Which brings me to the theme of this edition of the Festival of Frugality.
No two lives are the same, and even the same person ends up living very differently at different stages of his or her life, and because of that, different things that may be a good frugal suggestion at that stage may be either impossible to do or wasteful at another stage. For example, as a stay at home mother who homeschools her 2 boys and has a baby who spits up on her, it definitely would not be a frugal idea for me to invest in expensive, formal professional clothes, as my kids manage to stain my clothes and I'm constantly getting my clothes dirty with my cooking and picking wild edibles, so those clothes would get ruined via stains or wear out from all the washing way too quickly. On the other hand, for a single professional who needs to look presentable at her job, getting high quality professional clothing that will last for years could be a very frugal investment.
Therefore, I present to you the Life Stages edition of the Festival of Frugality, where I will go through the hypothetical life of an individual, and share the posts relevant to each stage of life that he or she is at.
But first, let me share you my favorite posts from this week-
Life Changes That Have Saved Us Money by BudgetingWithTheBushmans.com, one of my favorite ultra frugal blogs.
Boomer, from BoomerandEcho.com disses my "Frugal Hero" in this post where he mentions that he Thinks The Tightwad's Gazette's Amy Dacyczyn is Off Her Rocker. Ha, I guess he won't be liking my blog much, as I've been called the Amy Dacyczyn of the 21st century... Or BudgetingWithTheBushmans.com, for thatmatter. But thats ok, I like this post for the creative ideas of hers that he shares, even if he thinks they're bad ideas.
Collaborative Consumption to Save Money on BarbaraFriedbergPersonalFinance.com talks about how communal consumption, sharing on a large scale, can save you lots of money, and is the wave of the future. I don't know about the future, but that is one of the benefits of my community- that things are like that now here, which saves me so much money, because we aren't all buying 10 versions of the same thing- things get passed around from family to family to use as needed.
Making Money Out of Molehills from SeeDebtRun.com is a post by a new blogger who decided to tackle her debt, and she offers some pretty good ideas, even for those of us not so new to this frugal game.
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| Image: M - Pics / FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
Here's 8 ways to save you money on car care this winter on OneCentAtATime.Com and a post on
Paying Cash for a New Car from FiscalPhoenix.com.
If you, like me, didn't have your own car at 16 (I only got my license at 18 as I was able to save money that way because in my home state, once you're 18 you no longer need to pay for and go to Driver's Ed), you might first really have to think about finances and budgeting when you're in college, especially if you're living away from home or if you're paying your way through college.
Since one of the most common debts most people today have are student loans, I thought it would interest many of you to read this post from FreeFromBroke.com about Colleges with Free Tuition.
If you can't attend college for free, here are some Tips to Lower the Cost of College from StepAwayFromTheMall.com.
Even if you think you're ineligible, here's a post on How to Get the Most Financial Aid from the Millionaire Nurse Blog.
A big expense in college is the cost of textbooks. Here's a post from MyUniversityMoney.com on How Apple Selling Textbooks Will Save You Money
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| Image: Arvind Balaraman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
So, you graduate college and enter the real world.
Here's some Personal Finance Advice for the College Graduate from the TheFrugalToad.com.
Paying back those student loans? Here's Why You Shouldn't Consolidate Your Student Loans by SmartFamilyFinance.com.
When you leave college, you probably have a bunch of textbooks just lying around that you want to resell. This post from MintingNickles.com on Where It Pays to Sell Your Books can help you make the most from the sale.
And while we're on the topic of books, if you want to Buy an E-Reader to Save Money, Here's Some Things You Should Know, by ModestMoney.com
Graduated, got a job, now you might be thinking relationships and marriage and kids.
Here are 7 Fun Frugal Date Ideas from PersonalDividends.com.
Also, here are 10 Ways to Improve Your Relationship from BibleMoneyMatters.com
Should I Give My Child Allowance? by BabyAlerts.ca
Ready to settle down and buy a house?
