“Cheaper Than Cheap” is a recurring tip series about frugality. The idea is to provide potentially helpful frugality tips that border on fanatical or fictitious to the point of becoming humorous. Love them or hate them, let’s hear what you think. Tip #5 was on Save Gas By Being Creative. It really is as simple as the title suggests. Just wash and rinse your plastic sandwich and storage baggies. Spend the extra money and by Ziploc or other major brand baggies, and reuse them until they wear out. Baggies can be reused for multiple uses so that one box of [...]
Read MoreMay 2008
The Happy Rock is looking to expand and bring in a part time writer/blogger. Click here, to read more about the oppurtunity. I would love to find a reader who is in the trenches of debt reduction to augment the article base here at The Happy Rock. The further I am removed from being in debt, the harder it is for me to write fresh content on the whole process. Getting people out of debt is one of the main goals of the site and I think letting readers get a first hand view at someone walking their way out(with [...]
Read MoreTom : I just paid off a nice chunk of my debt. Mark : Really. Tom : Yep, we paid off one of our credit cards! Mark : That’s great, how did you find the money? Tom : I used a balance transfer for a new credit card that my wife signed up for. Mark : So you didn’t actually reduce your debt at all? Tom : Well, I guess technically you’re right I hear these types of conversations all the time. Let me be clear, moving debt from one account to another isn’t debt reduction. Buying a new car [...]
Read MoreI know that title probably doesn’t encompass your financial dreams, but take a second to think about your idea of financial success? A nice car, comfortable life, paid for house, retire at 50? We all usually have either vague notions or uber-grandiose ideas about our financial future. It is rare that I talk to any who has given thought to envisioning the desired outcome of all their financial planning and debt reduction. Have you? I am not talking about random daydreaming, but rather devoting serious mental energy to picturing and defining a vision for your financial future. Your financial vision [...]
Read MoreSlashing the budget is one of the first tasks people usually tackle after they decide they want to get out out of debt. It is often a frustrating task, because of the stress of the debt and the lack of perspective on what is a need versus what is a want. Let’s start by reiterating that getting out of debt is a marathon. It is not one decisions that gets you there, but a long series of decisions that continually build on one another that move you towards your goals. You need to make decisions that not only save you [...]
Read MoreThe Frugal Tool Chest is a recurring series covering practical tips and tools that will arm you to save even more money on your online purchases. Frugal Chest Tip #1 covered using Price Protectr to save money by getting post purchase refunds on price drops. This tip will walk you through some of the tips and tricks to find an item that you have decided to buy at the cheapest price. The article will use my most recent online purchase as a case study: La Crosse BC-900 Battery Charger. A few weeks ago I was reading The Simple Dollar’s rechargeable [...]
Read MoreThis tip comes from a reader, beth, on the library isn’t free post. Since most libraries are free to use if the books and other materials are returned on time, the way to save money is to make sure the books are returned on time. A lot of libraries have online access now to renew and view your account, but often like my system they don’t remind you of checked out books until a week or two after they were do. I suspect this may be because a portion of their income is from late fees, but I can be [...]
Read MoreI mentioned a few weeks that I wanted to further simplify my financial system and closing extra accounts is a big part of that. Well…I closed my NJM Bank Checking account. I have been putting this off for about a year, because the prospect of having to pay the occasional ATM fee made me cringe. Yes, I can be that cheap. The $8.00 a month ATM fee reimbursement was the sole reason I kept the account around. The ironic part is that the extra interest I will earn by having the money in ING will more than cover the extra [...]
Read MoreThe thing about debt is that our financial systems are setup to make it as easy as possible to spend money you don’t have. Your mailbox is littered with credit applications, and if you sign up at a store they give 15% and you are approved in about 3 minutes. At a car dealership all you have to do is sign a few papers. Even a mortgage is easy, although you have to sign a lot more papers. Thousands of dollars can transfer hands in a few minutes, and you are usually left with a depreciating asset and the obligation [...]
Read More“Cheaper Than Cheap” is a recurring tip series about frugality. The idea is to provide potentially helpful frugality tips that border on fanaticaor fictitious to the point of being humorous. Love them or hate them, let’s hear what you think. Tip #4 was on Earn Free Money By Reusing Bags At Grocery Stores. This tip is all about getting creative. Consider the picture. This car’s single owner a got serious about cutting down her car’s weight. You could also consider removing extra weight from the trunk, removing extra seats, and even the extra cds and chapsticks you don’t use. Less [...]
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