During the last year I have put my own health on the back burner as I focused on the health of my mother, who passed away in September at 54 after a long recovery attempt from a stroke. One thing I have a learned from her illness, and death, is that I need to take better care of myself. So, like millions of others planning their diet of choice in 2010, I have started planning for a healthier me.

Since I’ve always been a big guy, I’m familiar with all sorts of diet plans, training regimens-even the gimmicks. When I was younger, spending lots of money on gym memberships, bikes, creatine and other supplements, and high-quality food was pretty easy. Now that I have a family, and other mouths to feed, spending a lot of money on those same things seems like an expensive hobby more than an effort to improve my health. But, it seems the years of eating cheap and working (and sleeping) through planned workouts is catching up with me.

The Costs of Commercial Diet Plans

Looking at the various available diet plans through a frugal filter leaves few options. Most plans require you buy the plan’s food, or pay for a subscription to a website, or pay for group meetings, or counselors, or all of the above. This can add up quickly. For instance, take a look at the program fees for three of the more popular diet plans(as listed in the January 2010 edition of Smart Money magazine):

NutriSystem ($349/month)

I tried NutriSystem for a couple months, but found it to be very expensive. Not only did I have to pay for the food, I also had to buy additional food to eat along with the NutriSystem meals (salads, vegetables, etc.). A few of the meals were pretty good, but I found all the canned, “red” sauce foods to taste like they had nail shavings in them (very metallic). I became convinced Dan Marino was full of crap.

Weight Watchers ($69/month)

If I had to pick a commercial diet plan it would probably be Weight Watchers. I’ve attended a few meetings out of curiosity, and found their points system to be more tolerable than counting carbs or calories. I also like that they have a “do-it-yourself” web-based plan for those like me who would rather not attend weekly weigh-ins.

Jenny Craig ($380-$770/month)

I don’t know much about Jenny Craig, but from what I’ve read it is one of the more costly diet plans around. The plan costs include enrollment fees, one-on-one counseling, and of course, Jenny Craig branded food and other supplies.

*Medifast is offering $50 off any purchase of $275 or more now thru 1-31-10. Use Coupon Code: Jan31C when ordering.

The Frugal Diet Plan

Instead of shelling out over $6,000 on a diet plan next year, I started thinking about putting together my own plan by taking  some of the better ideas I’ve come across in the last couple years of blogging. These ideas cost very little, and in some cases actually save money.

Eat less to be lighter. Here’s a novel idea: eat less food to lose weight. It’s a concept that is simple when said out loud, but very difficult when parked in front of a buffet. This concept focuses less on what you eat, and instead how much you eat. This will definitely be an important element of the frugal diet plan I develop in 2010.

Eliminate “liquid calories.” Americans consume more than 22 teaspoons of sugar a day, and soft drinks make up about 1/3 of that amount (Bottom Line Personal Magazine December, 2009). Considering one 12-oz can of Coca Cola has about 8 teaspoons of sugar, I could eliminate significant calories and carbs simply by avoiding soft drinks. And considering we pay $1.25-$1.50 for each 2-liter bottle (plus my daily, 3:00pm trip to the vending machine at work) we could save a good bit of money over the next year.

Grow more of our own food. Last year we skipped the square foot garden and I really missed it, not only for the fresh vegetables right out of our backyard, but gardening is also therapeutic for me. I enjoy getting out of the house for a few minutes of peace and quiet. And when I am not interested in peace and quiet, I love letting the kids help!

Eat like a kid. No, not ice cream and gummy worms for breakfast, but in kid-sized portions. Eat off smaller plates.  Use smaller cups for juices and other drinks. The other day my son and I were finishing some Christmas shopping and had to grab a bite to eat on the run. I ordered him a fast food kids meal with fruit instead of fries. Instead of ordering the usual super-sized gut burger I always get, I decided just to double the kids meal order. I had a grilled chicken sandwich, fruit cup and water, all for many less calories (and a couple dollars) than I would have spent on an adult-sized meal.

Think like a caveman. My wife accuses me of this already, so perhaps I’m on the right track! Actually, what I’m referring to is making food choices based on the types of foods our ancestors ate. When humans first began roaming the earth, Oreo cookies and Mountain Dew were not staples of their diet. They eat things that came from the earth, not hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup. In the coming months, I plan to eat more vegetables, fruits and nuts, just like the hunter/gatherers of the past. With the major exception being I’ll hunt and gather inside Kroger rather than a frozen tundra.

To review the highlights of my frugal diet plan, in 2010 I will eat less food, cut out soft drinks, and grow my own fruits and vegetables while eating like a kid and thinking like a caveman. Simple enough.

Photo by PicsmaKer

It’s been a couple weeks now since my mom passed away, and I am trying to get back in the swing of things at work, at home, and here at the blog. Fortunately, I’m surrounded by many friends and loved ones at each place, and it has been a big help during this difficult time. I have not had much reading time these last few weeks, and my weekly roundups have suffered for it. My editorial comments in this edition probably won’t win any blogging awards, but hey, it’s a start.

The Frugal Roundup

101 Ways to Take a Bite Out of Your Food Budget. The title says it all – a monster list of money savers to help trim your food budget. (@The Wisdom Journal)

The Art of Letter Writing: The Sympathy Note. After recently losing my mom, we received a number of nice sympathy cards. I also appreciated the many comments here at the blog, emails, etc. It has made me more aware of the need to express sympathy for others when they are dealing with rough times. This post is an excellent how-to from someone who recently experienced a loss. (@ The Art of Manliness)

5 Ways Spending More is Actually Frugal. I liked this post because it focused on a popular topic surrounding frugality: does it make sense to spend more money up front in some cases to get a better value. (@My Dollar Plan)

The Best Times to Buy for Huge Savings on Major Purchases. An excellent run-down of the best time of year to make 14 major purchases, factoring seasonal discounts, inventory issues, etc. (@The Daily Crux)

Accidental Frugality – Can You Live on Half of Your Income? When we reach debt freedom soon, living on half my income is a big goal for our family. I think we can get pretty close, even with the mortgage, but will require a lot of discipline. (@Stop Buying Crap)

How Not To Suck At Blogging.If you are a blogger, aspire to be a blogger, or are interested in any entrepreneurial endeavor, this is a must-read post. One way “not to suck” is to follow Man vs. Debt’s lead – he’s done a phenomenal job in a short time with his blog. (@Man vs. Debt)

Best of the Rest

• Saving For Retirement? Best Move For Your Retirement Plan
• Question of the Day: Are You a Perfectionist?
• Fall Maintenance Tips for Your Home That Can Save You Money and Protect Your Family
• How To Be Married A Decade And Stay Madly In Love
• Teach Your Kids How to Manage Money in 7 Easy Lessons
• 22 Tools You Should Keep in Your Car
• how to poison attitudes towards work in young children
• Smart Living Rule 7 – Pursue Good Opportunities Fearlessly
• Is CreditKarma Useful?
• Car Leasing Tip – Increase Your Security Deposit

If you have any interest at all in reducing your food budget chances are you often find yourself eating leftovers. We certainly have our share of leftovers in the Frugal household. In fact, I’ve found certain foods are even better a day or two later (spaghetti and meatloaf come to mind).  But how long is too long? Do you have to wait for penicillin to start growing on the surface before chunking it?

