Monday, March 14, 2011

Japan Earthquake Relief

Due to the devastation in Japan, we wanted to let you know that now, March 14th through March 31, 2011, 10% of the sales at our store, Moonwishes Sewing and Crafts will be donated to Japan Earthquake Relief by way of CAMA Disaster Relief Fund the relief branch of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. With so many lives lost and property washed away, we wanted to be able to reach out a helping hand as best as we can. Thank you for your purchases or direct donation to the CAMA Diasaster Relief Fund.

Monday, March 7, 2011

The Frugalista Files by Natalie P. McNeal

The Frugalista Files: How One Woman Got Out of Debt Without Giving Up the Fabulous Life
I'm always interested in reading the latest book on frugal living, especially if I'm given it for free. This one, The Frugalista Files by Natalie P. McNeal, I got through the Amazon Vine Review program. Below you will find my review of the book. My suggestion however is check out the author's blog: thefrugalista.com ,some of the other links I give you or do a Google search for the word 'frugal living'. You will swamp yourself with ideas and ways to make your money go further. I did visit her blog for a few minutes and saw some references to and links to sites that will help you keep the cost of life down. Here is my review:

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When a young single woman in Miami realizes that she is over $20,000 in debt and getting worse each month, she decides she has to do something significant about it. She wants to be able to lose the debt but still wants to live a fun life without doing without anything that is truly important to her. She decides to do a `no spend month' and ends up saving over $400. She also begins blogging about her journey and trying to learn everything she can about saving. This book takes us through her first year as a "Frugalista", during which time she pays off over $7000 in debt. Her blog is located at thefrugalista.com where you can check on her continued progress in saving and being frugal.


As someone who has been frugal most of my life, I was surprised at the things she did to be frugal as they were things that have never even made it into my budget in the first place. Most of the info wasn't new to me but for those who haven't yet been able to get their finances in order, they should learn some valuable information from this book. The best info being, that being more frugal doesn't mean giving up everything important in your life. The author's natural exuberance for life and helping others to be more frugal shines throughout the whole book. This book is written in a style to cater to the 20-30 year old age group with many expressions that I've never even heard of in the book.

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For more info, visit her blog thefrugalista.com  or these other great sites that can help you save such as Groupon for great discounts, Big Crumbs for cash back and savings on on-line purchases, and places like Saving Advice for all round information on saving money to the max.