I'm renting a flat and it's cold, and it's going to get colder (I'm on a 1 year contract in the alps). Is there anything noninvasive (preferably cheap, but I'm ok to spend if it's really going to work) that I can do to warm the place up? What sort of portable space heaters give the best performance for electricity/gas? Are there any decent renter-based guides to improving insulation? [more inside]
posted by handee on Oct 14, 2009 - 26 answers

Laying laminate flooring; how important is it for lines from adjacent rooms to align? [more inside]
posted by Mutant on Sep 22, 2009 - 11 answers

Are you a broke-ass student? Were you a broke-ass student? Please give me your best tips and slightly insane ideas for surviving as an impoverished scholar. [more inside]
posted by DarlingBri on Sep 11, 2009 - 42 answers

London has hard water, so I've got some questions about my water closet. [more inside]
posted by Mutant on Sep 5, 2009 - 12 answers

So I made ghee and bombed. [more inside]
posted by Mutant on Aug 18, 2009 - 8 answers

I am theme shopping for Wordpress and have pretty much narrowed my choices to Thesis, Frugal and Headway. [more inside]
posted by Gerard Sorme on Aug 14, 2009 - 10 answers

Since London's fickle summer is in full swing, I need recipes for dishes that can be eaten either hot or cold. [more inside]
posted by Mutant on Aug 4, 2009 - 18 answers

What are your favorite links for frugal living/frugality websites? [more inside]
posted by ian1977 on Jun 2, 2009 - 26 answers

I need to eat cheaply. Can I do so while extending my cooking ability in a specific direction? What cuisines, categories, or focuses can my home cooking pinpoint while living on a budget? [more inside]
posted by Picklegnome on May 21, 2009 - 22 answers

I am moving to Flushing, NY for 3 months. How can I live frugally while enjoying all that the area has to offer? [more inside]
posted by pulled_levers on May 10, 2009 - 4 answers

BOGOFilter: What restaurants in the Bay Area offer buy-one, get-one-free coupons? [more inside]
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome on Apr 30, 2009 - 5 answers

Offal. I know what it is but need your help with selection and cooking. [more inside]
posted by Mutant on Apr 7, 2009 - 13 answers

FrugalFilter: I used to do _____, but now I use _____ on the internet for free! Examples and ... [more inside]
posted by math on Apr 7, 2009 - 41 answers

I'm looking for pretty/ interesting blogs about homesteading and living in rural areas [more inside]
posted by Sijeka on Feb 4, 2009 - 19 answers

90% of my calls are to one friend in another state here in the U.S.A. I might also consider buying this friend a cellphone as a gift and paying the bills. What's the cheapest option for doing mostly 1-to-1 calls: a "family plan", or maybe prepaid? [more inside]
posted by Stoatfarm on Dec 23, 2008 - 13 answers

Home made bagels. Christmas bagels actually. [more inside]
posted by Mutant on Dec 11, 2008 - 13 answers

I need advice on the reliability and economics of buying OEM Hard Drives in bulk. Is it false economy? [more inside]
posted by melorama on Dec 9, 2008 - 11 answers

I'm going to Rome for one week in February. How can I cheap out on lodging while there? [more inside]
posted by mustcatchmooseandsquirrel on Dec 9, 2008 - 10 answers

Know any freezable and/or crock-pot-able stews that also happen to be vegetarian (or pescatarian) and go well with rice? [more inside]
posted by piedmont on Nov 9, 2008 - 8 answers

Who has interesting ideas about how to live, travel, dress, and eat frugally during a recession? [more inside]
posted by toomuchkatherine on Nov 7, 2008 - 13 answers

Boston Filter: Where should I live in Boston? 20 minutes, or less, from Tufts Medical in Chinatown. [more inside]
posted by objdoc on Aug 12, 2008 - 10 answers

Please help me overcome my aversion to staying in hostels. [more inside]
posted by jason's_planet on Jul 21, 2008 - 35 answers

We love lasagna. But my white sauce mixes with my red sauce and it all ends up looking pink. [more inside]
posted by Mutant on Jun 29, 2008 - 33 answers

