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Frugal Friday: What I’m Willing to Give Up
Peer pressure can work for you in some cases. I’m using the positive influence of my frugal peers to trim the fat in these lean economic times, and I’ll tell you why. The recession is hitting many of us hard, some of us medium, and some of us not at all. My family falls between the hard and medium categories, and the only reason we’re not in the “hard-hit” category is because we’re so frugal already! I realized just how many people are in the “hard-hit” category as I scrolled through my RSS feeds a few days ago. I saw headline after headline about giving things up: one blogger said…
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13 Ways to Save Energy and Cut Utility Bills
Slashing unnecessary expenses on necessary items like utilities is on everyone’s mind. Saving money may seem difficult when summer temperatures swell or winter chills have you cranking up the thermostat. While we can’t eliminate our water bills or electric bills, there are lots of tips and tricks to keep the costs down. 13 Ways to Save Energy and Cut Utility Costs 1. Switch to LED bulbs. We hear it all the time, and for good reason. LED bulbs use less energy and last longer than regular incandescent bulbs. They also create less heat, meaning your air conditioner bill goes down. 2. Buy blackout panels to hang behind your curtains. Blackout…
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Are Energy Vampire Taps Costing You Money?
Are Energy Vampire Taps Costing You Money? Vampire taps are in all of our houses right now and chances are, they’re costing you money. Many electrical devices use energy in “standby mode” 24 hours a day, even when they’re not in use. A little extra energy may not seem like a big deal at first thought. However, each extra item using electricity tacks on a little to your electric bill, making your cost higher for items you aren’t even using! Common vampire taps include: Electric razors and electric toothbrushes Computers, monitors, external modems and hard drives Fax machines, printers and scanners Cell phone chargers Telephones and answering machines Stoves and…
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The Truth About Your Laundry Cap
The truth about your laundry cap might shock you. Did you know that your laundry cap has been stealing money from you? Have you ever wondered why the front of the laundry detergent bottle says you should get 104 loads out of the container but you only get about 52 loads? The answer, previously elusive, is now apparent! It’s all in the measuring… The Truth About Your Laundry Cap From my experiment, I discovered that I was only getting about 18 loads of washing out of a 50 load bottle. Why was this happening? Stop using the detergent cap to measure! If you are an average American, you’re putting too…
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99 Amazing Uses for Salt!
99 Amazing Uses for Salt! Salt is one of the most amazing minerals on the planet and its historical uses are famous all the way back to bible times. Frugal homemakers need to become familiar with all the money-saving uses for salt around the house. I’ve compiled 99 amazing uses for salt that will be the perfect crash course in salt uses, tips and tricks. There are different types of salt which you’ll want to have in your homemaker supply, because different types of salt work better for different salt uses. Here are the main types of salt: plain table salt, iodized salt, sea salt, epsom salt, and rock salt. Most of…
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Dealing With High Fuel Prices Pt 3: Walking to Work {Recession Series 2008}
Dealing With High Fuel Prices Part 3: Walking to Work My husband walked to work each day this week. 2.6 miles there, 2.6 miles back. And I forgot to mention, we live in Alaska. Yesterday it was minus 5° F! Did you miss Dealing with High Fuel Prices Part 2? Read it first! This idea was born from our brainstorm of ways to cut down the fuel expense in our monthly budget. My husband comes home for lunch every day, and we thought packing a lunch a few days a week would eliminate the extra driving. Well, that evolved into the idea of just walking to and from work a…
