Welcome, sweet friends! It’s January 31st, 2025, and how did you all do on your no-spend or low-spend January?
We did a low-spend January and did really well! It’s always so eye-opening to look at our expense tracker at the end of January and see categories completely empty with nothing written in that we had spent on.
Tomorrow is February 1st, and some of us will begin a regular month of February. But before we do, let me share 10 ways that you can ease yourself back into February without blowing your budget.
Even if you didn’t do a low-spend or no-spend month, these 10 tips will help you save money, be content, and have fun, which is so important on our frugal journey.
I have to say, for me, winter is tough. I am much more a spring, summer, and fall person. I’m not crazy about the short days, really long nights, and the lack of sunshine.
It makes me feel a little restless, a little antsy, but we are going to tackle that in this blog post. So let’s get to these 10 money-saving hints that will allow you to save money and still have a great time!
1. Eating Out Smartly
We have just come off of a month where we have not eaten out, haven’t gone through the drive-thru, haven’t gotten a pizza. We want to go out to eat, and this is real life! So how do we do it, keep it below budget, and still have a wonderful time?
Never order anything to drink but water. I know—”Oh no, that’s no fun, Emmy!” But believe me, if you want something to drink, wait till you go home. You will save yourself so much money.
Skip the appetizer and focus on your main meal. Try to go to a restaurant that has an early bird special or happy hour specials. Happy hour specials at restaurants do not always mean you have to buy alcohol—they offer discounted food as well, and you can get some really great deals.
You don’t have to be a senior citizen to get an early bird special. Texas Roadhouse (this isn’t sponsored, but that’s one of the places) offers about 12 choices for $12.95 if you eat before a certain time, and you get hot rolls and peanuts. That’s a very economical date.
And always, always skip dessert. So you’re still going out, you’re having a great time, but you’re keeping your cost to an absolute minimum. That’s the way to do it. Now, I’m not telling you to eat out, but I’m telling you if you want to or you do, please apply these tips—they will save you a lot of money.
2. Create Your Own Coffee Shop Experience
You haven’t gone through the drive-thru or gone into any kind of coffee shops, and you really want that specialty coffee. You’ve waited a month, and now it’s time? I’m going to tell you: wait, stop, give it a little more time!
What I want you to do is go to a supermarket and pick a really good specialty coffee (or tea, for that matter) and bring it home and make it. The price you pay for a bag of really good gourmet coffee will probably cost you the same as two coffees from a specialty shop. And do you know how many cups of coffee or tea you will get out of that bag?
You can still have that yummy gourmet coffee at home, but make it yourself. Splurge a little bit on the bag and skip seeing your favorite barista. Make it at home, and the same goes for tea. Save your money big time but still feel indulgent by buying that good bag of coffee or tea.
3. Find Budget-Friendly Movie Nights
We haven’t had any entertainment in the last month, and you want to get to a movie? Please see if there is a theater in your area that has $5 or less movie nights. We have one in our town every Tuesday. We can see a movie for $5 a person, so for $10, Paul and I have a great date night. We get to a theater, we get to see people, we get to see the movie on a big screen. It’s always super fun to go to the movies, but we will not pay more than $5 a person.
What we do is we eat before we go so that when we get there, we are not smelling that popcorn, and we are not looking at all that candy in the case and really spending a lot of extra money. Do some research and see within your immediate area if any of your movie theaters offer $5 or less movie nights.
4. Embrace the Outdoors (Safely)
It’s cold, we’ve been cooped up in the house. Try to get outside for a little while, even if it’s just a few minutes. Of course, do it safely—if it’s too cold, don’t go out. If it’s icy, don’t go out. Use common sense.
But Paul and I took a trip to the river the other day. It was cold, but we bundled up, and it was so refreshing. I needed it. My soul needed it. I needed to be outside. I needed to get close with nature and birds.
That date day cost us nothing but a gallon of gas to get where we were going down at the river, and when we came home, we felt like we had been on vacation. We didn’t stay outside long—we visited a bunch of different piers along the Hudson River that are near each other, but it was just so beautiful. The sun was shining, and honestly, physically and mentally, I needed it. I felt so refreshed afterward.
