It has been awhile, but Savvy Frugality is participating in this week's Festival of Frugality, hosted by It's Frugal Being Green. Savvy Frugality's post The Magic of Price-Matching was among this week's posts in the festival.

Among the other posts I liked:

Back-to-School Deals Aren't Just for Students. That's right, I use those sales to stock up on pens and other home office supplies.

Grocery Hacks: How to Save Money on Groceries. Common sense stuff here, but still good advice.

What's Worth the Money, and What's Not. Sometimes it doesn't pay to go frugal.

There is more great reading at the Festival of Frugality, so be sure to check it out!

It's nice when other blogs think enough of your posts that they refer to them in their own blogs. I always try to impart information that I think will help others, and it's great when other blogs help spread the word.

This week, Savvy Frugality's post on saving money on textbooks was mentioned on MSN's MoneyBlog. Thanks to Karen Datko for the plug, and for reading Savvy Frugality!

The same post was featured in this week's Festival of Frugality over at Living Almost Large. Other posts I enjoyed in this week's festival:

Ben gives us suggestions to saving money on a wedding reception in How to Save Money On Your Wedding Reception posted at Money Smart Life.

Kris gives us healthy recipes using eggplant and zucchini Cheap, Healthy Zucchini and Eggplant: 134 Recipes posted at Cheap Healthy Good

Amy gives us ideas for frugal meal planning in To Buy In Bulk: Long-Term Meal Planning posted at My Daily Dollars.

Nickel decides to discuss when cheaper is good in Sometimes Cheaper is Better posted at fivecentnickel.com.

MoneyNing experiments on how little he can live on in Living on $34.01 a Week posted at Personal Finance Blog by Money Ning.

Savvy Frugality has been featured in a few carnivals this week. Budgets are Sexy hosts this week's Festival of Frugality, which featured Savvy Frugality's post Grow Your Own Recession Victory Garden. My own personal garden is just a small herb garden, but it has saved me plenty. Other posts worth checking out at the Festival of Frugality include:

Top Ten Tips - Taking A Staycation by Tip Diva. With gas prices and travel costs rising, many people opt just to stay home on their vacation time - hence, a “staycation.” My wife and I took a trip two hours from home earlier this year, rather than flying to Las Vegas. We had a great time and saved a ton of money.

When Fuel Prices Go Up, America Slows Down by Lisa Spinelli over at Greener Pastures. I laughed when I read the statistic that high fuel prices are even impacting Nevada brothels, but with the amount of business they get from truckers, it makes sense. Personally, I have been driving much less and walking more (no, not to Nevada brothels).

How to dine at fancy-schmancy restaurants on the CHEAP by sarah at SARAHSPY. Great post. I love to eat at fancy-schmancy restaurants, but I don't like to pay fancy-schmancy prices. Good advice here.

Greener Pastures hosted this week's Carnival of Personal Finance, which featured Savvy Frugality's post Pawn Shops Doing Brisk Business in a Sluggish Economy. Other noteworthy posts:

G Blogger from Can I Get Rich On A Salary gets secondary honors for his great article: Four Specific Paths To Automatic Saving and Investing. Great advice and details here. I currently sock away 10 percent of each paycheck automatically into my savings account at Emigrant Direct. This is the account I use as my emergency fund, which I have had to dip into three times this year for veterinarian bills.

DR from The Dough Roller gives us a detailed step-by-step tutorial entitled The Ultimate Guide to Starting a Money Making WordPress Blog. Great information here if you write well and are looking to start a money-making blog. I never started Savvy Frugality to make money, and it really doesn't make much. It's the first blog I started on my own and it has been a fun and educational experience.

Todd from Harvesting Dollars presents an article from his series, Is Getting an MBA Worth It?. I'm the type of person who enjoys learing, and I'm currently studying to earn a Marketing degree. An MBA, however, is not for everybody. Me, for example.

