Frugal Fridays-3 Questions

So, I've never done a Frugal Fridays post before, because I can never think of anything to write about, though I always read almost every single post that's posted on Frugal Fridays. Biblical Womanhood is a great blog, and a lot of seemingly great ladies participate each Friday. But, this Friday, Crystal posted a few questions to answer. So, even though I'm not a housewife yet (an almost homeschool graduate), I can give my input. Exciting stuff!!

The Questions:
1. What is the best resource for frugality you've found (book, magazine, website, etc)?
2. What is the best deal you've gotten recently?
3. What is your best idea for a creative and inexpensive gift (I was specifically thinking this might be helpful for those who still are looking for some last-minute Christmas ideas!)?

My Answers:
1. BiblicalWomanhood.com is by far the best resource for frugality I've found. Knowing I'm going to get married before too terribly long, Crystal has definitely encouraged me, through her writing, to use my future husband's money wisely (as well as help my Mom use Dad's money wisely). I've learned so much from reading her articles and blog posts, and have been able to help Mom lower our grocery bill by planning weekly menus, looking for coupons and sales in the grocery store ads, and making a list of groceries. Thanks to Crystal, I now look forward to much to being a wise steward of the money my husband works hard for, one day when I'm finally Ben's wife, and plan to, by God's grace, do it to the best of my ability!

2. The best deal I've gotten lately has got to be on the books I've purchased in the last couple of weeks. I've been wanting to build my library with books by great Christian authors/theologians (RC Sproul, John MacArthur, John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, Matthew Henry, Charles Spurgeon, George Whitefield, etc). Books, brand new, are SO expensive! But, I found that on amazon.com, they have people who sell their own books through the site, and most books have some copies in good or very good, or even like new condition, for far less than what you'd pay at a bookstore. Also, half.com and ebay are great places to look for books. Half.com even has a section with books under 99 cents! The best thing to do is look for the lowest price book (compare all three websites) and the person with the highest feedback %. You want to be sure you're getting a good deal, for real, and not buying something from someone who will make your purchase stressful.

3. For inexpensive gifts...I don't know too much about them. If you know how to sew, etc, making something is definitely ideal! And so special! But, if not, books are nice gifts. Or cute cookies for people. :)

That was fun. My first Frugal Fridays post! Be sure to check out Crystal's blog for other posts by people who know way more about being frugal than I do!

-Mary Jo