5. Give Yourself a Splurge Allowance
Think back to when you were a child. I know every Saturday morning growing up was allowance day for me. At that time, my parents would give me money for doing little chores like putting dishes away or vacuuming the living room. I would get a little bit of an allowance, and Saturday mornings were always so fun. It was like payday!
I want you to think about giving yourself a splurge allowance of no more than $5 a week. “Emmy, what can I do with $5?” Well, what can you do? You can go to a $5 movie. You can buy yourself a magazine that you would normally never spend money on. You can go and buy a really nice bag of coffee or tea like we talked about.
By doing this and keeping it a certain amount of money—no more than $5 a week—we are allowing ourselves to feel satisfaction, pleasure, gratitude. A frugal journey is not about deprivation, and a lot of people confuse that and think, “Yes, it is.” No, it’s not! If you learn how to take that $5 and stretch it or use it for something you really want, you will come away thinking, “Wow, I just spent $5, and I feel like I’ve been to the spa for the day.” And that is really true.
If you want to take that $5 that you allot yourself every week for an allowance and save it up to buy yourself something bigger that is just like a little splurge, then do that. But what I’m trying to convey to you is the mindset of taking just a little bit and making it into something that really pleases you, that really satisfies you, is worth every penny. Because then what happens is you’re not going to have those giant splurges. You’re not going to get on Amazon (hopefully) and blow $100 or $200 on stuff you don’t need. You got your $5—go do anything you want with it!
Even a thrift store—do you know how much you can buy in a thrift store for $5? So be creative, think about giving yourself a little bit of an allowance, and watch how that really helps you on your frugal journey.
6. Host a Movie Theme Night at Home
Have a movie theme night at home! When our son was young, we did this all the time, and you do not have to be young to do this. What you’re going to do is pick a favorite movie.
I remember one of our favorites was “Lady and the Tramp.” We would watch that, I’d make a spaghetti and meatball dinner, and then I would make cookies in dog bone shapes. We’d eat the spaghetti and meatballs, we’d watch the movie together, have the dog bone cookies for dessert, and how fun was that!
Or “Willy Wonka”—do you remember Wonka Bars? I don’t know if they still make them. We’d split one as a family and watch “Willy Wonka,” and maybe grab another box of candy from the dollar store and just make a movie night of it.
Theme movie nights are a great idea, and doing them as adults is super fun. You can make a meal that goes with the movie, some decorations, some ambiance. Just be creative! It’s a wonderful way to take a dreary winter night and make it into a festive, fun movie premiere.
7. Surround Yourself with Positive People
Winter can be long. Winter can be cold. It can be tough. Surround yourself with positive people who love winter, and yes, there are people who love winter, who will sing the praises of winter!
Paul used to be like that when we were first married. He loved winter. Coming from Buffalo, New York, our winters down here were like nothing to him. I remember we would hike all the time, and we would do all this outdoor stuff. Now, as he’s gotten older—do you still love winter as much? No. And I will say no more! But there are people who love winter.
Surround yourself with those people, and if you can’t find anybody who really loves winter, just surround yourself with positive people. Make sure that you stay in contact with people, you visit with people, you have people over for a light meal or snacks and games.
After the holidays, it’s kind of a letdown. We don’t see people as much. Having that human contact and visiting friends and family is very, very important this time of year, and it will keep you from spending money running around looking for some kind of satisfaction that really only human interaction can give you—not your phone, not shopping, none of it. Just being together with those you love.
8. Bring Music Into Your Life
Another wonderful way to be content at home and save yourself some money is music. Bring music into your life! Think about it—you ever listen to a song, and it transports you back to your childhood, to your teen years, to your early 30s, whatever it is?
Go on to YouTube. YouTube has every single genre of music you could want. We have watched ballets, we have watched opera, we have watched the Grand Ole Opry. You can get any type of music you want!
Invite some friends over, make some hot chocolate and some cookies, and pick a concert you want to see. Or if you don’t want to watch a concert, there are playlists on top of playlists for free on YouTube, whether it be southern rock, classic rock, country, reggae, whatever, Christian music, whatever you love. Start bringing some music back into your home. It will really lift your spirits, it makes you feel connected, and it also is very, very good for the soul.
9. Do a Plan-Ahead Event Day
You want to stay content and save money? Do a plan-ahead event day. In the middle of winter, there is nothing better than looking forward to spring or summer and start planning something for that time of year. It could be your garden. It could be a small day trip. It could be your annual vacation.
