Kate Forgach

10 Feasible Financial Resolutions for 2012

It's time for New Years resolutions again. This economy may force us more into promises about maintaining a healthy budget than losing weight, so we offer you 10 tips on becoming financially balanced in 2011.

Learning Frugality From the Wisdom of the Past--Part Three

"The safe way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it in your pocket." --Frank Hubbard
Do you reconsider a purchase when you have to pay for it in cash? Research has repeatedly shown we feel more pain when forking over the greenbacks than when using plastic. That’s why the old envelope system works so well.

Here’s how it goes: After you’ve paid your online bills and transferred a percentage of earnings into savings and investments, figure out how much you can afford to spend on entertainment, gas, etc. Withdraw enough cash to cover these “wants” and place the designated amount in envelopes labeled for each purpose. When the cash from a particular envelope is depleted, that’s it...No soup for you!

Learning Frugality From the Wisdom of the Past--Part Two

Wisdom doesn't necessarily have to come down through the ages. Our frugal quotes for this week come from a Greek writer and philosopher born in 1883 and an American feminist born in 1934. Read on for details.

"How simple and frugal a thing is happiness: A glass of wine, a roast chestnut, a wretched little brazier, the sound of the sea...All that is required to feel that here and now is happiness is a simple, frugal heart." --Nikos Kazantzakis
Cutting back your entertainment budget doesn’t mean you have to forgo all pleasures. As Kazantzakis implies, money doesn’t necessarily lead to happiness. If it did, many rich people would be a lot happier. For a few ideas, check out our blog post “11 Tips to Maximize Your Entertainment Dollar

Learning Frugality From the Wisdom of the Past--Part One

In an effort to avoid "the doom of reliving the past," we'll take a look each Monday at frugal-related quotes from history and how they relate to America's present financial situation. Here's our first helping.

40 Socially Responsible Companies

Social responsibility is more than just a trend; in some states, it's the law. A new form of legislation is creating "benefit corporations," which can legally place good deeds before shareholder profits.

Go Frugal With These 10 Gas-Saving Tips

With gas prices heading over the $100/barrel mark, it's time to get serious about slowing down, avoiding bad driving habits and generally saving at the pump. There are many other ways you can cut back and we offer seven you might not have considered.

Score Unadvertised Specials From 40 Merchants

Unadvertised specials are the bomb, if you can find them. These hidden deals come in many forms, through such methods as email registrations and special sections on websites. We teach you a thing or two about unearthing these special offers. 

Your AAA Card Offers Numerous Non-travel Discounts

The Automobile Association of America is well known for its car and travel services, but the motor club also has a parnership program that provides members with savings from more than 100 services and merchants. You'll find online deals on everything from office supplies to gym memberships are available simply by shopping through AAA.com.

Our 82 Very Best Go Frugal Posts

Frugaity has become second nature to us, after writing umpteen blog posts on the topic. Your feedback over the years has been greatly appreciated, leading us to share once again the very best of our work. Thanks for reading!

Spring Cleaning Tips to Stash, Cash or Trash

Too many of us have homes packed with stuff we'll never use. If the sole purpose of your extra stuff is to fill your garage and closets, it's time to downsize some and decide whether you should trash or sell all that junk. To help you decide, we've put together tips that can serve as a useful guide.