Frugal Things We Did This Summer

1. No spend days at the ocean - five minute drive away, packed snacks and drinks. Great free summer entertainment. A great stress reliever as well.

2. Attended a couple of free festivals. Avoided eating at them except one where all funds were going to charity and we only spent $10 there on two hot dogs, two hamburgers and two pop. 100% of the proceeds were going to the local foodbank so not only did we get an extremely inexpensive lunch but it was for a good cause.

3. I became a better cook so eating at home appealed more than eating out. Our biggest gripe about eating out is disappointment with the quality of the product and service. Hubby says we live better now than we did before and part of that has to do with better home cooked made from scratch meals. I know our $400 per month grocery budget is pretty healthy compared to most frugalistas, but by having steak and shrimp at home once in a while we prevent falling off the frugal bandwagon by eating out. We take pleasure in eating a well balanced and varied diet but in a pinch, I know I could decrease our grocery budget - for now I choose not to.

4. Read things on the internet to DO-IT-OURSELF. Hubby finally learned how to do a minor bathroom repair which saved at least $80 in labour costs. Prior to this summer he would have just hired a plumber.

5. Treated his business as frugally as our home. Hubby bought two packages of paper on sale but then a box went on sale a few days later for almost the same price as the two packages so he returned them and got the box. Every dollar counts, especially in self-employment.

6. We got to know our neighbors and shared the expense of a fence bordering our two properties. We also saved them money by lending them our power washer, which I am sure will save us money in the future when we need a favor from them.

7. When you have time you can research every single item you buy. I managed to get a car rental for half what hubby could due to a few tricks and a half an hour spent looking for coupon codes from car rental companies. This savings was $120.

8. Foraged free food - 12 cups of blackberries picked. Next year I hope to harvest even more as I was busy working this year during the prime picking time.

9. Hubby ordered contacts online for the first time saving approximately $200. All you need is your prescription from the optometrist. This is the first time we had to foot the bill as prior to this we had two benefit plans. We ordered from clearlycontacts.ca and got the SAME EXACT PRODUCT WAY CHEAPER (if you order there google for a current coupon code first for free shipping or a discount, and no, this is not a paid endorsement, just a great deal).

10. Made good use of our netflix membership (we hook up our laptop through the tv with an hdmi cable bought at Walmart) and pvr to record movies as they are the primary souces of our entertainment. I am still not sure if netflix is the way to go long term as am disapointed that they are very slow in adding new movies to their lineup. I threatened to cancel the membership but then we found a couple of series that we have been watching so for now it stays.

11. Went to several garage sales to buy used goods at a fraction of the retail cost. Buying used saves money!

12. Lightened my own hair using a drugstore kit - for the first time ever. I expect to save at least $250 per year from here on out - my favorite new way to save money.

Please share what you did to save money this summer!

Today on Elaine's blog Sunny Simple Life she shares a frugal day in her household, husband and wife air conditioning repair! I am linking up to her party today Sunny Simple Sunday.