I’ve Paid For This Twice Already…

From Theory To Practice: The Festival of Frugality

Welcome to I’ve Paid For This Twice Already… and the 117th Edition of the Festival of Frugality! This edition of the festival shows the ways people are thinking about frugality in their own lives - the “tips” posts outnumbered the “mindset/thinking” posts by almost 3 to 1! In our lives now, there is a need for practical applications of frugal principles that we can put to use in our own lives and really see the difference. Hopefully you can not only learn to think more critically about frugality from this festival, but learn several tips you can immediately put into practice in your own life. I sprinkled some relevant frugal quotes as food for thought throughout the sections. Enjoy!

Editor’s Picks

“Great minds have purposes, others have wishes”- Washington Irving

• Cheap Healthy Good provides concrete ways to battle rising prices with Recession-Proofing Your Diet: Food Strategies for a New Economy.
• Lazy Man and Money learns that sometimes our perspective on ourselves isn’t everyone else’s perspective in Am I officially cheap?.
• Value For Your Life shares a simple yet profound grocery savings tip with My 25% Grocery Savings Rule.
• Funny About Money shares ways to develop a great and important frugal habit in Make It from Scratch.
• Paradigm Shifted shows simple ways you can be frugal and not deprive yourself with being frugal doesn?t mean missing out.
• But Why Doesn’t It Grow On Trees shares why a credit-only lifestyle works for them and helps them be frugal (I actually have a post scheduled for later this week about my cash frittering too!) in Cash to Burn: Why a Credit-Only Lifestyle Works for Me.

Developing a Frugal Lifestyle

“Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you”- Ralph Waldo Emerson

• Uncommon Cents shares that using your brain to fight your wants can lead to more frugal living in Frugality in Practice: Discipline and Restraint.
• Antishay Ventenne shares part three of her Get Rid of Clutter series with Thoughts on Clutter (Part 3 of 3): How to GET RID and Move On!. Great tips for moving forward and taming the clutter demon.
• Sound Money Matters gives some reasons for the spread of frugality with Is Frugality in the Air?.
• Dividend Money extols the virtues of automatic savings with Automatic Savings Is Essential.
• My Family’s Money shares why a debt-free life is a frugal life, and how they aspire to one in Why We Are Commited to Living Debt Free.
• Rocket Finance shares how part of being frugal is using what you have - but you have to have a system to keep track of what you have first - in I thought I had a 3/4″ wood bit.
• Tight Fisted Miser lives the frugal life abroad in How I Lived for 3 Months on $450.
• Quest for Four Pillars illustrates how we can use how we shop for apartments to shop for other things and become Savvy Consumers.

Frugality, Cheap, or Efforts Thwarted

“They can conquer who believe they can”-Vergil

• Not The Jet Set discusses the Frugal vs Cheap distinction and where they draw the line in The Buck Stops Here. I have had that cheese. I had to throw it out. They’re right that if you spend less but waste it, that’s not frugal at all.
• Savvy Frugality shares about freegans in Extreme Frugality: Freegans. Is that frugal, or cheap, makes sense, or is frightening? You decide.
• College of Cash tries to be frugal and get coupons, but is thwarted in Where are the Good Coupons?.
• A Dollar A Day struggles against their internal tendencies and tries to simplify with Living a simpler life.
• Money Under 30 asks if money trumps love with Is it Okay to Get Married With Debt?

Frugal Tips For the Home

“The chains of habit are too strong to be felt until they are too strong to be broken”- Samuel Johnson

• Huff’s Homeschool Happennings enlists the kids in helping save in Teaching children to save you money.
• Be Thrifty Life Us saves a pile doing their own lawn care in No Landscapers Here.
• Squawkfox knows that many of us need home office space on the cheap and has tips for designing yours in Hooking up a Home Office for Less.
• Frugal Parenting shows how you can make your own pregnancy belly band in Make Your Own Belly Band. Cute!
• Broke Grad Student gives tips for free furnishings and even drinks on the town in Never Pay for Something You Can Get for Free.
• The Sojourner shares some natural, healthy, and frugal tips for personal care in Healthier and More Natural Health and Beauty Products.
• The Digerati Life recognizes that kids don’t care what the toys cost with Cheaper Toys ARE Better For Your Kids!.
• My Dollar Plan gives tips on reducing your insurance expenses with Saving on Insurance Premiums.
• Prime Time Money teaches you how to lower your television bill with 10 Minutes to a Lower TV Bill.
• Sense to Save encourages us to clean clean clean with Spring cleaning: It’s oh so frugal.
• Millionaire Money Habits provides a review on software to manage your budget in Mvelopes Personal Finance Software Review.
• Early Retirement Extreme says if you have a problem with books, he has the solution for how to deal with them in a frugal fashion with Getting rid of books.
• Save and Conquer shares how to save money by building your own desktop computer from components (my spouse has done this too!) in Build Your Own PC.
• The Frugal Duchess has tips to help offset the affects of a recession in your own life in How to Avoid a Personal Recession: Guest Post.
• KCLau’s Money Tips gives the Malaysian perspective with Top 5 Regular Monthly Expenses We Don’t Need.

