Wow, this makes me feel ever-so-slightly better about the barrage of "American beer sucks" comments I have to endure tonight at dinner. Happy Thanksgiving, Nora!
I had to stop nursing when I went back to work because pumping was just an everlasting nightmare. We used the free sample formula sent to us until we ran out, then we put our son on Target formula from 3 months on. He did very well on it and is healhy and average weight and has only been sick once (when I brought the flu home from work). I don't think the store brand could be harmful if my son is so heathy. Now he is 1 and is on whole cow milk (so much cheaper). He really loves the cow milk, I suppose it must taste better.
as a side antidote, my own mom didn't like how fussy I was on formula in the 1970s) so she put me on whole milk from the first month on! This is highly discouraged because there is low iron in cow milk. I was healthy and happy and at a good weight too. Maybe kids are just very resilliant.
Dress all in the same color and paste "crayola" on your pant leg. Then make a pointed cap with construction paper. This is great to do with a group of friends. Be careful with the white crayon however (everyone thought my friend was a tampon).
Movies are one of those things I have a hard time paying a lot for. My local movie theater chain has a free card that allows you to pay only $5 for a movie after it's been out for a week or two. Going any sooner just seems like a waste of money. Even then there are only a few movies a year that I actually go to the theater for, the rest I wait for to come out on DVD and I might rent them. My local library doesn't have much of a movie selection, but I go to a rental place (Family Video) where I can rent DVDs from 50 cents to $2, which is a lot less than Blockbuster. It just doesn't make sense to pay $17 for my husband and I to see a movie on opening night. Plus, so many movies aren't even worth the two hours to sit through, let alone the money.
Similiarly, I rarely buy fiction books. If it's a book I need for frequent reference I'll buy it, but I would never buy a hard cover novel. That's what the libary is for! However, I generally don't buy used books. Too often they have someone else's notes and highlighting in them and I find that disruptive to my research and thought process.
i cannot bring myself to spend money on any type of fast food. when i met my girlfriend, i realized what good food tastes like, and i never went back.
after eating good, organic food every night for dinner, i do not even consider (burger king/taco bell/etc) food anymore. it is the equivalent of survivorman eating roots to stay alive while stuck in a desert.
and you would not believe the amount of money it saves. enough to go out to a good dinner whenever you want.
I don't spend money on cable. My parents have never had cable in the 25 years that I've been around, and I only ever had it once, for about a year or so. I mean, sure, it's kind of alluring, but I can already get entertainment from Netflix and other sources.
Oh, also I refuse to play World of Warcraft, even though most of my friends do play it. Though that's not just about the money--it's also about the time.
I never pay retail price for ANYTHING, thanks to the interwebs. Even for clothes, etc., when size/fit matters and most folks think it is "easier" to just go to the store and try stuff on. Still do that, but then just write down the sizes, etc. that you need and then go home, get online, and get that stuff for far less. DVDs, and basically any consumer electronics product are super easy to find online. The biggest bonus is that 90% of the time I can find some sort of coupon code for even more discounts!
I can't stand to throw paper away. Once something is printed out, using the one side, but has a perfectly good 2nd side, why chunk it in the trash? We stockpile the paper and pull it out for math problems, notes, do to lists, etc. One ream of paper can last a long, long time :)
We also appear to stockpile plastic bags from the grocery store. Mostly it's because I see them piling up and never bio-degrading in the dumps. Our local stores have recycling, but it's one thing I can never remember to return. So our plastic bags runneth over... Oh, we do use them in the smaller trash cans...
Oh, and as for frugal, I really, really enjoy when I go shopping (particulary clothes shopping which is very rare) to be able to come home and add up what I would have spent IF I hadn't gotten everything on sale. Sounding like a crazy woman LOL!
Just hanging out on your blog this morning, and noted the comment
"I believe lotteries are more attractive to individuals from lower socio economic backgrounds."
I beg to differ... I think it is the thrill of CHANCE that appeals to everyone that makes these types of situations attractive. If that were the case (lower socio), casinos and the like would be out of business in a heartbeat. How long would "lower class" people's money last? Not looking for a fight, but/and that comment just hit me wrong...
I have a personal policy that I do NOT pay more for shipping than the value of the item or is more than what normal shipping would be for the item if I were to mail it to myself. I boycott sites like this. Great find but this site is now on my boycott list.
I applied for a position advertised as "Web Master" some years back. This was a new position for the company and the job title and the description didn't match, so after we went over why I was on the market (had been recently down-sized), what my education certifications were (associates degree from a local University, and several industry specific certs), I interjected, asking about the position they were hiring for.
