If you live or travel within California, or plan to in the near future, it would be in your best interests to discover all the wonderful ways you can make ends meet in the Golden State. Whether you find entertainment out of doors or master the ways of the mouse without a million dollars, there…
You may be a fierce coupon queen who knows the grocery store like the back of her hand. Checkers may quake in their boots when they see you walk through the doors with your handy, dandy coupon binder in hand. You may be able to quote the sales at every grocery store in town and…
Every year you hear statistics of how much it costs to raise a child. The number is staggering, but I think sometimes misleading. While some costs are non-negotiable in life, there are things we can do to cut expenses and not go into hock while we raise a family. Here are some of things couples…
Frugalites get hassled a lot. Those of us who want to be good stewards of our resources might be mocked for some of our frugal ways. Ah, such is life, when you go against the stream. That’s not to say that some people go to pretty far extremes when it comes to saving a dime….
One of my back to school highlights as a child was going “back to school” shopping. Granted this was in the 80’s before the internet allowed all sorts of information and online shopping. And I was not frugal unless I wanted to me. In fact, having grown up in a suburb of Los Angeles, just…
One of the easiest ways that we save money in our family is to stay home. Now, before you roll your eyes and whine, “Boooooring…,” hear me out. Recreational shopping costs money. Restaurant meals cost money. Fuel for transportation costs money. A night at the movies costs money. ‘Nuf said? I’m not saying that you…
One of our very favorite family outings in a trip to Costco. We love it for the samples, for the buck fifty hot dog and soda, for the gourmet food at lower prices, and for regular old grocery shopping. It’s a place that FishPapa and I have shopped at for over sixteen years. Awhile ago…
Finding your favorite foods for a great price is certainly something worth smiling about. And stockpiling is a wonderful way to shave down your grocery budget. However, waste is one big enemy to you and your frugal pantry. Last week I mentioned some guidelines for stockpiling, one of them being not to buy what you…
Time was long ago, that I would go to the grocery store with a list of all the things that I wanted to buy. Today, I decide what I want based on what’s on sale.This reversal in my thinking has helped us trim our grocery budget enormously. Three years ago I regularly spent $800-1000 each…
I used to wrinkle my nose at food items with big “Manager’s Special” stickers. When I was a kid, I remember seeing those carts full of dented cans. Just seemed like “trash.” But, that is so not true. Honestly. A “manager’s special” is not stale or bad food. Not if you shop at a reputable…