The 10 Things That Saved Us The Most Money

Our family has been on the road to debt freedom for a very long time. In fact, it has been so long that I can no longer remember when it all started. But looking back over the years, I thought it could be helpful to share a list of the things that helped our family save the most money. These are ways that we continue to use to save money on a daily basis and are listed in no particular order.

1 – Berkey Water Filtration System

Purchasing this system required us to save a little each month until we could afford the model that we believed would work the best for our family. Although it cost us approximately $550, it has more than paid for itself over the years.

Prior to purchasing a Berkey, we had our well water tested (I highly recommend you do this on a regular basis) and it did not pass. We made the decision to save up to pay for the well to be professionally sanitized but still did not feel comfortable using the water for drinking or cooking, so we purchased and hauled gallons upon gallons of water into our home on a monthly basis. It was expensive and the vast amount of plastic was astonishing. We now purchase very little bottled water and have clean water available as long as we remember to keep the Berkey filled.

2 – Buying Food in Bulk

Taking the time, and patience, to build up our bulk food purchases has been well worth the effort as it saves us hundreds of dollars a year on food. We’ve been members of various warehouse clubs over the years, but that’s not the only way to buy in bulk and save. We’ve also found that buying meat from local farmers is often quite a bit cheaper than buying from the store for the same, if not better, quality of meat. We have been able to purchase beef (grass-fed organic Angus), pastured pork, and even bison by the half, as well as numerous whole chickens. We’ve also been members of produce co-ops that gave us access to large quantities of farm-fresh produce in quantity for a flat price for the whole growing season.

3 – Creating a monthly zero-based budget

Every month we create a budget assigning every single dollar a job. The first time we put together a zero-based budget, we were amazed that we actually had money left over and we were able to budget for a little money for fun without any guilt. I have been astonished how easy it is to budget this way and how it provides complete control and knowledge over your hard-earned money.

4 – Eating at home.

There is not much else to say about this topic other than to constantly remind yourself that you have food at home. Eating at home is not only cheaper than eating out, it can also be significantly healthier. If you are going to work hard to pay for food, go to the effort to shop for it, transport it home and put it all away, then make sure you take the time to prepare and eat it. It is also important to monitor your perishables and work them into your meals before they have a chance to go bad.

5 – Zero food waste

We strive to reach 0 food waste in our home. As we’ve said before, you should make sure to eat whatever food you bring into your home, so it is important to monitor your perishable foods and either freeze, dehydrate or can them before they go bad. Rotating your canned goods is also a great practice with the more recent purchases put in the back and moving the older cans/jar to the front. Tossing inedible food is literally throwing money away.

6 – Low/No Cost Activities

Raising our kids, I actively sought out free and very low cost activities through local parks and recreation centers, farms, religious institutions, libraries, co-ops and 4-H. It took a bit of work to find the activities but it was worth my time and effort. For several hundred suggestions, check out our books in the margin.

7 – Library visits

I made our local library a regular stop over the years. As the kids grew up, I read to them on a daily basis so we went through a lot of books. We not only checked out books, movies, and magazines, but also participated in their classes. If you haven’t taken time to check out your local library, I encourage you to do so today.

8 – DIY

Mr. Seriously Frugal does as many home and auto repairs as possible. Although he is very handy around the house, there are times when he’s not comfortable diving right in — like the time he had to replace the check valve above our sewage ejection pump. Thanks to YouTube, he has been able to fix just about everything that has broken around our home in the past year year including: our washer, dryer, dishwasher, furnace, sump pump, and a bolt on his pickup’s transmission whose head sheared off after 22 years without moving.

9 – Mending and repurposing clothing

We live in an extremely disposable society and that applies equally to clothing. Over the years, I have learned how to make minor repairs to clothing and how to remove most stains. Clothes that were outgrown by an older sibling were passed onto the next child. Once my kids hit their teens, they would swap clothing with each other or leave it on a table we have in the house for items no longer want for others to take. Clothing that could not be used by another child and was in too poor shape to donate were turned into rags, which has drastically cut down our use of paper towels. We also swap clothing with other families, which is a huge blessing.

10 – Simplicity

Through the years we have adapted a simple and minimalistic view of life. For us, this means that we have chosen not to make a hobby out of buying things or shopping. We have learned to be content with what we have, and to be grateful for all the blessings we have been given. When you are content, you have no need to find ways to fill yourself up, which often results in a house full of stuff and suffocating clutter, which provides nothing lasting but stress and more work.

Now we would love to hear from you! What are some of the ways you’ve saved money on your frugal journey? Please share in the comments, thank you.