Have you been stocking up on ham and bacon this week? And what about the other great food bargains? If you don’t know what I am talking about, check out last week’s frugal articles.
March 31st
Do you shop at the Goodwill? Here are some of the finds that were available Saturday at my local Goodwill.
Planning Your Frugal Summer Travel
I know that we just reached spring, but summer won’t be far behind. And now is a perfect time to start planning your summer vacation. With the economy the way it is, many people will be choosing to stay home this year. That is great for you, because being frugal, you’ll still be able to “afford” a nice summer vacation, and everything will be less crowded.
Frugal Living Week in Review: March 24th Through March 30th
How have your grocery prices been lately? There is no doubt in my mind that we are in for a tough time with fitting food into a frugal budget. You can find out all about how things stand through some of the articles I posted last week. Also, there are plenty of tips to save you money on food and on all other expenses.
April 1st
One Food Group that Isn’t Rising…Yet
When I write about food lately, I keep feeling as though I am always bearing bad news or being a person of “doom and gloom.” But unfortunately, rising food prices are a reality. Food prices are rising at an alarming rate, and analysts say that they are very unlikely to go down.
We just mostly finished up our family room, installing new carpet and painting the walls. It looks great, and there are only a few things left to do in the room. One of the big tasks that is remaining is to select some artwork, including pictures for the walls. Right now, everything is blank. Artwork could really warm up the room and add some personality.
Bananas are a great frugal food, but make sure that you watch banana prices carefully. Like other foods, bananas prices will rise, due mostly from the cost of shipping them to your store.
April 2nd
Often I am asked for tips in the kitchen, and seeing that it is one of my favorite rooms in the house (other than my scrap room), I love to share tips for saving money in the kitchen. While I have dozens of other tips that might not save money but would be fun to do, these do save money.
Getting Your Family to Enjoy Powdered Milk
There is no debate right now about powdered milk being a great bargain, especially when regular milk is passing $4 a gallon. But, getting your family to actually enjoy powdered milk can be a challenge. It definitely doesn’t taste or smell like fresh milk, and there are a number of associations that people have with powdered milk that make it a negative thing even before it is tasted. Here are some ways to get your family to open up about powdered milk, or at least consume some if it.
Camping can be a great experience for kids, but it is usually far from frugal. Now is the time to take a look at camps, since many of them fill up quickly. But how can you fit the camp experience into a frugal budget? Here are some ideas.
What do you do with all of your extra stuff? We seem to accumulate a lot of items, even when we are frugal and try to spend less. One example is baby and children’s clothing. We will gladly take any clothing in the sizes we need or may need in the future. We often get clothing as hand me downs, at clearance sales and at thrift stores and garage sales. Sometimes it is a better bargain to offer someone a flat price for that box of clothing (or books, or electronics) that they have been trying to sell all day, instead of picking out a few pieces here and there.
More Great Tips for in the Kitchen
Often I am asked for tips in the kitchen, and seeing that it is one of my favorite rooms in the house (other than my scrap room), I love to share tips for saving money in the kitchen. While I have dozens of other tips that might not save money but would be fun to do, these do save money.
April 3rd
Planning a Frugal Girl’s Night Out This Weekend
Every adult needs a night out now and again, and a girl’s night out is the perfect solution. However, having a night together out on the town can get costly and is certainly not very friendly to those that are on a budget. How would you like to have a fantastic girls night, without spending a lot? Here are a few tips:
If you have the opportunity to telecommute or are thinking of taking advantage of a legitimate work at home opportunity, you might want to read this article. You might think that working from home can save you money, and it can. But it is also easy to fall into some common pitfalls that will actually cost you money. Digging your way out of these work at home pitfalls could actually cost you the opportunity to work from home. Let’s take a look at some of the ways working from home can be frugal and some of the ways that working from home can be costly.
Now that spring is here, there are plenty of opportunities to have some great family fun. Here are some ideas that I bet even you haven’t thought of, yet!
April 4th
A Guide to Inexpensive Composting
Yesterday, we had a really nice play date with two fellow moms and their kids. At snack time, the kids were eating some tangerines, and as one of the moms peeled the orange skin, she asked if we composted. We don’t.
A Guide to Inexpensive Composting 2
omposting can be very frugal for at least two reasons. The first is that it provides you with a free, nutrient plant-food for your garden. The second reason is that it reduces the amount of garbage you produce. If you pay for your garbage by the bag or pound, there is an immediate savings there. And you’ll also save on garbage bags, as well.
How to Frugally Make the Perfect Cup of Coffee
We all long for that perfect cup of coffee, don’t we? That is, after all, why we spend so much money going to our favorite coffee houses and spending a fortune on those designer coffee’s that we could honestly re-create at home for a lot less. Here are a few frugal money saving tips to creating the perfect cup of coffee at home and not having to pay the high prices to do it!
A Guide to Inexpensive Composting 3
Have you ever thought about composting? It is a frugal way to nourish your garden and produce less trash. I have been talking about creating an inexpensive compost bin. If you missed the first two parts of this series, you can read them now here A Guide to Inexpensive Composting and here A Guide to Inexpensive Composting 2.
April 5th
Although unheard of a decade ago, it is not hard to spend thousands of dollars on a television set and hundreds of dollars a month on television programming. Watching television has gone from being luxury entertainment to being a luxury necessity. The average new television costs about $1500, and you can get television units that cost much more than that.
Cookbooks are a handy accessory in the kitchen, and they can make meal planning a much more pleasant experience. In addition, nobody in the family will get tired of eating the same old thing day after day. But how can cookbooks really save you money in the long run? Here are a few ideas.
April 6th
If you want to make sure that you get everything that you pay for (and who doesn’t), read this article. It will tell you how to get the last servings out of any jar, bowl or container.
Groceries: Making a List and Checking it Twice
Sounds like a popular children’s Christmas carol doesn’t it? But making a grocery list is a serious budget keeper and money saver! Not to mention there is some truth in the “checking it twice” area. Let me teach you how to save a little money on your food, especially with the drastic rising costs.
It is always exciting when you have the opportunity to decorate or redesign a room. We are slowly making our way through repairs here at our house and are almost ready to decorate our family room. And, we have three sets of friends who are making big moves to new homes and will need to think about designing their spaces.
Let’s face it. Feeding a tiny baby can be expensive. Those little jars of food certainly add up quickly. If you are ready to start your baby on solid food, read these tips to help you save money, as much as 50 percent or more on baby food.