Debt Freedom Fighter from Discover Debt Freedom offers some great credit score watch-outs in Credit Score Killers: 5 Things to Look Out For. Good advice if you are looking to beef up your FICO score to get a loan.

Destroy Debt hosts this week's Carnival of Debt Reduction, which featured Savvy Frugality's post Little Things Mean a Lot. Other great posts this week include:

We're (still!) Debt Free! posted at not the jet set. My own personal debt has crept up this year due to medical bills, but I still hope to knock out thousands of dollars in debt this year. My wife is slowly getting on board with this idea.

NCN presents Life Without Credit Cards And The No Credit Needed Experiment posted at No Credit Needed. NCN details how they eliminated their debt and are living without credit cards. Their story is even featured in this month's Money Magazine. Great job!

This week's Festival of Frugality is hosted by Consumerism Commentary. Savvy Frugality's post, Haggle for Lower Prices is among this week's picks.

Other posts I liked this week:

Silicon Valley Blogger presents Rent Instead Of Buy, And I Mean Anything! posted at The Digerati Life There are some very creative rentals listed here, and they could be cheaper than buying!

Dawn from Frugal For Life offers Free Audio Resources. Since I'm a history buff and an former radio guy, I enjoy listening to Old Time Radio online. My favorite show is The Shadow. My dad still fondly recalls the days before his family got a TV, and they would all sit around the radio each evening to listen to their favorite shows. Sometimes I come across FDR's old "Fireside Chats", and those are very interesting to listen to.

Andy presents this comparison on Tight Fisted Miser: Aldi v. Supermarket v. Wal-Mart. As I expected, Aldi was the cheapest option.

Jeremy Zongker from Destroy Debt offers 90 Low Cost or No Cost Activities to Entertain Your Kids All Summer Long. Summer is coming soon, and you know you'll need something to keep the rug rats entertained. I send mine off to Boy Scout camp.

paidtwice from I’ve Paid For This Twice Already… wonders, Do You Save More With Your Automated Savings Plan? In my case, yes. The money goes into savings automatically and I don't even have to think about it.

This week's Festival of Frugality is hosted by My Dollar Plan. Once again, there is a lot of great reading for the frugal-minded and those interested in living a life of Savvy Frugality. Savvy Frugality's post Where to Find the Cheapest Travel Deals is included in this week's Festival.

Other posts of note:

No Credit Needed presents Beware Of The Laundry Detergent Cap posted at No Credit Needed. He found the recommended amounts for detergent are not what the lines look like on the cap! Personally, I always use the half of the amount of a product as what is called for on the label. It works just fine. I think most manufacturers suggest using a certain amount of product in an effort to make you go through it faster and therefore have to buy even more.

Faron Benoit presents My Dad – Frugal, Generous and my Hero posted at Financial Learn. There is some excellent advice here. My favorite: never pay full price. Remember, retail is for suckers.

Ron presents 5 Ways I Plan To Survive The Recession posted at The Wisdom Journal. If you are gainfully employed or otherwise earning an income, it is never too late to take steps to ride out the current economic downturn. My family has been just fine, but we also started preparing months ago.

Be This Way presents I’ve Finally Found the Line posted at Are You Going To Be This Way The Rest of The Time I Know You?. This is actually a reaction to my post about Freegans. I like Be This Way's take. I wouldn't eat food from the trash either!

I've Paid Twice for This Already hosts this week's Festival of Frugality. Savvy Frugality's post, Extreme Frugality: Freegans is included in this week's festival. Other posts worthy of note:

Value For Your Life shares a simple yet profound grocery savings tip with My 25% Grocery Savings Rule. Basically, they don't buy grocery items unless they are on sale for 25 percent off. In my area, that would be awfully difficult with meat and dairy products. I usually buy my groceries at the "cheap" stores, including Dollar Tree and Big Lots. They sell food, too!

Tight Fisted Miser lives the frugal life abroad in How I Lived for 3 Months on $450. I might just move to Guatemala, after reading this post.

