Just read an article in one of the $ blogs I read about a group in San Francisco who all got together and pledged not to buy ANYTHING new (excepting food & medicines & so forth) for a WHOLE YEAR. 

One of the interesting points is that they focused on "alternatives, not deprivation."  Now that perfectly puts into words the philosophy I have followed all these years.  My aim was to make my life BETTER, not starve myself!

So, for example, I just ran across some FREE music workshops being held at the John Anson Ford Theatre here in Hollywood & I immediately signed me & my husband up for ALL of them throughout the summer.  What a great opportunity to expand our musical horizons!  Ditto my FREE acting class at S. M. Emeritus College (even with the commute).

I have gotten used instruments and furniture and appliances & cars & a used sailboat (it's amazing how boats depreciate).  I buy used books and shop in thrift shops for clothes. Actually, I do so well there that I rarely shop in "real" stores other than the 99 Cent Store!

And then I stock up on socks for my husband, and bras for me, when they appear. We are pulling in the belt this week - but with everything stocked, it won't be really noticeable.  I will just not shop for a while & live off what I have....And Mark is updating his professional wardrobe, believe it or not, at some suburban thrift stores we have found!

It's about playing the "alternatives" game - and for me, it's fun mentally to tote up the points.  The $6 sandals (new) = at least $20 elsewhere.  The necklace I made out of cord & a charm I got as a freebie - (worth @ $10 in a dept. store).  That sort of thing. 

I have made up for lack of $ by being clever. (Gee, I got another Social Security statement & how I lived on what I earned is still a mystery to me.)  I used to joke that I had 3 jobs - my acting/artistic one, my temp job, and the job of living off what I made!  And not much has changed.

My frugality allows me to pursue my freelance acting/music/writing (in my bargain apartment) while Mark brings home the major $.  I can even save on gas by working from home most of the time.

Alternatives - a conscious choice - that's what it's all about.

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Had my picture took by a very nice young lady photographer from the L.A. Times over at the La Brea 99Cent Store in L.A.  She followed me around, as I shopped & explained what sort of deals you can find there in food - There is so much more fresh produce than there used to be! And the deals in sauces and condiments like ketchup, mustard, salad dressing, vinegar and real Chinese soy sauce.

This article is getting bigger & bigger (the thriftyfun folks were interviewed, too).  It will be fun to see what it will turn out like...

Life Hack - AS I was getting dressed for the shopping expedition, couldn't find any of the 1/2 stockings I wear when it's chilly & I am wearing jeans.  So I put into action an idea that's been in the back of my mind for a while - I found some old pantyhouse, and cut off the legs 3/4 the way up the leg - and  then, not finding any large rubber bands to hold them up - I cut off another section of panyhose leg, cut it in 1/2 and then tied up my stocking with that (on each side). 

It's the old way of holding up stockings!  I thought of it because of a period movie I watched on cable the other night.  And I am wearing them now & it's working just fine.  I wonder how long it will be until they run...but the sock ones can't be worn more than a couple of times anyway & they run about $1 a piece.  So maybe this will help me have more on hand and also solve the problem of the pantyhose I get stuck with that just doesn't fit.

I

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Go here at Revolution Money Exchange before 5/12 & they will put $25 in your acct.!

https://www.revolutionmoneyexchange.com/ReferAFriend/...

They say it's like Paypal w/o the fees....hey the $ things work - I just got $10 from another $ gambit....

& Mention ME at pamphyila@yahoo.com & I get referral $, too - (which you can also do with your friends.)  Not bad, huh?

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When I wear my actress hat, I go on the Hollywood Happy Hour (HHH) group.  There I "talked" to a young actress who was dealing with the perennial problem of how to pay for things like headshots, classes, etc. with a 40 hr./week job and still be able to go out for auditions.  (Maybe some of you have similar problems with side businesses you are trying to start up.)

I solved, or rather dealt with that problem by pennypinching - which is why I got so good at it.  For example - my last headshots were taken by a prof. friend & with the advent of digital photography, all it cost him was his TIME (& I got the quality of his prof. camera). I did my own hair & makeup - as I always do.  It's also true that with digital cameras, taking pix has gotten SO much easier.  Some of the pix I have were taken by my husband and are perfectly all right for posting on the net. It gives you a chance to get character shots in costume, too.

I then went to Picnik  - an easy free online program - and cropped them myself.  Just did the same thing with the pix from my last Ren Faire, so I would have some pix of that.  And I cut a little "video" for my free myspace account on Jumpcut - another gratis tool. 

As for classes - I haven't paid for them since NYC, almost - altho I did take classes with Jean Shelton up north.  Ok, I did take some on-camera acting classes when I first got here.  And a commercial agent convinced me to take a commercial acting class (that was a waste of $).  But for years, I worked out through 99 seat theatre and at the SAG conservatory program (gratis).  And then I was an assistant to Greg Mullavey - and got a class with him free, too.

Now I am taking a class with Barbara Gannen at the Santa Monica Emeritus College.  Another freebie.  I wouldn't be taking one otherwise.  But it's such a good deal, that I grabbed it. There are other adult classes around here that are supposed to be good & a good deal, too.  But, as with everything else, you have to look around for them.

I have always met the problems, challenges of my position as an actress in Hollyweird that way.  I have trimmed my own hair and gone to Vidal Sassoon to have cuts.  I have been a hair model and gotten PAID to have my hair cut and colored! 

I have also learned to maintain my hair - to color it so nicely myself that hairdressers have wondered what technique I used. (That I partly learned by watching how my hair was done by others and asking a lot of questions. I got my current method from a session paid for by a production company when I had to redden my hair for the shoot and the hairdresser used colored shampoo + heat to achieve the effect!)

 I have maintained my own skin and saved on spa treatments.  The only spa I have gone to is Glen Ivy out in Temecula, in the middle of the week, because it was so lovely and relaxing, and even that was a treat.

I have found gratis dance classes (thru the Recreation Dept. - those were the days!) and discount ones.  I have worked out with a par course.  (Unhappily those have gone into disrepair.).  I have walked and ran and run/walked in the park and around school playing fields.

I have typed my own resumes and posted my own computer entries.  Learning about the internet has been a godsend for me in terms of my career, and I got that from all my years temping, where I also acquired a lot of business savvy.  Who knew that TYPING would come in so handy in the end?

I bartered choir participation for voice lessons, and have also learned a lot of other skills through freebie training - like PR - from the workshops of the old L.A. Open Festival, and watching an old colleague work PR magic.

I suppose the lesson here is to do as much as you can YOURSELF - or at least KNOW how to do it, so you can keep watch on those who are working for you.  And always keep an eye on the bank account.  Paying through the nose doesn't necessarily mean getting quality.  Never has.  Shysters are more than willing to overcharge you - whereas reputable merchants often have great deals...They don't say "caveat emptor" (buyer beware) for nothing.

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Found this while surfing & had to share it with you guys - If any of you are really on your uppers - check out www.angelfoodministries.com

Here's their own description from the site:

Angel Food Ministries is a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing grocery relief and financial support to communities throughout the United States. The program began in 1994 with 34 families in Monroe, Georgia (between Atlanta and Athens), and has grown to serve hundreds of thousands of families every month across 35 states. Angel Food Ministries crosses denominational lines and has spread the good news of the gospel of Christ through salvation tracts that are placed in each food order.

Blessings by the box

Angel Food is available in a quantity that can fit into a medium-sized box at $30 per unit. Each month's menu is different than the previous month and consists of both fresh and frozen items with an average retail value of approximately $60. Comparison shopping has been done across the country in various communities using a wide range of retail grocery stores and has resulted in the same food items costing from between $42 and $78.

Generally, one unit of food assists in feeding a family of four for about one week or a single senior citizen for almost a month. The food is all the same high quality one could purchase at a grocery store. There are no second-hand items, no damaged or out-dated goods, no dented cans without labels, no day-old breads and no produce that is almost too ripe.

Also offered are specialty boxes such as steaks, chicken and pork. Many participants in this bonus program appreciate the expanded choices. Additionally, there is no limit to the number of units or bonus foods an individual can receive, and there are no applications to complete or qualifications to which participants must adhere. Angel Food Ministries also participates in the U.S. Food Stamp program, using the Off-Line Food Stamp Voucher system.

It's both a Bargain and a Blessing!

