frugality

8 Nifty Tips for Getting the Most from an All-You-Can Eat Buffet

Posted October 12, 2008 - 17:58 by Linsey Knerl

Frugal Living, Food and Drink

I’m no promoter of gluttony, and I would never recommend stuffing yourself for the sake of stuffing yourself. However, as a mother of 4 growing kids who only eat out once or twice a month, I’ve found the “all-you-can-eat” concept of dining to be a lifesaver. See how we get the biggest bang for our buffet buck and enjoy ourselves in the process.

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What Makes You the Expert?

Posted October 9, 2008 - 19:10 by Linsey Knerl

Personal Finance, Frugal Living

Now, more than ever, financial “experts” are crawling out of the woodwork, ready to give you advice on pinching pennies in a tight economy. While all of this concern and guidance is good, each of us will have our own idea of what an “expert” is. Could it even be you?

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6 Ways to Get your Toiletries for Cheap or Even Free!

Posted September 20, 2008 - 18:50 by Linsey Knerl

Frugal Living, Shopping, Health and Beauty, Budgeting

With my budget straining at the increase in the cost of milk, I can’t always justify buying my favorite shampoo, the best razor, or that luxurious body wash I crave. I have found ways to ease the pain, and while not always predictable, they work! If you don’t mind getting a bit creative with your methods, you can pay much less (even nothing) for your bath and body treats, too!

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Should you spend your money while you can?

Posted September 11, 2008 - 17:51 by Xin Lu

Frugal Living

A new article on Slate today details a study by some economists that say people should enjoy their money while they are still healthy and young. The conclusion of their study is that money buys less happiness when you are in ill health so spending money while you are healthy gives you more happiness value for your money. So should your abandon frugality for the sake of your happiness?

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Is living on one income a status symbol?

Posted August 7, 2008 - 13:48 by Xin Lu

Personal Finance, Frugal Living, Lifestyle

Recently CNN published an article titled "No kids, no jobs for growing number of wives ". This article profiled two women who are stay at home wives with no kids. A quote from the article states that "stay-at-home wives are the latest 'status symbols'" and that "a stay-at-home spouse is often an extreme and visible luxury".

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Simplicity and being cheap

Posted August 2, 2008 - 08:40 by Philip Brewer

Lifestyle

Sundial with flowers

People might look at how I spend money and say I'm cheap or a tightwad. If they do, though, they're missing the point. The fact is, I'm much more interested in simplicity than I am in saving money. In many cases, it works out about the same: The simple choice is often frugal. The cheapest choice, though, is often not the simple one.

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What I've been trying to say

Posted July 12, 2008 - 19:12 by Philip Brewer

Personal Finance, Frugal Living

Forest steps

You can choose how you want to live. If you choose to live simply, you gain a certain kind of freedom. In particular, you're free to choose to do the work that's the most satisfying, rather than the most lucrative. Choosing to live simply doesn't mean that you have to give up all the cool stuff you want. It means, rather, that you have to focus on a small number of wants--the ones that matter the most to you.

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Biggest Money Saving Tip: Move Far Away from the Joneses

Posted July 5, 2008 - 14:44 by Linsey Knerl

Personal Finance, Frugal Living, Lifestyle

I have to admit that while many people in the U.S. talk about “Keeping up with the Joneses”, I spent the first 20 years of my life never knowing what that meant. My rural lifestyle kept me somewhat content with the things I had. I quickly learned, however, that being “well-off” has a lot to do with “location, location, location.”

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Are You an Ant or a Grasshopper?

Posted May 20, 2008 - 01:00 by Jason White

Frugal Living

Ants stockpiling for winter season

This classic fable illustrates the fundamental difference in savers and spenders. Spenders live for the moment, frittering away their earnings on things like technology gadgets, eating out, and bills they've created for nice cars, expensive homes, etc. Savers prefer to get by on less and save their additional money for a rainy day (or a sunny day).

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Does living frugally hurt the economy?

Posted May 10, 2008 - 11:43 by Philip Brewer

Personal Finance, Frugal Living

Woman and child shopping

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 living may color my opinion, but I don't think so.  I think mass frugality would be good for the economy.

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