Frugal Living: The Lists

To cut expenses, you first have to know what you buy and use. I walk from room to room and write down everything I see that I consume. This might seem like overkill, but in reality I have found that I see things that I have forgotten that I use.

After I make this initial list, I break the items down into categories, i.e. "food", "cleaners", etc.

Here are some of my beginning lists:

Cleaners I Use

Items

Ingredients

Chlorox Cleanup

sodium hypochloride

Comet

 

Mop n Glo

 

Windex

alcohol

Mr. Clean Floor cleaner

 

Simple Green

 

Shower to Shower

 

Palmolive dish soap

 

Lime Away

 

Chlorox bathroom cleaner

no ing. listed!

Murphy's Oil

 

Silver cleaner

 

Brass cleaner

 

Things I cook

Items

Ingredients

Fruit

apples, oranges, grapes, peaches

Eggs

 

Bread

flour, yeast, salt, sweetener, grains

Pasta

flour

Pesto

basil, walnuts, garlic, parmesan, olive oil

Salad junk

lettuce, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, peas

Salad dressing

olive oil, balsamic

Cookies

flour, chocolate chips, salt, baking soda, eggs, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, oats, pecans, powdered sugar, butter

Jam

raspberries, strawberries, sugar

Pot roasts

meat, potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic

Casseroles

leftovers with Bisquick

Marinara

tomatoes, onions, garlic

Stir-fry

noodles, garlic, leeks, peas

Misc.

Items

Ingredients

Candles

 

Incense

 

Paper

 

Pencils, pens

 

Thread, yarn

 

Bug killer

 

Baggies, Alum foil, plastic wrap

 

Okay, now we've got our basic lists. Now we need to refine them as to what we can do without, make ourselves, or substitute for other things that are cheaper. If you notice, my lists above also include "ingredients". I do this so I can see what I can do without or can make. It's usually a work in progress most of the time, or a reminder or hint about what I can do instead of just buying off the shelf.

If you'll also notice, I really break items down to their bare-bones basics. My thinking is "what if I can't buy these"? What would I use instead? In other words, how can I live without dependence upon money and buying from the stores. Isn't that called sustainable living? Although I haven't reached complete independence by far, most of the items on my lists are reminders to think about reaching this goal. In other words, it's a work in progress that I refine and research and think about.

Another thing you might notice is that I don't have ingredients listed yet for items like shampoo and soaps. The recipes that I've found call for BUYING ingredients to make them. I'm still looking for recipes that have ingredients I can find in my own backyard or kitchen. To me, using recipes where I have to buy the ingredients defeats the purpose.

I will list my lists by each category that I have separated them into.

Bathroom

Items

Ingredients

Make, Grow, Substitute

Buy

Body Lotion

 

 

 

Cream Rinse

 

 

 

Dish Soap

 

 

 

Fabric softener

 

vinegar

 

Face soap

 

 

 

Kleenix

 

pretty cloth hankies

 

Laundry soap

 

 

 

Shampoo

 

 

 

Soap

 

 

 

Toothpaste

baking soda, salt, peroxide

 

 

T.P.

 

family
cloth

 

Antiperspirant

aluminum chlororhydrate

do w/out; not good for you!

 

Deordorant

propylene glycol, sodiumstearate, fragrance, corn starch or talc

essential oil? (neighbor uses, and LOVES it!)

 

Sunscreen

octinoxate, padimate

 

 

Floss

 

 

 

Q-Tips

 

 

 

Cleaners

Items

Make/Grow

Substitute

Buy

Vinegar

X

 

 

Ammonia

 

 

X

Alcohol

 

 

X