Weekly Roundup

Uncyclopedia is a parody of Wikipedia that publishes user content that contributes to their “giant mass of misinformation and utter lies.” Visit the site and find out what it takes to become an “Uncyclopedian.”

TravelBlogs “brings you travel advice and stories from those who’ve been there and done that. We’ve brought together the internet’s finest travel bloggers and asked them to share their unique insight into all things travel.” Worth a peek for some interesting interviews with travel bloggers and plenty of travel content.

If you would like to search some U.S. online newspaper sites NewsVoyager is a good starting place.

This article proposes five myths about why women earn less than men.

Chowhound is known for its “voracious devotion to hyperdeliciousness!” This is a great site where “food-lovers worldwide gather here to swap expert tips about restaurants, foods, stores, and bars, as well as cooking, wine, beer, cookware, and more.” As they say, “Dig in ... and be prepared to get very, very hungry!”

Weekly Reminder – A reminder of a useful article you might have missed.

This post lists nine ways to find cheap or free performances.

My wife and I are leaving town to visit family during this long holiday weekend and I won’t be posting on Monday. Make it a great weekend, and don’t forget to honor our fallen heroes.

Five Frugal Flicks

You wouldn’t think it would be hard to come up with five flicks that deal with frugality, but most films that came to mind had frugal living as just a subplot to the main point of the movie. The following five picks either deal with frugality as a main theme or they offer it as a background to the story. If any of them sound interesting make sure to frugally check your library for a copy first, or search to find them online.

Immaterial John – This 2004 documentary is about how John van der Harst lives in a small apartment in Detroit on around $3,600 per year. He does not own a car but instead runs everywhere, recycles or reuses almost everything, forages for food, cuts his own hair, and on and on. He works when he wants to and devotes the rest of his time to his favorite environmental and social causes.

Off the Map – This quiet little 2003 movie is not really about frugality, but the subject does make its way through the storyline. A husband, wife and their daughter live off the grid in the desert gardening, salvaging and making do without. The plot is really what will pull you in, and it includes friendship, coming of age, crippling depression, spiritual and artistic awakening, death, and credit card fraud among other things. Maybe it doesn’t belong on this list but, hey, it’s my list!  

Alone in the Wilderness – When Dick Proenneke (1916 – 2003) decided to retire in 1968 he didn’t head for a little house in Florida or Arizona (as many Iowans do) to play golf between naps. Instead he made for the mountains of Alaska, built a cabin and enjoyed the wildlife and scenery for the next 30 years. During his stay he wrote journals, took photos and shot a lot of film, which was turned into several books and a fascinating documentary.   

Off the Grid: Life on the Mesa – I watched this 2007 documentary last year and found myself increasingly fascinated with the story of how a group of people that includes misfits, patriots, survivalists, addicts, runaways, war vets, environmentalists, and various kooks lived their lives and ordered their “society” living off the grid in the New Mexico desert.

Frugal – This short 2010 documentary follows Kimberly Clancy and a friend as they hunt a grocery store searching for deals with coupons galore, until they finally checkout and you see how much money they saved.

Further Reading:

Best Free Movie and TV Sites

Five Interesting Frugal Videos

Sales Tax Meets the Internet

The following is a guest post by Mariana Ashley, a freelance writer who particularly enjoys writing about online colleges. She loves receiving reader feedback, which can be directed to mariana.ashley031 @gmail.com.

Over the past few months, several states have been pushing legislation designed to tax online businesses. While online companies already pay state sales taxes to the state of their headquarters, The Main Street Fairness Act, as named by Illinois Senator Dick Durbin (D), proposes to collect taxes on all purchases made in states that have company affiliates.

For example, companies like Amazon.com with affiliates in Illinois, which already has the Fairness Act in effect, will experience tax for all sales to Illinois residents. Amazon severed its ties with affiliates in Illinois immediately after the bill, to escape the effects of the law.

Many fear that the effects of this bill nationwide will cause some companies to leave the United States, thus removing jobs from the company. Others are worried that the tax will decrease spending and destroy online retailers.

