It started slowly with concerns about rising food and energy costs. Next came the mortgage meltdown. Finally, news coverage reported that more than half of Americans plan to use their rebate checks to pay down debt or boost savings. Now, I’m seeing car commercials that encourage people to pay off their credit cards. Is frugality …
It was a banner week at the blog carnivals. Two of my posts were selected as editor’s picks! So, without further ado, here is this week’s blog carnival round-up. First up, Money Hacks Carnival #14 at Prime Time Money. If you liked my editor’s pick post about stopping credit card offers, you might also enjoy Free From Broke’s …
Throwing Parties and Saving Money at the Carnivals Read More »
This morning Good Morning America did a segment about using food diaries to lose weight. I’ve found them to be an important tool in my battle to get (and stay) in shape, mainly because they make me accountable for my food choices. I can’t “forget” about that small bag of Cheetos, and I can see that it …
Oh, what a difference a fat emergency fund makes. When I first started this blog, my husband wasn’t much into saving. He didn’t spend wildly, but he was definitely feeling like we’d never get out from under our debt and wasn’t as committed to paying it off quickly. Then I created the Plan. Then the …
So, Congress has passed the tax deal and Obama has signed it. In case you weren’t paying attention to all the whining and cajoling that’s been going on for the last month, here’s what you need to do know about the “tax cut” as it’s being called. Your Tax Bracket Won’t Change The Bush-era tax …
Some online banks let you create what they call sub accounts in your master savings account. Essentially, these allow you to make one deposit and then divide the money between several uses for easier tracking. If your online bank allows this, then simply label the subaccounts things like vacation, property tax, homeowner’s insurance, etc. Figure …
Yesterday I did some creative couponing that netted me four brand new, brand-name boxes of cereal for a dollar. We don’t actually eat cereal, but we have house guests coming who do, so I wanted one box for them. My choice was to spend $2.50 for one box, or $1 for four. So, thanks to …
Continuing with the series about the documents you need in an emergency, today I’m covering titles, deeds, high-value receipts, and loan documents. I’ll sum it up first in one line: keep them in the safe deposit box. If you want more info about obtaining copies of lost items or ensuring everything is secure, keep reading. Car …
The Documents You Need: Titles, Deeds, and Receipts Read More »
To me, frugal meals should be healthy, delicious, and contain fresh, seasonal ingredients. If that means spending a little extra to eat well, I will do so, but I don’t go overboard. Because fish is so healthy, I try to make fish for dinner at least twice a week. We generally eat salmon, shrimp, and …
I always think that I’ll spend less in the summer, but somehow, it’s always more expensive than I expect it to be. You’d think I’d learn from that. So, in my attempt to do just that, I’ve come up with some theories about why summer spending patterns are higher than expected. Fresh Summer Food Grocery …
