Owner: i pick up pennies URL:http://ipickuppennies.blogspot.com Join Date: Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:11:26 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: If you have ever read a frugal blog and felt inferior, this is probably the site for you. Neither my husband nor I wash and reuse baggies. I forget my coupons when I go grocery shopping. We are human. But we are also working to pay down debt Site statistics:Click here
Most of us aren't worth it 2008-09-03 03:10:01 There's a sense of entitlement in this country that is doesn't seem to be deteriorating at the same rate as the economy.What gives?I started thinking about this after reading some very angry comments on Smart Spending, in response to The Personal Financier's "Outsourcing our chores -- Do we overvalue our spare time?"I think the answer to that question is a resounding yes. But apparently, some peop
Free stuff! 2008-09-02 13:20:07 Make sure you check out this week's giveaway. The details are located on the sidebar, or you can access the link here.Meanwhile, I got to use my coupon for $10 off any purchase of $10 or more from the Body Shop. (The clerk took the coupon despite the image not printing, because the code prints. So just go in all wide-eyed.) The coupon is good until Sept 15th. Yesterday, with the help of a Labor Da Read more:stuff
Some thoughts on frugal gift giving 2008-09-01 08:00:00 Well, I've passed my first month of blogging. Hooray and all that!I want to thank everyone who has joined up so far. Your readership and comments are what keep this blog interesting -- and from meaning that I'm talking to myself.I hope you'll all continue to read. I've gotten a lot of great feedback, and I think of this as a kind of conversation with all of you.Okay, sappy stuff is over. On to tod Read more:thoughts
Free stuff! 2008-09-01 03:12:13 The first weekly giveaway is up and running. Check out the link in my sidebar for information.I have at least four weeks lined up, so this should be a fun month!
Read more:stuff
Frugality can be great exercise! 2008-08-29 19:56:31 We're desperate for room in our one-bedroom apartment. And moving up to a 2 BR is a no-go, given current rents for those hover around $900+.So this morning I found myself huffing and puffing to and from the car with boxes. Lots and lots of boxes. Thank goodness I picked a ground-floor apartment!Tim's eczema is also on his feet, where it tends to cause splits. So guess what happens when he doesn't Read more:Frugality
We are not amused 2008-08-28 13:27:01 This is more housekeeping than actual posting, because our computer imploded last night thanks to a nasty malware program. Which Norton insists we downloaded and won't help us with until we pay extra for the help. More on that later.So I may or may not be without a computer until Tuesday, as we have no desire to spend $200 to buy a new operating system.I am still going to try to do some posting an
Am I people's worst nightmare? 2008-08-27 23:09:41 **Giveaway alert! Read through to the end!**Okay, so as many of you already know, I wrote a slightly controversial piece about emergency funds and it was... well... controversial.Almost everyone disagreed with me. Some produced reasoned arguments; some had extenuating circumstances (such as self-employment). A lot of folks just kept insisting that I was leading myself down a dangerous path.Whateve Read more:people
It's not skimping! 2008-08-27 15:30:28 On Monday, I read an interesting little piece on MSN's Top Stocks.It seems there's a mini-baby boom in the U.S. And now's the time, it seems, to invest in certain stocks: Disney (especially because of the Baby Einstein brand), LeapFrog and Gymboree. These are companies that consultants say will see a lot of business from the boom.So what on earth does this have to do with frugality?Well, sure, it'
We have a winner! 2008-08-26 01:36:52 Okay, so I know that I said I'd give a gift card away if 10 people entered. But it was close. And you ladies put a lot of effort into typing your ramblings.Plus, I feel infinitely better now, knowing I'm not the only one with that many things running through my mind like that. So I think that's worth a prize.For the record, it was a really hard choice. I've spent the last twenty minutes scrolling Read more:winner
Ooooo, free stuff! 2008-08-23 23:37:48 Thrifty Jinxy tipped me off about the Shake the Salt launch party giveaway.Over 40 giveaways (including parenting stuff
and shiny, pretty jewelry)You can enter until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, August 25th.
