12 Frugal Trends for 2024 That Will Transform Your Life
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- Опубліковано 10 тра 2024
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Find out the top 12 frugal trends for 2024 that will transform your life for the better! From sustainable living to minimalism to budget travel, these trends will help you save money and live a more fulfilling life.
Join the frugal movement and learn how to live a more intentional and financially responsible lifestyle. These frugal trends will not only benefit your wallet, but also the environment and your overall well-being. Stay ahead of the game and start incorporating these trends into your life today!
00:00 Frugal Trends 2024
00:52 No Spend Challenges
2:40 Rotate Streaming
3:11 Cancel
4:20 Helix
6:50 Work from home
8:03 Meal Planning
8:47 Zero plastic
9:45 Housing Costs
11:10 Retail is for suckers
12:20 Join a community
13:40 Minimalism
15:28 There's more...
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Any book by Freida McFadden
Reading recommendation: Station 11, Emily St John Mandel
As a family we read a chapter a night after dinner from the Holy Bible. 👍👍 Highly recommend. Specifically a teen study Bible, which helps to explain what we just read - the culture, the traditions, the politics of the time. We started with the New Testament last January and are in James. It has been fascinating and eye opening and surprising relevant for our time right now. If the Bible isn't anyone's thing, its ok, just my recommendation ❤
In 1971 my husband and I purchased our first home. We bought a home we loved even though it cost far more than we planned on spending. Most people our age were purchasing starter homes with the plan to move into a different home later. We jumped at the chance to get a 7% mortgage rate because at that time the interest rate was 10%. We cut our expenses to the bone to be able to afford this house. When jobs were lost we stayed put and found local jobs. I have lived in this home for almost 53 years and still love it. Our mortgage payment of $187 per month would be a joke now. I also just purchased a new AC and furnace in July because the AC was 29 years old and the furnace 25 years old. They never before needed repair because they were top of the line at the time. The ones I just purchased are the most reliable and most efficient on the market. I realized when looking at my Dec utility bill that I have cut both my gas and electric usage by 35%. I am a firm believer in buying the best quality that you can afford.
That's amazing! And yes when we bought in 92 rates were higher ...thinking maybe 7? And we thought that was awesome! We paid it off in 17 years and are still here and still love our home
I used to drop my daughter off at her sports practice and run outside. Now the weather is horrible. So I joined Planet Fitness for $10 a month at the gym right by her rink and my work. Im actually hear right now waiting for her to be done. I was finding myself going to Target to kill time and I was spending so much on unnecessary stuff. So now I go to the gym for 1.5 hours while I wait for her. Forces me to be active and Im not spending money at stores. And so far Im down 5 pounds!
Wow! Great job!
Awhhhhaaa moment here, yup waiting for kids activities or school I end up going into stores! Thanks for the post.
I’m doing a pantry challenge in January, only giving myself $25 a week for fresh produce and dairy, eating from our food storage and I’ve found that I didn’t even use my budget at all the first week. Not spending is almost as addictive as shopping.
I did that 2021-23
I posted a question on my fb to see if anyone has barbells they want to get rid of since my son is interested. A friend GAVE them to him after seeing my post. Such a blessing!!
We purchased our retirement home in February 2023 (at $15,000 below asking price which is virtually unheard of these days) and moved from Oregon to Arizona. Since then, we've gone totally frugal! We've divested tons of furniture and stuff on Buy Nothing, purchased groceries only if it was on sale, I started canning and freezing, and building a pantry. Since closing on Feb 15, 2023, we've put $32,000 in savings. That's all in cash; plus we maxxed out deposits to the 401k. No car payments and no credit cards. Not bad for one salary of $60,000 and one Social Security benefit.
I've been really getting into the trend of making food items from scratch. Like pancake mix, cream of mushroom soup mixture, spices, gravy mixes, and such. I get hamburger and chicken on sale, cook them up and freeze them. It's been easier than I thought, and is helping on the food budget.
"just a mum" blog has really good premade pancake mix for you to make!
So much healthier for you too!
here is something my brother taught me, during the fruit season he drives around looking for fruit trees with unpicked fruit. askes permission to pick it and in a day while i was with him we filled boxes full of free fruit grapefruit, oranges, pears, walnuts pomegranates, all for the asking, he records the name and address of where the trees are so he can find it year after year.. he cans them. takes his kids along to help pick, making it a family affair. hpoe this helps. love listening to you. Jim
At the beginning of 2021 I bought a $320. London Fog down filled puffer, 3/4 length coat, with the retail price tag on it. It had a small flaw in the fabric and I paid $37.50🎉🎉
Excellent. London fog are wonderful products🎉
I was completely awful at budgeting. I always felt like I was in a financial prison. A few years ago I changed my mindset and decided I was a saver. Not only was it great fun to watch my savings grow like they never have before, it made a frugalista out of me. Instead of stressing over budgets and agonizing over my constant failures, I was enjoying the challenge of setting saving goals and finding fun ways to accomplish them. My shopaholic days are long behind me, I have zero debt, if an emergency comes up, I do not stress because I have the money to cover it. I still do fun things and It has been life changing to just think about it from a different perspective.
