Tight Ends and Tight Wallets (or, NFL football is back!)

Frugality isn't just for the poor!

Bound no more!

Tired of being bound to your cell phone carrier? You may not be!

As of February 11, 2015, a U.S. law called the "Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act" went into effect. What does this mean?

You can unlock your phone and [hypothetically] sign up with another carrier, whether you have a contract phone or a phone on an off-contract, prepaid plan (as I recommend here).

Interesting reads, Jan 2015

Here's some more useful and/or interesting content for you from blogs and other sources around the Web:

For the married: http://www.frugalrules.com/teach-your-spouse-frugal/
For the engaged: http://canadianbudgetbinder.com/2015/01/12/engaged-five-money-conversations-say/

A great article about finding your mission in life:
http://blog.phroogal.com/leave-job-without-plan-finding-lifes-mission/

For anyone:
http://professorsavings.com/probably-never-thought-youd-fall-love-kentucky-will-watching-video/
http://moneybulldog.co.uk/frugal-fix/
http://www.frugalwoods.com/2014/12/22/our-festive-and-frugal-100-christmas/

Good advice regarding the changing nature of retirement savings, and what you can do about it: http://retirementsavvy.net/multiply-your-streams-of-income/
http://www.moneyjournal.com/5-ways-to-achieve-income-diversity/

Some good advice about groceries: http://moneysavingdude.com/groceries-on-a-budget/

http://www.frugalwoods.com/2014/05/30/do-you-really-need-that-dont-be-owned-by-your-stuff/ (sounds kinda like The Millionaire Mindset! Great minds think alike...)

Here's a cartoon with a great message about hard work: http://i.imgur.com/xWzjHUQ.jpg

Some other interesting and/or thought-provoking reads:
http://www.frugalrules.com/smallest-to-largest-debt-payoff/
http://www.moneybeagle.com/2015/01/spending-money-dont-recipe-disaster.html
http://www.frugalrules.com/festivus-for-the-rest-of-us/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/11112194/Millionaire-couple-split-over-cancer-philanthropy.html
http://www.outliermodel.com/2015/01/09/4-good-jobs-science-minded-people/
http://www.wellkeptwallet.com/2015/01/4-ways-to-pay-off-debt-fast/
http://embracingsimpleblog.com/ready-embrace-simpler-life/
http://www.makingsenseofcents.com/2015/01/how-to-manage-your-finances-effectively.html
http://moneybulldog.co.uk/would-you-consider-becoming-a-frugaltarian/
http://deardebt.com/blog-changed-life-j-d-roth-get-rich-slowly/

And, unrelated to finance, an article on tech for geeks like me: http://www.tomshardware.com/news/amd-carrizo-carrizo-l-notebook-apu,28345.html

Quality entertainment for a bargain! :)

More helpful links, 9/29/14

As always, I try to bring you the best content! Sometimes, other writers make a point so well that I have nothing to add!

Without further ado, here are some of the best articles I've found recently:

Froogal Consumption

Froogal Consumption

As promised in my previous article on Why Being Cheap Costs More, I expound here on how to shop frugally. Whereas conspicuous consumption focuses on image and flash, Froogal consumption focuses on getting the maximum value for a quality product.

Value, rather than price, is a critical concept here!

Why Being Cheap Costs More

Think being tight-fisted will save you money? Think again!

The difference between frugal and cheap is all in your head.

Well, more accurately, it's in your mindset!

College Hacks to Save Money

Froogal College Hacks to Save Money

Did your jaw drop when you looked at your bill for the semester? Have you wondered how you can save money on college expenses? Stressing over how you're going to pay for college?

Don't let this be you! 

Image courtesy blogs.cornell.edu

Financial Freedom

I want to take a moment here to defend the Millionaire Mindset that I've described before. The point of this approach is to be satisfied with having a few nice things that you can truly afford, guilt-free!

10,000 views!

Wow! Thanks to all my readers for the 10,000 pageviews I've gotten! We've come a long way since the beginning of May 2014, when this blog opened shop. Together, we can spread the word even more, and empower a whole generation to take charge of their finances through smart thinking!

