I wasn’t always very frugal, and I was a spendthrift a few years ago. I know it’s horrible, but I wanted to be at home with my son, so I had to change. It was easier for my husband since he grew up frugal. I learned a lot of my skills from his family. The first thing we did was to consolidate debt to make one payment per month. That was only one small part of the change.

There are thousands of little ways to save money. Turning off lights when you aren’t in that room. I clip coupons and combine them with sales and rebates. I switched to store brands on most of the things we eat or use like toilet paper. I also do many other small things to save money. These little small changes will add up to much bigger savings in time. You have to start slowly if you want to it to be a permanent change.

If you are living paycheck to paycheck then debt consolidation is a great way to free up extra money for debt relief. BillsIQ is a great online site that has many tools and articles. Everyone that needs debt help should check out this great site.

I really love my Mom and she’s my best friend. There are days that I say the same things to my son that she said when I was a kid. I didn’t understand some of these pearls of wisdom until I had my own children. I always have to laugh to myself afterwards. Again, I have to admit you were right Mom. Thanks.

Today’s thrifty tip is to use soy flour to substitute for an egg in baking. Just a heaping tablespoon of soy flour and a tablespoon of water is equal to a large egg. With the high price of eggs, this can save a good bit if you do a lot of cooking and baking. You can find soy flour in most health food and ethnic stores.

Today’s thrifty tip is to call companies of products you either love or had an issue. I have a few favorite items, and I do call the company every few months to rave about the product or pass on some suggestions. I always ask to be placed on a mailing list or about coupons. Most will just give you some coupons just for calling. Some won’t give anything but that is a small percentage. If you do have a complaint, then just be courteous but let them know your disappoint. Some companies will ask to have it mailed back if it’s a defect. So don’t throw it out just yet. I always get either a refund check or a free item coupon when this occurs. This is another great way to get great coupons for the things you use anyway.

Today’s thrifty tip is bring samples on vacation. Why carry all those full size containers of toothpaste, mouthwash, deodorant, shaving cream, shampoo, and such? It would be much easier to bring the smaller travel sized samples. Unless you have a coupon to make it either free or under 50¢ cents, then don’t buy the travel size items in the store.

Just spend a little time daily requesting free samples. Look through my FREEBIE LIST HERE to find many samples to request. I post new ones daily.

You also get great coupons that you can buy again for later. Some coupons do have the wording “not good on travel or certain size items” so do read the fine print.

If you bring the smaller items, then you will have more room for your souvenirs. Less chance of having something leaking in your suitcase. If you leave behind a travel size item then you won’t be so upset compared to leaving behind a $5 or more item.