I first started writing about tax free days aka sales tax holidays a decade ago. That was when my own daughters were still in school and we needed to find ways to save on back to school shopping. Turns out the summer months are when most states let you shop tax free for back to…
Hello, I’m glad you’re here! My name is Leah Ingram, a professional journalist by training and author of 15 books. Years ago, I became suddenly frugal. You may have read my blog or book of the same name. These days I’m writing about products and services that provide the most value for your time and money…
I never asked the question, “Does alcohol expire?” until my husband and I opened a bottle of champagne left over from our wedding. This was on our five-year anniversary, and we thought we’d toast to five years of marriage. Instead, we ended up pouring that very expensive bottle of champagne down the drain. Why? Not…
Have you ever wondered who makes private label store brands? And did you wonder if these non-name brands were worth buying? For example, I never have a problem buying Kirkland brand products, which are the private label from Costco. I’ve discovered that Kirkland, the Costco store brand, makes better strawberry preserves than Smuckers. In addition,…
As someone who came of age in the 1980s, it is both fun and sad to reminisce about the defunct stores that no longer exist. I’m talking about the retailers where my friends and I would visit while hanging out at the mall sometime in the 80s decade. Also, this could be the old department…
If you’re in the market for a new mattress, you may feel overwhelmed with choices for bed sizes. With so many mattress sizes to choose from, you may not know where to start. Don’t worry – we’ve got you. Mattress sizes: Finding the right size bed for you You probably know it’s time for a…
I was so excited to vist the new Costco store in Maine on opening day. Maine has never had a Costco before. In fact, whenever visiting Maine, if you want to shop at Costco, you have to drive to Nashua, New Hampshire or Danvers, Massachusetts. Also, I was thrilled when Target finally opened in Maine….
I’ve updated this Noom review. Why? For two reasons. One, I fell off the Noom wagon, tried another way to lose weight, and when that didn’t work, came back to Noom. And, two, Noom recently updated the program. Whereas before Noom broke foods out into categories of green, yellow and red, now they are green,…
Is the water from the dehumidifier close to overflowing? You’re likely not alone. Now that we are full on into summer, your dehumidifier may be working overtime. Don’t have a dehumidifier yet? Looking to buy one? Well, let me spend the first part of this blog post talking to you about dehumidifiers, what they do,…
I’ve never been a fan of retailers that stayed open on Thanksgiving so was thrilled when I discovered a long list of stores that are closed on Thanksgiving. And when I say stores, I mean non-food stores. While I don’t love the idea of employees having to work on Thanksgiving, I understand if supermarkets stay…
What a difference a year makes. This article on Thanksgiving life hacks for this year is an update of a frugal Thanksgiving blog post I wrote a few years ago. Otherwise, I believe the advice in it is solid, to be sure. Therefore this is what I’ve done. I’ve answered some common questions about this…
If you like to leave your holiday shopping to the last minute, then I’m confident you’re curious about Christmas Eve store hours. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve forgotten something at the last minute — be it a present or something I need for the meal we’re making the next day. And I’m…
When our daughters told us they would be living off campus, I was able to help them come up with some college apartment must-haves. Why? Because my senior year in college, I decided I’d rather live in an apartment than the dorm. This is a natural progression for many college and university students, especially if…
It is important to know and understand the return policy at a store before you shop there. This includes if you are shopping online and hoping for free shipping both ways. That is, when a store says “free returns,” it doesn’t always mean free return shipping. In fact, I’ve made an unofficial personal policy not…
Where do the wealthy shop to save the most money? The answers may surprise you. Hint: it involves trips to Target, Walmart, Costco and Home Depot!
I decided to write this Simplisafe Review because it has now been six years since our family started using the Simplisafe system. That is enough time to let people know if Simplisafe is worth it or not, and to answer the question, “Does Simplisafe work?” Long answer short? Yes, and yes. Simplisafe review We’d read…
You’ve probably noticed expirations dates on medicine you use. This is true for OTC or over the counter medications as well as prescription ones. In addition, there are products you might use for medicinal uses, such as lactase enzyme for those that are lactose intolerant. These, too, have expiration dates. Why medicine expiration dates matter…
When I was pregnant with my daughters, the notion of a baby registry for essentials didn’t even exist. In fact, the same year that my first daughter was born, I published a book about newfangled bridal registry programs. Baby registries? Never heard of them and they never would have crossed my mind. My how times…