Frugal doesn't mean cheap.

Every now and then, I like to wave the banner of "why spend it when you don't need to (or have it)?" My kids are firmly grounded on the Knitternall family credo: spend less, get more.

1. I love to read. I'm always trolling for the latest and best stories. I just can't afford to buy ALL the books I read each week. I empathize with the authors (they have to make a living). But the library is my best friend. I go online to the DeKalb County library website, reserve the titles I want to read - I'm often 100+ in the queue - and wait patiently until it's my turn. I just finished The Guernsey Potato Peel Pie Society book and it was lovely.

2. I love to knit. But I definitely can't buy every knitting book by favorite designers just for that single design. So I troll Ravelry to see if someone wants to sell a book they've loved and finished, explore the free patterns rampant on the internet, and work with a few designs of my own. The result is quite satisfying and affordable.

3. I love clothes and shoes. Yep, I do. My love is focused on perfect t's, stylish jeans, and really, really, REALLY comfortable outdoor shoes by Keen and Land's End and LL Bean. So I watch sales, consighment store shoe racks, and eBay. Scored in recent weeks : pristine royal blue Keen sandals at a thrift store in Greensboro, NC for $4.59, all-weather hiking books from the Lands' End store at Sears during their 75% off sale last season ($12.50), and Teva flip-flops for the pool, brand new for a measly $4 in a sale bin at Sports Authority. Lest you think I'm only about the sales, I just spent $90 on a pair of Merrell waterproof hiking boots for A because his feet are growing faster than his body and he's gotta have the good stuff for Scout hikes and camping trips.

4. I love outings with the family. But why pay full price when there are lovely bargains all around? For Spring Break, I paid just $15 a ticket for the Georgia Aquarium at a website John Heneghen kindly shared, we're hiking Stone Mountain ($8 parking pass and the outdoor parts of the park are all yours), and Helen, Georgia is just a couple of hours' drive and a kitschy day's worth of fun. Fun!

5. I love my haircut. Dunwoody salons often charge up to $100 to maintain your 'do, but I like Azima Salon. They let me stroll in without an appointment, clip and blow dry my hair for less than $35, and keep me within my "under 10 minutes" wash-dry-style maintenance rule.

6. I love dates with my husband. We've fallen into a weekly date habit at Olde Hickory House, sharing breakfast on Friday mornings after dropping off the kids at school and before we head to our respective jobs. We get some uninterrupted chat time, catch up and plan ahead, and revel in the couple-ness of the morning, all for less than $15 most weeks. We've been down the white-tablecloth-and-hovering-waitstaff route all around the world. Nothing compares to plates of simple breakfast staples and plenty of hot coffee in a to-go cup (him) and diet Coke (me).

Frugal doesn't mean cheap. It means valuing what you get.

More than a haircut

About a month ago, AG said she wanted to cut her hair. Her gorgeous, multi-hued, long red hair. She'd been growing it for a few years in preparation for Middle School and all-things-tween. So I told her to wait - let's see if this is an impulse or really what you want to do.

In the spirit of reasoned debate, I pointed out:

• Long hair is "the look" for tweens and teens.
• You've been growing it for more than 3 years.
• You won't be able to wear a pony tail or a messy bun (both of her favorite styles).
• It's not long enough for Locks of Love.

My daughter is nothing if not determined. This kid knows her mind better than any adult I know. She doesn't care what the crowd is doing (particularly the Queen Bees and their courts) and she can always grow it again. I really admire this about her.

Somewhere along the line, her BF D joined the game. Both wanted haircuts, and both wanted them at the same time.

After careful consultation between moms, we made a weekend of it. D spent the night, we got up this morning, and breakfasted at Panera Bread. Then we dropped in at Azima here in Dunwoody, my fave place to get my own hair cut because they do really good work, charge reasonable prices, and TAKE WALK-INS.

(Sure, Great Cuts does the same thing, but that's a newbie factory. Azima is much, much better than that. I never have a hair appointment because I can't plan that far ahead.)

Both girls were taken at the same time. No wincing, no gulps.

And they look wonderful. Nice jaw-line blunt cuts, with bangs for D and without for AG.

Of course, there's a knitting connection. I worked on Jaywalker (MagKnits) while both girls enjoyed their pampering. The first sock is coming along very well. The pattern is easily memorized and I'm in the leg portion, so it's as close to mindless knitting as it gets.