As my friends, family and readers know, the goal of this blog is learn to use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without. This catchy phrase not only describes the waste-free mentality that I try to put forth, but also the theme of this blog. This can mean mending clothing to [...]
Everyone likes a little something for nothing. However altruistic one might be, there’s just something about a freebie that’s not just exciting, but also a bit ego inflating.
Who needs money to enjoy the good life? I’ve got smarts which is way better!
I was talking to a friend the other day about the rich confluence of [...]
I am currently reading Dave Ramsey’s wildly popular book, The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness. This book is often mentioned by writers I respect, so I thought I would give it a whirl. (Plus he’s coming to speak in Portland, and I thought I should familiarize myself with his teachings.)
My copy is from [...]
Just because your budget is shrinking faster than you can say, “today’s uncertain economic times,” doesn’t mean your vacation has to be downgraded to backyard camping. There are plenty of ways to vacation inexpensively, yet still have fun and get away from it all.
My family of four has a tendency to take the same short vacations [...]
I am at The Great Wolf Lodge right now, and with that comes not only endless water fun, but most important , (at least to my kidlets) – cable TV. At home, I have only regular broadcast TV, (although I did get my digital converter box.) The wealth of channels that is cable TV is an [...]
I had the pleasure of meeting with the charming Brian Depew from the Nebraska based Center for Rural Affairs the other evening. He was in Oregon for the Regards to Rural Conference, and had put the word out that he “would like to meet with supporters of the Center for Rural Affairs in the area to hear about your [...]
The following is a reprint is from a previously published blog. Enjoy!
I have a confession to make.
I love Goodwill thrift shops.
Not like I love ice-cream. No, that’s just an extreme guilty pleasure. I mean the kind of visceral reaction where your eyes dilate and your skin flushes.
L-O-V-E, love.
I’m vacationing in Seattle this week, and swung by the [...]
Tomorrow is the official start of our spring break. Sure, my sons have been off school since Saturday, but it isn’t until Monday that the vacation mindset really starts to sink in.
And that’s when the shenanigans begin.
I’ve never been that much of a party animal, and even went accidently to Cancun during a spring break, which was [...]
When I read about frugality, one tip that I see repeated over and over is weekly menu planning. And yes, I see the appeal of knowing that Sunday is pot roast, Monday is spaghetti, and Tuesday is pizza. But I don’t buy it. I consider myself to be the Queen Empress of frugal cooking, yet weekly [...]
