August 2009

A$K…

August 22, 2009

One of the freelance writer’s (and editor’s!) mottoes is “A$k and ye shall re¢eive.” It was coined (as it were) by the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the best of the few truly useful writer’s groups in existence. The gist of this bon mot is that you should not accept just any lowball offer [...]

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Penny-wise and pound-foolish!

August 21, 2009

What happens when you get cheap and hire some fly-by-night dude instead of a provider with a known track record, just to save five or ten bucks? An example of false economy.

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Car upkeep!

August 20, 2009

Gawdlmighty! The 90,000-mile service on my aging Toyota Sienna is gunna cost $1,200! It’s enough to make a strong woman faint. Well, luckily I knew about this and set the money aside. But that doesn’t make me any happier about having to sink 12 C-notes into a nine-year-old vehicle. For the money, Chuck the Mechanic [...]

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w00t! Nice moment of fame

August 20, 2009

Kelly at Amost Frugal has kindly published an interview of Funny, one of the “This Is Frugal” series. Be sure to go on over to Almost Frugal, and, if you haven’t visited before, explore this interesting, fun, and commonsensical site.

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What IS frugality?

August 19, 2009

Every now and again, a blogger agonizes over whether frugal habits lead to cheapness—or worse, will be perceived by friends and relatives as miserliness. Beyond Paycheck to Paycheck ruminates, to entertaining effect, on the wacky ideas people have about personal finance and frugality. True frugality, IMHO, does not mean asceticism, tightness, or pathological self-deprivation. So, [...]

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Moments of Fame

August 18, 2009

MSN Smart Spending has kindly posted Funny’s squib on the effect of the recession on local merchants, under the heading “Buying Local Just Got Harder.” w00t! Thanks, Karen! And in the w00ting department, Jenn at Frugal Upstate selected the Delayed Gratification post for an editor’s pick at the Festival of Frugality. Several of my favorites [...]

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