20 Frugal Tips from Someone Who Lived Through the Great Depression | Steadfast Finances During another weekend road trip to visit the family for Mother’s Day, I always make it a habit to drop in on Grandma and soak in a few hours worth of knowledge she’s accumulated over her near 75 years. Gifts were exchanged, I overindulged in home cookin’, but in the end, I sat with a piece of paper scribbling notes on what it was like for her (and other family members) to live through the Great Depression. I’m fortunate that I haven’t felt the effects of the recession, so I thought it would be interesting to get her point of view since she lived through one of the harshest periods of American history. In the end, I wasn’t exactly surprised because I’ve heard many of these frugal living rules over and over again, but it’s finally nice to get them down on paper. I hope you can learn as much from her wisdom as I have over the years. Save a dollar for every dollar you spend. by Koshyk
What You'll Wish You'd Known January 2005 (I wrote this talk for a high school. I never actually gave it, because the school authorities vetoed the plan to invite me.) When I said I was speaking at a high school, my friends were curious. I'll start by telling you something you don't have to know in high school: what you want to do with your life. If I were back in high school and someone asked about my plans, I'd say that my first priority was to learn what the options were. It might seem that nothing would be easier than deciding what you like, but it turns out to be hard, partly because it's hard to get an accurate picture of most jobs. But there are other jobs you can't learn about, because no one is doing them yet. And yet every May, speakers all over the country fire up the Standard Graduation Speech, the theme of which is: don't give up on your dreams. What they really mean is, don't get demoralized. Which is an uncomfortable thought. I'm not saying there's no such thing as genius. Upwind Ambition Corruption Now
DIY Friendship Necklace – HonestlyWTF As soon as Lauren and I saw this editorial in Flare Magazine, we knew we had to recreate these awesome, friendship bracelet-like necklaces. We promise they are super easy to make and the perfect way to pass the time during those long summer roadtrips. To make a 2-tone necklace, cut a long piece of rope and wrap two different colors of embroidery thread around its own bobbin. Tie a starter knot along with the two colored threads you are using, leaving at least 3 inches of slack, Tape down the slack to a flat surface or safety pin it something that will help keep it in place (feeling nostalgic yet?). To alternate colors, simply put the inactive color (red) in your left hand and the new active color (purple) in your right. Once you’re done knotting, add a few nuts and/or washers to the necklace.
10 Things to Do With 10 Bucks: $10 and Under Meals | Food & Drink | Living Frugally Given our packed lives, it's no wonder we return again and again to the simple pleasures. Take, for example, cooking at home. What may seem like a mundane act actually satisfies us on a lot of levels: It's healthy, fun, creative and nourishing, not to mention a money-saver. But not all from-scratch meals are cheap to cook up. What Are Your Favorite Cheap Meals? From roasted chicken and pot pie to hearty winter soup, these recipes all feed from two to four. Whether you're craving Indian, Mexican or plain old comfort food, there's a meal here for this evening ... and the next. View Slide Show Get More Under-$10 Meals ... Make grilled chicken with roasted corn, onions and smoky black beans with this delicious recipe.
50 Creative, Cheap Ways to Have Fun “Never let lack of money interfere with having fun.” ~Unknown Back when we were young, we may have asked our parents for money to do things, but more often than not, we found creative ways to have fun without spending a dime. At least I know I did. My cousins and I turned their bulkhead cellar doors into a slide—and the main attraction of our DIY amusement park. We turned cardboard paper towel rolls and rice-filled soda bottles into instruments, and entertained ourselves for hours on end. We didn’t wait for overtime or vacation weeks to have fun. I highly doubt I’d spend one of my adult Saturdays banging on a homemade coffee can drum, but there’s something to said for getting a little creative with your downtime. If you’re looking for some cheap, creative ways to enjoy the weekend—or perhaps an upcoming weekday you’ve chosen to liberate—I recommend: Have Fun Outside 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Have Fun with Food 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. Have Fun with Entertainment 21. 22.
Eight Products You Think You Need—But Don't - Health Here's a secret the $50 billion cosmetics industry doesn't want you to know: You don't need almost any of what they're peddling. Truth is, that our bodies are smart, and long before the advent of $200 eye creams—or even basic shaving cream—we were all doing just fine. Of course, some of the products we use have appeal beyond their utility: They smell good, they feel good, they make us look good. Don't buy it? But when it comes to personal care, less really is more—and that goes for the bare necessities as well. Lip Balm We all know someone addicted to their ChapStick, and there's a real simple reason for that: Many lip salves contain alcohol, which can dry the hell out of your lips. Aftershave Most of us think we need aftershave to "close our pores" after shaving, but that's not quite right; our pores are clever and they will do that on their own. Foot Cream The skin on our feet may feel thicker than the skin on our forearms, but that doesn't mean it needs its own product category.
