I recently approached Alison from “This Wasn’t in The Plan” (a fantastic frugal blog!) and convinced her to answer a few questions for the Frugal Maniacs to enjoy. She was gracious and very sweet. I hope you enjoy our mini interview!
1. I’ve always giggled every time I saw the title of your web site, "This Wasn’t in The Plan". For people who haven’t yet visited, could you elaborate a little on what "the plan" was?
I’ve admitted in the past to possessing a bit of a sweet tooth, but one sweet treat that continues to confuse me as it always has is the popcicle.
I’m not confused about the popcicle itself per se, but more to the point I can’t for the life of me understand why it is that anyone would ever buy one. Maybe it is because of the accidental discovery of a Tupperware popcicle mold when I was a child and the subsequent pouring in and mixing of my favorite Kool Aid flavors that led to the creation of the perfect summer treats of the day, but I never found the store bought versions to contain nearly so much flavor. And they were smaller, too.
One of the simplest sweet treats to make is the popcicle and yet so few people do it that it bewilders me. Homemade popcicles can be made from nearly any sweet liquid, and because you are making it you can control how much sugar is contained in them. In fact, you can make the entirely sugar free if the mood strikes.
Here are a few of my favorite homemade popcicle recipes for your enjoyment:
The scent of fresh bread always reminds me of my grandmother’s kitchen and Sunday afternoon meals after church. That undeniable scent holds the memories of some of the happiest times in my life so it is no surprise that I am a huge bread freak and I will eat it in just about any form you can imagine.
This recipe yields some of the most delectable garlic cheese biscuits I’ve ever had, and the best part is that they are inexpensive and simple to make.
Once upon a time, all people had to get themselves clean was a stream and a hearty chunk of homemade lye soap. We have come a long way since those days and the personal care / bath and body care aisle at the local store will back that statement up for me.
Since you are reading this, I’m going to go out on a limb and toss out the idea that you might not be either willing or able to pay for the latest European discoveries in skin rejuvenation. Even still there are people with special skin care needs or simply just those who want to make themselves feel pampered once in a while.
Is it possible to have frugal bath and body products that are actually budget friendly and still work well? The answer, my friends, is a resounding YES! Read the rest of this entry »
In looking at the traffic statistics here at Frugal Mania, I thought it might be interesting to share a few of the most popular pages as shown by visitor traffic to the site. So here without further ado are the top ten pages on this site:
Take the Worry Out of Watering Your Plants
http://www.frugalmania.com/tak…y-out-of-watering-your-plants/
In this post I show you a simple and cost-free way to make sure your plants are watered adequately even when you might forget about them or go out of town for a few days.
Frugal Friday Week in Review
http://www.frugalmania.com/frugal-friday-week-in-review/
A regular feature here at Frugal Mania, this post also mentions the Festival of Frugality, CVS Extra Care Bucks and frugal uses for coffee grounds.
Thirty Days
http://www.frugalmania.com/thirty-days/
Inspired by the Morgan Spurlock television series of the same name, in this post I challenge people to give me thirty days of their lives to try and live more frugally. Several people have accepted the challenge and each one of them have admitted to being happy with the results.
Penne Carbonara Recipe
http://www.frugalmania.com/fru…d-made-simple-penne-carbonara/
My frugal version of this Italian favorite remains a favorite recipe on the site! If you haven’t tried it yet, you really should!
Interview with Dawn from “Frugal for Life”
http://www.frugalmania.com/int…iew-dawn-from-frugal-for-life/
From my interview series with other frugal bloggers.
Frugal Savings – Part 1
http://www.frugalmania.com/frugal-savings-part-1/
From a series on how to save money without making major changes, this post covers credit cards and how to get the most without spending anything more
My Night With Apple
http://www.frugalmania.com/iph…-restored-my-night-with-apple/
In all honesty this wasn’t really a frugal topic to begin with, though I did save money by not having to spend it on tech support calls or visits to the iPhone store.
Oatmeal Pancakes Recipe
http://www.frugalmania.com/fru…-menu-monday-oatmeal-pancakes/
I’m not sure why this one has received so much traffic, but apparently I struck a chord by posting this absolutely delicious recipe for pancakes made with oatmeal!
Using Your Noodle
http://www.frugalmania.com/using-your-noodle/
My homage to the perennial frugal favorite, ramen noodles, has received a ton of visits from all over the world! Find out why!
This recent post on Tight Fisted Miser had me wondering about how people think about their spending habits and what frugal might mean to people in various walks of life.
