7 MORE Highly Effective Habits of the Frugal Household

1. Cook small dishes in the toaster oven.
If you need to cook a small casserole or dessert or an amount of meat that can fit in a small dish, use your toaster oven to cook it, rather than wasting electricity heating up the large oven. Of course, if you need to use the large oven, cook as much of your meal as you can in it, so that you do not often have to use both ovens. This is a simple habit that will save on your electricity bill.

2. Turn off unnecessary lights.
Use good old-fashioned sunlight streaming in the windows during the day, and try lamps at night. You can certainly use larger lights when you need to, but try to use energy-efficient LED bulbs. It really does make a difference.

3. Skip junk-food snacks at the grocery store.
Snacks empty of nutrition may taste great from time to time, but in addition to their negative effects on your body, they also eat up dollars like nobody's business. Stick to buying healthful foods that fill you up and nourish your body, and skip filling up your grocery budget with snack crackers, potato chips, and packaged cookies.

4. Rent movies from Redbox.
Seriously. A $1 rental makes a lot more sense than an average-cost theater ticket or a $20-$25 DVD. Yes, you can wait until the movie goes to Redbox. You will survive. If you rent it and decide you absolutely love it and must own it, then buy the DVD. But if you don't love it, you've spent only $1 to see it and know not to waste your money on the DVD.

5. Create your own cards for special occasions.
Keep a small (or large) supply of scrapbook paper and a set of rubber alphabet stamps on hand. Have a good pair of scissors, some tape, and a few old cereal or granola bar boxes, and you're in business. Making your own cards for birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions takes a little time, but it saves a lot of money in the long run. Plus, a handmade card is twice as special as a store-bought one.

6. Take advantage of your local library.
Yes, there are still such places as libraries, where physical books line the shelves, and you are free to borrow them at no cost whatsoever. It's a wonderful, age-old system that I hope never becomes obsolete. Most libraries even have a website that allows you to search for books and request them. When the book you wish to borrow has arrived at the library, they will notify you, and you can go pick it up. Convenient and fast. Of course, some people enjoy perusing the shelves slowly and picking out a stack of books. Also, most libraries have a DVD section and an audiobook section. These may all be free, or a small fee may be charged to borrow them. Either way, this is a cheap, perhaps even free, and fun way to bring a little culture, entertainment, and education into your life.

7. Reuse plastic shopping bags.
This is extremely easy to do. After unpacking your groceries or other items bought from stores, save the plastic bags in a designated location. Reuse them to line small trash cans, to keep trash corralled in the car, to carry lunches to work, to store dirty clothes on a trip, and in numerous other creative ways. Obviously, be sure to throw away bags that have held meat packages or other grocery items that contain dangerous germs, and store the bags where small children cannot get into them. You want to be always on the safe side, as small children place random objects on their heads sometimes!