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• Put down the dog statue: Lessons from a yard sale

  Posted Jun 23 2008, 08:55 AM by Donna Freedman
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  Filed under: extreme savings, spending, giving, Donna Freedman
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  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.   Read More...

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• Gifts for those who don't need 'stuff'

  Posted Dec 19 2007, 08:35 AM by Donna Freedman
  Rating:
  Filed under: extreme savings, spending, giving
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money

  This post comes from Abby Freedman, a freelance writer and daughter of Smart Spending blogger Donna Freedman.
  

  The holidays mean joy and giving -- and garbage.
  

  This isn't social commentary on commercialism -- I literally mean garbage. Think about the post-Christmas morning battlefield that was once your living-room floor: ripped, shredded wrapping paper and ribbon and toy boxes, waiting to be thrown in the trash.
  

  Add to that all those "they meant well" gifts, and you have, well, waste. Household garbage levels increase 25 percent in the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, according to an MSN article.   Read More...

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• Don't like ecards? How about handmade postcards?

  Posted Dec 04 2007, 02:23 PM by Karen Datko
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  Filed under: extreme savings, spending, family, giving
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
  

  Do you think e-mailed holiday "cards" indicate a lack of effort by the sender? David at My Two Dollars has an inexpensive and green alternative to traditional pricey cards. He and his wife made holiday postcards from scratch. They bought recycled card stock for $14 and spent another few bucks on rubber stamps and ink pads with red and green ink. They also saved 15 cents on postage for each card.   Read More...

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• Frugal or cheap? You decide

  Posted Oct 30 2007, 05:12 AM by Karen Datko
  Rating:
  Filed under: extreme savings, spending, dining, giving
  Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
  We love a fun quiz, so we decided to go along when Lynnae at beingfrugal asked readers to play " Frugal or cheap? How would you rate each of the following situations? " Some of the 11 are easy, like reusing margarine containers to store food in the fridge. (We picked frugal.) How about these: "Leaving no tip for a waitress, because you can’t afford to tip." (Tacky. We picked cheap.) Or "serving leftovers when you have people over for dinner." (Tasty? It's frugal.) Is it frugal or cheap to regift a wedding present (it depends), or to ask "family members to chip in for Thanksgiving Dinner"? ( They're bordering on cheap if they haven't already asked.) Join the fun and play along with Lynnae, who writes, "The bottom line is, when your 'frugality' begins to impact other people in a negative way , it becomes cheap."
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