Stretching your frugality skills to the limit and beyond....

[Packratona!]

Ok what is a change or new technique you have tried, or taken on to save money that required a bit of discomfort when you initially tried it? For me, a recent one (today) was having me husband cut my hair for me; he had never cut anyone's hair before but was willing to try. I figured what's the worse that could happen? It grows fast. It turned out great! But I could not believe I did this! When I think about it, learning or trying a new skill is typically out of one's comfort zone.

[Teacher Terry]

Grooming our 3 Maltese. A friend & I bought good dog clippers and were going to save $ this way. Well the groomer also releases the anal gland, cuts toenails & pulls hair out of ears. Some of these I could not do-others the dogs did not want me too. Well we gave up after about 4 months of trying. The dogs looked terrible, at one point one dog was bleeding (for a year every time she saw me with a pair of scissors in my hand she ran) (probably PTSD:~)). Anyways we figured out that there is a reason this is a profession. Still glad we tried because it would have saved us $ had it worked. Instead we both just started having the groomer come once very 3 months instead of 2. Actually trying this gave us the idea to extend by a month by trimming hair around the "poop shoot" and above the eyes so they could still see.

[Blackdog Lin]

Well, since you mentioned hair.....it was very difficult for me to adjust to my natural hair color after 30+ years of coloring it. Mousy brown?! And all that gray?! Looking older?! I just persevered with it, and now kinda like my hair color. I LOVE that I save money and time and hassle and exposure to unnatural chemicals.

Packratona, so glad you like your new haircut! And think, your DH will only get better at it with practice! Oh, the money you'll save.....

[thinkgreen]

Like Teacher Terry, I started grooming the dog. Also alike was the dog's lack of enthusiasm for nail cutting & ear plucking. So I take it to the groomer to have those things done but use the clippers & scissors for the rest of the dog. Seems to work out well & costs less than half the price plus doesn't need to be done as often. Cost went from over $300 a year to less than $100. It certainly was a learning curve and sometimes the dog looks a bit iffy but mostly I get a lot of compliments on how it looks.

[Teacher Terry]

I think part of the problem is that we had 4 dogs to groom and my friend had 3. We were doing this together and with that many dogs it was alot of wasted life energy. glad your experience turned out somewhat better.

[Selah]

First level of discomfort: cutting my own hair. Second, greater, level of discomfort: cutting DH's hair! Now we'd never go back to the salon--we have a good time doing it, get better each time, and are always enormously pleased by how much time, money, and inconvenience we save by doing it at home.

Hanging clothes out to dry on a regular basis--and developing the patience to wait for them to dry--was also a bit of a hurdle. Now I like it and appreciate the peace and quiet in the house without a dryer constantly running, the meditative aspect of hanging them, and the smell they have when they have dried.

It's strange, but I also feel my creative muscles have strengthened in practicing frugality. At first, it was very hard for me to think of ways to re-use things or re-purpose them for something. My default setting was to just buy, buy, buy. Now I really enjoy coming up with frugal and environmentally friendly ways to meet the same needs. For example, I would now decorate an empty jar myself to create a pen holder, instead of just running off to the store to buy it. Or, I'd make my own stencils out of discarded plastic notebook covers instead of buying them, etc. I took an old cotton robe and had a seamstress turn it into beautiful napkins. I took another cotton robe with a stain on it, bought a lovely lace applique, sewed it on top of the stain, and now I have an even nicer robe than before.

Oh, I forgot! Using a slow cooker and a food processor was something I was unfamiliar with and uncomfortable doing, but I finally persevered and learned how to use them both. Now, we eat better and more frugally than we did before, because we can make our favorite dishes from scratch. Normally, we'd avoid doing things that required enormous amounts of grating or chopping or blending or frying, so we'd have to go to to restaurants to get things like french fries, latkes, coleslaw, etc. Next up: a pressure cooker, which I have yet to acquire and learn to use!

[pcooley]

I have to admit that I did an absolutely terrible job of cutting my wife's hair. I kept adjusting things, trimming here, trimming there, until she looked like she had made it halfway through a Buddhist ordination ceremony. I have not been allowed to cut my wife's hair since, nor have I volunteered.