Proponents of the tax argue that tax-free online sales give an unfair advantage to Internet retailers that don't maintain operations in every state. And with some retail businesses closing down their brick-and-mortar locations but continuing online sales, states are looking for ways like this to retain any revenue possible.

I'm by no means a member or supporter of the Tea Party Movement. In fact, I support taxes in most cases. But this bill poses some problems that are a bit more alarming than simply paying another sales tax.

Think about the pros and cons of shopping online versus in a store. In a store, you get to test and touch merchandise, you have the item in your possession as soon as you buy it, and you can easily return it by going back to the store. Online, you have many resources for research and comparison (although those with smartphones have these in stores as well), but you have to pay for shipping, wait for the product to ship, and deal with the hassle of return-shipping if something is broken.

Consider how the added sales tax will affect people's shopping habits. There would be no benefit to shopping online unless online vendors had extremely low prices. Otherwise, you're pretty much paying the same price or more to have something shipped to your home instead of having it immediately once you leave a store.

Online retailers would also have to use more resources to simply comply with the bill. Online companies would be flooded with significant paperwork and periodic audits regarding all the new taxes from each state; this might be enough to make online retail simply out of the question for small or up-and-coming businesses.

While this proposed bill is aimed at providing fairness for small local business, its biggest supporters and lobbyers are paid by huge brick-and-mortar retailers like Wal-Mart. This is yet another reason to question who this bill will really help and whether it's worth the amount of businesses it may significantly hurt.

The bill has some time before it's in any position to come into effect, but in the meantime, I suggest people get their online shopping out of the way.

Further Reading:

Five Great Catalog Shopping Sites

Four Leading Causes of Overspending

Weekly Roundup

If you keep backyard chickens, or would like to find locally produced eggs, check out Eggzy. The site helps you to “manage your flock, share pictures, eggs and stats with your friends and family, or, if you're a foodie, find local eggs — the freshest most delicious local eggs.”

StorkBrokers is an online marketplace that allows you to sell your no longer needed baby & kid items, or to buy used items you are looking for. You can also put in a request if you don’t find what you are looking for and they will notify you when someone lists it.

If you are interested in art museums, theater, classical music, opera, jazz, dance, and film make sure to visit Arts America for more than a thousand recommendations across more than eighty cities. They also list over 100 national and regional summer events and news about what's happening in the arts from more than 100 newspapers, magazines, blogs and RSS feeds.

This video shows how to make the most of daily deal sites.

Ready can help to prepare for the unexpected, such as making an emergency supply kit and developing a family communications plan in case of a natural or man-made emergency.

Weekly Reminder – A reminder of a useful article you might have missed.

This post examines how you can make money selling vinyl records.

Have a good weekend!

Frugal Lessons From The Past: The Mail Order Catalog

History can provide some of the best lessons to help us figure out solutions to today’s problems.

Concerning finances, thrift, frugality and simple living there are tried and true bedrock principals that we should never forget.

This post is part of a series that focuses on some of those principals by going to source materials for inspiration.

Carl Hamilton (1914 – 1991) served as vice president and administrator of Iowa State University, was an editor and publisher and late in life wrote about Iowa history and his own memories of growing up on an Iowa farm. The following excerpts are from one of his books, In No Time At All, and follow the lifespan of a mail order catalog on the farm.

“When the average farm home, uncluttered by radio or television, had only a weekly and possibly a daily newspaper and some magazines, the arrival of a Montgomery Ward or Sears and Roebuck catalog was a major event.”

“It was carefully studied by parents as they compared prices in their never-ending struggle to match resources with necessities. “Making out the order” was a project that might go on for some weeks and would include everything from long underwear to farm tools. Clearly desires must have been stimulated beyond means by the long hours of studying the vast array of merchandise with prices which ranged from Good to Better to Best.”

“The arrival of the catalog was even more of an event for the kids. Hours and hours of long winter evenings and rainy Sunday afternoons were spent thumbing through the catalog – a page at a time!”

