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Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Frugal Gems: My Foot, My Tutor*

I put out a call a while back for some new-to-me frugality blogs. I was afraid my blogroll was getting kind of unbalanced: all the stylistas are still blogging, but many of the frugalistas (or frugalistos) have ceased, sadly. Thanks to all who came through with suggestions: I will report back soon.

Interestingly, I have discovered frugal gems in other sorts of blogs. Frugality is all around us, it seems.

First up, let's look at Mary of SimplyForties. Mary writes about frugality all the time, in fact, but she somehow fell off my radar. Anyway, in the way of the blogworld, she kindly commented on MY blog, so I took a look at hers.

What a (re)find. There she had a great post on plantar fasciitis , an afflcition that seems to, well, afflict everyone, including women who have never worn high heels or pointy toes. (Not fair.)

Here Mary articulates a basic law of frugality: in her discussion of orthotics, she notes: According to a study done by the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine custom orthotics are no more effective than off-the shelf orthotics so you might want to try the $50 Dr. Scholl's variety before investing in pricier models.

Frugal Maxim: Try the low cost version before the high cost. This applies to things besides orthotics. Try the over-the-counter mouthguard ($30) before the custom one your dentist offers to have made for you ($$$$????). Try the low-cost state university before NYU (you can transfer later).

Sometimes, the low cost version isn't satisfactory, but at least you KNOW FOR SURE.

Thank you, Mary. I shall return.

*Do you recognize the quotation: "My foot, my tutor"? Two possible answers.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

For plantar fascitis, I've found that stretching and exercise, and walking barefoot indoors at home (instead of wearing slippers) have helped me more than anything else. I'm convinced it has to do with a weakness in the foot, rather than a need for more cushioning.

I agree with trying the cheaper versions first-- although, as someone who chose a private college and has also attended and worked at community and state colleges of various sizes, I have to disagree (or at least qualify) your advice about the colleges.

I think the most important factor in choosing a college is the student's personality and academic needs at the time. Some people will do better living at home and attending a community college; others will do better at a big state college; and yet others will do better at a private college where there are fewer distractions and more personal attention. (Which, for some students, might be perceived as too much pressure.)

These days, students are having to make college choices primarily based on financial needs and I think that is sad. I've seen many students drop out of college, not because they weren't qualified, but because they were at a school that just wasn't a good fit for them.

Mary said...

Hey, thanks for the shout out! I appreciate it and I'm glad you got something out of the article. I'm glad we "re-discovered" each other too!

I think that quote is from The Tempest, right?

Duchesse said...

Such good advice! Also, I have fund my feet in much better shape with regular (3-4x/week) yoga practice.

Frugal Scholar said...

@Ms M--Thanks for the foot advice. I've written a lot about college choices over the last 2 years--it's a conflicted issue for me. If you have financial need, you can go to any private school that wants you. For middle income people, there are difficult choices to be made.

@Mary-Thanks for the inspiration (and information). Yes--The Tempest. Also a play by Peter Handke.

@Duchesse-I have a yoga tape....I just need to do it.