by Tip Hero John Boling

I notice so many people talk about how difficult it is to live a
frugal life. I don’t think it should be as difficult as people
believe it to be. It’s all in attitude. Being frugal is just getting
a need filled by using our imaginations about how to get more for
less.

My friend was talking about how difficult it was to cook frugally. She
was not using her imagination at all.

First we worked on desserts, they are the easiest to make interesting.
Bake a yellow cake from a $1.00 cake mix from the Dollar store.
Now look in the refrigerator and pantry to see what you have.
A blob of Cool Whip and top it with, choc syrup, 5 M&M’s, a couple
slices of canned peaches, a few slices of strawberries, shaved
chocolate, some colored marshmallows, are you getting the picture. A
cake baked in a 9 x13 pan will serve an average family of 4 for 3
meals……and they can be interesting.

With the remaining canned peaches, mash, add some of the colored
marshmallows to a box of jello and you have dessert or salad for 2
meals.

Add sliced strawberriess and cool whip to another box of Jello for a
different dessert.

Make them interesting and different and the family with make you their heroine.

Plain meatloaf when served with a sprig of celery leaves makes the
meal festive. Learn to make carrot curls, radish roses and celery
brooms to put on a plate, festive and edible.

The kids might even eat their veggies without complaint.
Another trick is to butter a slice of bread and cut it into 4 narrow
strips, when served this way, it is more appetizing and fun than just
a slice of bread.

Spread a slice of bread lightly with mayo, cover with thin sliced
carrots and a second slice of bread, cut in 4th and serve. Different,
and more interesting. None of these suggestions are costly, but they
look more festive and makes a simple meal more fun.

Main dishes, same thing, carrot curls on top of creamed soup.
Buttered toast sticks with soup, and a fun and colorful dessert. Very
inexpensive meal, but presented to look special.

I find It easy to serve simple, nutritious meals that are welcomed
when presented with easy edible garnishes.

Same goes with different clothing outfits, what can make an often worn
outfit special?

Perhaps a different scarf around the waist or neckline. A glittery or
bright bracelet that you found in a thrift store or yard sale might be
just the thing to make you feel better about wearing the same clothes
a lot.

I have found 5 sweaters, all very different, in thrift stores, they
are can change the look of an outfit immediately and dramatically.
Cute hats are another easy change. Fun, Attractive and stylish.

My children set the table for dinner and always have a centerpiece of
something. We have used colored leaves and apples, tree branches and
a handful of nuts, once we had a huge icicle in a bowl surrounded by
small white candles. It was magical. Let the other members of your
family use their imaginations. Nothing is too silly. Makes the house
festive and a meal more fun.

When we practice frugality, we use our minds and not our pocketbooks.
Sure there are times when money seems short, but by making frugality a
mindset instead of drudgery, those times are farther and farther
apart.

Another trick our family does, we put spare change in a jar. No
peeking. Set a date to open the jar and count the money. You will be
surprised how quickly a quarter or dime here and there add up. You
can then all agree as to how to spend it. Use it for extra pay on a
bill, for a trip to a thrift store for a game or puzzle or an item of
clothing, a favorite grocery item, [make it chocolate for me] or for a
gift for a friend or family member.

It may not be much money in the jar, but whatever it does buy is very
special and everyone had a part in the accumulation of money.

Bottom line, don’t make it so hard, make it interesting by using your
family’s imaginations.