November to be is the beginning of two things. The holiday season starts with Thanksgiving, and then there is winter. Despite the fact that winter doesn’t officially start until next month, the fall seems to give way to the winter in November anyway. We had a day of snow already. Here is looking ahead to December and the end of the year!
November 1st
Frugal Month in Review: October 2008
“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.” – George Eliot.
November 2
With the holidays on their way, you may be thinking about sprucing up your home a bit before company comes, or just to have a warm, fresh look. With everyone pinching pennies these days, home decor might be the last thing on your mind, especially with high food, gas and heating bills. Still, there is plenty you can do on a budget.
November 3rd
Frugal Living Week in Review: October 27th Through November 2nd
Here is the Frugal Living week in review for October 27th through November 2nd.
November 4th
Being on track with a budget can really ensure that your spending doesn’t get out of hand. This is true whether you have a food budget or an entire household budget. Having a budget for holiday spending can be very important. We all tend to overspend at this time of year.
November 5th
Raising Chickens: Interview with the Chicken Lady
Have you ever considered raising chickens? Not only can this be a fun past time, but it can also be very frugal. Imagine, you can have free, organic (if you wish) eggs for free whenever you want them. Chickens can also control bugs and weeds on your property. And, from what I recently learned, raising chickens isn’t as hard as I thought. They also don’t cost very much to raise.
November 6th
Raising Chickens: Interview with the Chicken Lady 2
If you have ever wondered what it might be like to raise your own chickens, then you definitely want to keep reading this series. We have a genuine Families.com member who is willing to share all of the ins and outs of raising chickens for eggs and more.
November 7th
Interview with the Chicken Lady 3
Are you ready to raise your own chickens and enjoy delicious home grown eggs? This is the last blog post in our series that asks an expert chicken lady about all there is to know. If you missed the earlier two posts, I strongly suggest that you go back and catch up. Just click on the links: Interview with the chicken Lady and Interview with the Chicken Lady 2.
November 8th
While it is good to be frugal, more and more con artists are popping up to take advantage of people who are frugal. There is a lot of focus on frugality right now, and the bad guys know this. Be on the look out for free group scams, especially if you are new to the frugal living lifestyle.
November 9th
Getting Serious About Heat Conservation
We’ve been practicing frugal living in our home actively for about eight years. Most of those years have involved a lot of lifestyle changes, from having three kids to moving to a larger home. While we have kept up with being conservative about our spending, we haven’t been able to make any dramatic changes above and beyond what we do on a daily basis.
November 10th
Frugal Living Week in Review: November 3rd Through November 9th
I am so glad that we finally got through the elections this week. Now we can move forward and pull together behind our new leaders. One way that we are moving forward at home is to really take a look at some of the ways that we can make the biggest impact with frugal living practices. There is a treasure trove of frugal living articles in the archive, literally thousands, so take a few moments to curl up and browse through them for ideas. You can also get started by looking at the articles that were just posted this past week!
November 11th
Getting Serious About Heat Conservation Part 2
There are so many needs these days, and wants are definitely on the back burner. One way that the economy has affected us, even in our normally frugal living home is that some of our priorities are shifting. One of these priorities is to do some serious steps toward heat conservation.
The Best Prices on Disposable Diapers Today
Sales and coupons aside, there are times when we just need to pick up diapers at the store. Often, we don’t have time to do all of the coupon cutting and sale shopping that is required for getting a good deal. Or, we find ourselves with one diaper left (an emergency situation) and we would almost gladly pay any price just to have a package of them magically appear. Stocking up when we do come across sales is often difficult to do with diapers, since babies outgrown sizes unpredictably, and then there is the matter of potty training.
November 13th
Practical Gifts for a Frugal Family
Giving great gifts is always a good feeling. If you are wondering what gifts might be most appreciated by a frugal family (or if you can think of ideas for your own wish list) you might want to take a look at the following ideas. Yes, they are all very practical gifts, although that doesn’t mean that a little pampering couldn’t be thrown in. For example, a gift of service could mean anything from a gift of lawn service done by the giver to a a series of hair cuts and styles done in a high-end spa.
November 16th
Practical Gifts for a Frugal Family Part 2
Are you looking for some practical gift ideas for someone who is frugal? We are continuing with our brainstorming. If you missed the first post in this topic, click here to catch up: Practical Gifts for a Frugal Family.
