Save a TON of Money with an Alternative Shopping List!
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Want to save a ton of money on things you like buying? I mean A TON OF MONEY! The secret is to create an alternative shopping list. What is an alternative shopping list you ask? Well, it is a list for when you do your alternative shopping of course!
Save Money! Fix It UP!
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This is a guest post by Karl-Erik Bennion, a freelance designer and artist who knows first-hand the importance of living frugal and cutting costs. You can find him at kbennion.com and kebstuff.com
One thing that’s been common among the current generation is the “throw away” mentality. Many things are made of plastic, cheap and meant not to last very long. A toaster that doesn’t work anymore is tossed and we go spend $5-10 on a new one… and that endures about as long as the last one. The cycle continues. Think of all the fixable things taking up space in a landfill.
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Saving Money at the Dentist
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When I was laid off, we made a scramble to find insurance. When we finally found something, there was the option of dental insurance for an additional $75 a month. They claimed to cover 100% of cleanings. Sweet! We signed up.
A month later we went to the dentist. I had a cavity that had to be taken care of and the rest of the family got their teeth cleaned. All seemed good and wholesome until about a week later when we got a call from the dental office. Apparently our dental insurance only covered 100% of what their fee schedule deemed an appropriate cost for a cleaning… $15. I’m sure that barely covers the cost of the supplies at the dental office, let alone the cost of the hygienist, the cost of running the office and of course the dentist himself.
Learning Frugality From the Depression Era
Many cultures revere the elderly as people of great wisdom and knowledge. As today is often compared to the depression era, we should take some time and turn to our elders who have been “through tough times” and survived. Clara, a 91 year “young” cook who hosts a web show, Great Depression Cooking, provides insight into living cheaply and surviving on limited resources.
She is an endearing woman with a charisma and charm that make you feel at home. She makes simple meals with simple ingredients. While she cooks she entertains with stories of the depression, which always end with “but we survived.” In these challenging times, there is so much we can learn from those who have been there before, and have made it out.
This is one of my favorite recipes, the poor man’s meal. Cheap, easy, and delicious!
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The True Cost of Cutting Coupons
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Ok, so I’ve been told by people, media and blogs that a great way to save money is to clip coupons! I recently got a call from the local newspaper trying to sell me the sunday edition of their rag claiming a cost savings based on the coupons I’d get. “$200+ a week in savings.”
I don’t want to miss out on saving more money, but I want to make sure I maximize my time and savings. So… I went to a grocery store and picked up an early edition of the Sunday paper, to see exactly how much I could be saving!
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Spending Less Because of Self-Esteem?
When I was laid off from my job, I took a huge hit to my self-esteem. I was trying to hit the ground running looking for a job and cut back on our spending, but it seemed so pointless. The bills kept coming and no one was calling me back. It made it hard to keep my energy up to push forward. I was filled with self doubt and frustration.
It is hard to make changes in our life, especially when we are forced to cut back because of circumstances. But this is what I’ve learned!
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Cheap and Easy Living: Living Life Large on Low to No Budget (Laid Off Camp Notes)
- Image by VO1GXGvia Flickr
- Image by VO1GXGvia Flickr
If you were able to make it to Laid Off Camp, you would know how awesome it was! As promised, here are my notes from the Extreme Budgeting session where I co-presented with Timothy Yee of Cathedral Financial Group. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to give the entire presentation as we had hoped and many of the topics I wished to cover were missed… so, if there are any questions, please feel free to leave comments and I will respond.
And now…
Cheap and Easy Living: Living Life Large on Low to No Budget.
LaidOffCamp kicks off!
Right now I’m sitting at what has become a very packed event!
Many great speakers on various topics. I myself will be speaking at 12:00 pm, room 2… if you are at the event come check me out!
My topic, Cheap and Easy living, living the good life on low to no budget!
I’m broke… but that doesn’t mean I don’t have fun! Notes will be posted later :).
LaidOffCamp Tomorrow!
I’ll be spending the day preparing for LaidOffCamp (http://laidoffcamp.com). I’m preparing a presentation, “Cheap and Easy Living: Living the Good Life on a Low Budget.”
Hopefully someone will be videotaping. I will be sharing the presentation here on my blog… so stay tuned!
Cut Costs with Pizza!
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Everyone loves Pizza! And it is really easy to make your own pizza for pennies on the dollar… even if you buy the $10 Costco pie. Best part, you can get super creative with the toppings for a truly gourmet pizza pie. My favorite is pesto, garlic and potato.
I like to produce several batches of pizza dough and keep them in the fridge for use, so when I want a pizza I can get it faster than any delivery!