Article on Yahoo!

Check out this article on Yahoo about good items to buy used. 

Toothpaste Squeeze

How do you get your toothpaste tube to look like this?

My husband taught me a simple way to truly get every last drop out of your tube of toothpaste.

Step 1.  Lay tube of toothpaste on a hard, flat surface.

Step 2.  Press the long handle of your toothbrush along the bottom end of the tube.

Step 3.  Applying steady pressure, slowly move the toothbrush handle up to the tip, compressing the remaining toothpaste together.

Voila!  You will be able to get every last drop of toothpaste, maximizing your purchase!

Book Worm

Though I love and use my library frequently, there still is nothing like owning your own literary classic.  So, how do you save dough when acquiring books?

• Buy at garage sales.  These are a great way to buy books, especially children's books.  Often they are only 25 cents to a $1.
• Swap with friends.
• Buy from your library.  Many libraries offer a book sale once a year offering fabulous deals.  For example, this year I scored for $10 at my library:  2 hardback Harry Potter books to finish my collection, 1 hardback Tales of Beetle the Bard, 1paper airplane book, the first three paperback books of Anne of Green Gables, box set of The Boxcar Children, hardback Oh The Places You'll Go, paperback Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (ours has gotten worn out), and several board books in like new condition.  If I had bought these new, it would have cost me well over $60.
• Check out websites like Craigslist and Amazon.
• Occassionally you can find a great deal through Scholastic school book orders, although often they're overpriced (but at least part of the money goes toward the school).

What do you do?

Inexpensive Vacation Ideas

Summer is upon us and so is vacation season.  Here are some ideas for a thrifty vacation:

• Go camping!  Once you have the gear, this is a very inexpensive vacation.  Some campsites are $7-20 per night.  Activities are free, you bring your own food, the kids enjoy playing in the dirt, and great memories are made.
• Have a "stay-cation."  Lodging is free, you provide your own food, and you know the deals in the area.  Take time to explore your city.  Some activity ideas:  hiking, biking, swimming, museums, tour factories, visit geological points of interest.  Just be sure to act like it's a vacation, rather than getting caught up in the day-to-day life of cleaning, phone calls, tv shows, etc.
• Arrange a house swap with someone you know (or meet through reliable house swap websites).
• Visit family.  Just be a good guest and help provide and prepare meals.
• If you want to vacation somewhere more grand...consider going in the off-season.  Deals are much better and your dollar stretches farther.

What are your ideas?

Watch Your Energy Usage

Today is Xcel Energy's first day of the two-tier rate system.  It continues through the end of September.  Your first 500 kilowatt hours are charged one rate.  Then anything above that is charged a rate that is practically double the first.  Now is the time to conserve electricity!!

Here are some ideas to reduce your usage:

• Unplug any unused appliances to avoid "phantom" currents.  Things like the toaster, lamps you rarely use, a cell phone charging that has already reached it's full charge, etc.
• Hold off on the A/C.  Wait as long as possible before you switch on that electricity guzzling machine. 
• Close blinds/curtains when the sun is shining directly in.
• Open windows at night to welcome that cool night air.  (But make sure your a/c is off and that you close the windows during the heat of the day.)
• Run full dishwasher and laundry loads.

Bananas, Beans, and Strawberries

I'm not sure how long this is going on, but Walmart is (or was) offering bananas for 25 cents a pound, black beans for 60 cents, and strawberries (16 oz. pkg.) for 90 cents.

Thanks to M. and N.  for the info!