Frugal Friday

[ecosophia]

Welcome back to Frugal Friday!  This is a weekly forum post to encourage people to share tips on saving money, especially but not only by doing stuff yourself. A new post will be going up every Friday, and will remain active until the next one goes up. Contributions will be moderated, of course, and I have some simple rules to offer, which have changed as we've proceeded. (As things have settled down to a nice steady conversational pace, for example, I've deleted the rules about only one tip per person per week and about limiting the length of comments; I was worried early on about people flooding the forum with too much too fast, but I think we're past that risk.)

Rule #1:  this is a place for polite, friendly conversations about how to save money in difficult times. It's not a place to post news, views, rants, or emotional outbursts about the reasons why the times are difficult and saving money is necessary. Nor is it a place to use a money saving tip to smuggle in news, views, etc.  I have a delete button and I'm not afraid to use it.

Rule #2:  this is not a place for you to sell goods or services, period. Here again, I have a delete button and I'm not afraid to use it.

Rule #3:  please give your tip a heading that explains briefly what it's about.  Homemade Chicken Soup, Garden Containers, Cheap Attic Insulation, and Vinegar Cleans Windows are good examples of headings. That way people can find the things that are relevant for them. If you don't put a heading on your tip it will be deleted.

Rule #4: don't post anything that would amount to advocating criminal activity. Any such suggestions will not be put through.

With that said, have at it!

Comments

[claire_58]

Congratulations!!

Tell your friends and family to please skip the plastic toys and give them a list of practical items you need. Make providing this list a habit; remind them of your preferences every gift-giving season.
I've seen many young families up to their ankles in plastic shi--uh--merchandize, while they struggle to keep the children in boots and cold weather gear. Ask for donations and and suggest that contributions to the big ticket items would be appreciated.

[methylethyl]

Amen! We found most things we needed quite easy to get secondhand for deeply discounted prices. There were always a few things, like good quality practical shoes and storybooks that didn't make us want to gouge our eyes out after five readings, that were consistently hard to find that way (always ten pairs of light-up glitter boots and eight copies of "licensed toy marketing adventures with anthropomorphic trucks" and never a pair of toddler moccasins or a copy of "Down the Back of the Chair"). That's the time to be really, really specific with any grandparents and aunties who want Christmas suggestions. Give them a size and a picture and a link to the online store. Online wishlists are helpful. Not to push on everybody, but, you know, when they ask for suggestions. It's way better than getting the battery-powered light-up guitar toy that goes off for no apparent reason at 2am.

[(Anonymous)]

Thank you both! I’m definitely going to start keeping my eyes peeled for good childrens books at the used bookstores near me

[ecosophia]

Some public libraries have children's books available either for sale cheap or for free. Get yourself a list of Newbery Medal winners from before 1980 or so, when it turned political (like so much else), and look for them -- you won't regret it.