Thing 44: The Economy

I have used/seen many of the websites in this "thing" already when I was looking for information on investing & saving for the Smart Investing @ Your Library grant I've been working on for the last year. Feed the Pig is one of my favorites since it is fun and has great interactivity. I particulary like the immediate feedback given by its different activities.

I have also used Gas Buddy in the past, and enjoyed it so much, I contributed to it for a while as well. I kept my eye out for gas prices & posted them to the site when they changed. Since moving to Rochester, I have fallen out of this habit since gas prices in this town are much more stable than in the Cities for some reason.

Craigslist is another popular site in my family. I have both sold and purchased things on the site, only not as much as my older sister. She is a Craigslist champion, and has saved tons of money by buying directly from other list users instead of visiting antique stores & paying their markups.

I have decided that anything worth buying is worth buying second hand. This is my frugal tip! Especially for "disposable" items like baby/children's clothing, toys & accessories that are only used for a brief period before they're outgrown. I have given many almost-new gifts I found at Savers and garage sales for friends & family, and also many items in my own home.