Spring Green: Frugal Sustainability

Do you have a passion for sustainability? Curious how you can save the earth and save money at the same time? Check out some of these frugal sustainability ideas!

• Eat Local: Frequent some of the cities sustainable restaurants and coffee shops, buy your groceries at the Farmer’s Market or your neighborhood co-op, join a CSA, or grow your own garden.
• DIY: You can save a lot of money by creating your own green products. Make your own household cleaners and beauty products. Grow your own medicinal herb garden. Make your own gifts!
• Shop Smart: Buy eco-friendly, local products with less packaging. Don’t buy more than you need, only buy what you will use. Transport your groceries with refillable canvas bags, if you must use paper or plastic bags reuse them.
• Save Energy: Unplug appliances. Switch off lights when you leave the room. Turn down the thermostat a degree or two, for every one degree you can save 3% on your bill. Consider three-way lamps; they make it easier to keep light levels low when you don’t need a lot of light. Change three of your household light bulbs to compact fluorescent light bulbs.
• Save Water: When washing clothes wash only full loads, use cold water and dry your clothes on a clothesline. Knock two minutes off your shower time.
• Transportation: Bike to any destination within 1 mile of your home. If you must drive, combine all of your errands into one trip.
• Reduce, Reuse and Recycle: Recycle and Compost. Bring a refillable water bottle rather than plastic bottles. Bring your own coffee mug to the coffee shop instead of using disposable cups. Don’t print documents that can be easily read electronically. Use refillable binders instead of notebooks. Buy used clothes, furniture, and books. Check out freecycle.org a non-profit movement of people who are giving and getting stuff for free to promote less waste. It’s like craigslist but it is free.

Challenge yourself by incorporating at least one of these habits into your lifestyle! For more information visit this site on Frugal Sustainability.

Join the Conversation: How are you living sustainably?

Going Out on A Dime

Do you love going out for dinner or drinks but hate the high cost? Here are a few tips that will help you enjoy going out without the guilt trip.

• Set Spending Limits: Give yourself a spending limit and don’t surpass it. This can make dining out fun by encouraging you to try all kinds of new menu combinations as you try to stay within your budget.
• Coupons: There are a plethora of different online sites that offer discounts and daily deals that can save you lots of money and help you find new places to try. Sign up for Groupon or Living Socialto get daily deals on restaurants, massages, travel and much more in your area for 30-75% off. Check out Restaurants.com to find deals on gift certificates for restaurants in your area, like a $25 gift certificate for $10. Remember, even if you use a coupon, you should always tip on the original amount. Tipping on the discounted bill is cheap, not frugal.
• Happy Hours: Many local restaurants have fantastic happy hour drink and food menus that can save you a lot of money and allow you to enjoy food in smaller portions. Check out thriftyhipster to find happy hour deals!
• Snack: Have a quick snack before you go out. Then you can order a smaller, less expensive meal like an appetizer or salad.
• Save on Your Entrée: Most restaurants serve large portions, why not split an entrée with your dining companion? Or, just eat half of your order and take the rest to go. Check the appetizer menu, many restaurants offer smaller portions of their entrées as appetizers for half the price.
• Kid’s Meal: If possible, order off the kid’s menu. This works really well at fast food restaurants that offer kid’s menus with nice size portions for lower prices.
• Save on Drinks: Save on drinks by ordering water, to add some flavor to your water ask your server for some lemon, lime or a sprig of mint. If you want wine with your meal, call the restaurant ahead and ask about their “corkage” fee. Some restaurants will let you bring your own bottle and charge only a small fee to have the waiter serve it.
• Skip the Extras: Adding appetizers and desserts can add a bundle to your check, either skip the extras or order one for the table. One great way to save on dessert is to have your entrée at a restaurant and then pick up dessert at a grocery store or bakery on your way home.
• Take Out: Enjoy food from your favorite restaurant without the additional temptations by ordering take out. You save on the tip and get to enjoy dinner in the comfort of your own home.

Join the Conversation: Where are some of your favorite happy hours in the Twin Cities?

Minimizing Your Student Debt While In School

While it may be impossible for you to stay out of debt completely while you are in school, they are definitely ways to borrow less. Here are some tips for how you can minimize your debt while in graduate school. A special thanks to Darryl Dahlheimer Program Director of Lutheran Social Service Financial Counseling Service for helping me create this list!

