Frugal living is a basic way of life; a way of life that some choose. Frugal shopping is about getting an item for the lowest possible price every time you buy it. Frugal grocery shopping typically involves buying less, but may be enhanced by coupons.  Frugal grocery shopping doesn't mean you have to have bland, tasteless food.  It is all about planning, and creativity.

Being frugal is essentially common sense living.  When we put frugality into daily practice it eventually becomes the “norm” and it becomes a “win-win” situation for everyone.  Fo example if a whole chicken is 99 cents per pound compared to $4.99 per pound for boneless chicken breasts, you can save a lot of money by creatively using the whole bird.  Riding your bike will save you so much money, and walking is great exercise and a money saver, too.  You can save money by avoiding alternative exercise expenses such as using the treadmill or staionary bike at the gym.  Try to have simple fun that doesn’t require a lot of money and (try to) ride bikes or walk when you can. 

Saving money helps the budget AND provides funds for doing something special later.  In addition, saving money now can help you when emergencies or unexpected expenses crop up. 

What is most important is to turn money-saving techniques into good habits, and you’ll realize how much you can save each and every month. 

It is not that hard to became frugal, start out slowly by trying one new frugal idea each week and before you know it you will be an expert at shopping frugally, living frugal, and saving money by being frugal. 

You can save money on groceries when you shop  with a list to stock your pantry versus shopping for groceries randomly.  Menu planning and shopping ahead of time will not only reduce your stress levels but can also save you money, as well. 

Perhaps you can share your frugal tips and frugal ideas too.  Tell us your frugal living tips….

With a growing business, my husband is always looking for ways to save. These days most businesses, small, medium, and large, need to be more frugal and find cost savings anywhere they can. With smart planning, businesses can apply a few frugal ideas – and possibly save a few jobs out there!

One of the best ways we have found to save on office supplies is to buy at the big warehouse stores like Costco and Sam’s Club. You can save big money on many items, and you’d be surprised at some of the items you can buy there. For busy business owners, Costco offers a fabtastic fax service. You just fax over your order, and pick it up at the pre-determined time. It is a real time saver. You will even pass up the often very long check out lines and proceed to a special check out line for business fax customers. (more…)