Search Results for: blog frugal is not a dirty word

Budget Should Not Be A Dirty Word

I have been pretty fortunate as a single mother. Most of the time I’ve been single I’ve had a good job that has allowed me not to worry about how I was going to pay the bills. It wasn’t like that at first, when I first got divorced I didn’t even have a car, but things got better. Now, due to some pay cuts I’ve taken at work, things are looking a little scarier. Add to that a few emergencies, a major vet bill and an emergency car repair, and my savings account is non existent. Not having that cushion … Continue reading →

Can You Be Too Frugal (2)

There is no such thing in my mind, as being too frugal. In fact, when you look up dictionary.com’s definition for frugal, they pull from other resources to get several definitions. The third listed is my favorite, cited from WordNet. frugal adj : avoiding waste; “an economical meal”; “an economical shopper”; “a frugal farmer”; “a frugal lunch”; “a sparing father and a spending son”; “sparing in their use of heat and light”; “stinting in bestowing gifts”; “thrifty because they remember the great Depression”; “`scotch’ is used only informally” Why do I love this definition so much? Because it points out … Continue reading →

Can You Be Too Frugal? (1)

Very often I hear about how frugal I am. And the statement or question, I hear the most often is “Can you be too frugal?”. I choose to address this question, simply because there isn’t a definitive yes or no answer. And because I plan to do a series of articles revolving around organizing all the frugal things you save. A question came in recently that was quite unusual from my typical frugal living questions. I was asked “Why do you choose to write organizing articles in the frugal living area?”. That is a great question actually, and I’d love … Continue reading →

End-of-Summer Mom Savers

Kids in Hawaii started the new school year last Monday. Meanwhile, my pal in Atlanta just told me her kids head back to class tomorrow. Are you ready to say so long to summer? I’m not! I am dreading the back-to-school blues, including packing lunches, ironing uniforms, looking for missing shoes as the bus sits at the end of the driveway, and fighting with kids about going to bed when the sun is still shining brightly at 7:30 p.m. Still, if there is an upside to back-to-school, it’s got to be the sales. Not the ones on school supplies; rather, … Continue reading →

Monthly Budgeting

I’ve always been pretty good with money. From the time I was little I was never one to rush out and spend what little money I had. I’d save all my pennies until I had enough for what I really wanted and then I’d start saving for the next thing on my list. Now as a single parent sticking to my budget has become even more important. For most of us there is very little money left over at the end of the month. Saving can be a real challenge when there is nothing left to save. Bills have to … Continue reading →

The Money Saving Mom’s Budget

When it comes to frugal living, fresh inspiration is often hard to find. Oh sure, we do what we can, from attempting a budget to washing out baggies in order to save money. Often, the problem, though, is that we aren’t armed with a solid start to finish plan. Crystal Paine’s book, The Money Saving Mom’s Budget gives you that plan, and explains the importance behind each step. I haven’t seen anything this good since Amy Dacyczyn’s The Tightwad Gazette, a book on frugal living that has now pretty much obtained cult status. Paine’s book, however, is updated with more … Continue reading →

How to Get More for Your Clothing Dollar

If you have established a monthly budget, and I hope you have, you may be surprised at how quickly your clothing budget runs out. There are several ways to reduce the amount that you spend on those clothes and get more for your money. Here are some good ideas you can use. Figure Out What You Really Need Most people only actively wear about 10 percent of the clothes that they own! That means that we are buying way to many clothes. Even if you have a closet the size of a small house (and, hey, I envy you), the … Continue reading →

Halloween and Special Needs Children

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Halloween can be a frightfully fun time, or just plain scary. Children with special needs often feel left out, and parents can be at a lost on how to help them participate and have fun. If you are one of those parents, here are some ideas to help make Halloween happy, fun and safe for all. Children with Disabilities If you are finding it difficult to come up with great costume ideas for your child because of his wheelchair, walker or crutches, find some inspiration in a quick on-line search. The Bridge School has some fabulous ideas with instructions included, … Continue reading →

There are HOW Many Kinds of Cloth Diapers?

After my husband and I made the decision to use cloth diapers, we undertook the daunting task of deciding which kind to use. The only kind of cloth diaper I’d ever seen or heard about were the good ol’ prefolds, fastened with diaper pins, and covered with plastic pants. I was ready to take on the task of rinsing poopy diapers in the toilet, learning how to pin without poking my baby, and wiping down the plastic pants with a washcloth, so they could be worn through multiple messes. There’s no doubt about it cloth diapering with prefolds is cheap. … Continue reading →

When the Insurance Check is Sent to the Mortgage Company Part 2

Back in November I wrote about my four month saga on getting my roof repaired from a hail storm that had happened the previous summer. When I wrote that article, I thought that my roof repair was imminent. I thought that we were about to receive the check from the insurance company and start the roof and home repairs. It did not happen. It is now January, and I am finally hearing the sound of banging and hammering on my roof. So what happened? We got the good-old-run-around. In what can only be compared to the struggles on closing on … Continue reading →