I worked for a major company, and in 2000 I began to work from home. We were required to drive in to the office once a month for a team meeting (pre-zoom). We were an extremely successful group, which was the model when 2020 came along. It saved babysitting costs, gas, wear and tear on the car, insurance (rated pleasure drive only). Going home to work was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life.
If James Avery isn't sponsoring you, they should be. ;) (San Antonio native here) I save SO much money annually by doing away with a paper towel roll on the counter. I designated a drawer in my kitchen for kitchen towels and I put a single roll of paper towels under my sink so it's not handy. They pretty much only get used for 'grease cooking' like bacon in the microwave and I go through about 2-3 kitchen towels a day and wash them every week. In the past 3 years, I've purchased just 3 big bundles of paper towels at Costco (approx 1 per year). I think, "How did great grandma do it before there were paper towels?" Your advice to use Tide powder vs. the pricey pods is fantastic and bc of you, I'm shopping my freezer for proteins to start my dinner planning. I don't meal plan bc I never know what I'm going to feel like eating. Is there a remedy for that? But buying in bulk and having enough freezer meat and pantry items in-stock allows me the freedom to do that.
My obstacle to meal planning - my husband is the pickiest eater I ever met. When I say picky, I mean it, so it takes out all the joy of making meals.
Today, I found a nearly 9lb pork shoulder roast at Kroger on clearance for $11. I snatched that up and then told my husband "FFM would be proud!" You definitely inspired me to shop at my local Kroger more. I was always a Publix girl, and I do still love their company. But I'm finding such amazing deals at Kroger these days. Thanks for pointing me in that direction. Good luck on the book goal. I'd love to hear about what you are reading. I used to read so much more than I do now, but am also trying to get back into reading more regularly.
I would say the most difficult thing when it comes to meal planning is trying to avoid processed food and time.
Matthew Perry's book on Audible. Hearing him narrate his own book, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing was so much better than reading it. You get to feel his emotions the way he felt them. Amazing book!
I listen to this and you are correct you definitely get his emotions through his reading. Like I got the emotion that he was never going to stop using drugs and he didn't
I agree. I also listened to it. Great that he narrated it himself.
I am doing a pantry challenge. I purchased 5 small bins from the dollar tree. I put ideas of meals or things I want to use up in the bin with list of meat that is required for the meal. I let my son choose what he wants for supper 4 days a week. Once empty I will the bin again with something that needs to be used. I choose the other 3 days. On the weekends I try to cook something that I can use for lunches at least 2-3 days or turn into something else. Leftover roast becomes vegetable soup. Chili leftover becomes the topping for chili dogs.
Something that gets in the way of my meal planning is that my kids will eat the ingredients as a snack and then I won’t have them for the meals I planned. I’m back at the store again by mid week. I’ve purchased as high as 9 bell peppers so I could have 3 for my meals. We ended up with 2. So we made do. I try not to complain because of all the things they could snack on they are picking some really healthy choices and I want to encourage that … 🤷♀️what to do
Maybe you can “meal prep” snack portions and save other stuff for dinners separately. It helps me to “process” my foods the day I buy them so that when I go to use them throughout the week, it saves me time. I never buy cut vegetables but I do like to have them cut/prepped in my fridge…habits I picked up from being a chef before being a full time mom.
I always contain food in a bag by meal either in the pantry, freezer, or fridge. I write the date I plan to use it on a piece of blue painters tape attached to it along with DO NOT EAT in nice big letters. It works!
You can chop and freeze peppers for cooking, taking them out of the roster for snacking.
Frankly, I have a lock on my fridge in my pantry. I live a half hour from the nearest Walmart and I need to know I have ingredients on hand when I need them. Certain foods are always available if they need but the rest are off limits
Lol! 😂 I remember having that same problem when my son was growing up, especially after he was 11 or 12 years old.
I would buy what I thought was enough food to tide us over for a week or two, and then he came home and ravened the contents of my fridge and pantry, obliterating my food budget for the month. That kid used to stand in front of our opened refrigerator and guzzle down the best part of a freshly opened gallon of milk!
It was especially bad for my poor mother, though. I am one of 7 children, and the first 4 of us were born in very rapid succession, so we were all teenagers at the same time. She thanked God for the Air Force base's commissary (a full-service supermarket) and the base's department store, whose name escapes me.
Back in those days, such stores and services were subsidized by the United States Department of Defense, which really helped to make the lousy pay stretch farther.
I am on a no spend January!!!!!!!!! I’m hoping to continue after this month too!