Money Under 30 asks if money trumps love with Is it Okay to Get Married With Debt?
My wife was in debt when we got married. She's the love of my life, but I should have let her pay her bills first.

FIRE Finance gives you the lowdown on what are the truly great deals in those dollar discount stores in Top 10 Dollar Store Buys. I usually make my own cleaning products, but I do buy food and toiletry items at the Dollar Store.

The Freebie Diva shares a way to get free magazines with a new service: Adperk. I used this service to get a free one-year subscription to Popular Science.

Broke Grad Student hosts this week's edition of the Festival of Frugality. Savvy Frugality's post, The Frugal Freezer is included in this week's festival. Broke Grad Student makes the point that when they hear the word "frugality", they think of Ramen Noodles. Personally, I think the word "frugality" is another words for "smart", which is how Savvy Frugality got its name.

Other noteworthy posts from this week's Festival of Frugality:

FANDD explains how being cheap can hurt your career at Go To The Ant.

Kyle at Amateur Asset Allocator shares 5 Ways to Lower Your Car Insurance Premiums.

Kris discusses how to Save Money on Seasonings: MYOM (Make Your Own Mix) at Cheap Healthy Good.

Enjoy the other great entries at this week's Festival of Frugality!

It's time once again for the weekly Festival of Frugality. Savvy Frugality's post, ten easy ways to save money on household bills, is included in this week's update. Other posts worthy of special mention this week:

Cheap Healthy Good writes about brand loyalty and how to love generic.

The Digerati Life writes about slashing a budget by 25%.

Money Blue Book writes about ten purchases to avoid if you want to save money.

Sound Money Matters writes about saving money when filing taxes.

Quest For Four Pillars writes about the true meaning of ‘the good life’.


There is lots of other great reading in this week's festival. Enjoy!

Savvy Frugality is once again pleased to be included in the latest Festival of Frugality. This week, the festival is hosted by Mighty Bargain Hunter, and the festival takes on a President's Day theme. Savvy Frugality's post, Ten Lessons from a One Income Family, was selected as an editor's pick this week. Thanks, Mightly Bargain Hunter! Here are Savvy Frugality's picks this week:

Millionaire Mommy Next Door has a great post on being outwardly simple and inwardly rich.

Is poor record-keeping costing you money? The Personal Financier lists a number of good tips for taming your paper. My own filing skills could use some work. It's not that I'm not aware that good filing is a must...I just don't like doing it.

Sound Money Matters gives directions for freezing bread, herbs, and sauces. I really need to get a chest freezer. It's my next appliance purchase.

Digerati Life lists twelve ways to go about affording the big stuff. Number 10 is great advice. Rent-to-own is a rip-off...a lesson my family learned the hard way a number of years ago. A better tip: buy things the rent-to-own store is looking to get rid of. It's usually in great shape, and it's priced to move. I bought a sofa and love seat on sale from a rent-to-own store for $150. They looked brand new, and the store delivered them for free!

As always, there is more great personal finance reading at this week's Festival of Frugality, hosted by Lazy Man and Money (I love the name of that blog!). Savvy Frugality's post, Romance Without Finance is Ignorance, was among this week's entries. Here are some more great posts you should not miss:

Being Frugal brings us 75 frugal hacks for your home.

Value For Your Life writes about Las Vegas on a budget. I have always wanted to go to Vegas, and this post makes it look like that's a trip that can be done frugally.

Blueprint for Financial Prosperity lists some free tax preparation services.

For more great reading, check out the rest of the Festival of Frugality.

This week's Festival of Frugality over at beingfrugal.net takes on a Super Bowl theme this week, appropriately enough. My team, the Green Bay Packers, did make it to the Super Bowl, so I didn't watch what has been called one of the best bowl games in recent history...perhaps the best ever. Oh well.

There is still some great reading at the festival. My post on The Savvy Frugality Recession Survival Guide was included this week. Here are my picks from the rest of the field, which are better than my Super Bowl bets:

Being Frugal Isn’t Being a Miser at Credit Withdrawal. Amen, brother. That's a central theme here at Savvy Frugality.

