Hi and Welcome back, i am hosting the 154th Festival of Frugality. I previously hosted the 143rd Festival of Frugality.  If you are interested in hosting a festival check out the webpage.  Also next week it will be hosted at Greener Pastures, so please feel free to submit a post here.  I hosted the December Fabulous Festival yesterday at LAL Musings.

My name is LAL and I’m a twenty-something DINK writing about my journey to one day live large.  I write about personal finance in hopes of finding financial freedom.  Please look around and explore the site.  These are a few of the more popular frugal posts so check them out as well:

• Secret Food Increase
• Is spending wrong?
• Does being poor drive Frugality?
• Rejecting Frugality?

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…..I would be very grateful! But onto the 154th Festival of Frugality!  This time I decided that at this time of the year I would look up some of my favorite frugal quotes.  Perhaps we can keep them in mind if we feel guilty over the holiday.  That there is more to Christmas than just gifts.

Editor’s Picks

Being frugal does not mean being cheap.  It means being economical and avoiding waste. ~Catherine Pulsifer, author of Simple Living Quotes.

I think this is what most of us would define as “Frugal versus Cheap”.  These posts I think are the best posts talking about frugality and how to approach it.

• Richard debates whether Netflix is frugal in The Frugal Court #1: Netflix posted at Student Scrooge. For me personally it’s not. I watch maybe 4 movies a month, typically 1 a weekend. And I use redbox for that at $1 it’s not a huge deal. I am very interested in learning more about Netflix streaming movies for $8.99/month + $99 box, which might tempt me. But I’m not sure if I want to commit to it yet.
• Mr. CC talks about Extreme Christmas Shopping posted at Ask Mr Credit Card’s Blog. He gives us awesome tips to maximizing and minimizing our Christmas spending. I agree fully and have utilized these tips before as well, though I am trying to just spend less in general at Christmas period.
• Amanda talks about Frugality Goes Mainstream posted at Value For Your Life. I talked about this earlier that “Is poor the new affluence?” Where before we kept up with the Joneses, now we are all trying to be fugalites.
• Jennifer Derrick asks the question What’s Wrong With a Frugal Weekend? posted at Saving Advice. I think she’s making too big a judgment about how much people are spending. You have no idea if they are grocery shopping with coupons and spending $0 for a family of 4. Or if they are going over to people’s houses for food instead of eating out. I tend to think that automatically assuming that people who go in and out are spending money is a bad idea.

Spending

We can tell our values by our checkbook stubs. ~Gloria Steinem, American Feminist.

Before we go out and spend, imagine what you would say if you saw your receipt even 6 months later.  Would you still be happy or unembarrassed?  Then it’s a great purchase.

• The Frugalist discusses How to control the urge to splurge posted at Financial Frugality. Another tip is to make a list about what you need and stick to it. I read on another blog, at the beginning of each season, go through your clothes and donate what isn’t usable. Then list what you need and stick to it.
• Summer asks Are You Ready For Buy Nothing Day? posted at Wired For Noise. I bought stuff I wanted because it went on sale. I always wait for Black Friday deals because why pass up a deal on stuff you need? Personally I have 4 buy nothings days/week as my routine. No buying Mon-Thursday, Fri/Sat/Sun I shop for groceries and eat out. So most of my year is buy nothing.
• Lisa Spinelli talks about 10 Ways to Emotionally Separate From the “I Have to Have It” Holidays posted at Greener Pastures.  I agree that we need to separate ourselves from the commercialism of the holiday.
• VH shows us her reasoning in not spending in Black Friday: To plunge into the maelstrom or not to plunge? posted at Funny about Money. I think she does what I do before Black Friday. Make a list of things I need and see if they are necessary and on sale.
• Silicon Valley Blogger talks about When Black Friday Deals Are Not Worth The Risk posted at The Digerati Life. I agree, sometimes frugality can cause more grief than it’s worth.
• Money Smart Life gives us three Christmas Deals to Save You Money While Holiday Shopping posted at Money Smart Life. Nice deals, but I just am not needing to buy anything from Walmart or Restaurant.com.
• PT gives us a huge money savings heads up with FreeShipping.org: Why Pay for Shipping When You Don?t Have To? posted at Prime Time Money. I will definitely use it since I always ship gifts to most of my family.

