Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Oct 13, 2011, 3:54 pm
Bargaining, “wheeling and dealing” or just getting a deal—whatever you call it, it isn’t always easy to find exactly the item or service you want, and then ask for a lower price.  Our American culture often views this sort of thing as the move of a cheapskate, or disrespectful/distrustful o...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Sep 23, 2011, 2:42 pm
... stair….but we don’t have that many stairs. Enter the Eureka Endeavor NLS. It’s not small. It’s not electric. ... And now my wife is happy : ). Video: Win a new Eureka Endeaver NLS! Eureka was nice enough to offer up one of ... address, so I can pass the info on to the Eureka pe...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Sep 9, 2011, 1:21 pm
I visited my pea-patch in the community garden yesterday, and found some rather disappointing results. It’s my fault, I hadn’t visited in a while, and I have been neglecting the need for soil amendments, but I did have a few things to harvest.  The problem was—with what was available to me,...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Sep 2, 2011, 4:22 pm
There’s a number of feelings that just all around feel icky.  Getting to work and not remembering if you locked the front door, the nagging question if you remembered to call back a friend, and that ugly little feeling called “buyer’s remorse.” Buyer’s remorse Buyer’s remorse is reall...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Aug 4, 2011, 7:58 pm
This week, the US food and Drug Administration held additional sessions about the possibility of (finally) establishing a gluten-free food labeling standard. (info) Lately, a growing number of people are electing a gluten-free diet. Some due to health conditions such as celiac disease, and others t...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Jul 7, 2011, 1:34 pm
This is a guest post from Brittany, a college student and lead writer at SavvyStudent.com Saving money for college is a job in itself. College students should earn credit for doing it, because the task requires using the mind and it’s helpful for life after college. So to help out the universal c...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Jun 30, 2011, 8:26 pm
If you’re a Dave Ramsey fan like us, you’ve heard the slogan “rice and beans!” He doesn’t really mean you have to eat rice and beans all of the time, but many of us have learned to cut budgets by using a lot of these hearty staples. Yes, the lowly bean is a nutritional and cost-saving powe...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Jun 23, 2011, 7:11 pm
My kids have nine days of school left this year.  I estimate it will be 9.5 days before the “I’m bored” chorus begins.  Even though we school at home now, the summer transition is about the same as it was when the kids went to public school. They can’t wait for school to end, and then they...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Jun 2, 2011, 4:24 pm
Until two years ago, I’d never heard the term “zero-based budget.”  I have learned to dread it. In fact, I hate zero based budgeting. But we use it at our house, because it works. It works brilliantly. Zero-based budget is basically this: Project what you have coming in for the month, and ma...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - May 23, 2011, 5:20 pm
You might be familiar with this term, most frequently associated with emergency medicine.  Triage: The act of determining priorities within an emergency. Well, money can work like this too. Many of us have experienced a revelation that something is NOT RIGHT with our money.  Perhaps you’re just...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - May 16, 2011, 2:11 pm
Most hardcore cheapskates have a secret.  Their price book or coupon strategy or a hard-and-fast rule “never shop on Fridays, always buy gas on Tuesdays.” I’m going to bare all, and share my arsenal of secret weapons. One on condition. Please, please share your secrets too! Here it goes—m...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - May 11, 2011, 6:40 pm
Hello BeingFrugal readers! I look forward to getting to know you in our journey here. By way of introduction, I’ll tell you a little about myself, my frugal living story, and my family’s goals with money. I hope that you’ll leave comments on your favorite topics to read here—perhaps I can ...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Apr 21, 2011, 12:54 pm
Well, life has caught up with me, and unfortunately my dreams of a 48 hour day have not come true. Between homeschooling the kids, keeping up the house, and becoming a certified foster parent, the time available for me to write articles for Being Frugal has all but disappeared. Sadly, that means I�...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Mar 20, 2011, 7:39 pm
Fuel prices are going up, up, up. By this summer, the experts say gas will be above $4.00 a gallon. That doesn’t bode well for the summer vacation season. And for those on an already too-tight budget, a serious increase in gasoline prices can put more than a little cramp in their lifestyle. Thoug...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Mar 14, 2011, 12:54 am
Depending on your situation, health insurance can take up a big chunk of the family budget. Our insurance premium eats up a third of our income! Even though it’s tempting to forego health insurance in exchange for more take home pay, health insurance is really a necessity. Despite the high cost o...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Mar 6, 2011, 7:21 pm
If you’re on a quest to lower your bills, take a hard look at your car insurance. Car insurance is an area that can yield monthly savings with just a few phone calls and inquiries. Many people get comfortable with their car insurance company and just continue to pay the premium year after year, wi...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Feb 28, 2011, 1:30 am
With food prices on the rise, it seems everyone is looking for a way to save money on groceries. Fortunately, by tweaking just a few of your habits, you can offset rising food prices with grocery savings. It takes a little time and effort, but saving money on groceries isn’t impossible. Cook From...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Feb 25, 2011, 8:14 am
