Jump to content

10 Budgeting Tips for the Frugal Minded :)


Recommended Posts

Frugal-Minded Brides Unite!

 

In another thread, " how much is your wedding costing you?", we all learned that everyone's budget was different and the last post asked for tips from the frugal-minded to stay on track and on budget.

 

So Tips for the Frugal-Minded Bride:)

 

First of all, I pride myself on being frugal. To be frugal, you have to be creative and I think creativity is a wonderful attribute. Having said that, I also like nice things:) I have just learned that nice things do not have to cost a lot.

 

Our budget was $12,000 - it is now less than $10,000 and dropping. How?

 

Creative shopping and searching around.

 

1. Don't buy the first thing you see (even if you need it) if it is not on sale! Wait...unless you absolutely love it and must have it now because there is no chance that you will ever find it again. Shop around. Everytime I go into a store, I check the wedding section, the candle section , the bath and beauty section, the craft section, etc.

 

2. Shop in the off season. It is winter in Toronto...a perfect time to shop for my wedding shoes because white open-toed heels are on sale from the summer. I just bought a beautiful pair that were originally $100 for $10. I also wanted a pair of white wedge flip flops with rhinestones on them for style and comfort to dance in during the reception...$10. So my shoe budget, that was originally $100is in actuality $20 ...a savings of $80.

 

3. Think outside the box. Our resort has beautiful centrepieces and flower arrangements, as does yours, I am sure. But our wedding is on the last day of our trip, so to purchase these arrangements makes no sense...we cannot take them with us the next day and they cost $60 per arrangement. So we have opted for pillar candles on the signing table. I just bought these on sale at Michael's for $2.99 per candle and they are lightly scented...so imagine them burning in the sparkle of crystal hurricane vases that look like large wine glasses...very elegant...and $25 for the entire centrepiece. A set of four vases were $18 at Burlington Coat factory. So that is a savings of $35. They will also join us at the reception.

 

I also bought the really tall, tower vases at a party store for $4.99 each. I saw the same vases in a flower shop for $20 the next day! Instead of having the resort do centrepieces for $50 each, I have decided to use silk flowers mixed with tall grasses and tropical palm leaves and tiny crystals for sparkle. It looks tropical and I'm told you cannot tell it is fake...so all 8 centrepieces will cost under $100 as opposed to the $400 we would have spent at the resort.

 

4. The Dollar Store is your friend! At our local dollar store, I have found countless items. Beautiful white shells, tiny white organza bags for favours, wedding bubbles, silver kissing bells, etc. I don't think these things should come from anywhere else. They are trinkets that add tiny splashes of festivity to the occassion. You will look so beautiful that who will care if your organza bags did not come from Michael's for $6?

 

5. Vista Print is your BEST friend! I cannot tell you what a lifesaver VistaPrint has been. We have done our invitations, programs, booking thank-you cards, and fans done by them. And I really take advantage of the FREE products. I will make a large order at once of free items...and then place another free order. I make sure that I only pay shipping costs every time.The quality is great and everything is personalized.

 

6. For a gown, make sure you check the sale racks. I originally bought my gown for $500 and fell in love with another at David's Bridal on the sale rack fo $99. I bought it too. So I will wear one to the wedding and one to the reception for less than what most people will spend on one gown.

 

7. Be creative. I am making my own veil. Really, stare at the veil you are buying for over $100...with a needle and thread, you or someone you know can make one for you. I bought my veil comb - 2 tiers of diamond crystals for $4 on sale. Bridal illusion (tulle) cost me $5 for 2 yards and I have splurged on pearls and swarovski crystals for $15. So my veil will be $25...the one I love and am imitating is $225.

 

8. Start early. The more time you have, the longer you can look around and will not have to make last minute, expensive purchases. You can look in a range of stores, especially those you think have nothing. I have found beautiful things at liquidation stores in my travels. We bought Hallmark wedding candles, vanilla with silver lids that can be engraved for $4.99 at a liquidation store. We thought it would be a nice gift for our parents at the wedding, engraved with their wedding date and ours or scripture. The candles retail for $30 each.