I posed the question of leftover longevity to Twitter followers last week and received a number of thoughtful responses. One reply from “jessc098“ caught my eye. It referenced a site called StillTasty.com, which allows visitors to search from a list of food choices and receive feedback on how long that particular item will keep refrigerated and frozen. The search results also include a number of tips related to your selection for helping to preserve foods longer.

Here’s an example from StillTasty.com using the previously mentioned meatloaf – a crowd favorite in our house:

Meatloaf – Homemade, Leftovers

Refrigerator: 3-4 days
Freezer: 3-4 months

Tips

• Refrigerate within two hours of cooking
• Refrigerate cooked meatloaf in shallow, airtight containers or wrap tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil or plastic wrap
• Freeze in covered airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags, or wrap tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil or freezer wrap.
• Freeze time shown is for best quality only – foods kept constantly frozen at zero degrees will keep safe indefinitely.

Shared with permission from StillTasty.com

There are a couple of ways you can use this information to help shave money off your food budget. One idea is to stockpile ingredients for various dishes when they are on sale, make the dish, freeze it and enjoy it later to realize the cost savings. We frequently do this with things that keep for a couple months in the freezer, and it’s great to simply thaw and reheat a dish on nights when the kids have football practice, or you just don’t feel like cooking a big meal after a long day at work.

Another strategy for reducing your food costs by incorporating leftovers is to plan your meals around recipes that naturally produce a lot of leftovers. In our house, we all eat spaghetti the night it is cooked, I eat it for lunch the next day at work, and we all finish it off the next night. That’s nine servings of spaghetti enjoyed at home with salad and garlic bread for a fraction of what you would pay at a place like Olive Garden.

Leftovers can also be combined with new ingredients to produce new meals. My grandfather had a knack for this and frequently used leftover meats to “beef up” new meals. For instance, spicy smoked sausage sliced the next day and added to a pot of red beans and rice, onion, and Tabasco sauce made an excellent semi-cajun dish we could eat for another couple days.

Frugal living is not only about thriftiness, it is also about reducing waste and using resources wisely. I’m convinced reducing food waste is a great way to help your wallet by stretching out the cost of food purchases across a number of meals. Plan your meals, properly store leftovers for safe keeping, and enjoy maximum savings on your food bill.

A while back All You Magazine offered to give away a few subscriptions to Frugal Dad readers.  The rules for entering the contest were simple–leave a money saving tip in the comments.  What happened next was one of those magical moments you can only get from blogs, and the sense of community they inspire.  Over 150 readers shared some of their favorite money saving tips, on a diverse set of topics from home haircuts to coupons to energy savings.

It was such an inspiring collection because it came from you, the readers!  Rather than let these great tips languish, I decided to gather my personal favorites, group them into categories, sprinkle in a few of my own, and create the ultimate collection of money saving tips.

The Ultimate Collection of Money Saving Tips

Around the House

Photo courtesy of robertnelson

1. Leanne:  I like to make gifts and this past Christmas I decided to make ornaments. So, I went through all of my digital photos and copied files to a new folder entitled Christmas 2008 (free). Then I printed out pairs of pics in a wallet size. (I have my own photo printer, so I was getting 16 to a page.) (photo paper & ink, both of which I have plenty of-free). I cut out the pics, and glue them back to back, then I write the date/event on the photo (cost of glue stick and gel pen). Next I laminate each ornament, I can fit about 14 per 8.5 x 11 page of laminate (about $10 for my family and in laws). Then using a paper punch, I string some Christmas ribbon through the hole and put the ornament in with our Christmas card (1.4 in diameter punch cost about $6, 100 yards of ribbon for $1 at Michael’s).

2. Zoe:  I cut my husband’s hair – there are like a billion YouTube videos to show you how, and it’s fun!

Time at the mall: 0
Time at the post office: 0
Gifts everyone loved: ~$20.
Using your friend’s / fam’s fave pics they posted to Facebook: Priceless.

3. Wojciech @ Fiscal Fizzle:  My favorite tip: Stop paying huge fees at the dry-cleaners and invest in a home dry cleaning product instead. That alone has saved me hundreds of dollars each year!

4. LB:  My favorite way to save money is to ride my bike more. I started riding in December and absolutely love all the money it has saved me. Today I used it to go and get a 5 gallon bottle of water refilled. Not only am I saving money from not driving my car, but I am also getting in some serious shape too!

5. Ashley:  My favorite money saving tip is to not try and keep up with the Jones’s on technology based items. My cell phone is 3 years old and not fancy, and I’ve passed up 3 pricey “upgrades” but it still works! And why would I need a blue ray player when my DVD’s are just fine…etc.

6. Kim:  I have 2 friends that I swap clothes with….adult and children. Every season, we get together and “shop” through each other’s hand me downs.

7. Dan B:  Bike to work. I bike 20 miles each way, and it didn’t take that long to work up to it. Saves A LOT of money in gas and upkeep. On days that are awful I still drive or bike/bus, but it is still not using nearly as much gas.

8. Veronica:  My tip is that sometimes spending a little now can save you in the future. For instance, we just got a zoo membership where we live. I stay home with my children and during the summer we go to the park and do other free things in our area but the zoo is not free. We joined because 2 visits to the zoo and we’ve more than paid for our membership. Now instead of going twice we can go as often as we like for free. (you just have to remember to pack your picnic lunch)

Other ideas like this would be to take a cooking class so you know how to cook and don’t have an excuse for not cooking at home.

Take a photography class so you can take your own studio style pictures of you children as they grow up.

9. Colleen Todd:  Just a simple thing- When the “Kids”(big or little) have thrown away the extra sink stopper – Don’t fret just go to the toy box and grab one of the little ball that kids collect from the vending machines. There is a good chance that out of all the different sizes of balls that one will fit. If used in the bathtub it is round with no corners to scratch your soft body.

10. Julie:  My tip is to refill foam soap containers with a mixture of water and liquid hand soap. You can use dollar store hand soap, or any kind of body wash or shampoo that you may not like using for the intended purpose.

11. ThriftKat:  I wanted a squeegee to use on my car windows in the mornings, so I went to Target to find one. In the car section, they were charging $18.49 for one; I was about to give up when I realized that people use squeegees in bathrooms, too. I found one there for $1.49. It’s exactly the same thing (albeit with a shorter handle), for a LOT less. So now I’ve learned to look in the unlikely places for a lot of deals when I’m in stores like Target and Wal-Mart.

12. Jen:  Don’t buy so many disposable things. We no longer ever buy napkins or paper towels, using paper napkins and dishtowels instead. We also don’t use dryer sheets and haven’t noticed a difference. I’m sure there are more items like this that we/everyone can stop using.