In this post we are going to start at the beginning and take a good look at our spending habits and how we can better make decisions about what is and is not frugal and what areas we are willing to make changes on – or not.
The first step in the process of learning to spend less, live more frugally and eventually save money is to know exactly how much you are spending. This is probably the most crucial step as well as the majority of people don’t have a true understanding of where their money goes. The easiest way to accomplish this is to get a receipt for every penny to spend, every time. Keep the receipts and put them in an envelope. At the end of each week, take out your receipts and break down what you have spent into categories. Some of the basic categories I use are:
HELPFUL TIP: One suggestion that may help you better make this sorting idea work for you is to have an envelope for each category you are using and putting the receipts into the correct envelope as you bring them home.
Once you have your receipts sorted you should have a real idea of how much money you spent that week. Now look deeper, especially into the negotiable expenses like food and entertainment. Specifically you should look for items that you may not need or could spend less by buying in another way. Fast food for example, should be eliminated in most cases. Bite the bullet and bring your lunch from home. Buy coffee on the way to work? Stop. It will cost you less to make it at home and bring a thermal mug with you. Most offices have coffee and you will survive the commute with a mug you brought from home.
This is a tough sticking point for a lot of frugal newbies – they don’t seem to understand that spending five bucks at the local fast food drive thru every day adds up quickly, and that by packing leftovers or even a sandwich at home to have for lunch can save you a lot of money!
While I am on that particular soapbox, I need to tell you to stop buying bottled water. Unless you live in third world country with filthy ponds as your only water source you are wasting money. If you are worried about contaminants in your tap water, get a filter. They’re cheap. Work with me here, people.
In order to get a handle on our spending, we have to know what we are spending and make some tough decisions. It takes dedication and most of all, will power. If you are truly dedicated to improving your financial situation though, it is entirely possible. Thousands of people are doing it every day and you can too, no matter what your situation is.
First, let me say that I received this question a few weeks ago but my own experiences yesterday has led me to mention it today.
Yesterday I bit the proverbial bullet and went to the eye doctor for a long overdue eye exam. I write approximately 12 to 14 hours per day, sometimes 7 days a week and my eyes have taken a beating as a result. I knew that I would need some sort of vision correction for the first time in my life and was just never truly willing to admit it to myself. The constant eye strain and headaches finally forced me off my rump yesterday and though I did leave with eyeglasses, I am very happy I did.
Now, on with today’s reader question.
Michael,
Both my husband and I wear eyeglasses, as do two of our four children and because of an eye condition my prescription changes almost every year. The frugal side of me wishes there was something I could do with the old eyeglasses but I have never really come up with a good idea. What do you suggest?
Beth in Tacoma, WA
Beth,
While I don’t know of any frugal uses for eyeglasses that will help around the house, I do have a good recommendation for you and for everyone else who might be reading as to what to do with old glasses when they are no longer useful to you.
Donate them!
Here are a few ideas for you:
Lions Club – The local Lions Club will accept donations of old eyeglasses and has done so for years. Visit the web site to locate a nearby center for more information.
Ask at your optometrist’s office. Most of them accept used eyeglass donations and will distribute them appropriately to people who cannot afford glasses on their own.
iphone could not be restored error 1604
I was about to cry.
I’m not an early adopter of technological greatness by any stretch, and the gift of an iPhone just weeks before the latest version was to be released didn’t change that. I wasn’t going to be one of those freaks standing in line at the Apple Store for two days to get the iPhone 3G.
I even wrote an article on a marketing web site two days before the release warning people to sync and back up their phones before trying to 
upgrade their iPhone software to v2.0 because part of the process would wipe everything stored on it.
And then yesterday came.
And I backed up my phone.
I downloaded the iPhone v2.0 update and I cried when I got the message "iphone could not be restored error 1604".
That was 6:01pm.
I tried everything I knew to do and was met with a refreshing variety of new errors:
iphone could not be restored error 1
iphone could not be restored error 6
iphone could not be restored error 2003
iphone could not be restored error 9
There are actually a few errors I neglected to write down as a matter of fact, but I am writing this because I want other people who had similar errors to learn from the seven and a half hours of work I put in to getting my phone restored and upgraded to iPhone v2.0.
Before you try anything else, if you are on a Windows machine, create a new user from the Control Panel:
Start > Settings > Control Panel > User Accounts
Start up the new user and go through the process with iTunes by opening iTunes with your iPhone in the cradle.
The reason this process works is because the new user fools the Apple servers into thinking that you don’t already have the update software and therefore downloads a fresh (and probably less buggy) copy.
