Each month, Charity & the JAMband offer a free children’s song download.  Just in time for Mother’s Day, you can download Rock-a-Bye.  Charity is also including the lyrics and chords so that you can play and sing along.
 
In honor of Mother’s Day, our May song is a reworking of the age-old Rock-a-Bye Baby. I’ve always felt the traditional version lacked the comfort of a lullaby, with the baby falling out of the tree and all. So here’s an adaptation that sings about the manifestations of unconditional mother love and safety available to us in every moment, no matter who or …read more

Something on many families budgets is charity. People give to the church, they give to events and organizations, they give to the girl scouts (yay cookies!) but it can add up. In times like these it’s hard to be able to afford to give what you’d like to give.  BUT you can be charitable even when giving nothing or very little – here’s how…
Volunteer as a mentor:
Cost: FREE to very little.
Volunteering as a mentor is as cheap as charity gets but rich in many other ways. Many programs, such as Big Brother/Big Sisters of America advocate activities that cost little …read more

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Harrison Ford – the man, the myth, the… I’d like my senior discount, please. Sorry, where was I? Ah, yes. According to The Independent, Harrison Ford, the snake fearing Indiana Jones, doesn’t fear claiming his senior discount at the movies.
Of course, being a movie star, he has different ideas of frugality than I do, but he has stated in several interviews that he doesn’t spend freely. In an interview with The People, he actually spells it out, saying, "I am relatively frugal…" He does have one very un-frugal hobby, though. Airplanes. He literally jetsets with …read more

 
I know that some of my family members have always been coupon phobic and others have found my frugalness a bit funny. However, with the change in the economy, a lot of the less thrifty folks are cutting coupons and asking for shopping help.
Have you suddenly become popular with friends and family members who used to slink through another check out line if they were shopping with you or "forgot" to give the waitress a coupon you’d clipped when you went out to eat together?
If you are new to frugal living, are you wishing that you’d paid …read more

I recently received an email from Baskin-Robbins about their new autumn ice cream special – the Buy One Get One Half-Off special.
Special duration: September 15 – December 28, 2008
Special details: If you purchase a frozen beverage you’ll get a second frozen beverage (of equal or lesser value) for half-price. Along with the half-off deal, Baskin-Robbins is also currently offering two pre-packed quarts for $9 or three quarts for $12.
This half-off deal makes a fun family ice cream date night less expensive. This would also be a good time to try out some new Baskin-Robbins fall flavors such as Apple …read more

Chalk is totally inexpensive, and has many amazing uses around the house…

Child entertainment: Of course we all know this one. Kids love chalk. You can use it indoors and out. You can use it for drawing, or rub off colored dust and sprinkle it on glue to make a dusty looking print.
Stains: If you have a stain on a shirt, say the collar, armpit, or you just dumped juice down your front, mark the stained area with chalk right before you wash. The dust supposedly helps to absorb the oils in some stains and makes them easy to clean. Note: …read more

This month, Lifestyles decided to have a little fun with one of summer’s favorite pastimes – picnics & potlucks. Here are all the tips from around the channel, there’s recipes, tips and a few laughs thrown in for free.

Just because you choose to live thrifty doesn’t mean you have to throw a thrifty picnic. Here at Simply Thrifty we looked at tips for an elegant and inexpensive potluck
At Declutter It you can read five tips to help you organize your summer BBQ. 
Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch by Robust Cooking
Watermelon Raspberry Lemonade at All Holiday Cafe
Rice Krispie Treats at Keeping the Castle
Homemade …read more

Today the Lifestyles Channel is holding a potluck / picnic of sorts. Each of the channel blogs will be somehow discussing potlucks and picnics today – a favorite recipe, or maybe some planning tips. Here at Simply Thrifty, we’ll look at how to dress up your event on the cheap.
Potlucks are known as a thrifty alternative to other dinner parties, but rarely do the terms elegant (or cool), and potluck go together. Here are some inexpensive ways to liven up the typical potluck event.
Have a theme. Same old potluck = dull. Create a theme; like an around the world potluck, …read more

There are plenty of ways to have free fun; especially in the summer when the weather is nice.
Here are some ideas for you:
Hiking, walking, getting out: Of course this is an obvious free fun activity. No matter the weather, you can get out. Depending on your location you can find various things to do. In Humboldt we used to go to the beach, the main street boardwalk, check out cool houses in weird places, and hike in the redwood forests. In New Mexico we of course, spent more time in desert settings (not as much fun, but free). Now, in …read more