The Best Kept Secret Blog - The Month of Living Frugally

My first reaction was scorn when my good friend D. announced she had cut her family's Visa bill in half simply by cutting out impulse buys.

"Wow, she must have been a real spendthrift before embracing this new frugality."

Next came shame. "If she can save that much, imagine how much I must fritter away each month on clothes I don't really need, magazines I never have time to read and stuff the kids ask for then forget about in a nano-second."

Finally, there was dread. "But stop shopping? I don't think so."

I consider myself average - certainly not a shopaholic. But like the women who can't imagine living without their daily glass (or two) of wine, I can't see myself saying "No" to a cute little pair of shoes that makes my heart sing. Maybe I have a problem.

So right then and there I decided that for the month of November, I would go on the wagon and cut out impulse shopping.

Mind you I'm not talking about going to extremes. I'm not a crazy Birkenstock wearing (I mean the ugly old sandal style, not the cute new ones that look like comfy clogs), coffee filter recycling, dye-your-hair-at-home kind of woman. I will only buy the things my family and I really need.

Tomorrow is the start of my month of living frugally. Check back in from time to time to see how I'm doing.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get me to a store. Like a smoker on New Year's Eve who is planning to give up her pack a day habit at the stroke of midnight, I've got some serious puffing to do. Only in my case, the smoke you see rising around me will be coming from the vigorous swiping of my Visa card.

The Best Kept Secret Blog - Top 5 Money Saving Tips for The 40+ Woman

Lately I've taken to saving rubber bands.

I haven't a clue what to do with all of them but I'm trying to be a responsible saver. The dire economic news has gotten me spooked and all I can think of these days is "Save, save, save".

This is an entirely new concept for me. While I'd never describe myself as a spendthrift, I must confess that until recently, I didn't worry much about what things cost - much to my poor husband's dismay.

Ever since I stopped working to stay home with the kids, he makes the money and I spend it. It's a perfectly good symbiotic relationship. He likes working, I like shopping - every one's happy.

Then the sub-prime mortgage, credit crisis, what the heck were they thinking, recession thingy hit and even I know it's prudent to buckle down.

Apart from the rubber band hoarding, I began to think about other ways I could make a positive impact on our family finances.

My husband offered suggestions.

"Why don't you get your hair done less often or go somewhere cheaper?" he ventured.

I just rolled my eyes and didn't even respond to that one - that's just crazy talk.

He tried again. "How about shopping at a less expensive grocery store? Take milk for example. With two kids in the house, we go through a lot. How much are you paying for it now? "

I blinked at him like a deer in the headlights. I don't really know how much I pay for milk. We need it - I buy it. I mean, come on, if I read all the little shelf tickets when I load up the grocery cart, there wouldn't be any time left to read the tabloids at the check-out.

After an hour of his lame suggestions, I praised him for his insight and declared him to be so smart. That threw him off the trail and I got down to coming up with my own list of five ways a midlife woman can save money in these tough, recessionary times.

Top 5 Money-Saving Tips For The 40+ Woman

1. Buy domestic wine instead of the imported stuff. (Yes, it's a hardship but tough times call for tough measures.)
2. Avoid impulse buying. (Okay, don't panic - I'm just joking about this one.)
3. Skip unnecessary Botox treatments. (Only go when you really need it.)
4. Rely on less costly accessories to spice up your classic outfits. (Like the $350 leopard print Michael Kors bag I spotted recently. Think of how much you'll save!)
5. Save money on Spanx and other such shapewear. Have your significant other roll you snugly in duct tape every morning. (Kinky and fashionable!)

The Best Kept Secret Blog - Elder eCare

"Why do they keep sending me information on penis enlargement?" she demanded.

I briefly toyed with the idea of trying to explain to my 78 year-old aunt the ins and outs of Internet spam but figured I'd spent enough time on this impromptu computer tutorial already and one more minute would cause the tick that had developed in my right eye to become a permanent condition.

I love older people. I think they're really smart. Some of them are technological wizzes. And then there are the others.

You know who I'm talking about.

The kindly, yet befuddled neighbour who calls you in to take a quick look at his computer. "It'll only take a couple of minutes" he assures. Three hours and a long conversation with Garup from the help centre in India later you leave with a paper bag full of tomatoes from the garden for your troubles.

The father who insists that his password changed all by itself.

Or my friend L.'s mother who e-mails her three or four times a day but follows up each message with an immediate phone call. "Honey, I just sent you a pickle recipe. Did you get it?"

I try to be patient when an elder in my life needs help with a computer question but sometimes it's really, really hard. Let's face it, some things are just over their heads and it's a real burden when they rely on the younger generation to show them how it's done.

But enough of this. I have to find my daughter. I need to download something from iTunes plus I want her to tape a show. She's just so much better at that kind of stuff.