Blogging Away Debt made this graph to show how much their family reduced energy consumption by installing compact fluorescent light bulbs and unplugging a freezer in the basement. The chart shows a decrease of around 2-3 average kilowatts hours per day, resulting in electrical bills that were about a half as much as before.
frugality
Start A Coupon Train
By 9.13.07
A nifty idea for increasing the benefits of coupons is to start or join a coupon train.
10 Ways To Boost Your MPG
By 9.12.07
ForbesAutos interviewed Wayne Gerdes, a “hypermiler” who can squeeze 84 miles per gallon out of a regular Ford Ranger pickup truck, or 180.1 mpg from a hybrid electric Honda Insight. Here are 10 of his techniques for achieving startling fuel economy:
Top 10 Most Frugal New Cars
By 9.10.07
Forbes magazine has released a list of the top 10 least expensive cars to own. The list is interesting because it takes into account things like depreciation and maintenance costs, rather than just listing some cheap-ass cars.
How to Store Your Food So It Lasts Longer
By 9.6.07
Helpful household tip site Gomestic teaches us how to store our food so it will last longer. Here’s one tip we didn’t know:
By 9.6.07
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This frugal mother keeps all the ketchup packets she ever gets from fast food places, puts them in a kitchen drawer, and when the ketchup bottle runs out, spends an hour with a funnel and scissors, refilling the bottle. Imagine how much more money she could have saved, in real dollars and health costs, if she forwent fast food in the first place. [Wisebread via Blogging Away Debt]
10 Stupid Ways That Smart People Waste Money
By 8.30.07
Some people are bad with money and they waste it constantly on stupid crap that they can’t afford and they are sad all the time and have no friends… That’s not you.
For Little Apparent Reason, Spiral Mac N Cheese Costs 37 Cents More Than Elbow
By 8.20.07
Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Spirals cost 37 cents more per box than regular Elbow variety, despite the former weighing 1.75 oz less than the latter, reports the thoughts on technology blog. This breaks down to a difference of $.06/oz, vs $.14/oz. That’s 24% fewer noodles, with a 133% price increase.
By 8.16.07
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100 things you can make yourself instead of buying them. [Simply Thrifty]
By 7.24.07
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With milk prices expected to reach $5 a gallon, buying and freezing gallons in bulk doesn’t sound like such a crazy idea. [Frugal For Life]
By 7.16.07
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With last month’s acute droppoff in American consumer spending, “Geiz ist geil” could be posed to become the next hot German import. [NYT]
By 7.9.07
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Meals for $3 or less is a blog full of cheap eats. [via Lifehacker]
Lost Cellphone? Buy A Prepaid Phone From Walmart And Port Your Account
By 7.5.07
Here’s a cheap way to replace your cellphone if you lose it while under contract. Just go to Walmart and buy one of their pre-paid cellphones, then call up your provider and ask for them to activate the phone under your account. You’ll need the provide the serial number and the ESN of your old phone. Those are found underneath the battery (so it’s a good idea to write them down BEFORE you lose your phone).
Easy Ways To Save On Energy Costs Around The House
By 7.3.07
With energy costs seeming to go nowhere but up and a growing “green” movement, you gotta love tips that save energy and money. Yahoo Finance has a list of seven eco-friendly ways to cut energy costs. Following even just a few of these can save you big bucks. Our favorites:
Make A Hex Key/Allen Wrench If You Only Have A Knife And A Pencil
By 6.26.07
If you’re biking along and need to tighten something up on your bike, like your bike seat, here’s a trick to remember even if you forgot your hex wrench.
How To Repel Mosquitos Without Bleeding Your Wallet
By 6.18.07
If you, like me, are a mosquito magnet, summer weather brings with it a particular kind of dread. Though my Brooklyn neighborhood would hardly be confused with “nature,” our wee outdoor space can feel like the Everglades. Since I tend to obsess about spending summer as bugless as possible, I thought I’d share a few tips for fellow urbanites.
Bottled Water Costs 1,000 Times More Than Tap Water
By 6.15.07
You do not need to buy bottled water for health reasons in New York City since our water meets all federal and State health-based drinking water standards. Also, bottled water costs up to 1,000 times more than the City’s drinking water.
We don’t know exactly what they’re basing their numbers on, but we do know tap water is just as good as bottled. Put it in the Brita, put the Brita in the refrigerator, boom, lovely water. Just make sure to clean your Brita often enough.
