20 Kids and Counting: How to Have a Large and Frugal Family

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Happy Toes

I’m sure you’ve heard of the show 17 Kids and Counting, then changed to 18 and 19 with new additions. Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are expecting yet another child in April 2012.

That will make number 20 for the conservative Christian couple!

With two sets of fraternal twins, Michelle has been pregnant much more than the average woman.  They do not use birth control, instead, leaving their family size up to God.  With shows like Jon and Kate Plus 8 and the outrage Octomom caused, there are many people both intrigued and outraged at families the size of classrooms.

The Duggar children range in age from 23 years old to 23 months old, and there’s even a grandbaby!  How do you fit that many kids in 1 house?  Every teen couldn’t possibly get their own car, can they?  And how on Earth are they coming up with so many names that start with J?!
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Cheap, Inexpensive, and Frugal Halloween Costume Buying Tips

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chewbacca-and-yoda-costumes

Who dressed YOU?

Halloween is great fun! I remember how exciting it was going around town in my Halloween costume, getting candy from all of the neighbors.  I still get to enjoy that now through my kids!

Do you remember those old Halloween costumes? You know the ones that came in a box and it was made up of a thin plastic mask with eye holes that hurt and it was held onto your head with an elastic piece that usually didn’t last the night and the body of the costume was a plastic sack-like piece you climbed into which also didn’t make it through the night?  Those were great!  I remember one year I was Chewbacca and another I was Yoda ( I remember terrorizing my younger sister with those masks too; I was such a stinker!).  I’m sure I was Superman and Batman as well.
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Frugal Vacation Idea – Tag Along to Your Spouse’s Business Conference

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Business_suit_interview

Many people have to attend business conferences, often at faraway locations.  While it is true some people like to spend this time away from their family to focus on work and make business connections, others would prefer not to be away from their family for a long period of time.  If you are of the latter group and your spouse has a flexible schedule, why not create a family vacation around a conference instead?  Tag along to your spouse’s business conference and you have the makings of a frugal vacation.  There are several advantages to doing so:
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Transportation Alternatives for One Car Families

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Many of us grew up in two car families, and more recently, even three car families.  A car for each adult (and sometimes teenaged) member of the family seems to be a necessity, but is it?  Are there transportation alternatives for one car families?

We live on the outskirts of a major urban area and have lived happily with one car our entire married life.  By not having a second car we have saved thousands of dollars.  Consider the following:
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Try a No Spend Month: Your Wallet Will Thank You

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Do you find your expenses creeping up month after month? Do you use cash but don’t know where all of the money goes at the end of the week?  Do you feel you have gotten a bit lax with personal finance?  If so, you may want to try to have a no spend month.

During a no spend month, you limit yourself to only a certain amount you can spend on variable expenses.  My family has had two no spend months, and each time we allowed ourselves to spend no more than $500 on variable expenses including groceries, dining out, gas, entertainment, and miscellaneous.  Both no spend months made us more aware of our spending weaknesses and taught us some valuable lessons.Continue Reading

Save Money on Vacation Plans with Frugal Staycation Ideas

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Lego Indy On Vacation

I like to travel, but sometimes a vacation just isn’t practical. After all, a vacation can require quite a bit of planning — and expense.  You have to plan airfare (or pay for gas when you take a road trip), pay for hotel stays, and arrange for food.  All of this can become overwhelming as well as costly.  If you want to go on a trip, but know that a full-on vacation isn’t practical, you can plan a staycation.

Here are some ideas for frugal staycations:Continue Reading

Extreme Couponing: Do You Really Save or is it a Waste of Time?

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Extreme couponing has become quite the craze and there’s no denying there can be significant savings to be had; but at what cost?

This sounds like an oxymoron – but depending on the circumstances, couponing can come with a hefty price tag.  There are some great deals to be had out there and there is no debate that coupons can save you a bit of money but let’s closely examination this activity. Continue Reading

Festival of Frugality – Spend It Edition

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Welcome to the Festival of Frugality – Spend it Edition (this is number 263 for those keeping count out there)!

So why “Spend It” for a frugality festival?  Well, sometimes people take frugality to extremes that I think aren’t productive.  Other times people get frugality all wrong.  Throughout the carnival I’m going to tell you a few instances on where it’s OK to spend and why.  You let me know what you think in the comments.

Spend on what you need, not want you want.

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Where To Find Cheap Fun Family Activities – 6 Places

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Ask anyone with kids and they will tell you – going out with the family can be expensive! Think about it – every activity you might do yourself is multiplied by the number of people in your family.  Going to the zoo by yourself could cost you $10, for example, but for a family of five that could be $50 just to walk in.

But there are ways to find cheap, fun family activities!  Here are six places to look:

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What’s This Groupon I Keep Hearing About?

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NYHS_Groupon_Deal

Maybe you’ve seen some ads on the web. Perhaps you heard about it on the local news.  I don’t know about you but I’ve been hearing about Groupon everywhere!

So what is this Groupon all about?!?

Groupon (group+coupon) is a site that offers up a daily deal on some of the best attractions, eateries, and shops in your area (well, in lots of areas so far).
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