frugal underground

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As a generally-overwelmed business owner, the last time I went to plan a vacation I decided to stick to the tried and true because I was overwhelmed with the number of travel websites to search. For my next vacation, I intend to pleasantly surprise my hubby by planning our trip through SideStep.

SideStep is a website that searches over 200 travel websites to find the best travel deals on the web for you. Over six million people use SideStep monthly to find travel savings. That’s because SideStep checks consolidators, agencies, hotels, airlines, rental car companies and vacation package folks to find the best deals around. They also have partnerships with major travel corporations like as Orbitz.com, Continental Airlines, JetBlue Airways, American Airlines, Best Western, Hilton Hotels, Hotels.com, Avis Rent a Car and Budget Rent a Car.

You can register for free at SideStep and you can save your travel search preferences and register your searches. By joining SideStep, you can also share your travel experiences with reviews and communicate with other members.

Using SideStep for vacation planning will save me time and money in the future. Anyone used it or found any good competitors?

MightyBargainHunter.com provides interesting tips on finance, saving, spending, and bargains. And who doesn’t like a good bargain blog? As mentioned in the tagline, this blog is about more than just bargains, though. Other categories discussed include banking news, debt reduction, frugal living, investing, real estate, green living, personal finance, and making money.

The Mighty Bargain Hunter, otherwise known as MBH, is a rather elusive fellow — try as I might, I was unable to find any information about him. Anonymity aside, he (I determined this after reading that he had a wife) posts every few days on a new topic. He seems to follow financial news very closely, so if that’s something that interests you, be sure to check out his thoughts each week.

Most of MBH’s posts are lengthy, so if you’re looking for a quick read, check out the bullet points — these generally highlight the most important information in each entry. Also, every Sunday, he posts a “Roundup” for the previous week, sharing blog posts from Money Blog Network and other blogs in his RSS reader.

Although the posts are well-written and generally quite interesting, I don’t think the information is always relevant to readers. I would like to see fewer posts about what MBH bought on eBay or at a yard sale (these types of entries are quite numerous) and more that are universal enough to apply to everyone’s frugal lifestyle.

If you really love eBay, estate sales, and yard sales, MBH has some interesting inside tricks and tips. He even has a four-part (maybe more to come) series on how to make money with an eBay store.

I also thought the MBH blog is a little cluttered — wall-to-wall text with very little breathing room. Granted, there’s a ton of information included in this blog, but the design could definitely benefit from some more white space and simpler navigation. Try not to be distracted by the color-coordinated Google ads on the left.

One thing I really liked about Mighty Bargain Hunter is the wealth (no pun intended) of worthwhile links to personal finance blogs, frugal living blogs, investing blogs, and debt reduction blogs. It’s quite obvious that MBH is an avid finance reader and does his homework on behalf of his own readers.

In addition, MBH provides the disclaimer that the advice presented on the blog is not to be construed as personalized advice. He recommends seeking professional advisers to address individual needs. It appears that he will occasionally answer e-mails and questions from his readers in the blog, so if you plan to ask MBH a question, keep the aforementioned disclaimer in mind.

Lastly, you can subscribe for a weekly e-mail “feed digest” and receive MBH info directly. If you look under the “Features” section, you’ll also find links to the Catacombs, which offer free bargain hunting articles, as well as links to the Carnival of Debt Reduction and MyPoints. If you have the time to read and explore Mighty Bargain Hunter, there’s plenty of valuable information to be found. Get hunting!

If tongue-in-cheek finance advice is your thing, look no further than MakeLoveNotDebt.com, a self-proclaimed “relationship finance blog.” This blog presents interesting personal views on finance, relationships, and debt management.

When you log in, first time visitors are invited to learn more about the blog. After checking out that link, curious minds will discover that an anonymous Chicago couple, posting under the names “Him” and “Her,” created this blog to discuss how keeping secrets about debt from your significant other can spell disaster. “Her” admits that two years ago, she hid $154,000 in debt from her boyfriend, “Him.” The couple is now engaged to be married.

The couple says they created this blog to “discuss the intersection between relationships and finances” in a lighthearted way. And they certainly do — sarcasm and clever quips are scattered throughout each entry.

Before I get into the contents of the blog, I wanted to note one other interesting facet of this site: “Him” and “Her” keep a running tab of their net worth in the right-hand navigation. As of today, it’s listed as negative $41,303.44, and “Him” recently posted a table calculating August’s net worth with itemized assets and liabilities.

Now, moving on to the entries. The topics up for discussion are seemingly endless, and it appears that Make Love, Not Debt attracts a number of chatty readers who comment extensively on most entries. The category tags range from 401k to groceries to student loans and utilities. Basically, any topic that would come up in daily life is discussed in this blog.

Entries are added every couple of days, and they always include links to other entries and related topics. You could easily get lost in reading about the comical trials and tribulations of financial life for “Him” and “Her.”

