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Posted
Aug 13 2008, 07:12 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
After a year without going to a movie theater, I'd pretty much forgotten how expensive tickets are. That's why I was shocked to pay $10.25 to see "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" earlier this summer. I'm not alone in my dismay; plenty of those who commented on a Smart Spending post about sneaking candy into the movies groused about ticket costs along with the price of Jujubes.
I paid cash to see "Kit" because I was writing about the movie, so the cost of the ticket was a business expense. However, I've seen several movies since then and haven't paid a dime.
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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.
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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.
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Posted
Jul 25 2008, 09:10 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
The best thrift shops are as good as garage sales, offering a variety of offbeat items at low prices. Things like "Talk to the Hand: Getting Everything You Want With Ventriloquism," a how-to manual with a set of four finger puppets. Originally it cost $9.95; I paid 50 cents yesterday at Cloud 9 Consignment & Thrift. In all, I spent $9.97 for six items that will make good birthday or holiday gifts, two books for my church's library, and four tins that I'll fill with homemade cookies and give as Christmas presents.
But what made the trip memorable was discovering that Cloud 9, like some yard sales, has a free box. In it I found an olive green sweater that's from Bill Blass, if labels mean anything to you. I was more interested by its excellent condition and the fact that it is machine washable. And free.
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Posted
Jul 23 2008, 12:25 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
On Monday I bought two backpacks, five packages of notebook paper and five boxes of crayons at Office Depot for just $3.25 including tax, thanks to the magic of recycled printer cartridges and loss leaders. Then I went to Walgreens and bought two-pocket folders and five-packs of mechanical pencils for a nickel apiece, plus two-packs of gel pens and eight-packs of washable markers that will be free after rebate.
I don't have kids at home. I'm buying these for other people's children. You can, too, and I sure hope you will.
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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?"
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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.
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Posted
Jul 03 2008, 12:45 PM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
The old saying "When you buy cheap, you get cheap" isn't always true. I've gotten some terrific products cheaply at thrift stores and yard sales. And you may not have to pay top dollar for certain products -- a mop bucket from the dollar store does the job as handily as one from a more upscale retailer.
But you need to pick your spots, as evidenced by a recent item on the Five Cent Nickel personal finance blog. Owner-operator "Nickel" has a 10-year-old son who loves wearing a watch. Thus far, that's been a "kid" timepiece that costs between $10 and $12. Why spend good money on something for a 10-year-old, right?
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Posted
Jun 23 2008, 08:55 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
As yard sale experiences go, Saturday was just about perfect. The weather was beautiful and I not only found exactly what I was looking for, I scored a killer deal on it. While the low prices I saw all day were thrilling, they were also an object lesson as to why yard sales can be as dangerous as dollar stores: Things are so cheap that it's easy to overbuy.
Prime example: the foot-tall statue of a bull terrier, priced at a quarter, that reminded me of the classic "His master's voice" ads for RCA-Victor. There was something very appealing about the pup, yet I had no real need for such a thing and also no place to put it. Why in the world would I consider buying it? Because it was only 25 cents.
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Posted
Jun 13 2008, 09:09 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Years ago, my dad taught elementary school all day and then went to his second job of teaching adolescents deemed too unruly for regular high school. One evening, a student flipped a penny at him. Dad picked it up and put it in his pocket. The teens laughed, and another one flipped a penny. Then another one.
When my father had 12 cents in his pocket, he said, "Guys, I want to thank you. All I need is 38 more of these and I'm going over to the Fairfield and have a draft beer -- on you."
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