I buy what I can used. I don’t usually buy used shoes. I never buy used socks or underwear. I seldom buy used computers. Other than that, it’s all fair game. I have a good relationship with a little children’s consignment shop down the street—a great source for kids’ clothes/toys. My all-time favorite sources are [...]

I don’t know if you’ve seen the art exhibit about e-waste recently, but it’s shocking how many electronic gadgets we “consume” worldwide in the form of mobile phones, batteries, cameras, etc. Some of these have lived beyond their usefulness. I have on my desk, and old mobile phone/PDA and a digital camera that no longer [...]

You’ve likely noticed that I run ads here on Pennywise Family. It’s how I keep my blog free (ofsetting server, time, etc.) My committment to you is taht I only run ads for companies that *I* use adn taht I think are a good value. I’ve recently found Inksmile.com and added their ads. In my [...]

First off, my profound apologies for falling behind on my 31 days of financial literacy. I have some posts in the works to finish out the month, but I’ve been battling an illness this week, so once I’m fully back on my feet, I’ll finish those and post them. Also, I’m contemplating a redesign for [...]

I posted a few weeks ago about making your own laundry detergent. Now I’ve been after dishwasher detergent. There’s a great web site called “Dollar Stretcher” and they have some recipes for home-made dishwasher detergent. You just put one tablespoon Borax and one tablespoon baking soda in the detergent compartment. For “add rinse agent” put [...]