Frugal Tips For the Car

“He who does not economize will have to agonize”-Confusius

• Think Your Way To Wealth gives ten great tips on how to reduce your gasoline expenses with 10 Ways to Save Money on Gas While Driving-Drive More Efficiently.
• No Debt Plan shows that a mileage log can key you in to when your car needs repair in The Automobile Gas Log.
• The Wastrel Show shows how buying a new fuel-efficient car saves her money vs her old gas-guzzler with I Can’t Afford It. Or Can I?.
• David Makes Cents shares tips he’s been given for getting the most for your many dollars at the gas station in Gas Saving Tips.
• Creditor Web gives tips on how to maximize your gas dollar using reward cards at Maximizing Gas Rebate Credit Card Rewards To Minimize Gas Prices.

Frugal Tips for Events

“The more we do, the more we can do”-William Hazlitt

• Frugal Fabulous gives tips for how to enjoy live sporting events frugally with Take Me Out to the Ballgame!
• Mrs. Micah helps reduce the overwhelming costs of weddings with Frugal Ideas for a Wedding (Guest Post).

Frugal Shopping Tips

“Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship”- Benjamin Franklin

• Are You Going To Be This Way For The Rest Of The Time I Know You defends the major-mecca of discount shopping in What I Like About Wal-Mart.
• Nine Circles of Debt gives tips on saving money on pet food without sacrificing quality with Six Ways to Save Money on Healthy Pet Foods.
• Rather Be Shopping wants to help us all save money with A Few Ways To Shop Smart.
• Free Money Finance fights the fight against rising grocery costs with 8 Ways to Cut Your Grocery Bill.
• FIRE Finance gives you the lowdown on what are the truly great deals in those dollar discount stores in Top 10 Dollar Store Buys.
• The Happy Rock wants you to always get the best price on your purchases with this tip: Frugal Tool Chest Tip #1: Get Money Back On Your Purchases With Price Protectr.
• Taking Charge tells us to Be a rebel — order from the kids’ menu. I’m not sure most restaurants will let you order from the kids menu if you are significantly over 12, but it is worth a shot.
• The Freebie Diva shares a way to get free magazines with a new service: Adperk.
• $mall C€nts explores balance and being able to enjoy a night out to eat while still being frugal with Eating Out… Frugally: Part One.
• EcoTrekker shares frugality with being a green consumer with Top 100 Resources for Conscientious Consumers.
• The Financial Blogger shows us how to get technology on the cheap with Frugal Tip: A Blackberry For Less Than 50 Bucks.
• Greener Pastures explains EBates in Have you checked out Ebates?

Other Frugal Tips

“Consider the postage stamp; Its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there”- Josh Billings

• Blueprint For Financial Prosperity says let your software do the work with Let Tax Software Find Tax Deductions For You.
• A Penny Closer reminds us not to lose our money! Make sure you’ve used all of your FSA account with Last Chance To Use Your Flexible Savings Account!.
• Stop the Ride shows that a phone call can save you money even if it was your mistake in That Was Worth the Phone Call!.
• Money Blue Book wants you to get the most tax benefit for your donations with How To Value Your Clothing Donations and Get A Tax Deduction.
• Less Than A Shoestring gives you travel for much much less in Baring My Budget: Malta.
• The Credit Letter gives tips for making college less expensive with The Student’s Financial Toolbox: 70 Ways To Save Money At College.
• Northern Cheapskate makes a case for the flu shot being frugal in How a flu shot can save you money.

That’s it for this edition! Be sure to pick your favorite entries and share them with your readers! Have a frugal day!

Share This

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

• Festival of Frugality #86 is up at Frugal For Life!
• The 88th Festival of Frugality is up at The Happy Rock!
• Festival of Frugality #87 up at Frugal for Life!
• Festival of Frugality comes here on Tuesday!
• Decorating and Parenting ~ Guest Posts