Do you consider yourself frugal?

I’m no maven of thrift myself but I do try. What’s helped me get on the bandwagon is finding ways that I enjoy saving money.

I’m not great at shopping sales at the grocery store but I am good about limiting food waste.

I’ve been turning the heat on this winter instead of putting on a few extra sweaters (it’s been cold) but I live in a small home that is relatively inexpensive to heat.

Instead of catching the 5:15am bus to the airport, I’ll let myself get an extra 30 minutes of sleep and get a cab. But I don’t have a car so my transportation costs are very low.

My other nod to being frugal: I’m always open to new ideas on how to save a buck while living well.

Here are some awesome women that can give you ideas for how to live well on fewer dollars.

1. The Frugal Girl

I’ve mentioned Kirsten here before. She is a mom to four and has a wealth of ideas and inspiration for saving money at The Frugal Girl. You can learn about everything from making your own yogurt to getting a discount on beautiful boots with a few simple clicks.

2. Frugal Mama

Amy has lived in the most expensive city of them all: New York. Her tips on budgeting are especially helpful (same with her free downloadable worksheets) and I like her simple approach to cutting costs. As a writer and expert for TLC’s Parentables she advises other families on how to make their dollar stretches.

3. Money Saving Mom

There is a lot to this website. A lot. Everything from coupons, money saving tips and a detailed series on blogging for business. Particularly interesting are the We Paid Cash series and the Becoming a Work-At-Home Mom series.

4. Penniless Parenting

This is a site my friend Vicki sent me to (thanks Vicki!). This family of four downsized from a 950 sq ft home to 525 sq ft to save $100 a month. WOW. Lots of the tips here are what I would consider in the extreme range. But they work. If I need a kick in the pants to save a few dollars I can read about cooking down 50 pounds of tomatoes and I’m motivated. Maybe not motivated to cook down all those tomatoes but definitely to skip takeout on the weekend and cook from scratch.

5. Frugal Babe

Frugal Babe’s tag line is a rich life without a lot of money and she documents everything from nutritious (and frugal) homemade breakfast cereals to an inexpensive way for new moms to give back (loved this). Again, if you’re looking to start a home based business this post on how FB and her husband started an insurance company has a lot of good information.

6. The Small Notebook

This is one of my favourite websites. Rachel simplifies home managing and those little details we bog ourselves down with. Her recent Clear the Clutter series is a good place to start if you want some prompts for tossing out expired medications and a reminder to switch in new dish scrubbers. While the focus isn’t on frugality, the tips are sure to save you some cash.

7. The Non-Consumer Advocate

Have you heard of The Compact? It’s a movement of people who commit to not buying anything new for a year. Katy Wolk-Stanley of The Non-Consumer Advocate is part of the movement and shares details of her frugal life on her blog. One thing I really appreciate about Katy’s writing is that she includes a lot of posts about the benefits of her frugality. She works part-time, her children have money for school trips overseas and she can easily host friends and out of town guests. Less work and more giving from a frugal lifestyle.

I’m not sure I’ll ever be as frugal as some of these writers but I do enjoy trying to save a few dollars. Dollars I can put in a savings account or towards a vacation or give to someone in need.

Anyone else have a money saving site that they find useful? I’m always on the look out for tips that work for my family and lifestyle.