Festival of Frugality #111 – Personal Finance Bowl – Introducing Team Frugal

Welcome to Being Frugal.net, the hub of frugality and making your money stretch further a dime at a time.  It’s a great day for a showdown.  The sky is clear, the air is crisp, and game time is just around the corner.  On the heels of the Superbowl, we’re rolling out the first ever personal finance showdown:  The Carnival of Personal Finance vs. The Festival of Frugality.

Yesterday Team Finance was revealed at I’ve Paid For This Twice Already.  Though the competition is formidable, I’m confident that Team Frugal is up for the challenge. So let me introduce you to the team.  Read through the entries, making sure to take special note of the MVPs.  Then tomorrow, come back here and vote for your favorite MVP.  On Friday, we’ll close the voting, and the winner of the Superbowl of Personal Finance will be announced on Saturday!

Here comes the team now!  Introducing the Most Valuable Players:

Offensive MVPs:

The MVP Quarterback – The Importance of Delayed Gratification at Cash Money Life.  If you can’t practice delayed gratification, it’s impossible to be frugal.

The MVP Offensive Lineman – Being Frugal Isn’t Being a Miser at Credit Withdrawal.   Being frugal doesn’t mean eliminating everything fun.  It means living according to your priorities.

The MVP Wide Receiver – Cheap Healthy Party Food at Cheap Healthy Good.  Kris has compiled a list of frugal party foods that even the manliest man will like!

Defensive MVP:

The MVP Defensive Lineman - 50+ Frugal Tips, Ideas, and Resources at Moolanomy.  If you’re looking for sites to help you stretch your money, Pinyo’s post is the place to find them!

Special Teams MVP:

The MVP Kick Returner – Can Frugality Become a Habit? at Rather-Be-Shopping.  Can it become a habit?  You bet it can!  And Kyle shows you 25 frugal habits he’s developed.

And here’s the rest of the field, starting with the offense:

The Quarterback – This is the key position where judgment calls are made.  What’s the defense going to do?  How can we get around them?  Know your mission, your values, and how to meet them by using your resources wisely

• Buy Nothing New for a Year? at Debt Reduction Formula.  Now THAT’s frugal!
• Frugality in a Consumer Society at One Million and Beyond.  Matt gives us some tips on how to avoid spending money.
• The Two Income Trap – Book Review at Four Pillars.  Why are so many families dependent on two incomes?  This book sheds some light on the subject.
• I Can’t Wait to Get My Hands on Some Cash at Free From Broke.  Trick Play! FFB tries to fools us into thinking he’s going to blow his tax rebate!

The Offensive Line – Having a plan in place to protect your values and priorities helps make sure you meet your goals.

• Budgeting as a Tool to Achieve Financial Goals at I’ve Paid for This Twice Already.  The budget is like a road map, leading you to your financial destination.
• Paying $4000 for Superbowl Tickets May be Crazy, but Possibly Worth the Memories That Will Last a Lifetime at Money Blue Book.  I can think of less expensive memories, but knowing your priorities is important to frugality.  If Superbowl memories are important to you, then you know you need to be frugal in other areas.
• The Savvy Frugality Recession Survival Guide at Savvy Frugality.  Terry tells us how to survive a recession by being frugal.
• How to Downsize Your Kitchen at Early Retirement Extreme.  Figure out what you really need, and then don’t buy any more.

Running Backs – Making small plays by saving on little things like clothing can make a big difference in your budget over the long haul.

• Shop Other People’s Closets at Not Living on Ramen.  Borrowing clothes from others for special occasions saves a lot of money!
• I Only Buy Clothes With Gift Cards at College of Cash.  Ashley tells us that she only buys clothes when she has a gift card to pay for them.
• A Guest Post From Mrs. Rocket About a Recent Deal at Rocket Finance.  Frugality set to poetry.  What more could you ask for?
• Frugal Tip for Cleaning Smelly Stockings at Mrs. Micah.  Taking care of your clothing makes it last longer…and smell better, too!

Wide Receivers – These guys make the big plays, and you can find big savings in your grocery budget.  In fact, the grocery budget is the easiest place to cut expenses!

• Cheap Eats:  Baked French Toast at The Simple Nickle.  A yummy and frugal breakfast, fit to feed a crowd!
• A Frugal and Healthy Breakfast at The Sojourner.  Whoever said that it’s expensive to eat healthy needs to talk to the Dolphin Lady!
• Finances and Food at A Dollar A Day.  Megan looks at the different approaches she takes to making dinner and chooses the most frugal one.
• Top Ingredients to Make Homemade at Sense to Save.  There’s a big list of ‘em!
• Menu Planning Really Saves Me Money at Chief Family Officer.  Having a plan is always a good way to go.
• Eat at Home, Buy a Yacht at The Penny Saved.  Jesse figures if he stops eating out, he could pay for a yacht!