Sample Menu:
(this month's menu can be viewed here)

• 4 lb. IQF Leg Quarters
• 4 oz. Beef Back Ribs
• 1 lb. 80/20 Lean Ground Beef
• 2 lb. Breaded Chicken Tenders
• 1.5 lb. Bone in Pork Chops (4 x 6oz.)
• 1 lb. Ground Turkey
• 18 oz. Stuffed Manicotti (Cheese)
• 12 oz. Smoked Sausage
• Betty Crocker Seasoned Potatoes
• 7 oz. Cheeseburger Dinner
• 16 oz. Green Beans
• 16 oz. Baby Carrots
• 2 lb. Onions
• 1 lb. Pinto Beans
• 1 lb. Rice
• 7 oz. Blueberry Muffin Mix
• 10 ct. Homestyle Waffles
• Dessert Item

They have sites all over the country and a locator which will tell you by zip code where the closest site is!

Good luck to you! (& if things are going well - think about volunteering....)

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It's getting to be outdoor festival weather and I entertained at my first Renaissance Faire - down in Hermosa Beach.  It was a charming, little faire - my favorite type.  And very family-friendly. 

Ren Faires are really great for children.  There is entertainment and the little boys can wave fake swords and dress up like pirates - and the little girls long skirts and tiaras, if they like.  There usually are games for them to play or treasure hunts and the like.  The areas are enclosed, which gives them a degree of security, and the Faire folk are usually very friendly.

I play period music on the autohharp, recorder, and folk harp and sing.  We brought a basket of rhythm instruments - little drums, tamborines, shakers, and a xylophone for the kids to play with and had a rhythm band.  I love rhythm bands and don't know why they have gone out of style - great introductory musical practice.

Of course, I think the best and most economical way to participate in the Faires is to become a participant - either by being an entertainer or as a member of a "Guild" or group that sets up camp and dresses and acts in a period manner.  You can go all out in terms of dress - but here are some budget tips:

• Dress "organic"  - make sure your clothes are made out of cotton or wool.  Preferably in nubby  or rough textures.  Synthetics can pass if they are really good fakes.  People do wear vegan vinyl boots and belts, etc.
• Wear a hat - It covers your hair, and you will need it for the sun.  A straw one is just right for the summer - but you can also wear felt and crocheted hats/caps.  Think of putting on a colorful band, and some flowers or feathers.
• You can usually get away with a simple pleasant costume, that is for the females - a full-length peasant skirt, with a petticoat, if desired; and a peasant blouse.  No collars or button closings.  Gathered necks prefered.  The skirt can be of Indian gauze, kettle cloth or even light blue denim - so raid your closet. 
• They wore bodices - so look for vests to put over your peasant blouse - or use a leather belt.
• For men - an "organic" tunic, belt, and full blousey pants.
• Shoes - wear sandals or slippers.
• Then there is the decoration.  Long-time Ren Faires participants pile on the necklaces ( men, too) and pin "favors" on their hats, bodices, etc.  They also wear bags connected to their belts.
• Fans are nice if it's hot.
• Ethnic clothing and ethnic embroidery are nice accents. So an Indian shirt will make a nice top.
• It's so much easy since "boho" is in style - as there are lots of choices out there & probably in your closet.

Of course, there are purists out there dressed in authentic reproductions of period garb - but it's not necessary. I don't know how they stand those clothes in the summer heat, anyway.

The best way to enjoy it is to get dressed up and spend the day.  Listen to the music.  Watch the jugglers and the dancers - Eat the food - or bring a picnic.  You can save by bringing your own water or drinks.  We like to have ice tea - it's good and inexpensive.  You can bring a container or just have ice water and add powdered instant.

The participants can even camp - gratis - on the faire site.  We have done that, and as faires are usually in pretty places, it adds to the experience.  (You could use your regular tent, as rules relax after hours.)

So all in all - we had a lovely weekend by the sea - made enough tips to pay for the food - and earned some $, too.  That's what I call a win/win situation.

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My other, other hat is that of a musician.  I have been singing and playing at the Hollywood Lutheran Church for 2 years - but got a chance to go back to the Renaissance and am playing at the Rotary-sponsored little Hermosa Beach Renaissance Faire this weekend.

Even getting paid.  Somehow it's easier for a musican than an actor! But we costume ourselves & schlepp, too.  It brings back the old piece of advice about making your hobby PAY.  Or at least pay for itself.  I figure that making $ here underwrites the music, instruments, etc.  And it is a busman's holiday, as they are always in pretty places. 

And go to a Ren Faire & PAY to get in?  Never?  They are charging $25 a head.  I would rather sit in the shade (hopefully) and play my recorder and sing & play on my autoharp.  Very relaxing all in all.  Used to do a lot of if before I got married - getting back into it.  I think my husband is even looking forward to a different sort of weekend.

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Loved the 25 Eco decorating tips from M. Stewart's website!  You can see them here www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/eco-chic-on-the-cheap

I love the idea of grouping lots of bottles TOGETHER.  I love bottles, but they just end up in the closet - maybe I can group some on my window sill(s).

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I am really into vintage - and most of my art is THAT one way or the other - from a reproduction of an old sailing print - to a 19thC. sailing colored lithograph to a Monet reproduction to an early 20thC Fr. Perrier Poster ( and more)

But if you are into more moderne stuff check out this video on threadbanger.com (a favorite crafty site) - for some ideas and a project, too - http://www.threadbanger.com/episode/DEC_20080408

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Besides knowing which things are normally at the 99 Cent Store- you can also look at their ADS.  They appear at least weekly in my L.A. Times.  This week they advertise baby wipes, reading glasses, salad dressing, DIAL anitbacterial soap, Heinz sweet relish, V8 juice and sugar listed, among other things.  These are form the bigger deliveries they get in and should be there in sufficient quantities for a week or so at least (if not more)...

Oh, these stores are not only in California, but now Texas, Arizona and Nevada, the ad says.  (Call 888-LUCKY-99  or go to www.99only.com for the store nearest you in those states.)

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Since I have been gathering my thoughts to write my magnum opus on stylish pennypinching, I was talking to a friend about it and my interview - She said that it was too much trouble to go to the 99 Cent Store, because things weren't always there!

I thought about it and replied that certain things were most always there.  I had seen a list on, I think the Hillybilly Housewife, about which foods were always inexpensive (beans, eggs, cheese, collard greens, etc.) and I thought about what I typically get at the 99 Cent Store.

There is usually: shampoo, soap of all kinds, mousse and hair products, bubble bath and body scrub, asperin and vitamins (they vary).  Cotton balls and tooth brushes - hair brushes - sox (now they have men's dress sox) - barrettes and hair goods.  Lip glosses - Basic sewing supplies - Creams and lotions. 

Plastic goods - little figurines - cleaning supplies (great deals there) - party and season holiday supplies, gift bags. Bottled water and soda. 

Reading glasses (recently), sunglasses - all sorts of staionery supplies.  Canned goods and sauces of all kinds - Bit and pieces of hardware - Little potten houseplants.  Paper products - napkins and paper towels and toilet paper and facial tissues.

This is only skimming the surface.  What did I get today for my $27?

• 4 pairs of reading glasses (with prices of $18/19 dollars on them!
• 2 tubes of Musicle/Joint Gel ($3/4 a piece)
• Barrette (@ $3/4)
• 2 small spray bottles of Dana cologne ($4/5 each)
• 2 jars of cocoa butter cream ($3/4 each)
• 2 jars of eye cream ($7 each)
• 6 packages of prunes ($2/3 each)
• 2 spices ($4 each)
• a figurine (@ $3)
• 4 little ceramic gift tages (@$3 each)
• 2 LED clip lights (@$4 each)
• a hands-free ear hook for my new mobile phone (have to have them or get ticketed using the mobile in the car soon)@$5

If my arithmetic serves me well - considering that the reading glasses were a major value - That's almost $200 worth of stuff for less than $30! 

Now, there is the problem of being an impulse buyer - I knew a lady who used to say it wasn't the 99 Cent Store - it was the $40 store - because she spent $40 everytime she went in there!  But, if you wait to buy as much as you can at a store like the 99 Cent store - you will be saving a LOT of $ from your trips to the drug store, etc. 

OK, the values vary.  And sometimes merchandise comes in waves, and you had better take advantage of it NOW. (For example, they had a whole shipment of Hanes bras, just the kind I like without underwires, a $6/7 value, all for 99 Cents each! So I bought a dozen....and never run out of bras now.) Ditto some colored shampoo and conditioner (I am still working on a stash from 2 years ago...) So you have to be a careful shopper - I got duped once by some Chinese knockoff deodorant for a national brand, that just was lousy - but I don't make mistakes like that often.... 

And considering I CAN spend $29 but not almost $200 - makes it all worthwhile - no?

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My other hat is an actress one & yesterday I had to make a last minute submission for a character in an animated cartoon - I decided to submit an MP3 file rather than rush over there - so I tried the new voice recorder my husband got - to no avail - and them resorted to the little voice recorder that comes with the computer.

But it turned out in a WAV file (the big ones) & I had to convert it to an MP3 to send it in via email.  SO - I looked up some conversion FREEWARE, and found a FREE convertor - after some downloading, it was converted and sent in by the deadline.

