This is What Frugal Looks Like: Anjanette from Eat From Your Pantry

by This Is Frugal · 1 comment

in This is Frugal

This is What Frugal Looks Like is a series that highlights different ways that people can be frugal in their lives- after all, frugality doesn’t have to be drastic or just about clipping coupons. Frugality can be fun and easy. Each respondent answers the same four questions. Today’s interview is with Anjanette from Eat From Your Pantry.

What does frugality mean to you?

Being frugal is first and foremost living within our means. I think it goes beyond even that though. Being frugal is being a good steward of what we’ve been blessed with, and hopefully being able to bless others (our family or other people in need) as a result. It is a way of life.

What is something that you do that is ‘typically’ frugally?

I use coupons and utilize sales. I enjoy the challenge of planning meals around the deeply discounted food items I find, and I skip the big name brands if possible. I might take it to a higher level than some do – I have a rule that I don’t purchase any clothing items for myself that cost more than $5/top and $10/bottom, & I only shop for clothes when I *need* something – but I am not a couponing pro and I’m not a big fan of running to umpteen different stores for the best price.

What is something frugal that you do that is unusual?

Because we are committed to raising as many children as God gives us on one income if at all possible (not the most frugal idea in some ways), we’ve also committed to cutting costs and decreasing waste by using cloth diapers and cloth menstrual pads. We are also transitioning over to using cloth in place of paper towels and even toilet paper! Along the same lines, we try not to purchase/use ziplocks or saran wrap – we use reusable containers and wraps instead. These things are “coincidentally green” as well, but our primary motivation for these aspects of our lifestyle is frugality.

We also have a unique job in addition to my husband’s full time job. We are the resident managers (like house parents) for a transitional housing ministry for homeless families. We live on site in exchange for free rent. For almost three years we’ve lived in a small apartment with various responsibilities that some would consider too inconvenient for the benefits (like doing room checks at 10pm and having to call the police on residents who refuse to leave when its time). We love the ministry, but our motivation for serving in this way rather than giving financially or volunteering our time to organize foods drives, etc. is frugality as well.

What are some of your longterm goals that being frugal will help you to accomplish?

We just recently paid off my husband’s graduate student loan. Other than a small undergraduate loan with a negligible interest rate, we are debt free. We have started saving for a home and hope to put down a significant amount (25% or more) right away. Someday, whether it is our first home or not, we dream of owning some land and raising chickens, goats, and llamas (for the fiber). We’d also love to be able to eat 100% of our food from local and/or organic/sustainable sources. We come pretty close right now, but we have to make some sacrifices. We hope that our (most likely MANY) children grow up valuing their possessions and being appreciate of their blessings. We also want to have the freedom to find ways as a family to contribute financially to those who need it.

About:

  • You can read about me and my blog in this post.

And here are a few frugal posts:

{ 1 comment }

1 The Damsel in Dis Dress July 11, 2010

Neat site! Just found you through Anjeanette. I love the frugal lifestyle.

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