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7 Great Ways to Spend a Friday Night – Free or Cheap

Jennifer — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 07:42:04 +0000

The economic news just keeps getting worse and worse. A lot of us are on a tight budget. But it’s no fun just to sit at home all the time. So how can you have fun without spending much cash? Daytime isn’t too hard – there are always parks or taking walks, for example. But for an evening out, or a date, that can take a little planning. Here are some free and cheap ideas to have fun on a Friday or Saturday night.

1. HIT UP THE LIBRARY FOR FREE MOVIES
My local movie theaters charge $8 a ticket and about another $12 for popcorn and soda. That’s $20 per person for a night out at the movies. The local library has lots of DVD’s for free. Add in a couple bucks for snacks at home, and you spend no more than $5 for an evening for two.

2. CARD AND GAME NIGHT
If you don’t own a deck of cards, pick one up at the dollar store. And chances are, you have a few board games stashed in the closet, or you know someone who does. If not, check out some yard sales. Gather up your friends and enjoy the evening. If you want, make it a "casino night" theme; borrow some Sinatra and Dean Martin CD’s from the library for that Vegas ambiance.

3. USHER
No, not the R&B singer. Many local theaters use volunteer ushers. In return, you see the show for free. I did volunteer ushering and saw some great popular musicals with talented local performers.

4. HANG OUT AT THE BOOKSTORE
You don’t have to drop a lot of cash there. Just buy a coffee and flip through magazines. Check out the bargain bin if you want to buy anything. Many bookstores also have free entertainment; check their customer service desk for schedules.

5. SEARCH FOR FREE EVENTS
Chances are your community offers free and inexpensive options for weekend fun. Pick up a local entertainment newspaper such as City Paper (if there is one in your city) or do a quick online search for "free events (your city name)". Here are a few good sites for some major U.S. cities:
http://www.freenyc.net – Free stuff in the Big Apple
http://www.freefunguides.com – Has free events for L.A., San Diego, San Francisco, NYC and Seattle
http://www.phillyfunguide.com – Click on ‘free’ to see free events; also sign up for their FunSavers email list to get half-price concert and show tickets
http://chicago.metromix.com/events/roundup/free-chicago-events/510128/content – Free events in Chicago

6. CHECK OUT YOUR LOCAL CLUBS
Obviously, clubbing sometimes can cost a lot of money, between cover charges and drinks. But it doesn’t have to. Check your local paper (or the paper’s website) for no-cover or cheap nights. Open mike nights are usually cheap or free, and you can hear some good local talent, too. Some dance clubs are free or reduced cover, especially if you get there before a certain time such as 10 p.m.

7. BALLROOM, SWING AND SALSA DANCING
This is a personal favorite of mine. Many dance studios (and some clubs) have dance parties that typically cost $10-15, and for that you get: dinner, a dance lesson, and a full evening of dancing. It’s a great bargain. The only trouble is, you might like partner dancing so much that you’ll want to spend money on lessons to get really good! Tip: If you’re new at dancing, call or email the event organizer to make sure the event is beginner-friendly.
For ballroom dance, start with finding your local USA Dance chapter at: http://usadance.org/chapters-and-regions/find-a-local-chapter. The chapter will be able to point you to local ballroom dance events.
For salsa, Salsa Chicago has a list of links for many cities: http://www.salsachicago.com/n_dancelinks.htm
For swing, you’re best off searching for "swing dance" and (your city name)

Dean’s Additions:

Dollar Movies Theaters are great if you missed a good movie in the past couple of months
Window Shopping can be fun just remember to leave your wallet at home and bring the minimal amount of cash you need in case of an emergency
Play tourist for the night. I live in Honolulu, Hawaii so sometimes it is fun just to do tourist things that don’t cost a lot of money. I’m sure each town has something unique and interesting to do.
Bake Night - If you enjoy baking you could make Friday night baking night. You could get the whole family involved plus you get sweets for the rest of the week. This could be great family bonding time.
Turn Off the TV and Be Creative. Turning off the TV could be one of the best things you do for yourself and your family. The best things in life are free.

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7 Great Ways to Spend a Friday Night – Free or Cheap

10 Money Saving Gadgets Under $50 Bucks

Jennifer — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 01:02:07 +0000

Love gadgets? Good. There are some that actually save you money without costing much upfront. I get a little frustrated when I look for information about saving money and get suggestions about buying new washers, gas-efficient cars, and such. That’s fine, but how often do you need a new washer? Here are ten inexpensive gadgets that you can probably use- and afford – right now.

1. Programmable Coffee Maker:

Example: Braun KF590 Impressions Digital 10-Cup Programmable Coffeemaker
Price: about $50

It really amazes me how many people spend extra time and money to buy their morning coffee at convenience stores or at Starbucks. It’s so much easier and faster to make your coffee at home. With a programmable unit, you set it up the night before, and you wake up to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Have a couple of lidded travel mugs on hand (can be found at dollar or discount stores). Pour the coffee into the mug, add cream and sugar if you like, and head out the door. I do like that Starbucks taste, so I buy their coffee in bags at the supermarket or at their stores. Tip: if you buy bagged whole bean coffee at a Starbucks store, they will grind it for free, AND you get a free cup of brewed coffee to drink while you’re there. Make sure to ask for it.

A pound of ground coffee ($10) lasts me about a month, for brewing one large mug (16 oz.) five days per week, so that’s 50 cents each time. Assuming your coffee maker lasts five years, the price divides up to about 5 cents per use. So for a total of 55 cents, you get a great mug of coffee, saving you from $1-3 each time compared to buying coffee out (depending where you go). If you save $2 each time, you’ll break even in only six months. I love my Braun coffee maker and it’s been very reliable.

2. Programmable Thermostat

Example: Lux TX9100E 7 Day Programmable Thermostat
Price: about $55

Save money on heating and cooling with a programmable thermostat. They provide very precise temperature control and can be programmed to automatically lower your air conditioning and/or heat use while you’re not home. You can save up to 20 percent on your heating and cooling bills. So, if your electric bill is $100 per month, and you save 10% per month ($10), this product pays for itself in only 5 months. This Lux unit comes recommended by a leading consumer magazine. Okay, it’s five bucks above the $50 limit I mentioned, but well worth it.

3. At-Home Exercise Videos

Example: The Firm: Pump, Jump and Jab
Price: $14.95

Gym memberships typically cost about $50 month. You can cut the cost down to zero just by running and walking instead, but if that bores you, or the weather is bad, you can get in shape equally well at home with exercise videos. I used videos to get back in shape after I had my son. It was great since I didn’t have to leave home and think about child care, and I could fit it into my schedule. I used The Firm videos; they are challenging and really tone you up. If you love to dance, the Zumba videos are fun. If you’re not sure which videos to get, pay a visit to your local library and borrow some to try out before you buy. If you buy three videos and rotate using them, they pay for themselves in only one month, compared to a gym membership.

4. Tap Water Filter

Example: Brita Disposable Faucet Filtration System
Price: about $45

Why spend money on bottled water? I bought this Brita faucet-mount water filter. No tools required; it was quick and easy to install on my kitchen faucet, and believe me, I’m not handy. This model is disposable and lasts up to a full year with no filters to change. It has an electronic indicator that tells you when it’s time for a replacement. The tap water in my house is pretty funky-tasting and this filter does a great job of cleaning things up. Pays for itself in about 6 months if you have been using bottled water every day.

5. Solar Holiday Lights
Price: $39.99 on sale

Now that the holidays are over, pick up some energy efficient solar-powered outdoor holiday lights; they’re on sale. They they charge up during the day from the sun’s power, turn on automatically in the evening, and stay on most of the night. No electricity required!

6. High-Efficiency Showerhead
Example: Delta 75152 Water Amplifying Adjustable Showerhead
Price: $25

High efficiency showerheads save money by reducing the amount of water that needs to flow through your hot water heater. An average American household can save as much as 15,000 gallons of water per year by installing high-efficiency shower heads. And you save the energy costs which would be required to heat the water.

This Delta model is a water-saving 1.85 gallons per minute, but is designed to feel like the standard 2.5 gallons per minute. So you save water and energy. Break even: about 10 months.

7. Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
Example: GE 97659 13-Watt (60 Watt equivalent) Energy Smart Soft White Spiral T3 Light Bulb 6-Pack
Price: $3.24 each ($19.41 for a 6-pack)
Time Until Break Even: 4 months

CFLs can easily save $100 a year. Just replace a regular bulb with a CFL, and you’ll save about a dollar per bulb every two months or so. GE makes them in "soft-white" so you’ll get pleasant lighting that is more similar to regular bulbs instead of a harsh fluorescent look.

8. Solar Powered Pocket Calculator
Example: Aurora HC127 Dual Power Executive Foldable Style 8 Digit Hardcase Calculator
Price: $6.99

Figure out unit prices, calculate tips, balance your checkbook…there are numerous tasks for this nice, simple little gadget and it will likely pay for itself after just a couple of uses.

This model has extra big number eight-digits and display with an adjustable angle, so even the most nearsighted should have no trouble. Plus it’s in a folding hard case, nice for your pocket, purse or briefcase. Dimensions: 4-3/5"W x 2-2/5"D x 3/5"H.

9. Portable Flash Drive
Example: Kingston Data Traveler 1 GB
Price: $8.02
Time Until Break Even: 1 month

I love my flash drive. You can back up important files, so you save money on not having to buy and burn CD’s for backup. It’s amazing how cheap flash drives are these days – just $8 bucks for a gig, wow. Only a couple years ago, they cost several times more.

10. Battery Charger
Example: Rayovac Universal Battery Charger for Rechargeable AA, AAA, C, D, and 9-Volt Batteries
Price: $19.27
Time Until Break Even: 1-6 months

Got kids with battery-powered toys? Got home gadgets? Chances are you’re going through lots of batteries. I have one of those closet stickup lights that I swear needs new batteries almost every week. Time to get myself some rechargeable batteries and use this gadget to keep them juiced.

Help Feed a Hungry Dog

Sunnie — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 07:31:04 +0000

This is another site similar to freerice.com posted back in March of this year. It’s a way to test your animal trivia and help feed a hungry animal, all from the comfort of your own home. Freekibble.com has a daily offering of one canine related trivia question. Whether you get the question right or wrong, with each answered question you have just donated 10 pieces of kibble. This site has a lot to offer and it’s fun for kids of all ages too.

A Veterinarian friend of mine recently told me about this website knowing how much my kids love animals. It’s one of the first things they do together every morning. With the economy at such an unpredictable state every charity is struggling to survive. You can do your part for free and help a homeless, hungry pooch.

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10 Cheap, Quick & Easy Meals

Jennifer — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 02:31:48 +0000

Eating out can get expensive. I decided to put together a quick list of some quick, cheap and easy meals that you can make. With a little bit of effort you add these meals to your meal menu. If you really don’t like to cook you might want to check out our list of the top 10 fast food meals, but don’t forget to also check out our list of the top 10 fast food meals that will make you fat.

1. The ever-classic spaghetti dinner:
1 pound spaghetti, 1 26 oz. jar of sauce, and (optional) 1/2 pound hamburger
I don’t even bother to make meatballs from the hamburger; just crumble it up in a saucepan and brown it, then drain the fat. Add the sauce and simmer till warm. Meantime, boil, then drain the spaghetti. Open up a bag of pre-made salad to serve with it.

2. Another classic budget standby, here’s a super-easy tuna casserole:
1 box macaroni and cheese, 1 can tuna, drained, and 1 or 2 stalks of chopped celery.
Prepare the mac and cheese according to package directions; mix in tuna and celery.

3. Ready-made chicken dinner:
Buy a prepared rotisserie chicken at the supermarket, plus one loaf french or italian bread and one bag of salad or package of frozen vegetables.
No cooking is even involved in this one, except if you use the frozen vegetables and then you need only cook them a few minutes in the microwave.

4. Ramen main dish soup:
Every college student relies on ramen for cheap eats. It makes a good meal, with a couple of additions.
2 packages ramen soup, 1 bag frozen chinese veggies, and 1/4 – 1 pound of cooked, diced meat such as chicken or beef, 3 cups water
Put the water in a pot, add the veggies and meat, cook till the veggies are done. Add the ramen noodles and seasoning and cook until the noodles are done.

5. Anytime breakfast food:
Yes, eggs are good for dinner, too.
Cook eggs your favorite way (scrambled, fried, etc.) and serve with toast plus bacon or ham.

6. Quick Chili:
1 pound ground beef, 1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes, 1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, 1 packet chili seasoning mix
Crumble the beef into a large skillet; cook and stir until evenly browned. Drain off grease. Drain the liquid from the kidney beans. Mix the beans, tomatoes, chili seasoning mix into the beef. Simmer for 15 minutes.

7. Linguini and White Clam Sauce:
One of my favorites!
1 pound linguini, 2 small or one larger can of chopped clams, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup white wine, 1/4 tsp. garlic salt (or 1 fresh clove, chopped), dried parsley and red pepper to taste
Open the clams and drain the liquid into a big pot; set aside the clams. Add more water to the pot and bring to boil; add the linguine and cook linguine until al dente, then drain. Meanwhile, heat the oil in another pot; add garlic, clams, white wine, parsley and red pepper. Cook about 5 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens a bit; if you like thicker sauce, sprinkle in about 1 tsp. cornstarch and blend thoroughly; serve over the linguine. Add a packaged salad.

8. Super-simple ham dinner:
No need to buy a giant ham! Buy a single packaged pre-cooked slice of ham (about 8 oz.) for two people, or more slices for more people.
Sprinkle the slices with brown sugar and put in a toaster oven on broiler setting for 5 minutes; turn, sprinkle with more brown sugar and broil another 3-5 minutes depending on thickness of ham. Serve with microwaved frozen carrots and some noodles.

9. Ultra-easy chicken in mushroom sauce:
About 3 pounds of your favorite chicken parts such as thighs or breasts (I get whatever is on sale), 1 can of Cream of Mushroom soup
Use a roasting pan or casserole pan which is big enough to hold all the pieces of chicken in a single layer. After you put the chicken in the pan, add the can of soup (DO NOT ADD WATER TO THE SOUP). Spread the soup around to cover all of the chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 min. or until the chicken is done. The soup will turn into a luscious sauce. For extra pizzazz, add sliced fresh or canned mushrooms. Serve with salad.

10. Hearty chicken soup:
2 cans chicken broth, 4-8 oz. uncooked noodles, 1 cup mixed frozen vegetables (such as peas & carrots), 1 or 2 cups of leftover cooked, diced chicken
Put the broth in a pan and add the frozen vegetables and noodles. When the noodles are almost cooked, add the chicken. Basically you can add any amount of vegetables, noodles or chicken to taste. If you add a lot of noodles, the soup will thicken and be more like a casserole, which is good too. Season as desired with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning.

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5 Delicious, Cheap & Easy Slow Cooker Recipes

Dean — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 00:02:37 +0000

Slow cookers are allow you to make cheap, hearty and easy meals. Especially around the busy holidays now might be a good time use your slow cooker. Here are 5 slow cooker meals that you should give a try.

CROCKPOT COQ AU VIN

–6 to 8 frozen chicken thighs

–6 slices cooked and crumbled bacon (regular or turkey bacon)

–8 oz sliced baby portabella mushrooms (they are right next to the regular mushrooms)

–1 cup baby carrots

–1 chopped yellow onion

–3 cloves chopped or minced garlic

–1/2 tsp. black pepper

–1/2 tbsp. kosher salt

–1/2 cup chicken broth

–1 1/2 cup inexpensive red wine (or cooking wine)

–2 large fresh thyme sprigs, or dash of dried, powdered thyme

Coq au Vin is French for "Chicken in Wine". The alcohol burns off, leaving just the flavor, by the way. This is a great recipe for a holiday or special occasion.

First, cook the bacon separately. Dump the frozen chicken into your crockpot and start layering in the rest of the ingredients, including the cooked bacon.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Serve with French bread and salad.

POT ROAST OR BRISKET

2 to 3 potatoes, thinly sliced

2 to 3 carrots, pared and thinly sliced

1 to 2 onions, peeled and sliced

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

3 to 4 lb. brisket, rump roast, or pot roast

1/2 c. water

Here’s a perfect recipe for a classic cold weather meal.

Put vegetables in bottom of crockpot. Salt and pepper meat, then put in pot. Add liquid. Cover and cook on low 10 to 12 hours (high 5 to 6 hours). Remove meat and vegetables with spatula and thicken for gravy if desired.