• Live Like A Student: While you may be a graduate student, you are still a student so you should adjust your expectations accordingly. Think about how you can “live like a student” in every aspect of your life. This might mean living with roommates rather than getting your own place, forgoing a car and taking the bus or biking, cutting your food expenses by making rice and beans a staple of your diet, reducing your phone plan to include only the things that you need, and opting for a stay-cation in lieu of a more expensive, exotic vacation.
• Track Your Spending: Did you know that a $3 coffee drink five times a week can cost you $60/month or $720/year? Small purchases can really add up! Often times, we don’t even know where our money is going. Take up the discipline of tracking your spending. Write down each expense/purchase rounding to the nearest dollar. After a few weeks you will begin to see some patterns of where your money is going, knowing these patterns can help you cut excess spending.
• Discretionary Cash: One way I have found to cut my discretionary spending is to use cash. I budget a certain amount for discretionary spending each month (eating out, recreation, concerts, snacks, etc.) and take out the money in cash. I can spend the money on whatever I like but I only have a certain amount and when it is gone, it is gone. Using cash helps you to physically see where your money is going and how much you have left.
• Return the Money that You Don’t Need: Loan money is NOT FREE MONEY! It might be enticing to just take all of the money offered to you so that you can buy something new, but this will definitely hurt you in the long run. Make a budget of what you need for school and what you need to live on and don’t take out any more than you need. That being said, don’t forget to account for unexpected expenses so you are not stuck if something comes up like car maintenance or an unexpected trip.
• Adjust Your Schooling to Borrow Less: This may not be an option for everyone, but if you can you might adjust your schooling so that you don’t need to borrow as much. You might begin your education online, spread out your classes over time or find a way to condense your education to three years instead of four by taking advantage of summer classes.
• Hunt for Free Money: There is a lot of grant and scholarship money available from a variety of organizations and corporations. It is worth your while to spend some time searching for some of these hidden treasures. Even $500 or $1000 can make a big difference. Be creative by searching not only by your education area but also by your interests. You could be the next recipient of a canoeing scholarship! Check out fastweb.com to search for scholarships and grants.
• Get a Job: A job can help you take out less loans or even start paying off your loans. However, a job can also be dangerous if it overwhelms your schooling. Make sure you find a job that you can balance with your school work, there is no sense in accruing loans for something that you don’t have the time to invest in!
• Pay Attention to Your Loans: Keep track of how much you owe in both interest and principal. Some schools allow you to take out subsidized loans, if you have the option to shift some of your unsubsidized loans to subsidized loans you will save a lot of money in interest. Also, if you can pay your interest while you are in school that will also save you quite a bit of money in the long run.
• LSS Financial Counseling Service: Lutheran Social Service (LSS) of Minnesota offers free budget and debt counseling. They have expert coaching for student loans. They also have debt management plans to help people paying off Credit Card debt and avoid scams for a nominal monthly fee. Call their toll-free number 1-888-577-2227 to set up a phone appointment or an in person appointment at one of there three area offices! or making an appointment at one of their area offices. You don’t need to be Lutheran or a student to benefit from their services!

Join the Conversation: What strategies have you tried for minimizing your student loan debt while you are in school?

Spring Green: Fresh and Frugal Produce

Want fresh produce that doesn’t hurt your wallet? Check out some of these options this spring and summer!

• Farmer’s Market: Farmer’s Markets are a great option for getting a variety of fresh produce items and supporting local farmers that is easy on your wallet. There are many markets throughout the Twin Cities area. The Downtown St. Paul Farmer’s Market begins April 28^th. This market hosts a variety of farmers on Saturday and Sunday mornings throughout the farming season, featuring fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy, meats, flowers, as well as local bands and fun crafts to entertain the whole family as you shop!
• CSA: Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a great way to enjoy fresh produce, support local farmers, and lower your grocery bill during the late spring, summer and early fall. Buy a share and you will receive a box of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season. There are a wide variety of CSA options in the Twin Cities area that offer a wide variety of produce including vegetables, fruit, eggs, herbs, jellies, and even flowers. One share can feed 3+ people for one week, so consider going in on one share with a few friends.
• Co-op: Co-ops are more than grocery stores, they are a great way to get fresh, organic groceries year round from local farmers. Co-ops are fairly inexpensive to join and they often provide good member discounts. The Twin Cities has many co-ops,  the Hampden Park Co-op, close to Luther Seminary in St. Paul, offers discounts to members who volunteer for just a few hours a month.
• Community Garden: Community Gardens are a great way to gather people together, beautify your neighborhood and enjoy fresh flowers and produce. The Twin Cities area is chock-full of community gardens . See if there is one in your neighborhood, if not why not get a few neighbors together and start one of your own?
• Growing Your Own Garden: Got a green thumb? Here are some tips for starting your own vegetable garden. It is best to start small. If you don’t have much gardening experience, you might start by growing your own herbs. You can even grow your own herbs indoors, so don’t let lack of space stop you!

Join the Conversation: Have you ever grown your own garden? What are some tips that you have for successfully growing herbs and produce in the city?

Aligning Your Spending with Your Values

As graduate students it can be particularly hard to align our spending with our values because sometimes there just isn’t enough money to go around. However, it is still important for us to be conscious of our spending habits and how these align with our values. This is particularly important as you are creating or revising your budget.