Last week news reports warned that food prices will be rising this year. Apparently the world’s demand for corn is causing the surplus of corn in the United States to be be used up. Since supply is low, prices are going up. In addition, severe weather around the world is affecting the supply, and ...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Jan 30, 2011, 9:16 pm
We took the big all-girls trip to the American Girl Store in Los Angeles this week. To get to Los Angeles from my home town, we elected to fly using Allegiant Air, a discount airline. Flying Allegiant Air was a great experience. The flights were on time, the staff was friendly, and the price was no...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Jan 23, 2011, 11:09 pm
My life has taken a variety of twists and turns over the years, and our latest twist is that we are possibly (but not certainly) adopting. If it all works out, we will be adopting an older infant, with relatively little notice. I’m sorry that I cant give details, but what I can do is let you know ...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Jan 16, 2011, 10:31 pm
This weekend I went shopping at the thrift stores with a friend. You can find great bargains at thrift stores, but you can also waste money easily. What are the secrets to rockin’ the thrift stores? Read on! Shop With an Open Mind Though there have been a few times I’ve walked into a thrift st...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Jan 9, 2011, 1:07 am
A crazy thing happened a couple of weeks ago. My daughter showed me that she has been absorbing all of my frugality talk. Actually, the story begins last September, when Hannah and her friend asked if friend’s mom and I could take them to visit the American Girl Place in Los Angeles. When they ini...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Jan 2, 2011, 1:25 am
January is a good time for a budget makeover. After all, you’re likely setting your financial goals for the year, and it’s a good time to make note of lifestyle changes. Certain areas of your budget especially deserve your attention. These are things you should consider, as you begin a new finan...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Dec 31, 2010, 9:12 am
Christmas is over, and 2011 is staring us in the face. It’s the time of the year when people are making New Year’s Resolutions. I’m not a big fan of resolutions, as most people tend to fail by the end of January. I am, however, a big fan of reasonable goals. Goals that are achievable. Goals t...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Dec 19, 2010, 8:31 pm
For most kids, Christmas break began this week. It’s exciting to have the kids home from school during the holiday, but if your kids are anything like mine, too much unstructured time spells trouble with a capital “T.” Even though we homeschool now, we are taking a two week break fro academic...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Dec 15, 2010, 9:13 am
We had our annual family Christmas party Saturday night. My entire family gathered at my dad’s house for a huge holiday dinner, presents, and a whole lot of fun! If you listen to the advertisements on TV, you’d think the best presents are the biggest and most expensive gifts. Not so. Let me tel...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Dec 6, 2010, 2:50 am
I used to be a die-hard real Christmas tree fan. Growing up in California, my family would head to the Christmas tree lot every year and pick out a wonderful, pine-y smelling Christmas tree. It was a tradition we looked forward to each year. When I grew up and got married, my husband, children, and...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Nov 27, 2010, 2:32 pm
At the time this post goes up, hopefully I’ll be enjoying semi-sunny California weather with my family. A lot of that depends on the weather though. We have one super snowy pass standing between us and the lovely California weather. If the weather is too nasty, we will cancel our trip. No sense i...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Nov 22, 2010, 2:23 am
Thanksgiving is just a few days away, and I’m getting ready for my Thanksgiving feast! But for me, Thanksgiving is about more than food. It’s about being thankful, of course, but also about celebrating friends and family. After all, friends and family are great reasons to be thankful. They’re ...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Nov 14, 2010, 10:38 pm
Sometimes the frugal thing to do is spend money. The key is to weigh whether spending in the short term will mean saving in the long term. This is especially true when it comes to your home. If you’re going to spend hundreds of dollars a month on a mortgage and other home related expenses, you sho...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Nov 7, 2010, 8:41 pm
My husband and I are revamping our home a little, which necessitates new (to us) furniture, storage solutions, and home décor. Though it’s tempting to run out to the nearest home furnishing store and pick up the things we need, that’s not how we roll. When making major purchases, we always con...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Oct 30, 2010, 11:40 pm
It never fails. You set out to pay off your debts. You’re ambitious. You snowflake money toward your debts. You go gazelle, as Dave Ramsey would say. You’re successful…for a while. Then you begin to lose steam. You start to remember the good ole days, when you could go out to eat whenever you...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Oct 24, 2010, 9:33 pm
I know Halloween is just around the corner, but we’re going to talk Christmas today. After all, there’s only two more months left until the big day. Begin planning now for a frugal and stress-free Christmas. Make a Plan Every year my goal is to have all my Christmas shopping done by Thanksgivi...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Oct 17, 2010, 10:27 pm
