What rubbish! Dan Phillips has to be the hero of everyone who has ever pulled over to pick something out of a heap waiting for garbage pickup on the side of the road. For a dozen years, the now 64-year-old Phillips has built homes in Huntsville, Texas, using license plates, old picture frames, shards of ceramic tiles, wine bottle corks, …
Real Estate & Homes
It’s a Deal: Kids Eat Free at IKEA This Weekend
From September 5 through September 7 at most IKEA stores, you can choose any three kids-size items to put together a customized kids meal—for free. Lower prices have been announced on dozens of household items too. More details here.
Shout-Out: Real Simple’s 19 Easy DIY Projects
A good how-to can save you time and money. With that in mind, Real Simple mag recently rounded up detailed instructions for 19 DIY projects—everything from fixing a faucet that spits water, to replacing a dead spot on the lawn, to changing a burned-out headlight bulb, to repairing a broken necklace.
IKEA: Where the Chinese Go to Hang Out, Drink Free Soda, and Take Naps
Americans know that IKEA can be a great place for a cheap date—with free babysitting included via the Smaland childcare center. At an IKEA store in Beijing, however, thousands of Chinese shoppers take the IKEA experience a step further.
It’s a Deal: Laminate Flooring from 69¢ a Square Foot
Lumber Liquidators has issued a “Buyout Alert,” with inventory of laminate floor varieties selling for less than half of comparable retail price. A couple of styles are selling at 69¢ per square foot, and a couple more are under $1 per square foot. More details here.
Shout-Out: This Old House’s Cheapskate Hall of Fame
I have a special place in my heart for DIY home fixer-uppers, especially if they figure out how to tackle their projects while saving money—and especially if they pass along their experience and wisdom to me.
Ten Odd Lessons the Recession Has Taught Us
The recession has provided a moment to step back and contemplate, to come to a truer understanding of life lessons like that happiness is not derived from material things. The financial downturn has also passed along some slightly odd teachings, like that fewer people die at the workplace when there are fewer people actually at work.
Going Green Just Got More Cost-Effective
Some people will adopt environmentally friendly practices because they want to do their part to save the earth. Others—many others—will hop on board once it’s demonstrated that doing so will save them money.
Is Renting Smarter Than Buying a Home?
For as long as I can remember, the assumption has always been: It is better to own than to rent a home. But for quite some time now, what that meant to a lot of people was that it was better to speculate than to play it safe.
To Save Money, Run Your Household Like a Small Business, or a Golf Course
Advice aimed at increasing efficiency and lowering costs in the business world is often just as valid when applied to the individual. To minimize your cell phone bill, follow the pattern set by small businesses trying to rein in expenses. And to conserve water (and decrease your water bill), look to golf courses, where water usage is …
Prices for Solar Panels Are No Longer Sky High
Is solar power in your future? The combo of new government tax credits and incentives and manufacturers dropping prices to entice customers in a down market means that it’s less expensive than ever to equip your home with solar panels. That doesn’t mean it’s cheap. That also doesn’t mean solar power makes sense in all homes and …
What Will a Cheapskate Spend Good Money On? Part VIII
When a cheapskate drops cash on something, you know it’s worthwhile. After a brief hiatus in the series of posts that explore what seriously frugal folks will spend good money on—and when cheap is the way to go—here’s another entry, from Gary Foreman, editor of The Dollar Stretcher.com.