Using this process starting as a new user on my computer, I was able to restore a bricked iPhone beginning at 1:02am and finishing at 1:31am.
More useful links on this topic:
This first video should justify my stance as a frugal writer and this site as a frugal blog even though I do include these weekly comedic interludes just to break up the monotony. In it, Chelsea and Patrick take frugal living to a new level and make a darned funny video clip at the same time.
By now everyone has heard of Dreamgirls, but even before Beyonce, Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Hudson made it a household name, superstar Will Smith (who was then known only as the Fresh Prince of Bel Air) was doing a hilarious rendition of the musical turned movie’s signature tune, “And I Am Telling You (I’m Not Going)”.
Bob Nelson is pure comedic genius, and this appearance at Dangerfield’s quite a few years back will hopefully introduce some of you to a comedian that you may have never even heard of before. He is a master of comedic impressions.
In closing this edition of Frugal Friday Funnies, I thought I would leave you with the song that has been stuck in my head for the past three days, just because I can. I am a huge fan of Scissor Sisters and for some reason their song “Kiss You Off” has been the earworm that just won’t go away this week. Here’s hoping it isn’t quite as severe for you!
I sure hope you all have a wonderful weekend! It is Friday – have some fun and remember to always make the most of life no matter where you are or what your condition. There is always someone, somewhere who is just a little worse off than you are and you need to take just a minute to be thankful for what you do have instead of always being upset about what you don’t.
Try to take life a little less seriously from time to time. It will keep you on your toes and keep you feeling much younger. It also just may help you keep your blood pressure down and keep you from ending up in the obituaries quite so soon.
Worried that going frugal might change things too much for you? Why not ease into things by learning to save big with just a few small changes?
Here are a few simple ways that you can save quite a bit of money over the course of a year by altering your lifestyle and behaviors only slightly and with a minimal impact on how you already live your life.
1. Make absolutely sure that you pay each and every bill you receive by the date it is due. Late fees and other associated penalties not only suck, they add up. Would you not rather spend that extra five, ten or twenty dollars on groceries or put it into your savings account? I know I would!
2. If you have a dishwasher, you should probably use it. I know that is possibly not what you would expect a frugal guy like me to say, but the majority of people waste a ton of water when they wash dishes. If you aren’t the type who fills both sinks once and washes everything that way you are better off using the dishwasher and only then when it is full.
3. Fix the damn sink! Even a slow drip on a faucet can cause you to lose as much as a gallon of water every hour – most often it is even more than that! Do I really need to do the math for you?
4. If you are not using it, turn it off. That goes not only for lights, but televisions, radios and even that precious home computer. Electronics that are not in use can be unplugged for even more savings.
5. If you have central air conditioning, get a programmable thermostat! They don’t cost that much but you could save quite a bit by setting the temperature a little higher when the house is empty. By raising the temperature a few degrees while you are at work you can realize a power bill savings as high as 10 percent or more!
This is the first in a series of everyday products being used in ways you may have not heard of. In today’s post we will look specifically at the areas of health and personal care.
Old time sore throat cure – Mix up a small batch of your own homemade sore throat cure by combining 1 part vinegar and 1 part honey and taking a tablespoon once every three to four hours. The vinegar acts as an antiseptic and kills the bacteria that causes a sore throat.
Quick fix for puffy eyes – This one has been used by stage performers and drag queens the world over for years; All you have to do is dab a touch of hemorrhoid cream (like Preparation H) under the eyes being careful to avoid the eyes themselves of course. These creams are vasoconstrictors and will instantly shrink the tissue when rubbed in.
Toenail fungus gets the boot - Got unsightly toenail fungus and don’t want to spend the extra cash on an expensive remedy that you are unsure will work in the first place? Soak the affected toe(s) in Listerine! It is still one of the most powerful antiseptics on the market and chances are you have some in the bathroom already.
Bruise B Gone – I’ve mentioned frugal uses for vinegar in the past, but did you know that soaking a cotton ball or clean cloth in vinegar and applying it to a bruise will lessen the discoloration and help the bruise to heal more quickly?
Have an idea for a future edition of And I bet you didn’t know? Leave Michael a comment and you might see your’s included next time!
What would we do without the phone? Old Alexander Graham Bell (or Antonio Meucci, depending on your particular school of thought) would never believe what his simple invention has become. The phone has become an indispensable part of most of our daily lives.
