frugality or decluttering, or both

clutter

Some people don’t care for the word “frugal.” their opinion is that it combines the virtues of being resourceful, buying quality items to avoid replacing them, and saving on unnecessary purchases with the vices of a poverty mindset and denying yourself too much in the present for a future that may or may not occur.  [...] Read more »

recent carnivals catch-up…

I’ve been included in quite a few recent carnivals, so I wanted to give a quick mention for all of them:   Best of Money Carnival #153 hosted by Prairie Eco Thrifter Financial Carnival for Young Adults #10 hosted by 20’s Finances Carnival of Money Pros hosted by Money Cone Carnival of Financial Camaraderie #31 [...] Read more »

stability and desperation

calm waters

The same people who crave stability and the idea of “never being without a paycheck” are often in the most unstable positions – they just don’t realize it. They are so dependent on the next paycheck that they can’t begin to imagine even two or three weeks without a paycheck. There are other people who [...] Read more »

7 things you don’t want to skimp on

gears

You don’t always want to save as much as you possibly can on everything. I can think of at least a few examples where spending the least amount possible is not always a great idea. 1. Education. I am a huge proponent of public education for two reasons: 1, the involvement with your community, both [...] Read more »

society and the individual

All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual. - Albert Einstein I love pop culture, as long as it is MY pop culture. I love Star Trek, Star Wars, the Matrix and the Lord of the Rings and don’t care much for American Idol.  Loving one and [...] Read more »

top 10 healthy and frugal foods

tomatoes

If you are concerned about your health and also concerned about your money, you’re often going to be concerned that the two appear to be in conflict.  It’s tough to eat healthy on a budget (but the opposite isn’t true:  it’s easy to eat horribly while spending a lot).  There are heart-healthy foods anyone can [...] Read more »

carnivals

carnival

  I didn’t manage a link roundup this weekend, but I did submit to a few carnivals. Here’s the list of the ones that reminded me to link back (!). Check them out… you’re always likely to find an article or two you’ll be interested in if you visit the carnivals. Best of Money Carnival [...] Read more »

so it goes

before and after losing 100 pounds

“So it goes.”  - Kurt Vonnegut, in  Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children’s Crusade: A Duty Dance with Death, by Kurt Vonnegut, a Fourth-Generation German-American Now Living in Easy Circumstances on Cape Cod [and Smoking Too Much], Who, as an American Infantry Scout Hors de Combat, as a Prisoner of War, Witnessed the Fire Bombing of Dresden, Germany, [...] Read more »

the regulatory pendulum and links

pendulum

In the wake of the wildly popular – at least with hedge funds, investment banks and tech firms “JOBS Act” (read about it:  jobs act – Google Search) we’ll see an explosion of interest in investing in small companies in the US.  I suppose it was only a matter of time until the next bubble [...] Read more »

back to school (the imaginary kind)

james meredith memorial

This is an old article from brip blap – almost four years ago – so in case you missed it the first time, here it is again… I have given some thought over the years to going back to school. Ah, to be back in the fraternity, drinking Schlitz, playing lacrosse and sleeping from 4 [...] Read more »

8 steps to a six figure career, the infographic

8steps

One of the most popular posts on brip blap was my post “8 steps to a six figure career” which now, thanks to The Gap Partnership is now in infographic form. I don’t ask this often, but if you like this you could definitely help me show this off with a Facebook like or a [...] Read more »