Category: Everyday Cheapskate

My Great Pizza Challenge

There are some who consider pizza the perfect food. It has complex carbohydrates, vegetables, dairy, and protein. OK, maybe “perfect” is stretching it a bit, but I remember when pizza was something you shouldn’t eat too much of because it might spoil your dinner. Now it is dinner. Millions of families rely on pizza because…


Shocked at the Pump

Yesterday, I filled up at the gas station, and I was shocked. Shocked! Cost to fill up? $64.12. I really haven’t been hiding under a rock. It’s just that I don’t often fill the one vehicle I share with my husband, so it wasn’t until I handed over $64.12 that the runaway cost of gasoline…


More Kitchen Hacks You’ll Wish You’d Known Sooner

Here is a wonderfully creative collection of tips that spotlight my readers’ resourcefulness and intelligence in the kitchen and pantry. From clever tricks involving coffee filters, kitchen mallets, and shower caps (yes, shower caps!) to simple storage solutions for sugars and spices—get ready to take conventional wisdom to an unconventional level. Calcium Stretch Add powdered…


A Quick and Easy Way to Slash the High Cost of Groceries

Have you noticed? The cost of everything is climbing, and not just a little bit. Lumber prices are up 250 percent in just the past three months. The cost of gasoline is soaring, with the U.S. average hitting $2.87 per gallon—nearing $6 a gallon in California. The cost of food is soaring in ways that…


Simple Organization and Storage Tips

“Sorry my place is such a mess!” If you have to pull out that one every time you welcome friends or family into your house, it might be time to get organized. Marla Cilley, also known as the FlyLady, calls that CHAOS: Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome! Organization is an important aspect of any home….


An Easy Way to Stop Money Dribbling

Most of us think of spending money in the least painful terms. I suppose that’s only natural. If we could see clearly how a simple purchase fits into the big financial picture, perhaps spending money on little stuff wouldn’t be quite so easy. In his book “Pour Your Heart Into It,” Starbucks coffee founder Howard…


Why Houseplants Turn Brown and How to Stop It

Not only do houseplants bring warmth and a sense of calm to a home, but they’re also an inexpensive way to decorate. Keeping your beautiful houseplants looking healthy and green is the challenge. The most common question is: Why do the leaves turn brown? According to the Smart Garden Guide, there are many reasons why…


A Gracious Guide for How to Be a Good House Guest

It was shocking, if not surreal. The email message was from a woman I’d never met and whose name I recognized only because, a few months earlier, she mailed me a book she’d written. The message announced that she and her family were planning a road trip to Disneyland and would just love to stay…


How to Rise Above Your Circumstances

Shortly after takeoff, the pilot circled over the Great Salt Lake, tipping the wings ever so slightly so we could witness the unusual reddish-purple color of the water—a phenomenon, he explained, that occurs when a particular species of algae meets up with a certain bacteria. It was quite fascinating. Just as he was bringing the…


You Need a Freedom Account

If I asked you to deduct your monthly expenses from your monthly income, I have a feeling you’d look pretty good on paper. The mystery for many people is why they can’t get through a month without using a credit card to cover unexpected expenses, such as a prescription for a sick child, a quarterly…