So FYI - especially in an emergency, there is FREEWARE and SHAREWARE out there for your computer.  There are lots of free programs, just for the download (altho be careful, some of them are just samples you can use once or twice). 

If you are cautious, you might check out the reviews on some tech sites - they have listings of the best free/shareware - And Google now has a whole suite of sortware it offers with its gmail -

So, especially if you are on a budget - check it out before you BUY. My husband insisted we get McFee anti-virus, but there are other FREE programs out there, which seem pretty good.  (I do do so much surfing, that I have to be careful...) There is even free photo software - one is Picasa (part of the Google pack)- the other one escapes me at the moment.....I will try to remember it for you.

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Was interviewed today on internet radio www.bbs.com  with Sam and Manu on California Dreaming (look for 3/31) about my pennypinching as a starving artiste.  It was fun, and took me downtown.  My husband dropped me off, and I walked over to the "station" in a downtown high rise.  Used to work down there years ago and even know what the buildings were in another reincarnation. 

We had fun exchanging tips and thoughts on frugality - and rather than spend $ on downtown parking, I went home via the L.A. Metro (subway to you).  It cost $1.25 - and downtown parking is horrendous! I got my walk in - and spent some $ at the Out of the Closet thrift store at my stop in Hollywood. Beautiful new faux snakeskin sandals ($5) and a jacket for $1!!  But it all evened out.

I do wish the Metro went elsewhere other than just downtown and to Pasadena and Long Beach, etc.  for office commuters.  I would love to take public transportation to my Santa Monica class and avoid all that traffic, but I really haven't found a good way yet - It's still hard to use public transport here - although in Hollywood I am at the intersection of all the old trolley lines and have lots of options. It's reassuring to think that when and if the car goes down! 

But why are the subway cars so drab?  I think it's the lighting, I hate the lighting in subway cars - they make everyone look ill.  And the whole car is made out of beige plastic! Ugh.  The seat covers were nice - but couldn't they come up with a nice color for the walls and floors other than putty?  I don't remember the Paris Metro being that drab. 

But it was fast and relatively easy, even though I had to balance my newspaper and dress down, just like the old days in NYC, and wear my walking shoes.  What with the towering heels the fashionables are wearing around here, I don't think they see much of the Metro!

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More and more people are worrying about losing their jobs - and even though I am a bit more stable nowadays than I was in many years of artistic "freelancing" in which I was ALWAYS losing a job(s) - I thought I would look back on what those years taught me.  What DID I DO?

• Sold stuff- I had yard sales and thinned my vintage clothing and costume jewelry collection.  I recycled my can and bottle collection when I needed a few bucks for gas.  I sold old books to used book stores.  I sold anything lying around, like my ex-boyfriend's motorcycle engine.  I sold the old junker of a car when I got my new(er) one. I even tried to sell blood (not good at that).  You get the idea.  You have a lot of $ hanging around in extra stuff, and the only cost to you is your labor - and you will have lots of time on your hands.
• Got funny jobs - I did promotional "modeling" - and handed out coffee and samples. I was a spritz woman in a department store.  I sold Mexican flowerpots. Look on craigslist under miscellaneous, and you can pick up $ to supplement your unemployment ins. money.
• Oh - of course - get your unemployment $.  Follow the rules.  Notice that you can make up to a certain amount and not jeopardize your benefits, only make them string out a little longer...
• What aid do you qualify for?  Check out local clinic(s) - food plans.  Also see if whatever professional or other organizations you have been a member of can help you out if the going gets really BAD. (I was helped by my church, a local clinic and an artistic organization...)
• What can you now get for free?  I was able to qualilfy for free medications through the drug manufacturer of my medication - check out yours.
• Or - get your meds through Walmart's $6 generic program, even if you have to switch meds (many are interchangeable). You can even do this by mail.
• If you need a break - take an inexpensive vacation, like a weekend camping trip.  All you really need is a tent - the rest you can fake...
• Make your hobbies pay - I made $ appearing at Ren Faires - which was a bus man's holiday - as I got to camp on the site, too! And they are always in lovely places.
• Do chores for others - I picked up $ ironing once - Maybe you could clean a friend's house - haul something - garden....
• Institute immediate austerity measures and count every penny.  Empty the penny jar if necessary. Remember, change is money, too.  And don't pay for anything you don't have to. Look for free entertainment - stay home and watch movies on TV -
• Do surveys, sign up for survery research (good up to about age 50, then you are over the hill).
• Write articles for sites like www.associatedcontent.com to make some pocket $ - Good practice and you can say you have been writing, which sounds legit...What do you know about?  Share it?
• Teach/tutor.  You can do that informally - or though an agency.  It helps to have degree(s) for that.
• Babysit?? Mow lawns?  (Remember the old days)  Cut someone's hair?  Turn up a hem or mend???
• You can even go to a pawn shop and take your jewelry and valuables in for "protective custody" for a while until things improve.  They only give you 10% of the value - so don't let them keep the stuff - that's how they make $.  My instruments used to go in and out.  But I always redeemed them.

I hope this will give you some ideas that normally wouldn't occur to the more or less middleclass.  But I assure you, go on in the underground economy all the time. Oh, that's another thing - look around and see if there are any "underground economy" outlets (yard sales, sidewalk vendors of organges, swap meets) you can use right now - they are usually a lot cheaper than even Target....

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My hubby and I find ourselves re-decorating the living room unbeknownest to ourselves.  We have just run into such bargains on living room furniture that we couldn't pass up and it has allowed up to upgrade our current decor.

The first thing to come in from a thrift shop was a very nice blue wing chair ($40!!) in great condition, as I had been coveting my husband's chair - which was getting tatty. (We had gotten it for $40 or so a few years ago & I had thought about slipcovering it - but I couldn't find any I liked and they would have cost more than this CHAIR.)

THEN my husband found ANOTHER recliner wingchair in a thriftshop for about $60 - bigger than the other chair (so that's the daddy chair & I have the mommy chair.) That chair is a nice rose pattern, and looks new, too.  When we went to the Pottery Barn to windowshop the other day, I was appalled to find similar chairs to ours at $400-500 a piece!! These chairs were really bargains.

THEN my husband decided to replace our computer typing chair (orig. $15) with a bigger executive chair we could use as an arm chair if company came by.  We saw there was a sale at an office store, 1/2 off - so my husband went, and saw a slightly damaged floor model (with blue upholstery - my stipulation) and asked the manager for a sale price and got it 1/2 off. ($170 chair for $90, the most $ to date).

We then ditched the little old couch we had from his bachelor apartment.  I tried to give it away on freecycle.org - but no luck, and it ended up in the trash, sorry to say.

THEN when we were at one of our favorite Salavation Army thrift shops in Pasadena, I saw an office computer desk, with a hutch for $39!! (worth at least $300) It was made in Denmark, with a nice veneer, and looked as if it had been a floor model, as there was no wear! So we are tossing/selling the little computer desk and assorted stands we have now and moving up.  The only trouble is getting it HOME.  But my husband says he can take the hutch off, the desk and take it home in the truck.  (I keep on saying there is a reason we keep the truck!) And a friend will help us get it up the one flight of stairs to the apartment.

So let's see, we have gotten 2 chairs @$500 ea retail + 1 chair $170 retail + office desk $300 retail  = totalling almost $1500 of furniture for $240!!! With deals like that, I don't know why people pay retail.  And it was fun patting ourselves on the back looking at the prices at the Pottery Barn, thinking of the savings.  We have much better things to do with the $ than line their pockets!

And this is NEW furniture.  I usually get vintage, but the upholstered pieces are better new(er).  One has to be on the lookout - and have an eye and not do it all at once - but I have been looking at apartment internet decorating sites and watching HGTV about small spaces, and gearing myself up for this, as it looks like we are staying around here for a while - and we have to think about maximizing space.  But we have a color scheme -  with our lt. yellow walls & white woodwork - sort of a colonial one - so blue is great - and the lt. flowered pattern, too - and our style is cozy cottage/shabby chic.  We certainly don't have the room to play with minimalism.

I think you would agree that getting ALL that furniture for less than 1/2 of a Pottery Barn or Costplus easy chair is a great deal! Just broadcasting to you all that it CAN be done. (If I am terribly thrifty I will try to SELL off the old computer desk and stand(s) - as I did with some furniture from MY bachelor apartment furnishings before Xmas...I made $300 from that one day of a yardsale & cleared out a lot of stuff...)

Then we have some furniture coming that I inherited from my parents (my old bedroom stuff, actually).  I included those pieces in my thinking about re-arranging the furniture in our home office (1/2 of the living room).

