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How to Be Frugal When the Power is Out

Yesterday was pretty tough. I had two wet loads of laundry, a sink full of dishes to do, and about five hours of online freelance work when the power went out. My husband was working from home, as well. A tree limb had fallen on the power lines a few houses down from ours, and it blew out the transformers, leaving our neighborhood without power from 11:30 in the morning until about 5:30 in the afternoon. That is six hours without power. We were tempted to turn the generator on, as many of our neighbors did, but with gas expenses, … Continue reading →

I Wash Out Baggies

Oh the stigma. I am a baggie washer. It is tough to admit this, as it plays into the whole stereotypical cheapskate persona. Only really cheap people wash out baggies, right? I mean how much can a baggie cost? A friend of mine confessed that she would never stoop to washing baggies. “I tried once, and my mother-in-law was so shocked that she offered to buy me a year’s supply of baggies so I wouldn’t do it any more.” I asked for her mother-in-law’s number. I would gleefully welcome a year’s supply of baggies. With that, I do have to … Continue reading →

Frugal Burnout

Have you ever experienced frugal burnout? You know, when you just don’t feel like being frugal anymore? Maybe you are just tired to death of washing out baggies or hanging laundry. Maybe you have a little bit of envy because someone you know who isn’t frugal seems to have it all from fabulous vacations to an amazing home. It happens to the best of us. Frugal burnout may have us seriously questioning our frugal lifestyle. If you are a stay-at-home parent, you might consider going back to work. or maybe you start thinking that it wouldn’t be so bad after … Continue reading →

How to Wash Out a Baggie

Yes it’s a cliche, but haven’t you always secretly wanted to do it? Here are some tips on how to wash, dry and reuse baggies, and a safety precaution. Okay, I’ll admit it, I usually throw out my baggies when I do use them. But, a dear friend pointed out that I really wasn’t being frugal that way. So, without a clue as to the proper techniques, I did some research, and here is what I came up with: Washing baggies There are several methods of washing out baggies. Here are a few of the most mentioned ways. Turn the … Continue reading →

There’s No Place Like Home

I recently read an article called What Does Home Mean To You. It was a collection of short paragraphs by a bunch of different people giving their definition of home. Not one single person mentioned clean floors, dusted shelves or sparkling mirrors. Every paragraph was the feeling they get from being home. It’s not even necessarily a physical space, for some people it’s where ever their spouse or children are, for still others it’s Mom and Dad. What says home to you? Although I would like to say a clean house, it’s really not. Home to me is anywhere my … 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 →

Kiss My Face

Lately, I have been doing a lot of research on ingredients in health and beauty products. I already buy many organic food items and try to focus on healthy choices. On one visit to the health food store a woman who worked there told me that if you change anything it should be your health and beauty products. She understood my concerns about the cost of going organic and wanting to prioritize. She informed me that anything you put on your skin gets absorbed right into the blood stream. There is no filtering or protection such as with your liver … Continue reading →

How to Make Budget-Friendly Lunches

My kids like to take their own lunches because they can spend the precious little time they have eating instead of waiting in line to get their food. I like making their lunches because it saves money, and I can control the levels of nutrition and the amount of food they get (for my skinny son, the school lunch still leaves him hungry). To make our school lunches the most budget friendly that they can be, incorporate some of these frugal strategies. Reuse your lunch bags Spending lots of money on baggies can defeat the savings of making your own … Continue reading →

The Downside of Parenting: Fear

Imagine sending your 9-year-old to school only to be called by administrators a few hours later notifying you that your child had been sent to the hospital. He didn’t fall off the monkey bars or have a science experiment blow up in his face; rather, he’s in the emergency room because he swallowed an unknown amount of cocaine. Cocaine that was brought to school in a baggie by a 10-year-old boy. Bullying, beatings, gun violence and drugs… in fourth grade. No wonder parents are choosing to homeschool their children now more than ever before. The cocaine story is true. According … Continue reading →

Savers Anonymous

I’ve always been a saver. This goes back to many, many years ago when I was a young child. A friends and I found a $20 will, which seems like an enormous sum. An adult split the bill for us, leaving use each with $10. I immediate put mine in the back. My friend took his to the local diner and treated everyone (but me) to milk shakes. While my popularity points went down that day, it still wasn’t enough to deter me from saving money any way that I could. That doesn’t mean that I always made the right … Continue reading →