My husband and I are going on a road trip this weekend and have plenty of places and things to do during daylight hours. It's just the two of us (yay, no kids!) and we'll no doubt chat all day during the drives, hikes, sightseeing. We need something to do between checking in and going to sleep. I'd like an activity that's cheap, and involves the both of us. [more inside]
posted by b33j on Jun 4, 2008 - 17 answers

I can make apple muffins, banana muffins, and carrot muffins. So what else can I muffinise (oh, did I just invent a verb there)? [more inside]
posted by Mutant on Jun 2, 2008 - 32 answers

What's a good whole bean coffee I can buy in bulk online on a college student budget? [more inside]
posted by mccarty.tim on Jun 1, 2008 - 18 answers

Recommendations for French Cooking courses in London or Paris? [more inside]
posted by Mutant on May 26, 2008 - 3 answers

Best practices on home canning? [more inside]
posted by Mutant on May 8, 2008 - 17 answers

A big problem and a small problem with my home made ice cream ... [more inside]
posted by Mutant on Apr 22, 2008 - 25 answers

Can I do laundry with just ammonia alone? [more inside]
posted by thisjax on Jan 29, 2008 - 18 answers

Why do my banana muffins go so mouldy so quickly? [more inside]
posted by Mutant on Dec 14, 2007 - 14 answers

What parts of your cooking do you strictly DIY? I'm looking for more ways to incorporate "doing it myself" into my cooking. [more inside]
posted by lucyleaf on Nov 9, 2007 - 79 answers

Refilling contact lens solution bottles with contact lens solution? [more inside]
posted by Mutant on Apr 3, 2007 - 20 answers

I love Aquafina bottled water. There's something in it that makes it taste much different than other bottled waters. Still, it gets expensive. What's in it that makes it taste so nice and can I make my own at home? [more inside]
posted by redteam on Feb 21, 2007 - 31 answers

Poor college student filter: I'm getting married, and have very little money. [more inside]
posted by tdreyer1 on Jan 5, 2007 - 38 answers

Is making your own soaps/lotions/oils/candles/etc. worth the time and trouble? [more inside]
posted by jbickers on Oct 14, 2006 - 14 answers

How do I get a reliable car for not much money? [more inside]
posted by mulkey on Oct 13, 2006 - 24 answers

Can I correct my vision by wearing sign reversed contact lenses? [more inside]
posted by Mutant on Sep 11, 2006 - 19 answers

So we're going to the Oregon coast camping for a week. [more inside]
posted by craniac on Aug 6, 2006 - 8 answers

Why does my tomato sauce taste so much better the day after? [more inside]
posted by Mutant on Jul 17, 2006 - 13 answers

I have an old pc. Celeron 600mhz processor, 376mb ram. The ram is maxed out (I believe) and the overhead of microsoft's anti-spyware combined with AVG antivrus, along with XP sp2, have slowed the machine to a crawl. Is there a way to speed things up that is compatible with quicken 2004 and will leave me protected from net nasties? I thank you, hive-mind. [more inside]
posted by craniac on Dec 20, 2005 - 23 answers

Too many pens, not enough pen caps. I gradually acquire disposable pens that are missing their caps. Is there something that can commonly be used as a cap for these de-crowned writing sticks? I've tried small balloons--too awkward. Corks? Does someone sell universal pen caps? Just one of life's small annoyances and I'm wondering if there is an elegant, material solution, short of tossing them.
posted by craniac on Oct 19, 2005 - 14 answers

What is the cheapest you could live and still maintain a fairly normal lifestyle? [more inside]
posted by Jaybo on Oct 11, 2004 - 30 answers

I need some ideas for Frugal Christmas decorations. We're quite strapped this year (due to unexpectedly having to move when our landlord sold our rental house out from under us), and buying a tree would mean cutting into the meager budget for the children's presents. We're forgoing presents for ourselves or anyone else, or at least delaying them until the new year when our financial situation will be better. I have lights, ornaments, garland and such from years past, but what can I do with them with no tree to put them on? Does anyone know how I could cheaply make some sort of a tree-like thing for hanging the ornaments on? Or some sort of way to display them? I only want something 3 or 4 feet high that I could put in my bay window.
posted by Shoeburyness on Dec 10, 2003 - 30 answers