Or you can make this recipe with without vegetables: Season meat with salt and pepper. Add no liquid. Cook as directed.

CROCKPOT 15 BEAN SOUP

16 oz. dry bean soup mix

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. celery salt

2 stalk celery, chopped

1 bay leaf

1 dash cayenne (red) pepper

1 tsp. ground black pepper

(optional) 1 sausage, sliced

This is a very filling and inexpensive soup. It’s vegetarian if you don’t use the sausage.

Wash beans thoroughly. Soak overnight, changing water two times. Drain

Place beans in crockpot and cover with 1 inch water. All all other ingredients except sausage. Cover and cook on high for one hour; turn to low and cook 6-8 hours. Stir once or twice during cooking.

One hour before serving, check texture of soup. If it’s too thin, mash some of the beans to thicken it. Add sausage, if you are using sausage. Cook for one hour.

OBAMA FAMILY SLOW COOKER CHILI

-1 can kidney beans (do not drain)

–1 lb lean ground turkey or beef

–1 green bell pepper, chopped

–1 large onion, chopped

–5-6 medium tomatoes, chopped (include seeds and all)

–4 chopped cloves of garlic

–1 tsp cumin

–1 tsp oregano

–1 tsp basil

–1 tsp turmeric

–1 or 2 tsp chili powder, depending how spicy you like your chili

–1 tsp salt

–3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

Yes, this is President-elect Obama’s actual chili recipe, slightly adapted for crockpots. He provided it to a New Hampshire newspaper a year ago, even before the first primary election.

Chop up the tomatoes, garlic, onion, and bell pepper. Add to the crockpot. Open the can of beans, and pour in the whole thing. Add the ground meat. Stir in all of the spices and the red wine vinegar.

Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours, or on high for 4-5. I cooked our chili on low for 9 hours.

Season with a bit more salt, to taste. Serve over rice. Garnish with grated cheddar cheese, onions and sour cream.

EASY SEAFOOD CHOWDER

–1 lb of white fish (such as cod)

–3 cups of chicken broth, canned or homemade

–9 baby potatoes

–1 cup frozen corn

–1/2 white onion

–1/2 cup sliced carrots or baby carrots

–heart of celery

–3-4 cloves of garlic

–1/2 tsp. black pepper

–salt (to taste, especially if using homemade broth)

–2 cups frozen shrimp (to add later)

–1 cup heavy whipping cream (to add later)

I love creamy seafood chowder like this. It’s filling enough for a meal. Serve with rolls on the side.

Chop up all the vegetables. Partially thaw the fish in the microwave, and cut it into chunks. Put all ingredients in the crockpot except for the cream and the shrimp. Cook on low for 8 hours, or until the potatoes are tender. 30 minutes before serving, stir in your cup of cream and the frozen shrimp. Turn your crockpot to high for and cook for 30 minutes.

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Gift Card Tips

Jennifer — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 08:41:29 +0000

Not a deal, but a very important tip to pass along during this holiday shopping season. Consumer Reports says you, and your giftee, could be left holding the bag when you use gift cards.

These days, many chains are have filed bankruptcy – including Circuit City, Sharper Image, and Linens n Things. Some of the ailing businesses are no longer accepting gift card redemptions, or are telling card holders to get in line and make a claim in bankruptcy court. Consumers are wise to check and make sure they are getting gift cards from a financially healthy place. Search Google news with the query "name of business" AND bankruptcy and that should help arm you with good information before you shop. Also check the store’s website for their gift card policies.

Mark writes:

I saw this article and rethought my christmas shopping. I was going to buy everyone gift cards. Lucky, I didn’t buy a Circuit City gift card. I might still buy starbuck cards because everyone loves to drink coffee. I rather gift money for gifts because it’s easier for me because I worry that they won’t like the gift I got them.

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10 Money Saving Tax Tips To Check Out Before December 31st

Jennifer — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 02:54:40 +0000

1. Sell losing investments
A lot of folks lost money in the market this year. You can take a loss of up to $3,000 on your 2008 return. Any amount in excess of that must be carried over to your 2009 tax return.

2. Donate to charity
Donate clothes, toys, household goods, other items, or cash before Dec. 31. You’ll lower your taxable income while helping others. Remember that certain charitable contributions are not deductible. These include: Money or property you give to most civic leagues, social and sports clubs, labor unions, many foreign organizations, homeowners associations, political groups or candidates for public office, and individuals. To find a qualified organization go to IRS.gov and search for Publication 78 or call 1-877-829-5500. Also: if you charge your donation on a credit card, it is a valid 2008 deduction so long as it is made by Dec. 31 – even if you don’t pay the bill until 2009. And if you donate cash, there is a new rule that you must now have a bank record or written communication from a charity that indicates name, date and amount of the contribution.

3. Get a special break for helping with to disaster relief in the Midwest
Under the recently passed Heartland Disaster Tax Relief Act, taxpayers who itemize deductions can deduct up to 100% of their adjusted gross income, instead of the normal 50% limit, for qualifying cash contributions toward disaster relief efforts in certain parts of Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska or Wisconsin. These contributions do not count toward overall limitations on the amount of itemized deductions. Contributions must be made by Dec. 31. The areas must have been declared federal disaster areas on or after May 20 and before Aug. 1 of this year as a result of severe storms, tornados or flooding, and the areas must have been designated to receive individual assistance from the federal government because of the damage resulting from the disasters. More info at IRS.com

4. Prepay some bills
Another step is to pay your Jan. 1, 2009, mortgage payment by Dec. 31 so it is a part of 2008 taxes, though that means you won’t be able to deduct it for 2009. Also, you can make any real estate tax payments by Dec. 31 that are due the beginning of next year. Also look at medical expenses – if you want to have more deductible expenses for your 2008 return, see if you can squeeze in those doctor or dental visits before the 31st.

5. New real estate tax deduction
There is now an additional standard deduction for those who don’t itemize their deductions, but pay real estate taxes. If you don’t itemize deductions, you can claim up to a $500 deduction for property taxes ($1,000 for joint filers) on your 2008 and 2009 tax returns. If you’re planning any deductible expenses, wait until 2009 to pay for them. That way, you can claim the bigger standard deduction in 2008 and have extra deductions to itemize next year.

6. Check your paycheck withholding
Use the withholdings calculator at the IRS website to make sure that you aren’t having too much money taken out of your paycheck. No sense in loaning your money interest-free to Uncle Sam. Then make the change with your employer. IRS Withholding calculator

7. Maximize your 401(k)
For 2008, the maximum you can contribute to a 401(k) plan is $15,500, while the maximum amount you can contribute to an individual retirement account is $5,000. If you’re 50 or older, you can contribute up to $20,500 to a 401(k) and up to $6,000 to an IRA. Remember that you must make 401(k) contributions by year-end, while you have until April 15, 2009, for your 2008 IRA contribution.

8. Family values
If you had a baby or adopted a child in 2008, you should get a Social Security number for that child as soon as possible to ensure that you can include the child as a dependent on your 2008 return.

9. Check your economic stimulus
If you missed the Oct. 15 deadline for filing an income tax return for a economic stimulus payment, don’t worry. You can receive a payment in 2009 by filing an income tax return when the filing season opens in January. The IRS will have more information shortly. More information

10. First time homebuyers tax credit
There is a new tax credit available for a limited time, under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. The credit operates much like an interest-free loan, because it must be repaid over a 15-year period. So, for example, an eligible taxpayer who buys a home today and properly claims the maximum available credit of $7,500 on his or her 2008 federal income tax return must begin repaying the credit by including one-fifteenth of this amount, or $500, as an additional tax on his or her 2010 return. Eligible taxpayers will claim the credit on new IRS Form 5405. The credit applies to primary home purchases between April 9, 2008, and June 30, 2009. First-time homebuyers are defined as those who have not owned a home in the three years prior to a purchase.

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10 Money Saving Tax Tips To Check Out Before December 31st

Make Merry, Not Broke: A Cheap Guide to Holiday Entertaining

Jennifer — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 02:15:34 +0000

Yes, you can be festive on a budget. Holiday parties need not bust your wallet. Here’s our top ten tips for fun and thrifty holiday entertaining:

1. Create a budget before writing your invite list. Then you’ll know how many guests you can afford to entertain. Nothing worse than having the whole neighborhood show up to find you empty-handed.

