I'm a coffee drinker so when I go to Starbucks, it's often to get a drip coffee. I ordered this one day and the man behind me in line turned to his wife and said, "See, you can just order coffee." Black coffee drinkers definitely save money at Starbucks but there are some strategies that can make your Lattes and Frappuccinos less expensive too.
Giving Household Items Within Your CommunityI am active in my local Buy Nothing group, where members gift furniture, clothing and other useful items to people in their local area. It is run on a Facebook page for my neighborhood, an area is a mile or so wide, bounded by the major streets. There are several different Buy Nothing neighborhoods in my city. This allows the members to be sure they are giving and receiving to their own neighbors, making pickups easy and bringing local communities together.
Use Wallpaper for Shelf and Drawer LinersWhen you find discounted wallpaper ends, you can use the pieces to line drawers and shelves. This is a page about use wallpaper for shelf and drawer liners.
Reviving Dried Up MarkersSometimes there is plenty of ink left, but the marker tip has dried out. This is a page about reviving dried up markers.
Reusing Refrigerator Baking SodaThis is a page about reusing refrigerator baking soda. Once a box of soda has been used to absorb odors in the fridge, it can be useful for a variety of other things.
Frugal Uses for VinegarThis common fermented liquid can be an inexpensive product for many household uses. This page is about frugal uses for vinegar.
Reviving Dried Up MarkersMy son loves to color, he is constantly asking to get the markers out. I noticed that some of his favorite colors were starting to run dry. I was thinking I ought to buy a new set, until I remembered there was a way to get them working again!
My Frugal Life: Making-Do In CubaSeveral years ago, Barbara, an amiga from D.C., delivered some medicinas to a family in Cuba. They invited her to stay with them and to attend their little girl's birthday party.
My Frugal Life: Surviving the Current Economic TimesI'm surviving the current economic times by using coupons on everything I can. One grocery store puts out a $10 coupon off a $50 gas card if you purchase $25 in groceries in their store. That is not difficult and you can use coupons on the $25 order.
Spending Money to Save MoneyMy husband spent extra when he bought my new vacuum cleaner to get a bagless. It is now well over a year old, and I have probably saved at least $30 on not having to buy bags. That was the price I spent buying the HEPA filter bags from my old vacuum.
Easy Romantic Picnic For TwoIn these tough economic times, finding time to be with the one you love can be hard. Between scrambling to keep up and getting the kids ready for school, couples can become very stressed. Here is a quick and easy picnic that can be put together in no time and would be very easy to take to a local park or to an outdoor concert.
Tips for Keeping Cool in the SummerCool off with these 30 fun and easy tips: 1: Run through the sprinkler with your kids, get out the slip and slide, the super soaker or the kiddie pool (add ice cubes). 2: Have a water balloon fight. . .
ThriftyFun TipsI want to share what I do on a normal day, which I have learned or adapted from this site. Here are the things I have learned, which have saved me a lot of money and have helped me to lead a more frugal life, which brings a lot of happiness to me for some reason.
Make It LastThe average oil burner lasts 20-25 years. A car usually lasts 10. Windows have a guarantee of fifteen years, and appliances come with three year warranties. Only a few decades ago, people bought items without worry about how long they would last.
Be a Greener ReaderIf you like to read, you might be interested to know that it takes somewhere in the neighborhood of 5 trees to print 1,000 books. At first glance this may not sound like much, but consider the fact that about 3 billion books are sold each year worldwide.
Bargaining 101Some people are comfortable bargaining, but others would rather stick with the number on the price tag. There's no need to fear bargaining; the worst that will happen is that a person will say "no deal."
Filling Containers FrugallyLike so many other gardeners, I lust after the magazine cover decks and porches pictured overflowing with color. But I've also priced out some of those containers at over $40 each, just to buy the annuals needed to fill them. And that can be ONE container.
Cheap or Free Retro ActivitiesIt saddens me that we have come to a place in our lives where we can't live without being "connected" to everything and everyone 24 hours a day.
Neat Chef Tools on the CheapI love to salivate over the goodies in the cooking catalog like Williams-Sonoma, but some of the things are just plain unnecessary, or you can make them yourself. I saw two such things in the latest one, and I've been doing both things for years.
Save Money on Packing MaterialsAs I packed my latest my latest USPS shipment, it occurred to me how much money I spend on packing materials. They eat into my sales profit, and they're creating landfill chaos. Both my frugal and my environmental consciences spoke up and motivated me to create some alternative packing materials.
Start Your Own Frugal ClubMy friends and I have started a "frugal club." We have made frugal living our new hobby. Whenever we find a sale or a new coupon or new website; we share it with each other. We have made it a friendly competition to find local deals.
Libraries Offer So Much More Than BooksDo you have a library card? If not, you're missing out. While libraries are known to offer free reading to the community, they offer a host of services to their patrons. Many libraries have lost state funding in the past years which may have caused them to stop some of these services, but there are still many benefits found through those doors. If you don't already have one, get a library card, use it, and save.
Beauty SavingsOn a routine trip to restock my medicine cabinet, I realized how much beauty products can cost. Just the basics like hair care, moisturizers, and cleaners can cost a small fortune. Instead, I experimented with some other alternatives to my usual products as well as alternative places to buy them.
Be a Honey BunnyThis year, a lot of us will be shopping the thrift stores and yard sales for Bunnies to fill our Easter Baskets. There is nothing in the world like seeing a child on Easter morning hugging that sweet Easter bunny.
Frugal And Green LaundryI just can't justify wasting warm water and soap so I often plan for at least two loads of laundry and reuse the wash water from the first load to do the second load.
