Sleep

Sleep is good. It keeps you healthy. And that saves money.

Old Fashioned Ways

A slower lifestyle can be both money saving and healthier. Think about the way people lived 40, 50 or more years ago. There are some things we would not want to do without, such as air conditioning. But there are other things that might matter less.

Spend more time walking outside and less time walking around stores buying things you do not really need. Get more fresh air.

Spend more time with people and visiting than doing things that cost a lot of money. In the end, the quality of your relationships will be a major determinate in the quality of your life.

Do less. Have less. Yes, you can. Your life is not the sum total of what you possess. It sometimes gets in the way of life because you have to tend the stuff rather than enjoy peace and rest and relationships.

Drink lots more water. It is inexpensive and it is much healthier. You'll live longer with less ailments.

Dry your clothes out on a clothesline. The sun does a better job of killing bacteria and germs than bleach and with no harmful fumes like bleach.

Eat food as close as possible to the way they occur in nature. It costs less to eat a banana than a banana creme pie from the frozen food aisle and it is healthier. Eat your fruits and vegetables. Avoid processed cheeses and cured or processed meats. Many of our current health problems are the result of our dietary habits. It costs a whole lot less to eat 5 to 7 fruits and veggies a day than it does to take lifelong medications, have surgeries and deal with all the medical needs stemming from our bad food choices. There's a lot less pain and suffering too.

Bake, boil and broil your foods rather than fry them. If appropriate, eat foods raw, such as carrots. You save money by saving your health. Heart trouble and diabetes and knee surgeries are expensive.

Eat at home. Simple, healthy meals are much better for you than the salt and fat laden items served in restaurants. Eating sitting at a table and not rushing leads to better digestion. Saves money on the anti acid pills.

Turn off the a/c or heat when the weather is nice and open your windows to let in fresh air. Unless you live in a very polluted city or have severe lung problems already, this is healthy. And healthy is frugal.

Buy clothes that can be washed at home. Do not purchase clothes that must be dry cleaned. Dry cleaning is not frugal. Dry cleaners use chemicals on the clothing to clean them. Over time you are exposed to these chemicals which are considered not very good for your health. Healthy is frugal.

Worshiping the Lord is frugal. How? People who attend church and have faith in the Lord live longer, are happier and are healthier than those who do not. Researchers have concluded this. Why? People in church have friends and social contacts. Those correlate to a better life. They have faith and purpose and life has meaning. Things that make one healthier. People who are faithful in worship tend to have healthier lifestyles than those who do not, drinking, smoking, doing drugs, and other high risk behaviors tend to be avoided more. Prayer is time of quiet and tends to slow down the heart rate so the body is more relaxed, a healthy thing. Singing lifts the spirits and stimulates chemical reactions in the body that encourage better health. It also gives the lungs a work out and increase dopamine in the brain which lead to a sense of well being.

Frugal Living

There are so many good coupoons available for restaurants and businesses right now, both printed and on line. Why pay full price when the same meal can cost half as much?

#59 Halving

Look for ways to divide things in half for savings.

I found a special on big dog bisquits, but my dog eats medium ones, so I bought them and break them in half for my dog to eat.

Some people order a prescription double dose of what they need and split the pills so they last twice as long for the same price.

There are people who cut a dryer sheet in half and only use half for each load of laundry. For clothes that are not really dirty, half the amount of laundry soap may be enough.

There are times when a product is on sale and you and a friend can split it half and half, each getting what you need and only paying half.

Some restaurants have very large servings for a good price. Split a meal. Some restuarants charge extra to put it on two plates for you but almost none charge you if you split it yourself. Splitting it yourself gives you more control over the amounts of each item that each person gets in accordance with their preferences. For large servings and small appetites, you might even want to consider splitting an entree 3 ways. Ditto for desserts.

#58 Dollar stores

Check out the "everything for a dollar" type stores. They sell many things, that cost as much as $3 to $5 at other stores, for a dollar each.

#57 Bird Feeder Kit

I bought a bird feeder kit at the hardware store for a little over $2. It amounted to a handle and a cap that fastened to a 2 liter bottle with a place for the birds to land, a small saucer for the birds to feed out of and small openings for the seed to drop through. The birds are loving my cheap, 2 liter plastic bottle, bird feeder.

#56 Bring Your Own Bags

I've started bringing my own bags shopping and stores take off a nickel a bag. One of our stores had a special sale, 3 for $1 cloth bags and I had coupons for a few dollars off any purchase from another offer. At that rate I save around a dollar a week, sometimes less.

While I am at the store, I shop in all the bargain bins for reduced merchandise of the things we can use. If it is not half price or lower, I do not consider it a very good bargain since it is overstocks, discontinued items, items close to or past date, dented boxes and cans, ripped bags and that sort of thing. Recently I was able to get bird seed that had been repackaged due to ripped bags at a very good price. Birds don't care even if the ripped bags had to be gathered off the floor.