2. Go team! Why burden yourself with all the costs? Get a friend to co-host the party (and share the expenses) with you. And of course, there’s the classic potluck party. Divvy up the main dishes, appetizers, side dishes and dessert assignments among your guests.

3. Be a borrower – chances are, some of your friends and family own some good holiday decor, dishes and table linens they can lend to you for your event. Of course, you’ll invite them to your party. Then they can just take their items back home with them. Also check out your local library for holiday CD’s and movies.

4. Open the cupboard to see what you already have on hand. Then find recipes that use up those ingredients, rather than having to make a big and expensive food shopping trip. Go to Recipeland.com for ideas.

5. Dessert night. Dinner too costly a concept? Invite everyone for dessert. Have a cookie-decorating party; it’s fun, easy and inexpensive.

6. Deck the halls over brunch. Why not party and get your decorating done at the same time? Eggs, bagels or muffins, and other breakfast fare is relatively cheap. And you can scrimp on (or avoid) liquor costs for an early-hours party; at most you can offer a mimosa or bloody mary but even that’s not really necessary.

7. Save money on booze. Alcohol is a huge expense when entertaining. Have a wine/beer liquor potluck where your guests supply the spirits.Or consider serving a spiced cider to reduce your expenses. Old fashioned, non alcoholic holiday punches are another great idea and are typically much more affordable than alcoholic drinks.

8. Organize buffet food by cost: Put less-expensive, filling foods such as breads and veggies at the head of the buffet table, where guests will start filling their plates. Put the pricier shrimp and meat towards the end of the line. Partygoers will naturally fill up on the less expensive items before hitting the costlier grub.

9. Dollar stores are your best friend. For a mere buck, you can find all kinds of party snacks, soft drinks and candy, plus scads of festive holiday decorations, candles, plates, glasses and plastic cutlery. My personal favorite is Dollar Tree.

10. Organize a volunteer party instead. In times like these, there are many people in need. Do some searching, identify a good local volunteer opportunity and invite your friends and family to join you in helping your community. Try VolunteerMatch.org or RedCross.org. Or host an event at your home where your guests can contribute to a charity project. For example, you could collect toys to donate to Toys for Tots.

Dean adds:

-Hosting a holiday lunch is usually cheaper than hosting a holiday dinner. Something to consider when planning your holiday party.
-Always remember it is not about how much you spend but how much fun you and your guests have. The best food in the world don’t mean much if the party is dead. Be creative and plan some social interactive games or ice breakers to entertain your guests.
-If things get tough you can always charge cover at the door. Just kidding, but if you do hire a bouncer :p

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Make Merry, Not Broke: A Cheap Guide to Holiday Entertaining

Black Friday Shopping Survival Guide: Tips to Save Time & Money

Jennifer — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 03:19:58 +0000

What is it about Black Friday? It’s actually not the biggest shopping day of the year; that honor goes to the Saturday before Christmas. But it’s the day that retailers are putting their best foot forward to get you to think of them and not their competitors. With the economy tanking, expect some pretty aggressive price cuts and be ready to take advantage of them. So here are your tips for surviving Black Friday 2008:

1. Make a plan! Don’t just roll out of bed and wonder which store to hit first. Whether you’re shopping online, or bricks-and-mortar, do your research. Look through the sale ads on BFads.net. You also can use the site to check store hours and create a shopping list.

2. For in-store shopping, be sure to buy a newspaper on Thanksgiving Day. It will be chock full of Black Friday ads which you can clip and bring with you for reference when you shop.

3. Have a strategy. For online shopping, you’ll want to get online as early as possible before the best deals run out. For in-person shopping, you won’t need to do this, unless you want to grab really elusive bargains on hot items like XBox and certain other toys and electronics. Otherwise, if you’re a night owl like me, then sleep in, relax, and plan to head out of the house in the late afternoon or evening. By that point, all the early birds have gone home and you’ll have some room to yourself at the mall.

4. If you’re heading out for a full day at the mall, dress for it. Wear light layers that you can easily remove in climate-controlled places, plus your most comfy sneakers or walking shoes. Bring a backpack or large tote bag so you can easily carry smaller purchases. Stash a bottle of water and snacks in there too, if you want to save money on mall munchies.

5. These days most people are on a budget (and after all this is the Mr. Cheap Stuff site), so hopefully you know to set your holiday spending budget before you whip out that credit card. I usually make a list with each recipient’s name, the item I plan to buy for them, and the expected price. Do your research on Amazon.com or Shopping.com or other shopping comparison sites ahead of time, so you know whether a Black Friday bargain is really special or just a waste of time.

6. Ideally, do not drag any unwilling participants shopping with you on Black Friday. Impatient or tired kids/spouses/friends will distract from your focus and you may be tempted to stray from your budgeted list. Black Friday is not for amateurs. I’m a mom so I understand – if you have little ones, go online and use catalogs and save a lot of stress.

7. Once you’re at the mall, if you’re still not sure you’re getting the best price, make use of your mobile phone to find out. With Frucall you just pull out your mobile phone, dial 1-888-363-7822 (1-888-DOFRUCALL), and enter the barcode number of the product you want. Frucall will search the Internet on your behalf and a computerized voice will let you know the best prices it finds. You can also send a text message to 37811 (FRU11) with the name or barcode number of the product and Frucall will reply with a text message that lists prices and sources.

8. If you’re visiting several stores in different locations, map out your route on Google maps http://maps.google.com/ or your GPS, if you have one, so you have the shortest circuit to save time and gas money.

9. For limited-time offers online, be ready to log onto your chosen shopping site the minute the deal is available. Set an alarm if you need to – and make sure your computer’s time is set correctly. Visit Time.gov for the U.S. Government official clock.

10. Finally, have a backup plan. If one store is sold out of a desired item, know where else you can get it and what you will pay. Or just decide to have a do-it-yourself holiday by spending your Black Friday baking, crafting, building or sewing home-made gifts.

Photo Credit

Dean writes:

Finding a good deal on Christmas gifts is great but here are a couple of things to consider.

What is your time worth? Is waiting in the cold for hours and having to deal with crowded and possible grouchy people worth saving $20 on an MP3 player. Crunch the numbers and see if it really is worth your time. For example if you spend 8 hours shopping and end up saving $80. You just saved $10/hour. Now let me put this into perspective. You work hard and if you got Friday off for vacation would you rather have $80 or an entire free day to do whatever you want like spend time with your family?
Do you really need to buy all that stuff? Personally I am not a Black Friday shopper, I like saving money but on the day after we are suppose to be "thankful" for what we have I find it ironic that people wait in line for hours to buy more "stuff".

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20 Simple Ways to Save Money Online

Jennifer — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 00:34:22 +0000

The Internet is a great resource to help you save money online. Here are 20 simple yet effective ways to save money online.

1. Online banking – pay your bills online; no reason to spend money on stamps.

2. Online postage – even with online bill paying, you’ll still need postage for things like sending greeting cards or packages. Save yourself time and gas money by skipping a trip to the post office. Instead, visit the Postal Service to order stamps, packing materials and prepaid shipping labels. Or use the shipping label service at PayPal.com.

3. Planning on college? Save big on application fees by checking out Porcelina.net. It’s a site that lists all U.S. colleges that offer free applications.

4. We all know about online travel; most trips are already booked online. But make sure you’re getting the absolute lowest fare by using a search engine that checks multiple sites. Try www.kayak.com or www.sidestep.com. And if you fly Southwest, remember their flights are often not listed on other sites, so go to www.southwest.com to check their fares.

5. Be a tourist in your own town – find the official website for your local visitors bureau and check out their special offers for local attractions. For example, in Philadelphia, http://www.gophila.com/Phila/EventsCalendar/ is the site for finding out about local events, including free events, and there’s a link for half-price ticket offers for shows and concerts.

6. Watch popular TV shows for free online at Hulu.com and consider cutting out your cable bill. Also check out

7. Watch classic films online for free at Archive.org. Many great titles include the excellent film noir "D.O.A." and the screwball comedy "My Man Godfrey".

8. Download and enjoy legally free music – the iTunes music store offers a couple of free songs and sometimes a free video, with new free offerings updated each Tuesday. Also try Amazon.com for lots of free mp3 downloads at:

9. Shop for cheaper loans, mortgages and credit card rates at www.bankrate.com or www.interest.com

10. Plan your post-Thanksgiving shopping with http://bfads.net/, for the advance scoop on the best Black Friday and Christmas sales.