[frugal-one]

I have short hair and ask my DH to trim the back and shave my neck, if needed, to extend the time I need to go for a haircut. I would love it if he would try cutting my hair. He wants NO part of it however. lol

I look at the libraries and senior centers in the area (15 mile radius) to see what classes and activities they offer. By doing this not too long ago, I found that a guy from the Antiques Road show was going to do appraisals for free at one of the libraries. Long story short.... we ended up selling an item he appraised for over $7,000!!!!! He even steered us in the right direction as to where to sell (actually auction off) the item. I have taken a number of free classes and learned so many things by this "frugal" monthly check.

Also, have been studying alternative medicine and have learned how to make some of my own medicines and have saved myself from having a surgery that was not needed. This was a stretch..... had a long learning curve and am still learning.

Have been studying how to make and find frugal travel arrangements. The last two trips have come in under budget.

Currently, studying fitness and surprisingly, there are dvds that show you how to create your own personal fitness plan, so you can focus on your specific exercise goals, including: improving range of motion, losing weight, resistance training to prevent bone loss, and more. I know very little about this so this is a stretch for me. Hopefully, it will save me a gym membership!

[Yarrow]

Many years ago out of necessity I gave up eating one meal a day, so that my kids would have more to eat. That definitely caused me discomfort, since I didn't snack then either and still don't do snacks to this day. Two meals a day, and that's it, but it has kept me thin over the years which has been very beneficial for me....so worth it to me, then and now.

[Packratona!]

Many years ago out of necessity I gave up eating one meal a day, so that my kids would have more to eat. That definitely caused me discomfort, since I didn't snack then either and still don't do snacks to this day. Two meals a day, and that's it, but it has kept me thin over the years which has been very beneficial for me....so worth it to me, then and now.

Very interesting. Also helps to just stick to the same schedule of eating; your body adjusts and doesn't get so hungry between meals when you train it to eat at the same time each day.

[Spartana]

I started buying a lot of my food - even fresh fruits and veggies - at places like the 99 cent only store. Lots of great selections for a low price. Took me out of my comfort zone though but now I think it's great. Can't imagine paying big bucks for things I can get there now.

I also cut my own hair (long, straight with bangs) but have done that forever so no biggie. Can't imagine paying salon prices for something so basic as my basic haircut. Alsdo just tried coloring it myself - well highlighting it. I've never done that before (never colored my hair before either at a salon or at home) so it was a new experience for me. Came out OK but was a bit of a hassle to do so next time I'll try one of doing the shampoo-in whole head hair color. Figure if it's terrible it will grow out eventually - or maybe just fall out :-)! Otherwise I stay pretty much within my comfort zone for most things. Have a pretty low comfort zone threshold though already.

[jp1]

I'm a guy with a short haircut so getting SO to cut my hair was an easy one for me. He'd mistakenly thought he was buying a beard trimmer but it was actually a head hair trimmer. I didn't love the place I was getting my hair cut so I suggested that he do my hair. 3 1/2 years later I've never paid for a haircut since. The money he 'wasted' on the trimmer has been earned back many times over.

Thinking of pets, for years we've been trimming our cats' nails. One doesn't mind. The other is still fussy about it. Over time he's gotten a lot less resistant and the money saved is definitely worth it. (although I'm sure he'd vehemently disagree...)

[Cypress]

Yarrow, your comment has struck a nerve. I am being squeezed by the movement upward of costs for living and trying to sort out how to reduce current spending. A friend shifted from no breakfast every morning and feeling awful to having Spirutein, a protein shake supplement for breakfast. I realize this isn't giving up a meal due to the necessity you had or have. But, I took her advise and purchased a container of Fruitein that was on sale at the local health food store. I could shift one evening meal or breakfast to only a serving of Fruitein and real fruit. The taste is very good and I would be getting a nutritious meal. This would reduce some cost and break a habit of three meals a day. I appreciate your honesty in writing this down. Sometimes you have to make changes that aren't so comfortable.

[Packratona!]

OK latest: I convinced my husband NOT to replace those rediculously costly refrigerator filters every 6 months like the directions and the light on the fridge say to. They cost us $60 a year. We have an excellent water supply in our town, which we already pay taxes for.

