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Fun, Frugal Challenges to Try

You can have fun and save money too, when you take one of the following frugal challenges. Jump start your frugal lifestyle or just relieve a little frugal fatigue. Track your progress and share it with others, such as on our Families Facebook fan page! Which is your favorite challenge? The Longest Lasting Challenge When you open a new bottle of something, how long do you think you can get it to last? Can you make your shampoo last twice as long? What about your laundry detergent. How far can you make the things that you commonly consume go before … Continue reading →

Gluten-Free Resources : Blogs

It is not unusual for people who have to eat gluten-free to feel very alone in this world. Very few restaurants serve food in a way that is safe for us to eat. You might not know anyone else who has to avoid gluten. In reality, you are not alone! There are some excellent gluten-free blogs to explore. There are days when I feel as though there is nothing in this world that is safe for me to eat. It is easy to feel quite alone as you look over a menu at a new restaurant, only to discover that … Continue reading →

Food Waste Challenge

Don’t be one of the average families that throws away anywhere from 25 to 50 percent of the food that they buy! Think of all of the money that you will save by buying less and using what you have. I propose a challenge. Aim to waste as little as possible each week. I have to confess that I just threw away a handful of lettuce. We just didn’t get to it before it got all brown and wrinkled. That is a shame, especially when you consider that it was the more valuable organic lettuce. Such a small amount, at … Continue reading →

Frugal Challenges with Friends

Having a frugal challenge with online or offline friends can be a lot of fun and a great way to save money. You can cheer each other on, brag about your accomplishments and meet your goals together. Having a friendly community at hand really does make a different when it comes to being frugal Interested? Don’t have a community ready and available? Check out the Families.com forums, where there are plenty of new friends waiting to be part of a frugal challenge. Here are some frugal challenges that you can join or start. Pantry Challenge Cook only from your pantry … Continue reading →

Things in Your Pantry that Cost You Money

Did you know that there might be things in your pantry that will cost you money? I’m not kidding. Put your pantry on a frugal diet by eliminating certain things that could be making you spend more. Take a few minutes out of your day to look over your pantry. If you spot the following items, get rid of them quickly, before they cost you more money. Items that require expensive purchases Get rid of food that needs other expensive items or ingredients. Can everything in your pantry be turned into a meal with inexpensive ingredients? Or do they need … Continue reading →

Frugal Pantry: Pasta

When you reach into that pantry to plan out dinner, you might want to consider pasta. Pasta can be a great source of a filling meal. And with pasta, there are so many inexpensive options. Shopping carefully, you can get 16 ounces of pasta for less than $1. Add a few inexpensive ingredients, or even a small amount of expensive ingredients, and you still have a meal to feed the entire family for less than $5. I enjoy trying new pasta dishes, especially when I can throw some things together using food that we already have around the house. Last … Continue reading →

Stamp Out Hunger and Clean Your Pantry

Do you want to help others and clean out your pantry at the same time? Well tomorrow, May 10th is the perfect opportunity to do both. That is because the National Association of Letter Carriers is having its annual Stamp Out Hunger event. (Image from the National Association of Letter Carriers.) I found out about this event yesterday, when my oldest child brought home a flyer from school. In the flyer were all of the details of the event. Basically, you gather a bag full of non perishable food and place it by your mailbox (or on a front porch). … Continue reading →

Three Ways an Organized Pantry Saves Money

One of the great pitfalls of frugal grocery shopping and stockpiling can be an unorganized pantry. Unfortunately, a pantry that suffers from disorganization can wind up costing your money instead of saving it. Here are three ways why it pays to take the time to organize your food. The biggest cost to your food budget can be food that expires or goes stale before you can use it. When this is the case, it doesn’t matter that you only spent 50 cents on a jar of pasta sauce if you never use it. One recent study suggests that Americans throw … Continue reading →

Containers in the Pantry

It is no secret that I usually keep a well-stocked food pantry. In fact, I have more than one. Having a stocked pantry makes it easy for me to plan meals and to fix meals economically, stocking up on groceries when the deals are good. We’ve written a few different pantry articles here on Families.com (I’ll give you the links to them at the end of this article), but I have some more tips to share, namely, using containers and reducing dead space. Using Containers Just because something arrived to your home in a certain package, doesn’t mean that it … Continue reading →

Quick Pantry Design Tips

Having an organized kitchen pantry can make those hectic evenings so much easier. You can just grab what you need for a quick dinner prep. Whether your pantry is large or small, you’ll be able to incorporate the following design tips to build or improve your pantry. The quickest way to build a pantry, other than by purchasing a stand-alone pantry, is to take over an existing closet and then install shelving. One great way to do this is with wire shelving, which is both inexpensive and easy to maintain. The narrow shelves are just right for a reach-in pantry, … Continue reading →