Articles on Frugal Living

Treat yourself like a child to be more grown up

This post is about repurposing a trick that grown-ups use to manage a child's wants. You know the one. It starts with pointing at a substitute. Then, the grown-up frames one of

Not Rich Enough and Not Poor Enough

Most of my highschool classmates came from middle class families that were not extremely rich. During senior year, I noticed a situation where families were not wealthy enough to

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, By the Month

Not sure which fruits and vegetables are 'in season'? Here's a handy list to help you out!

An Inexpensive Diversion

My digital era middle-school-aged son has adopted the use of a low-tech, low-cost entertainment device. I have put much effort into convincing him to balance his love of technology

The Value of Human Life Just Ain’t What it Used to Be

The government has determined that people are worth less than five years ago.

Knowing Your Triggers Can Prevent Emotional Spending

They don't call it "retail therapy" for nothing. Uncontrolled, emotional spending has a lot in common with other addicitons and eating disorders. One of these shared traits is the

We're giving away tickets to So You Think You Can Dance!

Wise Bread is giving away 2 free tickets to the "So You Think You Can Dance" 2008 tour. Other prizes include 8 free Snuggle Bears and free samples of Snuggle's new fabric softener

Best Money Tips: 20 Healthy Foods for Less Than a Buck

In this week's Best Money Tips roundup: a primer on which organic foods are worth buying, how to cut your spending by $500, the complete guide to protecting your identity, hundr

If It’s Not Sunny In Philadelphia, It’s Free!

A strange but alluring new deal from Priceline.com guarantees you won’t get rained out on your summer vacation. Get the details on this (potentially) shiny, happy refund offer!

What I've been trying to say

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 satisfy

How Wealthy Are You Beyond Your Bank Account?

On my previous article about working to death I found a pretty long comment by a woman named "Jen" who has a husband that works seven days a week to provide for his family. This l

Chill Out With These 6 Simple DIY Freezer Treats

Cool off this summer by making these easy, affordable, and — most importantly — tasty frozen treats!

The good life on less energy--even in the US

Whenever I write a post about energy, I point out that we know it's possible to have a high standard of living while using less energy--people in European countries do, so it must

Not free to be poor

Nobody wants to be poor. It's a dangerous and constrained position to be in. But there are people out there (me, for instance) who are relatively happy to live at a fairly low st

Ask the Frugal Counselor a question and win her recipe book!

Win a copy of "The Frugal Family's Kitchen Book" by Mary Webber. Mary was the Family Thrift Counselor for Maine Savings Bank for over fourteen years. She will be our guest counse

Biggest Money Saving Tip: Move Far Away from the Joneses

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 lifestyl

Would You Shop Locally at 10+ Percent Tax?

Today the sales tax in Chicago went up to 10.25 percent after a 1 percent hike in the Cook county rate. The change has me thinking seriously about how much I can afford to pay t

Emergency food supplies for the lazy skinflint

Anyone who's read Linsey’s great article on freezer emergencies will already have a great head start on saving your food, should the worst happen. But what about another solution a

The financial wisdom of Fight Club

“The first rule of Fight Club – We Do Not Talk About Fight Club.” Everyone who’s seen the movie remembers that. But what about something Tyler Durden, the anarchist extraordinaire,

Does your culture support saving?

My brother told me once that, when he was in college, he handled money this way: "When I got paid, I set aside enough money for cigarettes, then spent the rest buying pizza and bee