 

9. Rethink your definition of cheap. I often marvel at people who think that expensive means quality. It doesn't always. And On sale is better than expensive. After all, someone bought my $99 gown for the original price of $900. The gown is no less beautiful beacuse I bought it on sale...it is still worth $900. We will both look beautiful in the gown :) I said before that I like nice things...but I don't like large price tags. There are often less expensive versions if you just take the time to look.

 

10. NO STRESS! I don't believe that weddings have to be stressful if you are organized and keep track of your spending. Stress equals spending. In the beginning, I took too many people with me to buy my dress and ended up almost choosing an expensive one that I didn't like too much because they loved it and they said " So what if it's expensive? You only get married once!" By myself, I found an elegant gown for $99. Slowly taking your time to find just what you want will yield great rewards. A relaxed bride with fewer stress-related skin breakouts will spend less on facials and foundation :)

 

Any other tips?

 

Choose an all-inclusive resort. It covers everything and neither you or your guests have to worry about the bar tab or the cost of the salmon. It allows everyone to relax.

 

Make a list of all you need to buy and keep it in your purse. There are 121 items on mine. It goes something like this: bridal purse, jewelled hair pins, white pashmina in case I get cold, candle holder for unity candle, etc. So when I am in Walmart, I can look for a candle holder. Right after New Years is a great time to buy the purse and diamond hair pins...they will have loads of stock available that was for the holiday season....but not at holiday prices.

 

In closing, I am not trying to be cheap...I am being careful. I have read that money is the number one cause of marital distress. Why start this way? At the same time, I want my dream wedding. I believe that God took care of the decor...we are getting married in tropical splendour. So my part is only to enhance the beauty and and have a great time. There are cost effective ways to do things..we just have to find them.

 

Feel free to add to this list :)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quote:
Originally Posted by Erika J View Post
This is perfect timing as my wedding budget has been reduced since my FI lost his job.

How do you plan to get all of your glass candle hurricanes to the DR?
Hi:

No worries about the budget...I see it as an opportunity to get creative. You'll be surprised at what you can do!

About the vases, in thick bubble wrap. We will stuff the inside with clothing to support the glass and wrap the outside in bubble wrap and more clothing....nestle it in a suitcase of more clothes...then pray over the suitcase :)

And if we have any casualties, plan B: white dinner plates from the resort with clear glass pebbles will have to do! We will make a candle arrangement.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share