As a frugal person, I am often trying to find ways to avoid spending money. I cook from scratch to avoid expensive grocery bills. I shop the clearance racks, so I don’t have to pay full price for clothing. And I research before I buy, so I can make sure I get the best deal possible. There are cer...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Oct 10, 2010, 8:45 pm
My life has changed a lot since I started writing Being Frugal.net. At the time I started, my oldest child was in full day public school, and my youngest child was in preschool three mornings a week. My husband was at work from 8 to 5 each day, and I had a lot of free time on my hands. Back then I ...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Oct 5, 2010, 7:00 am
Have you ever experienced frugal guilt? I know I have. What is frugal guilt, you ask? Simple. It’s the guilt frugal people feel when they spend money on something fun or frivolous. Frugal guilt is an easy trap to fall into, especially if you’re being frugal as a means to get out of debt. So oft...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Sep 30, 2010, 7:00 am
When we moved from a duplex with carpet to our house with all laminate floors, I thought I’d never have to vacuum again. Surely a quick sweep of the floors with a dust mop would be enough. It was…until we adopted her: Now don’t get me wrong. We love Chloe, the dog. But do you see that hair? S...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Sep 28, 2010, 7:00 am
I have been waiting to do this review for a long time.  Karen Carter is a longtime Being Frugal.net reader, and Karen let me know months ago that she was writing a book. It’s finally out, and I’m pleased to have been among the first to read it! Saving Our Sanity: How One Family Learns to Organ...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Sep 23, 2010, 7:00 am
I’ve been waiting for this day for a year and a half. After some bad customer service from DirecTV and some research that led to even more bad customer service stories, I’ve been waiting for my contract to end, so I can cancel my satellite service. I finally hit the official end of my contract....
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Sep 17, 2010, 7:00 am
I was working on the blog last night, as I have some big plans for the future. But in the process, I accidentally almost deleted my blog. Actually, I pretty much over-wrote most of my files. After a quick panic attack, I was able to restore the database and get my posts back. And after several more...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Sep 15, 2010, 7:00 am
Last Sunday a brush fire started several miles from my home. Though our house was never in danger, people just 10-15 miles away were evacuating for safety. This is the second fire in a short amount of time that caused evacuations in our area. I’ll admit that I don’t really think about natural d...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Sep 13, 2010, 7:00 am
I’m a person who likes background noise while I work, so I tend to turn the TV on when I’m writing. One of my latest fascinations is the show Hoarding: Buried Alive. For those who have not seen the show, each episode profiles two people who have a problem with hoarding. These people’s homes a...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Sep 8, 2010, 7:00 am
September is an expensive month. In fact, at times, I think I spend more money in September than I do in December at Christmas. Maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but I do spend a lot of money in September. Back when the kids were in public school, there were school supplies to buy, which can...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Sep 3, 2010, 7:00 am
Recently I wrote a post about the importance of reading bank notices for GoBankingRates.com. I almost found out the hard way that opening every notice and letter is not only important in regards to banks. Let me explain. A few weeks ago my family went on vacation. When we returned home, I was quick...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Sep 1, 2010, 7:00 am
My husband is a guitar player, and a pretty good one, I might add. He loves his music! My daughter, following in his footsteps, loves all things music as well. She’s an aspiring flute player and singer, and this year she’s going to add guitar to her musical repertoire. Not quite as talented, bu...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Aug 30, 2010, 7:00 am
I’ve really been working on eating fewer processed foods lately, and one of the projects I’ve started to tackle is baking my own bread products. I’m certainly no expert yet, but I was pretty proud of my hamburger bun baking efforts last week. I’ve made whole wheat hamburger buns once before...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Aug 27, 2010, 7:00 am
Yesterday the kids and I took a little field trip to our county animal shelter. We had to renew our dog’s license, and while we were there we just had to visit the dogs and cats at the shelter! There weren’t too many dogs, though we we were able to play with some baby pit bulls. I’m not a hug...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Aug 25, 2010, 7:00 am
My wife and I just celebrated our anniversary and this year I actually remembered! I will never forget again, I promise honey. But that is a post for another day and it will be titled, “How to make up with your wife without breaking the bank.” But anyways, this year I scored major point...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Aug 24, 2010, 7:00 am
Yesterday we started our second year of homeschooling. Though last year went well, we had a few technical problems that I’m hoping to avoid with a little organization this year. Our biggest problem last year was missing school supplies. You see, we’re very relaxed about where we do school. We r...
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Lynnae M. posted an article on Being Frugal - Aug 23, 2010, 7:00 am
Unlike last year’s splurge on Disneyland, we decided to keep our vacation on the frugal side this year. We headed to Washington to visit my brother, whom the kids adore. We packed up the kids and the car a week ago Friday and headed up to Spokane, stopping overnight in Portland to break up the tri...
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