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 [...]

Posted by: Emily @ A Fine Collection of Lint and Fuzz on Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

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 [...]

Posted by: DL on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

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 [...]

Posted by: MerchantShips on Monday, March 8th, 2010

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 [...]

Posted by: DeputyHeadmistress on Friday, March 5th, 2010

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 [...]

Posted by: Emily @ A Fine Collection of Lint and Fuzz on Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

New on the Frugal Blogroll this week

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Parent at the Helm
Bargain Divas
Frugally Thrifty
The FrugalFreeLoader

Posted by: kimc on Saturday, February 27th, 2010

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 [...]

Posted by: DeputyHeadmistress on Friday, February 26th, 2010

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 [...]

Posted by: DeputyHeadmistress on Friday, February 19th, 2010

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). [...]

Posted by: DeputyHeadmistress on Friday, February 12th, 2010

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 [...]

Posted by: kimc on Thursday, February 11th, 2010

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 [...]

Posted by: DeputyHeadmistress on Friday, February 5th, 2010

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 [...]

Posted by: Emily @ A Fine Collection of Lint and Fuzz on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

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 [...]

Posted by: DeputyHeadmistress on Friday, January 29th, 2010

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 [...]

Posted by: MerchantShips on Monday, January 25th, 2010

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, [...]

Posted by: DeputyHeadmistress on Friday, January 22nd, 2010