Archive for Beyond Money
The Love Language of Gifts
A while back my husband and I had an interesting discussion with another couple about gift giving. Her husband had grown up as a missionary child in an African country. Poverty was something he saw every day. She had grown up in North America, her parents were older when she was born, and they went [...]
The Single Best Way to Change Your Relationship with Money
A money book, says Claire at Choyster. Do you keep one? Maybe you should. Maybe I should.
Measuring the Cost of Children
Recently, I have again been reading articles discussing the extraordinary cost of raising children. As frugalites, do we really need to be concerned? Granted, if progeny had never graced my home, there might be more clothes in my closet, a pantry filled with gourmet items, and my savings account a tad bit larger, but let’s [...]
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. [...]
Frugal Is As Frugal Does
I’ve always felt that frugality and “green”, earth friendly concepts go hand in hand. If we aren’t frugal with our resources on a global scale, being frugal with our nickels and pennies isn’t going to make much of a difference in the long run. As the St Patrick’s day holiday approaches (which is a green [...]
Analog To Digital Conversion Delayed – Or Maybe Not
The mandatory deadline for the analog to digital conversion of the over-the-air television signal has been extended from February 17th to June 12th. So those of us who get their TV signal from an antenna over the air now have a few more months until we need to have a converter box to capture the [...]
Is Frugality A Fad Or A Trend That Will Last?
As the economy continues to slide and prospects for many look bleak, there has been a surge in frugal practices. Spending less and saving more has become the latest fashion, and everywhere you look, there are articles about it or people trying to be more frugal. Is this a lasting trend towards doing more with [...]
Reorganizing Life For The New Year
2009 is just around the corner, and if you are like me, there are some things in your life that work well, and some things that just no longer make sense. Truth be told, we can make changes at any time, but something about the start of a new year gives that extra little motivation [...]
“Drugstore Game” Inspired Housewarming or Life Survival Gift Baskets
Do you play what is commonly referred to on the internet as “The Drugstore Game”? With planning and effort, a vast amount of toiletry (and other) items can be obtained from a combination of CVS, Rite-Aid, and Walgreens for very little cost, no cost, or sometimes you even end up making a profit on the [...]
Extending Tithing To What I Already Have
Some of us are frugal by choice, and some by necessity. And many, like me, are a combination of both. I am somewhat naturally frugal, in that I like to conserve my resources and use as little as possible, but I also have a tendency to shop and to treat myself and others. Our financial [...]
Two Programs That Take Advantage of What You’re Already Doing
For a long time, I bought everything generic. From cereal to shampoo and everything inbetween, I bought everything (with only a very few exceptions) generic, and the majority of my grocery and household shopping each week was at Aldi, a store that specializes in deeply discounted generic items. But I’ve become a couponaholic and a [...]
Frugality Also Means Taking Care Of You
I spend a lot of time looking out for our family. Being frugal, to me, is making wise choices and the best use of our resources, and sometimes that takes time. But I can get caught up in the details and the minutae and start to ignore the things that keep me centered and able [...]
Baskets Keep My Clutter Sane
Hi again! I’m Jaimie, aka paidtwice, and I like stuff. I try not to, I try to embrace simplicity and live a clutter-free life, but it doesn’t really shake out that way. I’m not a fan of knick-knacks and trinkets, but I find it very hard to let go of anything that I think might, [...]