Save on Moving Costs by Selling Furniture by StupidCents.com
Some Ideas On How To Save Money When Moving by ReadyForZero.com
It may Not Be a Good Idea To Buy Preconstruction as this guy fromFamilyMoneyValues.com learned.
And another about real estate, when Buying a Rental Property- Should You Take Investors? from YoungAdultFinances.com
Many people, at this point, realize that they have a money problem, that they're heavily in debt.
Have you noticed that your Credit Card Has Become Your Enabler, as in this post from PersonalFinanceWhiz.com and now you want to get out of debt?
First, Use a Bit of Realism and Your Imagination so you can actually feel paying off your debt is doable, as in the one from MyBrokenCoin.com.If you got yourself in trouble financially, its a good idea to ask other people for advice on how to change things. Check out this post on How to Accept Advice From Others by TheUltimateJuggle.com
You decide that you need to start being more money smart. Here are some general lifestyle tips that help save lots of cash.
Simple Living Saves the Most Money by BucksomeBoomer.com
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Not Only Green, But Also Money Saving by MoneySpendingMommy.com
Save A Lot of Money By Money Stacking by HowToSaveMoney.Ca
But if you really want to tackle that debt, here are some more specific frugal living tips, both what you should make sure to do,and what you should make sure to avoid doing.
FrugalLiving.com.au shares The Number One Tip For Successful Budgeting. What is it? You'll have to read to find out.
Are Name Brands a Racket? by FreeMoneyWisdom.com/
Funancials.biz shares a thought provoking post on whether you should Stick To The Same Company, or Switch To New Services Regularly?
Financial Habits You Need To Destroy Right Now by GreenPandaTreeHouse.com
Simple Ways to Slay Your Energy Guzzler Bills by EverydayMoneyInfo.com
Improve Negotiations By Being Willing To Walk Away on PersonalFinanceJourney.com
Voucher Discounts- The Good and the Bad by EverythingFinanceBlog.com
Can You Extreme Coupon in Canada? by FinanceFox.ca
Hit Up Seasonal Sales to Save Money by PlantingMoneySeeds.com
Post Valentines Day Sales by TheAmateurFinancier.com
If you're looking to save money in the kitchen, look no further.
Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) to Save Money on Healthy Food by PassiveFamilyIncome.com
Menu Planning For Dummies by TotallyMoney.com
Stock Your Pantry, Don't Blow Your Budget by BlogsMonroe.com
Top 5 Ways To Trim A Grocery Budget by FireFinance.blogspot.com
As you near retirement age, you most likely will be thinking about saving for retirement and life after retirement.
Automate Your Savings by MoneyInfant.com
6 Most Reliable Ways to Save For Retirement by MyRetirementBlog.com
Canada's Cutting Their Old Age Monetary Assistance by FinancialGod.com
My grandma Dolly got herself cats when she retired. She was divorced, bored, and lonely, and her cats kept her company.
Save Money On Pets: Ticks and Fleas by Thriftability.com
Now my other grandma, Beth, has used her "retirement" a completely different way. She's still working as a college professor two days a week, but is also using her golden years to travel around the world, and appreciating the finer things in life. I mean, if not now, then when?
How To Have a Cheap Vacation by YoungFamilyFinance.com
Travel Like a Boy Scout by 101Centavos.com
Fine Dining While Traveling- Frugally! by Marriedwithdebt.com
Thrifty Way to Travel by PrairieEcoThrifter.com
8 Tips To Save While Traveling by FinancialExcellence.net
Eat Out on a Budget by TheFamilyWallet.com
How to Afford Expensive Things by SavingAdvice.com
And at the end of everyone's life, hopefully at the end of a very long and fulfilling life, they return to their Maker and pass on from this world....
Funeral Add Ons by FreeMoneyFinance.com
Sorry, hope that last one wasn't too morbid...
I hope you enjoy reading through these links packed with plenty of information and frugal living tips.
Just out of curiosity, how old were you when you got your drivers license? When you moved out of the house? When you got married? When you bought your first home? When you had your first kid?
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