Whatever it is, take a day, do research, and plan what you hope to do, God willing, come spring or summer. You can look for day trips within an hour of your home. These could be areas you’ve never explored—parks or theaters or hiking trails, whatever you prefer.
What I love to do is go on to Pinterest and put in “spring outfits for women over 50,” and the beautiful outfits that come up! So I’ll look at these outfits, I’ll save some of the photos to my phone, and then if I happen to be in a thrift store and I see one of these pieces that go with these adorable outfits for $5, then I will add that to my wardrobe and create the outfit I saw on Pinterest.
So take a day, a night, a weekend, and use it for a plan-ahead session for whatever it is that’s near and dear to your heart that you want to accomplish or do for the spring and summer season.
10. Get Into the Kitchen and Create Something Delicious
Number 10—this one is always going on in this house, and that’s to get into the kitchen and make something fun, yummy, and comforting. So today, we’re going to go back to 1960 and create a delicious dessert!
Today we are making a special retro treat from The Better Homes and Gardens dessert cookbook. This is circa 1960. I love these Technicolor pictures! I got to share some of the book with you, as I always do. Look at this—they put little faces on the flowers, the cake has got candy corns and walnuts around it, which I think actually is beautiful. We have some gorgeous angel food cake with strawberries. Look at the picture right here, that beautiful pink glass! There are so many sections in this book on cookies and candies. This book is an absolute gem!
So what are we making? I have been craving pudding lately. Those box mixes just have so much in them. Listen, in a pinch or when you really need something quick, they’re fine. But let’s make some homemade caramel pudding. It is so simple!
Homemade Caramel Pudding Recipe
We need:
- 1/4 cup of sugar for the caramel
- Some boiling water
- Another 1/4 cup of sugar for the pudding base
- 3 tablespoons of cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 2 cups milk
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
This looks super easy, and we’re going to make it right now!
- I took a small saucepan and put in 1/4 cup of white granulated sugar over medium heat. It says to keep stirring it constantly, and it’s going to turn this beautiful light golden brown color.
- It’s been about 2 minutes, and you can see the consistency is definitely changing. It’s melting down. It’s actually odd—I’ve never done this before! At this point, I switched out the whisk for a spatula because it was sticking to the whisk.
- It’s been about 3 minutes now from when I started, and we’ve got to keep our eye on this because if it goes too far, it will burn. I just lowered it to low heat, and I’m just going to keep doing this just till it gets a nice brown color.
- I’m afraid to let this get any browner. I don’t want it to burn, so I’m turning it off and removing it from the heat. It is extremely hot—be careful!
- Now, while I was melting that, I boiled a half a cup of water. I’m adding that right to the caramel. Again, this is so hot—be careful! We’re going to add this back to the burner and give it a good mix, and we’re just going to stir this till the lumps disappear. You can feel it—there’s little lumps on the bottom. We’re just going to make sure this is all incorporated.
- I’m going to remove this from the heat and set it aside again for a minute. Now in a larger saucepan, I added 1/4 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons of cornstarch, a little pinch of salt, and 2 cups of whole milk. I’m giving this a nice whisk, mixing it all together, and now I’m adding our caramel syrup back in. We’re going to cook this till it’s thick.
- This took about 4 minutes to get this thick. This is boiling way too quickly! I am going to remove it from the heat immediately before it boils over. That was rising very quickly, so I took it off the burner. Please be careful with this!
- What I did is I took it off the heat and put it on low now, and we’re going to let it cook for 2 more minutes while stirring. So we have about a minute left. I’m going to add about 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla, as the recipe calls for. Keep mixing it—don’t let it stick to the bottom.
- We removed it from the stove. You want to let it cool slightly before dishing it. Once it has cooled, we’re going to put it into our vintage parfait pudding glasses—the hobnail glasses I love so much!
- Now we’re going to scoop this in. It says it makes five servings. It made five perfect servings! I’m just going to let them sit here and cool down a little bit before we put them in the refrigerator.
Here we are! We’re going to try this retro 1960s caramel pudding. This just came out of the refrigerator—it’s nice and cold. Let’s try this out!
