Tag Archives: recession

The LipStick Effect and Frugal Living

The lipstick effect can be a help or a hinderance to your commitment to frugal living. Find out what the lipstick effect is and how to deal with it. What is the lipstick effect? The term came about because of our most recent world war. At that time, money was very tight, and people could not spend much money on luxury items. This is similar to today’s situation and our difficult economy. Almost everyone is trying to save money and live frugally. An interesting phenomena occurs during times of economic hardship. Specifically during the war years, sales of lipsticks soared. … Continue reading →

Practical Gifts for a Frugal Family Part 2

Are you looking for some practical gift ideas for someone who is frugal? We are continuing with our brainstorming. If you missed the first post in this topic, click here to catch up: Practical Gifts for a Frugal Family. And, now on to some more ideas… Freezer bags or containers Chances are that a frugal family is buying in bulk and freezing ingredients and meals. And chances are also good that they may be using the same freezer bags over and over again. Give them the gift of freezer bags and containers to help them keep on track. Since this … Continue reading →

How to Garden in a Bad Economy

Let’s face it, the economy is affecting everything, even gardening. In fact, I think it is increasing the prevalence of gardening, as people look to grow their own food, stay close to home and have activities that don’t cost a lot of money. There are many different ways to garden, and some strategies work better than others when the economy is in a downturn. Here are some ideas about keeping the economy in mind when you garden, getting the most out of your garden and adapting your gardening techniques to the current economic situation. Let’s start with the biggest trend, … Continue reading →

Tooth Fairy Generous Despite the Economy

Practically everyone is looking toward frugal living in order to deal with the serious issues in our current economy. One entity, however, that is not tightening her belt is the tooth fairy. Should the Tooth Fairy be more frugal or is her generosity in fact related to the recession? According to Medical News Today, the average price of a tooth left under a pillow has actually increased from 2006 to 2007 by 22 percent. The survey, the Tooth Fairy PollSM was conducted by Securian Dental plans, shows that Tooth Fairy gifts varied widely, from five cents all the way up … Continue reading →

When You Are Tempted to Eat Out…

One of the things I struggle with in my journey with frugal living is just how easy it is to go out to eat. Going out to eat can be fun, get us out of the house and prevent me from having to cook. Most of the time, we get excited to go out to eat, but by the time we get home, we are disappointed in the experience and the cost, and vow to stay home the next time. With very little exception, preparing meals from scratch at home will always be more frugal when you compare similar meals. … Continue reading →

Recession Benefitting Your Marriage: Quality Together Time

The other day I got to thinking about an article I wrote earlier this year where I wondered if recession might actually benefit our marriages. I had visions of turning the concept into a mini-series. Alas, so far I only offered suggestions on ways to recession-proof your marriage with dinner. But recently I was reminded about this forsaken series of articles I’d planned to write. Thanks to our trip to Alaska, we’ve been trying to conserve resources. Therefore, more and more I’ve been considering ways Wayne and I could spend quality time together, be active and have fun, yet not … Continue reading →

Beware of the Shrink Ray

Packages of food in grocery stores are shrinking faster than anything these days. In fact, the practice has escalated so much that a common term has developed among consumers, the “shrink ray effect.” Some manufacturers are using this idea to their advantage. I spotted one message on a recent bottle of Kraft salad dressing that proclaimed, “Still no shrinkage.” Manufacturers are not only raising prices, but they are also shrinking the amount of product that gets put into the package. I’ll discuss the products I have most frequently seen that suffer from the shrink ray. Later, I’ll address some ideas … Continue reading →

Recession Giving Birth to More Frugals

With all of the changes in personal economic outlook do to high gas prices, high food prices and high everything-related-to-food-or-fuel prices, the majority of consumers are changing their spending habits and becoming more frugal. According to a news report by AP news, many of those new”frugals” are planning to remain frugal, even if their financial outlook improves. The research company Nielsen Co, tracks consumer habits. It says that about 63 percent of consumers are cutting their spending. In the AP article, former spendthrifts are taking drastic measures to curb shopping, such as applying shoe glue to a peeling sneaker sole, … Continue reading →

Starting a Home Business in the Current Economy

Our economy is not at its strongest. When the economy gets shaky, it tends to cause us to get shaky about other aspects of our lives too. The other day I was talking to a woman who was looking for work. She said that once she finally found a job—no matter what job—she was going to “hang onto it for dear life!” For many individuals who have been contemplating starting a home business, you may be feeling like now is definitely NOT the right time. But, is it really the wrong time to start a home business? If you are … Continue reading →

Are Recession Bargain Hunters Making It Harder to Be Frugal?

Among all of the stories out there about the recession, there seems to be a large portion of articles about how to save money with all of the rising prices. This is understandable, of course,. People who never even thought about living frugally are now finding that they must curb their spending or at least shop smarter in order to get by. For some of these new recession bargain hunters, being frugal will be just a fad and something to be abandoned once the economy gets better. For others, it is the opportunity to learn about frugal living and then … Continue reading →