Archive for Archive for July, 2009
In My Hands… Picture Frames
I have several framed pictures with glass from thrift shops- it’s one of my many weaknesses. I cannot resist framed pictures with the glass in them if it’s a really rock bottom price (I’m talking a buck or two at most for frames with glass- more if I actually like the picture). They’ve been piling [...]
Cheerful Frugality In The Lean Times
This week I listened to a conversation between 2 friends. “Beans and rice are great, but we can’t eat bean tacos every night!” “If you’ve already cut cable, make everything from scratch, and use cloth diapers, what else is left to cut?” These are hard questions, not asked in jest. What can you do when you need [...]
Snowing Down South
After hunting about for a year for a slip I liked- which meant affordable. Which meant cotton so it didn’t cling and make me miserable in hot weather. Which meant large enough to fit me loosely and comfortably without hiking up to my hips when I sat down. Which meant long enough to not look [...]
Shopping Once A Year?
For some time now, I have been mulling over in my mind a question. Would it make sense for me to consider changing my shopping habits? I presently shop once a month at the warehouse stores and then fill in each week with any specials I can find and fresh produce and milk. However, [...]
Cutting Mat
This week, I am asking readers for ideas for a frugal hack. JennyAnyDots wants a cutting mat to go between her table and the material she is cutting. She wants something like this- only bigger: She says she doesn’t really need the grid marks, but she does want the thing to be large, flat, and [...]
Have you ever been blocked from commenting on Frugal Hacks?
If so, I’m sorry and I’m working on the problem. We use a spam filter that dumps all the spam before I see it, but sometimes ole Fil gets overzealous and blocks real people from commenting as well. I’m tinkering with the settings now, and if I can’t get Fil to relax a bit I’ll [...]
Cheerful Frugality and Outdated Technology
If you need a cheap TV, boy, have I got a deal for you… Frequent thrift shoppers have probably noticed shelves full of analog televisions donated in the last few months. You can’t watch programming without a converter box, but that’s a functional, frugal solution to anyone who needs a TV for movies or cable. Likewise, we [...]
Cleaning out the Fridge
Last night my oldest daughter and I cleaned out the refrigerator together (one of the last times before she marries, sniff, sniff), and then made supper based on what we found. This is an old recipe we use when we want something like Quesedillas, but we haven’t enough tortillas left to go around. It’s a [...]
Frugal funny
Sometimes the frugal choice isn’t the obvious choice. Two bachelors go to the store for beer and toilet paper. At checkout, they learn that they only have enough money for one item. “Which do you want?” the cashier inquires. “We’ll just take the beer,” replies one. “Ok. Paper or plastic bag?” They answer in unison: [...]
Cheerful Frugality After The Holiday
Independence Day is not a big holiday for consumers. Fireworks and Old Navy flag tees aside, almost everything one needs to celebrate can be improvised at home. Perhaps that’s why I always see the red, white, and blue on super-clearance by the end of the month. Last year, I picked up some rustic Americana paper [...]
Frugality and the WOW Factor
The three frugal books I have found most helpful remain The Tightwad Gazettes, volumes 1, 2, and 3. Some people don’t like them, consider them too extreme. These people have missed the important essays and ideas behind the books, focusing instead on a handful of ideas they don’t want to impliment. We do not do [...]
Frugal funny
Three engineers and three accountants were all taking a business trip together by train. The accountants each bought a ticket, then watched as the engineers pooled their money and bought a single ticket. The accountants wanted to know how they were all going to travel with just one ticket. The engineers smiled, and one of [...]