There was a lot of nice furniture at that Salvation Army - if I were an enterpreneur - I would have bought the matching set of bedroom drawers - because altho the yellowed finish was battered, the wood was solid underneath & would have responded well to refinishing! But I have a similar piece coming, so I passed.

So, why spend $$ at Walmart or Target on fiberboard furniture that will not last, when you can get such good deals on hardly used furniture or old solid wood vintage pieces??

Recession?  Ha!  we can cope.

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Last Sunday in the L.A. Times Business Section ?? - the whole theme was "Bringing the High Cost of Living Down to Earth" - ha!  Have people just caught up on THAT?

According to the lead article in January we spent 3.9% more on basics - "The roof over your head, the food in your fridge, the visits to your doctor...than we did 12 months earlier in Southern California....And a government forecast says food in general will set you back 3.5% more this year."  Then they proceeded to tell tales which they thought were from "the front lines of frugality." 

Excuse me, I have to laugh - The 42 year old real esate saleswoman who suddenly realized that spending $10,000 a year on her wardrobe was a bit much!! And the guy who walks instead of taking out the Porsche!!

Have any of us ever done that???

But still we are in the cat bird's seat (It's Thurber, I like the sound of it) here - becaz we KNOW how to DO this.  All my designer clothes are from thrift shops, as I have said here many times.  My lastest handbag is, I know from my internet research, an early Marc Jacobs knockoff - but I got it for $3 - so who CARES?  And the sturdy plastic which almost passes for leather is much more practical for me - who has a tendency to do unexpected things like go up a ski lift in the SNOW, with her purse.  (That's for later.)

Because I live in L.A., I keep an eye on such things just for social survival - so if anyone asks about the bag, I can say, with glee, "Oh, it's a knock-off."  And it is a nice sort of turquoise color - good for Spring. And if it gets dirty, I can easily sponge it off.  I do have a GOOD red leather handbag (also a bargain) but it's really too fragile for everyday wear. 

But since handbags have become a fashion statement, I do switch around colored handbags with my outfits.  Makes me feel more secure, I do admit.  That and my real silver/turquoise jewelry (even though one bracelet is a 50's knock off I inherited from my mother.  Boy, do I get lots of compliments on that. And recently on my discount watch with a new leather band...)

Really, these people have NO idea.  I have been living in a neighborhood that for years was in Siberia - but on the edge of a very nice one and near Griffith Park, in a very nice friendly building.  My college Russian helped me communicate in the early days, as my Russian was better than my Armenian neighbor's English.  Who thought language study would be so practical?  And now I have studied some Spanish, so I can converse with my El Salvadorean neighbor lady. 

The rent is CONTROLLED and very reasonable, especially since I have lived here so long.  (There was another section abot how unaffordable the rents here in L.A. are.) We do a lot of our own maintenance - and bother the landlord as little as possible! Until recently, I kept up the little garden plot in front of the house - but now they have had a gardener in (& most of my garden ornaments disappeared!)

It has been declassee (unfashionable) for so long, that it's become a point of pride.  But gentrification is creeping along the street.  I just hope they don't tear this lovely building DOWN. After all, Bela Lugosi did DIE here in one of the front apts.  I would buy the apt. if I could - & maybe someday....who knows.  For years I have thought I would have to move out & somehow I am still here -

As for the snow.  I do profit from reading the paper in other ways.  My husband has a yen to go skiing (not the most frugal occupation, but he grew up doing it.)  And I read in Sunday Times about a local no frills ski hill in the Angeles Crest above Pasadena which had just opened.  It's Mount Waterman.  We checked it out last weekend and found that altho it was 80 degrees on the flats, there was snow at the summit and it was COLD.  We took the ski lift up just to check it out (it's worth it just for the ride & it's discounted.) And there is a warming hut above with a fire and beer and a great view over the valley.  

We can just DRIVE up there - no overnight - and the lift tix are cheap - And afterwards there's a charming place to eat down the road - Newcomb's Ranch - before you drive down the hill.  Really, it felt like a VACATION and all within our budget!  Now THAT's dealing with the recession in my mind, no?

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Last weekend, I found myself mending clothes to wear out - I have a lovely Indian skirt that I found was a bit fragile & had to sew on a seam or 2 or 3 or 4!! And I had to sew together the leather strip that went in the chain in my Chanel knockoff purse, too. Of course none of this was apparent when I showed up glammed for the L.A. Ballet.

What do people do who can't SEW even a bit?  I am grateful for my Girl Scout leader my mother, and my first attempts at handsewing - so I can sew a set of decent looking stiches AND hem my pants/jeans using the invisible hemming stitch.

Although, sometimes I have to admit that I am grateful for what I call - I admit it - "stupid rich people" for dumping things that only need minor repair on a seam.  I also stiched the inside seam of a trendy bag I had gotten in a thrift shop, which got me compliments all weekend.  And once in a thrift shop I got a genuine velvet/sequined Bill Blass dress with a tag from Saks 5th Ave. on it - because it was bottom-heavy, and the seam in the organza top needed a few stiches...

So have sewing needles, a threader, and thread of different COLORS around.  I like the little collections of thread in various colors you can get at discount stores.  That way I always have the right color, and that's so important to keep the repair your secret.  My grandmother used to tell me tales of the rich woman she worked for in NYC in the old days who had her silk Parisian undies darned and mended until there was nothing left of them!

Then, of course, there is what they used to call Bondex - you know, the cotton strips that adhere with the heat of an iron.  They come in all sorts of colors, too & that's also something to have around for a quick repair of a rip.  I have even used self-fusing facing material (available in white & black) to mend more delicate fabrics.

If you are wearing vintage - check your seams, especially around the armholes, and bring a tiny mending kit WITH YOU - as you never know when those old seams will decide to give up the ghost. I have had lovely vintage silk shirts go to pieces on me at fancy events & off to the ladies I went to sew it up. (Ditto narrow straps.)

I also think it helps to have done some needlework - embroidery, etc. - as then you will have a repertoire of stiches to use.  I have even DARNED fabrics in garments I really liked.

So brush up your handsewing.  It's easy to do in front of the TV - and who wants to PAY anyone good money to put up a HEM?  My thrifty heart shivers at the thought.

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I get several other frugality blogs & just read about an interesting debate from an article originally on Yahoo finance - which shows the attitude of the anti-frugals as well as the pro - (Go to the Simple Dollar blog, I have tried to put in a link - but alas!)

One of the survival tips I have learned painfully over the years is that frugality doesn't always "fly" in social settings.  There can be a stigma attached!  I have always loved what's now called vintage clothing - but some people have an aversion to it - So I have the habit of just not mentioning WHERE my clothes come from (so what if it's Saks 5th Ave. via a church thrift shop?)

 As I have probably said here before, ALL my DESIGNER clothes/bags/shoes etc. come from THRIFT SHOPS.   Me spend $250 on a pair of shoes? NO!  Me appreciate what a good deal I got when the $250 shoes are $7 - YES! (In fact, racking up imaginary points like that is part of the fun of the thrift game...)

Everyone here is terribly downhome & accepting - which is why I like thriftyfun - but in the great big cold world out there not everyone is going to be so kind - Be prepared!

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Since this is a frugal-minded website and community and BLOG, I thought I would include a link to the American Friends Service Committee's video on how we could spend the $ that daily goes to Iraq here at home.

 http://www.afsc.org/cost

No matter what your politics are - the costs are staggering.

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Just spent a week or so trying to get rid of a pesky virus (I think it was a virus - no fever or signs ot bacterial infection) - and picked up the L.A. Times to see that a supposedly healthy young woman had died of Dengue Fever after a trip to Mexico - It's transmitted by mousquito bites, and you know THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO BUT TREAT THE SYMPTOMS AND BEEF UP THE IMMUNE SYSTEM.

Another killer disease out there that's viral and so the MDs are helpless.  It's up to US to take our adaptogens like ginseng, and wellness vitamins and goldenseal and EVERYTHING - like putting cayenne pepper in your soup or cinnamon and honey in your tea!

Not to mention taking your regular vitamins daily and doing all the regular good health things and having a healthy diet!

It took me almost a week to get over this virus - but I could take the time - so I TOOK it.  The poor girl who died was a waitress and the management encouraged her to go home - but she worked until the day before she DIED.

So don't let anyone tell you that tacking care of yourself is slacking!  Staying home and curing yourself is better for everyone.

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Luckily for me, my mother was trained as a nurse in the days before penicillin and all the antibiotics, when you had to work on the patient's own resistance over time.  So basic health was always stressed, and I grew up with a sense of eating real food and having a balanced diet, and so on.

Now it seems in the days of the virus we are back to pre-antibiotic strategies, because we haven't figured out how to really kill viruses yet. So taking antibiotics for that cold just won't work, and probably do harm to your immune system. and even contribute to the drug resistant strains of bacteria we increasingly find out there.

