Ms. Frugal

Thrifty blog and frugal recipies

Things to buy to save money

Living a frugal life doesn’t mean spending no money at all.  And sometimes, you need to spend a little to save a lot.  Here are three examples.  First, LED light bulbs.  These cost a little more up front, but they use much less energy.  This means a savings on your monthly electric bill and a […]

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Utilities

Where I grew up, there was only one utilities company.  They could pretty much charge whatever they wanted, and bills were outrageous.  Up here it’s not so bad, but I still try to focus on saving where I can.  Doing a few small things can really lower your monthly utility bill, allowing you to save […]

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Big families

Big families are definitely a blessing.  There is no substitute for a tight knit group that cares and supports each other.  Unfortunately, this blessing can become a huge expense around holiday time.  I have the perfect fix!  Suggest that your family has a secret drawing - each person will pick one name and will shop […]

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Recipe

Periodically, I’m going to start posting some good holiday party recipes that are very tasty but not at all expensive to make. Enjoy!
Tomatoes Provencal

INGREDIENTS

2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
24 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Preheat oven to 350°. In a […]

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Makeup

We all love makeup, and for many of us it’s a necessity. We all also know that it can get expensive. I have sensitive skin, so I can’t buy foundation at a place like CVS. I will buy things like eyeshadow there because prices are much cheaper, and that gives you the […]

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Cost of Going Green

This morning on NPR I heard that ultra-ritz Barney’s was going green for Christmas–their new mascot is Rudolph the Recycling Reindeer. I know it’s a joke but I think it’s great that “green” is going mainstream. Although both the reporter (her name escapes me) and the studio guest both agreed that it was […]

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Grocery shopping

Grocery shopping is something that can come up a lot when talking about frugal living. We all have to eat, and we’d like to eat well - luckily we can have both as long as we avoid some common traps at the grocery store. First, packaged produce that’s already been cleaned and cut […]

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Thanksgiving

There are thousands of college students and young professionals out there that will be away from their families this Thanksgiving. In the past, I’ve had very generous friends throw an entire Thanksgiving for everyone left in town. While much appreciated, this is expensive! So, consider the idea of a potluck Thanksgiving. […]

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Free Museums

Traveling and becoming a cultured person can be an expensive endeavor. Luckily, many artistic, historical, and scientific establishments recognize this. You would be surprised how many free museums there are out there! Living in DC, I am lucky to have the Smithsonian system - every museum and the national zoo are always […]

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Homemade gifts

The holiday season is quickly approaching (as evidenced by the decorations and Christmas music creeping up in stores everywhere). If you’re on a budget, the holidays can be tough, especially when you have lots of loved ones! Leading up to Christmas, I’ll try to talk about different ideas for frugal gifts. One […]

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