Archive for cheerful frugality
Frugal Alternatives
We were gathered around the computer enjoying the sights and sounds of a video tour series. Husband commented that this was his “frugal alternative” to the real thing. A man who loves to travel (he is already salivating thinking about our soon to be 30 hour drive back to the east coast) and a once [...]
Does Water Conservation Save You Money?
I vowed that I’d never give up long soaks in the tub. Then my city flooded. Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink! With one water treatment plant ruined and the other dangerously low in reserve, Nashvilians have been asked to cut normal water consumption by half. After all, greasy hair is a [...]
Hungry Planet: What The World Eats
We’re piled on my bed to study the pages of Hungry Planet: What The World Eats. You’ve probably heard about this book and its beautiful photos, which document food from 25 families in 21 countries. It’s both eye-pleasing and eye-opening. Each family displays one weeks’ worth of food, from raw ingredients to KFC. My kids enjoyed spotting familiar products [...]
Punch and Cake Reception For About $100
Here in the South, receptions and showers often feature a simple menu of punch and cake. While this may not be socially acceptable in some parts of the country, count yourself lucky if it is! I helped a friend host such a reception for 100+ people. Here’s how the budget worked out, in real numbers: 3 Costco sheet cakes for $51, with 48 [...]
Frugal Spring Garden Report
Last year our 3 raised beds grew so much food, we grew confidence in our ability, too. Right now I’m digging new beds in the 4 corners of the yard. I’ll plant climbing roses, blackberry and raspberry canes against the low trellises that fence the roving toddler. (I need all the prickly barrier I can [...]
Birthdays + Big Ticket Expenses = Big Birthdays
We’re not big spenders, but we do (sometimes) have big ticket birthdays. I’m all for keeping the celebrations simple and gifts, within reason. However, if we have a major expense coming up–plus a birthday impending–we try our best to combine the two. Thus money from the “household maintenance” envelope helps us keep more in the [...]
Unclogging Drains With Help From the Pros
After two husband-installed toilets and a desperate call to Roto-Rooter, I’ve abandoned emergency plans for a frugal outhouse. I kid! Although I do live in the hills of Tennessee…and those self-composting models are pretty cool… My son has a long history of using more than his share of toilet paper. We’re no strangers to the cable auger. And yet this latest [...]
Shopping To Feed A Crowd
Last week we discussed feeding a crowd for less. But before you can cook, you must shop. Is Sam’s Club always the cheapest alternative? Most of my quantity cookbooks list ingredients in bulk sizes: a #10 can, a quart of sugar, etc. The only way to compare apples to apples is to check the unit price. TOTAL COST [...]
10 Frugal Things To Do When You’re Snowed In
We’re iced in this morning, a not uncommon problem this year. As I survey our dwindling freezer meats, I wonder how many frugalistas wished they had saved that pantry challenge for the real thing! Still, those stuck-at-home times can be great opportunities to save money. Here are 10 frugal ideas for making the most of your [...]
The “Snowed In For 3 Days” Edition
Snow hit my city with several inches of unpreparedness. Parents, confronted by a once-a-year phenomenon, scurried to find boots, sleds, or their frugal alternatives. The neighborhood listserv buzzed with ideas for slipping bread bags over shoes, repurposing trash can lids or rubbing a candle over cardboard. (Wonder if anyone Googled the Frugal Hacks For Winter Clothes article by [...]
In Praise Of Frugal Friends
Like minded friends can be your best tightwad treasure. Who else will call you when she sees organic eggs slashed to fifty cents a dozen? (True story!) Who knows that your daughter is having an American Girl birthday, and picks up a trunk full of extra clothes at a yard sale down the street? I [...]
Budget Ruts: 5 Not-So-Radical Cuts
I grabbed a notepad after reading Kim’s 10 ways to cut your food bill (inspired by Simple Dollar’s article on trimming the average food budget.) What figural fat could I cross from the grocery list? And then I put the pencil down. At this point, I’m already buying whole foods, avoiding convenience products, and shopping via the [...]
January Is The Hardest Month, Or Is It?
January is all about facing the cold, hard truth–financially speaking. Some experts refer to the ”credit card hangover” from Christmas. Resolution-makers cringe as we tally the mistakes of the previous year. Even if you kept Christmas within budget, an emergency expense may have knocked at the door–what my mom calls the annual Christmas catastrophe. A friend’s entire heating system died; [...]
10 Changes we’ve made this year
Our family has made quite a few changes this year toward simplifying our lives and our budget. Some required extra work to adjust; others were painless. Some save a significant amount of money, while others were done for different reasons – but resulted in savings as a secondary effect. We switched to cloth diapers. This [...]
10 Frugal Gifts I’m Giving
Whew! I just crossed the last item from my Christmas list. It did require a last-minute run into Fresh Market, but overall, I came in under budget. Here are 10 frugal gifts you might find on my kitchen counter this season: 4 Tickets to the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum. Don’t laugh–admission costs [...]
