Today The Simple Dollar had an article on a A Frugal Man’s Christmas Wish List which underlines something I really believe in and I quote:
Quality tools Again, a frugal person would rather have one high quality item than a large selection of junk. I would far rather receive a single wrench that will last a lifetime than another “do it all” gadget that falls apart in a year. Ask them what they need or what is getting worn out, then go to a hardware store and ask for a very top quality item that will replace it for a lifetime. Don’t get a sixty piece tool set that will wear out after six months of heavy use – instead, just buy one or two items that will never wear out and add to it each year. The frugal person who appreciates simplicity and craftsmanship will appreciate this gift far more than you might think.
What can I say. Lousy tool/kitchen/car/picnic/outdoor/first aid “gift” sets that come with “everything” included are often more of a liability than a source of continued happiness. I would rather have one screw driver I can count on that a set of 8 flimsy ones in all sizes that break down the first time I need to use them on a tough problem.
In other news one of my early posts on The true cost of coffee addiction (I believe my second post) was featured in the Carnival of Personal Finance: Naughty or Nice Edition over at Get Rich Slowly. Apparently sinking $4 a day into the black hole of a coffee cup is called the “latte factor”. I didn’t know that. Another important point of that post was that it gave a way of reaching financial independence incrementally by dividing up recurrent expenses and saving up for them one by one.
Another post on Making your own olive oil lamp was featured in the Make it From Scratch: ‘Twas the Week Before Christmas Edition over at Mrs Micah. I never went beyond proof of concept with my own olive oil lamp (it really works!), but I imagine that people who have their hands screwed on better than I have could turn this into some really nice homemade xmas gifts.
Or go over to Time to Budget and check out the Carnival of Money Stories #39. I have a blog there on counting my net worth in cars.
Finally, I contributed my Survival guide to xmas gift giving to the 105th Festival of Frugality over at FIRE Finance. Gift giving season always presents a hassle for us extreme(ly strange) types 🙂
