This catchall category covers general services (eg drycleaning, etc.), electronics, office services and supplies, pets and transportation.

Io moth

Here’s How To Get Rid Of Evil Clothes Moths

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How one Frugalbits warrior waged a holey war against an empire of evil casemaking clothes moths.

Io moth

 

THE FIX | There are many beautiful species of moth in the world (like the Io moth pictured here), but the villainous casemaking clothes moth is not one of them (CLICK HERE if you want to have a look).

As someone who has battled clothes moths, and hopefully won my holey war, let me predict this: if you leave your windows open a lot in the summer and have lovely 100 percent natural fibre garments (regular wool or cashmere; silk; fine cotton—whatever) evil brown casemaking clothes moths will find them, they will lay eggs, and their damn little label-savvy larvae will feast on your Hugo Boss, Mackage and Missoni.

Here’s how I retaliated when moths went to war with me. Read more

The Awesome Baggu

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Why I’m replacing my cache of nonwoven polypropylene shopping bags with ripstop models from Baggu.
  Baggu Bags

 

BUY RIGHT | It was cleanup month around here so I tackled the buildup of shopping bags that had threatened to devour my closet. I don’t know how it happened, but over the past two years I’d managed to accumulate around 50 reusable polyester and nonwoven polypropylene “billboard shoppers” (so called because they often display a company logo) in every size imaginable. These shoppers are awkward and bulky even when folded and gang-bagged, and they easily turn into an unwieldy space-stealing mess when stashed in the back of a car or cupboard.

To add insult to injury, nonwoven polypropylene bags are no better for the environment than those disposable plastic bags they’ve come to replace. Read more

Five Tips For Returning Store Purchases

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What you need to know about taking purchases that don’t work out back to the store where you got them.

Woman shopping

 

SHOPPING SMART | It takes me a long time to make up my mind about buying something so I have always tended to take things home, think about them and then return them once I’m sure they’re not right for me. I do this even more since I started shopping at stores such as T.J. Maxx  and Winners where there may be only one of something so it’s best to grab it while you can.

Here’s what I’ve learned about returning merchandise back to the store where you bought it. Read more

Prize Winning Ribbon-Shutte

Is Consumer Choice Award A Gimmick?

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A sloppy house-cleaning job by The Maids prompted a look at the Consumer Choice Award, a marketing-driven awards program.

Prize Winning Ribbon-Shutte

 

CONSUMER BE AWARE | With company coming over the holidays, I did what I do every year and gave myself an early Christmas present by hiring a cleaning service to power scrub my house. In the past, I’ve used Molly Maid, but this year I waited too late to book them and wound up looking for an alternative on the Internet, which is how I discovered The Maids. Read more

Bluelounge CableBox mini

Untangle Cords And Cables With Bluelounge

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If you have a tangle of power bars and cords threatening to overtake your work area, Bluelounge could solve your problem.

Bluelounge CableBox mini

 

PROBLEM SOLVED | I don’t make New Year’s resolutions unless they’re the Babylonian variety (CLICK HERE  for our story on this). That said, this year on J 01 I did make a plan to put an end to the chaos of cords, surge-protected power bars and mutant dust bunnies that reigns under my desk. I wanted this task completed by J 31, and I’m happy to report I’ve put the issue to bed and it’s only mid-January. Read more

Cracked pots for Craigslist.

How To Get Rid Of Old Stuff Quick—For Free

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Here’s how to give away unwanted things at lightening speed to save the planet and avoid a dumping fee.

 

Stuff You Can Find For Free On Craigslist

 

OUT WITH THE OLD | As a murder mystery aficionado, I generally identify with the forces of law and order. Lately, however, I’ve felt a certain sympathy for murderers with awkward corpses to dispose of.

In the bad old days, getting rid of unwanted items was so much easier, cheaper and less guilt-ridden. Recently I found myself with a number of awkward corpses of my own to dispose of: dead trees I had felled before the winter winds did the job less carefully. Read more

Bakers Twine from Cox And Cox

Where To Find Baker’s Twine In Metro Van

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Wired and curly have been the most popular ribbons for adding pizzazz to presents; now bakers twine is giving them a run for their money—here’s where to buy it locally.

Scandi Home - Maria Laitinen

 

HOLIDAY 2012 | Blame it on Kinfolk—the magazine that celebrates all things beautiful, simple and uncontrived—or on the makers and lovers of plain-made and plainly presented goods in places like Portland or Brooklyn, or even Etsy, but bakers twine, the string commonly used by pastry shops worldwide to tie up their boxes of baked goods in a way that makes them easy to carry, is the ribbon du jour for stylish Christmas presents. Read more

Pear Place Cards by Brendan Power - Martin Tessler

Make Our Favourite 3 Place Card Holders

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These three easy-to-make holiday place cards are going to charm your guests.

Pinecone Place Cards- Project WeddingCREATIVE SOLUTIONS | While place cards can seem a little silly for intimate dinner parties, they make perfect sense when you’re hosting a long-table meal and want to deliberately mix and match up your guests, or you’re doing a sit-down meal with multiple tables and desire a semblance of order.

Here are our three current favourite easy-to-make place card holders, all suited perfectly to this holiday season. Read more

Plain Kraft Wrap With A Wire Bow

5 Top Kraft Paper Xmas Gift Wrapping Ideas

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Plain Kraft Wrap With A Wire BowTHE CREATIVE SOLUTION | Inexpensive white or brown kraft paper, the kind that comes in big rolls from art supply stores, is the perfect blank canvas to use for wrapping holiday gifts. Here are 5 ways to make it look special. Read more

Shopping On The Tablet - iStock

Go With What You Know—And Other Rules For Shopping Cyber Monday Week

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Shopping online for extreme deals during Cyber Monday Week is not without pitfalls. Here’s what you need to know before going in deep for cheap goods.Shopping On The Tablet - iStock

 

BUYER BEWARE | What seems sweet on the surface, can be bitter underneath. The internet is at all times crawling with scammers, but they’re out in full force during Cyber Monday Week (like Black Friday, Cyber Monday is no longer a 24-hour blowout) when online shoppers are apt to let their guard down. Here’s what we know about cyber shopping this week. Read more