Ta-Da!!!! Well, okay. It’s not like a HGTV makeover, but this IS the first part of the answers to your burning questions. That’s exciting, right? RIGHT?
Let’s begin at the beginning with Shan’s questions:
What song do you sing in the shower? Mein Lieber Herr from Cabaret. I’m a show tunes kind of Chick.
If your head were made of veal, how much do you think it would be worth? Since the average human head weighs about 18 pounds, and a pound of expensive meat (veal ain’t cheap, folks) runs around $19.99, I’d say my head would be worth roughly $360. Less, if I were on sale, or if you had a coupon for veal.
What was your favorite Saturday morning program when you were growing up? It’s a toss-up between Kid Video, The Muppet Babies and Dungeons & Dragons.
Next up, JLSW’s question, who wanted to know what hair care products I use and my experiences with them:
I use Suave’s Professional Series of shampoos and conditioners, especially the ones formulated for color-treated hair. I also like their new line of Aveda knock-offs. I sometimes use John Frieda’s ‘make me blonder’ shampoos and conditioners for added color and shine. I don’t really like Target’s store brand line of Pantene knock-offs, and prefer to just splurge on the real Pantene. Otherwise, I’m all Suave, all the time, with positive results.
Then, there’s Amy’s question:
What is the best way to feed your family healthy food and still be thrifty? It seems that organic and whole grains cost more than the less healthy food. Yes, organics cost more, but whole grains – like brown rice and whole wheat pastas are pretty affordable, and often on sale. My two biggest Eat Healthy For Less tips are:
1. Try to eat more vegetarian meals. Beans and legumes are a good source of protein. Add a judicious amount of cheese and/or eggs (not too much, you got to watch the fats in them), and you’ve got tasty protein for less than the price of meat.
2. Prep your own fruits and veggies. The only pre-prepped stuff I buy is baby carrots and the chili mix at Cub Foods. Also? Buy in season – the stuff tastes better and costs less.
Ron wants to know:
Can you really see me nod when I hear you? Yes. Yes, I can.
Norell had two questions for me:
Are you “crazy” cheap like I am? Are there certain things you won’t buy unless you can get them on-sale? I have a list of things I want or need, but refuse to purchase until they are on sale. Let’s see… I won’t buy cable, because regular TV is free and plentiful, I don’t buy a ton of books since the library is free, I consider any purchase over $50 to be a MAJOR splurge, and I usually will only eat out if someone else is buying. Also, I typically won’t buy clothes unless they’re on sale – the exception being stuff I REALLY need, like socks and undies.
What products do you use for cleaning? Is it better to spend a few extra $$ for something you know will always work for you or spend less on something that doesn’t always do the job? I have my favorites & use coupons for them instead of using generic cheapies. I have crazy-hard water, so I use Kaboom, LimeAway and LemiShine. All three are medium-priced and often go on sale. I find that all other cleaning supplies, generic or otherwise, work about the same. And my favorite toilet-bowl cleaner – SnoBol – is the cheapest around.
Darcie asks:
What did you do before you got big and famous? I didn’t know I was big and famous, but thank you for saying I am! You are awesome. I used to be a waitress, an in-house marketing director, a temp, and a Realtor (not all at once). Now I teach real estate and spread the frugal gospel.
Ellen – who thinks I’m way more home-repair-oriented than I actually am – asks:
What’s the most amount of money you’ve ever spent on a re-do project? The only thing I’ve redone in my house is repaint the bathroom… and that cost about $50. YES, I AM THAT BIG OF A SLACKER. However, I have spent about $500 total on various plumbing issues throughout the last 4 years.
Kerrie asks the dreaded question:
Ok, you are a gorgeous women, fun, and funny, why aren’t you with a boyfriend or married yet? Um, because, because, because, BECAUSE? I’m a nightmare? No man will have me? Haven’t found the right one yet.
Newbie Tami Smith (Hi Tami! Welcome to the Empire.) ponders this:
What is the one product that you have to have so bad that you are willing to pay full price for it? No. Matter. What? That’s easy, Totino’s Party Pizza. BTW, I owe a HUGE thank you to Kristie, for sending me Totino coupons, so I spend less on my favorite junk food.
One last question for the night, this one from Josie Jean:
In your opinion, what is the best thing about living in the Twin Cities, instead of elsewhere? Hands down, it’s the people. All my peeps are here, my Ma is here, and I’m fairly close to my Dad, StepMom, Big Brother, SIL and Piglet. It’s a central location with clean air, lots of parks, and plenty of consignment stores. Plus, the folks here appreciate the finer points of frugal living.
Alright, I will resume with the interrogation tomorrow. In the mean time, I leave you with these bits of thrift:
1. Totino’s Party Pizzas cost less at Target than they do at Cub Foods. And Walmart has them cheaper still.
2. Store brand fabric softener works just as good as name brand softener. I like Target’s and Cub Foods’ regular scented stuff.
3. Mini Warm Delights are on sale at Target for $1.99 and have less than 200 calories a serving. So you can eat both cakes with little guilt.
And now, to bed.
2 Comments
What’s the Cheap Dude, chopped liver?
He is made of win, that one. However, the fact still remains that I am unmarried. Oddly enough, this bothers neither one of us