Archive for misc.
Leafy Greens Are A Rip-Off
I wrote a while back on my old blog about how flour-based products are a rip-off. They are fairly easy to make ourselves and the ingredients are cheaper than the store-bought version, so if someone has the time, there is no reason to pay others to make them for us. I’m getting the same impression [...]
Leaving the Frugal Life Behind
Recently, my husband and I were given a gift certificate to dine at a lovely, expensive restaurant. Our dinner was delicious (of course, we ordered “the special“) and a delightful evening was put into our memory bank. However, I couldn’t seem to leave the frugal life behind.
Taking a brisk winter walk before arriving at [...]
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 / NUMBER [...]
Saving Money Isn’t Always Frugal
Living frugal is about more than just a few tips on saving money here and there. It’s about changing the way you think about things, adjusting your thinking about wants versus needs, and revising both a sense of entitlement (which doesn’t do us any good), and our ideas about deprivation.
Several years ago I started [...]
Cheap and Easy Kid’s Room Art
I’m in the middle of redoing my boys’ bedroom. I had a farm theme previously and am now (slowly) changing it out for a transportation theme.
My boys love Lightning McQueen (a race car) and Thomas and Friends (trains). I don’t know how long this love will last, but I’ve heard it could last for several more [...]
New on the Frugal Blogroll this week
Want to join the blogroll? Click the Join tab at the top of the page to see if your blog fits the requirements.
Parent at the Helm
Bargain Divas
Frugally Thrifty
The FrugalFreeLoader
Frugal Legs
A while back I came across this product on sale in the local Wal-mart:
I tried it on my legs, and I like it. I don’t like it on my face, however. But for my legs, it worked great. But it’s really just fine sandpaper, so I buy very fine sandpaper (600-b) at [...]
Stay-Cations
I dislike the word coinage of staycation, but it turns out my family was taking staycations for years before the word was coined. Some of them have been simple meals, as small as having a picnic on a blanket on the living room floor (with plastic ants for ambiance) and as elaborate as [...]
Frugal Hair
I recently made the final switch from shampoo to baking soda for my hair. But I did it gradually. I started by adding some baking soda to my shampoo (I have done this every once in a while for years, usually when switching shampoos or when getting back from a camping trip). [...]
Homebirth and health insurance
Traditional Health Insurance
Health insurance is a hot issue today. Everyone seems to agree that it’s a great idea if you can get it. Some of us get it through our employer. Sometimes we have to contribute toward it, and sometimes our employer picks up the entire tab. Either way, it’s not cheap. If your employer [...]
Frugal Making Do
A friend of mine says she saved money clothing her large family by learning to sew, but not from scratch. She ‘edited’ clothing she found at the thrift shop. She took larger jumpers and took them in at the sides, cut them up the front, folded in a new seam, added placket (for [...]
Here I Am
Who am I? I am a new contributor to Frugal Hacks. Here’s my story:
In the fall of 2008, two days after the delivery of our second son, our family moved two hours away from the place we called home so that my husband could finish college. (He’s going to school to be a pastor.) Two days after [...]
Frugal Dates
I really, really, really am frustrated with the fairly modern and very western middle class idea that a married couple MUST have regular date nights in order to keep the marriage healthy and happy. NO, you don’t. What is necessary is time together. My own parents accomplished this by getting up [...]
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 love to [...]
Frugal Disaster Prep
We all know that we are supposed to have some sort of disaster preparedness kit or plan in place, and that’s a very smart thing to do. However, you must realize that there is no way to be prepared enough for a disaster like Katrina, which was an unprecedented event in this country’s history, [...]
