This is a classic frugal tip that is so good, it bears repeating. Supermarkets aren’t a good place to buy toiletries and many household consumables (diapers, paper plates, deodorant, etc.), so only shop the perimeter. Most grocery stores are laid out in a “box” pattern with vegetables on one side, dairy and meats along another [...]

Use Industrial Materials Exchange to save money!

Sorry for you non-cat owners. Today won’t be especially relevant. I’ve got to tell the cat owners out there about something I’m a big fan of. It’s a product called “Worlds Best Cat Litter” (yes, I just blogged my cat litter). The stuff is made of recycled corn cobs diced into tiny bits. It’s very [...]

Yeah, I really said that. Take a good hard look at everything you throw out for a week. Why are you throwing it away? It didn’t come into your house for free—have you used it to the full extent of its life? Can you re-use something one more time? Every day our daughter brings in [...]

All about scaling back consumption, without loosing the meaning.

Learn to save money on food using co-op shopping. This can be formal or informally organized bulk purchasing.

I don’t know about you, but medical bills have been hitting our house like no body’s business! I honestly can’t believe the rate they’re flocking in right now despite our relatively good health, and decent health insurance. An ear infection here, a broken tooth there, and routine prescriptions are a truly massive part of our [...]

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’m planning to get back to the 30 days of financial literacy this afternoon (or maybe even tonight after the Town Hall for Hope event), but I was thinking you all might appreciate my recession breakfast recipe. Our favorite affordable breakfast is Steel Cut Oats (also called Irish Oats). These are whole oats, which are [...]