Some of the most recent entries discussed “Keeping up with the Joneses’ Husbands” as well as raises, handling work expenditures, and paying for laundry service (a huge rip-off, in “His” opinion). I was particularly amused by an entry titled “Damn You, Washing Machine!” — a humorous dialogue between “Her” and “Him” about accidentally washing an iPod. Also, many of the entries conclude by asking the readers their opinions on the subject.

I really liked the “Featured Books” section, which included guides to financial management for couples as well as how to enjoy daily life without getting in debt. Several of the titles listed were also reviewed by “Her.”

Lastly, you can subscribe to MLND, as it is lovingly dubbed by loyal readers, via e-mail and RSS so you’ll never miss a humorous “episode” in the life of the Chicago duo. More than anything else, this blog provides honest, personal advice and anecdotes. If you’re looking for a list of instructions or money-saving tips, Make Love, Not Debt might not be for you. However, if you want a good laugh and some worthwhile “relationship finance” advice, be sure to check it out. You’ll certainly never be bored!

All things fashion abound at The Frugal-Fashionista, located at frugal-fashionista.blogspot.com. The Fashionista delivers a daily dose of celebrity fashions suited for conservative budgets.

Each day, the Fashionista posts a full-length photo of a celebrity, as well as separate photos of her clothing, shoes, purse, and other accessories such as jewelry, sunglasses, and belts. Each fashion item is presented with a price and a website where shoppers can piece together their favorite celebrity outfits.

The Fashionista does a fantastic job re-creating the elements of each outfit for reasonable prices (at least when compared with what the celebrities pay for the “real deal”). Some of the blog’s most common web sources of “celeb” fashions include Urban Outfitters, Girl Props, Old Navy, Victoria’s Secret, MNG by Mango, and Target.

Each piece of the outfit generally runs between $20 and $70, but some items can be found for much more or less. For example, the Fashionista recently profiled an outfit seen on Katie Holmes: the sweater from Old Navy costs $29.50, the ruffled blouse from Victoria’s Secret costs $39, the shoes from Nine West cost $59.99, the wide leg pants from the Gap cost $59.50, and the scarf from The Pashmina Store cost $35.99. Grand total: $223.98. A little expensive for one outfit, but if fashion is your thing, it’s worth it.

The Fashionista selects most of the celebrity outfits to profile, but the blog occasionally features reader requests. Some of the most popular celebrity fashion plates include Cameron Diaz, Jessica Alba, Lindsay Lohan, Nicky Hilton, Nicole Richie, Rachel Bilson, and Reese Witherspoon, to name a few.

The Chicago Sun-Times recently noted The Frugal-Fashionista as one of fashion’s best blogs, while NBC San Diego named it in its list of “Dress Like a Star” links. In addition, the Fashionista has built an extensive list of fashion-related links that can be accessed directly from the blog. If you have the time and the curiosity, you can browse through the archive of entries dating back to March 2006.

The Frugal-Fashionista also has an e-mail subscription option, so the latest entries can be delivered directly to your inbox. This blog is great if you don’t have time to read through entries — it’s almost entirely photographic! You can quickly scan through and find the specific outfits or individual items you like.

The only thing that would be an improvement to this blog would be direct links to the featured items. Currently, you have to search for the items yourself once you reach the source’s site. However, that’s a small price to pay for the great fashion advice the Frugal-Fashionista dishes out every day!

If you’ve ever seen your favorite celebrity in an outfit you’d die to have (but you’re afraid the cost just might kill you), then Frugal-Fashionista is the blog for you.

The Frugal Cuisine blog, which can be found at frugalcuisine.blogspot.com, provides readers with recipes for a $3 per day budget, as well as Chinese street food and small snacks. The author, the anonymous “Pepper,” blogs from Sichuan, China. The sunny yellow and orange blog seems to be updated every two weeks or so, and each blog entry focuses on a single recipe (from all types of cuisines) or an individual Chinese dish.

The blog posts fall into several categories, including main dishes, sweets and snacks, featured ingredients, breakfast, salads, basics, and street food (xiaochi). Each recipe is accompanied by a nice photo of the featured dish. Some recent posts include onion rings, Jiaozi (dumplings), potato and green vegetable stew, and stir fried greens and bacon over grits.

Pepper does a good job describing the Chinese snacks and street food that American readers might not be familiar with. Pepper also gives translations of Chinese words, which could prove interesting to the linguist. If you’re fascinated by how things are made, Pepper describes some unique street vendor cooking techniques, as well as ingredients native to China.

If you’re just scanning quickly for a recipe, Pepper puts ingredients in bold type so they are easy to find. The recipes are very short and simple — perhaps a little too simple if you are an experienced cook. However, the recipes have all been tested in Pepper’s kitchen, so I’m sure the end results are delicious. The photos certainly look great!

Although the recipe suggestions were quite varied and interesting, I noticed that the blog, with the exception of its name, rarely mentions “frugal cuisine” or budgeting anywhere. I expected more of a focus on stretching your budget at the market, or how to turn inexpensive ingredients into impressive meals.

