Kim McGrigg at Blogging for Change took a look at the dollar stores in her neighborhood and found that it can take some work to make sure you’re actually saving money. In fact, on a couple of items she actually paid a fraction more than what she would have at a superstore like Walmart. This matches what Consumer Reports’ shopping mag, ShopSmart, discovered in their recent “Dollar Mania” report (free PDF download).
frugal
By 3.30.09
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The website freeshipping.org has launched a new blog named “Go Frugal,” aimed at helping consumers find ways to save money. [Go Frugal]
By 1.28.09
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Save money by polishing your shoes with a banana. Monkeys have been doing it for millennia. [Huffington Post] (Thanks to daveburdick !)
Twelve "Necessities" That Drain Your Cash
By 6.20.08
Almost everyone is looking for ways to save money but they often overlook making cutbacks in areas they consider necessities. It may seem reasonable to do so until you consider that some of these necessities may not be necessary at all. An article by Bankrate.com suggests that if you take a serious look at some of these so-called necessities you may find more savings than you thought possible, therefore, they have put together a list of 12 common “necessities” which could be draining your cash. The list, inside…
Surviving On 99-Cent-Store Food For A Week In NYC
By 3.27.08
Henry Alford of the New York Times writes that sometimes he will “plop a can of chicken broth down on the checkout counter and think, ‘$2.19? For someone to boil chicken bones? I want that job,'” so he decided to try going a week with food from 99 cent stores in New York City.
Use A Price Book To Save Money On Groceries
By 3.21.08
For the ultimate in pricing transparency when shopping for groceries, use a price book. Frugal bloggers everywhere write about it like it’s the GTD of grocery shopping, and our own reader marsneedsrabbits suggested it in a thread earlier this week:
The solution to all this is a price book. It costs whatever a cheap notebook costs you, and saves a surprising amount of money and starts saving you money immediately.
If you’re detail oriented and ready to start cutting costs at the supermarket, here’s more info along with links to downloadable forms, spreadsheets (for those spreadsheet junkies), and advice.
By 3.21.08
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Laundry detergent is expensive. One “debt free” blogger has taken the time to mark up a detergent cap to show you how much product you’re probably wasting with every load. [No Credit Needed] (Thanks to J.C.!)
How To Have A Low-Budget Halloween
By 10.19.07
Are you too broke to go trick-or-treating this year? Good! More candy for the rest of us! But even though Halloween brings out the competitive sweet-tooth in us, we want to share Kiplinger’s tips on how to have a cheaper Halloween.Two of them—”get creative on costumes” and “follow a…
Phone Shop's Name Looks Oddly Familiar
By 9.19.07
The owner of this mobile phone and accessory store in NYC has found a creative way to re-use some existing signage. It’s not exactly as genius as the “COBY” brand you see on low-rent CD players and headphones, but it gets the job done.
How To Make Your Own Coffee Table
By 3.13.07
UPDATE: Commenters note that the Instructable seems to be posted by the same company selling the pricey hardware. The user name is “simplifiedbuiliding” and the parts are sold by “Simplified Building Concepts.” Now we are suspicious. Maybe this Instructable should be called LACK (of integrity) Hack.
Save $988 A Year By Packing Your Lunch
By 2.27.07
Lifehacker points us to Clever Dude, where example menus have been given (by a registered dietitian) and numbers have been crunched. The result? Pack your lunch, save $988 a year. The bad news? Includes peanut butter sandwiches twice a week, and we personally hate peanut butter with a passion. In fact, we don’t really care for cold sandwiches at all. That being said, if you do like sandwiches, this can be an excellent way for you to save a little money and avoid the dreaded pit of fast food…or the Whole Foods hot bar. It calls to you…resist.—MEGHANN MARCO
Save Money On Gym Membership By Working Out At Walmart
By 1.14.07
They’ve got everything you need: free weights exercise bikes, treadmills, and even fishing poles! (Taffeta not included) — BEN POPKEN
