One of the basics to saving money is knowing how you already spend it. This means having a system to record your income and expenses. When I was in college I used the accounting pads with the green columns to record my receipts and tabulate how much I spent in each area. It was very... Continue Reading →
Brighter savings
(updated 4/23/17) One fairly simple way to save money (and energy) in your home is to switch to more energy-efficient light bulbs. In the last few years, LED bulbs have been introduced, which are even more efficient than compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs, which had replaced incandescent bulbs). Both CFLs and LEDs have a higher cost in... Continue Reading →
Saving money and energy on Shabbos
(updated 1/8/26) This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. How can it be possible to save money on Shabbos when you aren't allowed to spend any? There are actually many things we do that are related to Shabbos that... Continue Reading →
Preparing for gift-giving = savings
(updated 1/20/26) This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. It seems like whenever I look at the calendar there is another party or event coming up that I need a gift for. I try to do a few... Continue Reading →
Switch over your disposables!
(updated 4/14/17) If you think about it, everything you use once and throw away adds to your daily costs. It also adds to our landfills and impact on the environment. To get away from this whole throwaway society, we try to use many reusable products in our home. The savings may seem small, but over... Continue Reading →
My favorite find – swapping books
(updated 1/26/26) Several years ago a classmate at UMSL told me about this great website (Paperbackswap.com) where you can swap books with other people. Since then, it has become my favorite way to get books for home and teaching! You can post any books that you want to trade and create your own wish list... Continue Reading →
Don’t throw it out!
(updated 4/10/17) There are so many cases where we have saved money by not throwing out something broken. How is that possible? There are several things you can do with an item you might be thinking of throwing out (forgive me if any of this is something you already know): ∞ Fix it: I am fortunate... Continue Reading →
Reusable shopping bags = savings
(updated 4/7/17) Did you know that bringing your own bags to the store is good for the environment AND also for your wallet? Many stores offer a bag discount or bag reward when you bring and use your own reusable bags. The rewards vary from $.05 - $.10 a bag. Some stores offer a raffle for prizes, too.... Continue Reading →
Surviving on a tight budget 