Frugal Retrospect for May

First off I would like to thank those sites that have pointed links here:

► The Make it from Scratch Carnival 118 for linking to my post on making Funnel cake at home

► Thanks to Consumerist who liked an inspirational quote I added in my post on Making a Thrifty Investment in Yourself

► And as always I thank the readers who suggest my site as one to read when people are looking for frugal sites, like the recent question over at Metafilter: Froogal Livin'

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Over at twitter I like to keep track of a few ways I have tried to be frugal or found links or people that were inspirational - here are those thoughts:

▲ I'm not a big fan of Purell cleaners, I prefer soap+water. However, if you buy a lot of Purell, you may want to try making a gallon of your own Purell.

▲ Walgreens EasySaver Program was discontinued - here is the why and what's new now

▲ I saw that my credit union offers free financial counseling, money management help. I may look into that since at least the first contact is free if not more.

▲ Don't get Fox Business News but want to watch the Dave Ramsey show still? You can at the great and powerful HULU

▲ On May 7th I was on a complaint mission - Cell phone retrieval company (cell for cash) isn't paying on their promises to affliates or people turning in their phones. You can't stop me, I'm on a roll and pissed!

▲ Stamps went up 2¢ early in May - that's an increase of 4.8% - Not even my CD rates get something that good right now!

▲ Tuna cans have been downsized from 6 to 5 oz! "New & Improved" = "smaller and more expensive!"

▲ A very cool website for appliance manufacturers and repair - Appliance 411

▲ Want to make your own SHAG bathroom rug - Eco Bath Rug How-to

▲ Watched the Atlantis land on nasa.tv
▲ Atlantis going through checklist- a ground crew size comparison

Frugal Tips:
-Freeze wet washcloths in sandwich bags to use as an ice pack

-Is a ketchup bottle the the perfect pancake holder? Pancake mix dispenser

-Go to the pay-per-view movie section cable and make a list of the movies that u want to rent from the library for free

-Reuse oatmeal, cracker and formula canisters to store art supplies

- Alternative gift wrap- try Sunday comics, National Geographic maps, wallpaper or cloth

-Reuse biz card magnets by gluing your own family pictures over the biz cards - a magnet that will be valued longer

-Apple cider vinegar (or regular) is an incredible first-aid remedy for dealing with a sunburn