New to Squawkfox? Thanks for dropping by! Here are the best posts that represent what this site is about.
50 Ways to Save $1,000 a Year
You wanted to boost your savings in a tough economy with little effort or pain. I gave you 50 (fifty) ways to painlessly stash some extra cash without losing a limb or getting a second job.
6 Words That Make Your Resume Suck
You wanted to know why your resume sucked, so I told you. Within the span of 24 hours, this snarky post hit the front pages of Digg, Delicious Popular, and Lifehacker.
The Best Things in Life are Free
I introduced you to my friend Simon and shared a short story about a very long bike ride. The story is only 320 words. The bike ride was 112 miles. This is my favorite post.
This is an actual photo of Simon and me. Many people ask. Now you know.
5 Ways To Screw Your Credit Card Company
Credit card companies can be sneaky sneakers, and it’s not hard to fall prey to the power of plastic. You showed them by sharing your legal ways to stick it to them!
6 Action Words That Make Your Resume Rock
Resume words and resume advice are popular topics on this blog. This post hit the front pages of Digg and Delicious.
Free Printable Workout Log
You wanted to get fit and not spend a bundle at the gym, so I shared my workout log with you. This little exercise tracker helped me train for and complete two Ironman Triathlons. This post also hit the front page of Lifehacker.
How to Buy a Slow Cooker or Crock Pot
You love your slow cookers, and I had fun sharing my thoughts on the humble crock. The slow cooker is a fabulous way to stay frugal and feed a family for less. Yum.
The Killer Credit Card Calculator
You wanted to reduce your credit card debt faster. I don’t blame you. Paying more than the minimum balance is key to killing that plastic debt and this Credit Card Calculator is just the tool to prove it. Warning, results may shock you!
14 Things to Do Before and After a Car Accident
I nearly lost my head (and husband) when a set of flying wheels flew off a truck and struck our car. Our car was totaled and I spent weeks having nightmares about eating an airbag. Not tasty. The outpouring of email from you guys was amazing, and I thank you for sharing your personal stories of similar experiences. Who knew flying wheels were so common?
4 Swiffer Cleaning Hacks for Cheaper Dust-Free Living
I felt a little bit silly showing you my Swiffer hack, but you liked this simple way to save money on refills while doing something good for the environment. PLUS: it works great on pet hair. 
Printable Grocery Shopping List
I created this grocery list to help you find affordable (cheap), healthy, and delicious foods while grocery shopping, fast. It’s a great printable template. Download away!
Anatomy of a Killer Resume
Some of you loved the humor. Others liked the resume writing help.
10 Reasons Soaking Dried Beans Can Change Your Life
You’re a bunch of keener beaners. I’m gassed by email I still get about soaking dried beans. Bean there. Soak that.
397 Ways To Save Money
You all must like free s$it, because after introducing my first book,
397 Ways To Save Money, I decided to give away a few signed copies to some savvy readers.
Anytoobad, the contest is long over. But you can still download a free excerpt of my Amazon Canada Top 100 Bestseller. Thank you to everyone who bought, browsed, or borrowed my book from their local library.
How to Be a Woman
I slapped my red brassier on a set of gorgeous grapefruits and got in touch with my feminine side. How to Be a Woman garnered more email and Twitter messages I could manage. You told me your stories. You picked your favorite points. I even got a marriage proposal. Seriously.
50 Reasons to Go Green with Reusable Grocery Bags
Living on an organic farm I often see discarded plastic shopping bags blowing into and littering our fields. I felt compelled to write about a better way.
Five Cheap, Easy, and Healthy Family Dinners for $5
Feed your family on five bucks with these yummy and frugalicious dinners. You won’t be eating fillet mignon, but you may feast your eyes on the yummy photography. This article inspired the eBook: Frugal Food & Fitness: Get fab without spending a fortune.
Ten Reasons the Diva Cup Can Change Your Life
I went there. I ragged on so-called “feminine girlie products”. I didn’t expect anyone to comment. I was wrong. You all love your Diva Cups and had a good laugh when I told you the reasons I love mine. Some brave fellas commented too. Kudos.
How to Get Rid of Fruit Flies with a Homemade Trap
You bugged out and killed fruit flies dead with this frugal trap. I felt silly posting this do-it-yourself project. But after our fruit harvest, the flies were driving me buggy. They must have bugged you too.
How I Paid Off My Student Debt in Six Months
I’ll never forget the feeling of graduating from school with my degree in one hand yet starting a new life with 17K of debt in the other. To put it bluntly, the feeling sucked. Don’t let student debt get you down.
What Were Your 3 Worst Financial Decisions?
A few months ago I started the Squawkback feature where I ask a question and you answer in the comments. In this instance we looked at our money mistakes and considered the lessons learned from our financial folly. Your financial wisdom has helped thousands of people.
Just say “NO” to crap!
There’s nothing crappy about this article. I launched an anti-crap campaign. I wanted you to say “NO” to buying crap. Many of you sent me email about your own attack on crap. One of you printed out this post and stuck it on your refrigerator. I am honored to be “refrigerator worthy”.