I mentioned that I didn't have much experience as a Web Master, per se, but that a web master was in charge of maintaining the web server(s), installing updates/upgrades to the box, and ensuring the pipe to the web server(s) was sufficient for current traffic without being limiting to the future.
I then defined the role of a Web Developer (someone who writes markup, code, and basically enables web-based designs and applications to run on a web server), then asked which of the positions they were really trying to fill.
Once we had determined they really wanted a Web Developer I was able to pull out my "Web Developer" resume' and detail my experience.
I ended up getting the job, and getting $11,000 more than they were initially offering.
I always cut my dryer sheets in half. I know it doesn't save a ton of money, but I feel if I can save in the small seemingly non-important ways it builds a foundation of being frugal in all other areas of my life.
...I assume that for every $1 spent at a restaurant, I can spend $5-10 cooking at home. Our house has a virtually unlimited grocery budget and we throw dinner parties nearly weekly. Friends of course are their own reward, but the ability to cook nice meals for them which don't break the bank are infinitely preferable to money spent on dinners at fancy restaurants with unpredictable service, inconsistent food quality, and the inability to simply relax after the meal and stay seated. Our last party ended at 2:30am because of all the chatting!
I am a freak about not being a one car per person family. We own one car- it stays home in the garage most days.
I commute to work for $1 each way. Parking alone downtown is $5/day-- not to mention gas, car upkeep, insurance, etc. Why would I use a car to get to my cubicle based job?
Hubby stays at home with the kidlets- and walks the 2 oldest to school 5 blocks away. The car only comes out if she's got grocery shopping or other errands that day. She finds she uses the car 2 out of 5 weekdays with proper planning. Weekends- we need the car!
I see so many coworkers complaining about costs of parking, insurance, gas, etc. yet no one wants to be inconvenienced for even a ten minute wait for the bus. Its my crazy thing I always get on my soapbox about!
Most McDonalds offer something similar. We always buy at least one book for treats we'd otherwise consider buying when using the McDonalds playland (on rainy or cold days when the kids moan about being bored).
Further comment on the #2 suggestion--I always have a weird feeling when I see "international" costumes- especially some that are supposedly comical. Sometimes they feel more racist than funny- like a white guy wearing a rasta hat with sewn in dreadlocks. Not for me.
I come from a big family and could not bear paying so much for cards/gifts. There is always a celebration going on here and there. I end up spending too much on cards and gifts, which I know cards will put away and over time lost. I know I can make better than this. I wanted to make a difference. I wanted my gifts to stand out and be everlsting. Then I had a brilliant idea, I started making gifts - paintings on cards, or canvas painting for bigger functions, making them into postcards etc. I started with simple things and eventually started making it complex. Every body started loving them, and encouraged me so much that it became a good hobby. However, it is an expensive hobby! Could not practice being frugal here! After a few years that hobby became a business model. Now looking back, I feel it is funny because by being frugal, I actually created an opportunity for myself.
I take full advantage of my local dollar store and get sponges, gift wrap, shampoo, candles, hair clips, chapstick, cat toys and notebooks there for cheap!! Most of the stuff has a limited life anyway, so why not pay less anyway? I have realized that some things are just not worth buying at a dollar store though, like batteries or lightbulbs, or anything you want to work past one month.
I love rummage sales. The best deals are at the church sales and the school sales where I live. If you think about it -- you have a huge population and economic group to shop from. And where I live (NJ) people think everything is so disposable. All the better for me picking up Lilly Pulitzer for 50 cents.
Don't count out the adult stuff in better towns. I've found new with tags Banana Republic, Urban Outfitters and Eileen Fisher items. You can also get some great vintage finds too -- items you can't get at "the mall".
Enjoy the thrill of the hunt! You'll be amazed what pocket money can get you at these events.
Actually reading a book, taking classes etc will also help you with the fourth point (figuring out how to do better). It isnt a substitute for doing but a much needed component to it.
I never have washed my clothes inside out.. especially children's clothes. Usually they are SO dirty that I need them facing the right side out to be sure to get all the dirt off. But that is something to consider for people that do. Thanks!
A note of caution would be that it is difficult to wash reversible clothes inside-out, to prevent wear in the washing mashine, as you normally would with all other clothes.
I chalk that up to the cost of shipping if I were to buy it online.
And that's the only thing that's going to change the situation. No retailer is going to start offering better prices just because it's "fair." They'll offer better prices when competition forces them to.
As long as habit, convenience, and expenses like shipping and taxes bring buyers into the shops, retailers will go on charging as much as people will pay. Only when they lose serious business to on-line buyers and people who cross the border to shop, will prices come down.
Wow, this makes me feel ever-so-slightly better about the barrage of "American beer sucks" comments I have to endure tonight at dinner. Happy Thanksgiving, Nora!
