Search Results for: blog how to pop pop corn the frugal way

Ways to Stretch Your Vacation Dollar

With spring break travel peaking and the busy summer vacation season right around the corner, now is the time to learn how to stretch your travel dollar.  The following tips don’t require a ton of effort to execute.  What’s more, once you realize how easy it is to save on travel-related expenses, you may be inspired to find a few more frugal ways to keep from going into debt during your family getaway. Timing is key:  Do a little research before you hit the road on a family vacation.  Airfare and hotel rates can jump sky high when traveling during … Continue reading →

How to Make Kettle Corn at Home

Kettle corn is a fun summer or fall treat that everyone in my family enjoys. We used to have to wait for a trip to Lancaster, Pa, in Amish country, in order to indulge. They make the best kettle corn, complete with a real kettle, and you can watch them cooking it. We would discuss which size tub we should purchase, which depended on whether or not we were also going to make a trip to the homemade ice cream stand next door. Fortunately, I discovered that this treat can also be made at home, with or without a kettle. … Continue reading →

Ideas for a Frugal New Year

Celebrate and ring in the New Year without breaking the annual budget. Here are some great ways that you can have fun and party like the prices were in 1999. There are plenty of inexpensive options for having a frugal New Year’s Even, whether you like to have a wild time out or just stay close to home to celebrate. Balloons are generally very inexpensive, especially if you skip the helium and just blow them up yourself. Check out the dollar store for colorful balloons and then put them everywhere: tied to the furniture or just all over the floor. … Continue reading →

Frugal Ways to Clean Marble

In a previous blog I provided tips on how to clean marble countertops. While there are a number of repuatble commercial cleaners that do wonders to revive dulled or scrathced marble surfaces, there are also a few very inexpensive alternatives that can help get your countertops looking new again. Cornstarch: Standard cornstarch is a saving grace when you have marble countertops. The household staple works wonders to absorb grease and oil spills before they stain your marble counters. Simply use a dry rag or some paper towels to soak up excess grease or oil, then sprinkle cornstarch liberally over the … Continue reading →

More Ways to Scrapbook for Less

Less doesn’t have to equate to ugly or lacking, especially when it comes creating super scrapbook layouts. Rather, you can design amazing pages even if you are working on a tight budget. Frugal scrappers know how to make what they have work for them. Instead of bemoaning your situation, look for ways you can embellish pages for pennies by recycling ribbon, buttons, charms, fabric scraps or other trinkets socked away in various parts of your home. Another way you can stretch your scrapbooking dollar is to look for sales or shop at discount stores. Or better yet, shop sales at … Continue reading →

Why I Don’t Buy Microwave Popcorn

These days it is so easy to fall into what appears to be “normal.” Take microwave popcorn. It is so popular that we assume that whenever someone makes popcorn, this must be the way it is made. But not in my house. The neighborhood kids tend to gather at my house after school on Fridays. With no homework, everyone is ready to play, and ready to eat. I find that popcorn is an inexpensive snack that satisfies. Also, no kid I know seems to be allergic to it. The first time I got the pan out and started heating the … Continue reading →

Christmas Movie Marathon the Frugal Way

Whether you are having a snow day or just want to avoid spending money at the malls, being prepared for a Christmas movie marathon is a good idea. You can enjoy some fun family entertainment for free. Just pop the popcorn, grab an extra blanket and snuggle up on the couch with your family. ABC 25 Days of Christmas The television station, ABC, offers Christmas shows every evening during December. You usually get at least three shows back to back in any given night. They don’t seem to duplicate the shows, or at least not during the same time slots. … Continue reading →

Five Ways to Save Money at the Movies

One of the things that I associate with summer is going to the movies. And while the expense of it can add up when you have five people in your family, it is still nice to be able to go out to the movies once or twice. Because the cost of going to the movies could normally equal two or three new DVD movies (or eight or nine used DVD movies), I have learned how to save most of this cost in the following ways. Skip the snacks Do you really need to snack during the movie? Unless you are … Continue reading →

Three Ways to Get Free Entertainment

The money used for entertainment is most household seems to be growing year by year. Whereas previous generations listed food as their biggest expense (after housing), for modern families, entertainment costs can rival food expenses. Here are three different ways to get free entertainment. The Library If you haven’t visited your local library in a while then you are really missing out. Of course there are plenty of books to be had, saving you anywhere from $7 to $30 a read. There are also audio books, movies, music and even video games to check out. If you use the library’s … Continue reading →

Frugal Christmas Tree Ornaments

Christmas tree ornaments can certainly be expensive. A single ordinary ornament can cost on average $5! Many fancier ornaments cost up to $25! At these prices, you may have to chose between decorating your tree and paying your mortgage for the month. There are ways, of course, that you can decorate your Christmas tree without spending a lot of money. Try some of the following ideas. I’ve included generally ornaments and even some that would be great for a theme. Just think, you could have a designer tree without the designer prices. For no-fuss tree decorating, just hit your local … Continue reading →