Cat Strollers and Loom Knitting: A look at some of our quirkier habits

Most of our money-saving habits are pretty routine and boring – cook dinner, don’t buy shit you don’t need, etc. etc. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll stumble across some downright bizarre quirks. This post is a light-hearted look at some of the funny, unique, and just plain weird habits we’ve picked up over the years.

How do you learn DIY skills, anyway?

• Written by Steph

One of the key pieces of getting your spending down to 30-40% of your income is doing things yourself rather than paying other people to do them. But how do you learn how to do this stuff…

… in the first place? Well, there are lots of methods, some more well-known than others!

The Incoming Assets Retirement Strategy

-Written by Steph

Given the current uptick in readership of our blog, along with the overall increased interest in financial independence and early retirement (FIRE), it seems timely to do a post that thoroughly describes the exact system we use in our pursuit. We’ve fine-tuned it over the years, and have come up with a strategy that allows us to build wealth quickly on average incomes and with minimal ongoing effort. Here it is!

Oodles of Anti-consumer, Frugal Gift Ideas

– Written by Steph

‘Tis the season for overconsumption, fa la la la laaa…..

Full disclosure: Me and Cel don’t exchange gifts. But if you do, here are some ideas from things we’ve done before or would have done but never got around to that don’t destroy the environment or clutter up people’s homes with garbage they don’t want:

When to Make or Buy?

–Written by Cel

In frugal circles, there’s a lot of emphasis on DIY and making things from scratch.  This makes sense, as it often is cheaper to make something yourself rather than buy it from a store – and perhaps higher quality, depending on your skill.

However, that’s not always the case. Some things are better off just bought from the store. It may be very cheap already, or require a prohibitive amount of time to do it yourself.

Space Saving Tips for Small Apartments

-Written by Steph

So, we moved! Same co-op, but now we’re in a bachelor suite rather than a 1 bedroom. We just got new carpeting put in, and love the place! Here’s what it looks like;

Craigslist for Dummies

–Written by Cel

Craigslist is a much-maligned resource. It has a bit of a sketchy reputation, which admittedly is somewhat deserved. But don’t let that scare you away! I found my current job on Craigslist, and my current apartment. However, where Craigslist (or equivalent sites like Kijiji) really shine is for buying and selling.

It makes a big difference to your finances when you buy used, and/or sell things you no longer want rather than just disposing of them. Doing both of those can reduce expenses of certain hobbies (e.g. video games) substantially. It’s not uncommon for me to buy a game, play it, then sell it for $0-5 less than what I paid. Once, I even made money buying a game on sale at FutureShop, then selling it for more than what I paid after I was done.

Here are some tips to follow to make your Craigslist transactions run smoothly. This may be common sense to those who are familiar with Craigslist, but may be helpful to those who are new to buying and selling through such sites.

The Psychology of Saving Money

-Written by Cel

Most of our blog posts are about practical, tangible things. Our methods for grocery shopping, how we manage our financial system as a couple, that sort of thing. Our book is mostly in the same vein – specific, concrete advice on how to save money on concrete expenses. This is important, of course. These are directly relevant and applicable to people’s day-to-day lives. However, the psychology and philosophy behind our approach to finances is important as well. If you don’t have the right mindset (which can be different from person to person), it’s easy to screw up your finances no matter what tips you follow.

An idiot’s guide to clipper hair cuts

-Written by Steph

About two months ago, Cel got sick of shelling out for haircuts and picked up a set of hair clippers at the drugstore across the street. That day I got to cut hair for the first time! Here’s what I’ve learned since.

How to Reduce your Paper Towel Usage

-Written by Steph

Ok, this isn’t financial (they really don’t cost much), but forests are being bulldozed to make paper towels last time I checked. As a proponent of low-environmental-impact as well as low-cost living, this is a big deal. It was one of the harder things for me, because I used to be in the habit of using paper towels for EVERYTHING – makeshift plates, greasing pans, degreasing foods, wiping stuff up,  moisture control in tupperwares, and probably some other weird stuff I can’t remember. Here are some tips that helped me reduce usage A LOT: