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Posted
Jul 03 2008, 02:14 PM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
"Story Girl" at the My Money and My Life personal finance blog wondered if community supported agriculture were a frugal choice. She'd be paying $25 a week for an ever-changing variety of fresh, local produce. But $25 is "nearly half my weekly grocery budget," Story Girl notes.
Now she's really glad she did it. In an item called "Why I love CSA," she explained that there was more to the decision than simple frugality. "There are a lot of reasons why I consider this to be a good choice for me," she writes, "and why it may even save money in the long term."
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Posted
Jul 02 2008, 05:15 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
This post comes from Xin Lu at partner blog Wise Bread. In a previous article about gasoline prices I noted that many packaged drinks are quite expensive and that the cheapest drink out there is water. The main reason people don't drink water is that it is tasteless and not very "fun" to drink. On the other hand, water is definitely better for you than sodas, so now there is a entire category of packaged drinks like VitaminWater that are basically bottled water with coloring, vitamins and flavor. Instead of buying those drinks, you can add many things to water at home to make it more exciting to drink.
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Posted
Jun 30 2008, 05:34 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
We figure lots of folks will be eating tube steak rather than rib-eye on this Fourth of July. If you're having a holiday barbecue, hot dogs aren't the only way to save money. Food savings are on the minds of many personal-finance bloggers as Independence Day nears. We offer a smorgasbord of their thoughts, ranging from cheaper watermelon to hot wings that are free to those whose towns are "hotter than Hell."
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Posted
Jun 26 2008, 10:51 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
"LivingAlmostLarge" at the blog with the same name read an article about how manufacturers of food and sundry items are shrinking the size of their products and charging the same price. She found the proof in her own cupboards. She wrote that "curiosity got the better of me and I started to pull through my cabinets. And Bounty did decrease the roll size. I can say that because I have some from last summer." Bounty isn't the only product that's smaller now.
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Posted
Jun 25 2008, 10:09 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Feeling pain at the supermarket checkout? Don't expect relief anytime soon. According to an Associated Press article, the Midwestern floods that destroyed soybean and corn crops will send the price of beef, pork, poultry, eggs, cheese and milk higher this fall.
Anybody want to join me while I shop for flour and beans and a small freezer?
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Posted
Jun 23 2008, 07:00 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
You're a frugal shopper, so part of your emergency fund is a stash of food in your pantry and freezer. But what if you're getting down to the dregs and can't figure out a meal to make from this stuff. Or maybe you have a recipe in mind, but you're lacking two key ingredients. This is when a new recipe search engine, Supercook, becomes your friend. You type in the ingredients you have on hand and the site produces recipes that fit.
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Posted
Jun 20 2008, 11:53 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Jenn at Frugal Upstate remembers being served "tuna surprise" in elementary school: "I still have visions of a gray-green soupy sauce of tuna and peas served over (surprise!) four saltine crackers. Ick." (That reminds us of a high school cafeteria Friday staple everyone called "mystery meat.") You won't find slop like that at Jenn's frugal food series. She's exploring ways to liven up basic, cheap foods like eggs and canned tuna to help families cope with rising food prices. Jenn primed the pump with her own recipes, and her readers have responded with lots of creative ideas.
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Posted
Jun 11 2008, 09:37 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
What storied canned meat product is gaining in popularity as the nation's economic woes continue? It's Spam. Apparently that's not a cause for rejoicing in all American households. Spam gets no respect from Jeremy at Generation X Finance. "There is no shortage of absurd measures people will take in hopes of saving a few dollars, but I think this one takes the cake," he writes in a post called "Spam sales on the rise, common sense at an all-time low." (We assume this blogger hasn't tried Spam Lite.)
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Posted
Jun 08 2008, 10:22 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
This post comes from J.D. Roth at partner blog Get Rich Slowly. Consumers underestimate the power of comparison shopping, says a five-year-old report from the Consumer Literacy Consortium. "Consumers often do not realize that, for most products, a wide range of prices are available and, therefore, consumers often pay too much for the items they buy." (The study) results show that most consumers need a far lower price savings to persuade them to comparison shop than can actually be obtained from shopping around. These findings are particularly significant, since the available consumer behavior research indicates that, on the average, only about 50% of people shop around. An important reason as to why consumers do not shop around is the perception that it is not worth the effort. They rationalize that the savings potential will not be greater than the desired 10% savings needed to motivate action.
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Posted
Jun 04 2008, 09:35 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
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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