13. Natalie:  I find that making everything you can possibly make yourself saves me a lot of money, is better for my family and for the environment. I make my own laundry detergent, deserts for our lunches, bread for house lunches, mayonnaise, etc. Anything I can do myself I will at least try it.

14. Doreen:  Utilizing the public library is a great area of savings for my family.

Become a regular patron. You can read best sellers, read current magazines, newspapers, watch DVDs and even surf the internet without spending money. There are kids programs and book clubs.

Donate used books and other media for the tax benefits and let the library sell them for a profit. If your local library doesn’t have all these programs, you can always make suggestions.

15. Psychsarah:  How about using webcams or Skype to keep in touch instead of long distance on the phone? Seeing the far-away friend/family member is so much better than just talking, and if you already have internet at home, it’s no extra charge.

16. Jo:  I read all of my local, national and world news online instead of paying for subscriptions. And I also listen to the public radio for my news instead of the TV…no commercials to clutter my mind.

17. eh438:  If you decide you really must print something off the internet, check “Print Preview” first then Print only 1 page. You’ll be surprised how often you can save your printer from using a second sheet of paper (and ink!) if you know there is only one or two unnecessary lines that would appear on it.

18. Laura:  My best money saving tip is to make your own body scrub out of sugar, a bit of olive oil, and some instant coffee grains. i guess it only saves you money if you are into using body scrubs, but good ones can cost like $20, so making one essentially out of sugar is pretty gratifying. i keep it in the shower in an old scrub container – you could use an old Tupperware or empty sour cream container, whatever. And it works great!

19. Joanna:  Money saving tips for my household:
*My baby is trained to wear diapers that are only on sale. She doesn’t get rashes or anything.
*I take a lot of pictures of her and edit it on the computer….use picasa.com by google for enhancement. Then, print what I like.
*I welcome hand-me-down clothing, toys and books. I also create educational toys for her.
*I walk to work given it is only two blocks away.
*I buy groceries that are on sale.
*I use coupons all the time.
*Hobby and I watch shows we like online. Hulu.com, Fancast.com or youtube.com
*Use redbox every Monday for free DVD rental
*Menu is planned around groceries that were on sale.

20. Linda:  Saving money on car expenses is important since I commute 105 miles a day to/from work. Rather than have my dealer charge me their hourly rate to do these tasks, I can easily do myself. Such as: washing my car saves $8.00 each time; buying my windshield wipers at the auto parts store-they install them free; buying the wiper fluid and pouring it in myself-another savings.

21. Joyce:  My husband and I get top-end haircuts for free or for cheap as hair models for upscale salons. We mostly look for these opportunities at the beauty section on craigslist.com. Our hair has never looked better!

22. Cathy:  Our family has instituted “NO TV Tuesdays” In an effort to increase our physical activity; we have quit watching TV on Tuesdays. This has translated into a lower electric bill and we have found other things we like to do instead. Like, family game night or going outside when the weather is nice.

23. Will:  My wife and I have three boys. I guess times have changed since I was a kid, because I remember going to a barber shop and having a haircut cost somewhere in the area of $5-7. Nowadays, all we can find are Supercuts-type places, that charge upwards of $12 for a kid’s haircut, and $18 for an adult’s.

We bought a set of clippers (cost of around $30 or so, or two haircuts covered the cost), and now my wife does the haircutting. Sure, most of the time we all have crew cuts, but it’s cheap and quick.

(Crew cuts are also very low maintenance, and we save money on shampoo as well!)

May not work as well with girls.

24. Gwynne:  I save money by making many things from scratch. I invested in a chest freezer, and can spend a weekend cooking a month’s worth of food, dividing them up into portions and freezing them. This lets me buy in bulk, which saves that way, plan ahead, which means fewer trips to the store and so fewer impulse purchases, and really stretch my monthly food budget.

25. Kevin:  I went to with a pre-pay cell phone. Also, I gave up cigars!!

26. Laurie Hoddy:  My favorite money SAVER was stopping cable service when we bought our current house 10 years ago…it is 100 years old and needed renovation and not getting cable made sense because we wouldn’t have time to watch TV anyway. In the years since we’ve been very glad not to have moral trash piped into our home while raising our 3 girls, and have done very well with carefully selected videos from the library.

Our favorite money PRINCIPLE is tithing…as long as we are faithful in our giving, the Lord has been more than faithful to provide for our needs.

27. Tracy:  My favorite $$ saving tip is to make my own laundry detergent.

28. Christy:  I like to use the soapy steel wool pads to clean the bottom of my cookware. To use them again before the next time I pop them in a baggie and store them in the freezer. No more wasted rusty steel wool pads.

29. Caleb:  When working on a painting project with latex paint it is easy to stop in the middle and start again on another day by bagging all the equipment in plastic grocery bags and placing them in the freezer. Instead of washing lots of paint down the drain, wasting water and soap that paint goes on the wall the next time you start working on the project. Making home repair projects easier and you more likely to do them yourself and save money! Many communities have a latex paint exchange where you can get donate or get good quality paint. When you mix a batch to make your own color just be sure to mix quite a bit more than you need because you will not be able to recreate this color! Contact your local recycling office or search the Internet to find a nearby exchange.

30. Monochrome:  My biggest money saving tip would be to give up vices. We’ve switched from juice and pop to water, and quit smoking. Those things alone have saved us over $500/month!

Coupons/Deals

Photo courtesy of Cosmic Kitty

31. Sarah:  My tip: Use TWO coupons with buy one get one free offers for huge savings!

32. sdybash:  I receive e-mails from the various grocery store and combine the sales with coupons for wonderful savings.

33. Ken:  Our best money saving tip thus far is using coupons. The two biggest wins regarding coupons are BUY ONE GET ONE (BOGO) free and Manufacturer’s coupons.

34. Megan:  I love using coupons and Angel Food ministries to save on grocery costs. The stores by me accept internet printed coupons and that helps too.

35. Christina @ Northern Cheapskate: My best money-saving tip is to use the internet to save money. There are so many blogs and deal sites that do all the work for you when it comes to matching up coupons to sale prices. I’ve gotten so many items for free or nearly free just because I spent a few minutes online finding the deals.

36. Jennifer Tarver:  My biggest tip is to use a coupon code when ordering from an internet site. There are lots of websites to find codes: retailmenot.com and fishingfordeals.com are two.

37. Helen:  As for saving tips, I’d say to send away for as many free samples as possible. This way you know if you like a product before you buy it!

38. Tara:  My favorite money saver is to buy from close-out suppliers. We have a place in Lawrenceburg, TN where I live called the Red Top Bargain Barn. They get Costco close-outs and returns. When we buy from RTBB we get the great Costco items, but with 20-80% discounts and no membership fees.

39. Michelle rosborough:  Keep your coupons in the car. That way you always have them.

40. Serenity Rose:  My favorite tip is sending for free samples. They often send coupons too, that I can use or trade. Also, taking online surveys at e-rewards and pine cone, they sometimes send products and coupons as well!

