Festival of Frugality #359: 60 days left Edition

Hi there! I am delighted to host the Festival of Frugality today, with some of the best posts from the past few weeks. Please remember to link back to the festival if you have been included, and if you would like to participate next week, you can submit your post HERE.

 

The Mayan ruins of Tikal, Guatemala. Thanks to Yves Lambert for the photo

 

 

The Mayans announced it, the world is ending in two months. I know, the end of the World is so 2010. But what if you only had sixty days left on Earth? What would you do? 

 

PARTY LIKE THERE IS NO TOMORROW

 

Money Beagle presents How We Had An Amazingly Fun Weekend And Kept It Cheap posted at Money Beagle. What a great weekend, and the best part was how little it all cost!

Amanda L Grossman presents 6 Frugal and Fun Activities for Fall and Halloween posted at Frugal Confessions. We are truly experiencing the best of both worlds right now with borderline crisp mornings melting away into warm and sunny afternoons.

Philip presents Tips for Scary Cheap Halloween Candy and Decor posted at PT Money Personal Finance. With Americans spending around $2 billion a year on Halloween candy, that factors out to about $20 per person. In this economy, that’s not a small pricetag. There are ways to save money on both candy and decorations.

 

TRAVEL THE WORLD 

 

Corey presents Would You Rather…Buy a Second Car or Travel? posted at 20s Finances. Would you rather buy a second car or have a nice annual vacation? What means more to you and why?

Pauline (That’s me) presents How to save money on currency exchange posted at Reach Financial Independence. If you need to exchange currencies for your next holiday or because you are moving abroad, make sure you get the best rate for you hard earned dollars! Here are a few tips to help you see through the many currency exchange options available.

Miss T. presents Are You Getting Ripped Off at the Gas Pump? posted at Prairie Eco Thrifter. When you get gas, make sure that the price per gallon times the number of gallons is very close to the total charged.

 

START A HOMESTEAD

 

 CF presents Summer 2012 garden recap posted at The Outlier Model. We harvested the remainder of our tomatoes last weekend and analyzed our total return on the garden investment. We came out very much ahead!

 

 

 

 

Guatemalan handmade bed cover

 

MAKE BABIES

 

 

Jason presents What is the right time to have a baby, financially? posted at Work Save Live. Is there ever one?

Sustainable PF presents Using a midwife, one year later, financials posted at Sustainable Personal Finance.

 

CALL BEFORE YOU GO OFF THE GRID

 

 

 

SFB presents Why I may finally buy a smartphone posted at Simple Finance Blog. Although more than half of all cell phones in use in the U.S. are smartphones – representing 110 million American adults – I’ve never seriously considered buying one… until now.

Beating Broke presents How I Saved Money on iPad Repairs (Twice) posted at Beating Broke. I started doing research on repairing my iPad myself. I could buy a replacement digitizer for about $50, and if I could figure out how to do it myself, I’d save 50% on the second screen repair.

 

FORGET THE JONESES

 

 

 

Maria presents Why comparing your budget to this of other people is a really dumb thing to do posted at The Money Principle. Your budget is a reflection of yourself and should feel comfortable. Your preferences and wants are your own and you are the one to work these out.

Ashley presents How Big Is Your Carrot? posted at Money Talks Coaching. I saw this picture the other day and loved it. Which carrot would you rather have? I think it speaks so clearly to the financial decisions we have to.

Glen Craig presents How to Control Your Emotions When Shopping posted at Free From Broke . Being in the wrong place emotionally when you head out shopping is a recipe for disaster that can leave you with stuff you don’t need and in debt. See how you can better control your emotions when shopping.

SB presents Dumb Real Housewives of Idiot Box and Their Foolish Money Practices posted at One Cent at a Time. This is what you should not learn about money by watching real housewives episodes. What you learn is how not to live your life. Stay away from the glamour and borrowed money lifestyle, create wealth and achieve financial freedom.

Jacob presents Are You Guilty of Irrational Money Decisions? posted at My Personal Finance Journey. This post illustrates several irrational spending decisions and ways in which to avoid them and to avoid coming up short at the end of the month.

Melissa presents Consider Selling Your Car and Going Car-less posted at Bargaineering. Surviving in America without a car is counterculture and can make life difficult, especially if you live in the suburbs or the country. However, there are times selling your car might be just the right thing to do.

Young presents A Woman’s Perspective on Engagement Rings posted at Young And Thrifty. As a woman who has been dating her boyfriend for the past 7 years, bought a home and moved in together for the past 1.5 years, my perspective on an engagement ring is simple.

David Leonhardt presents 8 sneaky ways to get free furniture posted at Self-help Happiness Blog. This is about being creative. Free furniture is there for the taking. All you have to do is open your eyes, and you will never pay for furniture again.