It might be helpful if Pepper would include how much each recipe costs to make. Some of the blog posts had a breakdown of how much each ingredient cost (in both Chinese and US currency), but this information isn’t consistently present. I also wonder if it’s possible to buy some of the ingredients in American markets.

If you’re looking for a lesson in Sichuan street foods or some unique recipes, the Frugal Cuisine blog is well written and very interesting. Older blog posts have links to other food blogs and sites, but if you’re in search of a blog truly dedicated to frugal cooking, Frugal Cuisine is a bit limited.

The central focus of the FreebieCreditReport.com site is, not surprisingly, credit reports. When I first visited the site, the thing that caught my eye was “Herbie,” a nerdy-looking guy that makes me think of that guy that’s always yelling obnoxiously about free grants (I can’t remember his name for the life of me!). Not necessarily the best first impression, but at least there’s no obnoxious yelling.

Next to Herbie is a central offer of the site: answer 10 simple questions and get an estimate of your credit score. I couldn’t remember all of the exact information requested, but I’m pretty sure my guesses were close, and sure enough, Herbie gave me an estimate of my credit score. Handy!

The only thing is, I have no idea how accurate it is, because the last time I knew my actual credit score was in 2002 when we bought our house (that’s the last time it’s actually mattered to me for financing purposes). Herbie’s numbers were about 75 points lower than my 2002 number, but that’s likely the result of my credit card games (signing up for the joining incentives, then closing the account, etc.).

One thing that seemed oddly missing from the results page was any indication of how good or bad my credit score is. There is a link in the sidebar to an informative article about credit scores, but it’s not linked from the results themselves and is kind of hard to spot. It would probably be more useful if the link was prominently displayed with the results, or better yet, the results included some kind of relative assessment like “above average” or “excellent” or “needs work”.

The revenue model for the site seems to be passing visitors on to sites that will (eventually) charge them money, and pay a commission to FreebieCreditReport.com. This is a very popular business model for financial sites, and FreebieCreditReport.com does a good job by providing useful information on their site, particularly the articles on the sidebar. If you’re looking for clear explanations of credit-related concepts, their articles are very helpful.

If you follow the links through to MyFICO or the other partners, read the fine print carefully. Many of these services will give you a free report but automatically enroll you in a subscription to their services. Make sure you know what you’re signing up for. If you just want a general idea of your likely credit score, FreebieCreditReport.com is a good resource.

This is a sponsored review, but the editorial content has not been altered in any way for payment.

One of the new kids on the block in regards to frugal blogs is Frugal Mania, located at www.frugalmania.com. This website is a part of the 451 Press network, an ever-expanding presence on the Internet that now boasts over 300 blogs. Frugal Mania is run by Allison Goines, who is a “student, homemaker and mother of three,” according to to her bio on the site. This site started just in July, but already, they are dishing out new tips at an amazing rate. This is one site that you never have to worry about stale content–it’s updated almost every day, and sometimes many times a day.

There are a number of awesome hints at Frugal Mania, and Allison seems to have a knack for uncovering other helpful sites as well that can be of service in all parts of our lives to help us save money. Some of my favorite posts from the past few weeks include The Top Ten Money Drains, Frugal and Green, and Net Worth.

My one criticism of the site would be that her posts don’t really have a lot of depth. The blog itself isn’t really “fun” to read–it’s more like a list of money-saving tips. However, this can be a good thing as well. I don’t have to shuffle through lots of personal stories, opinion pieces, and irrelevant posts. I can log online, read a few quick tips for the day, and be on my way. For someone who doesn’t have a lot of time to spend learning about ways to save money, sites like Allison’s are a godsend.

What will she come up with tomorrow? Who knows…but I’ll be at her blog, reading it to find out the latest and greatest money saving tip she finds!

The Frugal Duchess says of herself, “I’m another spoiled writer, with fine tastes and a small budget.” Sounds like my kind of girl! The Duchess’ real name is Sharon Harvey Rosenberg, and her website, found at sharonhr.blogspot.com, is one of the blogs on the ‘net if you’re interested in money-saving tips. The tagline? “A fun, frugal & fashionable way to save money & live well.” After checking out her site, I think that this tagline is extremely fitting.

One of the best things about the Frugal Duchess and her blog is her ability to make a boring subject interesting. For example, when writing a post on money management, she cites her kids’ lemonade stand and talks about the need to love what you do, plan for the rough times, and market yourself.

Her posts are also easy to read, because she organizes them in quick-to-scan bullet points. For example, in her post about Converting Clutter into Space, Tim & Money, Sharon takes six tips and teaches readers to cut clutter using resource links and step-by-step instructions.

If I had to say anything bad about the Frugal Duchess and her blog, I’d be hard pressed to give my critical comments. She does repeat the information about her different shops and books at the end of each post, which gets a little repetitive when you’re scrolling through the great content, so these things would better serve as a sidebar. However, I’m willing to overlook this because the posts she makes are thought provoking and original.

I’d recommend Sharon’s blog to anyone who lives the frugal lifestyle! I can’t wait to see the next piece of advice she has for those of us concerned with saving money.