The Festival of Frugality for Oct. 14 was hosted by Aridni. Here are some of the posts you’ll find on frugal living concepts:

• Free From Broke presents Before You Buy that Halloween Costume: “Most times these costumes are worn one night and that’s it.  Then the kids grow out of them.  If you have friends or family with kids they may have something you can use.” Another idea: ask about old dance recital or theater costumes. Some of them are character outfits to begin with, but even the basic tulle dress or pantsuit from a dance school recital can be spun into a very clever costume with creative makeup technique or accessories.
• NatureMoms presents Helping each other during a recession: “I checked into Etsy and found the perfect backpack hand-sewn by another mom. When you start purchasing for Christmas think about how many items you can buy direct from other families.” We’re just starting the fall craft and home party show season in the Monroe area. You might find a wonderful gift for someone at one of those shows – I bought one of my sisters a really neat tote bag for $15 a couple years ago. The prices at the Monroe craft shows are very cheap when you consider the cost of supplies and have seen what crafters can get for their wares in the Toledo market. And in the meantime, another local family has earned some money.
• Everything Finance presents Looking for a college fund bailout: “”Well Mr. Secretary, it seems like the risk analysis I ran for the cost of my child’s college education was WAY off, and gosh, thanks to that forecasting error, the amounts I reserved to cover tuition and other costs just aren’t going to be anywhere near enough. So… how about one of those bailout thingies you guys are so good at?” So what’s his suggestion? Find out whether the grandparents have set aside funds to help the grandkids. What you may find, in my experience, is that grandparents would like to pitch in for something specific. Example – two grandfathers shared in the expenses for my daughter’s laptop computer when she graduated from high school.