Another great video ❤
People really need to embrace frugality in their home choices. I opted for the crappy fixer upper in order to get the land and location i wanted. All of the repairs on the house have happened in phases with cash. It's not instantly beautiful and photoworthy, and it's not the home I want to show off now, but as a millennial mom dealing with the inflation and interest rates, it makes way more sense to put off the excitement of instant dreamhome in exchange for long-term financial stability.
Such a smart millennial you are! Hats off to you as a millennial‘s mom!
@@sonyastone1445 definitely feel like my generation has a unique set of standards that we just need to get over
That's what I was thinking. When my husband and I bought our 1st home, it was a tiny $50k house. This may be a hot take, but young people now don't want to buy the little fixer-upper house. They want the house where everything is move in ready, and it's over what they can afford...
@@krystalwithakofficial definitely what i see with people my age. We opted to buy the small fixer upper because A. It has land and B. It has brick exterior. Everything else can be altered and added on to, but we know we are starting with a good base
We bought a 1933 farmhouse in the 90s that was liveable but needed modernization and exterior upgrades. We did the changes in phases with the last big phase being paid off in 2020. We also did a budget renovation on the kitchen but paid cash for that(still want to make changes but want to do them paying cash for each one). We old enough now that we don’t want big loans and the payments they bring, so no buying a new house just because.
My biggest struggle with meal planning is picky eaters (all 4 of us are picky and like different things) and not wanting the things that are planned!
SUCCESS! Salvage grocery store haul. I had never heard of such a thing until you mentioned it a video or two ago. Couldn't find one in my area, but when visiting family over the holidays in Utah...Eureka! I scored! I bought $23 worth of shelf stable items (4 bags of groceries), packed them in the car and brought them home. The Challenge: Use them up before the end of January. I left all of the items out on my counter (in my garden window) so that I had to look at them everyday. Item by item over the last week, I used up about 75% of what I bought and delayed the dreaded post vacation grocery shopping trip by one week and counting....thanks for the fresh tip!
Frugal is definitely trending! I told my husband that ever since I started watching your channel last year and others similar, all I see is tips on how to save and make the most of my money! 2024 IS THE YEAR!
I am a minimalist by necessity. My one rule is something comes in, something must go out
I work from home and was able to move to the country. I only have to travel one time a month (average) to our home office in another state. I love it and save so much on food, gas, time (and frustration) and I love the casual attire! I also have time in the day to get dinner out/started so we eat out way way less than when I was too tired after driving in traffic to make dinner.
Meal Planning: As new empty nesters, I attempt to get a meat out of the freezer the night before and get dinner started early in the day. Between fatigue from Post Concussion Syndrome, running my house and helping on our hobby farm, if I don't get dinner started early, then healthy choices become a challenge. Like you, we are blessed to have a well stocked freezer and food storage area. I really enjoy cooking and sharing meals with our elderly neighbor.
I’m an empty nester and what gets in the way of my meal planning is large amounts of leftovers. We sometimes have to eat the same thing three nights if it’s a meal that doesn’t freeze well or I have run out of freezer space. I have tried to cut meals in half sometimes with bad results. Help is needed for the small house hold too!
I’m a single household and know I only want 3 servings and I’m over the meal. Generally everything is 4 servings so where possible I plan to freeze that 1 serving. I like your idea for the smaller servings show. 😊
Yes to book follow-ups! I love reading. I can also always use book recs.
I've worked from home since 2013 because of other reasons, but I do love working in my pajamas. I love being here if my kids need to come home sick. I don't have to worry about asking to leave work. I'm already home.
Canceling the streaming services is great! But I recently heard about local libraries is also giving access with just a library card to free streaming services to movies, shows, audiobooks, news, music and some other stuff! Been really trying to research exactly just how much my local library card can do for free. 😊
Just signed up for the Libby app for audiobooks using my library card....such an awesome service!!
Some of my favourite authors - Debbie MacComber, Janette Oke and Beverley Lewis.
I would love to see a full list of the books when everyone replies and the after show idea is awesome!
LOL my oldest son did the scrubbing of the insulated cups that his x left when they broke up because she didn’t want to clean them. So he scrubbed them all out & now has FREE TO HIM insulated cups that he uses all the time!!!
I have done a low spent year, but not a no spend. Since retirement, I don’t care about clothes and handbags like I used to. Spending down my skincare as well, and replacing each with drugstore equivalents. For example, using Dove soap instead of face wash, etc.
Good morning! 😂 I work from home. I work in my PJ’s. But yes saves me a lot working from home. Also wear and tear on my body. Due office is an hour away. Also house work is done on breaks and lunch time.
I have a hard time sticking to a month plan for meals.. even a week at a time. For awhile I did it day be day, but have started listing three days of meal plans and checking them off as we eat them.. giving more flexibility to what we’re in the mood for or simpler meals vs meals that take more effort. It’s working well for us! Everyone doesn’t have to use the same plan.. keep trying until you find what works best for YOU and YOUR FAMILY!
