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Jul

20

FBN Roundup - I’ve Been Gone a Month headdesk Edition

It’s Sunday, and that means it’s time to round up what’s gone on in the Frugal Blog Network this week. However, since I’ve gone a month without reading any blogs, I thought I’d do a little more than just roundup in a list. There were some FANTASTIC posts in this last month between the three FBN members besides myself, and I feel strongly compelled to share
From Frugal Babe, I liked the post Creative Cooking - Use What You Have. I am learning, slowly (very slowly) that I love to cook, and my approach to cooking is similar to hers. I love the idea of just making food with what you have lying around.

She also wrote Making it Work, all about how she improvised making bigger diapers for her baby son when he outgrew her original homemade ones. This post just made me feel warm all over - not the talk of diapers, but just how she can sew and will sew to spend less money. Most of you know I have a massive wardrobe stuffed with designer clothes. What you may not know is that I love to sew. There’s a reason that all of my clothes from years and years ago are still in perfect condition - I care for them. I sew up tears (that can be saved), reattach buttons and sequins and beads and alter hems and sleeves where need be. I’ve become so good at repairing clothes that you’d never know the items were years old. I think the ability and desire to sew are key in keeping clothing around for a long time. After all, I haven’t HAD to buy new clothes in ages. Not that that’s stopped me from buying more anyway…
Dana from Not Made of Money wrote about how to successfully shop at thrift stores. This is a great post, and if you love clothes as much as I do, you’ll love this post as much as I did. As much as I shop at Nordstrom and other boutiques downtown, I shop at thrift stores and vintage shops even more. There’s nothing as satisfying at finding a great 1980’s Chanel dress tucked away in the back of some flea market shop for $9 (yes, true story… no, it didn’t fit). I am somewhat of a second-hand-store fiend, and these tips will help you become one as well And carrying on with Frugal Babe’s theme, if you know how to sew and clean fabric and beads, etc., your old treasures can look gorgeous and new again
Dana also wrote Three Key Ways to Motivate Yourself to Cook at Home. I eat out only (maybe) once a month, so this isn’t such an issue for me - but I know that for a lot of people it is. Eating at home can save you hundreds of dollars a month. It helps that I eat a lot of non-cooked things like fruits and fresh veggies… the less I have to cook, the better
And I have to mention her post Breaking Out of the Credit Card Loop because it is just great advice in a short and sweet article.

Andy from Tight Fisted Mister wrote two posts that are really in line with my values. One post was on his stuff. He said, “It is kind of amazing that even though I try to only buy stuff when it is really necessary I’ve still managed to accumulate a lot of stuff.” If you’ve read my series on stuff and clutter, you’ll like this short musing he wrote.

And finally, Andy also wrote about he’s contemplating living without a car, which I am all for. I work at home, so I only need a vehicle for a few errands. Because I don’t own a car personally (I drive Sean’s second truck to get around when I need to), I encourage anyone who CAN live car-less to do so. I am buying a motorcycle to have an even more fuel-efficient way of getting around when I do go out.

Happy Sunday, everyone! Next week’s roundup won’t be so long… I missed so much! Enjoy reading