January 2011 - The Outlier Model

Our $500 weekend ski getaway

winter, staying indoors, blog reads, Nov 10 - 16,weekend ski getaway, ski trip, ski resort

CF / January 30th, 2011 / No Comments

The bf and I have always held the belief that being frugal should not come at the expense of enjoying life. We still go on vacations every year because we place value on traveling, experiencing new locations, and trying out new foods and drinks. However, vacations do not have to be expensive. There are always deals to be had or ways to save money. This past weekend, we went up to Whistler, one of our...

Posted in: Entertainment and Leisure Tagged with: cheap vacation, ski, snowboarding, spa, whistler vacation

Fruits, veggies and costs, oh my!

food budget, grocery budget, meal prep, grocery budget for 2, high cost of fresh produce, produce, cheap produce, expensive produce

CF / January 27th, 2011 / No Comments

I love buying fruits and vegetables because they are so cheap compared to the amount you get! This may seem contrary to popular media reports which expound on the “high” cost of fresh produce, but it’s really a matter of where you shop and when you shop. Certainly, while I was in Orlando last year, it was definitely true that fruits and vegetables were expensive… but only because my shopping...

Posted in: Food and Grocery Tagged with: cheap fresh fruit, cost of fresh fruit, fruits and vegetables, groceries, local market

Questioning the necessities – Owning a car

Owning a car, car sharing, car, having a car, buying a car

Brian / January 26th, 2011 / 6 Comments

Growing up, I lived the rural lifestyle. I believed that part of becoming an adult was owning my own car. Often, owning a car makes a log of sense in a rural setting. Sporadic transit and long distances between amenities can make car ownership logical. Now I live in the city, and as part of a growing urban population, the necessity of owning a car is something that can seriously be questioned. Costs...

Posted in: Minimalism and Frugality, Philosophy Tagged with: benefits of car sharing, car coop, car share, cost of owning a car, modo the car coop, zipcar

Recipe ideas: Fried rice

CF / January 23rd, 2011 / 2 Comments

Having the most frugal grocery budget in the world isn’t going to help you and if you can’t put together at least a few healthy, tasty, and cheap eats! Every month, The Outlier Model features a cheap recipe idea, along with the cost breakdown. Fried rice is a great quick and easy meal which can use up a lot of leftover veggies and meat! Try adding unusual ingredients like asparagus or pineapple...

Posted in: Food and Grocery, Recipes Tagged with: cheap, fried rice, recipe