saving money

Dusty CDs and the Price of Music.

Why now is really the best time for music lovers.

In my relatively short time on this planet, here are the many different ways I’ve purchased and listened to music. Oh, so many ways that the music industry has zapped us music lovers over the years.

Vinyl 45 records on mono record player
Vinyl LP records with high fidelity turntable and stereo
Cassette Tapes and mix tapes on tape deck (Luckily, I avoided the whole 8-track tape thing) But my Dad’s 1968 Olds Tornado did have one in the dash.
Recording cassette mix tapes from vinyl records and playing them on my first Alpine car stereo (I had arrived)
Cassette tapes in a Walkman
Compact discs on a compact disc player plugged into home stereo
Compact discs and cassettes on a boombox
Compact discs on portable Sony Discman
CDs, Concert DVDs, cassettes and vinyl LPs with 6 speaker home theater surround sound system. (why would I ever need anything else to listen to music?)
Six Disc CD changer in the car with cassette player and AM/FM radio
MP3 Player (one of the early versions, can’t remember how I even got the music on the thing.)
Using my laptop to “Rip” my CDs to iTunes and then sync them on my iPod
iTunes on laptop with Harman Kardon surround sound speakers and subwoofer
iPod with iTunes. Discovered the iTunes store along with everyone else.
Burning CDs from tracks downloaded on Napster, LimeWire, shared with friends
Streaming commercial free radio stations like Radio Paradise on my Mac with various desktop apps including iTunes, Chrome and Safari browser extensions
XM satellite radio
iPhone with iTunes
Streaming music via apps on my iPhone, like Last FM, then Pandora
Streaming music on Tivo, Roku and Apple TV with Surround Sound Digital Amplifier
Streaming Music from Apps to Bluetooth car stereo and a Bluetooth HD home receiver
Amazon Prime Music via Amazon Music apps

I’d almost be afraid to total up what I’ve spent on music, including all the gadgets, CDs clubs, and concerts. But the problem is, I love music. I basically listen to it all the time and I still use many of the items on this crazy list, including the vinyl records.

Dusty CDs

I am sitting here in my office looking at a very tall tower of dusty CDs. [Read more…] about Dusty CDs and the Price of Music.

Waterfront Frugal Living

09/14 by The Frug Leave a Comment

A quick guide to living on the water for less.

I visited Baltimore last weekend and went for an early walk through Fell’s Point and Canton. Both neighborhoods are on the water and have a great maritime history. Just a week before, the city celebrated the 200th anniversary of the Star-Spangled Banner, written by Francis Scott Key in 1814 during the British bombardment of Fort McHenry just across Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

The two neighborhoods are part of a vibrant diverse waterfront community thriving with tourism, small businesses, local restaurants, coffee shops, and pubs. I walked along the waterfront promenade towards Canton, checking out one of the largest marinas in the area. The promenade was great for a walk, right on the water with plenty to see, smell and hear.

Well Hello Houseboat [Read more…] about Waterfront Frugal Living

B.Y.O.P. Bring Your Own Phone.

09/14 by The Frug Leave a Comment

How to Take Advantage of the Mobile Carrier Price War.

I’m going to keep this short because I can’t stand mobile phone plans. Mobile carriers have always thrived on complexity. The arrival of smartphones and data plans over the years has only added to the bizarre mobile pricing schemes already out there.

Smartphones have become money machines for the carriers, racking up all kinds of data charges, upgrade fees, smartphone accessory sales. It’s time for things to change. I’ll be the first to say that the smartphone a useful appliance. See 21 Things my iPhone replaced.

But if you’re not careful your mobile phone bills will be higher than your utilities. If you’re single, they probably already are.

About a year ago, things did start to change. T-Mobile touched off a price war with some aggressively priced data plans. Especially for families of four which seem to be the holy grail for carriers. T-Mobile is trying to grow market share with some heavily discounted plans and even offered to buy out your old contracts. To our benefit this infuriated competitors in bringing us to some of the better values out there today. [Read more…] about B.Y.O.P. Bring Your Own Phone.

Holiday Escape Plan.

09/14 by The Frug Leave a Comment

Your guide to skipping the insanity this year.

I was driving the other day and I saw a pumpkin patch sign up. It’s freaking Labor Day weekend! I know what that means. Halloween will quickly turn into Thanksgiving and the insanity of the spendy holiday season will begin instantly.