Here is a simple process for aligning your spending with your values:

• Make two columns.
• Begin by listing the top ten things that you value in the first column. Don’t think too much about it, just write out the first things that come to mind. Your list can include specific items (house, new computer, saving for Italy, etc.) and/or more abstract values (adventure, philanthropy, art, friendship/love, etc.). Having trouble listing your values? Check out this resource.
• In the second column, list the areas in which you spend (housing, dining out, clothes, travel, etc.) in order from highest to lowest spending. You can also do this with individual purchases, by putting different purchases on the same line as the value that they correspond with and see if the amounts match up.
• Compare the two lists. Paula Pant suggests that you ask yourself: What opportunities am I missing as a result of the way that I am spending my money? What does my current spending say about me?
• Depending on the disparity between your spending and your values, you might choose to restructure your budget around your values. While it can be difficult to organize all of your spending around your values as a graduate student, you might try this with your discretionary spending. For more information on budgets check out these articles on creating and maintaining a budget.
• This list of values can also come in handy when you are making a purchase. Every time you consider purchasing something, ask yourself if it lines up with your values.

While it may be difficult sometimes, establishing good spending habits now can have a big affect on your future spending habits. So, why not begin aligning your spending with your values now when you have just a bit of extra cash and begin forming the habits that will guide your spending later when you have more discretionary cash?

Join the Conversation: What are your ten values?

Spring Forward in the Twin Cities

Spring is hear at last! It is warming up and the world is becoming greener. Here are some fun and frugal ways to celebrate the coming of spring:

• Fresh Groceries: Enjoy some fresh fruits, veggies, and flowers this spring by visiting farmer’s markets or joining a local CSA. 
• Visit the Animals: Visit the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, especially the Spring Flower Show beginning March 24^th.  Then visit the Farm Babies at the Minnesota Zoo during the month of April. 
• Go Maple Syruping: The end of March is the time for tapping the maple trees and making maple syrup. Learn about the process of making syrup, sample some local syrup and even try your hand at tapping the trees at these local events. 
• Easter Eggs: This is the season for Easter eggs. Try making your own with these DIY organic dye recipes. Also, check out the many Easter egg hunts for families around the Twin Cities. 
• Earth Day Events: Earth day is April 22^nd, check out the many events take place around the cities to celebrate our great, green Earth. 
• Yard Sale/Garage Sale: It’s the season for cleaning and de-cluttering your home/apartment. Join in the fun by hosting your own yard/garage sale with a few friends. Or, check out the many sales around town to find good deals on many household items! 
• Garden: Got a green thumb? Why not try your hand at gardening this Spring? Here are some great tips on creating a Rain Garden in the Twin Cities. 
• Visit a Local Park or Lake: Take a walk around one of the many local lakes, go for a hike in a park, go camping or bike on the trails. If you are interested in biking but don’t own a bike, take a look at Nice Ride Minnesota’s bike share program.

Join the Conversation: What is your favorite thing to do in the Twin Cities in the Spring?

Frugal-Community Face Lift

Welcome to the new frugal-community page!! We took your survey responses into consideration and have added quite a few new features to the blog page. Have a look around and let us know what you think! Here are some of our cool new features:

Header Image: Our new header image was created by local artist, Tyler Pomroy to illustrate the blogs focus on sharing, saving, and spending. Thanks Tyler!

Google Calendar: One of the most exciting features of the new blog is the Frugal-Community event calendar (located in the side bar to the right of this post on the main page). This is a Google Calendar that will feature fun and frugal events that are happening in the Twin Cities area. Right now, I have some featured events for March, especially St. Patty’s Day, and a few for April. I will continue updating this calendar, but I need your help! If you know of fun and frugal events going on around town please post the event information and link as a comment on this blog post or any of our weekly blog posts and I will add it to the calendar.

Follow the Blog: If you are interested in following this blog via email just enter your email in the box in the side bar to the right of this post and click follow. This is a great way to make sure that you don’t miss out on any of our posts!

Facebook: This blog comes out of the Center for Stewardship Leaders at Luther Seminary. We encourage you to like us on Facebook, if you like what you see!

Comments: We named this blog frugal-community so that you could have a chance to join the conversation on how to live a fun and frugal life on a graduate student’s budget. I will end each blog post with a question, I encourage you to join the conversation. We are eager to hear what you have to say! Just click the speech bubble at the top of the post then enter your comment in the “Join the Conversation” box!

Like: If you find a post really helpful, or you just liked it, I encourage you to click on the speech bubble at the top right corner and click the “Like” button just below the share features. This helps me to know which posts you like best so I know what topics interest you most.

Join the Conversation: What is your favorite free Twin Cities event?

