Use a theme! Each person in our family has a designated holiday theme. Angels, snowmen, etc. This keeps the shopper in me in line, even when there are discounted decorations after the holidays. It used to be easy to get carried away, but now I have a rule that we can purchase one item in [...]

Posted December 4, 2007 in Beginner, Frugal | No Comments »

This weekend our local university hosted their annual ski and snowboard sale. It’s a great way to pick up new and used equipment at discounted prices. We will need to purchase skis for our kids soon and I want to make sure that we aren’t spending unnecessary money.
As with all things kids, the equipment is quickly outgrown and [...]

Posted December 2, 2007 in Beginner, Frugal | No Comments »

I often end up on subscription lists for various newsletters. One I noticed in my mailbox today was from Little Grad. It’s the Little Insights Newsletter. It had some great tips on energy savings:
College Saving Tip: Heating Water Energy
Consider installing a drain water waste heat recovery system. A recent DOE (Dept Of Energy) study showed [...]

Posted November 30, 2007 in Beginner, Frugal, Savings | 3 Comments »

It’s that time of year again… shopping, parties, presents, traveling, etc. One of my favorite promotions is My Wishlist by American Express. We have participated the last two years. It’s basically a sweepstakes, with a car as the top prize, but a really fun one! And the easy prizes, are what I’m always going for: [...]

Posted November 26, 2007 in Beginner, Frugal, Savings | No Comments »

The last couple years I’ve participated in Black Friday shopping. However, this year, with a newborn, I find my sleep very valuable so I’ll be spending the early morning hours in bed! Hopefully next year I’ll be back in the swing of things. Until then, you can check out all the Black Friday stories, thoughts, [...]

Posted November 23, 2007 in Frugal | 2 Comments »