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• Cash back for thrift

  Posted Aug 11 2008, 09:17 AM by Donna Freedman
  Filed under: Extreme savings, Saving, Donna Freedman, Budgeting
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  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...

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• Why are you frugal?

  Posted Oct 31 2007, 10:51 AM by Donna Freedman
  Filed under: Extreme savings, Family, Saving, Donna Freedman
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  Frugal people sleep better.
  

  That’s a recurring theme in a Smart Spending message board thread called "Why are you frugal?" Readers say it’s hard to beat the contentment of a good night’s slumber, untroubled by debt.
  

  Some readers say they're frugal because they love finding great deals, but most have more complex reasons. They're thrifty now to meet future goals: a car, a house, a family. They've chosen to reject hyperconsumerism. They're called to careers (e.g. the arts) that are fulfilling but require careful money management. Or they simply enjoy the peace of mind that comes with having an emergency fund.
  

  Frugality begets options. “I try to save money on things that don’t matter, so I can have choices on things that do,” wrote a reader posting as “SC CDF.”   Read More...

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• The 'aha' moment and frugality

  Posted Oct 19 2007, 09:41 AM by Donna Freedman
  Filed under: Debt, Extreme savings, Saving, Donna Freedman
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  Losing a debit card. Cleaning out the garage. Buying a condo, or not being able to buy a condo. Living out of a suitcase. Wanting to stay home with the kids but fearing you can't afford it.

  All these were defining moments that turned spendthrifts into thrift-thrifts. A reader posting as "bigdreams" solicited such tales in a Smart Spending message board thread called "Switching from being a spender to a saver -- what was your 'aha' moment?" 

  Some "moments: were epiphanies, others slowly dawning realizations. Readers variously described their experiences as a slap in the face, a kick in the butt, a good hard look at oneself, a God-given wakeup call, the sudden glimpse of a bleak future.

  However they arrive, aha moments carry the same basic message: Something has to change.   Read More...

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• The bag lady: Reusing those plastics

  Posted Oct 17 2007, 11:02 AM by Donna Freedman
  Filed under: Extreme savings, Saving, Donna Freedman
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  Those of you who read “Extreme savings: washed baggies and unflushed toilets” know that some people take thriftiness to a galaxy far, far away.

  I’ll admit I’m one of those Ziploc recidivists. The bags are sturdy, so why not reuse them? (And yes, I know there are other brands besides Ziploc. But the word has entered the common parlance, a la “Band-Aid” or “Xerox.”)
  

  However, it’s relatively rare that I actually use a Ziploc. To my way of thinking, there’s no reason to throw away a perfectly good tortilla bag once the last burrito has been folded.   Read More...

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