Everyday Frugality: 4 Healthy and Delicious Frugal Recipes

I absolutely love to cook, but it can be hard to find delicious recipes that are not only healthy but frugal. We’ve all tried those “frugal” recipes that taste cheap or flavorless. What a waste of money! The good news is that there are some recipes that meet the trifecta: healthy, delicious, and frugal. Below you will find 4 recipes that I have sampled myself, three of which I make on a regular basis. Try them out and let me know what you think.

• Duddy Family Spaghetti Recipe: I absolutely LOVE spaghetti and homemade sauce. This is the Spaghetti sauce that my dad used to make for me when I was growing up and I could eat it everyday. It is simple, very flavorful, and easy to adapt to your tastes.
• Vegetarian Fajita Rice Recipe: I created this recipe myself. I really enjoyed the Mexican rice from the package because it was quick and flavorful, but I wanted to add a few veggies to make it more healthy and add texture. This is a great dish to bring for lunch because it heats up well in the microwave.
• Veggie Laksa Recipe: I had this tasty soup at my friend’s house last weekend and it is fantastic. It is suprisingly flavorful and rich with very few ingredients. The other 5 ingredient recipes on the page look really good too.
• Potstickers, Rice and Asparagus: This is one of my favorite summer meals. I get some of the frozen potstickers from Trader Joes and prepare them according to the package. Then I make this Herbed Basmati Rice and Asparagus with Lime and Mint. If you have trouble finding some of the fresh herbs, just leave them out and substitute some of your favorite spices from your spice cabinet. I usually add garlic and crushed red pepper to the asparagus if I can’t find the mint. This meal is quick and surprisingly inexpensive.

I hope that you enjoy these recipes! For more ideas check out: Healthy Budget-Friendly Recipes and the CheapHealthyGood Blog’s Recipe Index. Bon Appetit!

Leave a Comment: What are some of your favorite healthy and delicious frugal recipes?

Everyday Frugality: Frugal Fashion

Is it really possible to look chic on a small budget? YES! I absolutely love fashion, clothes, and accessories but I have found ways to express my love for fashion in a frugal way. I am overjoyed to offer you a few tips on fun and frugal fashion this week. Whether you’re a budding fashionista or you could care less about fashion, I hope that you will find a few helpful tips about shopping and keeping your style in tip top shape!

• Get Inspired: Fashion magazines and websites are great inspiration for reinventing your style and your closet. Lucky Magazine is all about shopping and the subscription is very cheap. For online inspiration check out frugal-fashionistas.
• Reinvent Your Closet: If your style feels flat and you’re out of money the best thing to do is to take some time to sift through your closet. How many new outfits can you create by mixing and matching some of your old pieces? You may even find that gem that stuck in the back of the closet!
• Tailoring: If you really enjoy an old piece of clothing or a pair of shoes it is often easier to get them repaired than buy new ones. Just make sure to find a good tailor and/or cobbler.
• DIY: Update something old. Put new buttons on an old jacket. Dye your old jeans. For inspiration check out these DIY fashion blogs. Last weekend I added some sparkle to one of my dresses using a silk sash and vintage pin that I already had in my closet.
• Real Vintage: There is always talk of “vintage” style, instead of investing money in “vintage” clothing why not scour some of your mother or grandmother’s old clothes and accessories? Some of my favorite jewelry came from my great aunt; it is fashionable and it tells a story.
• Clothes Swap: Clean out your closets, grab some friends and have a clothes swap. Your old clothes will find new life and you might just find a new treasure!
• Borrow: In college I had an “open closet” policy, many of my friends borrowed my dresses for dances or dates. If you have a special event coming up, consider borrowing instead of buying new and encourage your friends to do the same.
• Invest In Quality: Although it can be alluring to buy a lot of pieces from a cheaper clothing store, instead of just a few from a more expensive store it is often better to invest in quality over quantity. Invest in quality, versatile pieces that you can reinvent for any season. Then you can buy a few, cheaper, seasonal pieces.
• Sales: My mom is a fantastic shopper and her cardinal rule is to beeline for the sales, you can see the other items when they go on sale. Collect coupons, many stores will let you combine deals just keep an eye on the small print. Limit yourself to shopping during big sales, just be careful not to overbuy.
• Second Hand Stores: Second Hand Stores can be hit or miss, but often they are chock full of good deals if you are willing to sift through everything. My favorite second hand store in the Twin Cities is Second Debut 2. Check out the comments section for maps of the different second hand stores in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Shopping Online can often be cheaper than shopping in the store, where do you find the best deals online? Leave a comment and let us know!

Frugal Feedback: Take Our Survey!

I am planning to relaunch the frugal-community blog sometime in March and we would really like your feedback. Please take a few minutes to fill out this online survey on different topics and features that you are interested in seeing when we relaunch the blog! Thank you for your participation! Stay tuned next week for another article on Everyday Frugality!

 

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