Freebie Friday: Norway Offers Free Tuition at all Public Universities -- Undergraduate to Ph. D.--For Anyone!

Free Tuition to Anyone at all Norwegian Colleges and Universities

Mr Frugal Life is proud to present a new, weekly theme: "Freebie Friday". Freebie Friday is focused on providing our readers with the best freebies from across the internet. This week is a dual freebie, offering the world's first free, accredited online university: "University of the People" and a freebies we are proud to offer on our first Mr. Frugal Life "Freebie Friday": Free Tuition at All Norwegian Universities whether or not you are a Norwegian citizen:

The majority of Norwegian institutions of higher education are publicly funded. And the Norwegian government considers access to higher education for all to be an important part of the Norwegian society. Thus, there are normally no tuition fees at state universities and university colleges in Norway. This also applies to foreign students, no matter which country you come from.

Certain fees are required, but these fees also come with benefits such as health care, discounts on public transportation, and much more. Also certain fees are required for particular programs, mostly at the master's level. Most classes are taught in English, making the transition as smooth as possible.

Best Norwegian Universities to Enjoy Free Tuition And Norwegian Lifestyle

According to the United Nations (UN), Norway enjoys the highest standard of living of any country. A small country with only 4.9 million people, the winters are severe due to the proximity to the arctic circle, and the summers are warm.

Some of the best universities to enjoy Norway's free tuition are:

• List of Norwegian Colleges with Free Tuition: http://www.studyinnorway.no/Where-can-I-study/List-of-institutions
• Norwegian University of Science & Technology
• University of Oslo

Free tuition at a Norwegian university would be great for someone about to graduate high school, a returning student, or a retiree looking to stay active with a bit of traveling and learning. Mr. Frugal Life wishes you the best on your Norwegian adventure, and please post in the comments if you go to Norway because of this post.

How To DIY Beautiful Shoe Rack, with pictures!

How To DIY Amazing Shoe Rack, Great Gift for Girlfriend or Wife

Creating this elegant piece of furniture that will help organize and display your shoes is a great project for a novice or intermediate woodworker! This shoe rack and storage organizer makes a great gift for a wife or girlfriend to help organize and display her favorite shoes.

Step 1: Mock-Up for design of shoe rack. Height/Width are tailored to your own needs.

Step 2: Before assembly, primer & paint with your chosen color.

Step 3: Final Assembly & Finishwork.

A stylish shoe rack that looks good and helps display and organize!

To view more detailed instructions and photos: https://imgur.com/a/29ePy

Target's slogan: A little honesty.

How To Avoid Paying Huge Markups on Prescription Eyeglasses

How To Save Money When Purchasing Prescription Eyeglasses and Sunglasses

Despite the seemingly large number of brand name glasses, styles, and retail stores to purchase glasses, most glasses and sunglasses are made by a single company, and this same company owns most of the stores that sell eyeglasses.

To learn about the current monopoly on prescription eyeglasses, watch the following short video from CBS News on 60 Minutes:





Luxottica creates prescription glasses, frames, and sunglasses for a wide diversity brands including Coach, Prada, Tiffany, Oakley, Ray*Ban, and many of the most popular brands. Luxottica also distributes and sells these eyeglasses through retail stores such as Sunglass Hut & Lenscrafters. Almost a complete monopoly, you can save 80-90% from these designer eyeglasses by following a few simple tips:

Best Places to Purchase Prescription Eye Glasses

 

 

• If you want to buy from a retail location, purchase prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses directly from Costco, avoiding the Luxottica eyeglass Monopoly at smaller 'boutique' or mall locations.
• Purchase from Online retailers such as: ZenniOptical.com
• Although I have never used this website before, it looks promising, offering prescription glasses both Frames & Lenses for $39: http://www.39dollarglasses.com/
• Coastal.com is another online prescription retailer.
• Other recommendations for online prescription eyeglass retailers.

How To Refurbish a Pool Table, DIY Cost $300 with Pictures

How To Refurbish a used, broken pool table to a new pool table for $300

Pool--or Billiards, as the game is also known--has been played for centuries. A billiard table is a great addition to any home or game room, and can add a tremendous value to your home. New Billiard tables can cost more than $1,000.00. One way to save money on a new billiard table is to purchase an old one and refurbish the table. 