41. mpnmom:  Best money-saving tip? Restaurants.com – you can buy gift certificates to local restaurants at a fraction of the face value. Example: certificate for $25 off a $35 meal costs $10 – total savings on dinner out $15. I have noticed that the site has frequent sales also. Last month I purchased $25 off a $35 meal certificates for only $2 each – 80% off! I have already used them at the restaurants and they work great. You can bet I’ll be getting one of these each time I plan a special dinner out.

42. Carole Livingston:  I always write my grocery list around my store’s sales flyer and the coupons I have. BOGO offers with coupons stretch my budget. Can you tell I love coupons?

43. Julie:  My money saving tip is definitely using coupons but I take it a step further. Our local gas station chain gives away a free paper with the purchase of 8 gallons of gas so I always fill up on Sundays when I need gas anyway and I get the Sunday paper with all the coupons for free!

44. Jeremy:  My favorite tip is to know each store’s coupon policy to maximize the value of my purchases, despite the objections of cashiers who hate dealing with coupons.

45. SarahMay:   My tip is to follow MoneySavingMom.com. I’m not getting any kickbacks for endorsing the site; I just want to share the love because it has been so helpful for me! I never would have learned how to use coupons effectively without the information there.

46. Nicki:  I love to save money at the pump by using the grocery store near me that gives me discounts on their gas when I purchase so much in groceries at their store. Then I use my credit card that gives me a 5% rebate on gas purchases. If I get 20 cents discount at the grocery store and then 5% discount from my credit card, $2.00/gal becomes $1.71/gal.

47. Cristina:  Buy the Sunday paper – it is full of coupons as well as information about your town/city & the world which can save you time & money & keep you informed.

48. Lee:  Where I save is price-matching at the grocery store…in other words, look at all the local sales papers, find the best prices for the items on your list, go to the store that price matches (Wal-Mart for us) and get all the best prices in your area. It usually saves us a bit…

49. Becca:  My best money saving tip? To follow blogs like Frugal Dad, Moneysavingmom, Commonsensewithmoney, etc. and do what they do! This is also a time saving tip as well because you don’t have to do any research!

50. Maureen:  I use coupons regularly and go to thrift shops for extra clothing.

51. Johanne:  My favorite money saving tip is to use coupons on sale items.

52. Chris:  I price compare and plan my coupon shopping by going through the grocery flyers. Wal-Mart will price match other grocery sales flyers saving gas money driving to each store to get the lowest cost.

I no longer read the sales ads in the Sunday paper. It is amazing how often I would suddenly “need” something after seeing that it was on sale. Before reading the flyer I did not even realize that I “needed” this item!

53. ALLY M:  My favorite money saving tip is always use cents off coupons and combine them with store sales and store coupons. You can usually use both on one item (store price by coupon and manufacturers coupon) Read the fine print.

54. Metromom:  CVS. Once you figure out the whole CVS thing, you will be saving money like it’s a very addictive video game.

Energy Savers

Photo courtesy of dirvish

55. Crystal W:   I’ve started air drying my clothes…but the fam didn’t like they way they felt stiff. So, I still air dry my family’s clothes but now, after air drying, I put them in the dryer for about 10 minutes to soften them up. Plus, I’m able to put in the dryer about 1.5-2 loads of wash – since they’re already dry. My family gets soft clothes and I get a reduced energy bill!

56. Holly B:  I plug all my TV’s, DVD players, game consoles, etc. into power strips so I can switch them off completely when not in use. It works great when there are a lot of appliances that go into a standby mode and don’t turn off completely.

57. Linette:  My favorite way to save money is to air dry my dishes in the dishwasher.

58. Frugal Dad:  Plant a shade tree on the side of your house that gets the most afternoon sun.  A tree can provide much needed shade during the summer when extreme temperatures can really bake a house.

59. Jennifer:  Winter saving tip – Space heaters.  I cut my oil bill by $50 in one month by supplementing the heat in communal areas with a space heater. The electric is cheaper then the oil, and many times, the heat wouldn’t even kick on. And we were able to shut the heat off at night by closing our bedroom door and using the small space heater. A $20 investment saved on average 20 gallons of heating fuel a month.

Entertainment

Photo courtesy of evenlynishere

60. Rosanne: I save money by not buying books or magazines but borrowing them from the library.

61. Dawn:  What we’ve started to do is the rotating “at home night out”. A group of friends all take turns being the host for dinner and DVDs. The other couples get a night out and your turn only comes up once every three times (at least for our particular group)

62. Maria:  I live in Florida and my sister, brother-in-law and three children are currently visiting from England. Before they arrived I went to a few local hotels and picked up a bunch of flyers for tourist attractions and visitor guides. Most of these have coupons and discounts. For example, they went to West Palm Beach Zoo and for two paying adults, two children got in free. A second coupon gave $2 off the entry fee. A total savings of almost 57% for the five of them. With savings like these my sister and family still have a great vacation and do a lot more on their limited budget.

63. Frugal Dad: Eat dessert first.  In fact, don’t eat dinner at all.  If you are looking for some cheap, romantic time with your partner, simply eat a light dinner at home and then head out for dessert and a cup of coffee. My wife and I enjoy sharing a dessert and coffee.  Note:  Leave a generous tip for your server if you sit and talk a while.

Money Hacks

Photo courtesy of madaise

64. Shannon H:  The best money saving habit I have is sitting down with my husband once a month and calmly reviewing our budget and credit/debit card history for the month. We talk about the purchases that did not contribute towards our financial goals and refocus ourselves. We give each other suggestions without accusing. Doing it monthly helps catch trends that could become problems. It really helps to work as a team. Since starting this habit, we have seen a real acceleration in our debt reduction.

65. Bobbi:  A great money saving tip I learned is to save my $5 bills. I never miss them at all and I have saved quite a bit since December.

66. Nicki:  If I have a balance on my credit card and I know that I will not be paying it off this month, I make my payment as soon as I receive the bill. Since the finance charge is based on the average daily balance over the month, I make the payment as soon as possible to lower my average balance and reduce the finance charges. If I will be paying the bill in full and no finance charge is assessed, I pay the bill on the due date.

67. Heather from girl meets world:  My biggest money tip would be to use cash, and bigger bills (20s and up). It’s a mind thing… ninety dollars on your debit card isn’t a big deal, but breaking a 100 bill and only getting nine dollars? Yeah, you’ll rethink that purchase! It really has made a difference.

68. Dawn:  This is one my mother in law told us a number of years ago – put your money on ice. She was referring to our credit cards. The suggestion was to put them way in the back of the freezer in a block of ice so that they were difficult to use, but available for emergencies.

69. Liz:  Living on a budget has saved us so much money! To support this lean budget, we use coupons; prepare meals at home, limit eating out, etc. But, living on the budget is the key.

70. Sarah:  My favorite money-saving tip…pay yourself first! Make sure you budget for YOU and your savings.

71. Susan:  We had the biggest savings in our budget when we started using cash for groceries. I was forced to think harder about every item in the cart and it has helped us tremendously!

72. Charlene:  My favorite tip is: use Mint.com to track your finances and budget. It acts as my conscience to help keep my spending in check.

