I hate going shopping for household items like toiletries, paper goods, health and beauty items. The reason I despise it so much is that I know it will suck up a lot of my monthly grocery budget. Even though I don't go through it very fast, it still is a downer to know that I need to buy them.

Because of this, I was thinking about ways I could cut back on my non-food budget and found a few ideas that may work for me, some I will have to try out and others I are not for me, though they may be right up your alley.

Hair Products - As you may remember I started using my own home-made shampoo and rinse and after a month I have some results. It works well with some tweaking. My hair is naturally pretty oily so I have stopped using the vinegar rinse and use only the baking soda mix - I have changed the shampoo a bit from 1:3 part baking soda to 1½.

Toilet Paper - The absolute best way to cut down would be to use cloths and have a diaper pail handy to put it in, then toss in the washing machine. However, this is not my thing. I have a mental block on this one. Instead I smoosh down the t.p so it doesn't spin off the roll as easily. I have also found that bulk buying of t.p is usually the best  price per roll. Occasionally coupons and sales will make the grocery store a better deal.

Toothbrush and Toothpaste - I used to go all out with sample toothpaste, but the stuff stacking up and falling over under my sink drove me away from them. Now I find BOGO (buy one get one) coupons/sales that knock the price of the toothpaste down 50-75%
I haven't bought a toothbrush in a couple years. My dentist is nice to give me a couple each time I visit.

Deodorants - I haven't picked up on the deodorant stone and have instead found economic satisfaction with coupons for BOGO items and sales, same as the toothpaste.

Feminine Products - A couple ways to cut back is to use either use the Diva cup or Gladrags as an alternative to buying and tossing. This allows you to use, wash and reuse as needed with minimal affect on the budget. Personally I haven't jumped into these either, but would consider them a possibility. Here is my review of Gladrags.

Paper Towels - I do have a few rolls of paper towels, but one roll easily lasts a month or two in my home. Instead I use cloth towels, rags and washcloths for cleanup and drying. It doesn't add much to the washer load, I just need space to store them and have them for easy access.

Soaps - For hand soap I use bottles of body soap or 'designer' soaps, and I drop them into a liquid soap dispenser for my hands. I seem to accumulate these around the holidays so I haven't bought much soap.

For dish soap I do purchase soap from the store with coupons or in the bulk section. I am going to be trying to make my own dish soap in the future and will let you know.

As far as washing soap goes, it was tried and disliked by my partner who does most all the clothes washing. At least it was given a try - instead I get coupons where I can. But making your own washing machine soap would impact your grocery budget very quickly as you can mix up gallons of the stuff for less then what you would pay in the store.

Plastic Bags - I don't wash out plastic sandwich baggies as I don't use them, I always use plastic containers that I can reuse. The plastic baggies that are used are tossed because they are used for meat and poultry products and I would rather toss than reuse them. Since these are so rarely used I purchase a box 2-3 times a year for my needs.

Coffee filters - I don't drink coffee a lot, I make a 10 cup container to last for a couple of days and I don't drink it on the weekends. However, I do have on my list to buy a reusable coffee filter for my coffee maker.

OTC Medicines - I am a store brand groupie all the way when it comes to OTC (over-the-counter) medicines. If you put the store and name brand items side by side, the ingredients look the same and the price difference is a few dollars for each item.  Rarely have I found a store brand that is more expensive than a name brand with a coupon even.

Cleaning products - I'm using up my current cleaning products and will be going with some home-made stuff in the future. But really baking soda, salt, vinegar and ammonia are some of the cheapest cleaning products out there and they do just as good a job as others.

The ways I save on household items:

• Store brands over name brands
• Use up the last little bit
• Add water to extend the life
• Buy at dollar stores
• Use rebate offers ( I received free tinfoil and plastic bags this way)
  
• Make my own
• Buy Bulk (check price breakdown)
• Use coupons, BOGO and sales
• Look for alternative, reusable ways 

What ways have you found to cut back on your household items?

When I started on this road of frugality I found that I would get frustrated often that I wasn't accomplishing things fast enough, that I wasn't taking to this frugal road quick enough and that I was falling back into old patterns to quickly. However, I found that when I look back over the past week or month in my case it helped me see that I was accomplishing something.

