Archive for Archive for June, 2009
Cheerful Frugality Fights Buyers Regret
Ever made a big purchase, then lived to second guess it? We finally bought a vehicle to replace the old station wagon. We did our research, we combed the ads, and we ended up with a price that was well below Blue Book Value. So why do I feel so bad? Buyer’s regret and I are old [...]
Food wasters face a new rule in my house
The problem: The weather is in the triple digits, and milk left out for half an hour goes bad. Salad wilts in 20 minutes. Bread left open is stale in the blink of an eye. My kids waste food, and it’s happening more and more quickly as the temperatures heat up here in south Texas. [...]
Mulberries, summer heat, and our extra houseguests
What’s in my hand this week? Mulberries, and now black raspberries which can be treated the same way. Two extra little boys, ages five and two. They visit many weekends, but this visit has had them here for nearly two weeks, and the five year old (we call him Blynken) asked me tonight if he [...]
Frugal funny
After 40 years of hard work, a man retired with $9,000,000, which he had gained through courage, diligence, initiative, skill, devotion to duty, thrift, efficiency, shrewd investment, and the death of an uncle who left him $8,999,999.50. Did you ever lose on a “sure” investment, only to find unexpected blessing elsewhere? We have one of [...]
Sour Milk
It is one of the ironies of modern life that kind of tickles me when I think about it, but when we come across a recipe calling for sour milk, we have to actually make our milk sour by adding vinegar, while most sour milk recipes were developed by our foremothers to use up the [...]
Frugal funny
Some say that debt can be a good thing if used carefully and properly. A businessman walked into a bank in New York City and asked to see the loan officer. He told the loan officer that he was going out of town for two weeks and needed a $5,000 loan. The loan officer told [...]
Cheerful Frugality Splashes
Several of our pool buddies have dropped their YMCA memberships. Thanks, economic downturn! We’d still love to meet our friends in a cool environment. Here are some of the free or cheap water play ideas I’ve been brainstorming: Backyard pools: We keep an inflatable kiddie pool for easy play. I’m amazed at how relatively cheap the DIY above-ground [...]
Spring Planting
All kinds of planting going on around here. A couple weeks ago the farmer who plants the corn in the field right next to our house was out planting until around midnight. It drove the Donovan Dog absolutely insane, which drove me batty as well. We’ve planted tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers, both at the Equuschicks’s [...]
Is renting a vehicle for a vacation worth the expense? The math screams yes!
frugal living by Ray @ EasyLivingSherpa Planning on taking a road trip this summer? Doing a little mathematics coupled with some easily obtainable statistics,(Google anyone?) can save you and your family a lot of money in travel expenses. Let’s break down the average cost for a 2400 mile trip. First, maintenance costs over the length [...]
New exclusive swag code
If you still haven’t joined Swagbucks, here’s one more chance to start off with a bang: a special exclusive code just for my readers. Instead of the usual 3 Swagbucks, when you use this code at sign-up you’ll get 6! 6 Swagbuck code: FRUGALMOMMYCODE (case sensitive) expires 6/1609 at 11:59pm PST More good stuff coming [...]
Cheerful Frugality Buys Used Cars
Ten years ago, my husband vowed that he’d never make a car payment again. True to his word, we’ve driven a series of used cars bought with cash–some better than others. Our 17-year-old Volvo wagon is getting creaky, so we’ve been on the hunt for its replacement. I am reminded again that finding the RIGHT [...]
Buttons, Buttons, Who Has the Buttons
Button solutions: Whenever we get rid of any clothing that is too far gone to be given away and still have me feel good about giving it away, we snip the buttons off and save them for use elsewhere. A good button box can also be used to help give small children practice in matching [...]
Cheerful Frugality Sorts Shoes
I’m definitely a minimalist when it comes to shoes, but 5 people x the minimum 3 pairs adds up fast. Today I’m digging out those yard sale sandals to see which fits whom. Here’s my frugal formula for shoes: 1 pair for house/garden/water (Mary Jane crocs or Tevas) 1 pair for walking (canvas or athletic shoes) [...]
