Recent comments

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Gamble?   13 years 45 weeks ago

    No, I do not gamble. I did gamble once though, on my first trip to Las Vegas my husband and I played roulette and came out ahead by quite a bit. Neither one of us had any interest in trying to gamble again.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Gamble?   13 years 45 weeks ago

    I played online poker when it was still legal. I will gamble in vegas if I'm there. I treat it as an entertainment cost and do not expect to win. Never bet more than you're willing to lose and always set a limit.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Gamble?   13 years 45 weeks ago

    I follow you on Facebook!

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Gamble?   13 years 45 weeks ago

    Not really - I do buy lottery tickets occasionally.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Gamble?   13 years 45 weeks ago

    I only gamble when I go to casinos. I look at it as entertainment only

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Gamble?   13 years 45 weeks ago

    Rarely gamble. At most once a year when someone is doing a bus trip to the casino to raise funds for one of the kids' sports teams or such. Even then, I bring just about $50.00 and when it's gone, it's gone and I am done for the night. Gambling just doesn't interest me.

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Gamble?   13 years 45 weeks ago

    I do not gamble--it is a waste of money

  • Ask the Readers: Do You Gamble?   13 years 45 weeks ago

    Nope. I've worked too hard to give the money to someone else! Odds are not in your favor when you gamble, ever. If you just saved the money instead, you'd be surprised how quickly it adds up, especially when there is interest involved!

  • 5 Free Wesabe Alternatives | Goodbye Wesabe   13 years 45 weeks ago

    I personally use InEx Finance, since it offers a great mix of money management, expense tracking and budgeting tools. And it works great for people outside of the US also. Check them out at https://www.inexfinance.com/

  • 10 Refillable Things That Will Save You Cash   13 years 45 weeks ago

    why refill printer inkt?
    Most of the time you will print in B/W a laser printer can do that better and cheaper than an inktjet. For the prints you will need in color buy a cheap inktjet and the use refilled inkt. That way you will save even more money.

    5 years ago i bought a laser printer with the standard cartridge included. It cost me around €70 euro and it is still printing on the same cartridge!

  • How to Travel Full-Time for $17,000 a Year (or Less!)   13 years 45 weeks ago

    what a load of nonsense. $17,000 is an enormous amount of money to spend traveling, and you're doing all that crap like crewing boats and working on farms? What on earth were you spending the rest of your money on?! You can easily travel the world, non-stop for well under $10,000 a year, paying for accommodation every night and eating and drinking all you want while also doing anything you want. The writer either knows nothing or it has been written for people who know nothing.

    'of course, I could travel for way more than $17,000 a year'.... well good for you! Why don't you get on that and stop peddling this clap trap

  • Naturally Get Rid of Ants in Your Kitchen   13 years 45 weeks ago

    Thanks for the tips. I'm going to try them.

    We're having problems with ants, too, even in the living room, especially with the sofa. My kids tend to leave bits and pieces of food on it, that sometimes, while I'm contentedly seating, watching TV.. aww.. ants start attacking. arrgghh!

  • 10 Refillable Things That Will Save You Cash   13 years 45 weeks ago

    I love all these refillable tips you’ve suggested!! Thank you!!

  • 10 Refillable Things That Will Save You Cash   13 years 45 weeks ago

    I have had problems with leaking cartridges from Walgreens. Look up Cartridge World, they reuse/refill your ink or laser cartridges. My HP ink cartridges run about $13 each, Plus they give you a punch card. After 9 refills you get the 10th free - a great deal. They have locations all over the place, but check online to see if there is a location near you. If you go online and you can print up a coupon for $2 off a refill cartridge.

  • 20 New Things You Can Make With Old Denim Jeans   13 years 45 weeks ago

    Curtains. They really keep the light out and look great in a kids room!