Savvy Scot presents The Saver: In Which Category Do You Belong? posted at The Savvy Scot. WARNING: This post may cause a realisation! The Savvy Scot broadly categorises the 3 different types of saver – Disciplined, Occasional and Horrendous – the question is; are you really the type you think you are? Oh and there is $50 to be won by reading here too…

Everything Finance presents Why You Should Have a $1,000 Car Insurance Deductible posted at Everything Finance Blog. After I calmed down, I started thinking more clearly and realized: Having a $1,000 car insurance deductible is still the right choice. And let me explain why.

 

 

SPEND EVERYTHING AND RISK GOING BROKE

 

 

 

Crystal presents Could That Happen to Me? posted at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff. ESPN showed Called Broke, it was about pro athletes who went broke after making more money in four or five years than most people make in their lifetimes.

Teacher Man presents My University Money Interactive Student Budget posted at My University Money. My University Money is proud to offer its own unique original resource with its interactive student budget that even an humanities guy like me can figure out!

 

 

KEEP WORKING

 

 

Harry Campbell presents Save Money on Your Flu Shot This Winter posted at Your Personal Finance Pro. If you’re a manager and two of your employees have similar performance, and you have to lay someone off, who are you more likely to get rid of? The guy who’s sick all the time or the guy who never misses a day.

Scott presents What is the Fiscal Cliff and Why Should I Care? posted at One Smart Dollar. We are looming on the fiscal cliff. Here is a little basic information about what it is and why it is important for your life.

A Blinkin presents Presidents are at the Mercy of the Business Cycle posted at Funancials. If you’ve been following along, you know that we have been looking at the economic track record of past Presidents. Hopefully, this will allow us to make an informed decision when we cast our vote for Mitt Romney or President Obama or neither. I am searching high and low for possible trends. Unfortunately, the trend that I have noticed thus far is that there is no trend.

 

 

ADAPT YOUR HOME

 

Sicorra presents How to Save Money on Home Improvement Projects posted at Tackling Our Debt. Whether you are making minor updates or refinishing your entire house, there are ways to get the work done without spending a ton of money. Let’s talk about some of the ways that you can complete your home improvement projects and still save money.

JP presents Buying a House is definitely an Asset for Your Family posted at My Family Finances. Freezing your housing costs and avoiding rent inflation are big assets. They dont change on the whims of the housing market and they arent subject to the foolishness of investors.

Hank presents Why Your Stay At Home Spouse Needs Life Insurance posted at Money Q&A. Far too many families forget to purchase life insurance for a spouse that stays at home and takes care of the children. This can be a tragic mistake should the stay at home spouse die unexpectedly. 

 

 

KEEP YOUR FRUGAL COOL AND PAY DEBT

 

John S presents When is Being Frugal Really Just Being Cheap? posted at Frugal Rules. Many times we try to be frugal in order to save money, but it can often mean you’re just being cheap. It’s important to know the difference between the two and look for quality items that can help you save more money in the long run.

FMF presents Spend Less than You Earn posted at Free Money Finance. Many people see “spend less than you earn” and simply think “I need to focus on keeping my spending low and pinching pennies all my life.” But that’s only half the story. So I thought I’d highlight each of the parts to clear up any misunderstandings about what I consider to be a gem of personal finance advice.

Steven presents Top 100 Websites for Saving Money in Canada posted at Grocery Alerts. We included websites that give advice on investing, mortgage rates, insurance quotes, coupons, mobile deal websites, financial gurus, frugal living, retirement pros, consumer news, financial media, and personal blogs.

Ben Feldman presents The 27-Year Old Entrepreneur Who Paid Off $6,500 in Credit Card Debt posted at ReadyForZero Blog. Sometimes the long road to becoming debt-free can feel like one that will never end. That’s why we’re sharing the motivational story of someone who worked to get himself out of credit card debt – as a reminder that with time and hard work anyone can do the same.

KT presents How to Compare Credit Cards posted at Personal Finance Journey. 4 Great ways to compare credit cards and make the right decision when choosing the right card for you.

Michael presents 4 Ways To Save By Automating Your Payments posted at So You Think You Can Save. Are you still sending your bill payments in the mail via check? Find out how that’s costing you money.

 Chris presents 5 Reasons You Should Avoid a Low Credit Score at All Cost posted at Modest Money. If you are one of those people who think that a low credit score is nothing to be concerned about, then you had better think again.

 

                                 World Heritage site of Tikal, Guatemala

 

INVEST IN YOUR FUTURE… IN CASE THIS IS NOT THE END

 

Invest It Wisely presents Why I Love Being a Landlord posted at Invest It Wisely. Read why I love being a landlord! Perhaps you’ll consider taking the plunge too.

Suba presents Early retirement strategy on one income : Can we still retire early with our income cut in half? posted at Wealth Informatics. We want to retire by 40. The goal just got more challenging with me quitting my job, thus cutting our household income in half. Is it still possible for us to achieve this dream?

TRL presents Best Ways to Buy a Rental Property posted at The Retired Landlord. Find out the many ways that you can pay for a rental property. There are more ways than the traditional mortgage.

 

 This post was featured on the My University Money, Outlier Model, thank you!