Saving Money and Ron Paul Looks at the Greece Crisis

( Daffodils were beautiful this year!)

Hi everyone! Today I have a few thoughts on things that we can all do to spend less and save more money. The less you spend on certain items, you'll free up more money that can be spent on preps or debt repayment.

1. At the grocery store, shop the cheapest brand, use coupons, look for the mark-down or clearance aisle. Doing these things will save a significant amount of money. Don't be ashamed to buy off-brands. You know all that food, name brand and generic, is canned in the same place, right?

2. If you have a CVS or Walgreens near you, check out their ExtraCare Buck and Register Reward programs. Both programs are immediate 'rebates' that print with your receipt to be used at another time like money. I've had money rolling in both programs for a few years. With the great sales they have (regular prices can be high), coupons, and their 'rebate' programs, I've gotten LOTS of free toiletries and other things that I don't make on the homestead. Both of these programs can save you lots of money.

3. Look at your phone and cell phone bills and see if one or the other can be lowered or even eliminated. What do you really NEED and what are you keeping because you WANT?

4. Cook from scratch. This has to be one of the biggest money savers that I know of! Not only will you save money, but your food will taste much better!

5. Shop thrift stores and garage sales.

6. STAY OUT OF THE STORES! TURN OFF QVC! THROW CATALOGS AWAY AS SOON AS THEY COME! If you don't see it, you won't want it! Before every purchase, ask yourself if buying this 'thing' will help you pursue your goals. (see post) Every dollar you spend on some new piece of clothing or gadget is money you don't have to prep with or pay down debt.

7. Have a garage sale.

8. This one might sound weird, but cancel your garbage pickup. We did this after discovering that we only had about 1 Aldi kitchen size garbage bag of garbage a month! We still pay $5/month for recycling pickup. With food scraps going to the chickens or compost, recyclables going to recycling, and burnables going to the burn barrel, there's not alot of garbage left! If you can or freeze, you'll have even less trash. (I was amazed last year to read in a popular national women's magazine a suggestion that neighbors cancel their trash service and once in a while split the cost of taking garbage to the dump.) We have an agreement with a friend to take our garbage once in a while when we need to dump it.

9. Stay home more often. Rent movies, play games, read. Remove the temptation to spend that comes when you're out in public! Make eating out a once-in-a-while treat instead of a part of your normal routine.

10. Eat your leftovers! You've already paid for that food, so don't throw it away! Small amounts of leftover meat can be saved in containers in the freezer (chicken, beef, pork) until there is enough of it to make a meal with.

11. Change your attitude. Living frugally is not hard. It is not depriving yourself. It is living simply and purposefully. Find enjoyment in, and take pride in saving money, not spending it! Save. Prep. Enjoy the freedom that frugality brings.

12. Use cloth napkins instead of paper. Use rags and cloth towels instead of paper towels.

On a closing note, here is a clip of Ron Paul discussing the crisis in Greece and how it is affecting the rest of the world and especially the United States. This is a great message for preppers. Hard times are not over; they are on their way. Saving money and being prepared are your best modes of survival.

Prep On!
Gen-IL Homesteader

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