11. Open up an online checking account. The fees are usually lower and you can earn competitive interest rates. Check out IngDirect.com

12. Find the cheapest phone plans, internet plans and other services at www.myrateplan.com and stop overpaying now.

13. Buy groceries online – even if they charge you a delivery fee, you’ll likely spend less because you will stick to your shopping list and avoid impulse buys.

14. Join the FreeCycle network. Find your nearest chapter, join it online, and get free stuff from your neighbors. Give your unwanted stuff away, too.

15. Check out special discounts you may be entitled to – many shopping sites offer discounts to students, AAA members, seniors, government employees, and members of certain other organizations.

16. Go on Craigslist.com and check out the ‘free’ heading under the ‘for sale’ section. You may be amazed at the good stuff people are giving away.

17. As mentioned on this site before – order food at wholesale prices from www.angelfoodministries.com. It’s a non-sectarian program run by volunteers at local churches. You need not be a church member and there are no qualifications or applications; everyone is eligible.

18. Get an excellent suite of free software from Google. Google pack includes Mozilla Firefox browser, Picasa photo software, Skype for free voice and video calls, Star Office (compatible with MS office), and more. The full pack is Windows-only but if you’re a Mac, they still offer some software at http://www.google.com/mac/.

19. Find the cheapest gas with GasBuddy.com or MSN Auto.

20. Free wi-fi, woo-hoo! WifFiFreeSpot.com

Photo Credit

Do You Know Your Credit Score? FICO Discount

Jennifer — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:59:43 +0000

Myfico.com is offering 20% off its FICO Credit Complete package of three credit scores from the three major credit companies. Normally $47.85, this is $38.28 with the discount. Use code SUMMER20.

Unless you’re one of those rare folks who pays cash for everything, you need a good FICO score. FICO is your credit rating. It is a crucial piece of information that banks, mortgage companies, and others use to decide whether to approve you for loans and credit cards. So be informed.

Here are some interesting FICO facts:

FICO® scores are your credit rating
They range from 300-850, higher is better
Most lenders base approval on them
Higher scores mean lower interest rates
FICO® scores are calculated based on your rating in five general categories:
Payment history – 35%
Amounts owed – 30%
Length of credit history – 15%
New credit – 10%
Types of credit used – 10%
The median FICO® score in the U.S. is 723

Mark writes:

This is great because I can check on my credit score and see if i can get that new car to cruise the town. It’s better to be informed than left in the dark, especially when it deals with your money.

Expiration Date: 7/31/2008

Free Skin Cancer Screening!

Sunnie — Thu, 29 May 2008 08:14:23 +0000

Coming to a location near you, The Skin Cancer Foundation partnered with Aveeno, Rite Aid, and Columbia Sportswear in sponsoring their ‘Road to Healthy Skin Tour’. Starting this month, their 38-foot customized RV will stop at participating Rite Aid and various other locations to provide early skin cancer detection exams absolutely FREE. Screenings are conducted by local board-certified dermatologists offering full body skin cancer screenings absolutely FREE of charge.

Having never had a sunburn and blessed with olive skin. I personally do not give sun screen or skin cancer a second thought. But, that’s an ignorant way to think about the most common form of cancer in the United States today. With the ozone layer getting thinner and the suns rays getting hotter, this is something that we all need to educate ourselves about.

Expiration Date: 10/31/2008

Make The Most Of Your Economic Stimulus Check!

Jennifer — Tue, 27 May 2008 07:04:09 +0000

Our government wants us to go out and shop with out stimulus checks, so if you’re planning to do that, why not squeeze a little bit more out of your money? Several retailers are offering bonus deals if you spend your check with them.

Here are some of the deals you can get with your check from Uncle Sam:

Safeway
All Safeway stores will cash your government stimulus check for free and give Club Card customers a 10% off gift card. Deal applies at all Safeway-owned stores including Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Carrs, Dominick’s, Genuardi’s, and Pak ‘n Save. Gift card expires 2 days after being issued.

RadioShack
Use your stimulus check or IRS tax refund on any $50 or more purchase at RadioShack and get 10% off that purchase. Unspent portion of your check is turned into a prepaid Vision Silver MasterCard that can be used at any store. There is a $2,500 maximum redemption per refund check.

Sears / Kmart
Purchase a Sears or Kmart gift card with your government check and receive a 10% bonus added to the total value of your gift card. To qualify you must convert the full value of your stimulus check into a Sears, Kmart, or Lands’ End gift card. The gift cards have no expirations dates or fees and at the time of this writing can only be purchased with a hard copy of your government check.

Expiration Date: 7/19/2008

Get and Give Free Stuff in your Community!

Jennifer — Wed, 21 May 2008 08:59:54 +0000

I just joined this new group called Freecycle. The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,369 groups with 5,119,000 members across the globe. It’s a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It’s all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer. Membership is free. Basically Freecycle is a collection of many Yahoo groups. Each group serves a local area such as a city or a suburban region. I just joined my local group and found the free goods include furniture, baby supplies, and curtains, among other things. You can also post messages if you are seeking an item.

Here’s the breakdown of what to do:

- Visit their website

- Enter your city name in the search box, and click "go"

- Find your nearest group, and click on the name – You will be taken to the group website.

- Under the GROUP INFO / POST menus, you should see links for the group name, number of members and Region for the group

-Click on the group name to go to the Yahoogroups website.

Expiration Date: none

The Gratitude Campaign

Sunnie — Mon, 05 May 2008 08:48:24 +0000

Gratitude Campaign.org is a free website that will teach you something that you can give back in return. This is not a product, freebie, just a big warm fuzzy that keeps giving!

This is geared towards our men and women who serve our country both past and present. If you’ve seen one of our brave soldiers in uniform and have hesitated saying "Hello or Thank You" and you feel that deep down in your heart a smile just isn’t enough. The gratitude campaign gives you an unwritten, unspoken way to say, "Thanks".

When a good friend of mine got back after 18 months in Iraq, I asked him how it was over there, he replied horrible! Then he said something that I will never forget, you should ask me how it was to come back home. That is what is important.

The short 2 minute film will teach you a simple sign language gesture that is interpreted as, "Thanks from the bottom of my heart." Way cool and way touching! I am looking forward to walking passing along this gesture of thanks as soon as the situation arises!

Expiration Date: Kindness never expires

Angel Food, It’s Not Just Cake!

Sunnie — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:31:40 +0000

Angel Food Ministries helps people afford groceries. They offer a monthly menu consisting of frozen meats, prepared meals, produce, dairy, grains, and dessert. (Items, may or may not be available from month to month.) The cost to you is $30 for $60 (or more) worth of restaurant quality food. After you purchase the main monthly menu or "regular unit" you have the option of adding on to your order of 3 featured specials for $20 per special.

My hairdresser was telling me of a family that she knew personally that was in need and that’s where they get their groceries every month. With the rising cost of food, fuel and everything else, it’s comforting to know that if you need an alternative to the bulk of your grocery needs, you have one.

Researching the site, items are not close-out, 2nd hand, expired, or poor quality foods. It is restaurant quality food at wholesale costs. There are no qualifying requirements to take part of their fantastic offerings. The site is very informative and upfront. Founded in 1994, Angel Food Ministries is a non-profit, non-denominational organization that provides food relief to over 500,000 families each month in 33 of 50 states. Spread the word, if you know of a family in need!

Expiration Date: unknown

Free Photoshop Express

Jennifer — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 08:56:54 +0000

Don’t want to drop big bucks for Photoshop? Its maker, Adobe is now offering a free version online, in a public beta release. It’s called Photoshop Express. Rather than being off-the-shelf software, it’s all online; you either upload your photos or you can import and export with a number of other websites such as Facebook, Photobucket and Picasa.

Photoshop Express also gives you 2 gigs of online photo storage. The interface should be familiar to anyone who’s used Photoshop or Photoshop Elements and offers tools like cropping, red eye correction, many other options and also has a set of advanced effects for changing colors, distorting images and converting photos to black and white. All editing is non-destructive, which means you can reverse any changes you make.

Who hasn’t heard of Photoshop? It sets the standard for photo editing. In fact, it’s so well-known that it’s become a common verb. The Express version is a great option if you want to do some quality picture editing without buying and installing anything – plus the online access means you can edit your photos anywhere, even from someone else’s computer.

