Guest Feature: My Frugal Adventures

By Melissa Fuhrmann

What does it mean to be “frugal”? Do frugal people ever have any fun? In a culture that values having the biggest, best, and newest of everything, is frugality a good thing?

In popular culture, it often seems that frugality is identified, or even equated, with being cheap. The implication is that frugal people must never have any fun and probably eat a lot of generic, non-nutritious food. (Ramen noodles, anyone?) A little over a year ago, when I started clipping and collecting coupons, I discovered that this is most definitely not true. That was the beginning of my own frugal adventures.

I say “adventure” because figuring how to be more frugal has actually become fun for me. It was a little stressful at first (and still is, sometimes), but after you walk out of a store having paid less than a dollar for a cart full of products you’ll actually use, it starts to grow on you!

As a result of my “adventures,” our spending on personal hygiene and household supplies has been reduced to literally pennies. We have also drastically reduced our grocery budget – we now typically spend a total of $10 or less each month on groceries. And, we get quite a bit more “fun” stuff now. We currently have enough ice cream in the freezer to last a few months – and it was all free! I even bought some at a profit. That’s right — sometimes you can actually make money by shopping!

Over the last several months, I have come to realize that even though frugal shopping may not cost much money, it’s also not “cheap.” Rather, it’s being good stewards of the resources God has given us.

Even when the country is not in a recession, I think it still makes sense to learn how to cut expenses. And in a tough economy, shopping frugally can ease your household budget and allow for generosity that might not have otherwise been possible. Shopping more frugally has certainly allowed us to bless family, friends and others in the community with our excess groceries than we ever could have before.It might sound counterintuitive to decrease your grocery bill and increase in giving at the same time. In fact, one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that sometimes it actually costs less to buy more! This idea requires a slight shift in shopping mindset for most people, but it has been a major factor in drastically slashing our grocery bill.

The key here is the "buy low, stock up" method.

The way most people shop (including myself, up until a little over a year ago) is to buy what they need for the immediate future, then buy more when they run out. However, drastically reducing your grocery bills requires that you buy when the price is low, even though you may not need a particular item right then. You wait for rock-bottom prices, then buy as much as you estimate you will need until the next rock-bottom deal rolls around. Deals come and go in cycles, and they roll around on almost everything eventually. The key is taking advantage of them when they do.

For example, imagine that you find a great deal on spaghetti sauce, and your final cost after coupons and any store promotions is $.40/jar. That's a great price for spaghetti sauce, so you buy six jars. Without coupons or a sale, you would have probably paid at least three or four dollars each, so getting them for $.40 each is a steal! You got six jars for approximately the same amount of money that you would have normally paid for one — a difference of about $10!

However, if you only buy one jar, your supply probably won't last long enough to tide you over until the next deal, and you'll end up paying a much higher price when you need more in a few weeks. You see, by buying more when the price was low, you actually saved money.

Now imagine doing that not just with spaghetti sauce, but with almost all your groceries, personal hygiene items, cleaning supplies, and other household items. The savings will really start to add up quickly!After you shop with this "price-based" method for a while (vs. solely needs-based, "buy it when you need it"), you'll build up a pretty good supply of many items. Having this stash will most definitely save you money, but it also provides other benefits as well.

As I emphasized above, it makes it much easier to give to others. If you know of a need, it's so easy to just grab a bag, go to your closet, and fill it with extra toothpaste, shampoo, toothbrushes, etc., from your stash. There's no need for an extra trip to the store or worrying that there isn't room in the budget!

Your stash also serves as a sort of emergency fund. Many people (especially if you're Dave Ramsey fans) build up an emergency fund of cash that is readily available in the event of a catastrophe or job loss. If someone in your family is injured, becomes seriously ill, or loses a job, you may not have extra money or time to shop. But, if you have an "emergency fund" of food and household supplies, you can use that to get you through the rough spots.

Building good supplies of everything does take time. My experience was that stockpiles of certain items, like shampoo and toothpaste, seemed to grow almost overnight (and for free or better!), while other items, like canned veggies and fruit, were much harder to find good deals on.

It will also take time to figure out what good “stock up” prices are. Even now, I find that I am constantly revising my mental pricebook; it is definitely an ongoing process, with some trial and error. And, “stock up” prices will be different for different people, depending on where you live and what stores you have.

One last thing that will make it much easier for you to cut your expenses is if you are willing to be brand-flexible. If you are truly and completely brand-loyal to certain things, the deals on your particular preferred brand may not roll around as often as you need the item, and you will end up paying more if you’re not willing to try another brand.

If you start shopping with the "buy low, stock up" method, I would also warn against the tendency to cross the line into hoarding. I recommend trying to figure out how quickly your household goes through various products, and then "stock up" by buying what you will need to get through to the next great deal. If you end up with 50 bottles of shampoo in your closet, it's time to give some away.Seeing major results may not happen overnight, but you will catch on! When I started using coupons and shopping like this, I never imagined that we would be able to reduce our expenses by so much. Believe me, if we can do it, so can you!

Melissa Fuhrmann is the graduate religion program specialist in the School of Theology and Christian Ministry. She blogs regularly about saving money and finding great deals at melissamakescents.blogspot.com.