I meal plan all the time now but struggled in my 20s. The problem was I thought I didn't like leftovers so I needed to cook something from scratch every night and I just never have the energy to actually cook on weeknights. So learning how to batch cook and manage leftovers was key for me. Now I index all my recipes by type, then I pick 4 a week, batch cook everything on the weekend except breakfasts and eat leftovers all week. And I keep some fall-back options in my freezer in case a recipe fails or I get sick of what I picked for that week by Wednesday or Thursday. Working at home helps here too because I don't have to factor in which recipes are suitable for packed lunches or not. I was too embarrassed in my 20s to pack a lunch that I had to reheat in the microwave because I didn't want to stink up the office kitchen but I got bored with deli meat sandwiches week after week.
Some problems with meal planning, a picky eater, being absolutely exhausted at the end of work some days and all the energy I have is to go through the drive thru for takeout. Sometimes the problem is lack of time to meal prep on Sunday for example, so then the cheap pizza from the freezer is all there is time for. Sometimes I over plan, for example when there are leftovers. Now I have leftovers I wasn’t counting on, and thawed out chicken that was supposed to be for tonight, so now I have too much food.
Thawed out chicken will keep a few days....depending on how fast you froze it, that's actually a good problem to have. I'm with you on exhaustion after work. I clean houses and on my feet all day.
My grandparents in the 70's would go "window shopping". Go home with nothing example a coat... that's how they Didn't shop impulsive. If they really wanted the coat, they would sleep on it (the thought not the coat) lol and see if they could justify spending the money. I try to be more like them,, now I am the grandparent. My 2024 goal not to spend too much, rather save and spend quality time with the grandkids!!
In terms of the hobby one, I would totally recommend joining a fibre arts group! Knitters and crocheters tend to have a lot of extra yarn around that they're willing to share as well as hooks, needles, etc. they might be willing to lend out (I always tell my friends who want to get into knitting not to buy anything without asking me first because I inherited so much stuff from the women in my family when I was starting). And if people can't give you free stuff, they'll know where to get great deals most of the time
I am a terrible meal planner. As far as I can tell there are two holdups. The first one is finding inspiration for meals and I know there's tons out there but I don't like onions, garlic, or spicey things. I have some go-to meals but I get sick of things in my current rotation and then the planning falls apart. The second thing holding me back is simple organization. Because meal planning is not a preferred task I put it off and then I have to run to the grocery store to get something for an emergency and I don't want to take the time to sit down and try to find meals and plan them out ahead of that so I run to the grocery store quickly and say I'll start it next week . Then the same thing happens again. Essentially it comes down to lack of discipline. I save up all my discipline for other areas of my life and then I just dropped the ball here.
Hubby Tom and I are choosing to be more aware of plastic use. We have a huge garden which is our food source throughout the year with food preservation methods. When freezing, for an example sweet corn, we have decided to pressure can it. We have plenty of canning jars and lids and a stellar pressure canner. This will save us from using plastic bags with our vacuum sealer. Also saves freezer space.
My problem with meal planning is I buy the stuff or use things I have, my husband decides he doesn’t want that meal, we end up going out or making something different. I now only use things I have on hand and just wing it. It works out better for us.
I am doing something like the 30-yr no spend challenge 😂 I just don’t like a lot of stuff, so I always buy the minimum needed.
We are 2 adults, myself, a widow and my adukt son who has a small attached apt. We share the grocery budget to save money and always cook enough for 4....soups are enough for 6-8 because I want some for the freezer.
We loosely meal plan for 5 days, actually 3, sort of. We plan for leftovers. We only cook dinner on M, W, F and Sunday brunch. Fridays are always some type of hand held "sandwich", calzone, burrito, sandwich, etc and soup, salad or raw veggies. Saturdays are anything you want. The rest of the days are leftovers. I, or him, might use leftovers to start a new meal, we eat them as is, or freeze portions. I make soup, chili or stew on Mondays, freeze some, and keep 1 or 2 quarts in the refrig.
From FFM, I learned quite awhile ago about all the instore specials at Fred Meyer, and that has saved us so much money. At our store, usually Mondays and Fridays are the best mornings to get them. So, this Friday, I'm off to FM about 8am. I never meal plan before I shop because I know I will find a nice variety of discounted foods for now, and the future.
We are doing a no spend year. But what I like is that you can make it specific for your family. For us our no spend year is based on not eating out. We spent over $4000 last year on eating out. So our goal this year is eating at home unless if we have a giftcard for a restaurant. The only exception is for when our kids school does a fundraiser.
Definitely would love book recs. I’ve been tearing through the classic Agatha Christie books…love a good mystery! Hoping to read 50 this year, but I really like the idea of a book a week😊
We pulled out an old tv and vhs machine. I have boxes if old vhs tapes. Going to binge watch our oldies for a while. No streaming for us. Country living and poor internet.