Expiration Date: unknown

Feed the World While You Improve Your Volcabulary – FreeRice.com

Sunnie — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:51:55 +0000

How about a way to give back to those in need? It’s free but will cost you time and brain power. Freerice.com is a sister site of www.poverty.com . Freerice.com has 2 goals

1) provide English vocabulary for free to whomever uses the website and

2) help the UN end world hunger one small donation at a time.

Your involvement is easy, no registrations, no commitments, just a fun way to expand your vocabulary. Every answer you get right you have just donated 20 grains of rice. 20 grains doesn’t seem like much, but this morning I donated 2000 grains of rice in less than 10 minutes. Rice is a staple amongst many countries and cultures, but a valuable luxury to hungry people thousands of miles away.

I stumbled upon this site when looking to supplement my middle schoolers education at home. We go on the sight at least 2-3 times a week. It’s a fun way to expand and challenge your vocabulary plus you get to watch your rice bowl fill up and empty out as a donation. You can also check out the monthly rice that have been donated. Be apart of a good cause + exercise your brain + help those in need = warm fuzzies!

Expiration Date: None

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Feed the World While You Improve Your Volcabulary – FreeRice.com

Do You Know How To Save A Buck? Get Paid!

Dean — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 01:12:29 +0000

If you are great at finding the best coupons, discounts and freebies then why not get paid? I am looking for contributors for this site and will happily compensate you for your time.

I am looking for someone that can….

-Find high quality deals, coupons or freebies – I need someone to weed out the crappy deals and find the real deals.
-Write Shopping and Time Saving Tips and Hacks
-Write Money Saving Ideas for travel, car, home, college, kids, etc.

No formal writing experience necessary, you just have to love saving a buck or two.

Please submit all inquiries to me here. I will give you more details as well as compensation information once you contact me. Also, don’t forget to please include a sample of your writing and a brief description of yourself. Look forward to hearing from you.

Also, if you have a website or blog please feel free to contact me for synergetic partnerships,

Mahalo,
Dean

Free WiFi at Starbucks – Plus 10 Things to Make Starbucks Even More “Third Place” Friendly

Dean — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 03:42:32 +0000

Starbucks recently announced that it will be ditching their current wireless provider T-Mobile and going with AT&T which will be offering free WiFi service. Starbucks Card holders will now get 2 free hours of WiFi everyday. AT&T Internet and Broadband subscribers score big time because they will now receive free unlimited WiFi at all 70,000 AT&T WiFi locations.

If two hours is not long enough for you then you can purchase an extra two hours for $3.99 which is pretty reasonable considering their old rate of $6 an hour (Are you kidding me?). Even better you can purchase a monthly subscription for $19.95. This new service will be available in Spring 2008.

I suspect you will see a lot more people at with laptops and wireless devices at Starbucks soon. Personally I enjoy bringing my laptop to Starbucks once in a while to do some work and for a change of scenery but I find it hard to get a good seat sometimes.

With Howard Schultz now back as CEO of Starbucks you are see Starbucks becoming much more "Third Place" friendly. He feels like the Starbucks brand was being watered down and is looking to build up the "Starbucks Experience" instead going for quick profits.

"Low Tech/High Tech at Starbucks", Photo Courtesy of StarbucksGuy

Free WiFi is awesome, but I wouldn’t mind see a bunch of other improvements to the make Starbucks even more "Third Place" friendly.

10 Things to Make Starbucks Even More "Third Place" Friendly

More Tables, Less Shelves – Get rid of those shelves with merchandise and replace them with more tables and chairs. Many times I go in a Starbucks and there is no where to sit and I don’t see too many people actually buy those overpriced coffee mugs and coffee presses.
More Power Outlets – Anybody that has ever brought their computer to Starbucks knows that the table next to the power outlets are almost always taken. It is also the best seat in the house. Come on Starbucks give us some juice.
Cleaner Tables and Chairs – I don’t mean to be a germ freak but I would rather stand then sit at some of the Starbucks that I have been in. It is the little things that matter and this is one thing could set them apart.
Cleaner Bathrooms – Again, it is the little things that matter.
Allow Customers to Queue Up Music - I think it would be cool if customers could queue up music to be played in the store. I think this could be a fun and interactive thing that could easily be implemented on default WiFi portal web page.
Printing Services Anyone? – It would be awesome if I could print out documents to a print server for a fee. Again, I think this could be implemented on default WiFi portal web page.
Web Cam & Traffic Meter - I think it would be cool to go online and see if a certain Starbucks is very busy or empty. This would help people decide what time or which Starbucks they should meet or go to. I don’t know what the privacy issues are with this but I think they could also provide some sort to tracking system to show how busy a certain store is. Nobody likes to go to a store and wait 45 minutes to get a table or have to go to another store.
Less Round Tables – Anyone that has used a laptop on a round table will know my pain. Rectangular or square table are much more laptop friendly. Round tables have their advantages too but I would like to see less of them.
Free Premium Content – How about making deals with magazines publishers or sites like the Wall Street Journal Online and offering paid premium content online for free. The back-end revenue would be from customers that stay longer and drink more overpriced coffee (gulp). I believe Starbucks has already done a similar promotion offering free Apple iTunes songs at their stores.
Smarter Rewards - Since much more people will be using their Starbucks Card now they could use all that wonderfully evil statistical information to offer discounts and encourage customers to spend more. Grocery stores already do this but I think Starbucks could go one step further by integrating this into their WiFi portal.

As you can see many of these ideas are win-win. Free WiFi is a good start, Still a $3 coffee is still a $3 coffee. I wonder if other retailers are going to up the ante. What ideas do you have?

Photo Credits: mini K,

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Free WiFi at Starbucks – Plus 10 Things to Make Starbucks Even More “Third Place” Friendly

Sorry I’m Having Website Issues

Dean — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 22:03:06 +0000

Please bear with me as I go through this upgrade, I am having website issues. Mr. Cheap Stuff Popular Coupons 1. $15 Buy.com Coupon 2. $30 Overstock.com Coupon 3. $10 Drugstore.com Coupon Mr. Cheap Stuff Popular Posts 5 Massive Benefits of Not Having a TV List of Restaurant that Give Free Birthday Meals How to Make Free 411 Calls Attention: Unless [...]

Website Redesign

Dean — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 10:42:10 +0000

I have just updated the look of the website. I have been meaning to do this for a while but the holiday season was extremely busy and I only recently have had the time to work on it. I tried to make it as functional and aesthetically pleasing as possible. Let me know if you have any problems as I am still try to fix any bugs in the new system. Also if you have any requests or question just send me a quick email.

Coinstar – Bonus $10 Amazon.com Gift Certificate

Dean — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 00:15:05 +0000

Coinstar has a promotion for a free $10 Amazon.com gift certificate when you change $30 worth of coins from their automated coin counting machines. You probably have seen one of their machines at your local supermarket, you just dump your coins into the machine and it quickly counts your change for you. You can choose to redeem your change for gift cards or credit at that supermarket. Coinstar does charge a fee to count your coins if you choose credit but if you redeem your change for gift cards from merchants like Starbucks, iTunes, Eddie Bauer or Amazon.com it is free.

If you have a bunch of change lying around the house then throw them all in a big ziploc bag and bring it next time you go to the supermarket. A $10 Amazon.com gift card is a pretty good incentive to get rid of all your dam coins. You can visit their website to find out the nearest Coinstar machine. This promotion last till 11/4/07.

Quick Tip on How to Save Printer Ink

Dean — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 20:06:05 +0000

This video shows you how you can easily save or conserve your printer ink by printing in draft mode. This might be a no-brainer for most people, but many people drain their ink cartridges because they don’t know that they can use less ink by printing draft documents.

When you print in draft mode you use less ink but it is very much readable. I almost always print document for myself in draft mode unless it is for a professional docucment.

Also if you are still buying brand name inkjet cartridges then give generic inkjet cartridges a try, they are about 70% cheaper. I buy my inkjet cartridges for my Canon MP780 printer from 4inkjet.com. They have a 10%-15% discount right now and offer free shipping. My inkjet cartridges cost less than $4 bucks each. If I went to Wal-Mart, Office Depot or Staples I would pay about $10-$12 for each name brand ink cartridge. If you have a laser printer there is also generic laser printer toners.