Hello low(er) interest rates! 2008-08-23 22:46:38 We got back from the in-laws' as of early evening, so my posting should get back onto a more normal schedule. It's kind of hard to do a post when the Olympics are on (though you can hear two TVs thanks to the living room one's volume) and your MIL is talking to you.I thought I'd just save up all my wit and wisdom for when I got back.Ahem.I could have sworn it was around here somewhere....But serio Read more:Hello
I'm feeling the love... 2008-08-21 03:02:24 Lisa over at Living Easy has gifted me with an award. Shucks, Lisa, I appreciate it! And following the rules, I have to gift it to up to seven more. But I've more commonly seen five. So that's the number I'm going with.My Money & My Life: I like her writing style and her ponderings -- which are frugal but also about other things.Pushing 30: My Debt Deadline: A Canadian gal whose writing I lik
My fabulous (and frugal) birthday 2008-08-20 17:12:36 Hello to everyone, from the newly-30 me!I'm am back and still kind of riding a sugar high from my birthday festivities last night.It was a small affair -- two of us to be exact, since my friends and I are kind of informal about birthdays. (When we remember to celebrate them, it generally involves taking each other out for a free drink or two.)But Tim and I had a great time -- and I wanted to recou
Yay, more free press! (& frugal posts!) 2008-08-20 04:07:04 A quick bit of good news: Some blog carnivals have seen fit to publish some of my submissions. There are great other articles on these, so I urge you to check them out.So without further ado:The Relationships & Social Skills blog carnival is up and running. (My submission was "Why are we so afraid of no?") This has some great looking stories:Relationship advice (incl "5 ways to be a better fri Read more:posts
Happy birthday to me! 2008-08-18 17:53:02 I forgot to mention the good news: J.D. over at Get Rich Slowly mentioned my "emergency fund" piece on his Sunday round-up. It's creating quite a bit of traffic flow as an awful lot of contention).Between that and my guest post on MSN's Smart Spending, I think I may get spoiled by all this attention!So thank you to both for the opportunity to drive some traffic to my site. And welcome to all Smart Read more:Happy
Martha Stewart of frugality? Not me 2008-08-18 13:49:59 Okay, I know I began to allude to this in yesterday's post, but I might as well state it for the record.The reason I felt so compelled to start a blog is because I could never find many frugal tips that could be applied to my situation. There are so many great frugal tips out in the world. But what about those of us with severe fatigue? Or other physical limitations?I think of PF blogs much in the Read more:Martha
, Stewart
Some late-night ramblings on disability and perception 2008-08-17 14:44:29 It is ridiculously late as I write this, so please pardon the slight rambling-nature of this post.But I needed to work some things out.It has been in the 90s for the past three days. Tomorrow doesn't look much better. And, being in Seattle, we have no air conditioning. So after a day being stuck inside a stuffy apartment (despite fans blasting) Tim was miserable. I took pity on him and we ran out
I love yard sales 2008-08-16 16:38:57 I *heart* yard sales.Yeah, that's right: I said *heart*Because there's no other way to emphasize just how thrilled and excited I get from glimpsing "yard sale."It's the unknown. You might find treasure (like when I found most of the serving trays for the weeding for a total of $13).You'll probably find trash. (People don't want this stuff, after all.) But it's also good for a chuckle.Mom and I wer
A bit of good news.... 2008-08-16 13:14:58 The front page of today's Seattle Times had some good news!The charity I wrote about is going to stay open thanks to an outpouring of community donations.It's a pretty humanity-affirming article, so I suggest you read it if you have a moment to spare. Two people actually wrote checks for the whole $30,000 (the amount needed to stay open until grants can kick in). So now it has more than enough.I s
