With the way the price of energy has been going, frugal living enthusiasts need to take every opportunity to minimize their usage. One easy way to do so is with ‘task lighting.’

Essentially, this means lighting the specific area or item you need lit and not using overhead lights. So, for example, it’s cheaper to have an energy-saving bulb in a desk lamp and to use this alone when working on the computer, than it is to light up the whole room. Other examples of ‘task lighting’ are using lights mounted under kitchen cupboards when making dinner or reading by a good lamp with an energy-saving bulb.

Small adjustments add up to big savings in frugal living!

*Photo from Flickr, courtesy of jeremyfoo

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Looking for a healthier and yet frugal living friendly alternative to juice? Try this and other frugal recipes for healthy homemade punches and provide your family with a tasty and nutrient-rich beverage.

Check out this video, courtesy of the Thrifty Little Helpers, to learn how to make this tasty drink. The punch combines frugal living friendly herbs like spearmint, lemon balm and chamomile, all of which contain essential vitamins and nutrients and can be purchased at your local health or bulk food store. Compare the nutrients in this punch to commercial juices and punches and you’ll see why we love this healthy drink.

*Photo from Flickr, courtesy of S J Pinkney

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Any frugal living enthusiast will tell you that looking after the things you own is crucial to keeping expenses to a minimum. Besides, who doesn’t want to look after that which they’ve worked so hard to pay for anyway?

If you have wood flooring in your home or office, you probably know a thing or two about water spots; totally unavoidable in some instances but frustrating nonetheless. The good news is that there are frugal living friendly ways to remove water spots from your wood floors:

If you have light water spots (think water dripped across the floor), all you need to do is combine a few tablespoons of baking soda with about ¼ of a cup of water—you want the solution to still be a bit liquid and not too thick. Then, dampen a clean rag in the solution (ring out so that it isn’t saturated) and rub into the water spots. You should start to notice the spots lighten right away but you can leave the solution on stubborn spots for 20 minutes or so as well. Then, use another clean cloth to wipe any residue from the floor and clean normally.

Then, for stubborn water spots, place a clean, dry cloth (something slightly thick, like a folded wash cloth or tea towel) over the water spot and, with a dry iron (i.e. no steam!) set to medium heat, run the iron back and forth over the spot. Repeat as often as needed until the stain disappears.

*Photo from Flickr, courtesy of merfam

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If you’re dissatisfied with your insurance provider and want to find a better rate, doing a little research could wind up saving you a significant amount of money—perfect for frugal living.

With that being said, it’s absolutely crucial that you get your driving history straight when filling out the forms with your new insurance provider. Failing to do so could make you guilty of insurance fraud.

To be sure you’re including everything you should from the last five years, stop by your local department of motor vehicles office and ask for a copy of your driving record. Avoid hefty fines or worse and save more on your car insurance.

*Photo from Flickr, courtesy of Casey Serin

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