Have you seen this story in the LA Times?
I don’t know why Nathan Drake is smiling. His spending is out of control. It probably cost him his first marriage, and I don’t know if he realizes just how serious it is.
According to the story, Drake is spending $2,000 per month MORE than he makes. It’s [...]

Read more

I love books. Always have. I regularly visit the library, and have a small personal collection of books. I like to use PaperBackSwap, and get used books whenever possible.
I’m a new member of MyPoints.com, and one offer that came through my inbox was points for signing up with a book-of-the-month club. I decided to look [...]

Read more

It’s been ages since I’ve posted a round-up of great things that have come through my reader.
Here’s a few that I’d like to spotlight:

Lynnae has a fabulous post of 75 frugal hacks for your home. You’ll find tips for saving on electricity, water, cleaning & maintenance,  cable,  decorating, and more.
I recently discovered the Free Stuff [...]

Read more

My new friend, her little baby and I wandered through a furniture store after lunch today. She told me she likes to look how they put things together, and gets ideas from them.
I hadn’t really spent time in a store like that before, but it was fun! We saw some interesting designs and outrageously high [...]

Read more

This week, I challenged y’all to do a few things in the Better Budget Challenge. (There’s still time if you want to jump in!):
Check your credit report, update us on your budget, and tell us what you’d like to improve on this year.
1. I got my credit report, and ugh, there’s an error I need [...]

Read more

This e-mail came across my inbox this morning, and I wanted to pass it along. Basically, eBay is lowering its listing fees and rewarding great sellers by offering them more exposure.
I haven’t sold anything on eBay in a long while, but if you’ve got some things that you’d like to get rid of, it’s nice [...]

Read more

If you have a Rite Aid near you, have a prescription that needs to be filled sometime in February (but haven’t had one filled there in the last 6 months), you can get a $30 gift card, plus an additional $5 and $5 if you transfer a prescription there.
Look in this week’s insert–you’ll find two [...]

Read more

This came in my inbox from an H&R Block PR rep, and I thought I’d pass it along:
I thought you would like to know that H&R Block is offering free “Ask a Tax Advisor” sessions in honor of National Tax Advice Day 2008.  Through Jan 31, anyone can have a free email or phone exchange [...]

Read more

I’m trying to prepare more and more food items from scratch, rather than buy a convenience version at the store. I like cooking, and I like to know what’s going into my food. Plus, in many cases, it’s more economical to do it yourself.
Some items I’ve made recently include:

Homemade tartar sauce (It’s just mayo, relish, [...]

Read more

I haven’t been writing about drugstore deals as much lately. Sorry about that. I haven’t been going as often, these days.
Hey, Pittsburghers, if you have a coupon for Skippy peanut butter, take it to Kuhn’s. The coupon is worth .40 (but they double it at Kuhn’s) and peanut butter is on sale this week for [...]

Read more

I don’t directly pay a water bill (it’s included with my rent) but I’m wondering: How many of you have different rates on your water bill throughout the day?
To put it another way, is it cheaper for you to use water at night than during the day? How much do you save?
In some regions of [...]

Read more

Lol. I don’t know. And, I don’t want to know.
But, I DO know that my husband’s personal tube of 4.2 oz. Crest lasted him approximately 2 months and two weeks.
In November, when he needed a new tube of toothpaste, I selected one from my "drugstore bin" and put the date on it with a Sharpie. [...]

Read more

Welcome, Bloggy Giveaways contest hopefuls (and my lovely regular readers)!
If you couldn’t tell by my first and second giveaways this week, I love books! I’d like to give away at least one (hopefully more) free book via PaperBackSwap.com.
If you’ve never heard of them, bibliophiles, take note: You’re going to love that site.
PaperBackSwap, or PBS, is [...]

Read more

Welcome, readers of Bloggy Giveaways! I’ll be giving away at least three prizes this week. Here’s the second.
If you love looking great, but don’t want to break the bank, then you really need to read Kathryn Finney’s book, How to Be a Budget Fashionista: The Ultimate Guide to Looking Fabulous for Less.
Full of practical advice, [...]

Read more

Welcome, readers of Bloggy Giveaways! I hope you win lots of lovely prizes. I’ll be giving away at least three prizes this week. Here’s the first.
Do you wonder how your family can survive—even thrive—on one income? Perhaps you’d like to have more of a frugal mindset.
Be sure to read Miserly Moms: Living on One Income [...]

Read more

This is the last challenge we’ll have that pertains directly to budgeting as a whole (at least, for awhile).
In February, we’ll be focusing on the grocery aspects of our budget.
But this week, I’d like us to take one last look at budget-related things:

Get your free credit report
Look over your budget method one last time to [...]

Read more

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve decided to try planning my menu two weeks at a time. I’ve done all the grocery shopping for the next two weeks, except for perishable items such as milk and fruits and veggies for next week. So far, this strategy might save me time and money. Woo hoo! The only [...]

Read more

Walgreens is sponsoring a “Vacation Cash” promotion where if you spend a certain amount on Revlon or Almay products within a certain timeframe, you’ll get X amount of “Vacation Cash.”
This promo sounds similar to the “Spa Rewards” promo they had a few months back.
HOW IT WORKS:
Revlon
Buy $25 worth of product, Get $50 Vacation Cash [...]

Read more

Thanks to all of you who participated in the third Better Budget Challenge. We were able to reduce some expenses. Pretty neat, huh?
Tenille feels like they can’t go much lower in their expenses without compromising the comfort of her family. Right now, they’re trying to cut expenses on their heat bill by using energy-efficient appliances [...]

Read more

Written as a guest post by Kacie’s husband
After only seven months, here I was center stage - all alone - without guidance - but full of enthusiasm. I was presenting for recruitment on campus in a large classroom. Despite my new accounting job, I am as non-businesslike as the rest of us, so I spoke [...]

Read more