Frugality

Dictionary.com defines the word frugal as follows:

frugal: adjective
1. economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful: a frugal manager.
2. entailing little expense; requiring few resources; meager; scanty: a frugal meal.
[Origin: 1590–1600; < class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">frūgālis economical, equiv. to frūg- (s. of frūx produce, fruit) + -ālis -al1] —Related forms
fru·gal·i·ty, fru·gal·ness, noun
fru·gal·ly, adverb
—Synonyms 1. thrifty, chary, provident, careful. See economical.

I chose this topic for a couple reasons. First off, regardless of your financial situation, who doesn't want to save a little money on their purchases? I don't care whether you have money burning a hole in your pocket or $12 in your checking account, it certainly wouldn't hurt to save even a few bucks here and there. Over the last six months, I've been blog-stalking strangers' blogs, and I've come across some good resources to aid my personal journey of frugality. Being unemployed and seeing prices skyrocket for just about everything lately made me realize that I should do as much to cut costs and save money as I can. The second reason I chose this topic is to share my knowledge and resources with family and friends who also need or want to save money. This is a topic that I will probably post on quite frequently, but I wanted to start by sharing a couple of my favorite frugal blogs. My favorite is Money Saving Mom, and you can access this blog by clicking here: http://www.moneysavingmom.com/ My second favorite is Sisterly Savings, and it can be found here: http://www.sisterlysavings.net/ Both of these blogs share a ton of useful info regarding sales, freebies, coupon clipping and deal scenarios at various stores across the country. I read both of these every morning while I'm drinking my protein shake. Sometimes I email special deals to friends and family, but I thought it might be better to share my sources with you here on my blog. I've started using coupons a little more, as well as taking advantages of some freebie offers. I don't have a Rite Aid or CVS around me, and a lot of the deals they discuss on these blogs take place at one or both of these stores. If you have one of these stores close to you, you could honestly save a ton of money and get a lot of stuff for free. These blogs explain how in great detail. But even if you don't live close to a Rite Aid or CVS, there are plenty of other deals to be had. Other things you can do on your own would simply be to buy generic brands instead of name brands. I admit that I'm very much attached to some of my name brand products (Dove creamy oil body wash, Prescriptives pressed powder, and others), but I've learned to settle for cheaper brands on certain items -- especially at the grocery store. Although beware, because I've noticed that often times name brand products are on sale for a cheaper price than the generic items. Well, since this is just an intro to frugality, I guess I'll end here. There will definitely be more to follow, but in the meantime, can you think of ways to cut costs for you and your family? What items can you live without or substitute a cheaper product? What could you do with all the money you save by cutting costs...Start a savings account? Plan a much-needed vacation? Put a down payment on a home? I'd love to hear your ideas and comments.