I am not a diary keeper, but I do use my twitter page as a way to keep track of things that I have done or want to get done and so on. Consider this my diary review for the month of frugal related items:

I think I am one of the few people who enjoy cleaning the bathroom, but not enough to come clean yours {wink}. I get it done in about 15 minutes with a routine that involves taking down the shower curtain and washing it with vinegar, pouring cleaner in the bathtub and the toilet, while it sits I go to the sink to clean. Next is the toilet and last is the bathtub and I get in to the tub and clean it (the cleaners don't bother my feet).  I have not started using non-chemically cleaners yet, but will in the future.

If you have heard of the "No Impact Man" he now has a doc movie out that you can see the trailer on - NO IMPACT MAN trailer - If you are unfamiliar with this guy's family, he decided to live a life for a year without having an impact on the environment. To quote the site, "No problem – at least for Colin – but he and his family live in Manhattan. So when his espresso-guzzling, retail-worshipping wife Michelle and their two-year-old daughter are dragged into the fray, the No Impact Project has an unforeseen impact of its own."

Prices for milk have been at a really low price so I have been stocking up on milk in anticipation of the prices rising, plus it just cuts down on the amount of times I have to go to the store. They thaw really well, I set them out on the counter and shake it every now and then, then when there is a small chunk of ice left, I put it back in the frig for use later. It really does taste decent and that is coming from my partner who is quite picky.


I have been a little over a month since I got the title for my car after paying it off, it feels good to have it paid off and not think about the payment for it. Now my mind has room for the other debts I need to pay off. Christmas will slow things down a bit for me, but recovery should start in December as I should have all gifts ready to go by Halloween or Thanksgiving at the latest.


Frugal Tip: Did you know you can print Target coupons at the target kiosks and save on paper and printer ink?

Bought new tires for the car, did my research and got the type of tire I needed plus they had a $50 rebate and the location I went to had a recent 10% off coupon. All well worth the time to research for quality and savings. Frugal isn't about only getting the lowest price, but getting the best for the price, which isn't always the lowest price, but then you can find other deals that make it an even better deal.

Frugal Tip: If you buy a product w/ a rebate, redeem it. Don't be part of the high % of people that forget to get their $ back! @DebtDiva


Speaking of getting the best value for my money, I recently went to an Apple store and played for over an hour and I think I will be saving my money up for an iMac, those look sweet and I know my laptop will be going on it's last legs and less dependable in the next year or so. Have to be prepared (and yes, I have my computer files backed up).


Some newspaper writer in Florida has copyrighted the word, frugalista, and is sending out cease and desist letters to different bloggers (not I) and it isn't making her many friends. So for now you are safe to use it as an adjective if you have a blog but not as a pronoun - Frugalista Dawn is a no no but "Dawn is a frugalista" is ok.


Frugal Tip: Don't just take last night's dinner for lunch the next day, also consider taking breakfast - I had eggs, hash-browns and bacon for my lunch/dinner for something different at work.


Since I don't have a dvr and I work weeknights I miss a lot of shows on tv, except now I watch online, I watched the season premiers of Heroes, Smallville, Law/Order: SVU and Criminal Minds all online at either Hulu or FOE.


And finally, it was nice to cross of the flu shot off of my list of things to do and I got it free-ish, I had to bring non-perishable food but it was worth the 45 min line and 15 min. drive over. h/t to MHOTC

I'm nervous. I have 6 hours left of sick time and 3 1/2 months are left in the calendar year. I don't want to get sick this year and use up my final few hours. I hate getting sick. It always comes down to the last few months and only a few hours left of sick time is left. Being sick isn't very helpful to the bottom line either.


Every year I'm affected by the flu in some form, depending on the strain, I can be under the weather for days or slide by with only the sniffles and an occasional cough. I also look around for the cheapest place to get my flu shot; surprisingly it isn't always at the doctor's office either.  Beyond the flu vaccine I make sure I am doing all the right things because I can slack off on the warm days of summer.

I eat better. More vegetables, fruits and less junk food to keep my health up to par.
I sleep more. I usually get about 4 hours of sleep during the week but have been finding little windows of time to get in a few more hours so my body is less worn down and more susceptible to the flu.
I wash my hands. I carry around hand lotion in the winter because I'm always washing my hands but it is well worth it.
I drink water. Feed a cold, starve a fever or whatever the saying is, I just listen to my body about when to eat and make sure I am drinking water to flush my system out.
I do preventive care. If I feel a cold or flu symptoms coming on I start to take otc medicines right away, I kick up my vitamin C a bit more and use Vick's vapor rub to keep the cold/flu to a distant memory.

Obviously there are innumerable ways to fight of the flu/cold that people may swear by but I believe most all will agree that we just need to treat our bodies well,keep our hands clean and we will manage through the flu season pretty well.

