It’s all in how you look at it.  Some people view “frugal living” as “not spending any money–ever.” Personally, I have a different view.  We do try to live a frugal life, making sacrifices in some areas so that we have money left over for other things.  In my opinion, “frugal living” involves using your resources wisely, whether those resources are money, time, energy, food, equipment, or space.

One example of this is my attempt not to waste food.  That’s always a challenge in families, where appetites and preferences vary.  But when we have leftovers, I try to find ways to use them.

I have a number of recipes that call for cooked meat, so I often rely on “planned leftovers,” where enough meat is cooked on one night to feed us for that night and to use in another recipe on another day.  Cooking this way also allows me to disguise the leftovers, so it doesn’t seem like we’re eating yesterday’s dinner all over again.

My daughter observed: “Mom, I read that recipe you were making, and it called for used meat.”

I thought that sounded pretty disgusting. “This meat isn’t used! It’s leftover!”

Her older brother defended the idea of making dinner from leftovers: “Leftover is not the same as A.B.C.!”

COUPON TIME

Using coupons is another pathway to frugality.  If you need to buy something anyway, you may as well shop around for the best deal–and here are some of our very best:

TODAY AND TOMORROW ONLY!
35% off Car and Vehicle GPS at Dell Home
Use coupon code GDMLR093R?M0S5.
Valid through: July 17, 2009 11:55pm CDT
See other Dell Home coupons!

50% off all online orders at Hooked on Phonics
Use promotional code slick50.
Valid through: unknown
Valid for new purchases only. Cannot be combined with other offers.
See other Hooked on Phonics coupon codes!

25% off your order at Ross-Simons.com
Use promotion code SAVE25.
Valid through: July 19, 2009, 11:59pm ET
VALID ONLINE ONLY. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Excludes clearance merchandise, gift certificates, prior purchases, loose diamonds and mountings, select brands and art gallery purchases.
See other Ross-Simons coupons!

Get 250 business cards FREE at VistaPrint
Stand out with full-color printing. Choose from 42 designs.
See other VistaPrint coupon codes!

Up to 40% off Chicago hotels at Hotels.com
Valid through: August 3, 2009
See other Hotels.com coupons!

HURRY!  EXPIRES SATURDAY!
50% off Men’s Shorts at Kmart.com
Discounts will appear on item pages.
Valid through: July 18, 2009
See other Kmart coupon codes!