Frugal Living

Be Frugal: Avoid Brain Tumors

Tuesday, April 1st, 2008

The ultimate in being frugal may now mean avoiding brain tumors.
That’s because a highly decorated neurosurgeon named Dr. Vini Khurana has publicly declared that cell phone use may be worse than smoking when it comes to cancer risk.
Khurana is no quack.
According the article linked above, he “is considered one of the top neurosurgeons in the […]

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13 Water-Saving Tips

Monday, March 17th, 2008

Water costs money.
Unfortunately, most people act like it’s free. So they let the faucet run full blast while they wash dishes; they run the dish washer half empty; they over water their lawn; etc. It’s like money down the drain.
I’m fairly water conscious, not only because water costs money… but also because water is a […]

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Slash Your Cell Phone Bill by 25%

Sunday, January 27th, 2008

I was lucky.
A friend of mine works for Verizon Wireless. He was allowed up to four cell phone accounts. For nearly three years, he gave me a phone and allowed me to use his account.
That changed this last September. He needed the account to set up an Internet connection for his wife. Which forced me […]

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Buy Nothing New for a Year?

Saturday, January 19th, 2008

If you suffer from a high debt load or a compulsion to spend money shopping, then perhaps you should try this:
Buy nothing new for an entire year.
I didn’t come up with this idea. Neither did Timothy Ferriss, but that’s where I learned about it. Essentially, 10 friends from San Francisco committed to buying nothing new […]

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How to Save $600 a Year

Tuesday, January 15th, 2008

If you could quickly and easily save an extra $600 a year, would you do it? Here’s how…
Save $50 a month.
If you can save only $50 a month, that adds up to $600 a year. If I told you to save $600 a year, that would sound hard. But saving $50 a month sounds […]

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Skipping Gifts at Christmas

Friday, January 11th, 2008

Christmas is over, New Year’s is over, and we’re now sinking into the cold days of winter. It’s a good time for reflection. Today, I’d like to reflect on a little experiment I conducted during the holidays. What was this experiment? Basically, on my side of the family, we decided NOT to give gifts to […]

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Are Cars Worth It?

Tuesday, November 13th, 2007

I have two vehicles: a 2007 Honda Odyssey and a 2001 Hyundai Elantra.
I financed the Elantra and paid it off in two years. At the time, I regretted the decision; I thought I had spent too much money. Looking back, I’m actually glad I bought the car new. I still own it. It has only […]

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Does GE Think We’re Stupid?

Saturday, November 10th, 2007

Since my wife is recovering from giving birth this last Wednesday, I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things. One item on the list was “night lights.”
As I scanned the inventory, I zeroed in on some GE brand night lights. I had two sizes to choose from. I could buy two […]

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The Perils of Buying in Bulk

Friday, November 2nd, 2007

One common technique for saving money is to buy in bulk. Some use regular grocery stores. Others go to discount shopping clubs and load up with months worth of groceries and household supplies.
Either way, there are some risks involved.
The first question you should ask yourself is, “Am I getting the lowest price per unit?”
Case in […]

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How to Watch Any Movie You Want for Free

Sunday, October 28th, 2007

I watch movies a few times a month. So do most folks. But at what cost?
Renting from your local video store will often cost $4 a rental. Three or four or more movie rentals per month will cost anywhere from $12 to $16 or more. Not a lot of money, but not pocket change either.
If […]

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