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Find more ways to save

Find more ways to save

Frugal families cut their budgets to the bone. Many budget busters, such as eating out too often or being wasteful with electricity, are easy to identify. Sometimes it might seem like you can’t find any new ways to save. Readers on my forums share updates with an ongoing discussion on their most recent ways they’ve [...]

April 6th, 2011 | Posted in Frugal & simple living | Read More »

Slick ways to use baby oil

Slick ways to use baby oil

Baby oil is cheap and has a light and pleasant scent. Its gentleness makes it a wonderful product to use in the bath or shower as a skin moisturizer, cuticle softener or an alternative to shaving cream or gel. Many people use it on a baby’s skin or for cradle’s cap, but it has a [...]

February 16th, 2011 | Posted in Frugal & simple living | Read More »

Combat dry skin

Combat dry skin

Dry skin is common during winter. Not only is it unsightly, but it can be itchy and painful, too. There are plenty of expensive products available, but you can manage your dry skin on a frugal budget. Start with eating well, getting plenty of rest and de-stressing. I recommend you see a doctor if your [...]

February 14th, 2011 | Posted in Frugal & simple living | Read More »

Add Borax to your shopping list

Add Borax to your shopping list

Frugal consumers stock their homes with versatile products. 20 Mule Team Borax is a staple product that makes the list. It can be found easily at major retailers and local supermarkets. Visit www.20muleteamlaundry.com for a coupon for your next shopping trip. Many people use it as a laundry booster (used in addition to their regular [...]

December 8th, 2010 | Posted in Frugal & simple living | Read More »

Decide to ditch or keep your landline

Decide to ditch or keep your landline

Frugal families sometimes splurge on technology. For example, it might seem odd for a family on a budget to have a landline phone and multiple cell phones. But there are plenty of valid reasons to have both phone services. If you’re considering dropping your landline, think it through. You might want to cut back in [...]

November 24th, 2010 | Posted in Frugal & simple living | Read More »

Ways to prevent and treat lice

Ways to prevent and treat lice

Hear the words “head lice” and you probably start itching. Parents dread to discover their child has lice. They’re contagious, and, while they don’t jump or fly, they travel from head to head easily. With kids close together at school, this becomes a likely place for kids to get lice. Here are a few ways [...]

November 17th, 2010 | Posted in Frugal & simple living | Read More »

Recycle your T-shirts

Recycle your T-shirts

Frugality includes reusing items. Maybe you have an abundance of T-shirts that you can’t bring yourself to throw away. Some were probably free, and others might be mementos from school, vacations or sports. Instead of purging them or letting them take up precious storage space, you can reuse them in more practical ways. How have [...]

September 29th, 2010 | Posted in Frugal & simple living | Read More »

Joy doubles when shared

Joy doubles when shared

Frugality often leads to simplicity. For some people it comes naturally, but others struggle with small details, redefining luxuries and shiny-object syndrome. I was in a “make it pretty” industry as a career, so that really stuck with me at home, too. But when it came down to prioritizing, many details were sucking the life [...]

August 6th, 2010 | Posted in Frugal & simple living | Read More »

Every little frugal step helps

Every little frugal step helps

Frugality can be integrated into your daily routine. It can become second nature. The potential annual savings from some frugal tips might not be enough to buy a new car or pay off a large debt, but it’s money you normally wouldn’t have, and you can choose the best place to spend it or save [...]

July 14th, 2010 | Posted in Frugal & simple living | Read More »

Help without lending money

Help without lending money

Young newlyweds want to start their marriage on the right track, but maybe money is already tight. As a loved one, you shouldn’t bail them out financially right away. This situation may be the only way they get the gravity of their plight and learn from it. Or maybe you have a friend who is [...]

July 3rd, 2010 | Posted in Frugal & simple living | Read More »

Set summertime savings goals

Set summertime savings goals

Summer is a good time to set some frugal goals. It’s easy to get trapped into overspending, but if you arm yourself with a game plan, you can save some money or at least avoid adding to your debt. How do you save money during summer? Here are a few tips for putting your best [...]

June 23rd, 2010 | Posted in Frugal & simple living | Read More »

Benefits of frugality

Benefits of frugality

Frugality can seem like a lot of work. Some people have decided that it’s simply not worth the effort. Maybe they haven’t thought it through. Those of you who are frugal, know that you’re not deprived and that it doesn’t require a lot of extra time. The benefits of frugal living outweigh the sacrifices and [...]

June 18th, 2010 | Posted in Frugal & simple living | Read More »

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Frugal & simple living »

Six ways to maintain frugal motivation

Six ways to maintain frugal motivation

Staying motivated and focused on long-term money-saving goals is a common challenge. The daily grind of making positive choices that work toward your goals can be frustrating, especially if your goals aren’t recreational or fun. The thrill of spending money you don’t have or splurging senselessly can seem more fulfilling than experiencing a sense of [...]


Frugal Cooking »

Fall in love with pumpkin

Fall in love with pumpkin

Cool weather brings cravings for comfort-food favorites. One of my favorite autumn flavors is pumpkin. Pureed pumpkin is versatile and can be mixed into a variety of foods, such as chili, mashed potatoes, spaghetti sauce, oatmeal and applesauce. Add small amounts, from a tablespoon to 1 cup or more, until it suits your taste. To [...]


Home & family »

Uses for surplus cinnamon and sugar

Uses for surplus cinnamon and sugar

photo by bucklava DEAR SARA: We buy Super Pretzels in bulk. Each box comes with a huge cinnamon/sugar pack that we never use on our pretzels. Now I have about three pounds of it and no idea what to do with it. Plus, as long as we keep buying the pretzels, we will keep getting [...]


Question & Answer »

How much do you save by air-drying?

How much do you save by air-drying?

photo by toofarnorth DEAR SARA: I have started to hang up a couple of loads each week on a clothesline rather than throwing them in the dryer. I was wondering how much money I save by doing this. Do you have any idea how much money it costs per hour to run an electric dryer? [...]


Frugal Tips »

Use silicone muffin pans to make Popsicles

Use silicone muffin pans to make Popsicles

photo by guccibear My kids go through a ton of frozen juice pops during summer. Sometimes I buy them, and other times I make my own. I really like the first tip that uses silicone muffin cups as a mold. It’s much more practical than using an ice-cube tray and easier to manage than using [...]