In reading old English novels, I remarked on how those who could afford it went to the sea for fresh air and sunshine - or to the South where the weather was warmer...They knew that it takes TIME for the body to heal itself.  That seems to have been forgotten nowadays.  We think we can take a pill and voila! But it doesn't work that way.  It's a slow process of healing.

Strangely enough with the virus respiratory bug that's going around (we have mini-plagues) and which I have, too, I hear people saying, you just have to rest and get well.  I know that I pushed it over the holidays and that's why I had a relapse. So I am stoking my immune system and gargling with hot salt water and trying to take care of myself.  (That's with my regular vitamins and some extra ones...)

It was all much worse a few weeks ago, but it's hanging on - ugh. People may not like it, but I have declared a small moratorium, am staying home and sleeping a lot and healing. Sometimes it takes TIME.

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Had some time today, as I am in recovering from a sore throat and found myself surfing the internet.  I get some fashion feeds I looked at and some of their links and I also surfed a bit using stumbleupon.com - which takes you interesting places you wouldn't otherwise find.

It amazes me that so-called "frugal" bargain queens show shoes to buy that are $200+...and generally all sorts of clothing pieces in the hundreds.  That isn't frugal to me at all.  To me frugal is the Ann Klein wool/nylon sequined sweater I wore for New Year's Eve which I got at a thrift shop in Ventura, CA for about $7!

When we were down in San Diego for New Year's we wandered around in La Jolla and window shopped. On the way there we stopped at a resale shop that was having a "sale", too.  And the things I get for $10 or so they had for $50 - on sale!  Not my idea of a bargain.

But back to La Jolla - in a pharmacy/boutique I saw the sister of a bag I had gotten in Ventura for $7 - listed at $50! And it's vinyl.  I thought they were good knock-offs, tho.  But I think mine was a sample of the importers or something -- a place I go has them regularly.....So I am on the lookout for them...

I do surf around the fashionable net and look for trends and shapes and styles and names of designers.  That's how I know my $10 designer shoes retail for $250 - or the necklace I got at the craft faire for $50 costs over 4 times that much in a boutique. It's fun to come home and look it up and calculate the savings.

There was a brief time after I inherited a bit of money that I tried to go retail a bit - and you know, I had a very similar experience to my usual bargain shopping and spent a lot more for the same sort of things!

So I am back to my old tricks, which I conjured up in my many years as a starving actress who had to look good anyway.  I am grateful for what I have learned of the art of the wardrobe - and what suits ME.  And altho I still look at those fashion sites, they are mostly fantasy land, not where I live...where DO they wear those fancy clothes, anyway?  It would be hard even here in Hollywood!

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I always pay attention when I get my hair done, as I learn things from watching hair dressers or having my hair styled.  The last time, the stylist used a flattening iron on my hair, which is quite long at the moment - and voila! It really groomed my hair stylishly straight with a little bend at the end - Not only that, but it lasted for several days just with brushing. 

Now, this requires another hair instrument - but my husband found one for me - a newish Conair at a thrift shop for $8.95 (retail $30) - so I was able to do my own hair for New Year's and another shoot I had - Not as well as the stylist, I admit, but it looked pretty good.

The developments in hair stuff is rapid nowadays - so keep your eyes open - this is SO much easier than blow drying.

P.S. Keep an eye on thrift shops even when traveling.  We got the hair iron at a thrift shop in San Diego - where we were on a flying visit for New Year's Eve! And I picked up some paperback mysteries, and some sashes and little gifts for the 2008 gift box, too.

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On my other life I am an actress (& musician) - and I just did some comedy skits for Jeff Foxworthy's mybluecollar comedy site (at  www.mybluecollar.com - look for Peggy & Elmer)  It's also at my www.myspace.com/pamelamunro under my profile if you want to see what I like in action!

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I just got another skin care sample of Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream through the Vocalpoint program on the net. (See www.vocalpoint.com)  Olay is very generous with its samples of the new products.

I also have a couple of samples of L'Oreal shampoo/conditioner/treatment I just got from a freebie site. (I like Freaky Freddie's.)

And the piece de resistance - I have been given a Sonicare UV sanitizer for my Sonicare toobrush to kill the germs on my toothbrush.  It's so easy to use, and it's great to know I am killing more bacteria that could affect my teeth and gums! This is through the buzz campaign at www.buzz.com where you are given products to try and talk about. I have gotten several things - the last one was some Aveeno moisturizer.  And both that and the sanitizer were almost a $20 value...Great deal.  Great products.

Capitalism does have its advantages.  Sampling is one of them.

Happy New Year!

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The Europeans entertain a lot in restaurants, rather than at home - and since our place in the city is so small, we do that ourselves sometimes. 

We had Thanksgiving at an old French family Restaurant, Freres Taix, with booths and old-fashioned service - and for Xmas we drove up into the mountains of the Angeles Crest above Pasadena, CA to a lodge-type restaurant Newcomb's Ranch, on the site of ranch founded more than a century ago.

There were fireplaces, and a knotty pine decor and I brought candy canes to decorate the table and presents for our guests.  The food was great, too, and reasonable - and the atmosphere of the crisp chill air amidst the pines was terribly Christmasy, even without snow. (My husband is the designated driver.)

It almost made us feel as if we had gone away somewhere - and no dishes to wash up!  (which is great considering I am recovering from bronchitis).

The important thing about the holidays is to spend it with those you care about.  We were part of an Xmas Eve service at church - went home and exchanged presents and then went off to dinner on Xmas Day.  Easy and fun and our waistlines don't need the extra leftovers, either.

Especially since I was under the weather this year, I thought of ways to streamline the holiday routine - sending ecards along with a few greeting cards - using gift bags and tissue paper to wrap things - and thanking my lucky stars that I had started amassing holidays gifts months ago!

My husband and I dug up red sweaters we only wear around this time of the year in S. Calif - and we were set!

Now we have a little peace until we start making the rounds of family visits - but we will try to keep it simple - and FUN.

Happy Holidays!

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Oops, I tried to copy Craig Garber's lively email about the pitfalls of using conventional wisdom - which boil down to the observation that using conventional methods will only get you conventional results -  but somehow the electronic elves are not cooperating (go to www.thekingofcopy.com for his mktg. advice) And look for his slant on conventional wisdom in his latest emails....

Honestly, conventional results may not be what you WANT.  I surely wouldn't want the conventional result of my frugality to mean I had to be a frump! I want unconventional ways of being stylish and really getting what I want out of life without "selling my soul to the company store."

Not that I am against commerce.  Hardly.  I am a freelancer and have to sell myself all the time! But mostly I manage to do it on my own terms....even if that means eschewing dept. stores and dept. store prices. 

I am happily wearing a nice warm sweatshirt I got from a friend for whom it was too small.  Would it be any warmer if I had paid $30 for it?  Of course not.  Would anything be "better" if I had paid full price for it?  Nope.  So I always try to be unconventional and look for the other way to go about things....

My husband & I spent a delightful day last weekend playing Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Channel Islands Harbor holiday celebration, as we have been doing for the last 5 years - and we got PAID for it, to boot..  I really do enjoy my public music making and make some $ out of it to support my purchase of music, instruments, costumes, equipment, etc.  We do make the best music we can wherever we are - and strive to maintain professionalism without being stiff or stuffy or depriving ourselves of the sheer FUN of it.  So it's a win/win situation.

I have to admit that I didn't quite understand the message of the Oprah Winfrey holiday production on TV last night - the one about the alcoholic ballplayer talking with the ghost of his dead mother (Ellen Burstyn)?  If he did indeed LOVE the game, then it would, of course, have been worthwhile to spend his time playing at the highest level he could manage.  Looking at it all from that point of view, was it a waste to spend time in the minor leagues?  No, I don't think so.  Some of my artistic activities might look "minor" to outsiders, but to insiders they are quite otherwise - because they know know hard it is to even get THERE.  And the game is only really fun if you are playing it full tilt with others who are doing the same!  Hey, I would leap at the chance to participate in the equivalent of the world series in my acting or musical endeavors!

Sure, there are trade-offs - there always are - but if you can make them with good conscience you are "following your bliss" - and what's wrong with that?

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I have a free class at the Emeritus College of Santa Monica College (bless them) which means I have to drag myself across town once a week to the Third St. Promenade  - an affluent shopping.area. (We like to stroll and window shop there sometimes.)

The parking lot next to the College was almost full - so there must be a lot of holiday shoppers.  Driving home in the traffic, I realized that SOMEONE must be out there Xmas/holiday shopping.  My own gift shopping, as I have told you guys, starts in late August and is done by now except for a few finishing touches!  I loathe the hustle and bustle of the holiday crowd, myself.  It's not that I am a grinch, but there is ENUF to do around this season - so in one of my few efforts at practicality, I get it done earlier - which I have also found is easier on the purse. 