Have you ever thought about escaping the holidays? No last-minute trips to malls, hiding gifts in the trunk, wrapping oversized packages. Completely ignoring the news stories about people getting trampled on Black Friday. There’s really a reason it’s called Black Friday.

Choose Adventure over Stuff

What would happen if you could get the whole family to buy in on your secret holiday escape plan? Choosing adventure over stuff this holiday season. I know this is next to impossible if you have kids under 12 years old, but it’s never too early to start planting the seed. Our kids got a taste of it last year. We had a get together with family and friends in Mexico. We saw whales, visited small villages, took boat rides, sat on the beach.

The holiday escape plan is pretty simple. Instead of the traditional gift giving bonanza of material goods that are soon forgotten, we will put all of that money towards a family adventure. Last year we did a little of both which, looking back on it, is cheating. We also spent a bit too much once we got to Mexico.

I needed complete buy in on the plan this year. Our gifts to each other would be adventure and time with family and friends. To my surprise, I got very little pushback. Our youngest commented “Why wouldn’t we choose that?” Another comment was “I always have a hard time coming up with stuff to ask for anyway.” I’ll let you know how all this turns out after Christmas morning, at least they’ll be waking up at the beach.

Paying for your adventure

Now the hard part starts, but just think how much time you’re saving by skipping all those trips to the store and wrapping presents. The first thing I did was look back over the last couple years at what we spent on Christmas gifts, local travel, and all the other holiday related “stuff”. [Read more…] about Holiday Escape Plan.

Don’t Get Robbed Blind Buying Prescription Glasses.

08/14 by The Frug 12 Comments

My journey to find the perfect $44 pair of prescription shades.

Just got back from a walk and I am really enjoying my new $44 prescription Ray-Bans. The walk was short but the journey to find inexpensive prescription glasses has been a long one.

Over years I’ve been ripped off buying prescription glasses.. I don’t wear contacts, so you would think that would save me some money. Not really. I need progressive lenses and have an astigmatism.

While my prescription is not that strong, decent lightweight progressive lenses are still pricey. In addition, since I don’t wear contacts, I need prescription sunglasses, which are another racket.

If you want a decent pair of prescription sunglasses, you need to buy them and then immediately replace the expensive tinted polarized lenses with your custom made prescription. Unfortunately, because they’re sunglasses, they often get smashed, bent, broken and sometimes lost. #firstworldproblems

I’ve got a decent track record with lost sunglasses, my wife SuperK does not. Still, I’ve lost a couple of pairs of prescription sunglasses over the years, and busted one other pair.

Here are a few of the many comical ways I’ve been ripped off purchasing glasses. [Read more…] about Don’t Get Robbed Blind Buying Prescription Glasses.

The Frug Diet. How an old pair of pants can have long term impact on your health.

08/14 by The Frug Leave a Comment

Okay, here it is. Are you ready? There’s nothing to click on, no free report to download, no exotic powders to buy, no veggies to blend.

Here’s the Frug Diet.

Step 1. Don’t buy new pants

That’s it. There’s also an advanced version.

Step 1. Don’t buy new pants or belts.

When I decided to start living lean about a year ago,one of the first things I did was go through closets and drawers and give away clothing I no longer wear.

I came across was an old belt I had in high school. I’m not kidding, my mom bought me this belt at the GAP when I was in high school. I also remember getting a sweet pair of corduroys as part of that deal. The GAP website still has the same pair of corduroys and belt available. That’s because once every decade the clothing industry recycles every fashion trend. The 80s are currently being heavily recycled — cords, Day-Glo, Ray-Ban Wayfarers etc. I’ve got this decade nailed.

Being a Frug and giving away stuff sometimes creates a conundrum. You don’t mind giving away a pair shorts that no longer fit but you really hate going out to replace them. The same goes with the old belt. Old belts tell another story. If you held onto the belt long enough, those damn holes on the belt that show your progression over the years. If you’re like me, you’ve probably worked your way through each of the holes until you get to the last few holes then you get rid of the belt. For some reason, this one hung around.

This was a message. I needed to go on a pants and belt diet.

If you’re not frugal, and buy a new belt every year, you won’t notice this progression. So, what does one do with a 30-year-old belt and a 20-year-old pair of shorts. Put them on, of course, and convince yourself that they still look fine. If they don’t look good (as was my experience) you have now discovered the Frug Diet.

If they do look good, they have officially become vintage. So now you have a choice. You can get rid of those old pants and that belt that tells the terrible tale. Or you can decide to keep them. [Read more…] about The Frug Diet. How an old pair of pants can have long term impact on your health.