November 17th
Frugal Living Week in Review: November 10th Through November 16th
Job losses seem to be increasing to the point where I am hearing about more and more people that I know being laid off. But I am hopeful that things will turn around. Look for some future posts on dealing with some of these issues. Meanwhile, put some frugal strategies into use with the week’s past articles.
Whether you are wrapping presents for a birthday party or for the holidays, gift wrap can be expensive. Why spend as much on the wrap as you do on the present? There are some strategies that you can use to get some absolutely free gift wrap. Put that extra money toward buying more gifts, or just save it. Take a look at the following ways to get free gift wrap.
November 18th
How do you feed 14 kids and 12 adults cheaply without being stingy? Here is how I made the most of the resources on hand to serve all of these people for very little money with a combination of store bought and homemade food (and I had a nice amount of leftovers).
Choosing Wisely for the Thanksgiving Meal
Some food costs more than others. Here is how to make the best selections for your budget and still be true to a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
November 19th
The LipStick Effect and Frugal Living
The lipstick effect can be a help or a hinderance to your commitment to frugal living. Find out what the lipstick effect is and how to deal with it.
November 20th
Finding Money When You Need Some
You’ve been watching every penny, but now the furnace needs a repair. How do you come up with the extra money when there is nothing in the bank to cover it? Or maybe your daughter needs a winter coat. Check out some of the following ideas.
November 21st
With Thanksgiving coming up next week, you may be thinking about holiday travel. If you are going by car, the way that you pack it up can affect how much you pay in gasoline. Factors in saving money when traveling by car include not only how much you bring but also where you place it. Keep reading to find out how you can travel frugally just by how you pack.
November 22nd
Teenagers can be hard to purchase gifts for. They generally know more than you do about what is currently in, and most of the general gifts for teens fall into the electronics category which can get quite expensive. If you have a teen or two on your list, you might appreciate some good tips for getting them nice gifts while still staying on a budget. Here are some ideas.
November 23rd
Whether you are having a huge Thanksgiving gathering or just your immediate family to dinner, it is fun to have a few Thanksgiving theme activities that you can enjoy. It will help keep everyone occupied when the you are all still waiting for the turkey to finish, create some new memories and just make a festive time. Friends and family don’t often get a chance to get together, so why not make the most of it with some planned but frugal fun?
November 24th
Frugal Living Week in Review: November 17th Through November 23rd
There has certainly been some good news about gas prices going down, but I don’t think that we are out of the woods just yet. Being good stewards of our resources is a necessity. Take a look at last week’s articles about Frugal Living.
November 25th
Whether you are looking for a date night with your spouse or wondering what to do on a first date, you can spend less and still impress. Here are 7 different ideas for frugal dates that fun and sometimes even free.
November 26th
7 Frugal Reasons I Won’t Be Going Shopping on Black Friday
Frugality and Black Friday go hand in hand right? Hmm, not for me. This year (as the years before) I will not be going out to do any shopping, unless it is to pick up a gallon of milk for my eat-me-out-of-house-and-home dependents. In fact, maybe I’ll do all my freezer cooking shopping, since the grocery stores are bound to be empty.
November 27th
7 Frugal Reasons I Won’t Be Going Shopping on Black Friday (2)
In yesterday’s post, I shared two of the major reasons why shopping on Black Friday isn’t very frugal for me. If you missed that post, you can click here: 7 Frugal Reasons I Won’t Be Going Shopping on Black Friday
November 28th
7 Frugal Reasons I Won’t Be Going Shopping on Black Friday (3)
Whether you are home today avoiding the stores as I am, or just returned from you Black Friday shopping trip, I hope that you are having a nice and very frugal day. Personally, I am avoiding it all, the Black Friday shopping and even the Black Friday ads. I don’t want to be tempted to run out for that one special thing that I didn’t know I needed.
November 29th
Experiential Gifts Are Popular and Frugal
With everyone feeling the pinch of the economy, a new trend has been arising in holiday gift giving. They are called experimental gifts, and they don’t have to cost much at all.
November 30th
Dollar Store Shopping Strategies
Dollar stores are wonderful for saving money, but they can also be money pits, depending on how you shop. Maximize your savings on dollar store shopping when you employ some dollar store shopping strategies.