Frugal Facts: Best Blogs for Saving Money, Vol. 2

We're all looking for common sense ways to save money these days. Here are some of the best blogs that average folks and money wizards have put online to help us during these days of frugal living. This is the second installment on great blog sites online aimed at the average consumer. Please check out Volume 1.

Frugaldad, making frugal cool again, http://frugaldad.com/. According to the site's owner: "I felt a calling to remind people of some very basic principles. Spend less than you make; save money for a rainy day." His blog combines money-saving ideas and investments. He approaches it all from a common man, common sense standpoint. He went through problems with finances that many of us face (college, illness, etc.). As he explains on his blog, the hope is that the reader will learn from his past and mistakes.

How I Save Money.net, http://www.howisavemoney.net. This site comes from a different perspective than some of the others, but the ground issues are things anyone can relate to. The author, Barbie, is a struggling college student who amassed large credit card debt, as well as person debt. She chronicles her struggles to deal with that and fix her financial situation. To that end she has taken to many online businesses such as www.Amazon.com, and other affiliate type programs to make money. She may have started out financially shaky, but she sure has turned a negative into a positive.

One standout on this blog is a 5-part series she wrote entitled simply "25 Ways I Save Money". Most are common sense, but they are things we all fall prey to at some point. The columns could be cut out and pasted on the refrigerator to give you financial moral support.

Barbie's blog includes guest authors which cover subjects she hasn't had to deal with given her young age. That, too, is a great bonus, if just for the additional perspective on various subjects.

Daily Spark, http://www.dailyspark.com.This is not a money-saving blog, per se, but it has a section dedicated mainly to food-oriented tips designed to eat well cheaply. It offers green tips, again all with the idea of saving your pennies.

TipHero, http://www.tiphero.com. This site is run by Nick and Ray, who started it, they say because: "Several times each year we make a purchase only to learn after the fact of a simple tip that could have saved us money. Ugh!"

In addition to the blogs, you can sign up with your email address to receive a newsletter every Thursday with the latest tips. Here are a few of the articles on the site: 7 Surprising Online Freebies, 9 Healthy and Inexpensive Recipes, Cut Cable TV Expenses with Hulu and Tips from the 99 Cent Chef. And the tips are timely, so you should bookmark it to take advantage of reader tips.

The blog includes links to other investment- and savings-oriented sites. An interesting feature of this blog is that the owners want it to be interactive and solicit tips from readers, so the information comes from many sources, many walks of life. And the tips are timely, so you should bookmark it to take advantage of reader tips. In April, one writer added a link to the Baskin & Robbins site, telling of a special one-day promotion for charity that featured 31 cent scoop deals. Moreover, Nick and Ray say they want to hear other tips, and then they want you, the reader to work all the information to fit your needs and add your own ideas.

This is the second article on blogs dedicated to saving money aimed at the average consumer. I'll be adding additional discount sites and wonderful blogs for saving money, as well as the many blogs detailing sites that offer printable grocery coupons. It will be more than worth the little time you put into it. You'll find that saving money and seeking out discounts will become second nature. Don't forget to bookmark the sites as you check them out so you can refer to them quickly.