Thanks again to all my readers! Happy saving!

The 14 best value headphones

Best Value Headphones

*Note: this page is frequently updated to reflect changes in pricing, 
and/or which headphones offer the best value.

As promised in my earlier post, I would feature a post with some Froogal-approved headphones. The criteria? They must represent a good value, they must have good reviews overall, they must be durable, and they must feature good sound quality. It also helps if I have had good experiences with them.

5 appalling violations of consumer rights

I've found a few links to some appalling examples of rising prices and failures of consumer protection; including one of the only places we're not supposed to worry about money: hospitals. Unfortunately, the Affordable Care Act will not fix matters.

Headphones for less

Since the recent acquisition of Beats Audio by Apple (a perfect marriage of too-expensive, overhyped consumer products!), Beats is once again in the public consciousness.

A great Lifehacker article (link at the bottom) suggests some bass-heavy alternatives to the expensive (and not-so-great-quality) Beats headphones that many young people seem to own these days. However, even these alternatives are pretty expensive; there are better-value alternatives that I've listed here.

Free laptop-cooling mat!

I present to you an outstanding example of The Millionaire Mindset:

http://lifehacker.com/keep-your-laptop-cool-with-an-egg-carton-1587234841

Being inventive with stuff you already have around is both thrifty and eco-conscious. (Note: this does NOT mean you should be a hoarder and collect everything in case you might possibly use it for something someday. It's merely making use of something that would otherwise be thrown away, to solve a problem you have now. If you don't have an overheating laptop, don't use this trick).

It's a great alternative to purchasing a laptop-cooling mat for $5, $10, or $30 (the prices of some such mats that I've seen).

This is a true "lifehack," in the best spirit. Gawker Media should be proud of this (and similar) posts!

Got any of your own lifehacks that you'd like to share? Leave a comment below--I'd be happy to share any other great ideas!

'Afford' vs. 'Can pay for'

Many people are afraid to say it, or can't find words for it, or assume that people implicitly understand this concept. It is absolutely the underlying principle necessary for financial responsibility, and for your personal financial well-being. 

And it is this:

Just because you have the money to pay for something, does not mean that you can afford it! 

Image from Ford.com website; the 2014 Ford Focus costs around $20k

The "Don't buy stuff" budget

This SNL skit is both funny and accurate: https://screen.yahoo.com/dont-buy-stuff-000000884.html

I'm tempted to say things are more complicated than that, but it really isn't. Unless you're buying a house, if you can't pay for it--right now--and still have money left over to pay your bills, don't buy it!

The Wal-Mart Trap

Bargain hunters beware!

Though Wal-Mart has great prices on certain items, they're not always the cheapest option around. They built a very successful business based on advertising their low prices, and then having such a wide selection that people don't bother to go anywhere else for their other goods.

How to $ave big on your phone bill

*For an up-to-date list of my smartphone recommendations, please see this link.*

As promised in my earlier post on The Millionaire Mindset (http://froogalstoodent.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-millionaire-mindset.html), here's a tip for those of you who are paying too much for your cell phone bill (pretty much everyone!): get a prepaid monthly plan.

More great sources of information

I found two links that have great information, and I found them to be very helpful, so I figured I'd pass them along.

They're both written by Kraig Mathias of Create My Independence. He's promoting the same lifestyle I am in my post on The Millionaire Mindset.

The links are here:

The Millionaire Mindset

The Millionaire Mindset

I want to get this idea out there now: your mindset is far more important than your income level. Many people think a large income leads to financial security...and they're dead wrong. I'll show you why. 

Moviegoing

Image from imgur

I just found this meme, and I thought it was both funny and applicable to this blog :)

I think this serves as an example to illustrate a larger point about planning ahead, and having the self-control to say 'no' to products or services that you see as a poor value. With all the stuff that's available in this world, all the different manufacturers offering products, companies offering services, charities, and other organizations each trying to get some of your money, it's up to you to be a smart and discriminating shopper.