Square Foot Garden
Readers of Bargaineering probably are aware that my wife and I grow a garden every year. We live in a townhouse without much land so our garden consists of vegetable plants put into a variety of containers. Every year we grow tomatoes, eggplants, peppers (hot and regular), some spices (oregano, basil), and then some random ones we think would be fun.
If I were to do it over again, one option I would consider is building a square foot garden (inspired by Mel Bartholomew’s 2006 book by the same name), instead of buying all these containers. Container gardening is perfectly fine, but the containers themselves are often very expensive and they take up a lot of space. The pots themselves are usually wider up top so you lose a little space in that tapering. Square foot gardening avoids that loss and looks like a lot of fun. In fact, after a quick search I found that fellow personal finance bloggers Lynnae at BeingFrugal.net and Frugal Dad built their own square foot gardens already!
(click here to continue reading…)
{ 19 comments }
I hate going to the post office. It doesn’t matter what day I go or what time of day I go, there is always a line and there’s always only one or two tellers working. I’ve gone to post offices that serve a large residential zip code and post offices that serve a smaller residential zip code, there is always a line and never enough tellers. If we’re near a holiday, forget it, I’ll be waiting in line for at least half an hour. If you visit the PO with any regularity, I bet you understand my pain.
Did you know that you can buy postage stamps at a discount? It’s 100% legitimate and there’s nothing unethical or dishonest about it.
This past week one of my best friends had the unfortunate experience of her mother needing emergency care. I spoke with Jim and we wanted to send her some “Get Well Wishes” in the form of a Mylar balloon bouquet. She is a wonderful woman and we hope that they will bring a bit of cheer during the remainder of her hospital stay! 
Growing up, my mother was pretty strict when it came to wearing makeup. In fact, I was not allowed to wear even something as benign as lip gloss until I was 15 years old. All the while, my girlfriends were glossing, blushing and getting made up in NYC style. So naturally, by the time I was 14, I began wearing it on the sly. Having an older sister, it wasn’t that difficult to find spare eye shadow or lipstick around the house. In the dim lighting of the high school girl’s bathroom I applied the forbidden fruit. Looking back, I can thank my mom for keeping me from harming myself with unnecessary chemicals even earlier than I did.
For years, I’ve seen all the grocery store coupon sites out there listing wonderful combo deals, how you can get free this and free that, but I never did it because I didn’t want to spend the time it takes to clip, sort, and manage coupons. I didn’t want to try to match them up with the sales circulars and double/triple coupon promotions to get the best deal possible. 