I had to stop nursing when I went back to work because pumping was just an everlasting nightmare. We used the free sample formula sent to us until we ran out, then we put our son on Target formula from 3 months on. He did very well on it and is healhy and average weight and has only been sick once (when I brought the flu home from work). I don't think the store brand could be harmful if my son is so heathy. Now he is 1 and is on whole cow milk (so much cheaper). He really loves the cow milk, I suppose it must taste better.
as a side antidote, my own mom didn't like how fussy I was on formula in the 1970s) so she put me on whole milk from the first month on! This is highly discouraged because there is low iron in cow milk. I was healthy and happy and at a good weight too. Maybe kids are just very resilliant.
Dress all in the same color and paste "crayola" on your pant leg. Then make a pointed cap with construction paper. This is great to do with a group of friends. Be careful with the white crayon however (everyone thought my friend was a tampon).
Movies are one of those things I have a hard time paying a lot for. My local movie theater chain has a free card that allows you to pay only $5 for a movie after it's been out for a week or two. Going any sooner just seems like a waste of money. Even then there are only a few movies a year that I actually go to the theater for, the rest I wait for to come out on DVD and I might rent them. My local library doesn't have much of a movie selection, but I go to a rental place (Family Video) where I can rent DVDs from 50 cents to $2, which is a lot less than Blockbuster. It just doesn't make sense to pay $17 for my husband and I to see a movie on opening night. Plus, so many movies aren't even worth the two hours to sit through, let alone the money.
Similiarly, I rarely buy fiction books. If it's a book I need for frequent reference I'll buy it, but I would never buy a hard cover novel. That's what the libary is for! However, I generally don't buy used books. Too often they have someone else's notes and highlighting in them and I find that disruptive to my research and thought process.
i cannot bring myself to spend money on any type of fast food. when i met my girlfriend, i realized what good food tastes like, and i never went back.
after eating good, organic food every night for dinner, i do not even consider (burger king/taco bell/etc) food anymore. it is the equivalent of survivorman eating roots to stay alive while stuck in a desert.
and you would not believe the amount of money it saves. enough to go out to a good dinner whenever you want.
I have to agree, $8.00 to ship a pocket organizer makes this a $9.00 organizer.
I don't spend money on cable. My parents have never had cable in the 25 years that I've been around, and I only ever had it once, for about a year or so. I mean, sure, it's kind of alluring, but I can already get entertainment from Netflix and other sources.
Oh, also I refuse to play World of Warcraft, even though most of my friends do play it. Though that's not just about the money--it's also about the time.
I never pay retail price for ANYTHING, thanks to the interwebs. Even for clothes, etc., when size/fit matters and most folks think it is "easier" to just go to the store and try stuff on. Still do that, but then just write down the sizes, etc. that you need and then go home, get online, and get that stuff for far less. DVDs, and basically any consumer electronics product are super easy to find online. The biggest bonus is that 90% of the time I can find some sort of coupon code for even more discounts!
I can't stand to throw paper away. Once something is printed out, using the one side, but has a perfectly good 2nd side, why chunk it in the trash? We stockpile the paper and pull it out for math problems, notes, do to lists, etc. One ream of paper can last a long, long time :)
We also appear to stockpile plastic bags from the grocery store. Mostly it's because I see them piling up and never bio-degrading in the dumps. Our local stores have recycling, but it's one thing I can never remember to return. So our plastic bags runneth over... Oh, we do use them in the smaller trash cans...
Oh, and as for frugal, I really, really enjoy when I go shopping (particulary clothes shopping which is very rare) to be able to come home and add up what I would have spent IF I hadn't gotten everything on sale. Sounding like a crazy woman LOL!
Good post!
Just hanging out on your blog this morning, and noted the comment
"I believe lotteries are more attractive to individuals from lower socio economic backgrounds."
I beg to differ... I think it is the thrill of CHANCE that appeals to everyone that makes these types of situations attractive. If that were the case (lower socio), casinos and the like would be out of business in a heartbeat. How long would "lower class" people's money last? Not looking for a fight, but/and that comment just hit me wrong...
I have a personal policy that I do NOT pay more for shipping than the value of the item or is more than what normal shipping would be for the item if I were to mail it to myself. I boycott sites like this. Great find but this site is now on my boycott list.
I applied for a position advertised as "Web Master" some years back. This was a new position for the company and the job title and the description didn't match, so after we went over why I was on the market (had been recently down-sized), what my education certifications were (associates degree from a local University, and several industry specific certs), I interjected, asking about the position they were hiring for.