But then, I do most of my shopping at thrift shops and discount stores anyway nowadays.  The only time I have really shopped in department stores was when I worked downtown and window shopped on my lunch hour regularly - then I managed to find some great, super bargains. (Or when I worked as a fragrance model, ditto.)

Ironically, I find that I get so much BETTER deals at the thrift shops I frequent nowadays, that going into a regular store for clothing, books and so on is rarely necessary.  I see that the idea of a "thrift shop" Xmas may depress folks, but don't fall into that trap!  It's all psychological, anyway.  Why SHOULD you spend 10X as much for something retail as for something just as good you found in a thrift store? 

At our church's AIDs Memorial last weekend, I wore a thrift shop ensemble of a purple velour tunic (it had still had the tag on it!), black pants, a thrift shop belt and earrings - with designer thrift shop shoes, a leather purse I inherited from my mother - and, I confess, a beautiful necklace of Thai pearls/apua shell I got at a craft fair (for considerably less than it would have been retail in a boutique.) I looked great, and the whole ensemble, excluding the necklace cost - let's see - about $25?? 

 I couldn't have gotten the TUNIC for that - or even the shoes!   Who cares where they came from?  I have discovered that no one KNOWS  - the things do no not scream out "Thrift Shop"!  And surely little kids could never know the difference if a toy had been used before if it's in good shape. I LOVED my handmedown clothes when I was a kid - which probably got me off into the whole vintage clothing thing way before it was fashionable....

See, it's all a mind game.  You are not POORER - but SMARTER! I think of imaginary points going ka-ching when I score a deal and find it very satisfying to "win" at that game.  My husband is a teacher and I work part-time and we live in an expensive urban area - but we have a very nice life, complete with clothes and toys and musical instruments and a sailboat - because we don't play at the classic American consumer game, but go by different rules.  There is an old saying that "Living Well is the best Revenge." - I wouldn't say we are avenging ourselves - but as another saying goes - all's well that ends well - And living this way ends up very nicely for us!

So think about it!

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The whole Black Friday-after-Thanksgiving-sale thing has never made that much sense to me.  I hate crowds and the feeling of buying frenzy and I always think I could have gotten whatever's on sale for the same discount another, less painful way....

But my husband Mark and I were going up to our boat and meeting friends, so we decided to stop by one of our favorite thrift shps on the way.  Who knew that the GOODWILL had 1/2 off sales on Black Friday?  So we bought some gift books, and some 49 cent clothes and I did find a silk shirt for $2 and a lovely dress for the same.  And I got some Xmas things for Mark, although I had to hustle him out of the store so I could buy them "in secret."

Later that week end we also hit another "old lady's thrift shop" that was off the beaten path.  More gift books, and a pillow for the boat.

I am at the point that I will have to drag out the gift box (bags, actually) to sort all the things I have been collecting for Xmas gifts and figure out what goes to whom.  I start collecting after my birthday at the end of August, and am pretty much finished, as I usually am, so I can AVOID the Xmas shopping rush, which I loathe.  The only reason I have been in stores during the season was when I was WORKING in them as a perfume model! And I don't have to do that right now - whew!

I had allergy problems on the boat - mold?  and then coming home I had the worst attack I have had in a while - ugh.  So I am beat. Mark's under the weather, too, so it's going to be hard....Thanks heaven we had Thanksgiving vacation when we did - becaz for a few of those days Mark was down for the count - very unusual for HIM.  And we had Thanksgiving dinner in an old local restaurant....No leftovers, so no overeating! 

Nothing quite so spectacular as my designer shoes (worth $290) for $7 - but I did get a nice warm quilted jacket with Renaissance overtones for $2 which I think I will wear A LOT.  And I got some camel pants can squeeze into for 49 cents - and a cotton sweater (I later found out it had a stain, but if I roll the sleeves up a bit, it doesn't show...) And I picked up some miscellaneous little gift items which can be combined with other small things for an Xmas gift....beaded napkin rings (50 cents) and colored napkins (ditto).  There was a hand-painted cocktail glass, but it broke...

The beauty of that stuff, is that even if it's not used for Xmas, it will keep for another occasion in the gift box.  And for a small outlay. 

The winter season here in S. California isn't long - but we DO have a bit of winter here - and I have never understood the native Californians who have no warm clothes and just shiver.  I've got on my extra heavy jeans (a bit too big to wear outside the house - but fine for sitting at my computer desk) and my heavy sweatshirt - and a space heater and my nice warm slippers...

Hope you are comfy, too.

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Just sent out all my Thanksgiving Day ecards to everyone on my mailing list - I use the free ecards at www.doverpublishing.com, because they have reproductions of period holiday cards, which I think are charming!  Just have to be disciplined about getting to everybody - both at work and in the family.  But ecards make it so easy!  It's interesting to see who gets back to you, too....

The holidays are upon us.  We have already started to be busy, having participated in the Hollywood Interfaith Choir Festival at the Hollywood Methodist Church, the location for many an old movie church scene. 

The next event is the World AIDs Day Memorial at Hollywood Lutheran Church on 12/6.  Once again, I have been invited to participate in the last minute PR - (to do the best job, at least a month in advance is necessary, & we are a bit short...)

But then, again, the internet comes to the rescue, as you can send email press releases instantaneously!  And if you have been careful to SAVE the long email lists from some of your emails, you will have ready-made lists to send to.  (See my article on DYI PR at www.associatedcontent.com/pamelamunro for more info & further details.)

Then, we hope we will be Mr. & Mrs. Claus at the Channel Islands Festival of Lights...and there is Xmas music, too.

On top of that, I have been working as an actress/performer - one for www.MyBlueCollar.com and also for a paranormal show debuting on A&E on cable 12/10 (telling some of my ghost stories.

My acting class at Santa Monica's Emeritus College (gratis)is going swimmingly.  Barbara Gannen is a great teacher - and MORE free tix for the Geffen Theatre's production of ATLANTA.  (Gee, those are at least $30 apiece...)

One of the advantages of getting older is that you can FINALLY qualify for the discounts you missed in all the time from your student days!  Theatre tix!  Wunderbar.  Thank you Geffen. 

Happy Turkey Day to All!

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Lots of frugal blogs have specific frugal tips, and, I admit, I go there, too - but really, over the years I have found that it's the way of FRUGAL THINKING that makes the most difference.

Because, frankly, the outlets come and go.  Thrift shops open and close.  The contributors change.  The local discount stores close.

So you always have to be on the hunt - THINKING FRUGALLY.  It's the ingenuity that pays off.  You have to think - how can I do this (whatever) in a simple/frugal way? 

That was proven to me when years ago now, I went pack to the NY area for a season.  I wandered around Manhattan and found all sorts of bargain places not available in California!  And I found thrift shops in NJ in which I bought old silver for a ridiculous price! 

In short, I found myself able to maximize my $s in the same way I had in California, but through different means.  This even proved true in a recent visit back to NJ, when I found that the TJ Maxx-type stores had really good deals in skin care products, whereas in L.A. the demand far exceeds the supply! So I stocked up when I could & it lasted me for months....

When we lived at the beach, I discovered the great thrift shops in the Central Coast and its gateway.  Lots of things are there, I think because of all the retirees (and the Ritchie riches of places like Santa Barbara).  A friend of mine, a minor antique picker, likes to do the rounds of these thrift shops whenever he's up there visiting me, to get things like engravings and other minor antiques for resale at bargain basement prices.  I myself got a 19th C. colored lithograph, framed, at a Salvation Army on SALE for $7! But I did have to have the eye to recognize it, and its general period boing - which was later confirmed as correct!

So what would I suggest?  Develop your EYE.  Learn how to discern the good stuff, even if mixed up with junk. (Those situations offer the best deals.)  Windowshop at expensive stores to acquaint yourself with quality, and with brand names.  So you KNOW a Bill Blass worth picking up!  I enjoy windowshopping at antique stores just to see what my stuff is generally worth, and also to again, develop my eye for older things. 

Stay out of the mainstream as much as possible and search out the highways and byways of merchandising.  Don't be wedded to name brands merely due to their clout, either.  An obscure brand of face cream can very well be just the thing.  I stock up at the local 99 Cent stores here for creams and so on all the time.  And I am still working on the stash of colored shampoo/conditioner I got 2 years ago!  (At 99 cents a bottle it was a steal compared to the $7-8 they would cost in a drug store, so I got about a dozen bottles.)

THINK frugally and creatively.  After all these years, it's a game to me, and fun to rack up those frugal savings points!  Getting a $200 leather handbag for $7 is a real coup and cause to mentally celebrate!