My name is not really Squawkfox
You wanted to know my real name, so I told you. Thousands of people “Googled” my name the day this post went live. I guess you were looking for some good digital dirt? Snicker. Or maybe this post was so popular because I shared the secret to getting laid? Silly, I know.
There you have it, your favorite posts from the past few years. Did I miss one?
Blog Reactions:
- 397 Ways to Save Money! « Through The Illusion June 12th, 2009
Your Worst Financial Decisions
6 Words That Make Your Resume Suck
10 Frugal Gift Ideas
Credit Card Calculator
Printable Workout Log
Easy, Cheap, and Healthy Dinners for $5
How I Paid Off $17,000 of Debt in 6 Months
Why the Diva Cup can change Your Life
Your Two Cents:
Hey Foxy, LOVE the site! Looks fantastic, IS entertaining and highly educational and brings me back wanting more.
I “arrived here” by accident when I read your beautiful story about Simon. What a great person he was and how lucky for you to have crossed paths, ‘though I’d say that luck had nothing to do with it at all as I firmly believe that “good begets good”.
Love your stories, great perspective and awesome insights, thanks. It sure helps running across your site at a time when I’m trying desperately hard to be frugal yet still live life well. Plus, that red bra is to die for – so sexy!
I am doing my first IM – IMC, as a matter of fact – this year so I am even more drawn to you as a cool woman to “know”.
I think I have a lot to learn from you-
you my dear is made of win.
I just barely found your blog (even though I’ve been around in the financial blogosphere for nigh unto a year) and LOVE it!
You’ve got truly unique content, a great perspective, and a quality presentation. I have a lot to learn from you, and am excited to have found your blog.
Keep up the good work!
really love the site, but I’m confused as to why I can’t download your lovely looking e-book now that I’m a bonafide subscriber. Can you help?
@Vicky I just sent you an email. Your ebook can now be downloaded.
This site is great. I like the fresh new looks and ideas. You have really good takes. Thank you much.
Love your website,lots of usefull information.Wonder if you can help me. What recourse
, if any, is there when a large mutual fund freezes all monies,resulting in no income and depletion of principal.
Hi Brian, The Globe and Mail is looking for stories like yours.
They ask, “Have you been a victim of financial fraud? If so, tell us your story. http://tgam.ca/JI2 ”
They may be able to help.
Hi Fox, I love your blog; the charts, worksheets, downloads etc. I found you from the wisdom carnival (i’m in it too). Really usable stuff!!
Does anyone have any thoughts about Ally Bank Canada? The interest rates are great, but its a pretty new bank..
Hi: now my friends can no longer call me cheap, as you have made it sexy to be thrifty. Thanks to G&M, I found you. Did I miss it? I did not see some of my favorites money saving tips. Here they are:
1. use a clothes line: no need for a dryer. I was completely aghast when I lived in North Vancouver and bylaws prevented using clothes lines, so I dried everrything on chairs backs, clothes racks and porch rails. Even in Quebec, in winter, my mom never used a dryer.
2. with boomerang kids, it makes for laundry a bit haphazard. My friends take pride in their kids doing their own laundry. I don’t: it means doing a washing with barely a few items in the laundry machine. So I institute a “laundry day” like in my grandma days: then we make piles of whites, light colour,and dark colour laundry. And every one takes a turn. So grown up kids get to do laundry as well, but on rotation.
Thanks for educating the masses. They severely lack these tips of wisdom. Plato would adore you.
I’m trying to save money on our electrical costs. I made up a chart listing all the light fixtures in our house in one column. Three other columns are “Incandescent”, “CFL”, and “LED”. My first audit resulted in 1/3 of the bulbs in the house were checked off as Incandescent and the other 2/3 were checked off as CFL.
Although LED bulbs use less energy by far, they are the most expensive to purchase. I am replacing the remaining incandescent bulbs with CFL’s for a quick energy savings while replacing the CFL’s room by room as they burn out with LED bulbs as money allows.
I picked some storage areas to try out different types of LED bulbs before committing to using them in frequently occupied rooms. This is important because LED bulbs come in different types such as Blue, White, Warm, etc. If you like the warm lighting in your living room then you may be shocked at the bluish tint given out by your new LED lighting. It’s best to discover this with one bulb in a storage room vrs. 4-8 bulbs (@ maybe $70 each) in your living room. Choosing a brand with superior Luman output is important too. Not all “65 watt equivilant” LED bulbs are created equal. Read the specs – look for Luman output!
I don’t think my wife wants the bluish tint in the living room (I don’t either) so I’m going to order the “Warm” version of the bulb. If the light tone is acceptable I’ll order more and put them in the living room, bathroom, etc. If the Luman level isn’t quite high enough for a big room I can always replace our ceiling fan with one that has built-in lamps (also refitted with LEDs) to provide even more lighting.
One final suggestion, after testing the light’s hue and brightness in an out-of-the-way area, try to switch to LED lighting first in the rooms you use most frequently to get the biggest bang for the buck.
Love the website, fantastic information presented in a fun, creative and informative way. Havn’t recieved the free ebook yet though and wondering what the process is? Thanks Fox
@Bonnie The eBook email just went out. Please let me know if you’re still waiting.