“But what an ignominious end it had. One so in keeping with the times: waste nothing! Where did that valued, much-treasured book end up? In the privy! There, of course, it served a double purpose. It served as “tissue” – although hardly of the scented, soft textured brands of milady’s toilette. Also it provided one last chance to review the well-studied pages. And, providing the weather was right, meaning it wasn’t so cold as to bring chilblains to unaccustomed places or so warm as to encourage flies, the catalog added interest to that interlude in the day’s activities. Of course, it did have limitations even for that final purpose. Even under the most extreme circumstances, when nothing was being wasted, the slick paper sections did leave something to be desired as “tissue.” There came a time when the remains – the high fashion section – was consigned en masse to the lower regions! Ker-plop!”

Related Reading:

Frugal Lessons From The Past: Kate Sanborn

How Do You Haggle?

One frugal trait that I learned in childhood from my parents was to try to bargain around paying full price for something. They called it haggling, and the techniques they taught me worked amazingly well. Mom and Dad were antique collectors, buyers and sellers for both fun and profit, and this hobby of theirs took us all over the state on weekends to flea markets and antique shows and shops (this was before antique malls existed). Their passion wore off on me and I began collecting various things as well.

Their main advice was:

Know the true value of what you want to buy and offer a fair price.

Don’t be afraid to walk away if the answer is no.

I don’t know how many times I have turned to walk away, after saying thank you, only to have the seller stop me and agree to my offer.

Those two haggling tips have served me well over the years, but I’m curious as to what kind of haggling techniques you might use. How do you haggle?

Further Reading:

Do You Keep a Budget?  

When Coupons Aren’t Enough

Weekly Roundup

Visit Healthy Recipe for lots of recipes that are gluten or sugar free, high fiber, or are low in calories, carbs, cholesterol or fat.

If you are looking for part time work consider Groove Job, which focuses on part time jobs, teen and student jobs, weekend jobs, summer jobs and internships for students. Just type in your zip code to find what’s available.

Use 8coupons to find deals from “your neighborhood restaurants, bars, salons, and stores so that you can easily find the best deals near you. We have everything from exclusive mobile coupons that come directly from the restaurants, bars, salons, and stores themselves, to deals that are shared by you.” Search for specific deals or just type in your zip code.

Is Walmart really returning to its Buy American roots?

Black and WTF is an addictive photoblog of strange black and white photos.       

Weekly Reminder – A reminder of a useful article you might have missed.

This post ponders whether or not you can save money by hunting.

Have a good weekend!

Frugal Recipe: Mac ‘n’ Beef

When we first came across this recipe our kids were still living at home and it became a real crowd pleaser. This meal is very quick to prepare and cook and hopefully your crew will like it too.

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 can tomato soup

¾ cup water

1 tbsp prepared mustard

1 small can mushrooms, drained

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese

4 cups cooked elbow or shell macaroni

We have also added, in various combinations (depending on what we had on hand at the time): Velveeta cheese, parmesan cheese, green peppers, fresh garlic, 1 can whole corn, 1 can stewed tomatoes.

Directions

Cook beef and onion (and green peppers and fresh garlic if you decide to add them) until done, drain. Add the remaining ingredients and heat through. Yummy!

Further Reading:

Frugal Recipe: Chicken Creole with Chile Cream Sauce

Ten Restaurants Where Kids Eat Free

The following is a guest post from Bailey Harris, who writes on many topics, including auto insurance for www.carinsurancequotes.net.

Taking the entire family out to eat can turn into a very expensive event. Fortunately, there are several restaurants that offer free meal specials for kids. Taking advantage of kids' meal deals can make family meals out more fun and frequent, and it will be easier on the wallet at the same time.

The following are 10 popular restaurants that offer free meals for kids. Some of these offers may vary depending on location, and not all restaurants may participate. It's always a good idea to call ahead of time to verify information with your local restaurants--this will save you time and money.

