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Posted
Sep 26 2008, 07:40 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
The bus has gotten very crowded lately. This time last year, I could easily get a seat of my own on the 75. Now I'm lucky to be able to sit down at all.
Across the street from the bus stop is a gas station with regular unleaded for $3.59. Not that long ago it was $4.63. Despite the price drop, the bus is still crowded. Are we getting smarter? Finally?
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Posted
Sep 23 2008, 10:43 PM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
It's surprisingly easy to get used to the sound of a compressor, or to the noise that refrigerant makes as it circulates. For the first couple of nights I was startled awake as I heard clicking, humming or bubbling sounds. Now I generally sleep through it. When I do wake up, I smile as I drift back off. To me, it sounds like money.
Back in June I wrote about wanting to buy a chest freezer. The Labor Day sales finally got me off my dime. Or, rather, off 1,800 of my dimes: I paid $179.99 for a 5.5-cubic-foot chest freezer from Sears. And I'm absurdly happy with my purchase.
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Posted
Sep 16 2008, 10:10 PM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
On Monday night I brought home 10 boxes of granola bars and 10 big boxes of old-fashioned oats, having paid just $17.50 thanks to a coupon/rebate combo. This was good news since I eat oatmeal every day and like to keep granola bars in my backpack to avoid buying pricey snacks when I'm out and about. The problem was where to put it all, because my cupboards already looked full. If I wanted to store this stuff, I had to reorganize.
So I did. Now I'm torn between feeling delighted and a little bit nervous. On the one hand, I have obtained a lot of staples very cheaply; some were even free thanks to those coupons and rebates.
On the other hand? I had no idea how much stuff I'd squirreled away.
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Posted
Sep 08 2008, 09:21 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
I spent Saturday afternoon in the kitchen turning free fruit into food for the winter. Sitting on my countertop are nine pints of home-canned pears, six jars of apple butter, and five jars of plum-pear jam.
I have enough apples left to make about four quarts of applesauce, but I'm going to wait until the last of the pears ripen. That way, I'll be able to process both fruits in the water-bath canner simultaneously. I got the apples and pears by putting a note on Freecycle, asking permission to pick fruit that wasn't being harvested by homeowners. A neighbor allowed me to pick plums -- I still have about 15 pounds of them to deal with -- and for the past few weeks I'd been picking blackberries around the corner from my apartment.
Saturday's experiment in urban gleaning cost me $13.20 for sugar, jar lids, one box of pectin and the gas to drive to pick the fruit. I'm not sure how much it cost to run the stove on high for 20 minutes and to run a slow cooker for seven hours. Not much, I expect, since my average electric use is 39 cents a day and I make most of my meals at home.
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Posted
Aug 22 2008, 12:21 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
An important part of frugal living is to do things yourself: cleaning your own house (and with vinegar instead of pricey products), cooking instead of buying takeout, cutting your kids' hair (or your own). But Smart Spending message board readers go way beyond replacing their own windshield wipers or crocheting baby blankets. After reading the "I make my own" thread on the message board, I felt pretty inadequate.
Readers craft their own cat litter. They grow sunflowers and toast the seeds. They cook dried beans and turn them into refried beans. They make their own vanilla extract, dog biscuits, bath salts, jams, hummus, laundry detergent, dishcloths, toothpaste, greeting cards, croutons, modeling clay, shower curtains, carrot sticks and granola. They brew their own biodiesel.
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Posted
Aug 06 2008, 12:52 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
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
Jun 04 2008, 09:35 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Last week's Safeway ad had a coupon for a dozen eggs for $1, a swell deal these days. I consider eggs a fridge staple because they make a quick and cheap light supper. Besides, finals are coming up, and I always fortify myself with bacon, eggs and toast on exam mornings.
However, the coupon's fine print -- there's always fine print -- said shoppers needed to spend at least $10 to use the dollar-a-dozen coupon. The thing was, I didn't need $10 worth of stuff. Just eggs. But I wasn't about to let a teeny-tiny disclaimer keep me from getting cheap protein. I have a frugal hack for just such an occasion.
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Posted
Jun 02 2008, 08:53 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
When I bought flour tortillas this weekend, I noticed that the price had gone up by 20 cents. That didn't surprise me, since the price of bread and other flour-based products has skyrocketed lately. But I'm still ahead of the game because I shop at a bakery outlet. Even with the cost increase, I paid just 79 cents for a 20-ounce bag of tortillas.
Something else I noticed: The outlet seemed busier than usual. A cashier told me that business is booming, and that some new customers are surprised to find "that it isn't old bread" on the outlet shelves.
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Posted
May 19 2008, 08:26 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
The temperature hit 88 degrees on Saturday, which is warm for Seattle, or anywhere else. My apartment has tall south- and west-facing windows and no air conditioning.
So I cranked the blinds inside out to reflect the sun, dragged the pedestal fan ($4, rummage sale) out of storage and made a big pitcher of iced tea. Sweet relief, the Smart Spending way.
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Posted
May 07 2008, 10:48 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
We're in awe of the way "HollyM" does lunch. This thrifty reader starts by cooking big batches of soups, stews, stuffed peppers, lasagna, casseroles, enchiladas and other goodies -- all of it made with on-sale ingredients. The entrees get frozen in individual servings because variety is the spice of lunch.
"No boredom. Lunches ready to grab. Saves time/energy/money."
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