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As a level 5 introvert, my comfort zone is extended to the boundaries of my house. Especially with my weekends different from Mr. BuLL’s, it’s easy to let my introvert run wild and stay at home. I actively schedule one weekend day with no errands so I can stay in sweatpants all day.

I try not to indulge every weekend, knowing that the hermit life isn’t the happy life.

Still, there is something to be said for staying and saving at home. Most of my waking hours are spent at work even though I spend a hunk on housing.

If I’m not enjoying this housing investment, it’s a poor investment. I could live in 500-square feet for a lot cheaper!

Finding Food

Saving at home involves eating at home.

Three meals a day need to be digested, but if I left for every single one, it would be money and time spent somewhere else.

Instead, I stay at my favorite eating establishment – my house!

The pantry has plenty of offerings, from soups to questionable sauces. Lately, I have been encouraging creativity by picking one item that has lingered in the cupboard and trying to craft something with it.

This weekend it was blackberry pie filling. Typically, I don’t use or buy pie filling because the sugar is sickly sweet for my personal preference.

But the internet with its miles of recipes came to the rescue!

I made a blackberry, blueberry pie. Frozen blueberries, cinnamon, vanilla, and butter were added to the filling to adjust the taste from less sugary and more savory.

I didn’t have pie crust, so I made some from our Kodiak cakes flour. The pie filling was good, but the crust was more bready than crusty. It could have been because it was pancake powder (still unsure since we recycled the box), but the consensus was better than store-bought. Yet another food adventure with tasty, if unexpected, results!

Sleep is Cheap

Sleep is a cheap of staying and saving at home.

If it’s good for a kindergartner, why isn’t it good for a 36-year-old that craves sugar and sprinkles like any other 6-year-old?

Either way, no lights needed, electronics to engage, or products to buy.

I get plenty of at night sleep, but naps are still a way to recharge quickly and avoid the caffeine kick. I need 15-minuets to get the full dose of energy which I try to take it before 3 pm. Anytime afterwards and it starts effecting nighttime sleepiness and if I wanted that I’d drink coffee after 12.

Fearlessly Free & Fun

Free and fun go together like going to the bathroom outside when it’s above 0. Somethings were just meant to be.

At home, my free fun is low impact. I read library books that I borrow in bulk. If I was into digital books, I could borrow books without ever having to put on real pants, but I prefer real pages over digital ones.

I make exceptions for blogs. As a blog writer, I enjoy reading blogs too. Writing is another fun and free hobby. I write for the BuLL and I have a journal too.

I practice juggling, drawing, and board games are all free 99. In the summer, I practice archery in my backyard and a small garden provides food and fun.

Former free hobbies that I can vouch for are:

• Scrapbooking
• Knitting
• Picking locks
• Coloring
• Origami
• Crafting cards
• Puzzles

I try to learn a new skill every year, which looks a lot like watching free online tutorials or reading free content. Learning new skills is how I expand my range for personal and professional skills. As a bonus, it has made some fun discussions when people ask what I’m up to.

This year, I’m going to work on memorizing the constellations. What a delight it would be to step outside on a moonless night and greet the constellation’s name. As a gal who is navigationally challenged, increasing confidence with cardinal directions will be a boost for my outdoor skillset too.

Health & Wellness

Meditation is a hobby that can fall into the blissful health and wellness category. Similar to sleep, no equipment or electricity is needed for this activity. The longer the meditation, the better for health and savings at home.

Another fun health/wellness activity is phone calls. When I have to make a phone call whether to a friend, family, or a friendly operator, I take laps around my house.

I’ll use my Bluetooth and start walking around upstairs then, go downstairs and walk another. It’s a free way to get fitness folded into the day while collecting steps from waiting on hold or daily discussions. It almost makes waiting ques productive.

Yoga is another way to increase the stay-at-home save. I have a routine that has been in practice for years. I started with my favorite poses and picked up additions from physical therapy and the silent meditation retreat. The cost is time, but the result is a stronger core, better breathing, and the flexability of a 20-year-old.

The Clean Sting

My least favorite stay-at-home event is cleaning, but it’s a way to increase savings at home.

From the standard dirty dishes and clothes to the more challenging ceiling fans and ovens, cleaning is a way to maintain and increase the life and longevity of stuff.  

Clothes are a prime-cut example. Many clothes I’ve hoarded for years, some are cheap, but I have managed to make them last far past their expiration because I have cleaned and mended them. With YouTube, you can learn fancy and basic ways to fix almost anything. We have and the weirdest was a toilet.

Decluttering is another activity that happens at home, at least, initially. Just like the process to find, buy, and store clutter; it’s a process to find, decide, and remove clutter.

For this avid minimalist, it has been a constant process that has taken years of practice, but each item discarded opened more space and focus for what’s left behind.

Less stuff on floor, wall, and drawer means more space for living, breathing, and most importantly, less cleaning.

Jewels over at One Frugal Girl gets me and knows, “Each time I bagged up our stuff, I felt lighter and less stressed. As I purged our possessions, I felt their weight disappearing from my shoulders.”

Staying and Saving at Home

When consulting with my budget, the biggest deductions are housing. Housing eclipses utilities, food, and fun like how the sun outshines the stars in the sky. I’m maxing out this pricey investment by thriving at home which looks a lot like staying and saving at home.