Margaret Garcia-Couoh's blog

The Letter Always Wins

Posted 2 days 11 hours ago by Margaret Garcia-Couoh

Freebies

When it comes to shaming companies into rewarding the disgruntled customer, writing an old fashioned letter (and having the tenacious personality of my husband) is all that's really needed to get you on the road to brand new replacements.

full story 16 comments

Strategic Thriftstore Shopping

Posted 2 weeks 13 hours ago by Margaret Garcia-Couoh

Shopping

True confessions? I'm a girl and a depression shopper (as in shopping, not unlike cheesecake, makes me momentarily happy like millions of other Sex and the City watching gals). But in an ever increasingly difficult economy it just ain't that wise to be buying those $200 dollar shoes. I give you strategic thriftstore shopping: same adrenaline rush but under $10 dollar satisfaction.

full story 31 comments

Buying (and Trading) on Etsy

Posted 5 weeks 5 days ago by Margaret Garcia-Couoh

Shopping

Want to support artists, artisans,and the little guy while making your gift purchases? Need a new dress for summer but don't want it to look like everything you've just seen at Target? Want to buy hand-dyed yarn, and notecards? Etsy is the eBay of handmade items. Check 'em out.

full story 3 comments

The Art of the Trade

Posted 7 weeks 15 hours ago by Margaret Garcia-Couoh

Frugal Living, DIY, Budgeting, Art and Leisure

Money or not, things around the house need fixing, painting and up keep that goes beyond DIY. It might be a good time to look around your neighborhood for someone who'll trade his or her valuable skill for yours. And a good time to assess just exactly what skills you have to contribute.

full story 6 comments

Have an Amusement Park & TV Free Summer (and if you can’t, find a way to make it cheaper)

Posted 9 weeks 5 days ago by Margaret Garcia-Couoh

Life Hacks, General Tips

Dreading an expensive summer with the kiddies? It doesn't have to be. And even if you have to make the obligatory trip to Disneyland or some other such money sucking theme park, there are ways to get around that provided you have loving and gullible friends.

full story 16 comments

Joy of Life Club

Posted 11 weeks 1 day ago by Margaret Garcia-Couoh

Freebies, Deals

Want to stay in San Francisco but don't want to pay an arm and a leg? Want more out of that $100 + a night stay in the city in the way of personality? Want some place that's cool and fun? Check out the Joie de Vivre Hotel chain...

full story 4 comments

Zen Spring Cleaning (and making a little cash off it too)

Posted 13 weeks 11 hours ago by Margaret Garcia-Couoh

Life Hacks, General Tips, Making Extra Cash

The snow has melted. The kids are gone to grandma's. Sounds like the best (and most frugal) thing to do this April would be to stay home and clean, organize, and sell all that crap lurking in every corner of the house and garage. A few potential karmic trades might be lurking around the house too.

full story 18 comments

Duh..Libraries

Posted 15 weeks 5 days ago by Margaret Garcia-Couoh

Freebies, Deals

Want free access to the more multi media than you can handle? Get yourself to your public library before the powers that be close them all down...

full story 24 comments

College Student Eating Survival Guide (Until Spring Break)

Posted 17 weeks 18 hours ago by Margaret Garcia-Couoh

Food and Drink, DIY

You've got two to three weeks until Spring Break and a meal card with zero balance left. Not enough time to look for a job until you go home to mom and dad's. How will you eat? Here's some ideas.

full story 21 comments

Plumas County: Hidden (Cheaper) California

Posted 17 weeks 6 days ago by Margaret Garcia-Couoh

Real Estate and Housing

Move to Plumas County

Are you stuck on the coast paying a big mortgage on a tiny property? Do your kids spend more time with their daycare provider than with you? Do you worry that they've never seen a real tree or animal? Do you sit in traffic more than 20 minutes a day? If you said yes to any of that and wished you could have said no, then maybe it's time to start thinking about relocating to rural California...

full story 18 comments

Did I Choose the Wrong Profession?

Posted 22 weeks 4 days ago by Margaret Garcia-Couoh

Career and Income

I remember being just a tad bit smug when auntie Margie exclaimed that her favorite grandson was apprenticing to fix toilets at the age of seventeen instead of getting ready for college. He'll regret it and want to go to college someday, I thought. Now, thirtysomething and 50K of a student loan left, I'm not so smug. I dream of the money I might have made as a plumber.

full story 32 comments

Realistic Budgeting: The Marriage Saver

Posted 25 weeks 2 days ago by Margaret Garcia-Couoh

Lifestyle

The Marriage is in the Money

The road to divorce is not necessarily paved with infidelity, quite possibly it's paved with secretive purchases and a lack of budget that causes both parties resentment and stress. Want to save the marriage? Plan a realistic budget and talk it out with a glass of wine.

full story 11 comments

Have more to say? Join the discussions at Wise Bread's Finance and Frugality Forums.

Finance Blogs - Blog Top Sites