Being sick isn't very cost effective, it can cut into take home pay and it costs to go to the doctor and get medicines. But just like dealing with money, a bit of common sense and a couple better habits will pay off in the long run. 

Do you do anything different to keep the flu bug from biting? Do you wear a face mask to work?

Even though I rent an apartment I like to take care of things around it if I can to save myself time in waiting for them to come over, but primarily so I don't become a total slug having others wait on me. Because of this I have found a few easy fixes that I can do and also save some money.

Stove  -
• check to make sure there are no cracks around the gasket
• make sure the seal is secure by trying to slide a dollar bill out from the edge
• Save myself money by keeping the most heat inside the oven
• clean metal grease filter that is above my stove

Refrigerator -
• clean the coils either behind the kick-plate or at the rear of the fridge
• look for and change or clean water filter system
• check to make sure there are no cracks around the gasket, use vaseline around gasket to keep it soft
• make sure the seal is secure by trying to slide a dollar bill out from the edge


Sink Area -
• check dishwasher for rusty tines, get a tine repair kit if necessary
• deodorizer and sharpen garbage disposal with a mixture of ice cubes and vinegar; tossing in some orange peels for a better smell
• check for leaking faucets and replace o-ring, gasket, etc
• stained dishwashers can be cleaned up with a package of lemon/lime koolaid run through the rinse cycle

Laundry Area -
• pull the exhaust off the back of the dryer and pull out large clumps and vacuum the rest
• check washer hoses for cracks


Around the House -
• check seals around doors and windows for leaks to reduce cold air drafts
• clean clogs in drains of tub and sinks
• change furnace filter
• clean the registers around the house, check closed ones
• tighten any loose door knobs and hinges
• WD-40 squeaking door and garage hinges

Then when I'm done I stop, take a look around, in each room I check and make sure there isn't anything else that can be checked, cleaned or fixed. Then I'm done.

Now you have jumped on the bandwagon and have become more frugal and want to spread the gospel of frugality around to others, sharing your joy of saving containers, growing tomatoes and cutting your own hair with others. Welcome to the new country of creativity that lays before you, however in this new country, like all other countries, there are a few rules of social etiquette whereby you don't want to beat someone over the head with the Tightwad Gazette.

1. Giving unsolicited frugal tips while in someone else's home
Unless you have been brought in as a thrifty consultant and have been paid well to tell them where they wasted money, keep quiet. Making "suggestions" about loading the dishwasher up fully or declining a bottle of water and giving the economic reasons why will keep your phone very quiet when it comes to the next invitation. Just enjoy the company, and if they ask how you are handling the economic downturn, then take your queue and be gentle.

2. Hoarding in an attempt to cut back household waste
You absolutely want to try to make use of items in your house in multiple ways, if you can. But holding onto the box the package of donuts came in isn't a great way to start. Sometimes there just aren't multiple uses for things. True you want to try to reuse containers and boxes where possible but keep only the best and only a few or A&E will be knocking on your door for their show "The Hoarders" next.


3. Being the frugal office police
This primarily goes for the office but could also impact others you know or even meet on the bus. Sitting beside someone who always buys their lunch and telling them how much money they waste in a month or year will get you a table all to yourself. Use your energy in other ways, if you see people wasting their money on soda at the office, see if you can set up a recycle bin and use the money from that towards a monthly office party.

4. Conserving utilities and becoming a health hazard
Twice yearly the manager at my office sends out an email to everyone on the floor to remind them that they need to shower and that body odor does affect the productivity of those around them. Sad to say saving money on the water bill by not showering is not healthy nor is keeping the heat so low that the abominable snowman would think you were a distant cousin.

5. Mistaking gag-inducing refrigerator odors for the sweet smells of left-overs
It is definitely cool when you can take your left-over vegetables and dump them in a pot in the freezer for a home-made vegetable soup and it is wonderful to see that  you can put those brown bananas and hard bread to use for banana bread and croutons. But don't hold onto food beyond it's smell test in the hopes you will be able to use it for later. Even brown bananas and rotten tomatoes have a "death by" date.

6. Ungraciously refusing gifts that aren't frugal enough
So what if your birthday comes and your brother gets you a super expensive latte maker, don't take the time to share your indignation with all present. If you will never use it, consider the gift as a re-gift for 'just the person' or donate it. Consider next time to make your gift desires known ahead of time to others, telling them that you would be very happy with garage sale finds

What other ways have you found that don't bring people into the fold of frugality and are poor frugal etiquette?

