Awhile back, we received a $10 gift card for use at Sonic Drive-in. Well…we don’t live anywhere near a Sonic anymore. So, rather than let this card go to waste, I’d like to give it away to one of my lovely readers.
If you’d like a chance to win this gift card, please leave a comment [...]

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I’m so excited for the community rummage sale this weekend! I have a pile of things by my front door, ready to be loaded into my car.
It will cost $10 for the use of a table at the sale, but I certainly expect to recoup that (and then some, hopefully!).
Today, I’ll put price stickers on [...]

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Even though I feel more comfortable having a closet full of options, I end up wearing the same things over and over. So why do I hang on to so many clothes that I never wear? Do I feel better knowing I have many choices? Perhaps.
At any rate, I’m cleaning out the closets in preparation [...]

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Last night, my husband and I had quite a discussion on whether some generic or private-label products are actually brand-name products in different packaging.
He said he didn’t think it would be a good idea for brand-name manufacturers to also sell their product to private label companies.
I think that’s absolutely what’s going on.
If Del Monte sells [...]

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When both my mother and my mother-in-law called me within a few minutes of each other and asked if I was watching Oprah, I knew I had better turn on my TV.
The topic of the first half of the show? Living the "freegan" lifestyle.
At the beginning of the show, we saw hordes of people going [...]

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On our honeymoon, our flight connection from St. Louis to Seattle was overbooked.
Since our cruise ship wouldn’t leave for another few days, I jumped at the chance to see if we could get some sweet rewards for volunteering to take a later flight.
You see, airlines typically overbook their flights. For one reason or another, some [...]

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"As soon as you drive it off the lot, your new car depreciates by about a million dollars and twelve cents."
Is that how the saying goes? Something like that, anyway.
I got my car new in May 2006. In three months, "Shirley" will be two years old. She has 17,500 miles and is in fantastic condition. [...]

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Should we get rid of the penny? That’s the question posed at Gather Little By Little today.
He shows how the price of materials and production has gone up so much, that it costs more than $0.01 to make a penny these days.
But, should we get rid of those little Lincolns?
I say, "No way!"
I don’t use pennies much. [...]

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It used to be that my husband dutifully put his laundry in the hamper when he was done with it.
I was happy when he wouldn’t leave piles of clothes on the floor, but unfortunately, "when he was done with it" often meant after one wearing. Most items weren’t dirty at all!
At $1.25/load for a wash, [...]

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That’s the headline from this story in Sunday’s Post-Gazette.
In Pennsylvania, the sales tax is 6 percent, but it’s 7 percent in a few counties (mine included).
Many items are not taxed, including most clothing, foods, healthcare items, and other necessities including toilet paper.
However, an informal study conducted by the newspaper found that some stores were charging [...]

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Payless Shoe Source is having it’s buy one, get one half-off sale (Now through March 3).
You can get a $5 off $25 purchase coupon for use online or in the store by entering their "I love shoes" giveaway. The coupon code will be e-mailed to you. You can use this coupon toward any purchase that [...]

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It never fails: Whenever I jump on the parkway during the winter, my car gets totally covered in road salt. Gross.
Driving around on regular streets has a similar effect, but it’s not quite as severe.
Today I took it to the automatic car wash for a little maintenance. During the summer, I like to wash it [...]

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My community garage sale is next weekend!
I need to blog about this because I need the accountability for actually getting things ready to go and showing up at 6 a.m. 
I’ve been going crazy this winter because we have too much stuff in our apartment and I just can’t wait to get rid of some stuff!
Earlier, I [...]

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Check out this op-ed in today’s New York Times.
I want to highlight this passage:

The recent slowdown in gross domestic product growth is only a symptom of recession, not the cause. While there are many things to blame for the current crisis — most notably the subprime mortgage mess — one factor that has received little [...]

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Kacie and I are fortunate to start our new life together with frugality in mind. Already, we have paid our college credit card debt and have the beginnings of an emergency fund in place.
Now she asks: to whom should we give a donation each month? 
“We need to save for ourselves!” …  my subconscious mind [...]

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Two coupons came across my inbox. Thought I’d share with ya:
$1 off Pert Plus
Glade coupons: $1 off 2 cans aerosol spray; $1.50 off 2 plugins refills; $2 off scented gel warmer

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Happy birthday, Shane! Today is my husband’s 23rd birthday. Here’s to a wonderful year!
Also, happy birthday to his twin brother, and their dad. Quite a day for his family!

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This week, I contributed my post on  no more deprivation in the name of frugality! in the Festival of Frugality.
I’d like to share a few posts with you:
Here’s an excellent post on comparing working outside the home vs. staying at home for dual-income married couples. She explores tax benefits and expenses. I think it depends [...]

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If you missed out on the Ebates promotion ending Feb. 14, you’re in luck. The site has come out with a similar (but better!) one.
Right now, when you sign up for a new Ebates account with this referral link and make a purchase from now until March 31, you’ll get a $10 bonus credited to [...]

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I’m getting really sick of beef recalls. Not sick from food poisoning–just generally disturbed.
The latest recall is the biggest one yet. What’s worse–the meat in question has likely already been consumed. Lovely.
Short of going vegetarian, experts are advising people to buy their meat locally. If you live in Pennsylvania, here’s a site that can help you [...]

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