Air conditioning costs are the biggest part of the average household’s electricity bill.   In warmer regions, AC can amount to 60 - 70% of the electric cost.   If you want to reduce your energy bills look into your cooling costs first.  Here are some top tips: Read more »

Craigslist is a huge online classified service available for all major cities in the US and many foreign countries as well.  Most ads are free.  Go to Craigslist.org and click on your city/state/country on the right hand side.   To list your unwanted items, click on “post to classified” in the top left hand corner.  You can create an account or list items without an account.  Click on “for sale”.  Choose a category that fits your item.   Fill in the blanks for title, price, description, and location.   Review your listing.  Ads appear within 15 minutes of posting.  Easy way to may extra money.

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Here are a few frugal tips on finding cheap airfare:

1. Try to fly on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Saturdays.  The lowest fares are usually on these days.
2. Late night or early morning flights tend to be cheaper.
3. Flights with one or more stopovers are usually less expensive than direct flights.
4. Check fares on each airline’s website.  Often they have special deals not available through 3rd parties.   This is especially true for discount airlines such as Frontier, JetBlue or Southwest.  Find which budget airline serves your route at www.whichbudget.com
5. Try to book at least 21 days in advance.  For holidays book 2 -3 months ahead.  Be flexible with your flying dates. Check Bing’s Flexible Travel Search to see if prices are on the way up or down.
6. Avoid flying in June or July or Christmas through New Years.  These are the busiest times and the hardest time to get a cheap flight.
7. If you need several tickets, sometimes buying them one at a time will get you a lower price than trying to buy them all at once.
8. Online discount ticket sellers such as Expedia, Priceline, Orbitz or Travelocity release their new prices on Wednesday of each week.  Often you can get the best prices early Wednesday morning just after midnight.
9. Fly on major holidays instead of the day before the holiday.  These flights can be some of the slowest.
10. If flying one-way, check round-trip rates.  Sometimes they are cheaper than the one-way tickets.

With drug prices going up and incomes going down, many people are having a hard time affording their prescriptions these days.   Consumer Reports recently released a report stating nearly 1/3 of Americans are having trouble paying for their prescriptions and have taken dangerous steps as a result.  According to the survey people are skipping doses, not getting prescriptions filled, cutting pills in half and sharing with friends without their doctor’s approval.  Here are a few money-saving strategies to keep from going to these extremes: Read more »

During these tough economic times many people are wondering what they can do to earn extra money. Here are a few ideas:

1. Sell Unwanted Items on Craigslist.  De-clutter your house and make money at the same time. Craigslist.com is a free online classified website. In larger cities Craigslist has many followers and can mean quick cash without having to bother with shipping items.
2. Start an ebay business. Ebay is easy to use and takes no money to get started. If you don’t have Craigslist in your area or you have out-of-the-ordinary items to sell ebay may be your best choice. Start with the items you have around the house that you never use.
3. Online surveys. Market research companies will pay for your opinion. You won’t get rich doing these but they can bring in some extra money to make ends meet. The average survey pays around $10.
4. Mystery Shopping. Get paid to shop at stores or eat in certain restaurants. Fill out forms afterward evaluating your experience.
5. Consignment shops. Go through your closets and take out the clothing that doesn’t fit anymore or you haven’t worn in over a year. Take it to your local consignment shop to make extra cash. If you have exercise equipment or sports items you never get around to using anymore, take them to Play it Again Sports or other used sporting goods store.
6. Used Book Stores. Many used book stores will buy your unwanted used books outright. Half-Price Books is one example.
7. Sell Plants. Plant seeds in the late winter. Transplant the seedlings into individual peat pots when they are 2 or 3 inches tall. Sell these at your local flea market or farmer’s market in the spring.
8. Garage Sale. If you live in a high-traffic area, have a garage sale to bring in extra cash; or take your items to a local flea market with lots of traffic.
9. Donate Plasma. If you are not scared of needles you may want to try donating plasma. 2 donations in 7 days will pay around $50 and takes about an hour. If money is tight this could mean an extra $200 a month.
10. Research Studies. If you are healthy, participating in a clinical research study can bring in an extra $300 to $6000. These  may consist of a few short office visits or may last as long as a 3 week stay. Don’t do these if you can’t handle getting your blood drawn.

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Used cars prices fluctuate greatly.  Here are a few tips to make the most of these fluctuations:

1.  Used cars are generally less expensive in the fall or at the end of the year. This is driven by several factors: Read more »

You don’t have to sacrifice your health to eat frugally.  Save money and get healthy with these cheap foods:

1. Oats – Buy in bulk.  Contain lots of healthy soluble fiber.  Get the old-fashioned or steel cut oats – not the quick-cooking or instant.
2. Brown Rice – Buy in bulk.  High in fiber and vitamin E.
3. Lentils – Buy dry in bulk. Excellent source of fiber and vegetable protein.  Take less time to cook than other dried beans.
4. Split Peas – Buy dry in bulk.  Take less time to cook than most other beans/peas.
5. Raw Carrots – Buy in large bags.  Forget the baby carrots.  Not really “baby” carrots and not worth the extra cost.
6. Canned Salmon – Great source of omega-3 essential fatty acids and protein.  Also a great source source of calcium if you eat the bones.  Wild red salmon is the healthiest.
7. Sweet Potatoes – Great source of vitamin A and high in fiber.
8. Water – It’s free and very healthy.  Drink lots of it.
9. Eggs – Cheap source of protein and can be eaten lots of different ways.  Boiled eggs make a great high-protein portable snack.
10. Whole-grain Pasta – Contains lots of fiber, protein and iron.
11. Apples and Oranges – Cheaper to buy in large bags.  Store in refrigerator to make them last longer.
12. Popcorn – Inexpensive whole-grain snack.  Buy in bulk.  Put 1/3 cup in a brown lunch bag with a little non-stick cooking spray.  Fold over top of bag several times and put a small tear in fold.  Cook in microwave for around 3 minutes or until popping slows down to several seconds between pops.
13. Bananas – Great source of potassium.  Eat them whole or freeze them and make smoothies.
14. Frozen Broccoli or Spinach -  Loaded with vitamins and minerals and frozen at the height of freshness.
15. Canned 100% Pure Pumpkin – Excellent source of vitamin A and fiber.  Low in calories and fat.  Don’t confuse with canned pumpkin pie mix – this is very unhealthy.
16. Sprouts – Sprouts are rich in vitamins, minerals, trace elements, enzymes, and fiber.  Grow your own in 3 – 7 days for pennies a serving.

Dating doesn’t have to be expensive.  Whether you are single and dating or married and wanting to spend special time with your spouse without spending a fortune, many activities are free or cheap.  Here are a few ideas: Read more »

Easily save 15 - 50% off your grocery bill with coupons.  85% of Americans clip coupons.  According to the Promotion Marketing Association Coupon Council, consumers save billions of dollars each year with coupons.  Here are a few tips to get the most from your coupon-clipping: Read more »

Forget about buying expensive cleaners made with all sorts of harmful chemicals.   Your household cleaning can be accomplished with a few common inexpensive  ingredients.

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