Comments on: Best Of: How to Be Frugal, Pay Your Bills and Save Money in 10 Easy Steps http://www.frugalupstate.com/general-frugality/best-of-how-to-be-frugal-pay-your-bills-and-save-money-in-10-easy-steps/ Use what you have, get creative and save! Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:41:09 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Ruth Swindle http://www.frugalupstate.com/general-frugality/best-of-how-to-be-frugal-pay-your-bills-and-save-money-in-10-easy-steps/comment-page-1/#comment-15500 Ruth Swindle Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:28:40 +0000 http://www.frugalupstate.com/?p=2168#comment-15500 Hi Jenn, I'd just add a few comments. One is, I don't go window shopping. Unless I have a minimum of five dollars, I don't even go to the thrift store. I fooled myself too many times when I was younger thinking I could rearrange the bills to afford an item. For parents with young children that think they can't live without McDonald's - eat supper at home early enough so you can go there and get an ice cream cone for desert. Then let them play in the play yard, since that's usually the draw anyhow. My litmus test for items I know are one-of-a-kind is to go on with my day. If I can forget it, I know it was a passing temptation. If it hounds my memory into the next day and I tell everyone I talk to about it, I tend to get it because I know I will regret it later if I don't. Yes, I have lost some things because someone else bought them, but it has also saved me money, and earned me the respect of my husband. The danger of living frugal is that when I get him to play the how-much-did-I-pay game, he's started guessing ridiculously low! Hi Jenn,
I’d just add a few comments. One is, I don’t go window shopping. Unless I have a minimum of five dollars, I don’t even go to the thrift store. I fooled myself too many times when I was younger thinking I could rearrange the bills to afford an item.
For parents with young children that think they can’t live without McDonald’s – eat supper at home early enough so you can go there and get an ice cream cone for desert. Then let them play in the play yard, since that’s usually the draw anyhow.
My litmus test for items I know are one-of-a-kind is to go on with my day. If I can forget it, I know it was a passing temptation. If it hounds my memory into the next day and I tell everyone I talk to about it, I tend to get it because I know I will regret it later if I don’t. Yes, I have lost some things because someone else bought them, but it has also saved me money, and earned me the respect of my husband. The danger of living frugal is that when I get him to play the how-much-did-I-pay game, he’s started guessing ridiculously low!

]]> By: alice http://www.frugalupstate.com/general-frugality/best-of-how-to-be-frugal-pay-your-bills-and-save-money-in-10-easy-steps/comment-page-1/#comment-15256 alice Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:55:24 +0000 http://www.frugalupstate.com/?p=2168#comment-15256 Thanks for the great tips & reminders. I couldn't agree more about using the library. I have rediscovered the library in the past 6 months -- hadn't used it for years because I thought it was a hassle. Our library has improved so many services that it's really a breeze. I'm an avid reader, and I've plowed through a lot of library books in the past 6 months. Yeah, I can't go grab the latest bestseller -- I have to put it on my hold list and wait until it's my turn. But I've read lots of great current stuff with a relatively short wait. And we've borrowed lots of DVDs from the library. It's especially great for kids DVDs, and my son loves that he can keep the movie for three weeks! So far, (knock on wood) we've had no late fines! Thanks for the great tips & reminders. I couldn’t agree more about using the library. I have rediscovered the library in the past 6 months — hadn’t used it for years because I thought it was a hassle. Our library has improved so many services that it’s really a breeze. I’m an avid reader, and I’ve plowed through a lot of library books in the past 6 months. Yeah, I can’t go grab the latest bestseller — I have to put it on my hold list and wait until it’s my turn. But I’ve read lots of great current stuff with a relatively short wait. And we’ve borrowed lots of DVDs from the library. It’s especially great for kids DVDs, and my son loves that he can keep the movie for three weeks! So far, (knock on wood) we’ve had no late fines!

]]> By: Nancy http://www.frugalupstate.com/general-frugality/best-of-how-to-be-frugal-pay-your-bills-and-save-money-in-10-easy-steps/comment-page-1/#comment-15114 Nancy Sat, 17 Oct 2009 03:00:10 +0000 http://www.frugalupstate.com/?p=2168#comment-15114 Love this post! Please do more like this one! We need more "back to basics" posts like this one, and it's interesting to see how you applied these tips to your life. By the way, enjoying snow yet? I'm in Jersey and it's been so unseasonably cold. I know if we are having snow in northern New Jersey, you must be too! Snow might be the best frugal tip going! Keeps you home and out of stores! Love this post! Please do more like this one!
We need more “back to basics” posts like this one, and it’s interesting to see how you applied these tips to your life.

By the way, enjoying snow yet? I’m in Jersey and it’s been so unseasonably cold. I know if we are having snow in northern New Jersey, you must be too! Snow might be the best frugal tip going! Keeps you home and out of stores!

]]> By: Amy http://www.frugalupstate.com/general-frugality/best-of-how-to-be-frugal-pay-your-bills-and-save-money-in-10-easy-steps/comment-page-1/#comment-15102 Amy Fri, 16 Oct 2009 18:54:51 +0000 http://www.frugalupstate.com/?p=2168#comment-15102 Loved your post. Great reminders and morale boosters for us frugal folk. I've got another technique to add to the list: When possible, borrow those big-ticket items you rarely use instead of buy. I just wrote about an example of this on my blog. We wanted to convert all our old VCR tapes to DVD but the cost of conversion wasn't in the budget. Then friends offered their machine. Converted 34 tapes and it didn't cost us a dime. Post is here: http://tinyurl.com/yh9pxb9 Best, Amy Loved your post. Great reminders and morale boosters for us frugal folk.

I’ve got another technique to add to the list:
When possible, borrow those big-ticket items you rarely use instead of buy.

I just wrote about an example of this on my blog. We wanted to convert all our old VCR tapes to DVD but the cost of conversion wasn’t in the budget. Then friends offered their machine. Converted 34 tapes and it didn’t cost us a dime. Post is here:
http://tinyurl.com/yh9pxb9
Best,
Amy

]]> By: Stacey http://www.frugalupstate.com/general-frugality/best-of-how-to-be-frugal-pay-your-bills-and-save-money-in-10-easy-steps/comment-page-1/#comment-15093 Stacey Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:48:34 +0000 http://www.frugalupstate.com/?p=2168#comment-15093 Great post, Jenn. We all need reminders that it's the little things that drain our budgets. Great post, Jenn. We all need reminders that it’s the little things that drain our budgets.

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