Did you know ants bury their dead? Last night, the last ant standing in our $12 ant farm (courtesy of my mom, so free to us — thanks mom!) joined its companions in the designated burial ground — sand mounded like drifts of snow around the little plastic barns and silos. As you can see, [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Frugal hacks'
Can’t Afford a Pet? Skip the Ant Farm: Try Fostering a Dog or Cat
June 24th, 2009 2 Comments
Tags: foster dog programs
Frugal Hack: Let Kids Invent Their Own Toys (Or, It’s Only Dental Floss)
June 22nd, 2009 8 Comments
When my kids make up their own toys and games, it is worth far more to them (and me) than the priciest, faddiest, shiniest, bestest toy ever. Here are some recent tops: Dental floss: Robot; alien ship. Hand towels: Food to wear on your back if you’re an ant. Wine stopper: Airplane; spaceship. Q-tips: Boats, [...]
Tags: household objects · toys
Paper, Pen, Stapler: Poor Woman’s GPS
May 19th, 2009 1 Comment
Until we can afford GPS, or until such time when this technology is implanted in our bodies, I’ve come up with this system: Tired of finding eight different scraps of paper in your glove department, all with directions to the same place? Grab thee they stapler, and make for thyself an ugly, yet functional, guidebook. [...]
Tags: frugal hack · GPS
Cash Poor? Try a Time Bank
May 18th, 2009 7 Comments
I have just joined a time bank. In exchange for the hours I deposit offering, say, editing services or making ice cream, I will withdraw an equal number of hours in (I hope) yard work. The bank is called Hour Dollars, and they’re up to around 100 members — probably at least 20 or so [...]
Tags: alternative economy · frugal hack · Hour Dollars · time bank
Stuck in Your House? Find New Uses for Wasted Space
April 27th, 2009 No Comments
Remember when you were a kid how gigantic everything seemed? This past winter, we used the kids-eye-view to great effect by turning an odd, oversized closet, tucked behind our dining room, into their new play room (yes, it needs paint). My husband and I can barely turn around in this room. But my five- and [...]
Tags: Frugal hacks · makeover · wasted space
