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. July 28th Frugal Living Week in Review: July 21st Through July 27th We have a lot of articles on food this week, from saving money on cereal to the best time to grocery shop. Please check them out and let me know if there are any particular topics or knowledge that you would like to read about. Ways to Avoid Fruit Waste Do you want an easy way to reduce your food budget by half? Stop wasting food. Believe or not, the average American household … Continue reading

Save Money on Sweets

I was blessed (or cursed) with a sweet tooth. My body seems to burn sugar right up. Have you ever taken a sugar test during pregnancy? During the test, you are required to fast for an hour or two and then drink a sugary drink that is basically highly concentrated soda syrup, minus the fizzy bubbles. Furthermore, you have to drink the stuff within a certain number of minutes, and the experience is just horrible. Sometimes, they would ask me to repeat the test, because even after drinking that whole thing, my blood sugar would be on the lower side … Continue reading

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 is a busy time, I know. Did you miss any frugal articles last month? If so, here is an opportunity to catch up on what you missed. There are new ways to save money on food, clothing, kids, gas and more. Feel free to leave a comment on any frugal post. I read all of the comments myself, no … Continue reading

Saving Money with a Toddler

Isn’t it amazing how little ones can cost so much. Toys, food, clothing, equipment and entertainment can all add up at the end of the year. Here are some ways to save when you have a toddler. Potty train your toddler as soon as he is ready. This can be anywhere from 18 months to 4 years old, depending on the child. Of course you don’t want to force a child to train, but many toddlers are really ready sooner than you might think. And, the sooner you train, the fewer diapers you’ll have to buy. While we are on … Continue reading

Frugal Cleaning Arsenal

If you want to attack your dirt, you’ll need an arsenal of supplies. But forget the fancy cleaners, battery powered mops, and expensive robots. You can have a sparkling clean house without spending a lot of money. Head over to your local warehouse and/or discount club and pick up the following items. You can use them to make your own cleaners and cleaning equipment arsenal. Baking soda: A natural deodorizer and scrubber that is great for cleaning ovens, microwave ovens and the refrigerator. Combined with the next ingredient, it can clean bathrooms. Vinegar: A grease cutter that makes surfaces shine … Continue reading

Frugal Teeth Whitening

Even though you are frugal, you want to look your best. Who doesn’t want a bright, white smile? But cosmetic dentistry can cost an average of $15,000 to $20,000 that is not covered by insurance, and even those home whitening kits can get expensive at $30 to $35 a pop, to be repeated every three months or more. If you aren’t blessed with perfectly white teeth or if you just want to improve your smile without getting a second job, consider some of these frugal alternatives to teeth whitening. While they may not give you instant results, they can add … 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

Frugal Music

Music soothes the savage beast, and the overworked human, too. Getting your groove on with some tunes is a sure way to relax and unwind or pump up to get the job done. In this age of iPods, it is easy to rack up a good amount of debt just by downloading music, going to concerts, buying CDs, etc. But music doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, it can be frugal. Here is how. If you are talented enough to play music, consider gaining access to free sheet music. You can find everything from current favorites to pop hits … Continue reading

Cheap Eats for the Lunch Box

Whether you pack lunches to take to work or are gearing up for the back to school crush, you’ll want to take a look at this blog. In it, I offer some tried and true cheap eats for the lunchbox. Not all snacks are created equal when it come to the monetary cost of them. And, you can have anything from standard to gourmet on a budget when you pack it yourself. These are the following sometimes unconventional things I put in lunch boxes that help me save money. Muffins. Make them home made and in any size that is … Continue reading

Ways to Avoid Fruit Waste

Do you want an easy way to reduce your food budget by half? Stop wasting food. Believe or not, the average American household throws away half of all of the food that they purchase. It is easier to do than you might think. In a previous blog, Ways to Avoid Food Waste, I shared some ideas for reducing the amount of food that gets thrown out in your household. Now, let’s explore even more ways. Pretty soon, you can have an efficiently run food budget that will naturally reduce the amount of money you are spending on food. My children … Continue reading