Search Results for: blog feeling affluent

Feeling Affluent

Most people who chose a frugal lifestyle do so initially out of necessity. Perhaps they decide to have one parent stay home and are reduced to one income, sometimes circumstances require them to cut back, and sometimes they just want to lead a simpler life with less stress and less formal work. Whatever the reason, frugal living can make you always concerned with saving money. In the beginning, especially, you are constantly calculating costs and values. Later, it gets a little more automatic. You know, for example, how to get the best price on bread, and you don’t even agonize … Continue reading →

Fashion Frugalista Alert: Oxford Heels

You can look fashionable and fabulous and still be frugal. Get the latest styles but spend so much less than everyone else. You can brag about your finds or just keep them to yourself as your little secret. It is all up to you. I just wanted to tell you about a very hot shoe that is very in right now. Many women love this show, and it also has gotten husband approval for being sexy but not over the top. I am talking about the oxford heel. This is a shoe that has been appearing in many fashion magazines … Continue reading →

Goodwill Bargain Store: Get More Discounts

Have you heard of a Goodwill bargain store or Goodwill outlet store? If you have one in your area, you can save big. I visited the one near me yesterday, and here is my report. Goodwill bargain stores or Goodwill outlet stores (I’ve seen them called both) offer bottom of the line discounts on thrift merchandise. You might remember that I’ve talked about how at Goodwill stores, merchandise rotates through the floor at these stores, and clothing gets tagged with different colors that indicate how long it has been in the store. At the end of its stay, the store … Continue reading →

12 Ways Staying Home Saves Money

If you can manage a day at home instead of out and about you will save money. There is nothing really special that you need to do, but the savings will rack up. The more staying home days you can manage in a month, the more you will save. Staying home doesn’t have to be boring. You may be surprised at all of the things that you can do at home. Yes, there is the cleaning and organizing, but there may also be the book you wanted to read, board games with the kids, etc. Another benefit of staying home … Continue reading →

Frugal Month in Review: September 2008

Now that September is come and gone and the kiddies are settled back into school and regular routines, it is time to welcome the fall. Still, there is plenty of good stuff that went on in September, including a bunch of ways to save money. September 1st Frugal Living Week in Review: August 25th Through August 31st Food and back to school are the two things on my mind this week. I e-mailed my son’s teacher ahead of time to ask about additional supplies that she might need for the classroom. She said that she usually asks parents for antibacterial … Continue reading →

Are Frugal People More Emotionally Mature?

A famous study on children measured the level of emotional maturity when it came to delayed gratification, and then followed those children throughout their lives. They found that those children who were able to delay gratification wound up being more successful than their peers. The researchers attributed this delayed gratification to a heightened emotional maturity that served them well later in life. The way the test worked was thus: children met a researcher in a room, one at a time. A single marshmallow was placed in front of a child. The child was told that the researcher needed to go … Continue reading →

Five Little Grocery Shopping Tricks: The Limit Sale

Have you been wondering why your grocery bill seems to be increasing every month? Maybe it is because you don’t know about these five little grocery shopping tricks. Grocery stores often use different marketing techniques to get you to spend more than than you planned to spend. don’t be sucked in to the madness. Know ahead of time just what the store is trying to do so you would stay from your budget. In this series, I’ll go through the five little grocery shopping tricks and tell you all about them, including how to avoid having the store take advantage … Continue reading →

Beware of “Aspirational” Marketing

Frugal shoppers are usually savvy shoppers, but even we can become a victim of some well-researched marketing techniques. We find that we “need” things just to survive, but if we really examine those needs, I mean really examine them, we may find that the need is not something directly related to our survival or even happiness. Aspirational marketing is a technique in which the goal is to sell items to people who can’t afford it. I kid you not. The marketers want people who might want to aspire to a different lifestyle but can’t afford it. It is literally convincing … Continue reading →

Finding Frugal Furniture

Traditional methods of furnishing a home can get quite expensive. But of course, it doesn’t have to be that way. Fall is a great time to start thinking about furnishing your home, and you may find some great deals out there, as people are ready to nest down for the winter. Here are some place to find frugal furniture. Craigslist. I recently found a Pottery Barn piece that was current and practically new. I had been admiring it in the catalog. The original retail price was $120 plus shipping. The poster wanted $50 total. Freecycle. This is hit or miss, … Continue reading →

Frugal Furniture

Want to get quality furniture for less or even for free? If so, you’ll want to read this post! Moving to a larger home, we were in some serious need of furniture. Did you know that the average room costs between $2,000 and $5,000 to furnish? Well, that is just plain unacceptable in my frugal world (not to mention impossible). Here are some tips on getting frugal furniture without going cheap. My biggest piece of advice for you with frugal furniture is to take your time. Obtain your pieces one at a time and when they become available and affordable. … Continue reading →