Archive for Archive for May, 2009
Bread Crumbs
A friend wrote to ask if she could make bread crumbs even though she didn’t have a food processor. Yes!! I put dry bread in the blender. I have also put very dry bread (dried out in the oven if I need to) in a plastic bag and rolled it into crumbs with a rolling [...]
Help me!
Some of you have been asking, so I’ll admit it. The Frugal Blogroll is a mess, and I’m really hoping you will help me put it back together. There are over a thousand links, and I’m trying to get them away from Blogrolling.com into a static list that will load much faster – and not [...]
5 Ways To Furnish A Kid’s Room Cheap
My son’s room has been stripped to the bare boards. Everything has been emptied from his shelves. His bed fell apart, pieces collapsed all over the floor. (Ironically, my husband bought this bed BRAND NEW before we married. Meanwhile, our secondhand stuff remains strong and sturdy.) As we work to put his room back together, I [...]
Why I’ve Been Absent…
I’ve not been taking my turn posting here as I should mostly because I’ve been an exceptionally airheaded deputyheadmistress these last few months, partly because my firstborn had her most stressful term at her university ever this last term, partly because I was helping with that stress by picking up her chores (she still lives [...]
Reader Hacks for 5/21
A hot tip from Maria: Sam’s Club is offering a 1 day membership with no upcharge. Many of the wholesale clubs offer 1 day passes, but they always add a surcharge/upcharge to your total purchase price. The idea is to get you to the register and find out that the surcharge (a percentage of your [...]
Frugal Pleasures
I admit it. Sometimes the frugal life can feel a bit “heavy.” You know, when there are some unexpected expenses that stretch the already stretched budget, or when life gets so hectic that some frugal choices seem overwhelming. That’s when I remember the Biblical advice, “a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” and [...]
Why do frugal families have chickens?
We have chickens. This is very common among frugal families, but it has not been a frugal process for us. Much like making the switch to cloth diapers, it has required a signficant investment. Unlike switching to cloth diapers, we don’t expect to recoup our investment any time soon. We could have done things more [...]
Cheerful Frugality Invests Long Term
Tell me if this is a tightwad problem for you, too: Even though I know a new practice will save me money long-term, I resist because the initial investment seems so high. I balked at the groceries for Once A Month Cooking (even though the final bill–and the results–were a success). I hesitate to write [...]
Another Swag Code
Thank you to all of our friends who signed up at our urging. If you joined through our link, we get a SwagBuck every time you earn one! We’re on our way to earning a much-longed-for serger to help with a multitude of sewing projects. We are totally jazzed about SwagBucks, and we want you [...]
Reader hacks for 5/10
Thank you for sending in your tips and posts to share unique money-saving tips. Keep ‘em coming! Slightly Sour Milk – Use or Toss? Part 1 of the Challenge – Pumpkin Vanilla Pie – We do this too. Townhall for Hope and Earth Day Recap: Becoming More Conscious in Everyday Life Generous Gifts on a [...]
Cheerful Frugality Packs The Freezer
We did it! One long day of shopping/chopping + 6 hours in the kitchen = a very full freezer You can see the Once A Month Mom meal plan here. We prepared 15 recipes (x 4) for a cost of about $125 per family. Is it possible to squeeze all this food in a standard refrigerator freezer? [...]
Cheerful Frugality Goes Once A Month
This Saturday a friend and I will tackle our first ever Once A Month cook-a-thon, with 6 month babies on our hips. Are we crazy? Just maybe. Since Jessie works full-time, I volunteered to grocery shop. And then I saw the list. 48 pork chops? What have I gotten myself into? I haven’t shopped like [...]
What To Do With All Those Baby Samples?
I admit it, I’m a freebie addict. I love samples! I’m not a glutton: I only request or take samples that I think I’ll use. With all the baby freebies out there, it’s easy to end up with an excess of little packets of soap, lotion, wipes, formula and more. Sometimes, lovely little unrequested samples even [...]
