Frugal! I love that word!

Being self employed and having 3 kids (soon to be 4) makes for an interesting budget some times. I grew up in a frugal family and so adopting those principals were second nature. I have never been one who was about material items or expensive things. And i really thank god for that every day. I like to have nice stuff, but its not the most important thing to me. I find "things" to be empty. And prefer moments and memories over that any day.

In my adulthood/parenthood i have really sought out ways to save us as much as possible. Yet, still have a life. I  love sharing my ideas and tips with others. I mean what good is a great idea if you have no one to share it with?!

The first place i think everyone has to start to save a really big chunk is to change your way of thinking. Finding joy in small things will save you tons. Kids do not have to spend every weekend at a water park, zoo and theme park to have a good time. They naturally find joy in small things. And the biggest of the small things is simply spending time with you. They long for your attention. Especially if you are getting down on their level. Like playing hide and seek or helping them build a fort out of a simple box. We like to go to theme parks too, but we save up for them and make it a special thing.

This box made for countless hours and a week of fun. 

Until we forgot to put it away and it got rained on :(

Taking care of your stuff with save you even more money! Lesson learned.

Who needs a big fancy pool? They played in this tub for hours until we upgraded to a plastic pool haha.

Make your own back yard water park. I think we spent $20 on everything for ours. Slip and slide, pool, free from the side of the road slide, a few buckets and some rubber ducky's ='s hours of backyard cool down fun.

Everyone knows this but shopping at a local used book store saves TONS. We got 4 books for $7 you cannot beat that!

Reusing, repurposing and DIY are some commonly found words in my vocabulary. Not only is it fun but it saves TONS. I am making almost all my own decor out of vintage, reused and repurposed items for the baby's nursery. And i thrift for almost all of my clothes and the kids clothes. We buy new items but we really try to find good deals on them. So whenever i can do something second hand or make it myself, i jump on the opportunity.

Repurposed baby buggy for Bassinet. Thanks to a friend we got the coolest bassinet for Evelyn! I got a mattress for it given to us as well and picked up some .99 sheets at goodwill. TADA!

Super cute necklace for .59 in my favorite color!

Embroidery hoop .59 and vintage fabric given to me by a friend. TADA wall decor

Old wicker hanging lamp at goodwill $3.99 and some vintage flash cards from a rummage sale .25 and TADA a mobile for the nursery!

Another very fullfilling way to save (at least for me) is growing and preserving your own food. And if you are unable to grow your own, support local farmers markets. They usually have way better prices and WAY better tasting food. 

I just canned for the first time this year. We picked 7lbs of strawberries and i made them into jam. I was so proud of myself! I see a lot more canning in my future!

I bought these fuji apples from the discount rack and made them into apple chips. SO yummy! And healthy! AND CHEAP!

If you grow zucchini, then you know how out of control it can get. I started shredding the extras on a cheese grater and freezing in freezer bags. This is great for just tossing into a pasta dish or making bread etc. 

Raspberries were on sale for $1 i bought 4 packages and froze them on a cookie sheet. Then transferred them to a freezer bag. These make for a great snack on a hot day. or for later use.

Cucumbers can grow out of control as well. Refrigerator pickles are an easy solution. Ours were ate up in a day.

Keep the garden happy and your belly will be happy for months to come!

Adeline with our first zucchini! The kids love the garden. She is a great weed puller!

Cooking from scratch will always save you a ton! And again the kids love to help. It doubles as a great learning activity as well.

I save a ridiculous amount by couponing. I am no extreme couponer but my family knows if we run out of something, there is probably a back up or 2 in the basement. I am all about making your own items to be frugal but there are just some things i have to buy. Making your own detergent saves tons but we are just too busy to be able to do that. So i coupon for it. I pay like .50 for it so i really can't complain. I have to draw the line somewhere. I am hoping in the future to be homesteading nearly everything but some times its just not a reality. And no sense in stressing yourself out for a dream that becomes a nightmare.

Have frugal tips to share?? Post them in the comments below! I love hearing what others do!