Frugal Friday, Mayday Edition

It was a rather light month in the frugalosphere. I am certain this does not mean that the trendsetters of the frugal lifestyle have run out of ideas. Could it be an early indication of strengthening economy? Did Tax and/or Earth Day distract bloggers from the frugal cause? I hope not.

I got my hopes up when I saw that there was a post entitled Suggesting Frugal Alternatives to Friends at Art of the Coupon. I was expecting something on how things like Second Life, and, uh, blogging, are cheaper than having actual friends. Sadly, it’s about how to suggest doing less expensive things with your friends, not getting rid of them entirely.

Bargaineering had a detailed post on how to make your own breadcrumbs. More than just a recipe, the post has great tips, for example, that breadcrumbs make good gifts.

Speaking of useful tips, How I Save Money introduced me to the concept of reusable cloth wipes to replace toilet paper. Now I concede that this is the obvious next step from using cloth diapers, but I see an obvious objection. If a frugalist does this they will have no toilet paper tubes to reuse in frugal ways.

Continuing in the household cleaning theme, Frugal Upstate discussed the Swiffer. It’s a must-have to clean hardwood floors, but it’s upsettingly unfrugal, as it uses disposable cleaning pads, which cost 44 cents each. Not to worry, you can make your own pads. For example, the post shows where you can get a pattern to knit one.

Bargain Babe had another good household tip. If you have to run your bath or shower for a bit to let the water heat up, why not save that water in a bucket and then use it to flush the toilet?

She also had two posts (here and here) with ways to save money with your iPhone. For example, you can use your $300-to-buy-plus-$70-a-month phone to run an app called Small Spend which “makes it easy to see exactly where your money’s going so you can make adjustments in your spending habits.”

And finally, Associate Money brings news of a way to save on food I hadn’t heard of before: grocery auctions. Apparently, grocery stores hold auctions of their expired and damaged goods. And in case you are the kind to worry about such things, Associate Money assures us that “Though the quality and flavor may decline, the food is technically safe to eat.”

Frugal Friday | Frank Curmudgeon | May 1, 2009 4:25 pm

No Comments

By LHM, May 1, 2009 @ 7:21 pm

Frank:
Thanks for the laugh on a Friday. Oh and to think of all the toilet paper rolls I have wasted! Boggles the mind.

Can I direct you to The Financial Philosopher for some balance. He has a great post asking you if you are a tool for money or is money a tool for you.

Here is a quote from it and the link:
“He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

http://financialphilosopher.typepad.com/

You might enjoy the balance.

Life Planning Part I. Are You a Tool?
By IndependentOperator, May 2, 2009 @ 12:02 am

I. Love. Your. Blog. Keep it up, please.
By rob, May 2, 2009 @ 8:16 am

Keep it going, this is the best and most practical finance blog out there. I enjoy all the practical tips, and particularly the sarcasm in posts such as this. The ‘frugalosphere’ is getting out of hand.
By bex, May 2, 2009 @ 11:23 am

eeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwww!
By Charles, May 2, 2009 @ 12:31 pm

Easily my favorite personal finance blog. Love the post.
By Robert, May 3, 2009 @ 9:45 pm

I wonder if anyone has been brave enough to introduce their friends to the frugal lifestyle by asking them to go in on a package of reusable toilet wipes?
By GPR, May 4, 2009 @ 11:25 am

“reusable cloth wipes to replace toilet paper.”

Worst
Roommate
Ever
By SaveBuyLive, May 6, 2009 @ 7:43 am

1. I like frugality tips, just not when they are taken to obnoxious extremes. The ones you’ve mentioned haven’t made it my way yet. Currently I’m besieged with people telling me to obsessively unplug every single appliance in order to cut down on my electricity costs.

2. How to save money with an iPhone — Don’t buy one.
By Kent @ The Financial Philosopher, May 15, 2009 @ 2:36 pm

@LHM: Thanks for the generous mention of my blog post, “Life Planning Part I: Are You a Tool?”

If interest remains, here is the direct URL to the post:

http://financialphilosopher.typepad.com/thefinancialphilosopher/2009/04/life-planning.html

Also, thanks to LHM for enabling me to stumble over Frank’s blog. I’ll definitely be back here again…

Cheers to all…

Kent