Articles on Frugal Living

Self-sufficiency, self-reliance, and freedom

Self-sufficiency is producing the actual stuff you use--your own food, your own clothes, etc. It's not a common lifestyle. Most people chose instead to follow the path of self-re

There are Cheaper Ways to Return to a Greener Earth

The web is full of ways to live green, but have you ever thought about being Earth-friendly in your death? While it’s not always pleasant to think about, maybe we should. If you

Sometimes I wish I had beautiful long blonde hair and ample cleavage.

Not on my body of course; that would be freakish. And if you’re visualizing it right now, I’m really sorry…especially if you’re eating. No, I’m basically reacting to several incide

Does living frugally hurt the economy?

When I advocate for frugal living, people sometimes ask, "What if everybody lived like that?  Wouldn't it hurt the economy?"  My natural inclination toward frugal liv

What if energy costs keep rising?

Recession or not, I think the medium-term trend in energy costs is up.  Just in case I'm right, you ought to have plan for that.

Get Free Hotel Stays with Wyndham's Best Rate Guarantee

Yesterday my super cheap ex-boyfriend told me that I would be proud of him.

How Big of a House Do You Really Need?

For my entire life, I have never lived in a place bigger than 1400 square feet. The smallest dwelling I had was a studio less than 400 square feet which I shared with my parents.

The ethics of hoarding

In the Philippines, they're threatening life sentences for people hoarding rice.   In the United States, grocers need to put limits on rice purchases just to keep their shelves

Score Free Comics For One Day Only!

You don’t have to be a die-hard comic geek to enjoy Free Comic Book Day on Saturday, May 3rd. Check out the list of participating re

Have you ever seen such amazing junk?

My recent post about reusing old plastic bottles inspired me to look around at other ways to use, well, garbage. And I found a site that really made me think twice about the con

Are You a Yawn?

I am familiar with the meaning of hippies and yuppies, but today I heard a funny new word for a demographic of people - yawns. YAWN stands for Young and Wealthy but Normal. It i

Healthy, frugal eating

Every so often, I get hit in the face with two facts.  First, Americans (even poor Americans) are unbelievably rich.  Second, Americans (as a group) utterly lack a cultural traditi

Mama Mia! Mother's Day Gifts that Show You Really Care

For a holiday that's supposed to celebrate the precious relationship between a mother and her child, there sure is a lot to distract me from that relationship. Over the years, I

Use Less Cash for Your JCPenney Purchase

A favorite retailer of households across the country since 1902, JCPenney can have some stellar deals for those in the know. Like most stores, JCPenney has a met

Looking for Answers in Life? Here's your Key...

So many of us are feeling stuck in our lives, searching for something we seem to flirt with and skirt arou

Stop dissing Spam!

Is it me, or are most people a bunch of Spam snobs? I admit it’s not filet mignon or a piece of finely seared Ahi Tuna, but come on people! It’s not that bad. In fact, I love it, a

Budgeting in a time of inflation

My very first experience running a household was in 1980, just as the last big inflation was spiking up over 10%.  My carefully constructed budget was completely destroyed by price

The Dichotomy of Media Messages

When I had an occasion to watch some television recently, I was absolutely horrified with what I saw. Read on for the details...

The many uses for empty plastic bottles

It's been a while since I did one of these video compilation posts, and the subject at hand is more than worthwhile. I thought I'd look around for innovative and inventive

Book review: Work Less, Live More

Early retirement is a topic I've always been interested in.  The particular version of it that this book deals with--living well on less money, as a means to getting by wit