Browsing Category

Frugal Living

6 Signs It’s Time to Upgrade Your Smartphone

I’m pretty frugal. And my frugal lifestyle has leaked over into my choice of cell phone. My current cellphone is a Motorola Droid X and I’ve had it for nearly 3 years. And, let me tell you, it’s on its last legs.

There are a number of reasons I’ve held on to the good ol’ Droid X for so long. I’ve been trying to maximize the value of the money I spent on my phone. It was one of the high-end models a couple of years ago, so I’ve wanted to get as much mileage out of my phone as possible. I’ve been on a family plan, so laziness of trying to coordinate upgrading has been a factor in holding onto my phone. I have been lucky enough to not have any major issues until lately. Plus, I’ve been able to hold off paying for a new phone until a model I really like has come along.

While I’ve been able to hang on to my smartphone for almost 3 years, the writing has been on the wall for a while that it’s time for an upgrade. While I’m not thrilled to depart with the cash, I do recognize there is a line between being frugal and being cheap. I use my smartphone as a tool to check email, surf the web, connect with information, and communicate people. With my upcoming change to working remotely, having a reliable cell phone will be really important since, I am on a lot of conference calls each day for work.

If you’re in a situation where you’re trying to decide whether it’s time to upgrade your smartphone or not, here are some signs it’s time.

July 8, 2013 by Nicole

Frugal Living, Money

Frugal Living in an Expensive City

Living in a city can be expensive. If you’re not careful, you can find yourself in some deep trouble. However, being proactive, living a mostly frugal lifestyle and counting your pennies can allow you to live it up in an expensive city without going broke.

My year in the New York area has taught me a lot about money, especially since I’ve been trying to stay afloat and pay off my student loans at the same time. Frugal living in an expensive city requires, in the words of Mad Eye Moody, “constant vigilance!”

In my year here, I’ve learned some lessons about frugal living in an expensive city. While I’ve talked about general strategies for frugal living before, here are some of my favorite strategies keeping it frugal in an expensive city.

May 8, 2013 by Nicole

Frugal Living, Money

3 Strategies to Kick Frugal Living Up a Notch

If you’re just starting to take control of your finances and life a frugal lifestyle, there are a lot of low-hanging fruits that can make a big difference in the wallet arena. Some of those that come to mind that you can find in many places on the Internet are:

February 20, 2013 by Nicole

Bacon Rose Bouquet. Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitchenculinaria/6878767345/sizes/l/

Frugal Living, Money

Celebrating Valentine’s Day on a Budget

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Walk into any store or take a look around Pinterest and it will be immediately clear that love is in the air.

But Valentine’s Day, as sentimental and nice as the idea behind it is, can quickly become a frugal person’s nightmare. Commercialism is a frequent critique of the holiday, with cards, candies, sweets, lingerie, nights out, etc. quickly adding up.

Whether you have a significant other, friends or family that you want to show that you care, here are some ideas for having a Valentine’s Day on a budget. After all, it’s about showing the people how much you care, not how much you can spend on them.

February 4, 2013 by Nicole

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/68751915@N05/6757824757/sizes/l/

Frugal Living, Money

Softening The Blow of More Taxes and Less Take-Home Pay in 2013

We may have averted the looming fiscal cliff, but that doesn’t mean we’ve completely slipped by with no tax increases in 2013. If you’re like myself, you may have found that you had less cash in pocket after your first paycheck in 2013. It may not be a lot per paycheck, but it can add up. If you were already on a tight budget, it could be a downright unpleasant situation no matter how much more you are paying. It’s not an ideal situation, but it’s one that can be conquered. In fact, you can spin this negative situation into a positive one and parlay the tax increase into some positive life changes. After all, that’s what living in flux is all about.

January 23, 2013 by Nicole

Frugal Living, Money

Holiday Gift Giving on a Budget

Some might call me cheap. Some might call me frugal. Some might call me financially selective. Others might call me Scrooge.

Yep. Scrooge.

You see, I haven’t done a lot of gift giving over the past couple of years. In fact, I’m not sure I actually got anyone anything last year. That is, unless you count my presence , as I took vacation days from work and flew to New York from rural Missouri for a fanciful two weeks of fun with friends and family.

Now before you get all up in arms about my lack of gift giving, let me note that I’m not one who either expects or feels entitled to receiving presents. I think I’d like to change it up this year though.

No, not about the feeling entitled (*cough* give me ALL of the presents! *cough*).

November 26, 2012 by Nicole