The Latte Factor: Starbucks is Evil

Dean — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 11:03:34 +0000

I read the book book the Automatic Millionaire by David Bach many years ago. It is a simple and quick read, while not a very complicated book I still recommend to people as the material is easy to digest. The one idea or principle I really like from the book is the idea of the Latte Factor.

What is the Latte Factor?

Based on a simple idea, there’s a new financial theory known as The Latte Factor. To put aside only a few dollars per day for your future, rather than purchasing items like lattes, cigarettes, fast food, bottled water, magazines, etc., an individual can see a difference in his/her finances by no longer living from one paycheck to another.

The Latte Factor dictates that an individual can redirect the unnecessary spending to him/herself. Imagine being able to change your destiny by altering bad spending habits as well. The number one step is to identify your Latte Factor and how much it costs you per day. An individual can actually see how much he/she can save in several years. The Latte Factor calculator can be used to aid the individual to watch his/her savings increase.

What is Your Latte?

I’ve always wondered what people would do without a cigarette in the morning before work, during morning break, lunch and afternoon break. Then they smoke another one after work on the way home and God knows how many more before bedtime. Although the smoke alone is enough to choke a horse (not to mention what the nicotine is doing to your lungs), a pack of cigarettes a day costs on the average $4.20. That comes to $127.30 per month ($1,527.60 per year)—and this doesn’t even include sales tax.

At the end of the year, which $1,527.60 can go towards your savings account, home equity, a car payment, settlement of debt, vacation plans, child’s education, and so much more. It’s a fact that most individuals with an addiction to cigarettes also have a fixation for coffee, so with the $3 per day spent on coffee, we’re talking about approximately $3, 000 a year spent on cravings and “wants”. Javaholics can save approximately $1500 annually alone by reducing the need for caffeine.

Photo Credit
Starbucks at the Beach

Many Americans are actually greater in debt on credit cards than in balances of bank accounts. Thus, The Latte Factor is vital in keeping one’s spending well under control. We need to focus more on our necessities than on our desires when shopping. This doesn’t mean that we need to negate the wish for the occasional treat in our purchases.

We’re just trying to find a means to reducing the small, unnecessary luxuries when working on limited finances. It’s highly probable to save more money in a painless way without taking drastic measures to change our lifestyle. The Latte Factor is analogous to a mutual fund, as opposed to “blue chip stocks”. It may not be luxurious or sexy, but it sure does the job in providing a safe investment.

My Take

While I am first to admit I enjoy my Iced Soy Latte (lactose intolerant), being aware of how you spend your money on these $3-$5 items can really help you see where quite a bit of your money goes. If you can make your own coffee I also recommend purchasing one of these awesome Nissan Themos Mugs. I own one and they are very sleek, mobile and keep your coffee nice and hot. If you can’t find time to make coffee in the morning buy a coffee machine with a timer.

The Negative Double Down – Turn a Negative into a Positive

Photo Credit

"Double Down"

If you simply can’t go without your Starbucks coffee then do what I call the "negative double down" method. It is very simple, whenever you purchase your latte or coffee just pay double, in other words if your coffee cost $4 you must also pay yourself $4. Therefore the coffee or latte will cost you $8 instead of $4. Make sure you put the $4 into a something important like an investment, savings or debt reduction instead of money for clothes or a vacation. It is sort of like having a swear jar but for coffee.

This will do two things, it will make you think twice about buying your "latte" and will also automatically get you to put money towards a positive. Just something to think about. Personally my "latte" is eating out, which is probably spend about $500+ month. By doubling down I save about $6,000 bucks.

Top Ten Fast Food Meals That Make You Fat

Dean — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 19:15:07 +0000

Normally cooked in advance and in bulk before being reheated (or kept warm), fast food exists to make life more convenient for the consumer looking for a quick meal. Hamburgers and French fries are as traditional in America as baseball and apple pie. With fast food, the choices are as accessible as a self-service smorgasbord.

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Ironically, most often than not a fast food selection is representative of the individual eating the food. A milk shake usually goes hand-in-hand with the body shake of a person—the bigger the cup, the more the shake. We live in a society where you no longer have to even articulate what food order you want at the fast food restaurant. A mere grunt of “Number 4” can get you a Double Quarter Pounder Meal at the local McDonald’s. Pity the cashier that makes the mistake of asking the 6’ 280-pound truck driver if he’d like his “Number 4” super-sized. “What d’ya think, lady?”

Ladies and Gentlemen, now is the moment we’ve all been waiting for—the top 10 worst fast food meals in the land of saturated fats, cholesterol and calories. If high cholesterol and heart disease are about to move in your “not-so-friendly” neighborhood of health risk, then it’s time to face the music.

Top 10 Wost Fast Food Meals

1. Let’s start with the McDonald’s Deluxe Breakfast…shall we? The deluxe breakfast at McDonald’s includes sausage, eggs and pancakes asphyxiated in margarine and syrup, with a biscuit and hash browns. This can actually work to your advantage if consumed occasionally (like four times a year). However, the total of this tasty breakfast meal at “the house Ronald McDonald built” is 1220 calories, with 550 total fat (17 g. saturated fat). Enjoy it now—this is going to hurt you later.

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2. Burger King’s Triple Whopper with Cheese is the ideal example of the more, the better. If we were to look at Whopper with Cheese, the calorie intake alone is 760, with 47 g. fat (16 g. saturated fat). With the Triple Whopper with Cheese, we’re looking at 1230 calories with 82 g. fat (32 g. saturated fat). This doesn’t even include French fries.

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The Deadly Triple Whopper

3. The Taco Bell Fiesta Taco Salad is on the top 10 worst fast food meals list? What’s the world coming to when you can’t even enjoy a refreshing, crisp salad without someone wagging a finger at you? Unfortunately, “salad” is just a moniker (in this case) for potpourri of unhealthy delicacies. This meal is in the neighborhood of 860 calories, with 46 g. of fat (14 g. saturated fat).

4. Stuffed Crust Meat Lover’s Pie from Pizza Hut can do a hurting on your arteries. Two slices alone contain 82 g. of fat (22 g. saturated fat) with 1,000 calories.

5. Caramel Pecanbon from Cinnabon has nothing on Wheaties in the health department. We’re talking 1,100 calories (56g. total fat), with practically no nutrients of worth whatsoever.

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"I think I just got a cavity just by looking at this Cinnabon roll"

6. Boston Market may provide healthy meals, but the delicious Chicken Pot Pie has 750 calories, with 46g. fat (14 g. saturated fat).

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Boston Market Chicken Pot Pie – "Bringing the Hurt"

7. Subway, with nerdy, bespectacled Jared as a spokesperson, endorses healthy meals at affordable prices constantly. However, the 6-inch Double Meat Classic Tuna slipped through the “eat fresh” cracks with clinging cheese and plenty of mayonnaise to clog an artery at a flick of a shred of lettuce. This “cardiac arrest waiting to happen” delicacy contains 790 calories, with 55g fat (16 g saturated fat). I suppose Jared the poster boy avoided this selection during his celebrated diet.

8. The ExtravaganZZa Feast from Domino’s is a deep-dish pizza, with ham, pepperoni, onion, mushrooms, black olives, beef, sausage and extra cheese. With only two slices, we’re talking about 860 calories, and 46 g. of fat (17 g. saturated fat).

9. The Mashed Potato Bowl with Gravy from KFC has more fat than the fried chicken with 690 calories and 31 g. of fat (9 g. saturated fat).

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"I’m on a diet, I’ll just eat the mash potato bowl?"

10. Dairy Queen is popular for their cool, creamy treats that can satisfy a craving like nothing else in the dessert business. Imagine serving of 1290 calories, with 500 g. of fat (39 g. saturated fat). That’s what you will get with the Caramel CheeseQuake Blizzard to match the quake of your hips, backside and love handles.

Bill Cosby said it best when he cried, “I am what I ate, and I’m frightened.” We all have our weaknesses when it comes to fast food delicacies and desserts. However, the health and diet consequences may not be worth the price of satisfying a fast food crave on a routine basis.

What is on your list of fast food that make you fat?

21 Ways on How to Stay Cool This Summer For Less

Dean — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 21:01:03 +0000

It is about 80 degrees Fahrenheit here in Honolulu as I right this post at 10 AM. I just checked the weather report and there will be a high of 81 degrees and a low of 70 degrees tonight. Another beautiful day in paradise. Still, it does get a little hot sometimes in my apartment during the summer.