It used to bother me that people would think I was a secondhand Rose - but in this day of being green and living simply - it's more of a thing to boast about.  (Although I would still check your circles - the nouveau riche are still not into this - but rather conspicuous consumption for the most part. Hey, I live in L.A., so I know....)

So put your thinking caps on and come up with a really clever solution.  We will be waiting to read about it at thriftyfun.com, our mothership. (I post there regularly, too.)

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Giving people in your circle aid when they need it and vice versa can be a vital part of your thrifty lifestyle.

• Many people seem to pay others for services which their friends could give them, if things were set up that way.
• It used to be a neighborly thing to do to pick up the mail when someone was away, to watch over the house - to share your lawnmower or other tools.  That was the way it was when I was growing up. 
  
• And nowadays I find that things like rides when you car is down, or helping out on projects, can also be part of a great neighborliness.
• My friend's old car has died, and he is very busy - but rentals are costly - so he is borrowing our old truck for a few weeks. We don't use it much, and he even had paid for the repair of a water pump, because that STILL is cheaper than renting!
  
• Part of that deal, is that I get rides when I have my few weekly trips to the doctor, and my class.  The rest of the time I work at home at the computer anyway.
• So it's working out for all of us!

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I realize that I have done so many yard sales and such that I have gotten pretty good at it.  This one was a great success.  We took out our excess furniture and sold almost all of it. 

 I was glad to unload.  It's a very delicate psychological process, saying goodbye to an old life.  This is the furniture of my bachelorhood - my single stuff and wardrobe - and so it had much sentimental value. It felt good to get some $ for the pine ex-gun cabinet I had gotten from an old crazy boyfriend who had originally wanted it as a cabinet for a laser image.  And it was nice that my 50's telephone table and my 70's polyurethane, gem-slice-embedded kidney coffee table got good homes.  There were pieces I was fond of, but just didn't have room for anymore.  The clock barometer that we had hung in the Carpinteria apartment.  And extra lamp a now dead girl friend has passed along.

II am not a hard hearted person.  It's really easier just to sweep it away in one rush of adrenalin -the big push.  And then gather up the odds and unsold ends for delivery to Goodwill. 

I even had two boxes of old clothes that I labeled 10 cents a piece and got rid of LOTS of that.  (The rest is Goodwill fodder and maybe eventually rags). 

There were some miscellaneous books - probably could have sold more.  But I have to somehow get all my book boxes to a real book dealer...

There is so much more to do, and the apartment is in chaos.  It will take me another week just to get it back to where it was.  But the journey of a 1,000 miles begins with a single step. (And I got a lot of things off my conscience - like the old zither in pieces that had been caught in a downpour - at least I recouped some of my investment.)

So I am cutting through the clutter that even, or maybe especially a frugal person has.  Because I have found that you don't want to throw anything away that you could use later.  That's why the concept of a "good home" for my things is so powerful for me.

These were my proud possession for all these years and now it's your turn.  I wished the very young couple happiness with their piece of Hollywood history as I sold them the little resin table, and told them the story that went with it - of my old distant neighbor for whom it had originally lbeen made by friends in his hometown of Chisholm...

Ta Ta!  the chain of existence, the meaning of life...We preserve what we can, treasure it, and pass it on - hoping it enriches others as it has you.

No tips on freebies this time.  Just a reminder that buy low/sell high(er) or the same is as old as time.

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We are having an estate/garage sale at my church this weekend.  And I have hauled out my wooden furniture from storage.  It's the result of several apartments being put together, which gave us an excess of furniture. 

But it's all solid wood - oak - pine  - and we can sell it off for at least what we paid for it. (We got them at yard sales originally.) Can you say that about fiberboard furniture?  No!  We have recycled fiberboard bureau drawers abandoned at an old apartment complex - but them we finally gave up and junked them...You can't really repair them as you can wooden furniture. 

I still have kept pieces I have refinished - (a big maple dresser from years ago - now it's ended up in the living room).  And a piece where I just "corrected" the finish - taking away the paint drips, etc. with a razor blade and a little sanding here & there.  It looks like expensive distressed pine now. 

I am glad I talked my husband into getting an oak dining room table and matching chairs instead of the chrome ones he was looking at.  The oak is so much more durable at the same price. (He bought them at a JC Penney's that was closing.) 

We also have some - fiberboard - from Ikea's BARGAIN section - and used 2 of their matching narrow CD towers for storage in the bathroom.  That stuff is a compromise with my husband, who hasn't totally been converted to shabby chic.  He is still getting used to the idea of vintage and that it has resale value.

I like to collect and every once in a while I do a clear out - really to make room for more collecting!  And with vintage, you can make some money - so at least sell it for what you paid for it, so you have gotten use out of it GRATIS. 

More later on how the sale panned out.  My friend who is into antiques said that nothing would sell - but I have already sold several items before the official sale tomorrow!

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Just was reading Marie Claire's site on fashion (I subscribe to those style sites to keep updated and don't really buy fashion mags anymore) and I saw in the fashion blog how boots for $825 were worth it because they had several looks. 

Now I am sure that the blogger means it - but that's more than a month's RENT for me.  I could LIVE on that! 

Boots were much more important in the E. where it gets so cold - but what with the salt on the streets, would I want to pay $825 for a pair of boots that would be easily ruined? 

I just did buy myself some ankle boots - at a thrift shop for $2!! they have leather toes and back with the rest nylon and I have another black pair in vinyl (you COULD wear those in the salt and wet and I got them for a trip to NYC a winter ago)...Otherwise in S. California boots don't make too much sense for me, as it is almost always too warm for them.  

That's the real vs. ideal world.  Now the writer probably got the boots gratis for writing about them - or a deep discount...But some teen-aged girl longing for them won't know that unless she grows up to be a journalist fashionista herself. 

That's where my mother's practicality comes in.  She is the voice in my head asking me if those boots are really practical in the snow and on salty streets.  It makes more sense to get a cheaper pair (in vinyl, maybe) for those times and this of all the rest of the $ you have left to pay your bills!

If you find a rock bottom deal on boots to DIE for, and you can wear them non-stop, then stretch your budget by all means.  But I warn you that it's sometimes hard to find fashion favorites without playing the field.  And I find that much easier when I accumulate lots of choices in my wardrobe (my husband may say too many).  But I never know that the cute shoes I picked up for a song will turn out to be my mainstays for a season...And I could just have a really boring wardrobe and stick to expensive basics...but - ugh...

Last weekend while we were out at our favorite thrift shops, I actually dragged my husband into some trendy boutiques to show him REAL prices.  Like the $325 bag of which mine is a $7 knock off - And I also share my research on the designer things I snag & what they would cost REALLY.  ($250, not $2)....OK, I spent something like $70 last weekend - but but that I got $250 shoes, and $80 shoes and $30 handbag,  and a $40 silk designer scarf, to mention a few items....And no one will know except my blog readers! 

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Got blindsided by what seems to be a tree allergy (or a combination - as the air has been bad here due to the L.A. area fires) and it crept up on me by surprise.  That hasn't happened in a long time - but I am pretty well much prepared!

I have suffered from complaints due to my allergies for so long, that I find I have a whole arsenal of home remedies to make it all feel much better.  So many tips that I actually sat down at www. associatedcontent.com/pamelamunro and wrote a whole article about it.  Frankly I am now too beat to repeat it all - so check out the article itself, huh? (I have another article about flu remedies AND supersweating, too.  Gee, maybe I AM high maintenance.

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Just spent an hour or so telling a new volunteer for my church all I know about PR and explaining the stack of pages I downloaded from the net as resources.  I have been doing what I could in PR for the church and its affiliates for about a year and a half - and it's time to pass the torch.  It's hard for me to say, but it's time for someone else to do it.  It will be a learning experience for them, as it was for me way back in the beginning.  And I will be there as a resource.

This is the beauty of volunteering.  You can stand up to do things and learn skills ON THE JOB.  My fellow actors and I learned about teaching by leading workshops at the SAG/AF Conservatory - and several of those folks still make $ teaching. 

I learned about PR because I had a small 99 seat theater group, and was part of an arts festival, and went to all the GRATIS workshops they had on PR.  Ditto grant workshops.  I learned about that because I was trying to get $ for the theater, and found other free workshops.

You can volunteer to do data entry for a group, and get used to working on a computer.  Or answer the phones, or file - or any of the common office skills.  Then you HAVE experience, acquired at NO COST to you!! 

Groups always need help with the mundane tasks of running their organizations, and there are so many opportunities for you to LEARN skills you NEED and and put to use ELSEWHERE.  I joke that I never take a UCLA extension class (they cost hundreds of dollars) I just find someplace to volunteer!

