Frugal Tips for 2017

Let's be real for a second, everyone wants to say money in some way. I know I do. I grew up very conscious of money. My husband did as well-- although he has been known to simply ask his mother for something and she gets it for him, spoiled... just a tad! 

I can honestly say the only debt my husband and I have right now at 26/27 years of age is our home & one of our vehicles. We were very money conscious when purchasing our home. We knew it wouldn't be a forever home and we knew that we didn't want to get in over our head. So we bought smart... sometimes we regret buying smart. We live in a less than 1,000 square foot home. I run a business out of it. We have 2 small dogs, 2 cats, 2 adults, and a toddler-- sometimes 2 (we watch my hubby's best friend's little boy during the day). For the most part we do okay, but both my husband and myself dream of having a bit more room to .. well breathe. 

Our living room/dining room. We don't use the dining room for dining as you can see.

I've been asked many times over the years how my husband and I can afford to live healthy and eat clean on one steady income. It takes a little bit of planning & organizing. At first it was difficult, but now that we've been doing it a while-- it's pretty simple. I figured I would share some of my money saving tips for 2017! 

1. Be meat partial. We don't eat meat every day, it really isn't needed for us to be happy & we save a good amount of money. We enjoy meals with lentils, garbanzo beans, or even stir fried veggies. 
2. Purchase quality items, sometimes a lower price tag could maybe cost you more in the long run. 
3. Make your own sprouts! Sprouting lentils and beans are very simple & they add a lot of nutritional value. Add them to salads, stirfries, and more!
4. Regrow veggies if you can-- lettuce is pretty simple!
5. Ferment your own veggies. Fermentation is not a fad, in fact it is going back to the old way. Fermenting is a cheap/inexpensive way to enrich the nutritional value of your food & add some yummy flavors!
   1. I like to make my own kombucha you can get a kombucha brewing kit here and use these flip top bottles for the second ferment. This is a much cheaper than $3 or more per bottle. 
   2. I have my own sourdough starter. I make sourdough bread, pancakes, and pizza crust.  You can make your own sourdough starter or you can purchase a kit here. 
   3. Fermenting garlic cloves in raw honey. AMAZING! This is not only a medicinal powerhouse but you can mash up the garlic cloves and marinate your meats in it! I use local raw honey but you can use this kind if you don't have a local source. 
6. If you run a blog, become part of amazon associates.
7. Skip the plastic water bottles and go for stainless steel. They won't randomly break & are easier to clean. I have this one. 
8. Speaking of water- drink clean water :) Investing in a good water filter can help with many issues. My husband and I have a Reverse Osmosis Filtration System under our kitchen sink. This helped us stop buying bottled water. 
9. If you work out of the home, pack a lunch! Oh wait... you don't have a microwave or refrigerator at your job?? Okay so get a thermos and take soup to work or maybe even a sandwich?? My husband doesn't always have the ability to microwave his food or even refrigerate it. I started making soup, getting it really hot & putting it in this thermos for him. He said it is still hot when he eats it later in the day. 
10. See a chiropractor weekly/biweekly/monthly. Chiropractic can help with many ailments, back pain, neck pain, chronic headaches, migraines, sinus issues, ear aches, colds... many many things!
11. Make your own coffee at home. I have a small french press. I have a lot of friends who enjoy chain coffee shops (I do too & am guilty of purchasing iced coffee a little too often but I am working on it this year) so this is a great option to make all those fabulous drinks-- my mother in law has one & my husband and I had some amazing drinks over the Christmas holiday!  
12. If you garden, save your kitchen scraps (fruit/veggie peels, egg shells, coffee grounds, etc). 
13. Stop drinking soda. Stop buying tea. 
14. Cook at home! Make your own snacks, meals, etc. Plain and simple. Invest in a couple cookbooks & teach yourself how to cook from scratch. I am really loving Homestead Kitchen right now. I have a few cookbooks from discount sections at local bookstores. If you have a kindle you can get inexpensive recipes-- even utilizing pinterest and youtube can be helpful. 
15. Meal planning is so helpful. You probably hear this a lot-- but it really is!
16. Get rid of the gym membership & get a homeworkout program. 
17. Have a garden! Sweet potatoes, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, and beets are very simple to grow! 
18. Minimize clutter. Do you really need it? Sell what you don't need/use. 
19. Reuse/repurpose old items. 
20. DIY whatever you can! 
21. Use apps like shopkick, iobotta, cartwheel, and more to save money at your favorite stores. 
22. Stock your pantry well. I always keep the following in my pantry: dried beans, dried lentils, home canned veggies & fruits (tomatoes, corn, carrots, green beans), crackers, dark chocolate, nuts, seeds, mac & cheese, spice mixes, oats, different types of flour, nut butters, popcorn, salmon, tuna, chicken, coconut oil, avocado oil, home canned bone broth, and condiments. 
23. Stock your freezer well with sales! I like to keep the following in my freezer favorite fish, extra cookie dough (I usually make extra), freezer burritos, bone broth, a whole chicken (at all times), fruits for smoothies, butter-- lots of butter.  
24. Read popular books on being frugal & see what you can apply to your life. I liked this one. 
25. ​Purchasing a CSA. I've talked about CSA's before--- but you can read more about them here. I really enjoy getting a box from our local farm each week. We are supporting a local farm, getting FRESH food, and at a cheaper price. ​

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Know your goals. My hubby and I have a 5 year plan. We want to move closer to family and purchase at least 5 acres. I would love to have a small farm, huge garden, chickens, goats, and more. I have the heart of a farmer's wife and always have! We make sacrifices now so that we can have what we dream later! 

Sometimes I spend more money on somethings, but they are worth it in the long run to me. I have a pressure canner, water bath canner, dehydrator, crock pot, instant pot, standing mixer, ninja blender, and ice cream maker... and you know what?? I use them all on a weekly (sometimes biweekly) basis. I use the instant pot to make yogurt, rice, quinoa, or bone broth. I use the pressure canner to can bone broth & extra fruits/veggies from the CSA. I use the water bath canner to can extra veggies from the CSA. I use the dehydrator to make jerky, dehydrate nuts, and make dried mangoes.  I have a crock pot for cooking and a crock pot to make hot process soap in. I use my standing mixer for everything-- literally everything haha. I use my ice cream maker to make frozen yogurt, sorbet, and ice cream. I use the ninja blender as a food processor, blend drinks, and more. 

It's not bad to have lots of things as long as use them! You can find some of these things second hand-- which I recommend especially if you're just starting out. 

What are your frugal tips?