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Posted
Apr 28 2009, 04:10 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
How many people can say this? "Most people look pretty horrified when I tell them that I haven't used shampoo since February of 2007." (Or conditioner.)
It's water-only for "Prune," whose blog, Tightwad, proves that frugality and luxury aren't mutually exclusive. True to form, she exfoliates her face with a simple mixture of baking soda and water. A combination of salt, olive oil and a dab of honey softens her feet.
But no shampoo? "I swear," she writes. "And no one has any idea."
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Posted
Apr 24 2009, 06:41 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Some personal-finance bloggers have started a list of things they no longer purchase, either to get rid of debt or survive the recession -- or both.
It started at No More Spending, where debt-slayer Laura says she doesn't miss any of the things on her list. It includes newspapers and magazines, soft drinks and bottled water, paper towels, gift wrap, DVDs, and eating out for lunch, among many others. Oh, and she gave up her personal cell phone and credit card interest (she no longer carries a balance).
Her readers mentioned cable TV, Christmas gifts, manicures, Starbucks and "fries with that," etc.
That mindset is consistent with a remarkable new Pew Research Center survey that shows Americans are redefining what constitutes a need vs. a want. Abruptly reversing a trend of the last 10 years, the center says, "No longer do substantial majorities of the public say a microwave oven, a television set or even home air conditioning is a necessity. Instead, nearly half or more now see each of these items as a luxury."
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Posted
Mar 17 2009, 01:32 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Some people are physically unattractive and wealthy. Some are poor and very cute. If you had to choose between the two, which would you pick?
J. Money opened that discussion at Budgets are Sexy. Here's the question he asked:
Would you rather be attractive as hell BUT you never make more than $30k a year for the rest of your life, or you're pretty damn ugly BUT you're as rich as Oprah Winfrey?
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Posted
Dec 30 2008, 07:57 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
It's so uncool to be ostentatious right now that some well-to-do people are vacationing in tiny hotel rooms with reupholstered secondhand furniture (for which they're still paying big bucks). It's called "rough luxe" or "Bohemian deluxe."
Is guilt motivating them to appear frugal -- they can tell their less fortunate or laid-off friends about the furniture and keep silent about the exceptional service and cost -- or is this just another way to show off?
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Posted
Dec 30 2008, 05:34 AM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
This post comes from partner blog Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.
Tim Clark, author of "The Prosperous Peasant," has a blog called Soul Shelter and he posted a guest article recently about how the anonymous author's friend Dave, a multimillionaire from the dot-com boom, bought an espresso machine for $945. At first I reacted the same way as the author: "It must be nice to be able to afford a high-end, fully automatic espresso maker, I mused aloud."
But as I read on, I saw the logic.
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Posted
Oct 22 2008, 05:13 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
What's in our wallet? We can assure you it's not the American Express Black Card. We hadn't even heard of this ultra-exclusive card -- known officially as the Centurion -- until we stumbled upon a personal Web site dedicated to unveiling its secrets. Some guy not in the employ of Amex spends his time singing the praises of a piece of metal (it's not plastic)? We just had to read on, if only to see how the other half lives.
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Posted
Oct 22 2008, 07:35 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
While I'm as jumpy as anyone else about the economy, I've also secretly thought that our nation was in desperate need of a financial wake-up call.
Way too many people have been living way too far beyond their means thanks to credit cards, subprime loans and home-equity lines of credit. They got so used to luxury that it didn't feel like luxury anymore. It felt like entitlement. A little humility and a little common sense are long overdue.
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Posted
Oct 20 2008, 07:24 AM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
I treated my daughter to a bite to eat on Saturday afternoon. We talked about this and that, laughed at some family gossip and said "yes, please" whenever the waiter suggested drink refills (strawberry lemonade for her, Diet Coke for me).
For a little while, we weren't fellow personal-finance bloggers -- she's done Smart Spending guest posts under her maiden and married names -- focused on stretching a buck. We weren't stressing over the tanking economy or the upcoming election. We were just ladies who lunch.
Sure, it would have been cheaper to have her over to my apartment for a sandwich. But isn't it swell to have someone cook for you once in a while? Besides, we were supporting the economy.
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Posted
Sep 18 2008, 11:46 PM
by
Donna Freedman
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
Yesterday I spent 90 blissful minutes being rubbed the right way for a change. A licensed massage therapist dissolved painful knots in my neck and shoulders and loosened muscles that I'd strained while picking fruit.
Thanks to a student discount, the hour and a half cost $77, money that comes out of the "treats" section of my spending plan. Other people do dinners out, concerts, DVD subscription services, basketball games, fine wine. I do bodywork.
Even so, I hesitated to write about it because I was afraid that "massage" would sound elitist.
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Posted
Aug 20 2008, 04:54 PM
by
Ryan MacClanathan
Rating:
Money Blog: Smart Spending Blog - MSN Money
If you're looking for ways to cut your energy and water
bills (and practice a little conservation) you might want to consider starting
your day with a navy shower.
A post at Lifehacker features
a humorous video explaining the basics
of this showering method, which originated on naval ships as a way to
conserve fresh water. If you don't want to watch the video, here's the scoop on how to take a navy shower:
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