Every time we go out to eat at a restaurant or even grab take out, it seems that the prices for food only keep rising. As a result, I decided to start figuring out ways to allow us to still enjoy dining out without breaking the bank. Do you want to stretch your dining dollars to go twice as far? Here are some simple tricks for you to start using to make your money last while eating out. 6 Simple Tips To Stretch Your Dining Dollars #1. Order An Appetizer, Instead Of An Entree Nowadays, the size of an appetizer is the size of what your meal should be! I’m not joking either. If you look at what an actual portion size should be, you would be amazed. And with the size of appetizers, eating just an appetizer should be enough the make you … [Read more...]
10 Painless Ways Anyone Can Become A Millionaire
Do you really want to become a millionaire? Who doesn’t? The problem is we think it isn’t possible. We see our bank account with a few hundred bucks in it and think growing it to a million or more is pointless. The good news is that anyone, yes anyone can become a millionaire. And before you think it take decades or a ton of sacrificing and hard work, think again. I’ve come up with 10 painless ways you can become a millionaire. If you follow these tips, you will be on your way to being worth seven figures faster than you thought possible. So what are these 10 painless ways? Let’s get started! 10 Painless Ways To Become A Millionaire #1. Never Spend More Than You’re Making This is the most basic tip of all. You cannot go into … [Read more...]
Raising Chickens in Winter
If you've been hanging out on Penny Thots, you know I like to write about chickens. Partly it's because they're an excellent resource, including eggs and meat -- full of vitamins and lean protein. And since you feed them, you can ensure you're getting naturally delicious, pesticide-free food for yourself and your family. They Also Help Pay For Themselves With our flock (currently 15 chickens), we sell 4- 5 1/2 dozen eggs weekly...more than enough to pay for the chickens' feed and some of their expenses. We still have plenty of eggs for our own use...and even some to give away. (If you're curious, you can find out more via Part 2 and Part 3 about our chicken adventures.) They're also fun to watch! Whether it's watching them chase … [Read more...]
What To Do When You Don’t Know What To Do
Starting out the new year means taking a fresh grip on problems and dilemmas that occupied you during the old one. These approaches may help. What to do when: You're Feeling Tired Sleep...if you can't manage that right now, at least take a 10 or 20-minute nap. Just a bit of shuteye does wonders. (Resolve to go to bed early, if that's possible. One way to get there tonight: watch less television or do less work on the computer.) Change the bedsheets -- but spray your pillows and mattress with fabric freshener before the fresh linens go on the bed. You're Lonely Call or e-mail someone you love, particularly a person you haven't talked to for a while. Write them a letter, saying how much they mean to you. Or contact someone from … [Read more...]
Five Lessons Learned From James Herriot
James Wight (1916-1995), a British vet all his professional life, is better known by his pen name, James Herriot. If you haven't read this guy's wonderful tales of his life and work with animals, along with his partners, Siegfried and Tristan Farnon, perhaps you'll recognize this title. . Herriot's books, with titles finishing the rest of the rhyme (All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Things Wise and Wonderful...and The Lord God Made Them All), plus a raft of related books about his beloved Yorkshire, have sold in the millions. They're a relaxing read for a cold winter's night (or hot summer day), but even better, they teach some surprising lessons. Any work is good, if it's honest...but it may not be easy. Herriot worked a … [Read more...]
Dealing with the Big D
If you've been 'lucky' enough to catch the flu this season, you often get a bonus present, along with the fever, chills and throwing up: it's called diarrhea. (Or, if you want to be more polite: the 'runs." If you want specifics and other reasons for getting it, go here.) Think of it (if you must) as having your insides do their best to escape, while you're trying to keep them bottled up. Not fun. We rarely talk about this messy subject -- but truth is, we all come down with it, some time or another. Medicines are usually all about stopping diarrhea. (The best I've come across is, by far, Immodium AD.) The problem is, though: Isn't the Big D our body's way of getting rid of something we don't need -- or isn't doing us any … [Read more...]