I've always done that. My mom still lives in the middle of nowhere, so my son just installed starlink satellite internet for her. The internet is great with awesome speed. You can stream with it, and even work from home on your computer. It's expensive to buy upfront, but once you have it, it's $120 a month. My son set her home phone up with the computer, so now she doesn't have a home phone bill....well not an expensive one. I think it's about $12 a month. He put in a device that boosts to a cell tower. Now she can also use her cellphone which she could not do before. It's service specific. Since she uses straight talk the device is from Verizon. It's about $200, but when my son told him where he was going and that there was no cell service they sent it to him for free. He also uses Verizon. Just something to keep in mind. My son also set her up with a Roku. He did some other installs that makes it easy for old people to use modern stuff, and once he gets the TV antenna set up, they will cancel their satellite service for TV watching.
My obstacle to meal planning is I try to make it too hard on myself. Like every meal I write on there has to be a gourmet 4 hr prep creation. 😂 Spaghetti is fine. I can figure out a side later. I can change the nights I make the things. It always goes better when I plan, but somehow I build it up to be a hard thing I don’t want to do.
I also used to be super tight on the budget. So meal planning was tied in with sale ad shopping, pantry inventorying, list making, spreadsheet deciding which groceries I could afford, etc. I guess it feels more luxurious to wing it? Very lame when I put it in writing.😂
Hope that helps! ❤ from Iowa
My meal plan problem is we don't have a huge pantry, long story bad situation for a few years I'm disabled and live in a basement of a nice family, with my wife, it was once the Airbnb we stayed at and he was nice enough to rent it permanently to us while we wait for gvmnt housing so not a loy of space, better than a air BNB anf moving every few days or a hotel room because the place didn't have it available anymore so I guess that's good. Hopefully soon I will get a place with enough storage we have a small fridge and kitchenette and my wife is paid every Friday so we shop on Friday for groceries until the next Friday because we don't have anymore room, so it's a lot more expensive 😭 trying to stay positive tho thanks for all the content frugalfitmom You're amazing 👍
I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend reading the “One Second After” series by William R Forstchen. There are 4 books in this series and it’s done really well.
I second this suggestion!
Me too! But then you’ll spend more money super stocking your pantry! 😂
Excellent series!
I've read the first one, but not the others.
I’m doing a no spend year. I made up rules for myself. I can spend gift cards I have. I am keeping track of all our grocery spending including what we pay full price for. I’m curious what I buy that there isn’t a deal for. I am also keeping track of household item we purchase that are considered “needs.”
No meal planning: when it comes dinner time I'm just not in the mood for what is on the plan, unless I'm super busy and don't have time to think about it. I have a stocked pantry and freezers and cook with what I have. For those busy times I do meal plan and it helps, most of the time I don't though.
I don't do a meal plan per say, I don't write them down I just think about, and keep track in my head, and decide what I'm doing even next week, I'm actually someone who always works from my pantry/ freezer / refrigerator..... we only go shopping maybe once a month, haven't gone grocery shopping yet this year, but we eat well, not just beans or rice.... this week so far, Asian inspired beef vegetable noodle soup, fried fish with butter sauce and capers, with baked potatoes, fried chicken vegetable rice.... smoky chili with my own pinto beans, I made bread & rolls so I made homemade paninis on my George Foreman grill....... anyways I have always cooked at home and was raised to eat what you have and not go shopping till its necessary, I think that's the problem most times...... necessary means something different to different people, so sometimes we need to reset our mindset. Well thank you , I love your channel, I appreciate all your content! ❤❤
Oh and books, I'm trying to read through the New Testament...... I have never read through the whole Bible, and another utuber I follow started this, so I decided to do it too! So far so good.
Books! I love this....maybe let give us a review of the books your reading or let's us know what your planning to read so we can read along with you to have a discussion.
The cash-less groups in my area have become very popular especially during growing seasons and lately I have noticed alot more people trading childcare because there isn't any availability in the local daycares.
I've spent a lot of time the last year building a pantry and filling in the gaps. I just finished up my inventory last week. This year I'm challenging myself to shop my shelves to better understand what I am eating each season so that I can track how much I need to buy in the future. I bought myself a new freezer for Christmas since the majority of my meals I prepare in bulk ahead of time. This will not only allow me to be more frugal and buy when I find it on sale, but also have a variety of meals ready to heat up so I avoid eating out. Maybe an additional benefit will be some weight loss. I cancelled all of my streaming services last year and haven't missed it one bit. The only thing I did keep was my audible account since I'm a truck driver and a good book keeps me company over the road.
My thing is with buying food. I can't pass up a good deal. I feel better if my freezers and pantries are well stocked. But I have decided I'm going to not be buying meat until my freezers are almost empty. I started in Drcember. I will get perishable things like bread, milk, fruit... but no more snacks or anything. Kids have already started saying we have no food in the house 😂. They just want crappy food. My goal is another 3-4 months before I start restocking
I'd love to see some more pantry cooking videos soon. The food rut is real..... 😉
Christine, you never fail to delight!!! Sometimes I've waited months for a 'major' purchase but it's usually somewhere between 3-7 days. If it's on deep discount, I'm flexible. I LOVE LOVE LOVE your advice and I am very frugal but sometimes called cheap...how dare they...they're jealous!!
