Articles on Frugal Living

Make Your DVD Player Region-Free in Seconds

Region coding can, in most cases, be removed from your DVD player using a simple remote-control code that unlocks the player.

The Magic Marker Money Safe

I've never tried a money-belt. I've nevr had enough cash to put in one to be honest. But when I lived in London I was mugged three times, and this little beauty would have saved me a stack of cash. It's a great idea. [more]

When Good Food Goes Bad Part VI: Apples

I hail from The Apple Capital of the World, so I know a thing or two about apples. For instance, eating three apples a day helps you lose weight. That is, if you can manage to eat three apples a day. [more]

When Good Food Goes Bad Part V: Cooking with Peeps

I suppose defining Peeps, a favorite of my childhood, as "good" food that goes bad, might be a bit of a stretch. Those marshmallow chicks that come in an array of unnatural colors go stale REALLY quickly. [more]

The State Sales Tax Holiday is coming...

...if you're lucky enough to live in Tennessee. [more]

The best things in life are (more or less) free

Now, at the risk of sounding like a great big softy, I have to share a moment that I experienced recently that reminded me of the real value of money and the place I want it to have in my life. Over the weekend, I was driving around Queen Anne hill [more]

Is Green Tea All It's Cracked Up to Be? It's close.

I've been enjoying the snarky articles at Slate.com recently focusing on the commoditization of Eastern traditions, such as yoga. [more]

Being asthmatic just got more expensive

Feeling wheezy? Asthma attack coming on? Reaching for that inhaler? Let's stop and think about the CPP (cost per puff). Oh, it may not seem like much now, but that will all change soon. [more]

Snail Free Gardening

Green gardening should be cheap. Organic gardening was the way of the world before chemical companies found ways to create compounds that could destroy pests quickly and effectively. [more]

The ultimate recycler - Utah man saves 70,000 beer cans

Wow, am I late to the news. But hey, it's a great frugal story or recycling, even if it is completely insane. [more]

Free Music Lessons Online! For now...

Ever paid for private music lessons? Pricey, no? I know that my accordian lessons got to be too much for my feeble salary to cover. Now, you can learn music online. Through You Tube! Video lessons, all for free. [more]

How to live on $12,000 a year

In my first job out of college, I was on 12,000 English pounds per year. That was back in London in 1996, i was single, lived with two friends and only had rent and travel to pay for. And I still remember how tough that was. [more]

Open a beer bottle with a sheet of paper

A friend sent me this link, knowing full well I'll never, ever need it (I carry a bottle opener on my keyring in case of such emergencies). [more]

8 top ways to care for your allergies without damaging the budget

I've had allergies for as long as I can remember. Which probably means that I've had them for longer than I can remember, since allergies aren't usually something that become possible with the advent of memory. [more]

Make 5 cheap ‘greeting cards’ that blow Hallmark away.

Before I share with you my 5 great ways to make outstanding greeting cards, I'd like to rant about the four issues I have with store-bought greeting cards, like those produced by H

a 3-course meal...from garbage.

Why buy groceries, when you can get your weekly shop for free? Many people do it, but there is a catch. Instead of going in to your supermarket through the front door, you have to go to a different department. The dumpster. [more]

The AMAZON URL hack generator. Save big $$$.

In a previous post I mentioned url hacking. It's basically just a way to figure out how to get to the bargains more quickly, and involves finding the codes for the different departments on Amazon and matching them to a sale percentage. [more]

5 Affordable Solutions for Acid Reflux Disease

There are a number of ways to treat GERD. Here are some of the most affordable.

Drive across America for FREE.

  How would you like to see everything that America has to offer, with all your friends, and not pay one cent for it? Well, it's not as far-fetched as you may think. [more]

Is Plastic Killing Us? The True Cost of Convenience

Plastic is really hard to avoid. In fact, it's everywhere. Clothing, mattresses, furniture, carpet - plastic is used to prevent fires as well as food stains. And now, plastic is in an even more exciting place! Your bloodstream. [more]