73. lvlc:  For us, getting both in the same page has played a great role! Last year I was the one doing coupons, groceries, budget, etc. Now we BOTH do it together, we revisit our budget at the end of the month and analyze how things went during that month and plan the next one. We are saving more money monthly now than last year’s!

74. Rebecca Rivera:  My favorite money saving tip is to use cash for everything. Then you can’t overspend. I have a debit card/visa card that I can use online.

Also whenever I need something I ask family, friends, church members, Freecyle, & craigslist first. At least half the time I will get an item I need or something that will work just as good for FREE (and they didn’t need it anymore.)

Also go back to reduce, reuse, recycle. I try to buy in bulk to save packaging. I even make my own laundry soap thus saving an old bottle and reusing it. Before I throw anything away I see if we can reuse it (we homeschool, plus I teach preschool, so one of the kids can usually reuse an item at least once.)

Also we compost, which saves our garbage, and the landfills.

75. Rick:  Whenever I get a raise at work I automatically have a portion or all of that increase deposited into a savings account and send the other part of my check to my checking account. I am not used to getting the extra money so it is not missed. The money in this savings account is then used to build my CD ladder project and restock my emergency fund.

76. Becca:  One of the ways my husband and I save money is by keeping an ongoing list on our fridge. Every couple of weeks we update it. It’s basically a spreadsheet where we keep track of wants, needs, and future expenses for my husband, myself, and general household. It helps us visualize expenses in both the short and long term, such as doctor’s appointment co-pays, a wedding we are both going to be in this summer, pet expenses, new curtains, etc. Instead of spending spontaneously on stuff, we have started writing things down and planning on how to budget for them. We are both in our early 20’s so I’m glad we are getting in this habit early!

77. Michelle:  My favorite money saving tip is this: before I by anything non-essential, (clothing, gadgets, etc.), I have to give away something that I own already. This keeps my house from getting too cluttered, and it makes me re-think those spur of the moment purchases. Money saved is money earned!

78. Kris:  My family has a spending hiatus once a month. It’s usually for a work week (Monday through Friday. We make sure we have everything we need before Monday (gas, groceries, school supplies, etc.) and then we spend nothing! We lock up the bank cards, credit cards and checkbooks. We have $20 cash in case of an emergency, but we have to show each other our reserve money every day so there is no cheating.

79. Frugal Dad:  When dining out, ask for a to-go box up front and split your meal in half when served–half for now, and half for later. You’ll instantly decrease the per-serving cost of your meal, and lessen the number of calories taken in during one sitting.

Food

Photo courtesy of Young in Panama

80. Vicki: My best money saving tip (at least for me) is taking my lunch every day. My eat-out friend recently went on a diet and she’s bringing her lunch every day, which inspired me to do the same. Haven’t lost any weight yet, but I have saved about $40 a week, which I’m putting aside to buy new clothes in the event I need them.

81. John McCarthy:  Our biggest money saver is to limit eating out to special occasions. Eating at home is much healthier and saves a lot of money.

82. Beca:  Never order from a children’s menu UNLESS 2 or more children are sharing it…it’s often times a waste of food and more expensive than ordering an adult meal and splitting it with them.

83. Niina:  My favourite moneysaving trick has something to do with groceries and it actually helps me in weightloss too. Double-win!!!

84. Chris Clark:  My husband and I eat vegetarian for breakfast and lunch and only eat meat for dinner. This saves on buying lunch meat or chicken breasts and things to cook for lunches and it has gotten us to make all kinds of new things to try.
Also, if something we like is on sale, we buy it in major bulk. A few weeks ago asparagus was 94 cents a pound at the grocery store. We bought about 15 pounds, brought it home and blanched it and put it away in the freezer. It is one of our favorite vegetables and last summer we probably bought an average of a pound of it each week (and $2 a pound or so).

When I go to grocery shopping I only buy things that have a name of real food.
For example…(names invented for this purpose…)
Hawaiian Fruit Salad no. Pineapple, melons etc. yes.
Chicken leg in what ever sauce, no. Chicken leg, cream, spices yes.
Fruity roast vegetable mix, no. Bunch of vegs, yes.
I think you get the drift.  This way I don’t pay for the labour and won’t get the added sugars, E-numbers and whatnot. Of course I sometimes get the odd pizza or some other junk food but since I don’t get them all the time, my spending and hips stay in the limit.

85. Claire:  My best thrifty tip is to buy bread at the dollar store. You can find Nature’s Own Whole Wheat bread with NO corn syrup for just a buck! That is a huge deal when your kids are going through bread like nobody’s business!

86. Heather S:  Always eat your leftovers! I save so much money eating my leftovers. My sister thinks I’m crazy, but I know how much I’m saving by not having to grocery shop so much.

87. Sunshine:  I just recently started halving my meat portions in meals. Especially, soups and casseroles. My husband doesn’t even notice.

88. Katie:  My best money saving tip is to menu plan, and then using that plan to grocery shop. I usually plan a month at a time, but it usually gets shuffled around and edited a bit as the month goes on. The menu plan helps me know exactly what groceries I need so I’m not spending unnecessary money on things that “look good”. Also, if there’s an item in one recipe that I know won’t get all used up, I can plan a second meal to use the rest of it.

89. Street Preacher:  My tip? Buy meat in bulk when it is cheap and use it through multiple meals during the week. You will save big and have a ton of meals!

90. Alice:  I have recently discovered Angel Food, a program where you can get a box of groceries for $30 that would cost probably close to twice that retail. It’s not an income-restricted thing, anyone can participate. I love it, it has really cut my food bill. http://www.angelfoodministries.com/

91. Debbie:  Make and take lunches to work and school. There are six of us at my house, and the savings is substantial. The ‘make’ isn’t all that time-consuming – a wrap or sandwich, a piece of fruit and/or some veggies, an occasional yogurt, a treat baked on the weekend like cookies, cake, banana bread, etc. Very simple, very easy!

92. Adrian Villarreal:  My favorite tip is to drink more water. For Lent, my girlfriend and I gave up pop and each saved about $10-$15 for those 40 days. It may not sound like much, but the additional health benefits are a bonus too!

93. Anna G:  I buy ground beef when it’s 1.99 or less per pound and I have them package it in 1/2 pound portions. When a recipe calls for 1 lb of ground beef, I use 1/2 lb instead and use extra vegetables or beans for filler. The taste is still great, we up the nutrition factor and we stretch our meat budget.

94. Molly:  This might be counterintuitive, but we buy the expensive organic fair trade coffee beans. They might be $12/pound, but they last 2 of us an entire week, which is much cheaper than $6/day for the two of us to go out for coffee!

95. Brian:  I love café latte’s. I can’t imagine not having one iced or hot within an hour or two of waking up. A few years ago I realized that I was spending a fortune on my daily indulgence. That’s when I went out and purchased an espresso machine.
I’m able to make a “venti” sized latte for less than a dollar even though I use the best espresso coffee, organic milk, and purified water. It practically takes no time at all. On day’s I’m running short on time I’ll use coffee pod’s to make things easier. My espresso machine paid for itself in a few months.