Golden Corral - At Golden Corral, children ages three and under can eat for free from the buffet with the purchase of one adult meal. This offer is good every day. On Mondays from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., kids ages 10 and under can eat for free. Two kids can eat for free for every adult meal that is purchased.

Denny's - On select nights that vary by location and restaurant participation, kids ages 10 and under can eat for free between the hours of 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. For every two kids eating free, one adult meal ($2.50 or more) must be purchased. Check with your local Denny's restaurant to find out which night this special is offered.

IHOP - On Monday evenings, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., IHOP offers specials for children 12 and under. For every adult entrée purchased, one child can eat for free. Beverages cost extra and are not included in the free meal.

Quiznos - At participating Quiznos locations, with the purchase of one adult meal, one Quiznos Kidz meal is free. This offer is for kids ages 12 and under--and the day that this special is offered varies depending on location.

Chick-fil-A - Tuesday nights at Chick-fil-A are family fun nights! On Tuesdays only, one kids meal is free per every adult combo meal purchased.

Marie Callender's - Select Marie Callender's restaurants offer kids ages 12 and under free meals. One kids meal is free for every adult meal purchased.

Planet Sub - On Tuesday evening from 4:00 p.m. until close, one kids meal per one adult meal purchase is free. This offer is good for kids ages 11 and under.

Damon's - At Damon's Sports Bar & Grill, Wednesday night is "kids' night!" With every adult meal purchased, one kid's meal is free.

Applebees - On Monday night at Applebees, kids can eat for free. With the purchase of one adult meal, one child's meal is free. If only one adult is present, each additional child's meal costs only $1.

Cici's Pizza  - At Cici's Pizza, children ages three and under can eat for free from the buffet. This offer is good all day every day. Some locations also offer free meals to older kids on specific days of the week--call your local Cici's Pizza and find out more details.

Going out for dinner doesn't need to cost a fortune. With free meal deals for kids, the whole family can enjoy delicious meals out at some of your favorite restaurants!

Further Reading:

The 10 Best Freebie Sites

Nine Ways to Find Cheap or Free Performances

Weekly Roundup

May is National Barbecue Month. Before heading outside and firing up the grill check out some of these barbecue facts, as well as a variety of barbecue recipes.

Homestar Runner is a fun little site to visit if you are looking for replicas of old school video games or short cartoons.  

If you are looking for a part time job check out 10 til 2, a staffing firm “specializing in placing college-educated professionals into long-term, part-time positions.”

This article says there are two reasons why for the first time in 20 years the number of homes in the United States with television sets has dropped.

For English language news sites and magazines from around the world, sorted by country and region, check out World Newspapers.

Weekly Reminder – A reminder of a useful article you might have missed.

This post lists many reasons why you need WD-40.

Have a good weekend!

Make Money Selling Homemade Goods

There is a large indoor flea market in our area that always has homemade goods spread out on certain strategically placed tables. There are usually pies, brownies, cookies and bread and sometimes jars of salsa, honey, jams and jellies, all homemade. During a recent visit while looking over that day’s spread I got to wondering how much money one could make producing and selling such items. While my wife has baked various things for potlucks and fundraisers over the years we have not really thought seriously of selling homemade goods for profit. I suppose it’s always a possibility if we ever decide to pursue the idea.

I have also seen homemade goods for sale at craft shows, farmers markets and local fairs and festivals. Some other homemade items you could consider making and selling are soap, candles, jewelry, woodworking projects, extra vegetables from your garden, the list could go on and on.  

Make sure to check with your state’s health department for any applicable regulations and with local officials concerning any licenses or permits you might need.

If this is something you are interested in check out the following resources for some additional, more in depth reading on the subject.

Selling Your Home-Canned Salsa, Jams and Other Preserves

States Ease Restrictions on Selling Homemade Foods

Foodzie

Etsy

Related Reading:

Make Money by Selling Your Bones

Make Money Selling Plants

What to Aim For

Logan Pearsall Smith (1865 - 1946) wrote the following about the order in which we should set our goals. 

“There are two things to aim at in life; first to get what you want, and after that to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind has achieved the second.”