Managing Smart Dogs

Smart is often a selling point for dogs. There are certain breeds, especially those known for herding, that are generally considered the cream of the clever canine crop. Thus if you want an intelligent dog it might not be too hard to seek one out, but there are some things you need to know before adopting a brainy companion. Pet site ZooToo has some tips. The most important thing to consider first is that smart doesn’t necessarily mean easy. We think that it will; we think how nice it will be to have a dog that can fetch slippers and … Continue reading

A Study in Princesses: Careers Coda

You need more than just him in your life, Ariel Today I’m going to add a tongue-in-cheek coda to my otherwise serious series on the Disney Princesses. If most of these princesses should have had something other in their lives than their men, what should those things be? I’m going to posit alternate endings to most of the films; mainly, recommendations for the careers into which the Disney Princesses ought to have embarked instead. Some suggestions might be a bit sillier than others. “Snow White” – One thing Snow White did excellently was to get those dwarves to come out … Continue reading

Giant Doorknocker Ad from Kohl’s Has A Great Coupon

Today, to my complete surprise, a giant doorknocker was placed on the door of my home. It was absolutely huge! This one came from Kohl’s, and included a nice coupon that I am seriously thinking about using. Did you get one of these on your door, too? A “doorknocker” is a piece of advertisement that has a hole cut into it, so it can be easily attached to the doorknob of people’s houses. I’ve always heard them called by this name because after the person places the ad on your door, he knocks on your door, and walks away. Most … Continue reading

Registry Details: Diaper Bag Essentials

Over the past year I have picked up pointers and ideas from other moms about which baby accessories are essential and which ones are a waste of cash. I’ve also learned a thing or two from experience. One thing I cannot say enough about is the importance of a well packed diaper bag, something I knew nothing about when I was creating my registry. When you are first handed the registry scanner and you begin to puruse the aisles, it can be overwhelming at first. There are so many products to choose from. There are so many things that you … Continue reading

Renting VS Buying

I am sure the title made you think about renting a home versus home ownership. When being frugal however there are alot more things that you need to ponder over when it comes to renting or buying. It amazes me the things people will rent and the prices they will pay for the rental when they could in fact, own the item. Here is a list of items that you should seriously consider purchasing if you are in the habit of renting. Tuxedo: To rent a nice tuxedo can cost $75.00. A really nice tuxedo can be upwards of $200. … Continue reading

Staging your home yourself for a faster sale

Just about everyone who is trying to sell a house in this tough buyers market is advised to have their home staged. Paying for a home stager however, may not be in the budget, especially if you are trying to sell under duress as it is your only option to prevent foreclosure. The average cost of professional home staging is $2300 with the price range being from $1000 to $5000. There are also survices for a few hundred dollars that will lay out a do-it-yourself plan for you. While these services are very helpful, should you be short on money, … Continue reading

The Pros and Cons of a Large Refrigerator

When we moved to our new home, one of the options we had was whether or not to keep the refrigerator that was already here. We had to leave our old one at our old home for the new owners. The refrigerator that went with our new home was old and small, so the decision wasn’t too hard to make on letting it go. This meant that we needed to shop for a new refrigerator. Because we were starting from scratch, we could pretty much pick out whatever refrigerator we wanted, within a reasonable budget of course. One of my … Continue reading

Buy a Home for $1.75

It seems that the housing crisis has made some interesting news lately. While auctioning off homes is nothing new, especially with the rash of foreclosures that have been happening, and auctioning off homes on eBay is still not surprising, getting an entire house for only $1.75 is something noteworthy. The Saginaw News of Saginaw, Michigan is reporting that a Chicago woman won an eBay auction for a home. There were eight bids in total. Of course, the home will actually cost the woman a bit more than the $.75. She has to pay an additional amount of approximately $850 for … Continue reading

Frugal Living Week in Review: July 28th Through August 3rd

Do you want to save money? Check out the past week’s articles about frugal living. July 28th Frugal Living Week in Review: July 21st Through July 27th We have a lot of articles on food this week, from saving money on cereal to the best time to grocery shop. Please check them out and let me know if there are any particular topics or knowledge that you would like to read about. Ways to Avoid Fruit Waste Do you want an easy way to reduce your food budget by half? Stop wasting food. Believe or not, the average American household … Continue reading

Baby Blog Month in Review: July 2008

Two of my three children are summer babies. That is, they were born in the summer and had their first months surrounded by sunshine streaming in the windows, the sound of birds chirping, and days spent wearing nothing but a diaper and a “onsie.” I made sure that they had Fourth of July outfits ready, even though one of them arrived a week after the holiday. I guess he just wasn’t interested in the parade. Do you have a summer baby, too? We had a lot of new information to share this past month, such as recall notices and new … Continue reading