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Count 'em: 75 tips for surviving a crummy economy

Blogger has some unique money-saving ideas.

By Karen Datko Oct 5, 2009 11:37PM

"Frugal Dad" provides 75 tips for cutting back to help your budget withstand the impact of rising gas prices, higher food prices and our other economic ills. We love compilations like this because you can print them out and put them on the fridge.


Frugal Dad covers a lot of ground here, and has some ideas we hadn't considered. He cuts bottled juice with water to make it last twice as long. To save money but salvage his social life, he meets friends after the dinner hour. Eating out, after all, can be a mighty budget buster.


Here are some other samples (click here to read the entire list):

  • Some people won't use a drying rack or clothesline because clothing and towels can end up wrinkled or stiff. To fix that, Frugal Dad puts them in the dryer with a dryer sheet (we tear ours in half) for a few minutes after the sun and wind have nearly completed their job.

  • Our partner blogger, Donna Freedman, would agree with this one: Get a used freezer to stock up on discounted meat. (Or, if you live in ranching country, we suggest you consider buying a half- or quarter-beef right from the grower. It costs a lot less per pound, and grass-fed beef is leaner and tastier.)

  • You should know by now that properly inflated tires improve gas mileage. Buy a tire gauge, and check your tires every time you fill up the tank. Honestly, it's easy.

  • Keep any irregular income -- bonuses, overtime, gifts, money found on the street -- in a separate account for emergencies or to cover rising costs.

  • Forget baths. The alternative is a "navy" shower.

  • Frugal Dad read our mind with this one: "I don't buy anything that requires ironing."

  • Shed the product loyalty. Often the store brands taste just like the advertised ones. It makes you wonder if that dog is spilling the beans on the bean recipe.

  • Don't get spendy on gifts. Frugal Dad's wife gave him a decorated jar containing 50 pieces of paper, each with a reason why she loves him. He said, "It was one of the best gifts I've ever received, and cost less than $5 to make."

Published July 7, 2008
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ABOUT SMART SPENDING

Smart Spending brings you the best money-saving tips from MSN Money and the rest of the Web. Join the conversation on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

Editor Bev O'Shea lives and works in the foothills of the Appalachians. A former copy editor for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Orlando Sentinel, she joined MSN Money in 2007. She's a fan of sunsets, college football and free shipping, among other things.

Having worked as a writer, reporter and editor for more than 25 years, Editor Julie Tilsner is the sort of person who can't help but correct grammar in Facebook postings and on billboards. She's written for BusinessWeek, the Los Angeles Times, Parenting, Redbook, AOL and others. She lives in Los Angeles County with her family and loves to drink wine and practice yoga, although not generally at the same time.

A writer for MSN Money since January 2007, Donna Freedman won regional and national prizes during an 18-year newspaper career and earned a college degree in midlife without taking out student loans. She also writes about smart money tactics for magazines and on her own site, Surviving and Thriving.

Mitch Lipka has been warning people about scams and shining light on questionable business practices for more than 20 years. Mitch, the consumer columnist for The Boston Globe, has also been a reporter and editor at The Philadelphia Inquirer, Consumer Reports, South Florida Sun-Sentinel and AOL. He won the 2010 New York Press Club award for best consumer reporting online and was honored in 2011 for his reporting on child product safety.

Marilyn Lewis is an award-winning writer with a passion for getting readers clear, straight information that helps them stay out of financial trouble. A former reporter for The San Jose Mercury News, she works from her home in Port Townsend, Wash. Contact her at MarilynLewis@Outlook.com.

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