I had a mission for myself last weekend, I had to find 2 pairs of black jeans and three pullover shirts (no ironing) for the winter and I wanted to find these within 3 thrift stores or less. I had no set amount I wanted to pay but hoped to get them all under $40 - $8 a piece. These clothes had to be of good quality and like new appearance.

I headed out a small locally owned thrift store, carting along my donations for tax credit. This store is most favorable for books and children's clothes. I did get some black heavy duty sandals from this store about 3 years ago and the occasional shirt but I didn't have high hopes.  After 10 minutes I found nothing and  I left so as not to distract myself from my mission and spend more money than needed.

The second store was a national chain, I wanted to check out this store as it had recently opened in the last year and was in a more upper-class neighborhood. It was here I found the three shirts I needed, all is excellant condition and from stores where they would easily cost atleast 50-60 dollars. I did get distracted at this store as they had a brand new plush blue robe that was so inviting, and it fit, I had to have it since mine was getting holes in and going thread bare. Total for purchases $24.

The final store was a regional chain that has had some good finds as well, it is farther away and I always get lost trying to find it. Within 5 minutes of entering the store I had found the two pairs of black jeans and was ready to go home having spent a total of $11 for them.

$35 (plus gas) later I had my black jeans, 3 pullover shirts and a very comfy robe! Of course I didn't get out of there that easy, I also bought a few christmas gifts.

Have you ever made a mission to find something at a discount? How long did it take and how did it go?

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I would also like to welcome all the new readers via newsfeeds and email who have heard about this site from Ben Popken's featured google reader list- I hope to provide some food for thought and entertain.

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Sometime frugality can pop out you in the strangest of places - Frugality found in the Band of Brothers Movie

I am seriously in love with the site "There I fixed it", I love the crazy ingenuity people think of to fix their cars, the washer, the door or this "frankenstien shower curtain". Sometimes I do want to say, spend some flipping money to fix it right but you gotta love the creativity.

Recently a friend I used to work with bought some lotto tickets and was all happy to tell me that she won $100 on a $5 and a $10 ticket and was going to put it in the bank. I didn't want to burst her bubble by asking how much money she has lost to the lottery this year. I just told her I was happy that she put it in the bank. About that same time boingboing linked to "If Lottery told the truth" and I had to send it to her... I don't think she understood or didn't care. No comment to me on it atleast.

I thought the two following posts were interesting as people look at the future and determine in the here and now what they think they will need as they move into the unknown future.

On the Pfadvice blog a guest poster wrote about "Why I Don't Save Money"
To this day it still bothers me why she didn't take some of that money and make her dreams come true. Had she been so frugal all those years that no matter how much she had in the bank, she didn't feel like she had enough to spend a little on herself?

But over at Mary's Debt Proof Living site she gets ideas on handling the "Worse Case Scenario"
There's a lot of talk these days that the U.S. may be heading into a season of hyperinflation. As one who always needs a back-up plan, I think about this possibility quite a bit. And I make mental plans for what I will do if this or that happens.

I guess it is a matter of finding a happy medium between living an enjoyable life and yet preparing for the future. In my opinion moderation may be boring but it gets you where you need.

The Frugal Millionaires by Jeff Lehman
Mentor Press / 190 pages

As the cover states, this books gathers the advice from 70 anonymous millionaires to help guide us to our own wealth. And just like the author, you may find an idea or two that you hadn't thought of to make changes for your own financial future.

Jeff's main concern is to let the the frugal millionaires give their advice on 24 different financial concerns that people may have. Throughout the book he also gives his rants and rave on various related topics.

In The Frugal Millionaire, Jeff wants you to get a picture of these 70 millionaires and why they stay millionaires and how frugality influences the money they get and keep. He hopes to convey that over-spending doesn't get you anywhere, the rich aren't all driving Ferrari's and wearing 1200 socks. Instead he hopes to show that a frugal millionaire, "could be sitting right next you and you not even know."

Initially my perception of this book would be closer to what I read in the Millionaire Next Door and while it would give statistics (and it does a little) it would also have more of a narration story of their lives. Instead you will find  a lot of short quotes because each millionaire was given a survey and these were their answers.

When it came to Jeff's rant or rave they were a nice break from the continuous and sometimes repetitive quotes of the millionaires. I enjoyed his comment on lottery millionaires, "free" seminars and the media.

