My List of Stupid Money Spent: 2009
As 2009 draws to a close, I feel reflective. This year has been quite the experience in my life; Paul and I are engaged, we bought our first home, and I started Frugal Confessions. Since I all ready provided you with my list of savings and extra earnings from this year, I am now taking [...]
New Year’s Resolution 2010: My Charity Black Hole
Lately I’ve been having a feeling of scarcity. It is a feeling that I am ashamed of, because my fiancé and I are so blessed. We make good money, we recently bought the home of our dreams, we have two vehicles, enough money to fund retirement and entertain ourselves…but it has not felt like enough. [...]
“Bahumbug”, or Rather “Throw it Over the Fence”: My Grandfather Scrooge
My grandfather was a simple man—simple, not unintelligent. He grew up on the same farm we did in Pennsylvania. Even though he was just a toddler during the Great Depression, those years had a huge impact on his life, and he often warned me—while washing his dishes using dish soap (he deemed this wasteful), or [...]
Are Dollar Stores Taking Advantage of the Dis-Advantaged?
I fondly remember the Dollar Store opening up its doors for business on the Main Street in Parkesburg, pop. 3,373. I was in my early teens, and so coming to this store with a few dollars of allowance was like hitting the jackpot! Suddenly, my money went a lot further than it had ever gone [...]
Take Yourself on a Walkabout: Predicting and Saving for Future Upsets in Your Life
I am not talking about going into the wilds of Australia for six months until you come out a man. I am talking about literally walking about your home, apartment, car, and life in order to examine the things that allow your life to run smoothly and at the level of affluence you have become [...]
It’s Frugal Confessions Friday!!!
Hello Frugal Confessions Readers! If you are new to this series, check out the introduction here. Here’s mine for the week: We are switching our home insurance companies. Ever since we purchased our home, I thought the amount we were paying for insurance was insanely high. Granted, I have been told that it is more [...]
Environmentalists Have it All Wrong…in the Way They Market to People
Being Environmentally Sound Saves you Money
End of 2009: My List of Freebies and Extra Earnings
Now that 2009 is winding down, I thought it would be fun to show you how lucrative deal-finding has been for me! Perhaps you will be inspired to do some of your own deal-finding in 2010 once you see how much a year worth of freebies can really adds up. Remember, these totals do not [...]
Short-Term Money Solutions for the Cash-Strapped: Where to get Money When you Need it Now
If you are financially strapped for cash from a medical issue, losing a job, losing benefits, taking a pay cut, etc., then there are many ways that you can get cash fast that will leave you worse off in the future than you are today. Payday loans typically charge $15 per $100 borrowed, or upwards [...]
Savings Goal Update: Pay Cash for Honeymoon
Hello Frugal Confessions Readers! Well, December is here, so I thought I would update you all with my savings goal progress. I am pleased to report that we were able to add $200 to our honeymoon savings account! $180 is from freelance writing, and $20 is gas money from the person I am now carpooling [...]
I have Joined the Yakezie Challenge!
