Have you ever noticed that the prices on some products vary throughout the year? Sometimes this is due to tradition (e.g., January white sales) and sometimes it’s due to practical need (e.g., seasonal items being cleared out to make room for inventory for an upcoming holiday). I’ve checked with some consumer resources to see which items are … [Read more...] about Month-by-Month Buying Guide
Managing Finances
Frugal TIPbits: Make Clothes Last Longer
Taking care of clothes in a manner that extends their life expectancy is one of the easiest ways to keep clothing expenses from getting out of hand. I combed the internet for suggestions because I want to be sure I’m making every reasonable effort to make my household’s clothes last longer. I found a number of common sense approaches … [Read more...] about Frugal TIPbits: Make Clothes Last Longer
Emergency Fund Basics
How would you make ends meet if your family experienced a job loss? If one of you developed a serious illness, would you be able to pay the medical bills? Though challenges such as these occur without notice, you can be prepared to handle their financial implications by diligently creating an emergency fund. My husband and I are not … [Read more...] about Emergency Fund Basics
Wise Charitable Giving
Do you make donations to nonprofit organizations? The Thanksgiving and Christmas season, during which there’s often an upswing in charitable giving, is a good time to consider how nonprofit organizations are using our donations. Last year the Tampa Bay Times, The Center for Investigative Reporting, and CNN did a special report on … [Read more...] about Wise Charitable Giving
Frugal TIPbits: Avoid Frugal Strategies That Create Costs
There’s a fine line between frugality and foolishness. Not all frugal strategies result in real savings. To avoid crossing over into foolishness, we must closely examine seemingly frugal strategies because a number of them may actually generate significant expenses. When frugal is actually expensive DIY gone awry. Sometimes you can … [Read more...] about Frugal TIPbits: Avoid Frugal Strategies That Create Costs
Frugal TIPbits: Give Haircuts at Home
Couples typically encounter a surprise or two when they create a budget for the first time after getting married. The biggest surprise for me was how much money my husband spent on haircuts. He prefers to keep his hair short, so this requires a monthly trim. At approximately $20 per cut, he was spending $240 each year for … [Read more...] about Frugal TIPbits: Give Haircuts at Home
Christmas in July: Ways to Save Money on Christmas Travel
Welcome to the final installment of Christmas in July 2013. You can read about the purpose of Christmas in July here. Links to the previous posts in the series are located at the bottom of this post. My husband and I spent some time this last weekend trying to iron out our travel plans for the Christmas holiday. Travel can be so … [Read more...] about Christmas in July: Ways to Save Money on Christmas Travel
Does Buying in Bulk Create Waste?
Whether it is colossal chunks of cheese, behemoth bags of beans, or cavernous cartons of cream, bulk purchases often have lower per unit costs. At first glance it appears these purchases will save money, but what if bulk purchases precipitate enough waste to negate this savings? I’ve recently examined 3 types of waste that can result … [Read more...] about Does Buying in Bulk Create Waste?
