Frugal Friday Linkage

Another Friday, another group of my favorite links about frugality and other money issues. A frugal victory this week: secondhand stores that resell children's toys escape the testing restrictions of new lead laws going into effect.

There was a consideration to remove all toys from secondhand stores to prevent possible exposure to the lead that some manufacturers recently discovered in their goods. That was an acceptable idea, but in reality, there are probably more toys in secondhand stores that do not contain lead than there are those that do. At that point, it would have become less of an issue of child safety, and more of an environmental concern as secondhand stores and consumers sent all unsellable goods straight to the landfill, exponentially increasing our already irresponsible level of waste. As it turns out, the responsibility of ensuring safety for their children remains with parents, as it should.

Toy manufacturers in the small business realm, as well as those who make and sell homemade toys, are still being effected. They'll be required to pay large sums of money to have their goods tested for safety before being sold. The cost of that requirement may cause smaller manufacturers to close their doors.

Kellogg Warns Not To Eat Its Peanut Butter Crackers (Including Austin Brand) :: CNN.com (These cheap snacks might be in your pantry.)

Frugal First Steps :: Like Merchant Ships

Author Advocates Personal Finance Tough Love :: MSNBC.com

Second Hand Stores Escape Lead Laws :: WYFF4.com

Golden Thimble's 527 Free Crafy Links :: Tipnut.com

More Businesses Using Freelancers :: Living @ CNN.com

Free Webinar : Organizing Your Classroom 101 :: Homeschool Connections

India's Poor Could Help Save Economy :: Newsweek.com

Low on Cash, French Quarter may Stink Again :: CNN.com

Homemade Pancake Syrup Recipe :: Tipnut.com

Store Bankruptcies Can Burn Shoppers :: MSNBC.com

New Year, Same Old Scams :: MSNBC.com