After chat on books .... ABSOLUTELY
Please read The Silent Patient. It is my favorite book in the last 5 years. I read about 100 books a year.
I love your channel so much for years and I always love what you say about Meal Planning and to shop what your family will eat.
I started with a list of family favorite meals and would shop those ingredients but doctor these recipes by changing the protein or veg to make them different.
I was born frugal and wise. 😊
I could do a true no-buy week, except gas. I drive 60+ miles six days a week and my car is not fuel efficient at the moment (saving to get it fixed) so not buying gas for a week would never happen unless we were snowed in lol
I’m attempting a low-buy year but taking it week by week because yeah a year is a long time especially for a first time.
my biggest challenge with meal planning is that food prices have changed so much, what used to be cheap is now quite expensive. I have a hard time pin pointing what the cheaper things are now and finding easy cheap meals to plan for.
I love these tips!!
I will always buy quality over quantity. My mom never understood (and still doesn't) that, she would always say 'well, you can save money with that $100 futon'. We bought a $400 sofa that lasted about 10 years (had to get rid of it when we moved).
I work from home and I agree with EVERYTHING you said about that. I am able to get stuff done around the house, I can make my lunch with stuff I have here, I can get exercise by walking my dogs, all while not spending money on gas. My hubby does drive to work, but he gets lunch provided to him and gas is the same as what I paid when I drove to my job (2019).
My FIL was always one to buy "what he could afford" (i.e. cheap quality) and I cannot tell you how many times my husband has gone down there to do something for his mom (FIL passed away several years ago) and the first thing he has to do is go buy a new tool or fix the tractor or lawn mower or whatever before he can do what he actually went down there to do because the quality is crapola. SO frustrating.
Our friends were shocked when we bought a couch and love seat 20 years ago for 1500. We are still sitting on them today because they are amazing quality leather and a timeless style. They have all bought multiple sets in the years that have passed.
@@susanpumphrey354 that sounds frustrating. It also takes away from what he needs to do for his mom. I am sure it is frustrating for him too, as he is spending more time there doing stuff that wasn't originally needed.
@@MyFocusVaries I love that. Yea, the chaise was the last one that the company was making and it was the last one in the factory, so we got an amazing deal on it. We also had a couch that sort of matched and we loved it (great quality), but it also didn't fit in the house we moved into.
Yes, please do after-chats about books. I'm trying to start reading again and Amazon prime gives you kindle credits (you don't have to have kindle unlimited) if you select no rush shipping. I've purchased two books that way already so I'd love more recommendations.
Ahhh! I just saw my face pop up in the thumbnails regarding No Spend Challenges! It’s definitely been a great tool to kick off the year🙏❤️ Love your channel! (Of course the one I missed when it came out!) 😜
Book Recommendations: my all time favorite is Good Omens by Terry Pratchett; additionally, his Disc World series is sort of like cauliflower crust pizza. You think you're eating pure junk-food. But, you're actually getting some good healthy stuff for you. If I were rich enough, I'd give a copy of Night Watch to EVERY police department in the world!
I love the "after show" so please keep doing it. For book recos, I adore Blake Crouch and highly recommend Dark matter, Recursion, and Upgrade. If you dig mysteries, I thoroughly enjoy Ann Cleeves and loved her Shetland series (starts with Raven Black) and I also love her Vera series (starts with Vera - the 1st book is a bit longer than the rest and Vera doesn't show up until half way through the book). I find her plots to be incredibly well crafted and I never really figure out who did it, but then it always makes sense at the end. I always enjoy your videos! Thank you for sharing! I'm personally trying for a low buy 24 and I need all the encouragement I can get.
Yes to the book talks! Nora Roberts is an amazing author. She also writes under the name JD Robb.
She’s the only author whose books I will actually buy. I check out the JD Robb ones but I will reread the Nora Roberts books. They are like old friends. 😁
Meal planning is hard for me because I get ambitious about the foods I want to make, and then don't follow through because it's too much work, I'm tired, or I don't want the food that night.
My biggest meal planning obstacle is cooking for one. I can only eat the same thing three times at the most. I'm about to start a small group with five other ladies in small (1-2 people) households to prepare and cook about a month's worth of freezer meals.
Yes, please - include book content. My goal this year is to read 12 fiction, 12 non-fiction, plus my daughter and I plan to read 6 biographies of women for a grand total of 30 books, and I'll probably exceed that. Would love to hear what you're reading. My book recommendation is Lessons in Chemistry.
Lessons in Chemistry was a fun book.
