I’ve written many, many posts on affordable holidays and holiday shopping. Why I even compiled an entire e-book on the topic. But, if you’re revving up for a big shop, here are my five quick tips for keeping your holiday shopping affordable. Carry Your List with You at ALL Times Put your Christmas gift list in your wallet or …
Shoppers Start Your Engines: 5 Quick Holiday Shopping Tips Read More »
As you know, my husband and I are looking for our first house. Right now is a tricky time to buy, especially in the Los Angeles market. If you’re in the market or thinking about it, it’s not a bad time to buy. Just be prepared for the frustrations, and probably to get a little …
Unless you grow all your own food, you’ve probably noticed that our groceries are shrinking, but the prices aren’t. I’m not thrilled by this development. What’s the cause of this phenomenon and what can you do about it? The Shrinking Groceries Phenomenon Products have shrunk in the past. I noticed that Starkist tuna shrank from …
Two years ago, I posted my top 5 budget busters. Now my life has changed a lot, so I’ve got a mostly new set of budget busters. House Want to blow your budget fast? Buy a house. On top of the tens of thousands we spent buying the house (in the form of the down payment), we’ve …
Aren’t frugal bargains the best kind? And no, not all bargains are frugal. If you don’t need the item, then the bargain is a waste of money. For this and other lessons, please turn to this week’s blog carnival roundup. First, the Carnival of Personal Finance #201 hosted by Mighty Bargain Hunter. In addition to my post …
Frugal Bargains for Earth Day – at the Carnivals Read More »
Several weeks ago, I went to Ralphs to use my double coupons on a big purchase. When I got to the register, I learned that their double coupon program had been deeply cut, and I spent $10 more than planned. In light of double coupon program cutbacks, here are new strategies for using your double …
Finally, the US consumer is close to winning one. The US Senate has just passed an amendment that would give consumers free access to their credit scores under certain circumstances, such as denial of a loan or a job due to your credit score. (This is currently the law for credit reports.) If passed by the House, …
That DOESN’T Make Me Stabby: Mandated Free Credit Scores Read More »
Another week, another batch of carnivals. Money Hacks Carnival #6 at Bible Money Matters selected my post on 10 Inexpensive Hobbies as an editor’s pick. If you liked that, you’ll also enjoy Home Life Weekly’s tip for making free printable birthday cards. Next up, Festival of Frugality #119 at Consumerism Commentary. They also selected one of posts as an editor’s pick: Is a …
If you’re looking for a home, the first thing you should do is get pre-approved for a mortgage. You could opt for a pre-qualification letter, which won’t require anyone to pull your credit, but we found that we pre-qualified for a much higher mortgage than we actually qualified for with a pre-approval. In addition, most …
Is expensive furniture still worth buying or should you start looking for affordable furniture for your home? These days, quality furniture is easy to find and it doesn’t have to be expensive. I tend to steer clear of the lowest quality furniture, such as the pieces found at Living Spaces and stores like it, but …
