Author Archive

A few readers have asked me, “why do you always write about shaving?” Well, there could be a few deep seated psychological reasons involved. For example, when it comes to shaving one’s face, it’s an area of this blog that I can safely call my own.

To be honest, though, there isn’t any real deep, enigmatic reason for it. I just find shaving supplies and materials to be one of those lucky areas where the savvy coupon-er can really leverage their know-how to wipe out, almost completely, the inane costs of being a modern human being.

You know what I mean. There are some things that we are forced to pay for that seem so taxing and yet so unavoidable, it verges on being wrong. I bought a car, why do I have to change the oil and buy gas? I get thirsty, and the only water (the most plentiful substance on Earth) around costs $5 a bottle—no fair!. I hate shaving and yet I have to suck it up every morning and put a little more wear and tear on a costly disposable razor and use a little more shaving cream. Are you kidding? Some expenses just don’t seem right.

Happily, though we’re still working on couponing our way out of the costs of medical care, the price of mangos in the off-season and going rate for the latest iGadget, shaving supplies can wind up costing very little (or even nothing) if you have the right match-ups.

That, right there, is why I like to write about shaving. I may rake my stubborn whiskery chin raw every morning with a groggy grunt of dissatisfaction, but knowing the stuff is free somehow, in a small way, makes it all worthwhile.

By the way, this post was sponsored by the fine folks at Bucks2Blog, but don’t let that fool you; everything above came out of my thinker so you can’t blame them.

The other day, in the interest of continuing our no-pay toiletry spree, I retired my Gillette Sensor.

Yep, after working through my wholesale club big box o’ razors for the last several years, I finally ran out and was forced to consider other options. “Don’t worry,” Fran told me, “I have four or five other systems you can try.” Read the rest of this entry »

Found these 5 tips for vacationing on a budget. It’s targeted at freelancers, but really the tips are great for anyone on the go!

At the risk of writing about something a little off topic, I would like to share a little something about one of my most favorite charities, Kiva.org. (Actually, by the end of this post, the frugality in the philosophy of microloans should be apparent.) Read the rest of this entry »

Bath time with two toy-a-holics like my kids can be fun, but trying. Each night it’s a battle of time and patience versus distraction and toy distribution preferences. Often it becomes a fight that leaves me irritated, wet and discouraged, but there are glimmers of success that keep me going, and a few ways I’ve learned to manage the mess. Read the rest of this entry »

One of the great things about summer is all the free concerts, popping up all over the place. Where we live, there are concerts to go to almost any night of the week in one town or another, usually sponsored by chambers of commerce, but often by fire departments, ambulance companies or towns themselves.

Tonight, for example, there is a free concert in Medford Memorial Park, Medford, NY Read the rest of this entry »