All the Live Long Day

With the last years’ worth of talk about passenger rail between here and Chicago, there is a vivid battle on our local papers’ comment pages between the “that would be nice” faction and the “they’re just trying to get re-elected, where will the money come from?” team.
Before taking a side, one might wish to peruse [...]

Frugal Librarian #20: Frozen Credit

Another tip from the new book by NPR personality Chris Farrell, New Frugality… freeze your credit card.  No, not do a security freeze to prevent people from accessing your credit file, another great idea.
He means take the card out of your wallet or purse and put it in a container full of water.  Then give [...]

Frugal Librarian #19: Tips from “Bud”

The next few Frugal Librarian blog posts are ideas gathered from Chris Farrell’s new book, The New Frugality.  Farrell  is the host of the public radio program Marketplace Money.
Bud Hebeler is a retired aerospace engineer from Boeing that founded the conservative financial advice website analyzenow.com. Below are some of his top savings tips:
-Arrange [...]

Frugal Librarian #16: H1N1 sauce

I wouldn’t recommend slathering pork spare ribs with it, but a hasty palm swab might be in order down for the next few months any time you shake hands, touch doorknobs/railings, or handle money.
But why pay “the man” a hefty price for the brand name Purel?   I found this outstanding recipe for DIY sanitizer!  I [...]

Frugal Librarian #15: Incredible Bulk

This is not a health blog.  Check here for the endless amounts of oatmeal benefits.
It’s funny how I used to view A.M. food as competition for coffee space.  Now I wouldn’t know what to do without a trough of it on the passenger side floormat.
Steel cut oats have a whole slew of advantages, the most [...]

Frugal Librarian #14: Flip the guzzler

Push it in, pull it in or drag it in…then write it off.  If you’re in the market for a vehicle, first drop a couple dollars on a gas hog.  Either scour the want ads, or go through the boonies looking to liberate “yardcars.”  Then, that junker just became your primary vehicle….wink.
According to this brand [...]

Frugal Librarian #13: A day of public services

Gas is hovering around 2.50 a gallon, not to mention the beast that will get you there needs to be insured, lest some dingdong a quarter car-length away is getting their last driving texts in before the law passes.
The standard entertainment fodder, the motion picture, will set you back ten bucks a head (if you [...]

New Magazines!

What’s cool about magazines is that they teach you how to do really useful and practical things, but in a painless and fun way. The Main Street  library has two new titles that do just that.
Food Network Magazine is chuck full of recipes: check out the best burger in each state with Bobby Flay (in [...]

Frugal Librarian #12: Joe is thicker than water

Those two cups nobody wanted from this morning have lost their aroma and flavor as a straight beverage. They’re not good for anything except tomorrow’s 6AM supercharge, with the characteristic post-slurp wince.
This neat tip from the May 2009 Consumer Reports’ Shop Smart magazine: “Coffee is a great flavoring, says chef Steve Petusevsky, of Roundy’s Supermarkets.”
-Freeze [...]

The Frugal Armchair Traveler

Five Ways for the Traveler to Save Money
1. Buy magazines (10 cents) and paperbacks (10-25 cents) at the library sales. You can read them on the plane, in the airport, at the hotel. (This has the added advantage of reducing your travel imprint as you go  – tear out the pages and discard them as you go). [...]

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