[Packratona!]

Next latest: stop buying flea meds for the cat who is an indoor cat anyway. We've never had fleas, but have been paying like $150 a year or something like that just in case we get them.

[gadder]

Great question, and interesting answers.

Funny how home hair cuts are so popular. Me too - I always went to a barber for my $12 cut, set the machine on 3 and just buzz away. One day, I thought I can do this myself, so bought a machine for $20 and now am very satisfied. No one noticed a difference. Mind you, I am a guy with little hair, so congrats to the home-barbering ladies/guys out there who may have more hair and beauty needs.

Next uncomfortable frugal activity: garbage-day scavenging. I am more comfortable at this and now I can say I love garbage day! It is like a treasure hunt with constant surprises. The only problem now is the required de-cluttering... This past winter I picked up from the sidewalk 2 pair of winter boots and 3 parkas, items I would never have touched before. After soaking in bleach, hanging outside in -25 weather for a week, then into the washing machine (and new insoles for the shoes), I now have winter clothing for a few years. I am really pleased.

[Packratona!]

Ah, yes; I make this an incentive to walk my neighborhood. I check out what is on the curb when I go by.

[Rachel]

I haven't done it yet, but I have been setting aside some things to sell on ebay. I started to try to do that a few years back but got discouraged by how much work it seemed to entail. However, I've got some time opening up in June and I'm going to just suck it up and do it.

[larknm]

Thanks to recommendations on these boards a couple or so years ago, I got DH some hair clippers and he now cuts his hair with them on #1 and I go over it afterward to get any spots he missed. Ditto I got Furminator dog brushes and we do our dogs' coats. I started about a year ago going to the senior center nearby to get my hair cut for free, but may just get a cut for $17 at the nearby shop to start out a year of no cuts, because my hair started looking really weird because of the way the senior center lady cuts it every time. I find it's hard for some cutters to cut my hair the same length all over--they just don't compute doing that. I say, "like man's" but that doesn't help. Maybe we should just set DH's clippers at a great length and clip away.

Years ago started making my own cloth toilet paper substitutes. Had to stop when had surgery on hip fracture and haven't started again but it was great. DH started cutting down dead and dying trees with relatively narrow circumference on our land with a reciprocating saw. Important because bark beetles are killing many trees and this helps that from spreading tree to tree.

Got a crock pot and started making our four dogs' food that we mix with kibble unfortunately to make it last a week.

Close off half of our small house in winter and live in kitchen and bedroom-cuts our heat bill about in half.

[reader99]

Me too with cutting my own hair. I had tried years ago and failed, but when frugality got serious I had to apply myself and figure out how to do it.

When my income plummeted I started questioning EVERY expenditure. I no longer buy shampoo or conditioner o toothpaste or deodorant, yet I still clean my hair and teeth and avoid stinking (baking soda).

Question everything.

[Tradd]

A great frugal blog, Frugal Queen, from the UK, is very inspiring on stretching your frugal skills. Read it all from the beginning. "Black belt" frugality, as Amy D. would have said.

http://www.frugalqueen.co.uk/?m=1

[larknm]

Tradd, thanks for recommending The Frugal Queen. I just read some of her stuff and saw some videos of her and am sold.

[Tradd]

Tradd, thanks for recommending The Frugal Queen. I just read some of her stuff and saw some videos of her and am sold.

Glad you like FQ's blog, Lark. I'm addicted.

FQ's story is here:

http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Frugal-Queen-Jane-s-blog-award/story-20951933-detail/story.html

[Tiam]

The last two weeks I did not ride my bike to commute to work. Instead I got deathly ill and was sick in bed for days and days. Bottom line? The savings in gasoline was at least the same!;)

[Packratona!]

Glad you like FQ's blog, Lark. I'm addicted.

FQ's story is here:

http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/Frugal-Queen-Jane-s-blog-award/story-20951933-detail/story.html

Thanks for the links, will check her out!

[sweetana3]

I love her new little house and the back garden they cleaned up. Love her attitude. Keep life simple and enjoy it.