Cheap Healthy Party Food at Cheap Healthy Good. Where was this list during the holidays, before I gained 10 pounds? These recipes sound good, but I'm still addicted to Cheetos.

The Two Income Trap - Book Review at Four Pillars. Wisdom from The Great White North. My family has lived in a one-income household for nearly two years now. It hasn't always been easy, but we've made it work. The key: I do other things one the side, besides my 9 to 5. One should always diversify their income, just in case.

12 Strategies for Saving Money While Paying Your Bills at The Digerati Life. Great advice here. Definitely worth book marking!

This week's Festival of Frugality is hosted by the Mrs. Micah blog. Savvy Frugality is once again featured, with its post on what a price book is and how it can save you money.

Other posts from this week's festival which I highly recommend:

Are you looking for alternatives to freecycle? Mel of Bean Sprouts has some listed. Apparently certain people have become disenchanted with it. The only problem I have with Freecyle in my area is that there are more people posting lists of free things they want than there are people listing things they are trying to give away.

Wenchypoo tells the story of a man who turned a $55,000 salary into a zero tax liability. You don't have to be a millionaire to take advantage of tax shelters.

Gibble at Gather Little by Little has a great list of free software you can use instead of buying name-brand products. I'm always looking for freeware versions of software, and this is a great list. I highly recommend the Avast! anti-virus program and Adaware anti-spyware program, both of which work great and are free.

Ana at DebtFREE-Revoltuion has discovered that crock pots can be really good for your budget. I agree. My only problem is my crock pot isn't big enough. I have to get a new one soon. It sure does save a lot of cooking time. I just come home from work and dinner is ready.

New Old-Fashioned Gal has a recipe for fantastic deep dish pizza dough. If you like to cook everything from scratch, this is great. I usually just get $5 pizza from Little Caesars. By the time I buy all the toppings I want for my pizza, Little Caesars is actually cheaper, and I don't have to cook it. I only have pizza twice a month. If you eat it more often, making it yourself is probably the way to go.

Once again, Savvy Frugality is taking part in the Festival of Frugality. My post on the U.S. switching to digital TV broadcasting and the need for a digital adapter for analog TVs was included. Some of my favorite picks from this Festival include:

Frugal Guy at A Frugal Living Blog developed a Financial Risk Advisory System

Alison from This Wasn’t in The Plan tells us she Got paid for winterizing her home.

Moneywise from The Real Returns gives us the cost of owning a car. Moneywise says, “The total car expense over the 10 year period is too much.”

FIRE Finance tracked all their expenditures in 2007 and realized $1000s in Savings!

Rocket Finance says you don’t have to pay for your child’s college education.

Last week's Festival of Frugality was #102, but this week's is also #102. I don't know...maybe somebody miscounted. No matter. Lazy Man and Money hosts this week's Festival of Frugality #102, and there is some darn good frugal advice there. These are a few of my picks, but check out Lazy Man's site and read them all:

Cheap Health Good gives roughly a thousand ways to find quality kitchen equipment on the cheap.

Free Money Finance remixes his money saving tips to create the top 10 most hated money saving tips I actually do a few of these myself. I have thought of moving to a foreign country after I retire (Panama), and I really should do #8.

My Wealth Builder has some good frugal living philosophies

The Wastrel Show has come up with some ways to survive an economic slowdown I have posted about this one myself here at Savvy Frugality.

Millionaire Mommy has an article about investing as a beginner

I like to think that there is plenty of great frugal living advice here at Savvy Frugality, but there are many, many other blogs out there on the subject, and I like to highlight them here through the Festival of Frugality, a blog carnival on frugal living. Of course, Savvy Frugality participates in the festival, too. Here are some blog posts from the latest festival which caught my eye:

Be Organized and Be Frugal

Slash Your Winter Heating Bills – 7 Free Ways to Save Money This Winter

How to Bid to Win on eBay and Save a Fortune

#5: Live Below Your Means