Frugal Spending

Well, our Dell is still dead.  Because we had to deplete our emergency fund to pay for truck repairs, we’re not comfortable with buying a new computer before restoring our savings.  In addition, there is a good chance that we are going to have to make a trip home this month for family reasons,...
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It was an interesting weekend, to say the least… On Friday evening, our tv and light started turning on and off on their own, as if possessed.  Upon investigation, we found that a switch that is used to turn on that particular outlet was extremely hot and making popping noises.  This didn’t seem good. ...
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It’s almost official. We decided not to extend our warranty on our Dell Inspiron 9100 (from 4 years to 5 years) because of the cost. It would have been about $350, and we had just gotten a new hard drive, DVD drive, and motherboard while it was still under the 4-year warranty. What could...
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I am really happy – I just got myself some “free” babysitting!  I have a neighbor who is studying for a math exam she needs to pass for teaching, and I offered to tutor her.  She’s got the concepts down, but just needs some help with test-taking strategies and finding some ways to solve...
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…and it’s for a whole night!  Wisebread posted about the Super 8 promotion, where you can book a room for $8.88 if you’re one of the first 800 people to make a reservation after 8PM EST.  This promotion lasts through August 15th, and I can verify firsthand that it works. We were able to...
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We’re back from a weekend camping trip. It was a lot of fun, even though we got rained on for a whole night and part of a day. Trying to keep a 2-year-old contained in a tent while waiting for a storm to pass was challenging, but somewhat manageable. I have made a mental...
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I was on Slickdeals.net this weekend, and came across this offer.  Basically, through 7/28, if you have never signed up for Amazon Prime before, you can use this link to get $10 off your next Amazon order when you sign up for a free one month trial of Amazon Prime.  Amazon Prime allows for...
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These days, I know that many people are trying to do everything that they can to save money (myself included).  Clipping coupons from the Sunday paper is one popular method of pinching pennies, but I am beginning to wonder if it is the best for me. When I go to the grocery store, I...
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After traveling last weekend, everyone was ready to take it easy.  We wanted to get out and enjoy nature this weekend, and were thinking about taking a short trip (less than 2 hours) to a state park.  However, on Friday evening, we pulled out our atlas, and found a nature center that was only...
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If you’re like me, you buy the Sunday paper to clip some coupons and hopefully get a couple of good deals (or at least make up the cost of buying the Sunday paper).  I am always trying to make sure that I got all of the coupon inserts for the Sunday paper; in our...
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