I personally gravitated towards the topics that interested as I don't have a home and I am not married, though the advice in wills was of interest.  Most of the quotes were on the mark with what I enjoy reading from other PF bloggers, but it was could to see that common sense rules and I'm on the right track in my thinking. I was also happy to see a section on conservation and recycling/ re-using, those opinions were nice to read.

Toward the end of the book is a small section where the millionaires listed their personal mottoes:
"It's not how much you make, it's what you do with it."
"No matter how much money you have, someone will always have more. Deal with it and enjoy your life."
One person wrote, "You can't save your way to prosperity." Yet another wrote, "Save, Save, Save... Unless you see that must have item and if you can truly afford it, then buy it!"

Of course one wonders how these people made their money and Jeff does list that information in one big paragraph from Website owners to real estate owners to public servants. But the list doesn't really matter because you and I read in the paper regularly about some unknown wealthy person leaving a big lump sum and they were a janitor or a teacher or worked for the government.  Those people found out how to live like frugal millionaires.

Overall, I found the book an easy read through, not quite what I was expecting but still enjoyable. The book followed through on getting advice from frugal millionaires and gave it out in easy, bite size pieces. Though it isn't a book I would refer to as a resource in the future, it was a good mile marker book to see how far I've come and how far I need to go.

I'm glad I picked it up at the library, I know I wouldn't have wanted to spend 21.95 for it brand new.

To quote one of the millionaires, " Only buy something if you really need it. Think about it a lot before buying. Ask yourself what else you could be doing with the money first."

Would buying cases of an item be considered greedy? How about stocking up on food and household items to last you 3-6 months, are you being selfish? If food spoils and you have to toss it out before you can eat it, is that selfish or poor planning? When you grab the last box on the shelf, is that greedy?

These questions and others come up every now and then when I go shopping or purchase an item. I try to keep a balance between stocking up a pantry and going to far. I don't like to shop for groceries and household items, to keep a stock of 3-6 months worth of food in the house is wonderful because that is less time in the grocery store, and with the produce and bread area near the front of the store I can get in and out in 15 minutes.

However, I began wondering if I maybe greedy? Perhaps I am grabbing the last box of tuna helper when I have 5 already at home and someone else is in need of it. Maybe I could cut back and only keep 2-3 months of food in the house because 6 months is a lot of food if someone sees it. Then there is the occasion when I toss out some food that went past the expiration date and I forgot about it and it could have gone to some one who would have used it or I should have organized better.

After talking with some friends we came to some conclusions about stocking up and when is it being greedy.

First, the store is there to sell food, they don't care who comes and picks it up off the shelf. Because of this most stores will offer rainchecks that allow you to get the number you need at the sale price you came in for.

However, if you know that you will be needing 3 pallets of canned dog food and the store usually only stocks 2-3 pallets then contacting management and putting in an order for the cases you need helps out in three ways, you get what you need, the store keeps their items in stock and the weekly\impulse shopper still has product left on the shelf to pick from.

Second, we came to an agreement that if you have a set amount of time or amount you buy for, whether it is 1-6 months or 4 items of a product, then you should stick to that plan. Going over that personal plan would be crossing a line that you have made for yourself. If you know you don't need beyond the 1-6 months than why buy beyond that time-frame.

Third, you have to figure out how much your family will go through for food. Sometimes this decision will come as a result of trial and error after having food go bad in the freezer. For example, if you are unsure if your family should buy a full cow worth of meat or a half a cow worth of meat, you may can go either way and decide that 1/2 a cow was too small and you will go larger next time or you can buy the full cow and as the calendar pages turn over, realize that you will need to get rid of some food so it doesn't spoil.

My friend Stace summed it up, "I think greed starts to play a part when someone stocks up on things that they don’t really want or won’t use, or when they start running out of places to store the stuff."

This labor day I traveled from Colorado to Iowa and was frustrated by the fact that the miles per gallon that I was getting was not near where I was when I traveled from Colorado to Massachusetts. It was a difference of 5 miles to the gallon - that is huge in a big car like a Crown Victoria. I had gone from 24mpg to 19mpg in the space of 12 months and I had been keeping up on the service of my car. Not only that, I had the car checked out before I left.

Around town I usually get 20/21mpg and the lower number on the highway was a shock.. until I realized one very small thing, and it is the size of a foot. This trip was 90% driven by my roommate and her speed ranged from 75/85mph. However, when we drove to Massachusetts last year, I drove about half of the time and when I drove I rarely drove over 60 so it averaged about 65/70 between the both of us.

