Because we are always frugal here at BadMoneyAdvice global HQ, it is always Friday.
First, an apology. We have not managed to post our round-up of doings in the frugalosphere for a while. The cost of the extra electricity required to conduct our research was exceeding our frugal-by-choice budget limits. But now that
we have our new-to-us steam turbine generator in the backyard up and running (it burns toilet paper tubes, egg cartons, and dryer sheets for fuel) we are back in business.
But where to start? How about birth? If you are thinking about reproducing, you might want to read Shopping Detox’s analysis Which are most frugal: cats, dogs, or babies? Spoiler alert: it is cats.
If you take that lesson to heart, you might be looking for frugal contraception. Of course, the the most frugal method is abstinence, something that comes naturally to many frugalists. But condoms are a good second choice and Wise Bread’s Mikey Rox points out that there is really no reason to pay for them.
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It seems that every month Frugal Friday includes at least one, and sometimes two, hot new frugal tips from Wise Bread. Nothing surprising in that, as Wise Bread is a multi-author powerhouse of money insight. They also maintain the official list of top 
personal finance blogs. (And modestly rank themselves at only #5.)
If this month’s frugalosphere performance is any indication, they may be soon moving up a few notches. I counted no fewer than four separate frugal tips worthy of passing along here.
Give kids cash for Christmas. Dollar-for-dollar, they will appreciate it more and it is much cheaper to ship and wrap than other gifts.
Make your own infused liquor. Wise Bread provides a recipe: put the thing with the flavor you want to add into your booze, let sit for a few days, and then strain the lumpy stuff out again. I never would have figured that out on my own. Most frugal suggested flavor source: leftover Halloween candy.
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There were two big and obvious seasonal trends in the frugalosphere this past month. The arrival of September means it is time to get serious about Christmas shopping. And it was, as we all know, National Coupon Month. But did you know that NCM is only 13 years old? Seems like it has always been there, but it was just in 1997 that it “was first introduced by the Promotion Marketing Association, Inc. (PMA) to heighten awareness to savings and increase coupon usage.”
In celebration, there were the usual pro-coupon posts, but also at least one in the this-has-gone-too-far vein. Coupons for Lottery Tickets – Seriously? from Provident Planning informed us that just because you get a two-for-one coupon for lottery tickets in the mail, that doesn’t mean that it is a good deal. As the author points out, the Pennsylvania Lottery (who sent out the coupons) only pays out 61% percent of their revenue in prizes, so a $2 ticket is really worth only $1.22. You would have to get a serious discount to turn that into a good deal.
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As we all know, the frugalosphere is a seasonal beast. August brought, of course, the usual spate of back to school tips. Most were obvious and ordinary, although Coupon Shoebox did suggest that “If your child is old 
enough to be earning some money, or if you provide an allowance, you can consider letting him or her buy one or two supplies.” They will thank you someday.
Also possibly seasonal, perhaps brought on by the high temperatures that put us all in thrift store shorts and tank tops, was more than the usual amount of discussion of the intersection of frugality and weight loss.
Wise Bread explained Why Going to the Gym Is a Waste of Money, Time, and Resources by disclosing the little known fact that exercise does not help you lose weight. They cite an article in Time which uses “solid-sounding research and academic experts.” This is good news for the frugal, who need no longer struggle with the conflict between the desire to sweat through “no pain no gain” at the gym and the desire to sacrifice the monthly expense of a membership.
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The hopeful promise of spring has now been fulfilled by the sticky and oppressive heat of summer. But that just means more opportunities for frugality, summer-style.
Free Money Finance gave us a list of ways to save on golf. A few were obvious, including using cheaper clubs and fishing in ponds to find lost balls. But also it discussed the frugal strategy of befriending people with memberships in golf clubs so you can play as a guest without having to join yourself. The key is finding suitable marks. “When meeting people for the first time at different social events or just by random chance, be sure to throw in your golfing interest in conversation.” Good tip.
Meeting the right sort is often a problem for us frugalists. Penniless Parenting reminds us that if our current friends just don’t get it, we need to find new ones. But where? “Try finding new friends in places that are geared towards the thrifty; perhaps hanging out in bargain shops or striking up conversations with people at garage sales….” You meet the best people at thrift stores. Just be sure and bring up golf.
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we have our new-to-us steam turbine generator in the backyard up and running (it burns toilet paper tubes, egg cartons, and dryer sheets for fuel) we are back in business.
Frugal Friday | Frank Curmudgeon | 
May 7, 2012 11:59 am | 
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