Some people are frugal and some are convenience loving.  Remember, convenience costs money.

You are planning a backyard BBQ for a few friends and family-- Are you frugal or convenience loving?

Well, a backyard BBQ is a frugal move . . . if you plan it right.  On the other hand, it could be a convenience lover's non-frugal disaster.

Let's consider this closer, did you:

• Make your own burgers or buy the pre-packaged ones?
• Make ice and store it in your freezer or did you buy it at the convenience store?
• Use home grown tomatoes and lettuce or did you pay top dollar?
• Make your own homemade potato salad or buy it at the deli?
• Make your own homemade lemonade or ice tea or buy it in containers?

Granted, some things need to be purchased, but many things can and should be homemade-- and better tasting for it!

As for the things you need to buy, planning ahead can allow you to get things on sale and with coupons-- saving you big bucks.  Once again, last minute and "convenience" is expensive.

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What would happen if you attacked your goals?  Things would change . . .

We all set goals, but how many of us really attack them?  Why attack goals?  Because that is how they get met.  So what should you do?

• Dive into your goals
• Read and research them
• Take swings at them everyday
• Realign and readjust them
• Keep up your goals
• Live, eat, and breathe them
• Set new ones when you achieve some

If you are serious about your goals . . . why not attack them?

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That's right-- there is nothing wrong with regifting.  Sometimes we get gifts that we:

• Can't use
• Don't like
• Can't afford
• Don't want

So the frugal thing to do is regift the item.  Regifting:

• Saves you money
• Avoids waste
• Lets you get what you really want

Some rules for successful regifting:

• Remember where it came from
• Remove cards or notes
• Inspect the item for personalized features
• Know who will see the gift now and later

Don't be bashful-- regift that ugly thing!

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When it comes to frugal living, it pays to shop around for the best:

• Deal
• Price
• Features

Sometimes you will find the same item for less.  Sometimes a better item with more features can be found.

I always have a mental checklist of items I will be looking for in the future-- I mentally record prices and availability. Then, when ready, I know where to go for the best offer.

Some people might argue that shopping around wastes gas and time going back and forth.  I mentioned making mental checklists for the future-- I don't make special trips.  I observe and record in passing.  When the time to buy comes, I make one trip to make the purchase.

Being frugal doesn't have to be expensive, if you use your head and shop around.

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I am celebrating the site's 1,000th post.  Here are the ten most popular posts, in order of popularity:

1. Why Do We Only Prepare or Act After a Problem or Disaster?
2. How to Become an Instant Expert on Any Topic . . .
3. So Long Blockbuster . . . ?
4. The 450th Post: Top 10 Most Popular Posts 
5. Blog Review: The Smart Passive Income Blog
6. A Horse, a Horse, My Kingdom For a Horse . . .  
7. What is Defensive Entrepreneurship?  
8. The New "Necessities" of Modern Life
9. Side Business Ideas Recap 
10. Burning Daylight

As always, more to come . . .

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Need to get frugal fast?  Here are four quick tips to help you back into frugality . . .

1. Stop spending now-- Absolute needs only
2. Start selling-- Get rid of unused, excess crap to raise cash
3. Get real careful when parting with your cash
4. Start recycling, reusing, and repurposing

These are some quick start ideas . . . Check out my archives for more specific ideas.

Thank you for visiting and come back soon for more . . . follow me on Twitter at DvrcdDadFrglDad, SelfRelianceWS, LowProfileLife, and Surfcasting2Day.

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Interesting question. These days gold is getting lots of attention as its prices are soaring, but should you jump on the bandwagon and invest in gold? In most situations, I would reply, "No."

I feel buying gold now is not a good idea because of three key reasons:

1. The "big" run up has already happened (Don't forget, most of the "smart money" sells when the masses are buying).
2. Most people are not financially setup or diversified for gold holdings.
3. Gold might not be as valuable to people as compared to other things in a real crisis.

First, let's consider the recent gold run up. Ever the "inflation hedge," gold ran up in the 1980s and then did backslide only to remained relatively flat for 25 years until the recent run up started. If you made the mistake of getting in late the last time, you had a hell of a holding and recovery period. Don't think it can't or won't happen again.

Next, most people aren't financially fit enough (Adequate emergency funds, insurance, basic retirement accounts, etc.) to justify a foray into gold. Most "non-professional" investors should be seeking to cover the financial basics and be sure to diversify their portfolios (commodities like gold fit into diversifcation strategies, but fit in last).

Finally, gold might not be as valuable as other hard assets might be in the event of a real crisis. Before gold, I might go with:

• Medicine
• Water and food
• Tools
• Fuel

This last point of value deserves serious consideration-- gold might buy these necessities, but will you have enough gold to pay the going rate? I happened to catch an old episode of the Twilight Zone over New Year's-- the story line was about some bank robbers who stole gold bullion and hibernated in a cave in the desert for 100 years. As they tried to return to civilization, one man had an adequate supply of water and sold sips for bars of gold. The twist was that gold no longer held value in the future-- I was also struck by the true value of water in the desert.

That still leaves the question of when gold makes sense. I already hinted at the answer to this one. If you are fully diversified, gold and other commodity holdings probably belong in your portfolio, but usually as a small part of the whole (perhaps no more than 5%).

What are your thoughts?

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Ever wish you could be more creative?  You can be-- it just takes a little effort.  Here are some ideas to get you started on the path to being more creative:

• Act creative
• Think about things and how they work
• Analyze situations
• Break things down to the core
• Always list alternatives (As many as you can)
• Open your eyes to new things and exercise your mind more
• Always think about Good, Better, and Best ways of doing things
• Use your imagination like a child does-- no limits
• Play and tinker with things
• Be creative

As you become creative, you will become more creative.  Build your confidence and keep pushing the proverbial envelope.

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Starting over from scratch after losing everything might be painful and challenging, but it might also be refreshing.

The sentimental items in your life would be painful.  I am thinking of photos and keepsakes.

The basic necessities of life would be real challenging.  I am thinking of basic tools, furniture, and clothes-- but the good news is that stuff can be replaced.

The refreshing part would be the more discretionary items in my life-- here I could reevaluate my choices in a big way.  There certainly wouldn't be as much clutter in my closets, basement, or garage.

Hey, what if we imagined this happened to us-- could we get rid of some things?  Could we sell some stuff on eBay or in a yard sale, so we would have cash and less clutter.  That is an idea . . .

Another thought . . . maybe it is time to insure some of the important stuff if it isn't already.

Thank you for visiting and come back soon for more . . . follow me on Twitter at DvrcdDadFrglDad, SelfRelianceWS, LowProfileLife, and Surfcasting2Day.

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Simple, but effective advice-- track your finances and they will improve.

I know you have probably heard this advice time and time again, but sometimes we need things repeated until we act on good advice.

I have always used written budgets and spending plans of some sort.  Sometimes on napkins or post-it notes or business cards.  The best approach I use is electronic Excel spreadsheets (This is my favorite approach-- it allows me to "What if" analyze).  A written budget makes you stop and think about how you use your money.

The bottomline-- track it, and it will improve.

Thank you for visiting and come back soon for more . . . follow me on Twitter at DvrcdDadFrglDad, SelfRelianceWS, LowProfileLife, and Surfcasting2Day.

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