Browse by Tags
-
Posted
Aug 13 2008, 10:50 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Kimberly Palmer at U.S. News & World Report went to the Web to find extreme savings ideas, and she came up with some doozies. At the top of her list: Baking Bites' instructions for baking cookies on the dashboard of your hot car. Our pick for most extreme is moving in with the parental units, no matter how old you are.
Read More...
-
Posted
Aug 12 2008, 05:21 AM
by
Karen Datko
This post comes from partner blog Blueprint for Financial Prosperity. It's easy to jump into the car and head to the movies if you want something to do this weekend, but it's mighty expensive when tickets are $9 to $10 and gas is about $4 a gallon. However, it costs far less if you visit your local library and borrow a movie to watch at home. It costs far less if you borrow a book or volunteer or do any of the 10 hobbies I've listed below. This weekend, instead of going for the easier, more expensive, option, try one of these.
Read More...
-
Posted
Aug 11 2008, 09:17 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
A time-honored coupon strategy is to put aside the cash equivalent of whatever you saved. If you use two 50-cents-off coupons for peanut butter, put a dollar in a jar when you get home. Every so often, you put the "extra" money toward a specific goal, such as paying consumer debt, creating an emergency fund or saving for a down payment on a place of your own.
A dollar here and a dollar there definitely add up; ask the woman who saved $1,100 with coupons in a single year. But if you're not a coupon user, try this: Pay yourself for frugal hacks. Not only do you save money with the initial cost-conscious behavior, you get to keep the "coupon" savings in cash.
Read More...
-
Posted
Aug 06 2008, 12:52 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Want to get a roll of paper towels for 39 cents? Hit the auto supply store. Shocked at how expensive canned fruit has gotten? The drugstore might have an alternative. In the market for deeply discounted coffee, trash bags or toilet paper? Visit an office supply place.
These are some examples of the deals you can get if you stop thinking that foodstuffs and sundries can be purchased only in supermarkets. With the costs of basic foods continuing to rise, it really can pay to break out of the grocery gulag.
Read More...
-
Posted
Jul 11 2008, 11:59 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
My favorite yard sale story of all time comes from my friend Meghan Pembleton, sister to an inveterate garage saler. At one such event Meghan's nephew, a preschooler, took a small toy from the "free" box. The sale's host said, "Those are free, honey."
The child gave the garage sale response he'd heard so often from his mom: "Would you take a quarter?"
Read More...
-
Posted
Jul 09 2008, 12:01 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Yesterday I was thinking about "hypermilers," those folks who go to great lengths to squeeze maximum mileage from their cars. While of course I strive for the best mileage possible, I don't hypermile -- with my car, that is. As a frugalist, I hypermile my whole life.
Meal plans, shopping, entertainment, transportation, utility usage, gift-giving -- all are done with an eye toward achieving maximum bang for the buck.
Plenty of you are right there with me, if posts on the Smart Spending message board and the comments about my articles are any indication.
Read More...
-
Posted
Jul 07 2008, 09:19 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Recession. Not a recession. Whatever label you put on the economy, "people are hurting financially," "Frugal Dad" says. He provides 75 tips for cutting back to help your budget withstand the impact of $4-plus gas, higher food prices and our other economic ills. We love compilations like this because you can print them out and put them on the fridge. Frugal Dad covers a lot of ground here, and has some ideas we hadn't considered. He cuts bottled juice with water to make it last twice as long. To save money but salvage his social life, he meets friends after the dinner hour. Eating out, after all, can be a mighty budget buster.
Read More...
|