Due to the confluence of a holiday and an internet access snafu, as unlikely as it may seem, this is the first Friday post of the month. That means it’s time to round up the best frugal tips from the frugalosphere from December.
Needless to say, December is dominated by what is politely referred to as "the holidays" but which we all know to be that most un-frugal of occasions, Christmas. This annual orgy of unnecessary expenditure comes ’round each year and hypnotizes otherwise savvy people into parting with their precious cash.
Can there really be such a thing as a frugal Christmas? I’m not entirely convinced, but many bloggers gave it a try. Many of the tips were, like the seasonal music piped into all public spaces starting on November 1, familiar and repetitive. Give dad a book of "coupons" for hugs, wrap presents in newspaper, shop for decorations after the 25th, etc.
My Super-Charged Life did share the revelation that there are 7 Free Toys Your Kids Will Love More Than Expensive Gifts. They are a cardboard box, a cape made of an old pillow case or towel, a balloon, two sticks, a fort made of sheets or blankets, empty paper towel tubes, and a paper airplane. Click on the link for details. It’s probably too late to swap that bicycle you got your son for a pair of sticks, but now you know better for next year.
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November brought a wealth of new frugal tips, many of them seasonally themed.
Wise Bread kicked the month off right by reminding us, as if we needed it, that
early November is the right time to buy Halloween costumes and decorations. But beware of those topical items that may not work next year, e.g. the white sequin glove coming out of a grave.
Wise Bread also shared a timeless list of 20 Money-Saving Ways to Reuse Old Pantyhose. Sure, some of them are pretty obvious, like using them to store onions and potatoes, but several are of the forehead slapping why-didn’t-I-think-of-that variety. Used nylons can be used to make homemade soap-on-a-rope, as plant ties, and even as storage for those "menacing foam packing peanuts."
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I know you’re thinking that Halloween has already passed and that I should have a different name for the October frugal round-up. But I wanted to remind everybody that now is the best time to purchase next year’s costume and 
candy. Of course, if you have kids you can just set aside what they gathered this year trick-or-treating to give out next year.
It was a good month in the frugalosphere. Pragmatic Environmentalism pointed out that an IUD is the most cost effective of the non-abstinence methods of contraception. And Not Made of Money shared a tip for saving money on tailgate parties: hold them in your backyard to save on game tickets and parking.
Provident Planning had an important post Do It Yourself: Why Your Time Is Not Worth As Much As You Think. The author doesn’t quite say it, but the idea is that if you have time to read blogs you’ve got time to knit your own Swiiffer pads. It’s really just economics. If there is uncompensated leisure time in your day, then the marginal value of your time must be zero. You can’t argue with math.
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Yes friends, it’s October’s first Friday, so time for your favorite feature, Frugal Friday. (Finally!)
We’ll start this month out with some news from the cultural front. Frugal Duchess brought us news of a survey done by allyou.com/Shortcuts.com. Respondents were asked to choose between four possible improvements to 
their lives: more sex, an extra $50 a week, drop one clothing size, or an extra hour a day of free time.
I believe that the combination of the Great Recession and the good work that I and others have been doing to spread the word about frugality must have done some good, because no less than 57% of people picked $50 more a month. In fact, they even rank ordered the other three correctly: drop a size, more sex and then finally an extra hour. (Of course, the question is a no-brainer. With $50 more a month you can buy the other three.)
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Usually, the word "late" carries a negative connotation. But not in the phrase "late edition." So the fact that this ought to have been posted a week ago is a good thing, right?
Speaking of positive and negative connotations, two frugal bloggers raised a similar confusing question on August 28th. Dawn at Frugal for Life posted 
When Frugality Crosses Over to Stealing and Serena at Queercents asked When Does Frugality Constitute Stealing?
Before I read these posts I thought the answer to Serena’s question was "When you’re really good at it." Because a truly great bargain is a steal. Isn’t it?
Alas, both these bloggers meant "steal" in a pejorative sense, which confused me. Apparently, they want to complicate the frugal lifestyle with an unnecessary set of new rules. For example, it’s no good using coupons if you stole the newspaper you cut them out of. Also, under this new regime, smuggling snacks into the movie theatre and then fishing used refill cups out of the trash to get free soda is frowned upon. What’s next? Are you going to tell me I shouldn’t have my friends hold open the fire exit so I can sneak in without a ticket?
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Frugal Friday | Frank Curmudgeon | 
January 15, 2010 12:59 pm | 
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