Why are we afraid of no? 2008-08-15 13:44:16 Yesterday, we talked about falling off the budget, trying to please other people. I felt like it warranted a follow-up look at why so many of us have trouble setting boundaries.So here's the deal: You hate to say no. Why? Probably because you want to make others happy.It's a natural response -- and the world is a better place for this instinct. The problem comes when other people's happiness conti Read more:afraid
Is frugality an "either/or"? 2008-08-14 18:48:01 Not too long ago, I wrote that perhaps the most important thing about frugality was mere thinking ahead.I received two comments, both of which had the same tone: It's easy to think ahead, but their real weakness lay in social invitations. When asked to a movie or play or some other activity, they didn't want to spend the money. But they also hated saying no.This startled me as a general concept be Read more:either
Some goals 2008-08-13 14:19:59 This is a short post today -- life is a tad hectic here and also a revised post of mine runs today on Smart Spending.Brooke over at Dollar Frugal wrote an interesting piece the other day about "groundhog day goals." This means she revisits her goals (and, when needed, sets new ones) each month: 1/1, 2/2, 3/3... You get the idea.So she reviewed her goals for August. She then asked readers what goal
Why I won't save an emergency fund 2008-08-12 18:31:04 I may get a lot of flak for saying this but I think having an emergency fund while you're in debt is a terrible idea.Most frugal bloggers (and debt reduction plans) stress the importance of saving for an emergency fund while also paying down debt.The rationaleOnce you're out of debt, it's easy to fall back in with just one (even minor) event. A pet gets hit by a car and incurs a hefty vet bill; a
Sugar update... 2008-08-11 04:23:32 I am up late. Too late. (Which calls to mind: "It's never late until it's two; and then it's too late." Which also makes me realize that puns based on homophones just don't translate as well in print. Ah, well.)I have been sitting at the computer dinking around with clip art, with the end result being the new pig button for my blog list (me? fishing for compliments? never!).More importantly, I'm d Read more:Sugar
Why I suddenly feel rich 2008-08-10 18:31:01 On Saturday, I saw an article about how a local women's shelter may have to close. It has grants coming in the fall -- but it has no funds until then. Apparently, the not-a-recession has been slowing donations down significantly, and for a longer time than the investors/homeowners have been splashed all over the papers. To compensate, the shelter used what savings it had. Now, the coffers are empt
A few reminders 2008-09-19 04:43:42 It's been a long week, folks. So I am going to do minimal upkeep today on the blog (of course, that's what I always say and then I end up hovering around the computer neurotically).So in the meantime, I wanted to point out a couple links for you:On a Quest to be Debt Free has been kind enough to include my giveaway in her blog. Check out her Super Freebie Friday. (I'm a sucker for "free"!)Ms. Thri
Optimistic pessimist 2008-09-18 23:28:58 I was reading an interesting post over at PT Money, "How to Save Money Like a Madman."This is the part that really caught my eye: Get Paranoid - Like the madman, you’ve got to believe that "they are out to get you!" By "they" I mean life emergencies and set-backs: job losses, higher taxes in retirement, medical problems, etc.Tim and I have been living this way for years. When you have two peop Read more:pessimist
The obligatory "stock market" post 2008-09-18 00:50:51 Unless you're living in a soundproofed house without connection to any media, you should have heard about the stock market panic.Long story short, inasfar as I understand it: Lehman Bros called Chapter 11. The Fed wouldn’t bail them out, so they filed for bankruptcy.Merrill Lynch opted for euthanasia. Lehman left a lot of uncertainty. Merrill Lynch wasn’t ready to gamble. Ban
One of those days.... 2008-09-17 02:07:00 I had hoped to have a post up about the stock market trouble several hours ago. But all yesterday I spent fighting some bug. And today was just hectic and spent what time I did have trying to pare down my wordy, wordy blogger-ness. Which I will not subject you to. So as I trim it down, I present you with a post inspired by another frugal Seattleite, Saving Cent.Also, be sure to check out Frugal R
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