96. Ashley:  Okay, my favorite money tip. Well, I save a lot of money by eating for free. I work at a restaurant and I work as a nanny. So if there is a opportunity to eat there, I will. I only pay for my breakfast cereal and maybe 1-2 dinners at my place a week. So if you work where you can eat for free, do it, it saves a ton on groceries! I’m guessing most people don’t work like me, but it’s a tip for people who can eat at their work.

97. Jessica:  I save money by cooking more at home and not going out to eat.

98. Frugal Dad:  Declare one day of the week a “meatless” day.  I love meat, especially a good steak!  But meat is expensive, and there are more cost-effective ways to get protein.  Have breakfast for dinner and whip up some scrambled eggs.  Make a bean burrito with a variety of high protein beans and spices.

Shopping

Photo courtesy of Bubble Pop 2007

99. Jana:  The less I shop the less tempted I will be to buy something.

100. Kim:  Well, it’s sort of a money saving way of donating to food pantries in our area who are in more need now with our poor economy. Whenever I stock up on Buy One/Get One canned or box items at the grocery store, the “free” one gets put aside to take to the local center.

101. Sandi Rapczynski:  My money saving idea is nothing out of the ordinary. I don’t buy prepackaged food at the grocery store. I buy whole fruits and veggies and cut them up myself, then bag them for individual grab and go snacks. I buy blocks of cheese and make my own cheese cubes or sticks. I make my own meals and divide them up into single serving dishes and freeze them instead of buying frozen individual entrees. It takes a little more time but if you plan ahead you can do it all in one afternoon after your trip to the grocery store.

102. Kat:  I’ve learned over time even with my coupon shopping to only take cash and only $50 when I shop. No debit cards, no credit cards, no checkbook, just cold hard cash. Helps to force me to stay within my budget.

103. Cristine:  Think of buying new as a last resort. Try Freecycle.org and Craigslist first. Then thrift stores. Always. I say this as i wear my $2.50 skirt from the Banana republic, and my 4 dollar Nine west shoes, and am watching my kids play on their free foosball table.

If you want to get fanatical about it, join The Compact, and vow to not buy one more new thing for a year (except food, medicinal and hygiene products.) It will change your whole outlook, your habits, and your life for the better.

104. Dave M:  One of my money saving tips is to shop on eBay. I can’t tell you how much I have saved on items I need by buying them on eBay rather than in the store, especially when the seller offers free shipping. Besides buying things that are new, extra money can be saved by buying used items that are in very good to “like new” condition. If you find that you don’t need the item(s) later on (baby items, etc) you can always resell them on eBay yourself to recoup the money spent. Sometimes you even break even by doing this!

105. Lori:  I used to spend way more than I budgeted on groceries, on impulse buys and such. Now I log onto the grocery store’s home delivery tool (which I never use – costs $10 to deliver!) and select all the items from my grocery list. I get a total based on the current price of things, and bring just that amount with me, in cash, to the store. No more impulse buys! I save probably $30 a week.

106. Jenny:  My favorite money saving tip; I buy the store brands whenever possible. Usually they are just as good or better then the leading brand and often times up to a dollar or more cheaply.

An added bonus is that a lot of the store brands were manufactured right here in the USA…which mean I’m supporting the American Worker and hopefully helping someone keep their job.

I also try to shop as local as I can. It helps my local economy and saves me a lot on gas.

107. Tammy: When marketing for groceries learn to PERIMETER SHOP. In other words, go in the front door of the market and walk in a counter clockwise fashion to pick up perimeter deals in marked down items like produce, bakery, deli, fresh fish, meats, and dairy. Most stores are laid out in this fashion. I can go in the front door, perimeter shop and be out the door in less than 30 minutes!

108. Patricia Koch:  I love to use Craigslist and Freecycle. I have saved so much on building supplies in the last few years. Many people who are working on their houses have left over material that they can’t return to the store.

109. Tammy:  My tip is a valuable lesson from yesterday. I went to what I thought was a very cool sounding sewing seminar. What it actually was is a day long commercial! And they were so good at showing you just how amazing the products were! My lesson? Classes from businesses are invitations to purchase more. Yikes, not going to that again.

110. Elaine Shanks:  We buy in bulk at the stores like Cosco. And shop the sales with coupons at the local grocery stores. We shop with a list once a week and keep impulse buys to a minimum. We keep in mind that “sales” and “saving money” means you have to spend money – and it is only a “sale” or a “saving” if you really need it – otherwise it is a loss!!

111. Melaniesd:  My best moneysaving tip would be to plan your spending. Make a list of gifts you intend to give. Can you make something? Can you find a great deal on it? Price compare on-line before you go running from store to store wasting time & gas. On-line shopping has saved me a ton of cash, time & gas!

112. Frugal Dad:  Never buy anything on impulse.  The last thing I do before going through the checkout line is take an inventory of my shopping cart.  I try to always find at least one thing I don’t really need and put it back on the shelf.  If I come away still wanting the item I can pick it up on my next trip, and by then I’ll know if I really did need it.

113. Dave:  One of our biggest money saving tips is to combine car trips when doing errands and shopping. We also use one car for traveling to work, rather than taking two separate cars. My wife drops me off at my work place, then continues on to hers. She does have to go a bit “off track” to do this, but not terribly so. Both of these strategies save a ton of money on gas.

114. Andrea M:  One of my favorite money saving tips is to go to the thrift stores and garage sales, especially for baby items. I also have gone there looking for items for my daughter’s dorm room. They are treasure troves!

115. Lori:  I worked hard to stay home with my kids when they were little so we were on a very tight budget. When we’d go to the mall, mainly to go walking/strolling, I noticed I almost always bought something (and my kids wanted things). So I decided to take our strolls to the park/neighborhood instead of being tempted to buy unnecessary things.

Also, many people I know receive numerous catalogs in the mail. This not only makes you spend more but it makes you WANT more – so I unsubscribed to all of them. I get very few now in the mail because of recent purchases at those order-only stores but the catalogs go right in the trash/recycling so as to not tempt me.

116. Jennifer:  My current favorite tip is to shop with a list! If I go to the grocery store without a list, I spend more and I don’t end up with food to make meals between trips. So I end up spending MORE to go and fill in the gaps. Lists are essential!

117. Amber N:  I found that before I go shopping if I go online to the websites for the local grocery stores and search the ads I can find which store has the cheapest items I need and go into the store already knowing exactly what I need to buy and where it is…and how much it is suppose to cost

118. resilientheart:  My favorite money-saving tip is to keep a notebook of my purchases, I have different pages for different stores and then I wait to buy. I used to be a big impulse buyer believing I “need it now.”

119. Sylvia:  My favorite money-saving tip is before grocery shopping, make a list of what you want and stick to it. Also, look through the weekly ad and see if you have coupons to actually make the deal even better!

