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This weekend we said a sad goodbye to our freezer  We paid $150 (plus $25 for delivery) back in May for a 17.6 cu upright freezer, which I proceeded to fill and fill with food.  Well, our freezer began to cry for help, letting us know he wasn’t happy with his over-full state by refusing to keep foods on the bottom 2 shelves cold.  I’m going to post more on the freezer we bought and why at a later point, but suffice to say, we ended up with a lighter pocketbook. (more…)

What is a money pit purchase, you might ask.  It is a term I just borrowed to refer to a purchase that just keeps on costing after it has been made.  Now, to some extent, most of the stuff that we buy has a cost that continues to mount even after you’ve made the purchase and brought it home.  For example, after you shell out $1500+ for that brand new LCD tv, you have to pay for the electricity to use it and maybe even for cable TV with HD service to enjoy it.  Some items, like swimming pools and pets for example, end up costing thousands and thousands of dollars over long (15-20 year) periods (although the joy these items add to some people’s lives can far outweigh the cost). But, there are some particular items that just scream out “Money Pit Purchases” to me- items that continue to cost us money without really adding any noticeable value to our lives.  I’ve made a list of a few of them here: (more…)

My mom had a beautiful set of copper pots. She loved cooking with them. She hated to take care of them. They are super tarnished, and almost black in some places because she rarely polished them.  At this point, to replace the set now would be almost $2000.  I don’t want to, nor can I, spend that kind of money. So, instead I am spending a lot of time cleaning them (for those who are curious, I am using lemon & salt and also letting them sit in dill pickle juice and it is actually working).   (more…)

I’ve written a few posts that are designed to help you save money on groceries, so I thought I would provide a very brief and basic summary: (more…)

After a lot of research, I bought a certified pre-owned Lexus in June of 2007.  The big reason I purchased this car was because of the 3 year warranty through Lexus.  This was one of the best warranty’s I found on a used car that met my needs (I’m a very nervous driver and only feel comfortable with the steering and handling of a select few cars, and we needed an SUV to transport our dogs safely).  The warranty seemed extremely comprehensive, and was valid at any Lexus Dealership nationwide.  So, when my Check Engine Light Came on a few weeks ago, I was worried but not too worried. I felt sure I would be taken care of. (more…)

I’ve written a fair amount of posts (considering I’ve only been blogging for a little over a month) that deal with concepts that could be considered Green (for example this post on saving energy, this post on making homemade essential oils, this post on homemade pest prevention techniques, and this post on making homemade cleaning products).  But, this is a blog on Frugal Living, not on Green Living.  So, the reason that I’ve written all these posts is that I think that being Green and Being Frugal often overlap.   (more…)

I was at an Estate Sale this weekend, and I was talking to one of the staff member’s. She told me that the story was a very sad one.  A man and his second wife had bought the house together 20 years ago.  The wife put in $44,000 to the sale of the house, but for whatever reason the house was only in the husband’s name.  Well, he died without a will and the son from his first marriage pressured the wife into accepting her original $44,000 back and taking nothing more from the estate (he even got her to sign a legally binding document).  She was timid, and meek, and grief stricken and went along with it and while the son sold the house for $280,000 she was out of luck and forced to move in with her daughter-in-law.This is probably unlikely to happen to most of you, unless you happen to be a meek person with a very ungrateful (step) child.  However, everyone still needs to have some things in place to protect their loved ones in case of emergency or death.   (more…)

 I’ve been told that Once-a-Month Cooking is a great way to save  money.  The idea is you make 30 days of meals all at once and freeze them.  That way  you save time by cooking in bulk, and money because you plan your meals around  what is on sale and you won’t feel inclined to eat out because you’ll have a freezer full  of pre-prepared food.  I’m trying out a variation on once-a-month cooking, whereby  I’m building a stockpile of meals in our freezer over time.   (more…)

I am one of those people who take pride in having a comfy, cozy, beautiful home.  I suspect a lot of us are, judging by the Ikea Commercial that encourages us to make our homes our sanctuary.  It would be easy to go out and spend hundreds, even thousands, of dollars to fill our abodes with beautiful things.  However, for those of us on a budget, Estate Sales provide a wonderful alternative, enabling us to buy beautiful furniture at a fraction of the cost of retail. (more…)

I have seen a lot of articles and discussion (especially recently) regarding lowering energy usage and costs. This type of conservation is beneficial to the environment and our pocket books. However, I’m surprised at the absence of discussion of Home Automation in these energy-saving articles. Granted some home automation systems are complicated and expensive to install, especially in existing builds. However, X10 home automation is relatively simple and easy, even for a non-techie, and it can be relatively inexpensive compared to some of the other energy saving products discussed (like these energy saving power strips for example!)  Plus you can do some really cool stuff, while saving energy at the same time. (more…)