Festival of Frugality #357: Jackolantern Edition

TweetHere is this weeks Festival of Frugality: Jackolantern Edition which includes some of the best frugal articles on the internet.

Editors Picks

I selected a few editors picks that were especially interesting!

• Miss T. presents How to Be a Frugal Family posted at Prairie Eco Thrifter. Frugality may be hard at first but over time, it can become a habit. The positive effects of this good practice will be enjoyed by not just you but by every member of the family. If you scrimp and save together, you will reap the rewards together.
• Melissa presents 5 Homemade, Low Cost Children’s Halloween Costumes posted at Bargaineering. We have already shared some homemade, low cost baby and toddler Halloween costumes, and today we would like to round out the bunch and share some children’s Halloween costumes. Again, why buy something they’ll wear for just one day (they won’t fit next year!) when you can make something yourself?
• FMF presents 6 Things You Don’t Need to Spend Money On posted at Free Money Finance. When it comes to ways to save money, ideas abound. You can try old standbys like limiting your cable TV and cell phone plans, or clipping grocery coupons. But for an even greater dent, look for items you can get for free – that’s right, no cost. There are actually many valuable, necessary goods and services available gratis, but you have to know where and when to pounce. Here are several you might not have been aware of.
• CF presents My Weekly Meals posted at The Outlier Model. It can be hard to imagine what eating on $100 a month/person is like. Here’s a look at what we ate this week, along with approximate costs. The costs are only approximate because I don’t always remember how much I money I paid for meat or bulk vegetables for example. But I’ll try to use a cost that reflects an average or sale price, scaled according to the portion used.

Other Great Articles in the Festival this Week

Mama Squirrel presents The why and how of frugal homeschooling, Part One posted at Dewey’s Treehouse.

Lance presents Should I Pay Off My Car Loan Update posted at Money Life and More. In August I asked my readers “Should I pay off my 0.9% car loan?“. There were many different opinions on what I should do. After a few weeks of considering the facts I’ve finally come to a decision.

Michael presents Get Cheap(er) Car Rentals posted at Financial Ramblings. This post describes my strategy for getting cheaper car rentals using a combination of travel discounters. It only takes a few minutes and you can save a boatload of cash.

Pauline presents Are you a good tenant? Lower your rent! posted at Reach Financial Independence. Times are tough even for landlords. Asking for your rent to be frozen or even lowered is a realistic move if you are a good tenant.

John S presents 4 Easy Ways to Avoid Holiday Debt posted at Frugal Rules. The Holiday season can be costly for many, especially if you have a large family. With a little planning and discipline you can save money and still be able to buy that certain someone a nice gift.

Bob presents 25 Free Ways To Show Your Love To Your Wife posted at Christian Personal Finance. According to Gary Chapman’s book The Five Love Languages, people understand emotional messages from others in five different ways. He calls these ways “love languages.” He insists that in order for your spouse to understand the feelings that you are trying to convey, you must speak her love language. Here’s how you can do that!

Don presents Share Expenses with Friends to Cut Costs posted at My Dollar Plan. While it is great to cut expenses from our budgets to save money, there is no way to cut 100% of our expenses out. However, you can minimize them by sharing some of the burden with others – here are some unique ideas on how to do just that!

Glen Craig presents Paying for a Good Education in the Beginning or the End? posted at Free From Broke . See one Mom’s argument for investing in her children’s early education now rather than putting the money away in college savings.

Savvy Scot presents Economies and 12 Crazy Disney Facts you Never Knew posted at The Savvy Scot. SavvyScot discusses the plans for the new theme park in the UK and reveals 12 crazy facts about Disney that you didn’t know

Jeremy presents Tempted To Join The Smart Phone Masses posted at Modest Money. Back in June I posted about how I do not want a smart phone. Well I hate to admit it but I am awfully tempted to join the masses.

John presents American Express and Walmart Bluebird Prepaid Card Evaluation posted at Card Hub. The avalanche of prepaid cards is in full motion now. Once you un-bury yourself from all the media surrounding them, how do you know which one to pick? The new American Express/Walmart offering – Bluebird Prepaid Card- may just be the best option to date

Odysseas presents Americans Need New Financial Role Models posted at Wallet Blog. Who teaches our young people about finances? Maybe we should get them to look at role models who are not sports stars. If this is who our youth is looking up to for guidance, well, what can I say…

Rachael presents A Safe Place? posted at The rplan blog. It can be tempting to stop trusting banks with money and valuables, instead turning to old fashion ways to keep cash safe. After doing a little research, these are my favourites.

Miranda presents Worried about forclosure? There are some steps you can take to mount a valid defense. Know your options posted at Wallet Hub Worried about forclosure? There are some steps you can take to mount a valid defense. Know your options.

Maxine Sweet presents The Anatomy of a Credit Report posted at ReadyForZero Blog. Do you avoid your credit report because you don’t know how to read it? Credit reports are complicated and that’s why we’re sharing a complete breakdown of how to read them – so you can learn exactly what you need to do to take action and increase your credit score.

Teacher Man presents Benefits of Online Banks for Young People posted at My University Money. Most young people I know today already know and love the internet banking model, but it isn’t just “hip” in terms of a fad, there are actually a lot of solid reasons for going with internet banking. First and foremost, much like the online shopping model I have come to know and love, online banks have much better rates on certain financial products and generally have substantially lower fees.

Young presents Would You Buy an Amazon Engagement Ring? posted at Young And Thrifty. Since our article on the zaniness of the modern day wedding industry got such a strong response last week, I thought I might revisit the general topic. In the comments section one reader intrigued me with a few recommended options for saving money on an engagement ring.

Steven presents Can you eat for $26 a week – Welfare Food Challenge posted at Grocery Alerts. An anti-poverty group in BC is challenging politicians and residents to try and survive for $26 worth of food for a week. During that week, participants will only eat the food they can buy with $26 dollars. I will be taking part of the food challenge

Miranda @ Financial Highway presents How to Save Money: 45 Ways posted at Financial Highway. Often people are not sure how to start saving, but it does not always have to include drastic changes. If you are wondering how to save money, here are 45 of my favorite ways.

Tags: frugal, save money