120. Laura:  Stay out of the stores! No window shopping!

121. Sarah C:  Probably the best way I’ve learned to save money is by buying when I can get items at the best price, even if I don’t need them right away. This type of stockpiling frees me from buying almost anything at regular price!

122. Dr Judy:  I shop on Senior Discount Days to get an extra 10% off…at the grocery store and some department stores as well.

So there you have it; 122 ways to save money!  I hope you found a couple nuggets in there – I know I did!  Funny that after writing about ways to save money for nearly two years I can always stumble on a few that I had never thought of before.  I hope that was the case for you as well, and that you now have some ideas to keep more of your hard-earned money in your wallet!

Additional Tips

• 75 MORE Ways to Save Money in a Recession
• 14 Ways to Raise Quick Cash
  
• How to Save Money:  The 1,001 List of Money Saving Tips and Ideas

The following guest post is from Mike.  Mike writes at The Oblivious Investor, where he reminds readers to ignore the day-to-day craziness in the market and focus instead on getting the investing basics right. Subscribe to his blog for daily updates.

“Eating less meat is another of those triple plays–something you can do that is good for your health, good for the environment, and good for your wallet.” -Amy Dacyczyn in The Complete Tightwad Gazette

I’ve been vegetarian for a little over a year now, and I love it. However, I’m not here to condemn or criticize people who eat meat. (How could I? My wife loves a good steak.) And I’m not trying to convince everybody to immediately go vegetarian.

Instead, I simply want to suggest that the meat eaters among us try eating less meat. As Amy says, it can be good for your health, good for the environment, and good for your wallet. And as you’ll see below, it’s not as hard as you might think.

It’s good for your body.

While cutting meat from your diet certainly isn’t a cure-all, it does have its benefits:

• Vegetarians have been shown to have lower rates of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and prostate and colon cancer. [source]
• The average American consumes about 110 grams of protein per day, roughly twice the recommended amount. Cutting back on meat can bring you more in line with the recommended about. [source]

It’s good for the planet.

• Producing a pound of animal protein requires about 100 times as much water as producing a pound of grain protein. [source]
• Producing a pound of beef puts out as much carbon dioxide as driving a typical car for 70 miles. [source]
• Producing a pound of beef creates 11 times as much greenhouse gas emissions as a pound of chicken and 100 times more than a pound of carrots. [source]

If you want to protect the environment, every little bit of meat you cut from your diet helps!

It’s good for your wallet.

The following prices are from our local market, though prices will of course vary depending upon where you live, where you shop, whether you buy organic, etc.

• Cost of a pound of T-Bone steak: $6
• Cost of a pound of chicken: $3
• Cost of a pound of ground beef: $2
• Cost of a pound of beans: $0.80

And guess what? Beans are delicious.

It’s not as hard as you might think

I hear two common concerns when talking with people about cutting back on meat:

1. How will I make sure I get enough calories and protein? (Or, “I’ve tried going vegetarian before, and after about a week my energy level plummeted, and I felt like I was going to pass out.”)
2. Most of my dinners are based around meat. What am I going to cook for my family?

To the first question: It’s essential that you maintain a proper level of protein in your diet. If you switch to eating salad for every meal, of course you’ll feel light headed all day long. There’s practically no protein and very few calories in a typical salad. (And who wants to eat salad all day anyway? Not me!)

If you only cut back slightly on the meat in your diet, lack of protein shouldn’t be a problem. If you decide to go completely vegetarian, the trick is to eat plenty of beans, whole grains, dairy, or eggs.

As to the “what will I make for dinner?” question, my answer is that Google Reader is your friend. Subscribe to a handful of vegetarian food blogs, and you’ll get meal suggestions in your Reader everyday. Surely one of them will look good.

And with that in mind, here are a few easy-to-make, inexpensive, delicious, healthy vegetarian meals (and blogs) to get you started. (Click on the pictures to see the recipes.)

Tomato Basil Cream Pasta from Vegan Yum Yum

Roman Beans and Polenta from WheatFreeMeatFree

Spinach and Vegan Ricotta Spaghetti from Vegalicious

Give any of them a try, and I think you’ll agree that meatless dinners don’t have to be seen as a sacrifice.

I’ve recently become a big fan of Strong Lifts since I read an article by founder, Mehdi. I need to drop a few pounds — OK, more than a few — and I’ve found the Strong Lifts program to be right up my alley because it focuses on simple nutrition, weightlifting, and the occasional cardio session. The weightlifting sessions are not overly complex and involve only a few core exercises. We are talking old-school free weight movements like squats, dead lifts, etc. I don’t think I’ve squatted for anything since high school other than snacks on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator! To aid in my efforts to get back to “fighting weight” I’ve decided to combine my frugal efforts and swear off all forms of liquids other than good old H2O for the next thirty days.

No Sodas

I wouldn’t call myself a Coca Cola addict, but over the years I’ve enjoyed them more than I should have. This has probably contributed to my need to drop a few pounds. Aside from the empty calories and sugar content, sodas have a negative psychological effect on me — they make me want to eat more. If I am sitting down to watch a game and grab a cold soft drink I automatically reach for a bag of chips, some left over pizza, or pretzels. I don’t know what it is about sodas that makes me want to snack, but I know it isn’t a healthy habit.  Diet sodas are loaded with sodium, and don’t make for a great alternative.  It seems those who are truly successful losing a lot of weight just quit the sodas altogether.

No Juice

My son drinks apple juice like it is going out of style, and my wife and I have recently started watering it down because we are a bit concerned with his own sugar intake. I occasionally pour myself a glass of apple or orange juice over some crushed ice. Just because it is a fruit juice doesn’t mean it is particularly good for me. After all, even 100% juice brands have up to 30 grams of sugar per serving!

No Alcohol

This is an easy one for me. I couldn’t tell you the last time I drank a beer. And my efforts to drink a glass of wine daily (for the cardiovascular benefits, of course) dropped off when I realized I was spending way too much per bottle, even on the cheap stuff. Down the road I may try a homemade recipe or two, but for now I’ll just pass. Beer and wine are loaded with calories and the alcohol content works against my training efforts.

Got Milk? Not Me

Of all the items listed this may be the toughest for me to give up. I could probably go through a gallon of milk every other day if not kept in check. I just love the stuff! While milk is loaded with nutrients it also has sugar, something I’m trying to avoid in liquid form for the next month. Similar to the habitual effects soft drinks have on me, milk makes me want to eat something sweet. There is nothing better to me than chasing a fudge brownie with an ice cold glass of milk.

H2O All the Way

So for the next 30 days I’ll give up all other liquid vices and stick to water. After all, water is probably the best thing we can drink for improved digestion, metabolism, and for proper hydration. There are no calories, no caffeine and no additives (except for the ones added by our water treatment facility to keep it clean). I may cheat a bit here and there by adding some sugar-free drink powder to the water I have with my evening meal, or maybe a squeeze of lemon, just for a little variety. I’ll keep tabs on how much I would have spent on soft drinks over this same period and will report back at the end of the experiment. Along the way I hope to lose some weight, save some money, and cure a few of these bad habits I’ve developed.