Just finished it!@@jaclynandrews3283
This helped me stay on track. 2022 I redid my walk in closet. Looks great and well organized. IF I buy a new clothing item, one needs to be donated!! 2023 I carried this idea through the rest of my house. Happy Frugal New Year everyone!!
About reusable water bottles... We have the Contigo brand. If they start leaking or if they develop any issues, the company will replace them FREE. We have already done that about 3 times!
You simply have to email them and include a photo.
That's amazing customer service!
@@FrugalFitMom Absolutely!!!
Meal planning seems to turn on my brain fog. 😂 I work 30 hrs, 5 days a week. But my schedule is split. I drive school bus so I have about 4 hours between runs to do anything which includes caregiving my mother. So I’m tired and unmotivated a LOT. I’m going to buy an extra freezer so I can store more and shop less often. Right now I only have a side by side fridge and the freezer simply doesn’t hold enough. I want very few processed foods in our diet, needs to be diabetic and gut friendly and brainless kind of simple. 🤪
You inspire me a lot so I’m ready to see this meal planning guide you’re creating! 🎉
I would love meal planning advice/options! Your advice is always soooo helpful!!! Tfs!
Yes, to book updates. I highly recommend Freida McFadden’s book. The Coworker, The Inmate, she has so many. I love them all!
As far as meal planning goes, just coming up with new meals to make, and having to think about the lists. I know, that’s the laziness in me. Lol!
Never Lie by Freida McFadden is so good!
Those are great on audio!
I watch many content creators on UA-cam. I have a notebook next to my recliner and I write down the basics of every meal I see that i like. I usually “discover” new meals or “rediscover” meals I haven’t thought of in a really long time. When I tire of the same old every few weeks, I refer to the list and make 2-4 of those. Sometimes I have to tweak them so I have to make them for several weeks in a row. Then they stay in rotation (knocking out something else, which eventually becomes a “forgotten” meal I will “rediscover” at a later time. We also go in spurts. We may have meatloaf every week for 6 months (sometimes beef, sometimes turkey) then not again for several months. Egg rolls in a bowl every two weeks for a while, then not at all for months. There are some tried and trues that will ALWAYS stay in rotation (chicken enchiladas, chicken parmigiana, burgers, tuna tacos) and some that are popular but seasonal; chili, bean soup and cornbread, stuffed peppers. Some are labor intensive and happen only every so often; lasagna or wontons. I try to keep chicken cutlets and wraps and bacon, ranch, tomato and lettuce on hand, because those wraps are SO good and SO fast and SO easy. No brainers. Even if chicken is frozen, it can be thawed and cooked in under half an hour..
The kids have moved out and it’s just me, so I usually make enough protein, starch and veggies for 2-3 days and eat the same thing, then I’ll make a pot of soup, and eat that for 3-4 days. Rinse and repeat…no need to meal plan. But I still walk the perimeter and stock up on clearance.
I canceled my Netflix subscription while watching your video! I restarted my subscriptions, because my friend and I started watching Gilmore girls in the fall, so I told myself I would only watch that, and then cancel the subscription! I finished the series last night. Thanks for the reminder!
It is technically a young adult series but i am 47 and really enjoyed the Inheritance Games series. They are wuick reads but w good plot. I also like the midnight library and the lost apothecary. I have tried the Book Queen's yearly one book a week challenge. I have tried books i never would have picked before and she gives good recommendations.
I'm currently reading The Scent Keeper. It was on Reese's book club and so far I really like it. It is different than what I normally read so I was happy to pick it up. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah was a good one for a good war story with a female lead. Very well written. Anything by Celeste Ng. Shari Lapena has some good thriller ones too, but I would listen to those on audible since I am not sure you would pick them up again after you know the killer. An Unwanted Guest is a good one by her. I just reached my yearly goal of 32 books a year. I might try to increase it again this year. :)
Women’s Murder Club series by James Patterson is really good. Right now I’m enjoying a series written by Lyndee Walker, and I just finished up the Tracey Crosswhite series. I have a Kindle which will actually read them to me so I can cook, wash dishes, work in my yard, etc and still enjoy my books, otherwise I would stay in my recliner all day every day and read. I also pay a monthly fee for Audible because I travel a lot and like to have books to listen to while I’m driving. But I’m debating canceling my membership.
That’s exactly what we did with housing…we sold our house at the wrong time and kind of got caught out of the housing market. We ended up buying a small condo out of necessity. We ended up loving the lifestyle and once we could afford it bought a bigger condo and have no plans to buy a house. We love being right in the middle of town, we sold our second vehicle, and we have so much more time for our kids and hanging out with friends.
Looking forward to seeing your meal planning system. I've never been successful at meal planning because I don't necessarily want what's on the menu for a specific day. I do much better with batch cooking and freezer meals but am always open to change 🙂
Biggest meal planning issue is planning for 2 with a husband who doesn’t like leftovers 🤦♀️ I loved this video. I looked back to when we bought our first home in 1982. By the time we closed on our home the interest rate was 16%.
