EQUIPMENT	MONTHLY EXPENDITURE
	HEATING
	Portable Electric Space Heater	$7 for 60 hours
	Electric Furnace	$90 for 90 hours
	Natural Gas Furnace	$100 for 150 hours
	Pilot Light	$3
	COOLING & VENTILATION
	Central Air Conditioner
	Typical new	$44 for 7 hrs/day (in the summer)
	*ENERGY STAR-labeled	$35 for 7 hrs/day (in the summer)
	Wall/Room Air Conditioner	$14 for 175 hrs/mo (in the summer)
	Evaporative Cooler ("Swamp Cooler")	$1.50 for 40 hrs (in the summer)
	Whole House Fan	$9 for 12 hrs/day
	Portable Fan	$1 for 100 hrs/mo (in the summer)
	KITCHEN
	Electric Range	$4, assuming 1 hr/day
	Gas Range	$1.50, assuming 1 hr/day
	Electric Oven	$6.60 for 40 hrs
	Gas Oven	$2.80 for 40 hrs
	Microwave Oven	60 ¢/hr
	Dishwasher	$4.50 for 1 cycle/day
	Refrigerator
	Typical 1972 model	$11
	Typical 1990 model	$6
	Typical 2000 model	$5
	*Energy Star-labeled 2000 model	$3.50
	Stand-Alone Freezer
	Typical 1978 model	$6
	Typical 1997 model	$3
	Blender	5¢, assuming 5 uses/week
	Toaster	10¢, assuming 1 use/day
	Waffle Iron/Sandwich Grill	20¢, assuming 2 hours/mo
	Coffee Maker	$3-4, assuming 1 use/day
	LAUNDRY
	Note: Expenditures for dryers and clothes washers assume 1 load per day.
	Electric Clothes Dryer	$11
	Gas Clothes Dryer	$4
	Clothes Washer w/ electric water heater:
	hot wash & warm rinse	$22
	warm wash & cold rinse	$7.50
	Clothes Washer w/ gas water heater:
	hot wash & warm rinse	$6
	warm wash & cold rinse	$2.70
	cold wash & cold rinse	$1.25
	LIGHTING
	Light bulb, single
	75-watt incandescent	87¢ for 150 hrs
	18-watt fluorescent	21¢ for 150 hrs
	25-watt tube fluorescent	29¢ for 50 hrs
	300-watt halogen	$3.50 for 150 hrs
	Night Light	10¢ for 10 hrs/day
	Total lighting cost, typical house	$9
	WATER HEATING
	Conventional gas water heater	$13
	Conventional electric water heater	$32
	Electric heat pump water heater	$13
	Oil Water Heater	$19
	HOME ENTERTAINMENT
	Television, 27-inch	$1.30 for 90 hrs (3 hrs/day)
	VCR	5¢, assuming 2 movies/wk
	Boombox	70¢ for 90 hrs (3 hrs/day)
	Stereo, Component System	$1-$1.50, assuming 10 hrs/wk
	OTHER/MISCELLANEOUS
	Clock	30-50¢
	Aquarium	$2-$4, assuming 10 hrs/day
	Hair Dryer	$1.20, assuming 1 use/day
	Cordless Phone	16¢
	Christmas Lights	$16, assuming December only

Retrieved from US Department of Energy

A very simple way to align your finances!

Grab a pen and paper:

1) Right down your monthly income Net after taxes.

2) List all the bills you have each month ex.

• Mortgage/rent
• Taxes/Home owner insurance
  
• Utilities
  
• Rough grocery bill
  

3) After all bills have been listed add them all up.
4) Now subtract all your bills from you Net take home.

Surprised? Most cases this amount left over of your net pay is larger then we had thought. Everyday we purchase things on want and instinct and these add up to a large amount at the end of the month.

Coffee drinker?

Here is a habit we may fall into that is very costly. That small Dunkin Donuts coffee that cost $2.01 purchased just once a day will have cost you $60 at months end and double that for a large or triple for Star Bucks.

• Make your own coffee.
• Cut back to every other day.
  
• Quite drinking coffee and find energy in more natural ways like vitamins and exercise.
  

Big savings can be made if we look closely to where our money is going. Try out this finance exercise and see how much cash you really have left over.

Frugal from Breakfast to Dinner - How to save BIG!

Here is a great way to save some money, actually this may be one the the more valuable lessons to take away from being frugal.

What and where do you eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner on a regular day? At work I see people buying breakfast at $5.00 dollars a day and lunch for $5.00 to $10.00 dollars. This is everyday so we are talking with the average person I see at work spends $50.00/$100.00 dollars a WEEK!

Try:

• Creating a Shopping List
• Make on only one trip a week to the grocery store: this will save gas,time and stop one nite dinner stops if you don't feel like cooking to grab a frozen dinner.
• Use COUPONS: Big money saver
• Plan meals for the week.
• Shop with your partner and save time if each of you split the list.
• Don't limit your self to just one grocery store. If Market basket has a great sale and Shop and Save also has great sales than go to each store if they are close by.
  

This is ridiculous and not healthy people. Now I don't munch on carrot sticks all day and I eat healthy minus some good old chocolate now and than but I will tell you my total grocery bill per month for my wife and I is under $70.00 and that includes meat,fish vegetables and all my snacks for the week. So while one single non frugal person spends between a whopping $200/400 dollars a month just on lunch and breakfast my frugal self and my frugal wife spend under 280 dollars per month on healthy food.