Before: A wobbly, smelly pool table ready for new life

After: Better-than-new pool table for $300 in Parts & Materials Cost

 How to Refurbish Pool Table

Step 1: Remove felt lining and laminate attached with adhesive.

Step 2: Remove all felt from slate.

Step 3: Remove slate, sand & clean.

Step 5: Affix Felt Cloth to Slate with Adhesive. Pull Felt Tight.

Step 6: Reattach Slate and Laminate Sidings with Felt.

Step 7: Enjoy your brand new refurbished pool table!

For the cost of $300.00, you have a pool table that is better than new and will last many decades with proper care and maintenance. Refurbishing items is a great way to save money while practicing different skills. Have you ever refurbished an item? A car, boat or even a house? More pictures available at: http://imgur.com/a/RnrLb

Mr Frugal Life: Excellent Financial Tips from Warren Buffett

Warren Buffet is known as the 'Oracle of Omaha' for his financial prowess and long, successful career as a "Value investor":

"[Warren Buffet] is widely considered the most successful investor of the 20th century." Wikipedia article on Warren Buffet

Financial and Frugal Tips from the Oracle of Omaha: 

Stop throwing away food! How To Keep Food Fresher, Longer: DIY air vacuum machine.

 How To Keep Food Fresh Longer -- DIY Air Vacuum Machine

The enemy of Mr Frugal Life is "waste", and especially wasted food. In America, we waste 1/3 of all food that is grown. Food can go bad, or be thrown away for many reasons:

• Don't like taste or flavor of food.
• Food is beyond its expiration date, or has grown mold.
• Food is in some way no longer edible.

By throwing away less food, we are able to save money, conserve resources, and is just general good practice. One of the best ways to throw away less food is to prevent freezer burn when storing frozen foods (such as meat, poultry) for long periods of time. Air, or more specifically the bacteria in the air, is the reason for food spoilage and freezer burn. By reducing the amount of air in the containers that our food is stored in, we will throw away less food and reduce our food expenses by the simple fact that we are not throwing away as much food because the food we bought lasts longer.

How to DIY Air Vacuum Machine

An air vacuum machine is excellent for keeping food fresh for long periods of time, and meats and vegetables last almost indefinitely when frozen. An air vacuum machine can range from $10 (used) to $40 (new), and reusable bags are available directly from Amazon rather than the manufacturer. A cheap, quick way to DIY an air vacuum machine is to use the pressure of water to eliminate as much as air possible from a Ziploc bag:

Fill a sink with water and place ziploc bag with air opening up.

The finished, air vacuumed food will last much longer when frozen.

Air Vacuuming food to freeze is a great practice when purchasing large amounts of food at a discount (Such as chicken drumsticks, steak, etc) when it goes on sale at the super market. Buying large amounts of food when a store has a clearance or discount is a common practice of Mr Frugal Life, but this practice can easily cost more money if the food is not eaten, goes bad, or eventually gets thrown away for whatever reason. By using this one, simple easy trick you will be able to reduce your waste and spend less on your food expenses!

Other uses for DIY air vacuum machine

Some of the other uses for the DIY air vacuum machine include:

• Marinating Meats, Poultry, Fish and other animal-proteins prior to cooking.
• Extending the life of fresh fruit, fresh vegetables by removing air before placing in refrigerator.
• Packaging and Freezing pre-cooked meals, which can be later eaten as a meal on the go.

Read more about DIY air vacuum machine.

Other Tips to Stop Wasting and Throwing Away Less Food

• Have 1 week per month when you spend "No Money On Food" by eating leftovers, eating what you have in freezer and pantry.
• Do not be tempted to purchase junk food or other processed foods that are "on sale". These products are much more expensive, and if you don't like it, you are paying a lot of money for nothing.
• Create a "food menu" so you know what you will be having for each meal and how much to prepare which will reduce in waste. Creating a food menu can also help you save money on your budget in many ways.

How To Prepare Freezer Meals

 

Preparing Freezer meals is a healthy, frugal and time-saving way to cook. Freezer Meals are created when cooking a large batch of food that freezes well (such as spaghetti, soup, rice dishes) and many more. You freeze individual servings of cooked food so that during the busy week, you can heat a meal and have a great healthy meal available anytime!

A great website for Freezer Meal Recipe Ideas.