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Are You Uncomfortable Being Frugal?

Whenever a lot of money is being spent, I tend to be uncomfortable, even if I am not the one doing the spending. Just hearing about lavish consumption kind of creeps me out. I keep wondering about the mortgage on the friend of a friend’s McMansion or how I could apply the cost of someone’s lavish vacation to building up our retirement fund. I don’t know how to react when friends give their toddlers spa days or I am invited to jewelry parties, or when the suggested contribution to the teacher’s or pastor’s gift is three figures (nothing against our … Continue reading →

Last Minute Summer Fun the Frugal Way

It seemed as though we woke up one day and realized that summer vacation was almost over. My husband finally got some time off, so we planned some vacation time. Of course, we tried to do it as frugally as we could. Here are some of the ways that we saved. We chose local attractions, within two hours drive. This way, we wouldn’t have to spend money on accommodations, which can be a significant cost when you a family of five. Most hotels will not accommodate families of more than four in a regular hotel room, which means you either … Continue reading →

10 Ways to Save on Your Next Trip to Hawaii

Last year, my then six-old daughter celebrated her 12th visit to Hawaii. However, to her, the Aloha State is more than just a top tourist destination, it’s also home to grandma, grandpa, and a huge network of aunts, uncles and cousins. I kid that she would have been marking trip number 20 if it weren’t so dang expensive to fly from Wisconsin to Hilo. Fortunately, once we land in the “Land of Aloha” we score free room and board. Bottom line: traveling to Hawaii is not cheap. However, there are ways you can save on your next vacation there provided … Continue reading →

Save on Trips to the Sunshine State

Thanks to HGTV’s newest show “My Yard Goes Disney,” my 6-year-old has started a whining campaign to get us to visit the House of Mouse this summer. Unfortunately, unless we win a spot on HGTV’s other smash hit “House Hunters on Vacation,” I highly doubt that will be shaking our tail feathers with Donald and crew before the start of the new school year. I know this because, like many parents, I want to make all my child’s dreams come true, so I crunched the numbers to see if we could afford to roam Disney’s Animal Kingdom, stay at Disney’s … Continue reading →

Three Ways to Save Money on Your Next Vacation

Vacation season is almost here, but it isn’t too late to implement the following strategies in order to save money on your next vacation. Image saving hundreds of dollars! There is no excuse not to try the following. It could wind up costing you less and making your vacation that much more restful. 1. Plan Ahead If you can only do one thing to save money on your vacation, then it has to be this one, plan ahead. By planning your vacation months or even years in advance, you can save in a number of ways. First of all, you … Continue reading →

Take Stock III

On a snowy or rainy day (and boy have we been having a lot of those here on the east coast), consider taking stock of the items in your home. You’ll be sure to save some money, such as in finding new storage or finding free meals thanks to extra food you forgot you had. There are many different areas of the home in which to take stock. If you missed the first two posts in this series, be sure to check them out. The bathroom Lotions and potions and creams, oh my! All sorts of things tend to pile … Continue reading →

Who’s More of a Pain to Travel With–Teens or Toddlers?

Here I thought traveling cross-country with a toddler would do me in. I was wrong. While a 2-year-old can be placated with a bottle, pacifier, soggy Cheerios or empty DVD case, calming a cranky teen requires quite a bit more finesse… and patience. It’s true; the one thing worse than dealing with an irritable toddler on vacation is finding ways to handle a crabby teenager. I learned this a couple of weeks ago when I hitched a ride to Chicago (for a “working vacation”) with a pal and her teenage sons. I won’t get into the gory details regarding our … Continue reading →

Planning a Frugal Resort Vacation pt 2

Summer is here and it is time to get away as a family. If you are like most families, you took a staycation s last year. This year, you may be more inclined to actually go somewhere special. A resort vacation will probably fit the bill. With that said, going to a resort for vacation does not mean throwing all rules on frugality out of the window. Instead, you should be even more frugal than normal in order to get the best vacation for the least money. In part 1 covered the early stages of planning such as determining your … Continue reading →

Frugal Fast Food Breakfast

While the commercials will tell you that fast food is inexpensive and so convenient, I will tell you that making your own versions at home is even more inexpensive and just as convenient. I don’t know about you, but I would rather take a little extra time out of my morning on one day to create a week’s worth of breakfast that can be grabbed on the go instead of having to detour to a fast food place each day (and hand over my money for a soggy or cold breakfast). The same can be true of lunch and even … Continue reading →

Three Fun Ways to Prepare Your Marriage to Survive an Economic Depression

Last night while I was watching Mad Money, Jim Cramer said something which helped to slightly ease my worries about another Great Depression. He said we’re likely not heading into one. However, the key word was “likely.” Even he’s not 100 percent sure where we’re headed yet. That’s why my mind was only slightly eased. But as Cramer offered money and investing advice, I got to thinking about a couple of things. One was the movie Life is Beautiful. I loved how the main character found a way to make a game out of living in a concentration camp. The … Continue reading →