frugal hacks - Surviving and Thriving

You just gonna toss that bottle cap?

July 19, 2013June 15, 2010 by Donna Freedman

Yesterday I bought three 12-packs of Diet Coke for $6.99. That is not a typo. I took advantage of a buy-two-get-one-free sale and “bought” one of the two with a “free 12-pack” coupon that I got from My Coke Rewards. I’ll be all set for quite a while as regards my caffeine of choice.

Before you hit “submit” on the Comments button, let me assure you that I already know carbonated soft drinks are not good for me. I already have a dental hygienist sister who is happy to point this out. But what’s life without a little sin?

Shopping online? Don’t forget your coupons.

June 9, 2010 by Donna Freedman

Over at my day job — the Living With Less personal finance column at MSN Money — I’m sharing info about online discount codes.

“Nab a $19 discount in 80 seconds” provides a primer on the five basic types of discount codes offered at sites such as Fat Wallet, Savings.com, Sunshine Rewards, Rather Be Shopping and Retail Me Not. These codes work just like coupons, with a couple of significant differences:

No clipping or filing
You don’t have to listen to folks in line lowing like cattle when you pull out a fistful of paper Qs

I travel with mayonnaise.

December 23, 2020June 8, 2010 by Donna Freedman

Recently I flew to Anchorage, Alaska for a 10-week housesitting gig/visit. I generally go with just a carry-on bag, but my new neck-supporting pillow takes up a big chunk of that bag. I couldn’t stuff much Stuff into the small space where the pillow wasn’t.

A real frugalist just hates to pay checked-bag fees. Were this to have been a short trip I’d have simply used a rolled-up towel under my neck. But 10 weeks is a little long to subject my creaky neck to a tube o’terrycloth. Into the bag went the pillow and into another bag went a bunch of my stuff.

Plus some birthday presents, and some mayonnaise.

Why you need a nap.

July 12, 2015May 26, 2010 by Donna Freedman

When I was a child I loathed naps. There was just way too much to do to spend daytime hours lying on a bed. These days I crave naps because, well, there’s just way too much to do.

I wish I could distill the essence of sleep and sell it in pill form. I’d call the product a “napsule.”

Inattention can cost you. Ask me how I know.

October 22, 2015May 17, 2010 by Donna Freedman

On Friday morning I was rushing through my exercises, as usual, and thinking about five other things, as usual. Preparing for a hamstring stretch, I swung my left foot up toward the cedar chest. I missed, and the top of my foot hit the couch.

Side note: It’s not really a couch. It’s a loveseat/sleeper, a purply-pink fabric stretched over a frame made of steel, or possibly bricks. The corner, where the steel/bricks meet, was where my second toe connected.

Instantly I unleashed multi-syllabic swear words. The air turned blue overhead. I swear the loveseat blushed. After hobbling around the living room like a football player who’s just taken a crotch shot (Walk it off, Freedman, walk it off), I said out loud, “I have got to start paying attention to one thing at a time.”