Recently, a high-school swimmer of my acquaintance told me his secret for getting lots of calories after practice without blowing his allowance: going to Jimmy John’s and buying a loaf of day-old bread for $0.50. Most Jimmy Read More
May 152013
Thrifty tip: Yes, we wash baggies
Articles, Thrifty Tips
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Apr 232013
My family washes and reuses plastic bags. Yes, people think it is weird. Yes, sometimes they tell us that. And no, it doesn’t save a ton of money, but it saves some – and, it’s good for the Read More
Money Smart Week: Tracking your expenses
Articles, Thrifty Tips
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Apr 222013
Trying to be thrifty? Aren’t sure where your money goes? Try keeping track of all your income and all your outgo for a month. Get a small notebook and start writing down all of your expenditures, no Read More
Money Smart Week: Miscellaneous thoughts on my food budget
Articles, Food & Drink, Money, Thrifty Tips
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Apr 202013
One of the things that I love about The Complete Tightwad Gazette is how Amy Dacyczyn walks readers through her tightwad life. So let me walk you through a recent round of cooking. On a Read More
Tuesday tip: Eat at the bar
Cheap Dates, Food & Drink, Thrifty Tips
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Apr 162013
A relatively cheap way to check out an expensive restaurant is to eat the bar. Not only might there be plenty of drink and appetizer specials, but the bartender won’t look askance if you order just a Read More
Tuesday Tip: Easy zipper repair
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Apr 092013
The pull always seems to be the first thing to go on a zipper. It’s also a piece of cake to do a repair that looks halfway decent. Simply thread a key ring through the zipper slidey Read More
Apr 072013
A couple of weeks ago, eFinancialCareers, a website for people in the finance business, posted an unintentionally hilarious piece entitled Twenty Money-Saving Tips from Bankers and Their Wives. As a married heterosexual woman who worked Read More
Tuesday tip: Vinegar
Thrifty Tips
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Apr 022013
Vinegar is great stuff. We keep a gallon jug of cheap vinegar under the kitchen sink to use for cleaning, deodorizing, and (with baking soda) loosening up clogged sinks. It can replace a ton of toxic and expensive chemicals in Read More
Mar 272013
Yes, t-shirts make fine rags. If you have minimal sewing skills, they also can be turned into shopping bags. The instructions are easy; essentially, the shoulders Read More
Tuesday tip: old t-shirts make fine rags
Thrifty Tips
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Mar 262013
Cut down, or even eliminate, your use of paper towels by turning your old t-shirts into rags. Thrift-store customers are not interested in buying bar mitzvah t-shirts, as they don’t know the birthday boy. The thrift store will probably sell Read More
Tuesday tip: Use the library
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Mar 192013
This tip is so obvious, and yet, we are all guilty of forgetting about it. The public library is a wealth of information, and it has services far beyond books. Most libraries let you check out CDs Read More
Tuesday tip: The amazing black Sharpie pen
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Mar 122013
A black Sharpie pen is a staple of cheapskate life. You can use one to cover scuffs on shoes, hide stains on black clothing, and label children’s clothes. I’ve even heard tell of women with dark hair who use a Read More