Oh wow! That’s sweet! It’s rich! It tastes just like caramel, so the sugar is perfect. This is a delicious after-dinner treat. This is wonderful! Boy, they knew what they were doing back in 1960, that’s for sure. You’ve got to try this—this is definitely Paul-approved!
Easy to make—I would give that recipe an 8 out of 10. It never got as firm as I would have liked. It stayed a little soft, but I was afraid to cook it longer because I was afraid the sugar would burn. You can almost see how that could happen. But it was so delicious, so comforting, as you saw Paul enjoyed it. If you’d like to try it, just take a screenshot of the recipe I shared.
Finding Contentment in Simple Pleasures
What these ten tips all have in common is the celebration of simple pleasures. In our busy, consumer-driven world, we’ve often lost sight of how little it actually takes to feel content and joyful. A warm homemade dessert, an afternoon by the river, a movie night with themed food—these experiences offer rich satisfaction without depleting our bank accounts.
There’s a certain wisdom in returning to these old-fashioned approaches to contentment. Our grandparents and great-grandparents understood the value of making do, of finding joy in what was available rather than constantly chasing the next purchase. They knew how to transform ordinary moments into special occasions through creativity and intention.
This isn’t about deprivation—it’s about abundance. When we focus less on purchasing happiness and more on creating it, we discover that we already have access to so much richness in our lives. The $5 personal allowance isn’t really about the money; it’s about the mindful decision to treat yourself in a way that truly brings joy rather than momentary distraction.
Winter months can be particularly challenging. The post-holiday letdown combined with cold, dark days can lead to restlessness and even occasional melancholy. It’s during these times that these simple practices become not just money-saving techniques but emotional lifelines, connecting us to what matters most.
The Heart of Frugal Living
At its core, frugal living isn’t about pinching pennies—it’s about priorities. It’s about recognizing what truly brings value to your life and directing your resources—money, time, energy—toward those things. When we make intentional choices about our spending, we free ourselves from the cycle of work-spend-repeat that can leave us feeling empty despite full closets and empty bank accounts.
The practice of giving yourself a small weekly allowance is particularly powerful. It teaches us to savor small pleasures, to make mindful choices, and to derive maximum enjoyment from minimal expenditure. This is a skill that serves us well regardless of our financial situation.
Similarly, bringing music into your home, planning future adventures, or creating themed experiences around movies doesn’t just save money—it enriches our lives in ways that impulsive shopping rarely does. These activities engage our creativity, connect us with others, and create memories that last far longer than the fleeting satisfaction of a purchase.
Seasonal Rhythms and Contentment
There’s wisdom in recognizing and honoring the rhythm of seasons—not just in nature but in our lives. Winter is naturally a time of turning inward, of reflection and conservation. Rather than fighting against this with frantic activity or compensatory spending, we can embrace the season for what it offers: a chance to slow down, to appreciate the warmth of home, to engage in quiet creativity.
The practice of planning for spring during winter’s depths acknowledges both the reality of the present moment and the hopeful anticipation of what’s to come. It doesn’t reject winter but finds a way to work with its energy rather than against it.
This seasonal approach to life and spending brings a natural balance. We don’t need to maintain the same level of activity or consumption year-round. There are times for expansion and times for contraction, times for outward focus and times for turning inward. When we align our expectations and behaviors with these natural rhythms, we often find greater contentment with fewer resources.
A Final Word of Encouragement
As we transition from a low-spend January into the rest of the year, let’s carry forward the wisdom we’ve gained. Let’s remember that contentment isn’t found in constant consumption but in mindful appreciation of life’s simple pleasures.
The journey of frugal living is one of discovery—discovering what truly matters to you, what brings genuine joy, what makes your life feel rich and full. It’s about creating abundance through intention rather than acquisition.
So we hope you enjoyed going back to 1960 with us for that delicious caramel pudding recipe. I know you all love when we make retro recipes!
Today’s question is: What do you do to stay content that is low-cost, frugal, and fun? Share it down below—it will not only encourage Paul and me but our viewers as well. We have the best community ever on this blog! I’m just saying, you guys are awesome, and we appreciate each and every one of you.
Thank you all for being here with us and spending time with us. We ask you to be well, we ask you to be safe, and above all, we wish you blessings. May God greatly bless you!