Food for a Month: Week 4 | Food & Drink | Living Frugally Our Food for a Month series wraps up with one last week of delicious, home-cooked meals. (Click here for recipes for week one, week two and week three.) By now, you know the drill: Click on the first slide for your shopping list for the week, then do the prep work below, which will make the rest of your week's cooking fly by. The Menu Day 1: Sausage-Fried Quinoa Day 2: Asian-Style Soba Noodles Day 3: Italian-Influenced Mélange Day 4: Vegetable Quinoa Salad Day 5: Dinner Frittata With Escarole Snack: Tomato and White Bean Salsa The Plan: Prep the Vegetables 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil (divided) 1 teaspoons salt (divided) 1 pound eggplant, cubed 1 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed 8 ounces potatoes, scrubbed and cubed (skin on) Sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon of coarse salt onto eggplant. Make the Quinoa Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Cook Off Sausage Heat 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Clean Escarole, Bok Choy and Basil Print out all the recipes for the week here.
The Universal Packing List Optical Illusions In Architecture, Columns Many optical illusions are found in architecture and, strangely enough, many of these were recognized long before painting developed beyond its primitive stages. The architecture of classic Greece displays a highly developed knowledge of many geometrical optical illusions and the architects of those far-off centuries carefully worked out details for counteracting them. Drawings reveal many optical illusions to the architect, but many are not predicted by them. The ever-changing relations of lines and forms in architecture as we vary our viewpoint introduce many optical illusions which may appear and disappear. Any view of a group of buildings or of the components of a single building will exhibit some optical illusions. We never see in the reality the same relations of lines, forms, colors, and brightnesses as indicated by the drawings or blue-prints. During the best period of Grecian art many refinements were applied in order to correct optical illusions.
16 Ways to Eat Healthy While Keeping it Cheap This is a guest post by Mehdi, author of StrongLifts.com. If you enjoy this post, check out his site. Eating healthy is important. Eating healthy: Lowers disease risksIncreases productivityGives you more energyMakes you stronger You probably think eating healthy is expensive. What is Healthy Food? Protein. On with the tips. 1. It’s healthierIt’s cheaper Quit the soda & drink water. 2. Cleaner? Bottled water companies get their supply from the same source you do: municipal water systems. 3. Full of vitaminsHigh in proteinsLow in price Don’t believe the Eggs & Cholesterol myth. 4. Fat doesn’t make you fat, excess calories doYou need a balanced intake of fats: omega 3, 6 & 9 I’m on the Anabolic Diet, I buy beef chuck instead of sirloin. 5. 6. 7. Take less time to prepareYou don’t waste money if not eaten in timeCan be bought in bulk for discounts & stored in your freezer If you can afford fresh veggies, then do it. 8. Buy organic food. Choose what fits your wallet best. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
DIY: Laundry Room Drying Rack For a long time, I have really wanted one of those drying racks from Ballard Designs. You’ve seen them. They’re so perfect in the laundry room for drying your delicate clothing. I really wanted to save the money and build one myself. Here’s a look at the final result: This is the perfect solution for drying all of my delicates! How to Build a Laundry Room Drying Rack + Supplies: 2 x 2’ precut birch (1/2 inch thick)Two 1/2 x 2” poplar boardsTwo 3/8” dowel rods (48” long)Sash lockNarrow loose pin hinges (set of two)D ring hangers for mounting on wallBracketed hinge for side (or chain with small screw eyes)Three white porcelain knobsPrimer and paint of choice Necessary tools: Drill bit set, including 3/8 inch drill bit, screwdriver, framing nails, a hammer, and a saw. Step One: Measure and cut your 1/2 inch x 2 boards to fit the 2 x 2 precut birch. Step Two: With your 3/8 inch drill bit, drill holes for your precut dowel rods. Step Three: Finish assembling your rack with framing nails.
Bike Fit - Proper Bike Fit Can Prevent Pain and Injury Whether you are riding to the corner store or across the country, you should be comfortable on your bike. If you have neck, back, or knee pain, saddle sores, or hand or foot numbness, your bicycle probably doesn't fit you properly. Good bike fit can also improve your pedaling efficiency and aerodynamics and actually make you faster. Adjusting the Saddle Your bike seat should be level to support your full body weight and allow you to move around on the seat when necessary. To adjust the seat height, wear your biking shoes and riding shorts and place your heels on the pedals. You can also adjust the seat forward and backward (fore and aft position). Handlebar Adjustment If the handlebars are too high, too low, too close, or too far away, you may have neck, shoulder, back, and hand pain. Because your body is asymmetric (one leg or arm may be slightly longer or shorter than the other) an ideal bike fit is often a matter of trial and error. Individual anatomy may also result in knee pain.