Welcome to the 89th edition of the Festival of Frugality. Yes, we are already at the 89th mark and will pretty soon reach the century mark in just a few short weeks! There are 43 article submissions that made it this week. If you are not familiar with the festival, it is a weekly compilation of the most recent articles published around the blogosphere. The topics encompasses the concept of frugalism but also covers other topics such as personal finance and consumer resources. You can always go to the Festival of Frugality homepage to check the previous editions.

 

The Editor’s Choice

Millionaire Mommy presents How to Treat Affluenza: Spend Less, Save Our Earth and Live a Happier Life posted at Millinonaire Mommy Next Door. “Affluenza is defined as: The bloated, sluggish and unfulfilled feeling that results from efforts to keep up with the Jones’s; An epidemic of stress, overwork, waste and indebtedness caused by the pursuit of the American Dream; or An unsustainable addiction to economic growth.”

Golbguru presents Is this frugal or just not quite right? posted at Money, Matter, and More Musings. “Frugality is making the most of your resources. How can people be called frugal if they are reducing their own expenses by grabbing someone else’s resources? Is it frugal to take more than your fair share - even if it is free?”

Silicon Valley Blogger presents Who are the cheapest people you know? posted at The Digerati Life. Some people think that they are frugal but in actuality they are really cheap!! What do you do if you run across someone who’s really cheap that it makes you shake your head?

Zen and the Art of Personal Finance in 4 steps at Teaspoon Finance. Teaspoon explores applying some of the principles of Zen to personal finance.

 

Frugal And Helping The Environment

“In the long term, the economy and the environment are the same thing. If it’s unenvironmental it is uneconomical. That is the rule of nature.– Mollie Beattie,” an interesting quote taken from Queercents post.

Queercents presents Buy local foods and reduce carbon footprint. Spending just $10 a week on local choices make a big impact when it comes to buying food and the environment.

GP presents Save Your Energy And Your Wallet posted at INNside Innkeeping in Montana. GP provides seven green tips that are easy to incorporate into your daily routine, fun to share, and great for the environment.

Stephanie presents Going green and frugal posted at Unclaimed Money. “Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Make do with the things you have, and conserve your resources. Be fashionable and call it being green. Be practical and call it being frugal. They really go hand in hand. Just do it and help your budget and the earth.”

Everything Finance presents High Energy Bills? Try out this simple ideas. Tushar provides a lot of good tips on how to save electric and gas bills on most of your everyday appliances.

The CFO presents Money saving tip: Bust open a 12-volt battery posted at Chief Family Officer.

Kimberly presents You can make anything with plastic bags posted at My Education Junction.

Frugal Duchess presents Converting Sneakers into Plant Holders & Other Recycling Tips posted at The Frugal Duchess

 

Frugal Health And Beauty Aids

Some of the entries from this category can also be classified under the “Frugal And The Environment” category.

Carrie presents Cheap Beauty Green Beauty posted at Natural Mom’s Talk Radio.

Stephanie presents Reusable feminine products posted at Stop the ride.

Meredith presents Bikini waxing - when DIY isn’t worth the savings posted at Savings Advice Blog. When trying to save on personal care, there are some areas where DIY doesn’t work out as planned.

David presents An $8.00 Bottle Of Soap That Cleans Your Entire House…Including You. posted at My Two Dollars.

Lise presents The Economics and Psychology of A Spending Trigger posted at XORsted.

 

Frugal Travel

Sarah presents How to make road trip neck pillows posted at Frugal Underground. Have you seen those comfortable-looking neck pillows that are made for travel? Those can be a bit expensive for a pillow. Here is a way that you can provide some comfort without spending the extra money on the luxury.

Things to use in a pinch when travelling posted at Fabulously Broke in the City.

Best airfares now delivered directly to your desktop posted at Fire Finance. American Airlines announces the birth of their FREE desktop tool for finding the best deals - the AA Deal Finder. With this tool finding and booking your travel at AA.com just became a whole lot easier.

