat that they don’t try. Ingredients are way less expensive than prepackaged anything and you can make so many more meals that way.
- Set aside a day or two to do some freezer cooking and you will never go back to your old way of doing things. This is something that I do regularly. I hate having to spend time in the kitchen when I could be working outside in the garden, so I line up some recipes, set aside the ingredients and spend a day cooking. In that amount of time I can make 30-60 meals! They can be frozen or canned or whatever. That way, not only do I save a ton of money on groceries, but all I have to do is thaw and warm and my family has supper! You can check out the Farm Kitchen at A Life on the Farm for great recipes.
Be Proactive in Living Better With Less
- Grow your own food. If you do not garden, then you can learn. It’s not hard. If you do garden, a little, add to it. Think in line with the foods that your family consumes the most and focus on them. This is something that you can do, even if you only have a small space. You can check out the Gardening Section at Two Oaks Farm Talk for lots of information dealing with gardening.
- Provide your own meat. You can hunt or raise livestock to supplement your family’s protein needs. If you don’t have a lot of room, there are small livestock that you can raise, like rabbits or quail.
- Learn to can. Canning is a skill that is priceless when it comes to saving money. Contrary to popular belief, it is not hard to learn. It is a little time-consuming in the moment, but it saves so much time and money in the long run.
- Learn to butcher at home. It is ridiculously expensive to have your animals butchered for you. It is not difficult to learn and it will save you so much money! You can check out Food Prep at Two Oaks Farm Talk for lots of great information on food preservation and butchering.
In Conclusion
There are so many ways that we can take control of our lives and our futures when we take steps toward living better with less. Be sure to follow Farm Raised Family for more in our Frugality Series. We will be tackling many more ways that families can save money while still maintaining a happy, healthy lifestyle.
DON’T EVER MISS A THING!
You may enjoy some of our other informative articles, like How to Cut Expenses When Things Get Tough and Budget Creation and Financial Planning, and The Agonizing Cost of Inflation.
Be sure to follow us on social media for all updates plus extra little tips. I am currently curating various other tips for saving plus resources that can help. Don’t miss them!
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