The Blessings of Poverty
I love a good frugal living book, and there's a brand-new one out on the market: I know what you're thinking -- because I did, too. Why in the world would I want to be blessed with poverty? (Daughter #1 took it one step further, and subtitled the book as "Why Being Poor Is So Much Fun.") Diane's point, though, is that we all go through hard times, both financially and emotionally. And it's easier to get through those times with God's help, a little elbow grease and a lot of creativity. Her ideas come from experience: over the years, she and her husband raised three children, paid their bills and purchased a house on a surprisingly low combined income. The book is divided into two basic sections -- an analysis of hard times and … [Read more...]
Six Ways to Manage Your Time
Time -- something we all wish we had more of. Until a magical machine invents more moments in the day, we'll have to make do by making better use of the time we've got in life. Here are some possibilities: Make A General List -- How Would You Normally Like Your Day To Go? If you're someone who bounds out of bed practically wide-awake, mornings are the time to roar through e-mail, or get jobs done. If, on the other hand, your inspiration doesn't kick in until evening, you're better off waiting a while, instead. Do your reading and research in the morning, coffee in hand. Now Make A Specific List What do you need to accomplish today? Include both critical items, as well as those which can be put off for another day. Don't be afraid to … [Read more...]
Raising Chickens: The Saga Continues
If you've been hanging around the Penny Thots archives for a while, you may have seen my comments on raising chickens....the original report is here. (Part II is here.) Just in case you haven't followed the Saga of the Brick Chicks, here's a quick recap: We have 15 chickens at present...assuming, that is, that the resident fox in the neighborhood allows us to keep up the current count. (He took two back in late August, on one unguarded summer evening, when our watchdog Charley was indoors, miserable with allergies.) Three are 'Production' Reds -- Rhode Island Reds that are specially bred to produce more eggs. They look like this: They are mean, quarrelsome, bossy...and excellent layers. They also began laying eggs earlier … [Read more...]
Redoing Your Space the Frugal Way
The temperatures are getting colder in the West -- time to move back inside, after spending a lot of time out on the deck and in the garden. But wait: is this drab, overstuffed house the place I want to spend a long winter in? We don't have a lot of extra funds to spend on redecorating right now. What I do have is a certain amount of money, my local thrift store and whatever the neighbors generously choose to leave out on trash day. I've got work to do. Clean And Put Away What's Important Papers should be filed, even if that means a basket for the year's itemized deductions. Newspapers and junk mail: in the trash. (Those extra newspapers can also be rolled and used as starters, if you've got a fireplace.) Books and videos put back, … [Read more...]
Who Taught You To Be Frugal?
Sometimes a person is self-taught about All Things Frugal. They've learned how to pinch pennies and save money through their own actions. (Usually because they had to out of necessity.) More commonly, though, you learn money-saving habits through the efforts of someone else. That someone is often older; sometimes their knowledge came as a result of living through the Great Depression. Sometimes they had to learn to survive. And sometimes it just comes down the branches of your family tree. My Frugal Roots - My Dad I was lucky to inherit the penny-pinching gene from both sides of the family. My dad's ancestry was pure, unadulterated Dutch -- and the best variation: Dutch farmers. He grew up taking care of his parents' chickens and … [Read more...]
Raising Chickens Update: Is It Worth It?
Some months ago, I mentioned raising chickens on Penny Thots. Since then, we're going into our second year of keeping chickens. We currently have 15 -- eight laying hens, and seven babies, nearly grown, who are supposed to begin laying shortly. We currently keep them in two coops at night, with plenty of space to roam in our fenced yard during the day. We've learned a lot, including these gems: They Eat Like Crazy Chickens love to eat -- they'll stuff themselves silly, if you let them. One of our cousins couldn't figure out why his chickens laid down to eat...turns out they were so fat, they couldn't stand up for any length of time! Our chickens will eat anytime, anywhere, and as much as we let them. They Don't Always Produce … [Read more...]
