Why I Cook with Dried Beans
I usually cook with dried beans once a week for dinner and there’s always some in our refrigerator for breakfast burritos, lunches or after school snacking. Why I cook with dried beans is easy: they cost much less than canned beans, they’re better for my family to eat, and I control how they taste and {Why I Cook with Dried Beans}
Frugal Living with Coupons
Recently, I received an email from a regular reader about frugal living with coupons and she had several great points and a different perspective so I wanted to share them. This reader felt that I was against coupon usage and wanted to point out the benefits and savings involved with using coupons. Coupons may be {Frugal Living with Coupons}
Plastic Grocery Bag Alternatives
Ever since our first home exchange to Paris in 2004, I’ve been making a real effort to not use plastic grocery bags. While on our trip, with my starving family (they weren’t really starving but that’s how they were acting!) waiting in the car, I ran into a grocery store in Germany to buy a {Plastic Grocery Bag Alternatives}
Never Spill Your Wine Again at a Picnic
Living in Portland (Oregon), we are fortunate in that our city’s park system puts on free concerts in the evening throughout the summer. I love to put together a great picnic dinner, grab a bottle of wine, and head up to the park near our house for a relaxing evening. These concerts give us a {Never Spill Your Wine Again at a Picnic}
Frugal Living with Style Talk
Hi everyone…just a quick reminder that I’m speaking this Saturday, July 26th, 2012 at the Kenton branch of the much loved Multnomah County Library system. My talk begins at 3pm and it’s free! Please come and say hello. If the weather is beautiful and sunny in Portland, I know it won’t be a large crowd. {Frugal Living with Style Talk}
Saving Money on Smart Phone Bills
I get a lot of questions from readers about how they can save money on their smart phone plans and internet service bills. I don’t have a good answer for you on how to save money on your smart phone service because I don’t have one. So far, this has been a smart, money saving {Saving Money on Smart Phone Bills}
Frugal Travel Eating
Along with home swapping as a way to save money on travel, another money saver is to bring food and water with you while traveling. I always pack food when we head out for a day at the beach, a bike ride or while on a home exchange to another country. With a baguette, cheese, {Frugal Travel Eating}
How to Make Clothes Last Longer
Taking good care of your clothing means you can wear them for longer. Of course that’s not always good. I’ve been to several meetings recently where the pants I was wearing were older than many of my colleagues in attendance! The pants have been around so long, they’re thankfully back in style. It all comes {How to Make Clothes Last Longer}
Home Swap to Spain
Hello and welcome to Go Gingham ~ Stylishly Frugal Living. I’m traveling with my family for the next several weeks – we’re home swapping and camping our way around Spain. If you’d like to follow our trip, you can on Twitter and Instagram. Just search for GoGingham and you’ll find me. You can also sign-up {Home Swap to Spain}
How to Fix String Bags
I love these string grocery bags that we received as a wedding gift many years ago. They’re nice because they’re small enough to be tucked in a handbag or in a pocket while out shopping They’ve held up really well over the last 22-years but were showing signs of wear and tear (thankfully, the years {How to Fix String Bags}
Speak Up, Please!
Since the launch of my professional site, I’ve been busy scheduling speaking engagements, being interviewed, and trying to learn how Google calendar works. Google calendar has proven to be the most challenging for this old-fashioned gal! After realizing I had created several calendars all called the same thing with duplicate dates sprinkled about, I’ve got {Speak Up, Please!}
Shoo Fly Don’t Bother Me
Really, I’m talking about the fruit fly here. It seems this time of year brings out the fruit fly in my kitchen. All the fruits and vegetables that have been recently picked from our garden and are ready to be eaten seem to attract masses of fruit flies. Early fall seems to be the worst {Shoo Fly Don’t Bother Me}
Growing Vegetables from Saved Seeds
Remember the seeds I saved from our vegetable garden last year? The seeds that I kept in these little bowls with high hopes of planting them this year and watching them grow? Well, I’m pleased to share that growing vegetables from saved seeds is going quite nicely. Pumpkins, squash, and arugula have all come up. {Growing Vegetables from Saved Seeds}
Saving Seeds from Your Garden
Sometimes I try a do it yourself project and it works. Sometimes, not so much. These are seeds I gathered from our vegetable garden last fall. Pumpkin, squash, pepper, and arugula. Saving seeds is supposed to be simple. These seeds are ready to plant. I think. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I’ll keep you {Saving Seeds from Your Garden}
After School Snacks
Several years ago for a New Year’s resolution, I decided to not purchase any individually packaged snack foods for our family. The reason? I was tired of buying food that was overly packaged, generated waste, was unhealthy, and expensive. This resolution really stuck and I rarely purchase packaged snack foods today. The exception is when {After School Snacks}