That didn't seem like a big difference to me but it was enough for me to notice the 5mpg difference in our trip. And recently Consumer Reports tested speed vs. fuel economy found that there is a noticeable difference based on the speed that you drive.

The car's trunk and back seat were filled when driving to the east coast; but pretty empty going two states over and the tires were up to snuff on both road trips, the only difference that I can tell is the speed traveled and that the Crown Vic was a year older.

However, when it came to driving to the east coast we had no rush, where as the trip back from Iowa meant a few more hours of sleep before work the next day, so speed was of the essense. Some might say the time saved would be worth the loss of the miles per gallon, I just didn't realize the difference would be that noticeable.  Personally I'm fine with any speed, but not to sacrifice safety in the process, and that has to be gauged by the person driving and the surroundings.

Have you found a difference in your mpg depending on speed, lightness of the car, tire pressure, etc?

Let me start off by stating I understand the frustration when Mary signs a check and then is asked to sign another piece of paper. Why doesn't the store want to take my check? It isn't good enough for them any longer?

On the contrary, most stores presume that is will be just fine; sadly, enough people has floated checks that haven't made it to payday or just outright written bad checks that now many stores policy is to run the check through a computer and make sure the money is the account.

I do this with items that I sell on eBay, If you send me a check I will call your bank to make sure the funds are in there before I even consider depositing it. That is why I think checks have gone the way of the VHS tape. Their usefulness is gone beyond personal nostalgia and the minor usefulness.

I was unable to pull up polling data in time for this post. However, it by a amateur survey done by myself, people are using their checkbooks less and less due to the convenience of paying for bills online, having bills paid via automatic deduction and the general usefulness of debit cards.


The debit card has many more pros in my opinion
1. Debit cards are free from the bank > Checks cost
2. Debit cards are easy to carry around > Checks are bulky
3. Debit cards use less paper > Checks waste paper, recycled or not
4. Debit cards are fast > Checks take time to write
5. Debit cards require no personal info beyond your name > Checks have name, address, phone, license info and more
6. You either have the money or you don't > Bad budgeting can cause issues with multiple checks written.

The only time I use a check anymore is when I give money to a person who I can't give cash to. Otherwise everything is done via debit card from my account. The process is immediate and allows me to keep up to date on my bank balance within 2-3 versus a written check that can take up to 7 days or more for the company or person to cash. When it comes to money, immediacy is very comforting.

Due to this convenience, now stores are implementing this Tele-check/First Data option for use to keep their own fraud down and streamline the process. As someone who works in the cash office of a retail store I can honestly say I loved the day we implemented the ECA option for checks. I don't have to manually register the checks and the store has less of a chance of "losing" a check by the cashier giving it back or misplacing it. The fewer checks that go through fewer hands, the better.

Some banks have not set up a system with Telecheck and those checks then are deposited manually. And if you have had troubles writing a check, most stores with give you a receipt with contact information or you can go to the chexsystem and order a report on your check writing history. You can also call Telecheck at 1-800-697-3170 and they will give reasons for not taking some checks.

For myself, checks have been replaced by the debit card, just as vhs tapes are replaced by dvd discs. Although I don't use the same system to pay to play, I still use the same system to record, I still have my checkbook register to keep my finances in order.

I haven't posted one of these for a few months, about time I rounded up some links of interest.
Also, with the labor day weekend coming I will be traveling to Iowa and bushed, therefore, there will be no post on Monday. See you Wednesday or sooner. And be safe!

I always forget about these carnivals, they are still going, though leaner and stronger - check them out for new blogs, great posts and even more reading to pass the time.

-- 207th Carnival of Debt Reduction

-- Festival of Frugality #193 – G.I. Joe Edition

-- Make It From Scratch - September's Here! 

Do-It-Yourself Guru Makes Treasures From Trash -
In the world of do-it-yourselfers, Tim Anderson is a rock star.
His 1983 Datsun pickup truck runs on bio-diesel, and he's not above Dumpster diving.(I like this guy already)

How much is left in that container?
From consumer reports latest magazine. I found this article to be quite interesting and reason all the more to get value for your money by scraping every last drop!

How to Condense Your Club Cards
It seems that every store nowadays wants you to be a "member" of their "buying club," and they promise all kinds of discounts and benefits if you'll carry and use one of their cards. But let's face it, no one's wallet is that big! Here's a way to shed the cards while still keeping the benefits.

Finally! The NO IMPACT MAN trailer - via the website or youtube