Tight Ends – These are versatile players that can save you a little or a lot.  There are savings for many different areas of your budget here.

• How to Save Money – The Biggest Ways to Save Some at Debt Free.  Steve tackles the biggest budget eaters:  Housing and Transportation.
• 5 Easy Ways to Apply Frugality to Your Investing Decisions at Chance Favors.  Ciaran shows us that frugality is possible, even when investing.
• The Joys of Commuting at GRACEful Retirement.  Grace tells us all of the reasons she loves riding the bus.
• Saving on American Girl Doll Clothes at Free Money Finance.  FMF wants to know where to find frugal alternatives to the brand name American Girl doll clothes.  I’d like to know too.
• Saving Money on Your Vet Bills at My Two Dollars.  David tells you how to save money when your kitty gets sick.
• Auto Insurance 101: Part 2 – 10 Tips for Shopping Smart at Are You Going to Be This Way the Rest of the Time I Know You.  Be This Way suggests some ways to make sure you get the best deal on auto insurance.
• Saver’s Credit Helps With Retirement Savings at My Wealth Builder.  Using the government’s money to save for retirement.  I like it!
• Top Ten Tips – Fixing Electrical Appliances at Tip Diva.  Before shelling out the money for new appliances, see if you can fix them first!

And Here’s the Defense!

Defensive Line – Defend your frugality by making sure you’re wise to the tactics companies use to try to get you to spend money.  Know when a bargain isn’t a bargain!

• Programmable Thermostats:  Turns Out I’m Not the Only Idiot! at Money Changes Things.  Programmable thermostats are a well known way to save money.  But they aren’t bargains if you can’t figure out how to use them!
• Are You a Bad Buyer? at Ask Mr. Credit Card.  A bargain plumber isn’t a bargain if he doesn’t finish the job.
• Should I buy a special fruit and vegetable wash? at Alabama Frugal Mom.  Again, the commercials tell you it’s necessary, but is it?
• Rich and Famous Discuss Frugality at Lazy Man and Money.  Don’t cave to the pressure to spend more!

The Secondary – These guys help you keep from spending too much on some of the biggest drains on your budget:  travel and entertainment.  It’s easy to get carried away in these budget categories, and these articles will keep you on track!

• Frugal Travel Deals at Sound Money Matters.  If you’re planning a trip in the near future, read this article!
• 8 Fun and Frugal Things to Do With Origami at Wise Bread.  Origami can be lots of fun, and it’s useful, too!
• Five Ways to Save on Entertainment at Still Paying For It.  I’d never thought of some of these tips!

The Linebackers – Turn the tables on the big companies that want to take your money by finding bargains and freebies.

• Money Saving Monday:  Saving Money With Points at Gather Little by Little.  Points programs can put a lot of money back in your pocket over time.
• 5 Things You Never Thought Were Negotiable at  Value For Your Life.  Amanda shows us how to negotiate to get a good deal.
• Free Turbo Tax Filing For Federal Returns at Fire Finance.  You don’t have to pay to e-file your federal return.
• Friday Freebie:  U.S. State Tourist Information and Highway Maps at Less Than a Shoestring.  Why pay for maps when you can get them free?

Finally, the Special Teams!

Kick returner and Punt returners – They may play small parts, but every little bit adds up.

• Frugal Living at Getting Ahead.  Jennifer gets the Rookie of the Year Award, as it’s her first time participating in the Festival of Frugality!  Go over and give her a big welcome, and congratulate her on all the little things she’s doing to save money!
• The Benefits of a Decent Interest Rate in Your Checking and Savings Accounts at The Happy Rock.  All of that interest adds up over the course of a year!
• 12 Strategies for Saving Money While Paying Your Bills at The Digerati Life.  Easy things you can do to make sure you’re only paying what you have to.
• 15 Random Household Tips From Cyberspace at A Penny Closer.  From keeping weeds out of your garden to getting more out of your frosting, you’ll find good tips here!
• Are there horns growing out of my head? at Stop The Ride!  Stephanie shops using coupons, and store clerks give her strange looks.  Is frugality really that strange?

Thanks for joining me for the Festival of Frugality.  Next week the festival will be hosted by Lazy Man and Money.   Don’t forget to submit your articles!  And remember to come back tomorrow to vote for your favorite MVPs! Go team Frugal!

Photo by d70focus.

Tagged as: being frugal, Carnivals, Festival of Frugality, Frugal Living, Saving Money