Black Saturday!

Today is Black Saturday because its the day after Halloween. Next year, it will be Black Sabbath. Har har! Ok, it's early and I'm loopy.

I just wanted to remind all of you striving to be frugal folks to head to your stores today to stock up for Halloween next year. Take advantage of the costume section if you still have a child young enough that you have to decide what they are going to be. I don't know if I'd risk it with an older child because a year is a long ways away and they like to change their minds!

Another thing to take advantage of are the party favors. Perfect for upcoming birthday parties or if you like to give each of your child's classmates a little treat bag for Christmas or Easter.

One thing that makes for a successful frugal lifestyle is thinking ahead! So go to the stores today for 50% off and take advantage of the treats and home decor! Don't forget to check back next Saturday because they should then have the everything else marked down 75%. Leave a comment about what you got today!

Phrugalosophy: Don't Go It Alone

Trying to live a more frugal lifestyle is best done with others who share your same goals. Trying to do it by yourself is like deciding you're going to jump in your car and take a trip to I've Never Been There, Idaho and not taking a map to help. It just wouldn't work well would it?

No matter how awesome you are at living the frugal life, you will never know everything there is to know on your own. Yes, I've come up with alot of my own great ideas, but I've also learned so much through friends and online resources. I have come across ideas that I would have never thought of myself. For example, using cloth napkins instead of paper towels. This idea never occured to me until I was eating over at a good friend's place (Hi Erin!). She asked if I wanted a napkin and being the napkin whore that I am, of course I said yes. She then proceeds to bring me a cloth napkin and a very pretty one I might add. I thought she was out of paper towels at first. She then explained she was too cheap to buy paper towels.

I got to thinking about it. Cheap? I don't think so. How about wise. I did a quick calculation on how much I spend on paper towels. I usually get one 3-pack of the wally world paper towels each week. With tax that would be about $1.75 per week. Multiply that by 52 and I'm spending at least $91 a year on something that's going to go in the trash. So why not spend half that amount stocking up on cloth napkins and then you can cut that expense out completely. You're also helping the environment. Can't beat killing 2 birds with one stone right?

Another example...a couple of weeks ago, my friend Stacy informed me that a local furniture store makes donations to our Habitat for Humanity thrift shop the first week of October. Therefore, I'll be checking it out this weekend and the next to see if I can find a nice piece of furniture for an insanely inexpensive price.

Those are just a few examples, but I think they illustrate my phrugalosophy well. I would have never known or thought about these things had I not surrounded myself with a frugal possee.


P.S. A napkin whore is someone that has to use multiple napkins per meal. I'm sorry, but I can't eat KFC and use just one dang paper towel!

Sing it with me..."I always feel like somebody's watching me!"

(Originally posted on my old blog "Work Around Your Wallet" on 1/31/07)


I really felt like singing that song yesterday when I went to the grocery store. As you walk in, there's a room for the buggies and the sale papers before you actually enter the grocery part. As I strolled in, I noticed 2 buggies with clearance items. Woo hoo! I head straight to them. I stood there digging around for about 15 minutes while other people came in and just walked on by. I could see people looking over at me out of the corner of my eye. I felt like a homeless person digging through garbage. LOL Not really, but you would have thought that's what I was and what I was doing. Nobody else stopped to peruse these items and they had some bangin' hair products too. Unfortunately, the conditioners didn't have the matching shampoos and vice versa and that's something I'm a bit anal about. I have to have the same brand and type of each. You will never see me using White Rain Cocunut Tropical Moisturizing Shampoo with Herbal Essences Lavedar Orgasmic Conditioner. I did find some hairspray though.

On into the store I went. I go through the veggies and fruit section, pick up what I need, and when I round the corner there is a one of those big wheely shelf things full of clearance stuff. It's like waving a steak in front of a starving dog. I go right to it and start carefully looking through everything because you know it isn't very organized. I take my time because I'm afraid I'll miss something. I have to squat to view the items on the bottom shelf. I'm there about 15 minutes as well, and yet again, I'm the only one. And yet again, I feel the looks.

Personally, it doesn't bother me because I know how much money I save by doing so. I actually used to be one of those people that would never stop and dig through a clearance buggy or shelf because I might look needy or poor. Guess what? I am better off financially now than I was then. What irony! Now...I'm financially stable but will shop clearance. Then...I was in awful debt but trying not to look like it by bypassing those cheapo clearance products. You could say I'm wealthy now compared to then.

I was confused back then and associated frugal with being cheap. Now I know better and I see so many that don't. Those people are more than likely in the same shoes I was about 6-7 years ago. I had credit card debt up the yin yang. Now, I don't have one except for my bankcard.

So I challenge all of you to dive into those clearance sections. The next time I go to the store, I don't want to see anything but your ass and legs in the air and the other half buried in a buggy full of perfectly great items that just happen to be marked down for quick sale. The stores need the room, so help them out!