Articles on Frugal Living

How to Throw a Kid’s Birthday Party That’s Fun, Happily Memorable, and Not So Expensive

The most fun, memorable and least expensive birthday party for your child may be, figuratively and literately, right in your own backyard. I’ve attended and hosted fabulous but sim

Could the last person to leave America please turn out the light.

I don’t know about you, but I’m more than a little worried by recent economic events. First Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, then Lehman Brothers, and now an $85 billion loan to AIG. So

Sure Savings at the Supermarket

A SURE way to save 20-25% on many of your groceries? Oh, yes, and it couldn't be simpler!

Do plastic baby bottles cause diabetes and heart disease?

What? Poisonous infant formula wasn't enough? Plastic baby bottles and the linings of canned food may be linked to diabetes, heart disease, and altered development in infants' brai

Are You and Your Spouse Planning the Same Retirement?

You expect to spend your retirement years living in Costa Rica. Your spouse expects to stay local and join the golf club. And you don’t figure this out until the day before you re

Fresh Fruit for Rotten Cheapskates Like Me

What’s a good way to save money on fresh fruit? Eat with the season. Out of your own backyard. Or your neighbors. My quick and easy raw foods apple sauce recipe is at the end. You

5 Easy Recipes Perfect for the Traveling Chef

All you need is a basic, stocked kitchen and widely available ingredients to prepare these travel-friendly recipes.

My disgusting fake game show asks "What would you do for money?"

I’ve written before about morality and pride taking a back seat to cash rewards. With today's game shows scraping the bottom of a very deep barrel, it amazes me what people will do

Book Review: Eco-Friendly Families (Win a Copy!)

I didn’t know what to expect when I started into Eco-Friendly Families by Helen Coronato. I am, after all, only considered “moderately green.” Would this book, with over 200 page

Can you Travel Light? Great! Fly Internationally for Free

Can you travel with carry on luggage only? Do you fly solo? And can you fly last minute? Great! Now you can fly for drastically discounted rates, and sometimes even for free.

Should you spend your money while you can?

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 th

Your Couch Can Earn Cash And Support A Band

By now, anyone interested in budget travel has heard of CouchSurfing. While the site has obvious advantages for travelers looking to meet locals and save money, but it can also be

The Art of Wearing Things Out, and Then Some

I've grown up hearing the phrase, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." It never occurred to me that this saying could apply to a frugal lifestyle. How often do you really wear some

8 Meatless Dishes for Meat-n-Taters Lovers

Whether you're frugal or bored, meatless may be an avenue you've been wanting to explore for awhile. Here are my eight top meatless picks that are guaranteed to fill you up and

To change the bulb, just remove the bumper. Wait, what? - UPDATED.

I was warned. I had been a loyal Honda owner for my entire driving life. But, after realizing that my Honda Civic Coupe was just too awkward for my growing family, I started lookin

Less Expensive Ways to Enjoy San Francisco

There's more to San Francisco than cable cars, Union Square, and Fisherman's Wharf. The more of the 'other' San Francisco you see, the cheaper your stay becomes--especially a stay

The Power of Mentorship

We all use mentors regularly without thinking about it. But if we take charge of our lives and consciously choose mentors, we can charge ahead of the game in leaps and bounds.

51 Uses for Coca-Cola – the Ultimate List

I was trawling the Internet recently searching for a way to remove a grease spot from a favorite shirt of mine. How it got there, well, I blame a faulty fork and not my clumsy mout

Frugalize any recipe

My wife picked up a cookbook at the library--one of those beautiful cookbooks with a gorgeous pictures of each dish. It had an above-average number of dishes that appealed to me.

Follow Your Frugal Bliss

Sometimes reading about frugal phenoms can be discouraging instead of inspiring. The lady who raises her own laying hens on her balcony, the family that gets hundreds of dollars in