Boston Bombings and a New Reason to Stockpile Frugally

The Boston bombings have taught us many things. Some we already knew, such as the resilience of the human spirit, how easily ordinary people become heroes, and the strength of a community all working together. It also has taught us some other, more practical lessons, such as to always be aware in crowds, to report suspicious activity, and to be prepared for the unthinkable. One of the many photos of that time that sticks in my head from the Boston bombings is the image of a police officer delivering two gallons of milk to a young family who couldn’t leave … Continue reading

Get Fingerprinted to Sell Your Home

If you live in Cook County, Illinois, you might feel like a criminal when you go to sell your home. That is because a law quietly passed that requires anyone notarizing documents for selling a home in that area to provide a thumbprint. Lawmakers say that the legislation was put into affect to dissuade people from committing real estate fraud. Criminals may think twice about selling a home illegally if their thumbprint is on record, I suppose. The law, which was passed last October and goes into affect this June has residents of the county concerned about privacy issues. The … Continue reading

Getting Fit Frugally

Now is a great time to make a commitment to fitness. While some people spend hundreds on gym memberships and thousands on equipment, you don’t have to do so. Here are my favorite ways to get fit for free or for very little cost. You can find all sort of exercise videos available at the library. Most libraries offer them free for up to three weeks with the ability to renew. Try different workouts all for nothing in the comfort of your home. Speaking of home, explore your own backyard or neighborhood. Go walking, running, hiking or hill climbing, depending … Continue reading

Snow, Ice and Your Home

As you might have guessed by reading today’s Frugal Living post, I have snow and the snow in New Orleans on my mind. We’ve already had our first good snow this year, although it melted away a couple of days later. Still I wanted to take the opportunity to talk about snow and your home. When I was little, the windows in our apartment were so drafty that when it snowed, the snow would actually come in the windows and pile up in the corners of the windowsill. As a child, I thought it was great fun to make indoor … Continue reading

Tips for Driving in the Snow, Frugally

With the news about Snow in New Orleans, it reminds me that being prepared for the snow is always a good thing. Many people skip preparing to drive in snowy weather. Special tires can be expensive, for example. But inevitably, you may find yourself out in the snow somewhere and stuck. Maybe you were still at work when the snow started to fall, or you had a doctor’s appointment or you needed to run out for milk. Whatever the case, take a look at the following tips to help you drive in the snow and do so frugally. First, it … Continue reading

Making Your Freezer and Crock Pot Work Together

Two great appliances in your kitchen arsenal are your crock pot and your freezer. These two things can do a lot to save you money on your food budget. The crock pot can cost less to operate than a conventional oven. And having a full freezer reduces the chances that you will be buying expensive restaurant meals. But when you combine both the crock pot and the freezer, you’ll make the most of your savings. Here are some guidelines to using these appliances together to reduce your food budget and live frugally. Practice crock pot cooking and freezer cooking at … Continue reading

What You Can Find At Goodwill Series – Home Decor and Artwork

The frugal blog series of articles on the vast quantity of items found at Goodwill stores continues on. As we discover the department’s that most Goodwill stores have, keep an open mind about what you can find. If you are truly interested in living frugally or getting bargains or deals on items, you will be pleased with your shopping experience at Goodwill. So what else can you find at Goodwill stores? Home Décor I was actually surprised to find an entire section of home decorating items. From frames, to knick knacks, to vases and pots, to bowls and baskets, there … Continue reading

How to Frugally Make the Perfect Cup of Coffee

We all long for that perfect cup of coffee, don’t we? That is, after all, why we spend so much money going to our favorite coffee houses and spending a fortune on those designer coffee’s that we could honestly re-create at home for a lot less. Here are a few frugal money saving tips to creating the perfect cup of coffee at home and not having to pay the high prices to do it! Coffee Pot Maintenance – This is important because a coffee maker that is not working properly will never make the perfect cup of coffee, and usually … Continue reading

Work from Home Frugally

If you have the opportunity to telecommute or are thinking of taking advantage of a legitimate work at home opportunity, you might want to read this article. You might think that working from home can save you money, and it can. But it is also easy to fall into some common pitfalls that will actually cost you money. Digging your way out of these work at home pitfalls could actually cost you the opportunity to work from home. Let’s take a look at some of the ways working from home can be frugal and some of the ways that working … Continue reading

Why Live Frugally?

A question that often comes up is why should anyone live so frugally? This is usually followed up by, “Don’t you have a life?” Once and a while someone might say, “I could never live like that. I’d rather work than wash out baggies.” Those questions are important, even the abrasive one about baggies. They prove that many people don’t really understand a frugal lifestyle. I live frugally, and yes, I do have a life; a very good one. I do work for an income, although it is only part time. I seldom wash out baggies because, well I don’t … Continue reading