Food

It is thrifty to prepare today for the wants of tomorrow. ~Aesop, Aesop’s Fables.

I think that one of the biggest budget busters is food. It can be tough to be frugal in cooking or eating out, but maybe with these few tips you can try!

• HappyCampers explains how To Make: Chocolate Lollipops posted at Reese’s View Of The World. Sounds delicious and this is a cheap gift to give to people.
• Chief Family Officer tells us why she Saves takeout plasticware and condiment packets posted at Chief Family Officer. I think the little ketchup packets great as well. As long as you aren’t stealing the condiments, it’s cool.
• The Smarter Wallet talks about how Quality Cookware can Save You Time and Energy posted at The Smarter Wallet. I fully agree that good cookware makes it easier to have good tasting food and that leads to eating out less! Also it makes it harder for a person (like myself) to justify “ruining” food when I have the proper cookware!

Gift Giving

You give but little when you give of your possessions.  It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. ~Kahlil Gibran, writer/philosopher.

Sounds great, but I wonder if people would be disappointed if we started not exchanging gifts but just a smile and a blessing? I would feel relieved personally.

• Mama Bear talks about creative gift ideas in Have Yourself A Handmade Christmas posted at I’ve Got a Little Space to Fill. OMG these are awesome ideas and they look great. Personally I’ve been giving away practical gifts.
• Polly Poorhouse gives us ideas for 10 Bargain Birthday Ideas posted at Economic Crunch. I think a cute party gift would be the chocolate lollipops suggested by HappyCampers.
• Aryn makes the suggestion on How to Create Your Holiday Wish List posted at Sound Money Matters. She says that making a list of reasonable gifts can help those who want to buy for you. I think it’s a great idea, especially for spouses so we don’t have to “splurge”.
• ChristianPF gives us 8 tips to save you money on your Christmas shopping posted at Christian Personal Finance. I think making a list of gifts and sticking to it will help impulse purchases and gifts.

Real Estate

Less is more. ~Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, architect.

He preached less is more to his students. I wonder if we’re moving towards less is more in terms of size of our homes as well?

• Joe Manausa talks about Great News For First Time Homebuyers In Florida Real Estate posted at Tallahassee Real Estate Blog. He gives us the heads up on programs available for first-time programs.
• The Financial Blogger gives us tips to save on home renovations in What I Have Learned About Home Renovation Part 1 posted at The Financial Blogger. I definitely agree that it’s hard to stay away from the temptation that it “only” costs $x more to upgrade!

Frugal Tips

Too many people spend money they haven’t earned to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like. ~Will Rogers, movie star.

Gosh, this could easily be the editor’s pick quote.  Truth is that it’s not really about frugality but financial spending in general.  We used to “keep up with the Joneses” but now they are broke.

