Tag Archives: thrifty

Don’t Become Frugal Obsessed

When it comes to frugal living, some of us have a dirty little secret. Or perhaps it isn’t as secret as we might think. Sometimes people can become so obsessed by living a frugal life style that it completely takes over everything that we do. Sometimes we wind up missing out on life’s wonder because we are too stressed out about saving each little penny. Being good stewards of our money is one thing, but we also have to keep things in perspective. Frugal living, challenging ourselves to get great bargains and save as much money as we can, can … Continue reading →

More Creative Ideas for Stockpile Cooking

There are three great reasons for cooking from your stockpile. You may want or have to skip your shopping due to budgetary concerns, you may be moving soon and want to use up the food you have, or you may need to clear out the food that is close to expiring, to avoid waste. I have been concentrating on this third reason for getting creative with the pantry food, but I’ll forgive you if you have one of the other reasons to do it. This post is part of the Ideas for Cooking from Your Stockpile Series. Hopefully you have … Continue reading →

Frugal Living Month in Review: August 2008

With August passed, it will be hard to hold on to summer, but fortunately, we have a lot of memories of the “dog days.” We also have lots of great articles about saving money, something that is pretty important these days. Take a look at what was posted in August. August 1st Frugal Living Month in Review: July 2008 July went by so quickly for us! There were so many fun and frugal activities and events for us to explore, from a science camp to free movies and sand sculpting. I hope your July was equally fun and frugal. Summer … Continue reading →

Frugal Living Week in Review: August 25th Through August 31st

Food and back to school are the two things on my mind this week. I e-mailed my son’s teacher ahead of time to ask about additional supplies that she might need for the classroom. She said that she usually asks parents for antibacterial wipes and tissues, two things that I was able to buy in bulk at our last warehouse shopping trip to save money. Take a look at all of the articles that were posted this past week. August 25th Saving Money at the Shore 3 We just got back from our vacation this weekend, and we are now … Continue reading →

Is It Cost Effective to Bring a School Lunch?

When planning out whether our eldest child will buy lunch or bring lunch to school, the cost involved is one factor. Last year, he brought lunch most of the time, and was allowed to buy a lunch for a special treat or as a reward for good behavior. With the cost of groceries increasing, I have been wondering if it still cost affective to have homemade lunches. I like the idea of packing a lunch, for a few different reasons. The first is that since my child is still young, I can have a bit more control over what he … Continue reading →

Frugal Living Week in Review: August 18th Through August 24th

Are the kids gearing up for back to school, or perhaps they are already there? Yesterday I got the final school supply list, and I went into my stockpile to gather everything up. Stockpiling really helped us, since by the time the official lists come out, the sales are pretty much over. If you want to read more about frugal school supplies, you can check here: Frugal School Supplies in July Frugal School Supplies in July 2 Frugal School Supplies in July 3 School Supplies in July 4 Meanwhile, take a look at all of the frugal articles from last … Continue reading →

Something from Nothing

If you look hard enough, you can usually make something from nothing. Whether you have a need or a want, here are some thoughts on how you can take advantage of nothing to make something. Have you seen the children’s book, Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback? The story follows a man named Joseph and the adventures of what was once a little overcoat. Through the years, the overcoat is worn down and turned into something else, which gets worn and then turned into something else again, until there is nothing left. Then the nothing is turned into … Continue reading →

Frugal Living Week in Review: August 4th Through August 10th

Saving money, earning money and reusing what you have are all part of living a frugal lifestyle. We know how to do these things in the way we run our homes. But, isn’t it nice when an entire country makes the effort to be frugal? That is the case with China and the Summer Olympics. Take a look at this story, plus an entire week’s worth of other frugal articles. August 4th Frugal Living Week in Review: July 28th Through August 3rd Do you want to save money? Check out the past week’s articles about frugal living. August 5th Cost … Continue reading →

The Difference Between Being Frugal and Being Cheap

Do you know the difference between being frugal and being cheap? They are not the same thing. Here are some ways to tell, or at least explain, the difference. In the past, many people used the words cheap and frugal interchangeably. Someone who saved money was automatically cheap, a tightwad, a skinflint. Today, frugal is actually coming into style. As the economy and the environment changes, people are embracing the idea of saving money. But sometimes people are motivated to save money at the expense of the good of others. This in my opinion is being cheap. There is a … Continue reading →

Pay for Your Gas with Your Scrap Metal

Would you like to earn some extra money? Prices paid for scrap metal have greatly increased, making a few pounds of scrap turn into enough money to fill up your tank. The price of scrap copper has increased from $1 to $3 a pound, while aluminum cans have gone up from 30 cents a pound to 80 cents a pound. Increasingly, frugal people are turning to scrap metal collection to put gas in their cars and pay for the increase in food prices. Collecting scrap metal and then selling it is not as hard as it sounds. You can simply … Continue reading →