ways we save money

Reducing Our Dependence On Cars

June 16, 2010

People are often amazed that my husband and I have cars that are 20 years old and still going strong. Yes we’ve been lucky to have reliable vehicles, and we’ve also stayed on top of basic maintenance. But the real key is that we don’t drive much. We bought my car from its original owner [...]

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Mini Living Room Makeover

March 12, 2010

A couple months ago, my husband’s aunt got new living room furniture and offered us her old stuff.  It was 10 or 15 years old, but we liked it better than our own mis-matched pieces, so we happily accepted.  We now have a couch, chair, loveseat, and footrest – all matching! What didn’t match was [...]

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New Eyeglasses For Twenty Eight Bucks

December 18, 2009

The last time I bought glasses – in 2001 – I think it cost me about $200 for the eye exam and the glasses. I only wear them when I drive or watch a movie, so they don’t get a lot of wear and tear.  But I could tell that the prescription wasn’t quite right [...]

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Window Coverings On A Budget

December 15, 2009

When we bought our new house, all of the window coverings were cheap plastic venetian blinds.  There was no covering at all on the kitchen window, but our neighbors gave us a blind that fit that window perfectly.   In the bedrooms, the plastic blinds provided privacy, but did little to block light from coming [...]

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The Frugal Babe Hair Salon

September 16, 2009

I cut my son’s hair yesterday.  I’ve been cutting my husband’s hair for several years, but this was a different story.  My husband basically has me shave his head with an electric trimmer on the shortest setting.  All one length – as short as possible – and it takes about four minutes.  Then he lets [...]

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No TV

August 17, 2009

At our old house, it was only $4/month to add basic cable TV to our internet service.  So we did.  We had a handful of channels – I have no idea how many, because the only thing I ever watched was “Ice Road Truckers” (my husband picked that one…) and “The Office” (that was my [...]

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Weekend Shopping

June 2, 2009

We decided to start taking our son to the pool this summer.  And that means swimsuits.  Our son has several cute ones, thanks to birthday gifts, and my husband is pretty comfy in his standard trunks.  I hadn’t bought a new suit in several years, but I have several that are in good shape, and [...]

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Thrift Store Scores

April 18, 2009

Last night I decided that we needed some new pajamas for our son.  He’ll be one in a couple weeks, and this is the first time we’ve ever had to go clothes shopping for him.  This is due to the generosity of a friend who gave me her son’s hand me downs (which were given [...]

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Yes It Does Matter!

March 26, 2009

Last night we were hanging out with a friend and he was showing us all of the cool things he can do with his new iPhone.  Yes, it’s a pretty cool phone, but he paid $200 for it, and another $90/month for service.  Our phone doesn’t do as many neat tricks (although it does have [...]

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A Used Carseat

January 2, 2009

Happy New Year!  Hope it’s off to a good start for all of you.  Ours is great so far.  I went for a long walk today with the baby and the dog (the Moby Wrap is amazing.  2.5 hrs walking, and I barely noticed I was carrying the baby at all).  And I made another [...]

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