Summertime is in full swing for many of us now. Schedules are opening up a bit and the kids are home, the weather is warm, and the sun is shining! Here are some frugal summer fun ideas.

I know what you may be thinking… Creativity has nothing to do with frugality. I’m just not one of those “creative people”!
But before you dismiss this article as not for you, let’s think about what creativity is.

Here’s an interesting explanation of contentment for you to ponder this month:

“Contentment is wanting what you have.”

You’ve decided to become a better steward of what you have. You’ve got your coupons clipped, shopping list ready, pantry organized, and you are on a quest to save money on your grocery bill! One small problem. The rest of the household is not. For instance, your husband insists upon drinking soda as his only beverage and your kids will only eat one brand of cereal. Don’t they know that water is free and any old cereal will do!? Here are a couple of tips to bridge the gap between you and your frugal unawares.

When I was 9 years old I had the privilege to visit my Dad’s homeland, the then communist Czechoslovakia. We stayed with my grandparents for three weeks. Their entire property was a garden complete with chickens and ducks, and baby kittens. As I thought about that time recently, I was struck with my grandparents’ and great-grandmother’s (who lived with them) resourcefulness. Nothing, and I mean nothing was wasted!

There it is, I thought, I’ll just buy one of those, no, two of those. We have the money, who cares if I’m a little over budget, we need one right now! But, as I drove to the store I thought about my rationale a little bit and realized another two cents tip!

My Mom shared a great tip with me on how to easily use the lipstick that is usually wasted at the bottom of a lipstick tube!

Aren’t we sometimes like an ostrich who buries their head in the sand to escape reality? I think the “ostrich” way of living is an easy trap to fall into, especially relating to finances. Solomon said we should be diligent to know the state of our flocks and to look well to our herds.

The words “mercy” and “truth” are often thrown around in our household, and I couldn’t help but relate them to finances and Christmas. I know, know, money’s not a fun thing to talk about during Christmas, but no other time of year is more geared to get you to spend often, quickly, and without putting much thought to your purchases. It’s sooo hard to be purposeful with your spending this time of year!

It’s been a whirlwind few weeks for the Andersons, and the month of October is shaping up to be even more eventful with two out-of-state trips, two wedding cakes to decorate, and a multitude of birthdays and other special occasions. Being so busy has forced me to evaluate and prioritize and go over my to-do lists a few times, weeding out the unimportant and trying to stay focused on what tasks are most important. I’ve had to plan my grocery and shopping trips carefully around our busy schedule, which made me remember one of my man’s favorite principles…the 80/20. Read on for the details…

This month, Donna Anger is sharing with us some of her helpful and frugal tips! Hopefully they will save you Two Cents!

“I went to the grocery store and saved $68!” Have you ever said someting like that to your husband or friend? I have on numerous occasions. It’s a thrilling thing to get a great deal! Quite frankly, it’s one the reasons I love shopping so much! You could liken it to men and hunting. They hunt for animals, we hunt for bargains. It’s really the same concept…the thrill of the chase. It can be a lot of fun!

I came across a few verses about Hezekiah that show us something very special about him. Read them and let’s reflect together about this great Man of God.

We are planning a little excursion for our family and we leave soon, so I just have a few quick tips for you this month. Some unique ideas of ways things you already have on hand can “double” for another purpose. So without further adieu, here are a few ways to use what you have on hand to stretch your cents!

I love shopping! If you asked my Mom, she would tell you that I have always had the shopping bug since I was a little girl. I like numbers and mental math, so shopping and me go way back! However, there is a tendency when you are “born to shop” to go overboard in the spending department. How much is too much?

Contentment. What comes to your mind when you think of someone or something that is content? I think of a fat cat asleep on a sofa, that’s the first thing that comes to my mind! 🙂 Isn’t contentment a hard character trait to cultivate in our materialistic society? Everywhere we turn we are bombarded with commercials, billboards, banner ads on our computers, sale flyers, catalogs, with messages communicating our need to buy more, have more. We couldn’t possibly have a successful or even normal life without the advertised item. To this I say, nonsense! All we need are the basic essentials of life to survive and thrive.