• Kim gives us a few tips on Getting a Lazy Boy Recliner Repaired posted at Lazyboy Recliners. She makes the suggestion that repairing a recliner is worth doing above replacing it. I think it depends on the size of a repair.
• FMF rounds up some of his best posts about frugality in Free Money Finance: How to Make Money and Save Money posted at Free Money Finance. If you are looking for ideas, check out his always informative posts.
• Patrick @ Cash Money Life talks about Saving Money with the Entertainment Book | Cash Money Life posted at Cash Money Life. I love the entertainment book, I use the movies coupons for Regal Cinemas! I always save enough in what the book cost me.
• BeThisWay tells us about her experience in customer service in Company Policies Often Penny-Wise and Pound-Foolish posted at Are You Going To Be This Way The Rest of The Time I Know You?. She explains why some company policies end up costing the company money instead of saving it. I used to adore CVS, but have found that their recent policy changes including not accepting internet printable coupons annoying.
• Green Panda tells us How Am I Doing With Ramit’s Save $1,000 Challenge? Part 2 posted at Green Panda Treehouse. She evaluates some of the tips she’s received to from readers to help in the challenge.  I wonder if I could do it?  Doubtful unless I tell my DH and get him onboard, or else he’ll think I’m going fiscally nuts again, like the month long cash only experiment.
• Shortcut Sleuth talks about 8 Easy Ways to Save Money Without Changing Your Lifestyle posted at Shortcut Sleuth. Strangely I do all those things with the exception of using cash, including brown bagging it everyday, no vending machine (I’ve never seen one in my building since I never use it), and I have a standing date with the library . So what could I do to save money?
• J. Money passes on 3 Tax Tips you can still do before ‘08 ends! (they’re very sexy) posted at Budgets are Sexy.. I went through my closet and culled clothes to donate. But I really need to check out our investments and decide what to cull as well.
• Ryan Suenaga explains how he is working on Finding Low Cost Entertainment posted at Uncommon Cents. I simply adore the library. As a child my mom and I would go weekly and I’d borrow books, etc to enjoy. The habit has stuck, my DH still laughs that I’m the only person he knows who looks where a library is as soon as we move in.
• RC explains how he is Teaching Frugality to Kids posted at Think Your Way to Wealth. I agree about teaching by example. Going to the library is one of frugal entertainments my mom ingrained in me by our weekly trips.

Banking

Money in the bank is like toothpaste in the tube.  Easy to take out and hard to put back in. ~Earl Wilson, columnist.

I hadn’t considered that money in the bank like toothpaste, but it makes sense.  Next time my DH cuts open a toothpaste tube, I’ll tell him it’s like money in the bank, except he’s making it hard to get out as well.

• Credit Shout roundups the Best Cash Back Credit Cards posted at CreditShout. I still like my Citibank Simplicity card which is grandfathered in and no longer available. The American Express Blue is nice, but I don’t spend $6500/month.
• The Happy Rock discusses her test in The “Paying Cash” Experience – 2 Months Later posted at The Happy Rock. I’ve found I spend substantially less with cash, we’re talking about 75% less. I think that I become stingy and not in a good way. Why would it be hard to stick to a budget with a CC? I mean you still have the budget and when you are close you just stop.
• Apply4-credit explains how Credit Cards Can Work with a Budget posted at Apply4-Credit. I use plastic only for my budget and haven’t had much trouble sticking to it. Very few categories are variable like groceries, entertainment, eating out. Everything else pretty much fixed.
• Andy talks about banking fees in Bank on it: Higher Fees are Here to Stay posted at Saving to Invest. He gives us tips on how to avoid these new, higher fees.
• Debt Free Destiny talks about Squeezing Your Paycheck for Every Drop posted at Debt Free Destiny. He gives us tips to maximize our take home pay. I think having the correct tax with holdings is the most difficult part to predict.

Fashion

Frugal is the new black! ~David Rosenber, Merrill Lynch.

Apparently frugality is about to set in and take society by storm. Much like how fashion trends come and go, it’s possible frugality will go, but for now it’s stormed into popularity.

• DCDiva gives us the lowdown on shoes in Cheap Chic Under $50: Tis the Season for Festive Holiday Shoes posted at Heels Are a Girl’s Best Friend. I love the Karen Scott shoes, but too bad I can’t wear heels anymore.
• Matt Caldwell gives us 3 Reasons to Clean Out Your Closet Immediately posted at 15 Minutes to Riches!. He says you save money because you don’t buy duplicates of things you already have. I agree, and strangely I just went through my closet for clothes to donate which I haven’t worn in a year.
• HowToMe instructs us How To Sew a Simple Purse, Tote or Bag posted at HowToMe. So cool, if I have time this Holidays, I’m going to try and make a new accessory.

I hope you enjoyed this edition of the carnival and picked up a lot of great frugal tips.  I had a great time hosting it and hope to do it again soon!  Come back or subscribe for my feed through RSS or E-mail.  Thank you for visiting!