I recently stumbled upon an interesting gardening method called square foot gardening, and decided we would give it a try. I’ve always thought the idea of having a vegetable garden would be a lot of fun. Walking out to your square foot garden and picking a fresh tomato for tonight’s dinner appeals to the self-sufficient nature of most frugal individuals.

I know just enough about gardening to know that I am not very good at it, and that it is a lot of work.  My kids have always been fascinated with the idea of growing things, but our soil and our dog make planting anything in the yard impossible.  Enter square foot gardening.

What is Square Foot Gardening?

The idea behind square foot gardening is that you can plant fruits, vegetables and flowers in raised beds, above infertile soil and even out of the reach of pets. Seeds are planted in 1X1 square foot plots, and when harvested a new plant is installed in the square. Raised beds can sit directly on the ground, or include a bottom layer and be placed on patios, decks or porches. Because of a bad back, and a dog with a propensity to dig up our new plants, we decided to build a 4×2 foot table-top design.

Materials Needed to Set Up a Square Foot Garden

Material costs are variable, depending on the size of garden you plan to build. I personally opted for a 4′ by 2′ configuration because it fit the table we were planning to use. Most people typically start with a 4′ by 4′ design for their first square foot garden. I’ll share with you what materials I used, but keep in mind the pricing could be higher or lower depending on your local costs of lumber, soil, etc.

(1) Sheet untreated plywood – $0.00 (leftover scrap from a previous home improvement project)

(2) 2×6x8 pieces of untreated lumber – $7.38
Don’t get treated lumber because treatments can seep into the soil and contaminate your planting area.

(8) #8 x 3″ Wood Screws (or deck screws) – $2.94
Use these longer screws to connect the corners of the 2×6’s after cutting to the desired length.

(8) #6 x 1″ Wood Screws – $0.98
These were used to anchor the nylon line to create a grid system for the 1×1 planting plots. I also used a few to fasten the sheet of plywood to the 2×6’s to create a bottom to my container.

(1) Pack of Twisted Nylon Line – $4.43
I used this and the smaller screws to create a grid system on top of the container, in 1×1 square foot patterns.

(2) 2cu ft. bags of Miracle Grow Garden Soil (for flowers and vegetables) – $13.54
There were more frugal recipes here for soil, such as 1/3 compost, 1/3 peat moss, and 1/3 vermiculite. However, I could not find the ingredients packaged locally and the individual ingredients bought separately at the larger home improvement stores were more expensive the bags of Miracle Grow.  If you have some compost to mix, such as soil generated from a Mantis ComposT-Twin composter, it would really help your soil.

(10-pack) Strawberry plants – $3.98
(1) Burpee Seed Pack Super Sugar Snap Peas – $1.57
(1) Burpee Seed Pack Tomato, Early & Often Hybrid – $2.47
(1) Burpee Seed Pack Cucumber, Burpless Beauty – $1.88
(1) Burpee Ambrosia Cantaloupe – $1.57*
(1) Burpee Danvers Half-Long Carrots – $1.28*

*These last two were just for fun – I don’t expect much yield on these, but I thought it would be fun to try.  I get seeds from Gurney’s Seed and Nursery Co.  Click here to receive $20 off your first order!

Total Start-up Cost: $42.02

Building a Square Foot Gardening Box

It was my daughter’s idea to use popsicle sticks to mark the type of fruit or veggie planted. We will fill in the remaining squares after we eat another round of popsicles!

Since we decided to go with raised beds on a table top I checked the dimensions of the table and came up with a suitable size for our square foot gardening container. Four feet by two feet would allow for eight square foot plots for planting. First, cut the 8ft. long 2×6s down to size. Next, position the 2×6s on the table in a rectangular pattern, alternating corners to make the “inside box” dimensions four feet by two feet (I chose not to alternate corners because the table I was working with was only 45 inches wide, so I needed it to be a little narrower). Fasten the sides using the #8×3″ wood screws. If you have trouble with the wood trying to split you may want to first drill pilot holes.

With the sides now fastened it is time to attach a bottom to the container, unless you are planning to put the raised bed directly on the ground. If this is the case, use some cardboard or weed blocking fabric to discourage grass and weeds from coming up through the soil. In my case, the container will be placed on a table top so I needed to attach a bottom to hold the soil in place. Fortunately, I had some untreated plywood I ripped to size. The bottom doesn’t have to be thick, so 1/4″, 3/8″ or 1/2″ plywood would do just fine. Fasten the bottom to the container using the #6×1″ wood screws (assuming you didn’t use 1″ plywood).

Plan for drainage by raising the box up a couple inches. I ripped a couple scraps from the remaining 2×6s and used them to attach four 2″ feet for each corner of the box. I also drilled a few 1/8″ thick drainage holes in the bottom of the box to allow standing water to flow out the bottom.

Create a grid system on top of the square foot gardening container using nylon line and #6×1″ screws, spaced a foot apart across the width and length of the container. Drill the screws about half way into the top of the 2×6s, leaving enough room to tie a knot of nylon line around the screw. If the end of the nylon line frays after cutting (as mine did), use a lighter to gently melt the ends to prevent further fraying.

Irrigating a Square Foot Garden

*Unless you already have a drip line and timer prepared for your garden, you’ll have to water manually early on to improve seed germination. If the air is particularly dry, or hot, you will need to constantly keep the soil moist until seeds have sprouted and taken root. One economical way to do this is to fill used water bottles and poke a small hole or two in one side of the bottle using a safety pin. Use your finger to dig a 1/2″ deep trench the length of the bottle and lay the bottle on its side, pin-prick side down, over the trench. The water will slowly drip into the trench, keeping the soil moist for several hours. Obviously when sprouts begin to appear above the surface you want to be sure not to position a bottle directly on top of the struggling plant.

Perform this routine first thing in the morning so soil gradually soaks and then dries throughout the day, and is driest overnight. This reduces the chance of fungus or diseases developing. This is even more important when the plants begin to develop leaves – avoid wetting leaves at all costs as it encourages disease.

*I’ve since improved on this irrigation system as I became more aware of the dangers of heated plastic leeching bad things into the soil

I’m not sure what to expect from this effort in terms of food yields, but just the process of building the box, filling it with dirt and planting seeds with my kids was worth the $40. If the small garden yields a few fruits and veggies during the spring and summer then all the better. Who knows, if we can cultivate a good crop we may build more boxes next summer and section off an area of the yard so the dog does not eat our produce.

I think over time it will help my kids understand the true value of things. Those strawberries don’t just wind up in the produce section of our local grocery stores. As I pointed out to my daughter today someone has to plant the seeds, water the plants, harvest the crops, clean the strawberries, package them, and transport them to a distributor.

Additional Resources:

• All New Square Foot Gardening: Grow More in Less Space! by Mel Bartholomew
• Mantis® – We Make Gardening Easier ® Take advantage of our best offer ever. Free shipping and a Free Border Edger Attachment.
• DirectGardening.com – Offers quality plants at great prices, come see what we mean!