With land lines, cell phones, car phones, smart phones and now VoIP Internet phone services, being connected is easier (and more expensive) than ever. What can you do to save money without losing your ability to stay connected? Here are a few tips:
Home Land Lines
How much do you actually use yours? In my house there are two calls that come in on my home land line number – my mother-in-law and telemarketers. Next month we are dropping the land line entirely. Relax Mom, you have our cell phone numbers.
If you can’t drop the land line entirely, take a look at what you are paying for along with the very basic service. You don’t need the bells and whistles. Really. In all probability you don’t need long distance on your land line since your cell phone gives it to you for free. Drop the long distance carrier and you will drop the monthly fees associated with it.
Drop call waiting. Before it was invented, people got a busy signal, they knew you were on the phone and they called back. Nowadays people (my mother-in-law) expect you to answer even if you are on an important (telemarketing) call. The nerve!
Cell Phones
Okay now let’s be realistic. You are in your twenties, thirties or beyond. What do you need with 1500 text messages a month? How many times can you possibly send “OMG!”, “O RLY?” or “SRSLY!” before it gets old? Drop the text package and save some green every month. OMG. SRSLY!
VoIP and Internet Telephony
Today’s frugal recipe comes to you courtesy of a very sweet lady at a local farmer’s market I visited over the weekend. It sounds so delicious that I can’t wait to make it myself!
Cornbread is such a localized food. It is made differently in different parts of world – and even different parts of the country. Even here in the Southern United States, every household has their own way of making the delicious stuff. Cornbread is an excellent frugal food idea because it is deceptively simple to make and costs very little. The big plus is that almost everyone loves it!
Mexican cornbread is something I didn’t really even hear about until a few years ago when a co worker emailed me her mother’s recipe and it sounded so delicious that I made it with dinner that very night. I’ve been addicted ever since!
Mexican Cornbread
1. Oil a heavy baking pan (or a cast iron skillet, preferably) and place it in the oven while it preheats to 425 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients until just blended. DO NOT over mix!
3. Carefully remove the pan from the oven (the oil should sizzle) and pour the mixture in.
4. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes or until the top of the cornbread has reached a rich, golden brown color.
If there is one thing I never seem to have a shortage of in my house, it is books. They populate shelves and end tables, cabinets and boxes in the garage. I think I even have some in my trunk as a matter of fact.
The other day I starting thinking about frugal uses for books - ways that I might be able to make use of some of the books that I have accumulated over the years that don’t seem to serve any purpose these days. I’m not talking about the books that I read, or those that I may find useful for reference from time to time, I’m talking about those bulky hardback tomes that no longer serve any actual purpose (to me).
What follows are a few of the better ideas I came up with.
Surprisingly (at least to me), I get email from readers on a regular basis asking me for additional information on a post or even posing their own questions. This is one such question that I found particularly topical for a post here at Frugal Mania:
Dear Fr
ugal Michael,
I’ve been very good about using frugal ideas around the house and your recipes are the bomb! I do have a question for you though. My husband and I have been working really hard to get ourselves out of debt and we are finally in a position where we can start putting a little bit of money aside every month or whatever. We want to start investing or saving but don’t really have a clue where to start except for maybe getting a savings account at the bank. can you help?
Cynthia in Asheville
Dear Cynthia,
Thanks for taking the time to write! I was in the same position recently and spent some time investigating my options for saving and growing my savings (both of which are important). I actually closed my 401k because it wasn’t doing very well and I didn’t have much money in the account anyway.
I considered Certificates of Deposit but the rates are in the toilet – much like the economy is these days. My grandparents grew their money quite well with CDs but at that time they were earning 14% or higher for a 12 month CD and I can’t get that sort of rate no matter how much I invest. I do have an account at ShareBuilder and even have a handful of stocks but the stock market is (you guessed it), in the toilet. What to do?
The savings account at my credit union doesn’t have a rate of return that was appealing to me whatsoever, so I ended up opening an online savings account with HSBC, and I am now earning a respectable (at least in the current economy) 3.50% APY on my modest savings.
What I recommend is to look at how much you have to invest in savings and try to commit yourself to a set amount each month – even in that amount is no more than five dollars. That money will grow over time, and with a savings account like the one I set up, you do have an ATM card that allows you to access the money in case of an emergency.
Whatever you decide, definitely start saving for a rainy day right away. The longer you wait, the closer those rainy days may be!
There are thousands of ways that you can save tons of money by just being smart about your choices and using what you've already got on hand. Frugal Mania is about saving money with a passion!
Frugal Mania Author(s)
» Michael-Nolan
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