I produced a film once and learned about it by going to a bargain class at a night school and bought $100 worth of books, which afterwards I resold! I learned about the film industry by choosing to work as a temp in the business itself, so I could observe what was going on in the inner workings.  I have volunteered to read at playwright groups to work on my cold reading.  I have participated in community dance concerts for free classes.  You name it.

It's sort of like barter in which you are exchanging your labor for being taught on the job.  Of course, you have to apply yourself and being as much as you can to whatever you are doing!  But it's the time-tested mode of learning.  Everyone apprenticed once, and for my part, I find that that's really the best way for me to learn.  I have never taken any computer classes, I have always learned ON THE JOB with the help of good computer books.  What I know about photoshop I have learned MYSELF.

They say that anyone who teaches himself has a fool for a teacher, but there is also something to be said for swatting out a problem on the learning curve.  It takes some time, but whatever you learn, you RETAIN - or at least that's the case for me.  Just reading about it in a book makes no sense to me at all, as I can't SEE it.

So look around you for the opportunities which may be there for you to learn and grow - GRATIS.  Learning and contributing at the same time.

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Usually my writing here at the blog is pretty down earth, in keeping with our umbrella thriftyfun site.  I haven't philosophized much here - but crow about bargains.  Looking at other sites, there seems to be a lot of thinking about frugality.  Now, I take that for granted - and frankly developed my skills out of necessity so I could get the things I wanted with my slender purse...And it was further influenced by the DYI trend of of the 70's and the whole hippy thing...And DYI saves a LOT of $.

I have repaired until no longer possible, bought used and second-hand - combed the environs for bargains of all sorts...and in short, played my thrifty game in which I add of points of money not spent in my head - Ka ching! it has enabled me to live comfortably with nice clothes and an urban apartment and tickets to events and gifts even at my brokest.  It has amused me to exercise my ingenuity when I was temporarily out of funds.  And to share those tips with you guys. 

I do wonder if anyone is listening, though.  Those other frugality blogs are so slick and have embedded tags and all sorts of bells and whistles - not keeping with keeping it simple! 

So, if you do read this, do me a favor & tell me how I am doing, I would appreciate it.

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There is a fairly out-of-the-way rural Goodwill we go to sometimes when we are in the neighborhood.  But what great stuff!  Somehow they have new merchandise - shoes from Target  for women - originally @$30 - now from $3-$5.  And things like gift bags, and other little things.  I got a good deal on a bath mat!  They also have bargain racks with things from $.49 to $.99 - I always find something.

This time the find was a Downey-Burke purse.  I remember the brand from the olden days with the green/brown square editions -but I recognized the Downey duck - and realized that the pebbled leather brown pouch had been put in with the plastic!  Imagine my surprise when I got home & looked it up on the net - retail almost $300!!  And seemingly brand new! 

But that's the place I got my husband's black leather blazer for  - oh, I think $40!! - It makes one an impulse shopper- but with leather purses going for hundreds of dollars, I grab the bargains when I can!

It helps to recognize brands  - I also got some new Bandolino ballet flats for $2.99 (retail @ $40) - It's great fun to come home and look up the values on the net.  Ka ching! And I got some Target gold pumps against a gala for $5 - (value $30) - But watch out for the sizes!  The pumps were marked 8 1/2 and they fit my 7 1/2-8 size foot just fine.  So often things are in thrift shops because the sizes are OFF.  And nowadays Chinese-made shoes tend to run SMALL.  So always try them ON.  I think I even have some size 9 shoes - which also fit quite well!

As I have said before, I live in Los Angeles, more specifically Hollywood, and when I get dressed up, I have to get DRESSED UP, even tho I spend lots of my time in jeans and t-shirts.  It's part of the old theatrical bluff. I don't want anyone knowing exactly how much I am making.  Keep them guessing, I say.

And that leaves me $ to spend in the health food store!  (Altho a local health food store has a bargain bin I always peek into - and get bargains from that, too, including nice skin cream....My cash register racked up a supposed $25.00 in savings last time.  They have sales, too....)

P.S.  - A TIP- compare formulations  (look at the ingredients)of even healthfood or homeopathic remedies.  I just found a near-duplicate of an allergy formulation I love, but which is sometimes hard to find! About the same price, or a little less -  I am going to try it out.  Have done the same with formulations that have gone out of production....

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Got a lovely compliment on the thriftyfun site on an old Xmas post of mine about giving my elderly neighbor across the hall an Xmas wreath for her door. 

I do like to share my tips!  As I said in the post, I am caught between posting them on thriftyfun's tip contest (sometimes I WIN) and putting them in the blog here. It's a healthy outlet for my tendency to try to tell everybody a better/thriftier way to do things.  I have lived in a big city for so long now - on limited funds - and I know that one can make a reasonable go of it, if you use your wits. 

I learned the importance of rent-controlled apts. in NYC as a student, and when I came to L.A. I never underestimated the value of the rent-controlled status of my little place.  This has served me in good stead, as the rents here, once cheap, have risen precipitously and now I read that the MEDIAN rent in L.A. is $1700 a month!  Well, mine is 1/2 that. 

My husband insisted on looking for a place out in Pasadena once- but when I saw the SAME era apt. with the SAME concrete stairs and carport and kitchen but fewer closets/storage space for TWICE as much, I insisted on re-painting and fixing up my place.  It certainly has been worth it.  I had a little $ and we did the work ourselves with the help of friends.  (They don't re-paint L.A. apts., the way they do NYC ones...) Even pulled up the ratty carpet & put down tile. We have area rugs now....Generally a success.

I have been accused of being a fogy for staying put - but I see another artist friend looking hard for affordable housing - thinking of a room instead of a place and I am grateful for my old-fashioned thrift.  Even if the place goes under the wrecking ball, they will have to pay us a relocation fee.  And I think that for all the effort I have put into this building over the years, making it a respectable place, I deserve it! 

I do indulge in a daily newspaper subscription, which I read every day at breakfast - and over the years it has kept me informed of the ins and outs of L.A. housing and rent control and related issues...and it's worth every penny.  A new landlord tried to squeeze us due to the tight housing market and my low rent - my husband refused to believe it - but it WAS serious, and with the help of a fax and the internet and the nolo press books from the library, I fought him off.  Now he knows better than to mess with me. 

I do think of all the poor folks who have been living around here for years, facing unscrupulous landlords doing slimy things like not receiving rent!  (Heard about THAT one while I was working a recent election.)  Couldn't do that to ME, because I know it's illegal & I would call the Housing Department on him/her/it!

But keeping your wits about you paid for my forebears - my Swedish grandmother and my mother - and it continues to pay for me!

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Spurred on by a contest on www.gettingrichslowly.com - I am thinking:

                       WHAT WAS MY GREATEST FINANCIAL COUP?

It doesn't boil down to any one event.  The coup is -not to be intimidated by the authorities when in the right - and to know that EVERYTHING IS NEGOTIABLE..

That started when I was accepted at college, and they wanted me to be a commuter, but I wanted to stay in the dorms.  It was my first instance of what I call "Playing Lawyer" and I proved to them that it just wasn't practical for me to commute due to bus schedules, etc. So I got into the dorm!

THINKING LIKE A LAWYER - that is logically, with the existing rules and regulations in mind, providing documentation and proof of your claims, restating your case in terms of the existing rules has:

        Gotten me out of parking tickets and saved my car from towing

        Fought off a frivolous eviction notice from a new landlord without a lawyer!

       Gotten me re-instated in a professional organization gratis after a lapse during an illness

       Got the local utility company to reimburse me for 2 tires, after plates put on the street for repair caused 2 flat tires.

Even lawyers have told me that some of these causes were lost ones and I have to admit I don't win every time.  But I do have a spectacular batting average. 

So, learn the ins and outs of "legalistic" thinking, and do as much lawyering as you can yourself.  (There's an old adage that going to court means you have already lost...) I highly recommend www.nolopress.com and the nolo press series of self-help law books written clearly for the lay person.  Knowledge is power, especially in this litigious age!

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Have one event I have been invited to at a local historic house and another movie premiere I rsvp'd for, for next week.  And I have already told you about my gala...

In my opinion the best parties are the FREE ones!  And in Los Angeles, you can run into free events on a regular basis - One tip is to sign up for all sorts of mailing lists - both paper and on the net - for things you are interested in.  Then you are more likely to hear about events to go to.  I am always invited to art openings - and there are other events as well.

A freebie event makes a great date night - if you are married - or single!  It's an excuse to dress up and get OUT.  And there are usually drinks or something offered.  All in all, a classy version of the cheap date...

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Well, I have a flu-ish something AGAIN. Ugh.  Back to my goldenseal and homeopathic Oscillo (by Boiron & at drug stores now.)  The funny thing is that I looked up the ingredients (isn't the internet great?) and found that it comes from "muscovy duck" - a common domestic duck, appa