40+ Ways To Live Frugally: Tips From Grandma

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1. Use cloth instead of paper.  My grandma had a bucket of clean rags, that she used to wipe down everything. She rarely used paper towels. Microfiber cloths are also a great option, washable, durable and reusable. 

2.  Buy and use green cleaning products, or make them yourself! Just search on Pinterest for eco-friendly green cleaner recipes. Plus, shop for eco-friendly beauty products,  eco-friendly fashion lines and eco-friendly home decor. I really like Green Works and Method. 

3.  Laundry.  Wash laundry in cold water instead of hot.  Line-dry when you can. There is nothing like line-dried clothing, that has dried in the sun! You will never forget that clean air smell. 


4.  Go Paperless. Pay bills online. I pay most of my bills online, along with getting paperless copies of bills. It is now so much more fun to go to the mailbox! Put a stop to unsolicited mail and sign up to opt out of pre-screened credit card offers.  

5.  Conserve Energy - Turn off the lights when you leave the room, or open the curtains and blinds and rely on the sunlight to cut down on electricity use. Only run the dishwasher when you have a full load.  Shut down and turn off your computer completely at night. 

6.  Change your light bulbs.   Switch a few of your light bulbs to CFLs , which use about 75 percent less energy and last seven to 10 times longer than regular incandescent bulbs, until eventually you have all of your house switched over. This was a hard one for me because I love my old-school bulbs. Now that they are phased out of most stores, I have had to bite the bullet and buy the new bulbs. Six years ago, my 90 year old grandfather, was light years ahead of me because he used CFLs and preferred them! 

7.  Repurpose glass jars as leftover containers, bulk storage or even pretty vases. I love mason jars for this. 

8.  Buy used and donate.   Shop thrift stores and craigslist for clothing, home items and more.  Grandma was a thrift shopper, she loved a good deal. She also loved to knit, sew and crochet. While I'm not much of a thrift shopper, I donate a lot to Goodwill. 

9.  Stop using disposable bags.   Purchase reusable bags. They are more durable and don't clog up land-fills! I love, love, love my Target reusable bag. I keep one in my car and one in the kitchen. 
10. Grow as much food as possible to lower the food bill, and freeze or can what you can’t use immediately. Even tomatoes can be frozen and used in soups and stews.
11. Save leftovers to make potato scones, soups, stews or fried vegetables.
14. Cleaners should be bought in the most economical size (not always the largest) and decanted into spray bottles. Use just a squirt instead of pouring out a large amount.
15. Quilting/reusing material/reusing old clothes and sheets for material. Grandma was an expert seamstress and could make all kinds of clothing, Halloween costumes and more.

16. Gardening. Grandma was known for her beautiful gardens. She grew not only flowers but rows of corn and raspberries, potatoes, green beans and much more.

17. Canning food. I remember every fall growing up, Grandma would can food. This was a long procedure, from picking the food, preparing it, and then canning it. It paid off- all winter, they had fresh, homegrown food on their table.

18. Baking your own bread-- Really, is there anything better than homemade bread? Grandma didn't think so either. Homemade bread, with a bit of homemade jelly or butter was always a special treat at Grandma's house.

19. Learn how to make desserts like homemade pecan pie

Here are 25 time-tested vintage baking tips!

 

  1. Butter and sugar can be creamed easily when butter is hard by warming the sugar slightly.
  2. Light-colored molasses can be darkened to make dark gingerbread by adding a teaspoonful of melted chocolate to each cup of molasses.
  3. Cream which is hard to whip will whip quickly by adding a few drops of lemon juice.
  4. Molasses can be prevented from sticking to the measuring cup if the cup is first greased with butter or lard.
  5. Shortening can be measured exactly. If recipe calls for 1/3 cup, fill measuring cup two-thirds full of water, add enough shortening to bring water to top of cup, pour off water and you have exactly 1/3 cup of shortening.
  6. Sour milk can be made by adding two (2) tablespoonfuls of vinegar to one (1) cup of sweet milk and then letting it stand for a few minutes. Your baking will be just as light as if real sour milk were used. Also see Handy Substitute Recipes For Baking.
  7. Whipped cream substitute, delicious in flavor, can be made by adding a slice of banana to the white of an egg and beating until stiff. The banana will dissolve completely.
  8. Cornstarch is sometimes used in place of eggs when recipe calls for more than you have on hand. A tablespoonful is used for each missing egg. In making custard, omit one or two eggs, and use cornstarch instead (1/2 tablespoon for each egg).
  9. Custards will not curdle so readily if a tablespoon of flour mixed with sugar is added.
  10. Boiled frosting will not be brittle or break when cut, if a teaspoon of vinegar is beaten into the frosting when the flavoring is added.
  11. Add one tablespoonful of jam or jelly to cookie dough. It will add flavor and make the cookies stay moist longer.
  12. Doughnuts will not absorb grease if a teaspoonful of vinegar is added to cold fat.
  13. Fruit Cake: When baking, place a cup of water in the oven to keep enough moisture in air and prevent cake from drying out while baking. Also seeFruitcake Baking Tips.
  14. Muffins: Drop a teaspoonful of peanut butter in each muffin pan, over which pour batter. This gives muffins a delightful nutty flavor. Also see 10 Tips For Baking Muffins.
  15. When a recipe calls for a quantity of melted butter, take care to measure the butter after melting, not before.
  16. To soften butter, fill a small china bowl, one just sufficiently large to cover the butter, with boiling water; let stand a minute or two or until thoroughly heated, then empty the water and immediately turn the hot bowl upside down over the butter. In a few minutes, the butter will be softened so it is just right.
  17. When separating the yolk from the white of an egg, if you drop a portion of egg yolk into the whites, moisten a cloth with cold water, touch to the yolk and it will adhere to the cloth.
  18. Never beat egg-whites in an aluminum pan, as it is sure to darken them.
  19. When baking a milk pudding, place the dish in a tin of water in the oven. Then prevents the pudding from burning or boiling over.
  20. When cream will not whip, add the white of an egg to your cream–chill it and it will whip.
  21. To avoid lumps in batter, add a pinch of salt to the flour before it is wet.
  22. How to sugar doughnuts? Shake the sugar and doughnuts together in a paper bag. The same method may be used with flour and chicken, or salt and french fried potatoes.
  23. Raisins for cakes and breads will be plump and juicy if soaked in warm water before being added to the batter or dough.
  24. Zip up your gingerbread and molasses cookies by adding a bit of grated orange peel to the batter.
  25. If chilled ice-box cookie dough shatters when cut with long sharp knife, let stand at room temperature for 1/2 hour to soften very slightly before slicing!