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My site has moved. Please see the new site at Kris' Frugal Living Info. Well, I finally decided that I might as well be earning money while just surfing the web, so I've created a webpage where I share with you the various programs I've joined and which have paid me in either cash or gift certificates for my time spent surfing the net! To view this webpage, click here!  I'm always looking for good ways to save some money so that we can put it towards our huge debt load, so I've created these few webpages on frugal and simple living to try and help others find resources (books and websites) that may help them save some cash too! I've mentioned several ways my family saves money in my Simple Living Story, but I'm going to list many of them below (as I think of other things we do to we save money, I'll add them below and mark them NEW!). I may have a method of saving money that you haven't thought of in a while! To visit the other pages relating to frugal living, click below!  Listings of books about Simple or Frugal Living Frugal and Simple Living Websites  ~ First, I have an idea of our monthly income & expenses on paper. Many families think they know what money is coming in and what is going out, but seeing it on paper really helps put everything into perspective. ~ We do not have anything past basic cable. Although we like many of the channels offered in our expanded cable package (The Discovery Channel, Nature Channel, etc.), we can't justify the extra money since we don't watch that much TV. ~ We use the library for books and movie rentals. Our library also has a large selection of books on tape which I know many people like. Check to see if your library has similar items. ~ I only shop Wal-Mart once a month for our necessity items (shampoo, paper products, etc.). The more I'm in Wal-Mart, the more I spend because I can't resist some of the bargains they offer. Sure, I may not get an item at it's lowest price, but I'm spending less money because I'm in the store less often! ~ We use the envelope method for paying for things. My husband gets paid once a month. I first pay all of the bills I can by check, no matter when they are due. Even if they are due mid-month or later, I go ahead and write the check so I'm assured of having my bills taken care of. Then, I withdraw enough cash to cover other expenses like groceries, Dr's visits, haircuts, etc. I put this money in envelopes and when the money is gone, it's gone! It truly helps me to visualize just how much money I really have for each expense. ~ We don't eat out much. We take the kids to McDonald's Playland once or twice a month, but that's about it. Unless there is a birthday or anniversary to celebrate, my husband and I do not go out to eat. We are lucky in that we like each other (smile!) and so we rent or borrow movies to watch or we sit and chat in the evenings. We don't have this nagging desire to pay for a babysitter just so we can eat by ourselves! Our church offers several outings for us during the month (care group, covered-dish dinners, etc.) and we use these functions as our entertainment. The babysitting fee is nominal and everybody benefits .... the kids get to play with their friends and so do we :-) ~ To keep our utility bills down, we installed fans in all of the rooms. This lets me keep the thermostat up a tad higher (it's set around 78-80 in the summer) without us feeling the heat. We have a gas stove for cooking and heating and I know this helps keep our bills down also. ~ Entertainment for the kids usually involves trips to the park or to friend's homes, trips to the library and McD's Playland visits. I must say that the best investment we ever made was to purchase our computer. It truly is our children's main source of entertainment. Some families may not agree that this is a wise decision, but with limitations set on the amount of time they can spend in front of it during the day, it's working for us!WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO?
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