When I watch the weather report for the other cities across America I can’t help but appreciate Hawaii’s weather. I went to Las Vegas about a month ago and the temperature was in the triple digits.

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"Taking a rest in the shade to enjoy the beautiful view"

Could this be you?

It feels like it’s at least 99 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade, and we’re talking about 8:35 a.m. EST. You debate whether you should go for your routine 3-mile jog around the park, or just call it quits for now and find a cool, shady area to relax. Fortunately, there are several useful tips in keeping cool without the comfort (and added expense) of air conditioning. Your wife doesn’t seem to be affected by the intense summer heat and morning humidity, as she questions why you won’t take the dog for a walk before wasting your Friday away sitting around.

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Oahu, Hawaii – "As cool as the other side of the pillow"

In the midst of the dog barking, your wife’s complaining and the children making the breakfast nook into a combat zone with cold cereal and pancake syrup, you hear the weather report on the morning television news. “It’s only going to get warmer folks, with a high of 93 degrees, but with the humidity, it’ll feel like 102 degrees in the shade.” To make matters worse, the central air conditioning you constantly boast of to your friends is on the blitz. What is one to do in the middle of all this summer mayhem? Before the heat evaporates every living cell in the human body, the cooling tips are as follows:

You can use some ice to wrap in a face cloth to cool your neck, wrists and other parts of the body. This can last for at least one hour, before the process is repeated.
Water vapor generated by actually sweating takes body heat away once it’s exposed in front of a fan or cool breeze (Ahhhh!).
You can utilize a squirt water bottle to keep body parts wet. The kids may like this idea, but certainly not for the same reason you may like it.
Consume cold water or a sports beverage (not homemade lemonade) for oral re-hydration—electrolytes can keep the body much cooler in the heat than sugary beverages.
Remain in a shaded area to avoid constant sunlight. Planting trees next to your home can help keep your house cool while providing beautiful landscaping. If done right this can really cool your house down and according to Alliance to Save Energy strategically placed greenery can save you $250 a year.
Going to a basement or lower level of your home is highly advisable (this can also be a hiding place away from the noisy children and inquiring Mrs.)
Open up the windows in your home or office to increase air circulation.
Prepare the home against the summer heat with circulating night air or fans for a cross-breeze.
Turn off your computer, lamps, stoves and various sources of heat. Your computer can really heat up a room, if your not using your computer turn that sucker off.
Get your hair very wet with a bath or shower (this may be needless to say).
Consume less foods that are not prepared by heat—believe it or not a stuffed belly doesn’t makes matters better in the sweltering heat. Your body warms up as it digests the food you just ate.
Slather mint lotions on the body (not eyes or face)—this is because no matter how much you attempt to cool off, perspiration will still exist.
Fill a drinking glass with ice cubes and enjoy a cold glass of water (another obvious solution).
Go down to Home Depot or Lowes and get some window tint, drapes or shutters if you have large windows in your home or office.
Avoid a hat and shoes indoors. When work from home I am almost always shirtless in my home office. I also wear very light shorts like basketball shorts or surf shorts.
Eat foods that are spicy (???) to increase perspiration for a cooler body—this is a custom in Mexico and Latin America.
Run cold water from the faucet over wrists.
Open windows or doors in the evening to let cooler air in. Close windows in the morning to keep cool air in.
Soak T-shirt in water then wring and put it on.
Put a small damp towel around your neck area. This will cool you down quickly.
Finally, get out and go to the beach, surfs up!

This process can reduce the risk of de-hydration in the middle of a humid, summer day, although this doesn’t guarantee that your family will be any more tolerable. Enjoy the rest of the summer everyone.

Got a tip on how you stay cool during the heat, let me know.

How to Save Time and Money Tips

Dean — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 01:09:42 +0000

A while ago I asked readers of this site to submit content or tips on how they save time and money. Here are the submissions that I have received. If you think you have a great tip or article and would like to share it please please contact me.

Warren Wong presents Give Me a Little More Time! posted at Personal Development for INTJs, saying, "Give Me a Little More Time! you say? There’s that little bit of time everywhere. Take it, it’s yours!"

ChristianPF presents 9 Tips from Warren Buffett posted at Money in the Bible | Christian Personal Finance Blog, saying, "Nine tips about investing, business, and life from the world’s greatest investor."

ISPF presents Discipline (Or Lack Thereof) and Personal Finance posted at Grad Money Matters.

Samir presents Top Line Notes for Time Management posted at Develop & Grow.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents How To Furnish Your House On Any Budget, Even For Free posted at The Digerati Life, saying, "Some advice on furnishing your house! Thanks for hosting. Btw, this is the first time I’ve seen your blog and it’s great! "

Ted Reimers presents 10 ways to save money in College posted at CampusGrotto.

edithyeung presents Edith Yeung.com Dream Think Act » Blog Archive » 7 Habits of Highly Effective Money Managers posted at Edith Yeung.Com: Dream. Think. Act..

Penelope Trunk presents My financial history, and stop whining about your job posted at Brazen Careerist by Penelope Trunk.

Thank you for all your submissions.

Can You Scratch My Nuts? – Hump Day Humor

Dean — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 08:17:06 +0000

Time for another weekly humor break. I found myself laughing out loud at this video. Apparently this guy was pulled over for DUI but should have gotten pulled over for DWIB (Driving With Itchy B@lls). Enjoy.

Why Aquafina Bottled Water is a Rip-Off

Dean — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 22:36:39 +0000

Sure, the crisp, cool taste of a cold bottle of water can be quite refreshing. But is it an honest business? The bottled water industry is making a killing in beverage sales, where bottled water practically outsells the marketing of soft drinks. As per the NRDC, approximately 25% to 40% of bottled water comes from the faucet. With these facts, the average consumer would want to know why pay for a beverage that gets delivered at no cost directly into one’s home.

Dasani (from Coca-Cola) and Aquafina (from Pepsi-Cola) are really from municipal systems of water. Sadly, bottled water (most of the time) is really filtered, which can be accomplished at home. The middleman gets paid and consumers feel that they are healthier and environmentally aware for buying bottled water.

Money Saving Tip: Use a Water Filter

The wise consumer can actually gain with a PUR water filter on the faucet and receive clean drinking water for approximately $15 for at least three months. Bottled water consumers even become engrossed with the recycling of plastic bottles to improve the environment.

Save the Earth

Approximately 4 pounds of the chemical carbon dioxide is released into the world’s atmosphere just by the manufacturing of plastic for bottled water. It’s amazing how much petroleum is actually consumed in this process—this averages to about a quart of petroleum per consumer.

Bottled Water Cost Four Times as Much as Gasoline

Bottled water can cost at least four times as much as the already costly gasoline, with prices about $10 a gallon. Considering the soaring prices of gasoline, this is shocking news. Moreover, only approximately 12% of plastic bottles for water are recycled, as natural resources are used to bottle and clean water. Lethal gases are released into the earth’s atmosphere with the burning of plastic water bottles at your local landfill. Now may be an ideal time to realize bottled water is a rip-off.

Unfortunately, many parts of our nation do in fact have unsafe drinking water. Switching back to the dangers of unsafe tap water is certainly ill advised. It’s a good idea to check the situation with the water in your region prior to drinking water from the faucet blindly. Several water reports may deem the tap water in your area as unsafe by local officials. Either boiling water can possibly best produce delicious drinking water before placing it in the refrigerator to cool (this process may be a bit old-fashioned, but it’s still better than taking a chance with unsafe water), or the simple purchase of a PUR water filter for your kitchen faucet.

My Take on Bottled Water

Water here in Hawaii by national standards is suppose to be very good, I have no problem drinking from the tap. I do filter my water in a Brita water filter pitcher though. I also purchase bottled water (Costco) but drink it for convenience and when I’m on the go. I find it funny how water bottles put the nutritional facts on every bottle, I know it is probably required but how dumb to they think we are. Hawaii also has a beverage fee of 5 cents for every bottle sold, if you recycle your cans and bottles you get your 5 cents back. This has really increased the recycling rate and has been good for the environment as well as the state (More money to burn).

When ever I travel I tend to drink bottled water, again it is very convinient. When go to Las Vegas I usually don’t care to drink tap water, call me paranoid but I don’t care to drink water from Lake Mead (yikes). I do like the tap water in Colorado, again it might be mental but I think it tastes good and fresh.

So how is the water where you live? Please share your experiences.