I mentioned that I didn't have much experience as a Web Master, per se, but that a web master was in charge of maintaining the web server(s), installing updates/upgrades to the box, and ensuring the pipe to the web server(s) was sufficient for current traffic without being limiting to the future.
I then defined the role of a Web Developer (someone who writes markup, code, and basically enables web-based designs and applications to run on a web server), then asked which of the positions they were really trying to fill.
Once we had determined they really wanted a Web Developer I was able to pull out my "Web Developer" resume' and detail my experience.
I ended up getting the job, and getting $11,000 more than they were initially offering.
- www.JoeLevi.com
I simply don't buy trash bags. Why do that when I can reuse plastic shopping bags from the supermarket?
I always cut my dryer sheets in half. I know it doesn't save a ton of money, but I feel if I can save in the small seemingly non-important ways it builds a foundation of being frugal in all other areas of my life.
...I assume that for every $1 spent at a restaurant, I can spend $5-10 cooking at home. Our house has a virtually unlimited grocery budget and we throw dinner parties nearly weekly. Friends of course are their own reward, but the ability to cook nice meals for them which don't break the bank are infinitely preferable to money spent on dinners at fancy restaurants with unpredictable service, inconsistent food quality, and the inability to simply relax after the meal and stay seated. Our last party ended at 2:30am because of all the chatting!
I am a freak about not being a one car per person family. We own one car- it stays home in the garage most days.
I commute to work for $1 each way. Parking alone downtown is $5/day-- not to mention gas, car upkeep, insurance, etc. Why would I use a car to get to my cubicle based job?
Hubby stays at home with the kidlets- and walks the 2 oldest to school 5 blocks away. The car only comes out if she's got grocery shopping or other errands that day. She finds she uses the car 2 out of 5 weekdays with proper planning. Weekends- we need the car!
I see so many coworkers complaining about costs of parking, insurance, gas, etc. yet no one wants to be inconvenienced for even a ten minute wait for the bus. Its my crazy thing I always get on my soapbox about!
Most McDonalds offer something similar. We always buy at least one book for treats we'd otherwise consider buying when using the McDonalds playland (on rainy or cold days when the kids moan about being bored).
Further comment on the #2 suggestion--I always have a weird feeling when I see "international" costumes- especially some that are supposedly comical. Sometimes they feel more racist than funny- like a white guy wearing a rasta hat with sewn in dreadlocks. Not for me.
I come from a big family and could not bear paying so much for cards/gifts. There is always a celebration going on here and there. I end up spending too much on cards and gifts, which I know cards will put away and over time lost. I know I can make better than this. I wanted to make a difference. I wanted my gifts to stand out and be everlsting. Then I had a brilliant idea, I started making gifts - paintings on cards, or canvas painting for bigger functions, making them into postcards etc. I started with simple things and eventually started making it complex. Every body started loving them, and encouraged me so much that it became a good hobby. However, it is an expensive hobby! Could not practice being frugal here! After a few years that hobby became a business model. Now looking back, I feel it is funny because by being frugal, I actually created an opportunity for myself.
I take full advantage of my local dollar store and get sponges, gift wrap, shampoo, candles, hair clips, chapstick, cat toys and notebooks there for cheap!! Most of the stuff has a limited life anyway, so why not pay less anyway? I have realized that some things are just not worth buying at a dollar store though, like batteries or lightbulbs, or anything you want to work past one month.
I love rummage sales. The best deals are at the church sales and the school sales where I live. If you think about it -- you have a huge population and economic group to shop from. And where I live (NJ) people think everything is so disposable. All the better for me picking up Lilly Pulitzer for 50 cents.
Don't count out the adult stuff in better towns. I've found new with tags Banana Republic, Urban Outfitters and Eileen Fisher items. You can also get some great vintage finds too -- items you can't get at "the mall".
Enjoy the thrill of the hunt! You'll be amazed what pocket money can get you at these events.
Rummage On!
Actually reading a book, taking classes etc will also help you with the fourth point (figuring out how to do better). It isnt a substitute for doing but a much needed component to it.
I never have washed my clothes inside out.. especially children's clothes. Usually they are SO dirty that I need them facing the right side out to be sure to get all the dirt off. But that is something to consider for people that do. Thanks!
A note of caution would be that it is difficult to wash reversible clothes inside-out, to prevent wear in the washing mashine, as you normally would with all other clothes.
And that's the only thing that's going to change the situation. No retailer is going to start offering better prices just because it's "fair." They'll offer better prices when competition forces them to.
As long as habit, convenience, and expenses like shipping and taxes bring buyers into the shops, retailers will go on charging as much as people will pay. Only when they lose serious business to on-line buyers and people who cross the border to shop, will prices come down.