 

Frugal Shopping

Save $$ - Grocery Shopping Tactics posted at What Works for Us.

Is my love for free samples an indication of frugality? posted at I’ve Paid for This Twice Already.

Kyle presents Back-to-school Shopping Tips posted at Rather Be Shopping. School is just around the corner and to all the back-to school procrastinators out there, here are the three big shopping tips that you can use.

MoneyNing presents 8 Not So Usual But Practical Pointers About Saving Money Going Back to School posted at Personal Finance Blog by Money Ning. Again, to all back-to-school procrastinators, here’s eight more tips that you can use!!

Mike presents Cheap clothes aren’t always a value? posted at Clever Dude. How do your cheap clothes hold up against more expensive counterparts?

Super Saver presents Run flat tires - overpriced insurance posted at My Wealth Builder.

Jonathan presents MagicJack VoIP Review: Equipment + 1 Year of Phone Service For Only $40? posted at My Money Blog. This Magicjack review is about a frugal way of getting home phone service over the internet. You can save as much as $40 for an entire year!

Hustler presents SERO from Sprint with Mogul | Hustler $$$ Blog posted at Hustler $$$ Blog.

 

Frugal And Raising Babies

Carissa presents Your bottom dollar: diapers posted at SAHMmy says. Carissa conducted a survey of various diaper brands in terms of both quality and quantity. Guess which one is the winner?

Mom and Dad presents Don’t break your budget buying baby stuff posted at Raising4boys.com.

The Financial Blogger presents Frugal with babies Part I: People around you. “Having children is a blessing for many reasons. Unfortunately, it has also a big impact on your finance. Being a father twice now, I have to overcome two issues: the raise of expenses and the drop in my wife’s income. Being more frugal seems to be one of the best solutions to compensate for these two financial issues.”

Trent of the The Simple Dollar presents Having a second child? Seven frugal tips for getting ready.

 

Frugal Food And Nutrition

Kris presents Cheap Healthy Beef Part I: Recipes and Methodology posted at Cheap Healthy Good.

Boomie presents Ode to a Creme Puff posted at The Wastrel Show.

Deputy head mistress presents Egg Substitutes posted at The Common Room. Instead of running to the store, spending time and gas money, when you realize you’re out of eggs in the middle of baking, try one of these substitutes instead.

Free Money Finance presents Is bottled water worth it? FMF provides some interesting insights about bottled water and tap water. Do you think that there is really a big difference in quality and safety between bottled and tap water? Share us your thoughts.

 

Frugal Personal Finance

Joanna presents The Indispensible Budget posted at Keeping Feet. A budget is indispensable, for peace of mind, financial security, and, most importantly, to give you a conscious choice on where your money is being saved and spent.

Christian Personal Finance presents Don’t give to the poor?  Is giving to beggars helping them or hurting them? What do you think?

Grace present Thrift or Theft posted at GRACEful Retirement. The line between thrift and theft is thin and easily crossed

Chris presents Working Hard Does Not Produce Success posted at Productivity Planner. Working hard or working smart, which one are you?

 

Frugal Banks And Credit Cards

Laura presents Frugal Friday:Save over $100 in ATM fees posted at Opinion Mom.

College And Finance presents Seven important things to consider when applying for a credit card. Aaron explains how establishing good credit is important for your financial future, and can save you a lot of money in the long run.

Money and Such  presents Why we are holding you hostage. American Express (and some other credit card companies) are using very aggressive and annoying marketing tactics. Here is what you can expect next time you need to activate your credit card.

Hustlerama presents Best Cash Back Credit Cards posted at Hustlerama.

 

Well, lots of interesting articles to read and I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s festival. Thank you for your continued support of the festival. That’s it for now and tune in next week’s edition of the Festival of Frugality at Bean Sprouts.



Photo Credit: Charming Milo, ShutterBlog , Mikhaela, SoCal Metro, Seselja Maria, Tariq’s, AOL, Education Center Online, Mike nl, Onaku