Frugal Thursdays.....

I don't know about the rest of you, but times feel tough.  It always seems like there are more bills to pay than money coming in.  Over the past year I have worked hard to figure out ways to cut my budget.  It's hard, some payment are fixed, like your mortgage, and insurance.  Others are not but sometimes they are the ones where I over spend without any thought.  Groceries, eating out, utility bills.  As a new year creeps up on us, and it is coming fast since we are already being surrounded by Christmas decorations and advertising I have decided to dedicate my Thursdays to learning about being more frugal, and thought I'd share it with you.  There are tons of blogs, and websites that talk about this subject.  So I hope to have lots of related sites for you.

Over the past year I can say that I have been able to cut a lot from my budget.  Some things I have done.
1. I have only bought about 3 new items of clothing for myself this year.
2. I have only bought food from the work vending machine a handful of times.  I used to buy almost every day, but when you add it up and find that you have spent $500.00 on sugar,salt, and fatty items you realize that the money could be spent better.
3.  I have stopped using expensive cleaning products.  I now use Baking soda, and vinegar to do the majority of my house hold cleaning.  Does vinegar smell pretty, no, but most cleaners don't smell that great either.  I am amazed at how clean my house is with these products.  My next step is to learn how to make my own laundry and dishwasher detergents.
4.  I've consolidated all the debt from our move, it has a lower interest rate, and I have stopped using credit cards.

My steps that I will be writing about are:
1. Trying to cut my grocery bill in half.
2. Living on 80% of my budget.
3.Working towards finding a more rewarding job, possibly one that pays more, or at least finding a 40 hour a week job.
I would love to hear from you and how you save money and work to be debt free and frugal.
G.G.
Related site:
Frugal living 101