We often share ways to save money, reduce our monthly expenses, etc, but I’m sure many others are like me and have a couple non-frugal habits they are ashamed to admit. I have a few, including:
- I hate using soap in the shower after the bar is reduced to 1/16th of an inch. Seriously, I know I should use them up, or save them to make a new bar, but I take pleasure ditching that sliver of soap and unwrapping a new bar.
- I hate scraping the bottom of peanut butter and mayonnaise jars. Is a quarter of a teaspoon really worth the effort?
- I don’t particularly like to clip coupons, even though I know they save money. I’ve tossed many more coupons that I’ve cashed in over the years.
- Despite the known energy savings, we keep our thermostat at a fairly comfortable setting (74 in the summer and 70-72 in the winter) while at home. Our power bill is a little higher, but I refuse to sweat (or shiver) in my home if I don’t have to.
That’s about all I care to admit in this post. Now, it’s your turn!
The Frugal Roundup
January Skill of the Month: Bread Baking. Who needs to run out for milk and bread before a snow when you can just make your own bread! By the way, I just recently found this site and am working through the archives now. Oh, and I’m officially jealous of her food pantry room. Great stuff!
Stocks with 5% Dividend Yield. Check out this list of top-yielding dividend stocks. A few of these companies offer both high yields and steady growth.
I Just Lost My Job! How I’m Downsizing My Household Expenses. I certainly don’t revel in learning about others losing their jobs, but I do enjoy reading from those who are surviving, and sometimes even thriving, after losing a job.
Five Credit Myths that Can Destroy Your Finances. It’s rare to find an article in the larger media outlets that addresses credit myths, but that’s exactly what I came across at Forbes (via The Daily Crux).
Setting and Achieving Monthly Goals and Projects. I enjoyed this entire post, but Trent’s “Twenty Ideas” in particular inspired me to set a number of goals myself.
10 Creative Ways States and Cities are Plugging Leaks in Their Budgets. Perhaps a couple of these ideas will inspire you to plug the gaps in your own budget (and be prepared to rely less on the government).
Best of the Rest
Support Our Sponsors
Monitor Bank Rates. MonitorBankRates.com offers a free rate search and compare service offering the latest best rates on products ranging from certificate of deposits, savings accounts, checking accounts, credit cards, mortgages and insurance.
Berkey® Water Filtration and Purification Systems are the ultimate in water filtration and the ideal personal protection traveling companions. Used worldwide for normal, hostile and emergency environments to provide the purest, sparkling clean water possible.
Fine Art for the Frugal is the work of Olie Sylvester, once a starving artist himself, who has created reasonably priced works of art so that all may become collectors of his work.
Your Money Ratios by investment adviser Charles Farrell aims to make the process of preparing for the golden years less complicated—and less anxiety provoking. Farrell developed a series of simple formulas to help readers understand what they need to be saving based on age and household income, while taking as much of the irrational emotion out of the equation as possible.
How to Make a Fortune by Ron Insana, an award-winning financial journalist and seventeen-year veteran of CNBC, helps readers restore their depleted portfolios by guiding investors through volatile times in the market.