When I realized that I was hosting the 282nd Festival of Frugality this week, I decided to do a Memorial Day’s theme to honor all of those who have fought and died in service of our country.
Memorial Day, formerly known as Decoration Day, was started after the Civil War. After World War I, it was extended to commemorate the fallen of all wars. From Wikipedia:
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, which was first recorded to have been observed by Freedmen (freed enslaved southern blacks) in Charleston, South Carolina in 1865, at the Washington Race Course, to remember the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War. Today, what is now known as Memorial Day, commemorates all U.S. Service Members who died while in military service. The recognition of the fallen victims was then enacted under the name Memorial Day by an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic — to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War. Over time, it was extended after World War I to honor all Americans who have died in all wars.
So as we celebrate all things frugal, let’s also this week celebrate all of those who have fought and died in the cause of freedom.

Editor’s Picks
After reading through all of the submissions, here are my editor’s picks for this week. The topics? Making money with hobbies, something I’m a huge proponent of. Bartering your services in order to save money – something I’ve also done on occasion. Finally, a topic I’ve had a bit of overload on lately, extreme couponing, and a discussion of whether it’s a waste of time or not.
- Jim presents Six Hobbies That Can Make You Money posted at Bargaineering.
- Tom Drake presents Barter Your Services and Save a Fortune posted at Canadian Finance Blog.
- Glen Craig presents Extreme Couponing: Do You Really Save or is it a Waste of Time? posted at Free From Broke.

The Best Of The Rest
Here are some more of the best submissions from this week covering a wide gamut of topics, everything from refinancing, to lowering expenses to saving on utility costs.
- FMF presents Lower Expenses by Moving to a Rural Town posted at Free Money Finance.
- Jason presents Shopping Online: The Money-Saving Secret posted at Live Real, Now.
- Money Thinker presents Three Tips for Dealing with Teens and Money posted at Money Thinking.
- Sustainable PF presents Sustainability Tip #137: Digital Music posted at Sustainable Personal Finance.
- Kevin presents Moving Out? Don’t Throw That Old Furniture Away! Find a New Home for It with Kijiji posted at Invest It Wisely.
- Miss T. presents The ABC’s of Debt Reduction | Prairie EcoThrifter.com posted at Prairie Eco-Thrifter.
- Melissa presents Short on Time? Pick the Frugal Activities with the Most Benefit posted at Mom’s Plans.
- Niki presents Adventures in Batch Cooking, Ooking, Ooking posted at Debt Free by Thirty.
- Britney Hope presents Tips for romancing roommates posted at TotallyMoney.

- Mr. Money presents 3 Things You Need To Do Before You Retire posted at Smart On Money.
- Neal Frankle presents Should I Refinance My Mortgage? posted at Wealth Pilgrim.
- Consumer Boomer presents Room by Room Guide to Saving on Utility Costs posted at Consumer Boomer.
- Suba presents Apps to save money on gas posted at Wealth Informatics.
- Craig Ford presents Asset Allocation is the Biggest Investment Decision You’ll Ever Make posted at Money Help For Christians
- N.W. Journey presents What is a W-4 Form? posted at Networth Journey.
- Squirrelers presents Personal Finance Geekdom: The Economics of Picking Up Pennies posted at Squirrelers.
- Kay Lynn Akers presents Closet Project: Success and a Lesson posted at Bucksome Boomer.
- Tom presents Help Make Clothes Last Longer posted at StupidCents.
Thanks everyone for participating this week, and don’t forget to check out the Festival of Frugality over at Blog Carnival and submit for next week!
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Last Edited: 31st May 2011







{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for including out tip!
Good theme Pete, glad to grab an editor’s pick!
Thanks for hosting and for including me!
Thanks so much for hosting and including my post.
Thanks so much for hosting this week and for the Editor’s Pick!
Great theme too. It’s too easy for us to take a day like Memorial Day and think of it as a long weekend with a day off rather than thinking about those who gave all.
I enjoyed the history on Memorial (Decoration) Day and why it is celebrated today. U.S. Soldiers do not get enough praise. They make and have made enormous sacrifices to keep this country to give us our freedom and keep it intact.
Thank you for the inclusion. What a nice theme too.
Peter, thanks for hosting and including my article. My dad is buried in a national cemetery so I really looked at the pictures. Is that your dad or other relative’s headstone in the last one?
Yes, that’s my grandfather’s grave. Nice catch. If you look really close, you’ll see my grandfather’s grave is actually in all 3 pictures. :)