• No need to splurge on more expensive name brands: generic is proven to be just as good in some cases.
• Keep the snacks to a minimum: candy, soda and chips will end up accounting for a good potion of the bill and is by far healthy.
• Stock up on the sale items: With coupons and sales these sure go along way.
• Use eco friendly grocery bags: some grocery stores will give 10 cents back on each bag you use.

We have to slow down and look at the dollars we spend. While eating out and at work from the Bistro is easy and may have a big menu I'm able to buy all my food for the week and throw in a few bills like cable and internet for 100 dollars and my electricity bill and you know what? Still I spend less on half my bills and and food than one person eats at out.

Think about this and leave a comment on how you save or could save more money by simply making a grocery list and making your own lunch, its not rocket science and could save you hundreds a MONTH, get those bills paid!!!

Let me save you MONEY !

I have placed a PayPal Donation box in hopes to generate any revenue to help with all the expenses of keeping this site up and running. Please read on....

I never expect anything for nothing as many look for a free hand out.

Over the years I have become the friends and family go to person when something needs to be purchased. I have a knack for making the right purchases at the right time and have saved thousands of dollars spending good old time and Due Diligence on my purchases. I know where to look and what to look for. I have many ways to save you more money on any purchase you are looking for.

I will be offering my service to help you make the right decision on your next purchase or purchases on what ever it may be. Looking to buy a new HD Plasma TV? Let me do the homework for you and guide you to what you should be looking into. Sales jobs in my past have showed me that most consumers are misled and not informed on the purchase they are about to make. Let me help you save your hard earned money. Be Frugal!

1$ per Item I will provide: - Simple steps to make your purchase. - Information e-mailed to you regarding the product you are looking for. - Recommendations where you should purchase. - Sales tips if making an in store purchase. - Coupons or sales for your product.

Buying a new car, electronics, furniture? Let me make your purchase easy!

You will be making your purchase through well know companies like Best Buy, Lowes or Sears? Please post a comment and I will be sure to help you make a smart buy.

"I will find it less expensive than you can or have time to do"

"Going Green" is the new thing to do, are you going Green?

My wife and I have made the first step to the whole Green lifestyle in hopes to help our natural habitat.

We bought the ever so popular eco friendly grocery bags that we can use over and over and not contribute to the massive mountains of plastic already in our landfills.

We paid $1.00 per bag and bought 4 bags from the local TJ Maxx. They are ugly red and not as appealing to the cool "Going Green" bags I found out on the web. The "cooler" bags were not a deal for me, they were charging $2.50 per bag plus $9.00 for shipping (not frugal people).

Another Frugal/Green lifestyle change I have made is by far the hardest. Driving the speed limit. 55mph is now my usual speed, I not only save gas money and get higher MPG but I'm consuming less fuel. With gas finally dropping in price don't think we will ever see under $3.00 per gal.

Try some of these tips and tricks !

• Keep tires filled to their proper pressure.Use public transportation.
• Carpool
• Ride your bike.
• Use a credit card that gives cash back
• Pay in cash if there is an incentive
• Get the most of your car and run it until it dies.
• Schedule regular maintenance.
• Coast when you can.
• Drive the highway route instead of city.
• Use Cruise control.
  
• Keep records of gas mileage and see how what helps and hurts it.
• Don't let your tank get half empty.
  

Check out some Green Cars

As you begin to think in this green lifestyle many things can be changed to create less waste.

Check out some of these sites for going green.

Tree Hugger.com

Think Green.com

How are some ways you are going green?

Lets face it, in todays society we are forced to live above our means. Credit cards at the age of 18? Mortgage refinancing with high variable rates and loan offer checks in the mail are just few of hundreds of ways to become IN DEBT!

I was raised by a frugal set of parents; back than it was called being what I refer to as "the C word" CHEAP! Cheap does not mean Frugal as this will be explained later on. My childhood consisted of chores for minimal pay of $3.00 a week, these were responsibilities such as taking out the trash, cleaning my room and the dreadful wood stacking. This was New Hampshire living in the 80's (some may know what I mean). These early lessons taught me life altering skills for the rest of my life (thanks mom and dad).

Lets go back to my first Loan I ever took out. This is where it all started turning in my head as I asked my parents to borrow 15 dollars for a brand new GI Joe action figure that K-mart just stocked on the shelf. So I was like 7 years old and it seemed like a great idea for Mom and Dad to loan of the cash since I had no money,but I really wanted the new GI Joe action figure. Well I sure got what I asked for and a whole lot more than i have ever expected. I had a blast with the new toy but paying back this "loan" was another story.

Do you have any idea how long it took for me to pay off this loan? Well lets just say the average weekly salary as you know was $3.00 a week. Raking leaves, stacking wood and helping around the house was no picnic. I worked hard to pay for this little toy that by the time it was paid off Mr. GI Joe was at the bottom of the toy box collecting dust. A life lesson was leaned at a young age and has followed me all along.

How did you become Frugal?

Here is a place where we will discuss our fugal-ness, share our fugal ways and help each other keep our head above water in these tough economic times.