Always make enough for 4-6 servings. Set out enough for you two for that meal. Put the rest in the freezer, labeled and dated, for a quick, instant meal some other day when you don't feel like doing any food prep/cooking. Heat, then eat.
If you cook a meal that has 4-6 servings you could freeze the “leftovers” in single serving portions for yourself to use as lunch items. If it’s that he doesn’t want to eat the same thing multiple days in a row but he would eat it like this a week or two from now then the portions could also be his. Otherwise they’re all yours to enjoy. I honestly don’t understand people who “don’t like leftovers” I mean, I specifically plan to have extra. Mine are “planned-overs”.
I love the voice of Jo Bartlett, she is a brilliant narrator, such an easy voice to listen to.
I never pay full price for anything. I love the no spend challenge but only for a short period. I use DVDs because we had a storm, so there has been no cable/ internet streaming for 3 days now. I don't pay for hulu, Amazon Prime etc. I started a 50 envelope challenge with $200 going into each envelope and I've already saved $5200 since Dec 30,2023.
Book recommendation: Inheritance, book 1 of The Lost Bride Trilogy by Nora Roberts. I finished the book in 3 days. My husband had surgery on January 2nd and I started the book at the hospital.
I love your suggestions on cost cutting and have implemented several of them in my household.
I loved all the books in this series!!!
I’m getting ready to read that! My daughter gets me one Nora Roberts book and the latest Janet Evanovich book for Christmas. We have been doing this for 11 years now. I no longer buy books. When I was moving, I was packing up 2 book cases and figures up what I just spent on only one shelf 😮 that was it for me lol
so I am also doing the no spend challenge for January, it has been difficult but I haven’t bought anything yet. I went to costco and sams with my oldest daughter (she has 3 kids) and she was doing a stock up omg the deals they have going on right now is insane!!!! But I didn’t buy anything and Im ok with that! thank you for all your videos-
Catherine Coulter's FBI Thriller Series is one of my fave murder/mystery series
I find fatigue to be an issue. I have erratic schedule where sometimes work days and then the next day deep night. For a day or two after the night shift, cooking and cleaning after is exhausting. And it’s just me and my husband.
At the end of the show, you were talking about how many books you want to read, which got me thinking that I want to read more books in 2024 also. Last year I set my goal for 10 books and I finished one. I would love to hear from you, the books that you’re reading or the books that you recommend or even start your own UA-cam page of a book club. I would be first in line to subscribe. Thank you for all the content that you been giving me all these years. This is the first time I’ve ever commented, but I have enjoyed you immensely. Happy new year.
I love the redemption series by Karen Kingsbury with Gary Smalley! Such good christian books with a different captivating plot in each one that all intertwine ❤ and a cutsie recomendation is between the lines by jodi picolt and samantha van leer. Adorable sweet story, i've read it three times. The characters inside a book are alive and the reader falls in love with a character in the book😊
Oooh, Hailey! Thanks for the recommendation!
Yes to the aftershow discussion of books...and anything else. I loved the story of the tempting coat and shoes.
Im with you on the Collen Hoover things....totally overrated!
Try anything by Lisa See, Lian Moriarty or Kate Morton. This year I loved American Dirt, Hello Beautiful, The invisable life of Addie LaRue, Killers of a certain age, Small mercies and Lessons in Chemistry. Happy Ready.
I am happy to find someone else who does not like Colleen Hoover books. I only read one - Verity - and it was so creepy, especially the end. Never again!. Love all your videos, Christine. Keep up the great work.
i put a no eat out challenge in November. we don't eat out much but those nights we were tired or didn’t feel like cooking, I'd remember my challenge and how much i spent at the store so i would suck it up and get creative. I do meal plan- I have to, there's 6 of us. i also refuse to go grocery shopping more than once a week unless it's a major need.
Reading 1 book a week us definitely doable, especially if you've cut streaming platforms. My favorite reads in 2023 were the Finlay Donovan series by Elle Cosimano, The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave and The Baker Street Mysteries by Valerie Burns. I also really enjoyed Kelly Ripa's autobiography as well as Haley Mills autobiography.
I read The Last Thing He Told Me. Excellent book. I wanted more of it. Much more.
I read every day, usually 2 books a week
For book recommendations: For thriller/mystery, Dark Matter is really good! There is some language and a couple "scenes" that I skipped through, but the whole idea and plot are interesting and it kept me on the edge of my seat. I plan to read the other two books that Blake Crouch has written as well. The Chateau is good murder mystery. Again, some language - which I do not cuss or like language - but the plot is really good. A rom com I love is The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams - I have literally read it 5 times haha. Others by her I like are The Off Limits Rule, The Match, and The Enemy. Just light rom coms that are fun to read. My husband also said the Jack Reacher books are really good, so I plan to read those soon.
Yes! To Jack Reacher!