  • Best Destination Wedding Sponsors



    Facebook Pinterest Google+ Twitter
  • Posts

    • Yes! Weddings By Paully is your go-to source for wedding officiant services in the picturesque Monterey County. Whether you envision a beachfront ceremony along the stunning California coast or a romantic vineyard wedding, we are here to make your dream wedding a reality. Our officiant services are tailored to your needs, ensuring a seamless and heartfelt ceremony that reflects your love story.
    • joel avalos is the photographer from capturaimagen  check work and references at https://www.joelavalos.com/
    • I was suggested this website by my cousin. I am not sure whether this post is written by him as no one else know such detailed about my problem. You're incredible! Thanks! look also at my pages and give a rating XEvil is an easy, rapid and convenient plan for completely automatic recognition and bypass of your overwhelming majority of captchas (CAPTCHAs), without the require to connect any third-celebration expert services. This system Just about entirely replaces products and services such as AntiGate (Anti-Captcha), RuCaptcha, DeCaptcher and Other individuals. Simultaneously, it drastically exceeds them in recognition speed (ten times or maybe more) and is completely no cost. https://isotrope.cloud/index.php/Get_Rid_Of_Speedyindex_Google_Problems_Once_And_For_All nothing to link indexing https://www.scentwear.kr/bbs/board.php?bo_table=free&wr_id=1005902 speed up search indexing @d@=
    • Приветствую Вас друзья[url=https://sfilm.by/].[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/][img]https://i114.fastpic.ru/big/2021/0421/1f/a0af85c9229604875eeb8b215cb38a1f.jpg[/img][/url] Предлагаем Вашему вниманию высококачественные профессиональные плёнки. Наша организация"ООО Защитные плёнки" работает 15 лет на рынке этой продукции в Беларуси. Бизнес-центры, магазины, офисы, частные и жилые дома — за время своего существования на строительном рынке Беларуси компания «Защитные пленки» зарекомендовала себя как серьезная и профессиональная команда специалистов, готовых помочь своим заказчикам в реализации проектов любой сложности. Когда у вас на службе уникальные технологии комфорта, надежности и энергосбережения, все идеи легко воплотить в жизнь! При неправильном выборе партнера вы рискуете не только потерять деньги, затраченные на выполнение заказа, но и потратить время и средства на повторное изготовление стеклопакетов!Профессиональное нанесение оконных пленок на стекло и изготовление качественного противоударного стекла — это очень скрупулезная работа, требующая хорошего знания свойств пленок, многолетнего опыта работы специалистов, а также учета происходящих физических процессов при оклейке стекла. Мы можем предложить Вам [url=https://sfilm.by]Защитные плёнки[/url] ,[url=https://sfilm.by]архитектурные плёнки[/url],[url=https://sfilm.by]декоративные плёнки[/url],[url=https://sfilm.by]автомобильные плёнки[/url] и [url=https://sfilm.by]противопожарные плёнки[/url]. Более подробная информация размещена на нашем [url=https://sfilm.by]сайте[/url] С уважением,коллектив "ООО Защитные плёнки". [url=https://sfilm.by/]солнцезащитная зеркальная пленка Новогрудок[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]матовые наклейки на стекло[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]тонировка стекол Мосты[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]защитная клейкая пленка[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]защитная пленка олеофобная[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]размеры защитной пленки[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]наклейка декоративной пленки[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]оклейка фасадов пленкой[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]пленка зеркальная для окон цена[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]широкоформатная пленка[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]архитектурные пленки тонировочные[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]защитные пленки Дятлово[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]бронирование авто пленкой[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]матовая пленка на стекло Пинск[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]закатать пленкой авто[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]тонировка зеркальной пленкой[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]антигравийная защитная пленка купить[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]пленка защитная прозрачная[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]фасады мдф под пленкой[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]декоративные пленки шкаф купе[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]широкоформатная печать фотообоев[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]солнцезащитная зеркальная пленка Чечерск[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]защитная пленка для металла[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]защитные пленки Могилёв[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]защитные пленки под ручки[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]оклейка авто пленкой зеркала[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]защитная пленка на band 3[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]замена пленки на фасаде кухни[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]есть ли защитная пленка[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]пленка а1[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]защитные пленки Несвиж[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]тонировка перегородок[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]защитная пленка p10 lite[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]защитная пленка для оконных стекол[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]защитная пленка для плиты[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]пленка самоклеющаяся светозащитная цена[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]пленка под дерево самоклеющаяся для авто[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]матовая пленка на стекло Гродно[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]пленка защитная 3м 6885[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]декоративная пленка зеркало шкаф[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]тонировка стеклянных перегородок[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]матовая пленка на стекло Дятлово[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]обклеить авто виниловой пленкой[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]растонировка минск[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]плёнки для офисных перегородок минск[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]защитная пленка на номера[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]наклеивание защитной пленки[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]защитная пленка 6s[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]декоративная самоклеящаяся пленка купить[/url] [url=https://sfilm.by/]тонировка лобового атермальной пленкой[/url]
    • Has anyone escort this side hustle renting dump trailers? It's pretty sweet. I am buying my sooner a specific next week! You've got to distinguish it: https://ibit.ly/let-us-feature-your-business-100 This is HUGE! ?Leviathan congratulations to all involved; you're making waves! Don't miss gone away from on checking this distant
  • Topics

×
×
  • Create New...