Tag Archives: recession

A New Way to Save Money on Milk

Milk may do a body good (if you believe those old commercials), but it does a wallet bad these days. Organic milk it especially high in price. We just paid $7 for a gallon of Horizon Organic skim milk in the store. Regular store brand milk was priced at $4. Since we go through about 2 and a half gallons of milk here per week, that equals $70 worth of organic milk in a month, or $40 for non organic milk. I remember the days when I could get a whole month’s worth of groceries for less than that. Whew! … Continue reading →

Weekly Recap for May 18 to May 24

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With all the news about the poor economy, we all need a few Investment Strategies in a Volatile Economy. Just because things are tougher these days, it doesn’t mean you can’t still get ahead. No matter how old you are or how strapped you are for cash, you should always keep your Retirement and Future Plans in mind. When you are in your prime working years, it is the best time to arrange for the future. If you are nearing retirement years and just realized you may not have enough saved for the day you stop working, then it is … Continue reading →

The Frugal Palate Phenomena

Developing a taste for home cooked food and a frugal lifestyle is a wonderful thing, and it is easier than you might think. The more we practice our frugal lifestyle, including home cooked meals, the more we develop our frugal palate. This is not only a pallet for the taste of food but also one for the taste of life. We have come to expect the things that are frugal and usually have no taste for those that that are not. Let me give you one example related to food. Back when my third child was an infant, my second … Continue reading →

The Recession and Garage Sales 2

Are you going to shop the garage sales this weekend? You might find things to be a little different than they were last year. I’m talking about how the recession may be affecting garage sale shopping. If you missed the first part of this article, please click here: The Recession and Garage Sales. Now let’s talk about pricing. When the economy is bad, you might think that garage sale items would decrease in value like everything else and go down in pricing. But the opposite might happen. People may feel that because buying new stuff is expensive then their old … Continue reading →

The Recession and Garage Sales

The Memorial Day weekend is the official start to the yard or garage or tag sale season here on much of the east coast. I have gotten some of my very best bargains at Memorial Day weekend garage sales. Folks have spent the last few weeks doing their organizing and spring cleaning, and they are ready to sell their stuff. For my little area of Pennsylvania, the sales should be numerous, since this is the first nice weather that we have had in a week, and everyone should be out and about enjoying it one way or another, including holding … Continue reading →

Recession Planning

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I was talking to a friend this week who is very worried about the economy. She is a stay-at-home mom and they rely entirely on her husband’s income. Recently there have been lay-offs at his workplace, so they are incredibly worried about their financial stability. She told me she was going to start stocking cans of food, “just in case.” That totally took me back… stocking cans of food?? This family has tons of money in investments, so even if her husband lost his job… they would have a large savings, plus unemployment income to live off. Still, she was … Continue reading →

Helping Animal Shelters During a Recession

Some say the worsening economy is not quite a recession yet, others are convinced we’re already there. Whether we are or not, one thing is clear: with gas and food going up like they are, people have less to spend. Not only less discretionary income, but also less charitable giving monies to distribute. Some charities are going to feel the pinch more than others. Especially because historically this time of year (from now until fall) is when people tend not to give. (Come the holidays, from Thanksgiving through New Year, people tend to be more generous.) That’s why I say … Continue reading →

Frugal Living Week in Review: May 12th Through May 18th

I sometimes get asked the question, where do you come up with your frugal ideas?!? I love this question, because it really humbles me. I am by no means someone who comes to frugality with a natural talent for it. Instead, I try to work hard to come up with new ways to save money and resources and help us all be the best stewards of our stuff. Some of the ideas come from research, some from readers and friends, most of the ideas come from a practical need or experience and some just pop into my head at inopportune … Continue reading →

How Did Our Economy Get into This Mess!

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If you have been following our economy’s downturn, you will most likely be able to label the number one cause – the housing market. When the real estate bubble burst, it caused a huge trickling affect on our whole nation’s economy. It wasn’t only the drop in house value that caused the spiral. The hugely growing housing bubble led to many families borrowing into their growing equity. As they borrowed against this huge asset (their home), they pumped money directly into the economy. Unfortunately, this money was “borrowed” and not real income. Still, it temporarily boosted our economy. When the … Continue reading →

Wow… Times Are Tough

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You simply cannot pick up a paper without some headline about the real estate market’s bursting bubble, the failing economy, gas price increases or worse. Basically, as the media presents it, our nation’s finances are in the pits. No wonder so many of us are also feeling squeezed. Maybe you are worried about your job security if the company you work for is struggling in this economy. Maybe you have your house on the market for less than the amount you owe on your mortgage. Or, maybe you simply feel like you don’t have enough to make ends meet. Given … Continue reading →