As I read frugal and financial blogs and discuss money-saving tactics with people, I have noticed two distinct frugal grocery styles. People tend to be either stocker-uppers or week-to-weekers. Both have well thought-out reasons for their thinking. I am definitely in the stocker-upper camp. Let me tell you why! Stocking Up is Responsible I have always been taught that having food storage is important. Food is pretty important to, you know, survival, so it just makes sense to be prepared. ... read more
Storing Green Tomatoes
Did you know that you can store green tomatoes inside when it's too cold for them outside and they will gradually ripen? You can eat homegrown tomatoes in the winter time and stretch your canning out to the months where you actually don't mind heating your house up with the stove. Pick We inevitably have loads of green and partially ripened tomatoes still on the vine when the frost hits. My father-in-law, being the garden guru that he is, is a weather watcher. He lets us know when the hard ... read more
Joining the Debt Discussion
Determining the Debt When we made the big tally of how much we owe in student loans, I was truly shocked. The numbers had been right there in our mint.com account all through law school, but I don't think I ever paid much attention to them. If I ever glanced at the student loan category, I was in denial and thought "oh, that can't be right." Among friends in law school, we talked about debt often, but in general terms. We talked about how we were excited for a steady income and how we ... read more
Thinking Outside the Bolt: How I Get Fabric Free or Cheap
If you have ever stepped into a fabric store, you know that fabric isn't cheap. In fact, it can be quite expensive! Considering all the great ways to get clothes inexpensively (or even free), buying fabric and taking time to sew clothes for your family hardly seems like a frugal option. Unless you can get fabric for free or super cheap. I don't mean just a good sale or low quality material at discount prices. I'm not talking about fabric samples. I'm not even going to mention the 40% off ... read more
Garden Gratitude: Our Harvest Report– What we grow and what we do with it
Having a successful garden has kept our grocery budget low throughout the summer. With the produce that we've canned, frozen, and dehydrated, we should be eating nice organic fruits and veggies into the winter as well. We are so thankful for our garden. A garden is one of the great benefits of living in my in-laws basement (you know, besides free rent, utilities, and babysitting). My in-laws are serious gardeners, in fact I will just call them "the Gardeners" here on out. Even though it ... read more
October 2013- Debt Repayment Progress Report
One of my favorite parts of blogging about our journey to become debt-free is our monthly progress reports. My idea of "making personal finance public" holds me accountable. I love tying up loose ends by crunching the numbers, categorizing the purchases, and analyzing where we put our money. Of course, the best part is to see the debt getting smaller. We didn't quite make the $3,000 that we were aiming at for our big fat goal, but we did pay $2,300 toward those pesky student loans. INCOME ... read more
Homemade Yogurt in the Crock Pot
Several years ago, my friend taught a class on making yogurt and cheese. Along with over a dozen women from church, I sat in amazement as she showed us how easy it is to make yogurt. You don't need a fancy, retro yogurt maker with individual serving cups. In fact, one of the great things about making yogurt in the crock pot or slow cooker is that you can make as much as your crock pot will hold. I am all about making (and buying) in bulk to save time and effort (and clean-up) in the ... read more
Homemade Whole Wheat Pancake Mix
Breakfasts at the SixFiguresUnder household have not been the same since we decided to get serious about paying off our student loan debt. We love cold cereal and used to eat it regularly. Though my max price was just $1.50 a box, it adds up fast when you have big eaters. Our three little ones are ages 5 and under, but they can eat breakfast like there's no tomorrow! Oatmeal and pancakes have become two of our breakfast staples. We still have cold cereal on Sundays as a special ... read more
6 Ways to Get Kids’ Clothes for Free or Cheap
Even before you have children (or are pregnant), the temptation to buy adorable children's clothes may begin. Quickly growing children, changing of seasons, and new trends may continue to feed the addiction of kids clothes shopping. You could break the bank buying clothes for your little ones. The sooner you learn to get clothes for your children inexpensively or free, the more you'll be able to contribute to their college fund (or pay off your debts, as is the case around here). Here are ... read more
Cold Cereal Sundays
I love cold cereal. I have been known to eat it for any meal of the day, especially when I'm pregnant. When we lived in town, I was great at combining coupons, sales, and manufacturer deals to get bargain prices on cereal. I rarely paid more than a dollar for a box of cereal. Now that we are far from stores, stopping in for every deal (or even only the good ones), just isn't possible or cost effective. In our home, cold cereal has become a highly valued commodity. Instead of enraging ... read more