  • How to See the Summer's Blockbuster Movies Without Breaking the Bank   13 years 45 weeks ago

    We love to see movies at a drive in theater.. It's around $5-$7 dollars a person depending on what drive in you attend. This weekend Men in Black 3 is playing on the same screen as the Avengers. thats only $2.50-$3.50 a movie for New" movies. Most drive ins offer double features so per cost movie is more afordable. I bring in my own drinks & popcorn, but usually buy nachos of chili-cheese fries for the kids..

  • 10 Refillable Things That Will Save You Cash   13 years 45 weeks ago

    Pickle brine! I always refill store-bought pickle jars - once the pickles are gone, I throw fresh veggies in with the leftover brine. Leave in the fridge for a few days and voila! Green beans, cauliflower, and pearl onions are my personal favourites.

  • 10 Classes That Can Pay for Themselves   13 years 45 weeks ago

    So, what do you think about online class options for these?

  • 10 Out-of-Fashion but Totally Frugal Old Tools   13 years 45 weeks ago

    Thanks for the comment, Marti! I have to admit, though, I'm a energy hog when it comes to the air conditioner. I have serious climate-control issues. I can't sleep unless it's below 60 degrees in my bedroom, and my fan doesn't cut the mustard in that department on warm nights. I try - I really do - but I eventually cut the AC on because I'm sweating.

  • 10 Out-of-Fashion but Totally Frugal Old Tools   13 years 45 weeks ago

    A window fan; set it on exhaust, open a window on the other side of the house, and sleep under a delightful breeze on all but the hottest, most humid nights. I grew up with Depression era parents who gave all their offspring window fans for wedding presents, and for me, home isn't home without one. Fans cool people, not rooms or buildings; the breeze is the trick. You want a nice sturdy metal one with big blades and a powerful motor; the University of Missouri Extension Service has a great article on selecting the best type; you'll also want to check out Consumer Reports for recommendations.

  • Out of the Frying Pan: 24 Unusual Uses for Butter   13 years 45 weeks ago

    This is a great article. Not sure if I am going to use butter this way, but it's good to know I can!

  • 7 Tips for Stress-Free Retirement Investing   13 years 45 weeks ago

    With #5, if you're new to investing I'd say go ahead and check your balance every day, get used to the volatility while the balance is small. Observe what you're getting into. Train yourself to become indifferent to the ups and downs while there's less at stake. Keep it up until you naturally bore of it. A few years down the line you'll be far less likely to freak out and pull out in a big dip or recession.

  • 10 Refillable Things That Will Save You Cash   13 years 45 weeks ago

    Does anyone use mechanical pencils? I do, I do! I have one Pentel P225 that I bought in college, and I graduated in 1986. I have two others that I bought a few years later, and my co-workers know that swiping them will have me hunting through the office, since they're no longer made.

    A thought on the medications - please make sure that it's safe and they're still effective if you cut them before you do this. I take one medication that is enteric-coated, so it will dissolve in the intestine rather than the stomach, you can't cut those without compromising the coating and making the medicine useless. Make sure to check with your doctor/pharmacist on this one.

    Thanks, Mikey, for the tip on the refillable K-Cups. I've been holding off on getting one of the machines because of the "you have to buy what they supply" issue as well as the waste and expense. I'll have to rethink this one now.

  • 10 Out-of-Fashion but Totally Frugal Old Tools   13 years 45 weeks ago

    I wish I could, but I'm a serious texter and I like having the Internet at my fingertips. The problem is that I can't maintain a plan without the even the lowest-cost plan for the phone minutes. Admittedly it is a hefty price to pay to stay connected, but that's one area I can't sacrifice for frugality. I can't go back to the Stone Age of Communication that was 2001.

  • 10 Out-of-Fashion but Totally Frugal Old Tools   13 years 45 weeks ago

    Maybe I shouldn't say I don't know how. I've never tried, actually. I started driving 15 years ago - I'm 31 now - and MapQuest got me where I needed to go. That, of course, is still a frugal option in itself when compared to the cost of a dedicated GPS.