Steadfast Finances

 Frugal Living,Good Eats,Personal Finance         No comments

My secret is out. Scratch that – I doubt I’m the only one who ever figured out this frugal hack on how to turn the tables of your local grocery store’s salad bar, but being that I usually see at least one person making the same mistake every time I go shopping, I’d wager more [...]

 Energy Conservation,Frugal Living,Green Living         6 comments

I’ve been considering installing solar panels on my roof for several years now. The number one reason I haven’t is cost, where I fear the upfront cost won’t justify the long term savings. But to be more specific, it’s that I’m a bit wary of being an early adopter in any new technology too soon [...]

 Frugal Living,Good Eats,Personal Finance         No comments

Something tells me harvest time will be extra colorful this year. This years batch of seeds, mostly heirloom seeds (e.g. no genetically modified seeds) cost me ~$80, but the resulting produce will be worth a minimum of 10 times that. Even if you’re a farmer’s market novice, you’ll know the specialty heirlooms — the Orangeglo [...]

 Consumer Education,Frugal Living         No comments

Here’s a first for me… I actually found myself saying “I should shop more at Wal-Mart” while reading this NYT article on the mega-retailer pushing for cost reductions on healthier foods. The plan, similar to efforts by other companies and to public health initiatives by New York City, sets specific targets for lowering sodium, trans [...]

 Economy,Frugal Living,Infographics & Chartology,Saving Money         2 comments

It would appear that an increased savings rate, and the debatable longevity of the “new frugality” meme, are more sticky, time wise, with American consumers than many business leaders and economists had hoped. Not surprisingly, negatively toned headlines like one in seven Americans living in poverty and much of the financial mainstream media constantly discussing [...]

 Consumer Education,Infographics & Chartology         No comments

I occasionally questioned my judgment in raising a medium sized, 2000 square feet vegetable garden when I was covered in dirt and sweat in 90+ degree summer heat, but after seeing charts like these, all that work (or exercise) now seems like a pretty good idea. Granted, I’m not Juan Valdez raising my own coffee [...]

 Frugal Living,Good Eats,Saving Money         10 comments

Six words… growing my own fruits and veggies! [6 Day Old Golden Honeymoon Melon Heirloom Seedlings from Baker Creek Seed Company] I’ve had a small container garden on my back deck for several years now where I’ve grown my own herbs and other high price tag veggies (e.g. tomatoes, salad greens, etc.) to save a [...]

 Frugal Living,Good Eats         1 comment

Instead of dropping $5 or more for a questionable beef patty with a side of french fried heart attack, how about rethinking where you spend your consumer dollars on something a little more nutritious and cost effective. What I mean is, if you’re going to shell out $5 or more for a single serving meal [...]

 Bargain Hunting,Frugal Living,Saving Money         4 comments

Who uses Groupons? Rich people. That’s who! Okay, maybe not just rich people, but you may be surprised to learn that people who make major bank ($100k+ annual salary) are the heaviest users of daily groupon email alerts. Then again, it should be no surprise at all that young people who make a lot of [...]

 Administration         6 comments

Being a student of social anthropology, I always find generational studies particularly interesting because they ask wide array of behavioral, economic, and big picture questions that have a fairly good chance of impacting the future path of a country. This demographic profile, from the Pew Center on the American Millennial generation (aka Gen Y), is [...]

 Frugal Living,Good Eats,Saving Money         2 comments

Around this time every year, I’m usually suffering from sporting event purgatory. Meaning, I’ve got a nasty case of football withdrawal and with March Madness still several weeks away, I’m looking for something to fill the hours. So now that my normal repertoire of buffalo wings and homemade chicken fingers isn’t needed until summertime, I [...]

 Frugal Living,Good Eats,Saving Money         13 comments

Being a foodie and wannabe chef, I always get a kick out of making my own unique versions of processed foods that I’ve historically bought pre-made off the grocery store shelves. Similarly, being something of a frugal living advocate, I like to cut costs where I can, so it’s just a natural fit that I would [...]