1) I needed a few household items so I placed a Grove order: bulk Castile soap (for hands and all-purpose cleaning) and bulk dish soap. I had a $30 credit so my stuff was only $2 plus they included a free girly organic soap. I love this company. 2) I reviewed a book I read […]
Lact-Aid Nursing System: Goodbye, Frenemy
Preview: My experience and feelings about using a Lact-Aid nursing system for breastfeeding my 27-weeker preemie. I review the Lact-Aid versus the Medela SNS, and share my thoughts on both. Yesterday I got an email from the mother of a preemie. She had just taken her baby home from the hospital and sounded desperate. She asked […]
Disclosure: I went to IKEA
A No Spend Challenge update. This summer we’re saving for a down payment on a home, and I’m documenting my black-belt frugality moves. IKEA antics from a previous trip. We didn’t buy any flat packed furniture this time. I’ve been staying out of stores as much as possible unless there was some incredible deal I […]
Homeschool plan: 2016/17
Here’s the Homeschool plan for 2016/17. We start our school year on September 1. I know it’s July, but as soon as summer begins, I feel the itch to nail down a plan for the next year. I can’t relax and enjoy my summer until I get some things down on paper. Anyone else like this? [Side […]
Think inside the box (truck)
I love reading stories like this. They restore my faith in humankind, for one. In a world filled with people who would rather whine about their situation or demand the government fix their problems, here’s a guy who decided to take personal responsibility (radical!) and live in a box truck to save money. Because of […]
This crunchy, frugal mama: why I don’t make homemade laundry detergent
I’m about to make a radical statement. Are you sitting down? This frugal, crunchy mama is about to spill it: Why I don’t make homemade laundry detergent. Gasp! I wrote on this topic a few years ago after several good, solid trials into homemade laundry detergent making adventures. Why don’t I make homemade laundry detergent? […]
Lower electric bill in summer
A No Spend Challenge update! How to have a lower electric bill in summer. I just checked our electric bill and … it’s $150 LESS than this month it was last summer! Is this the best way to lower your electric bill? It sure is simple. How did I do it? I kept the thermostat […]
Carl Richards, author and financial planner, approves of my No-Spend Summer
I found Carl Richards’ articles on the New York Times website and have been enjoying reading through them. Carl is a certified financial planner and author of two books, both of which I’m reading at the moment, courtesy of my local library. Richards excels at making financial principles very simple. So simple they can be […]
Patience is an essential principle in frugality
This summer my family is doing a No Spend Challenge to boost our savings (we’re buying a house in February). Books are a line item in the budget. For reals. So I’m always on the lookout for ways to feed my information addiction on the cheap. This morning I checked my email to find a […]
5 Frugal Things
A No Spend Challenge update! This summer we’re saving for a down payment on a home, so I’ve been documenting black-belt frugal tactics. The back-to-school deals are aplenty this week. I headed to OfficeMax to take advantage (because an important principle of frugality is planning ahead) of penny deals. My younger girls go through crayons […]