Originally Posted by braisler

I love Frugal Living. A lot of what I would contribute has already been said in one form or another. The biggest thing for me to live frugally and well is to not view consumables as a one-way transaction. If you buy a video game, a DVD movie, or clothing, then decide you don't want it anymore, don't let it sit in your closet. Sell it! Ebay, Craigslist, classified ads have already been mentioned. It is simply stunning to me how many people neglect this because it is 'too much bother', then lament their lack of money in the next breath.

If you want to take this to the next level, keep an eye out at garage sales and on Craigslist for items that you know are worth more than the asking price. Buy it, clean it if it is dirty, fix it if it is broken, and re-sell it for what it is actually worth. This was part of the way that my mom made ends meet with raising my brother and myself on $600/month child support with a $500 mortgage. I learned from her example. When I was 14, I bought my first car (though I couldn't drive it) at a garage sale that a neighbor was selling for $200. I paid for it with money I had saved up from birthdays and Christmas gifts and mowing lawns. It was a 1974 Oldsmobile. It ran, but it was dirty and dusty. I spent a weekend washing it inside and out and cleaning it up thoroughly. I sold it the next week for $500. When I was in college, I saw a pretty new looking dryer sitting on the curb down the block. I asked the people living there if they were throwing it out. Yeah, it quit working, we got a new one was the reply. I took it home knowing if I couldn't fix it, I could always just throw it out myself. It turned out that someone had mis-wired the 220 cord and burnt out the connector. I bought a new cord from Lowe's for $6 and sold the dryer for $150. The same principle could apply to used bikes, furniture refinishing... take whatever you are good at and make it work for you.

On rechargeable batteries: take the next step and buy a reliable solar battery charger. They aren't fast, but if you are like me, you can just put a couple of batteries in it and leave it in a sunny corner of your room. Every 2-4 days, you'll have fully charged AA or AAA batteries that you can take out and put the next set in. Unless you are running through batteries like mad, this should keep you set for a while.

Oh, and this is my most recent favorite. Ditch the store bought microwave popcorn. Buy a large bottle of popcorn kernels, a stash of brown paper lunch bags, and do it yourself. Just pour a single layer of kernels onto the bottom of an opened brown bag. Fold over the top twice. Microwave for 1:30 or so until the kernels stop popping actively. Add butter, salt, or leave plain and enjoy. You get great tasting popcorn, for less money, and you get to know exactly what is going onto your popcorn, or not.