Frugality: the “F” Word Americans Can’t Live Without | EcoSalon

Frugality: the “F” Word Americans Can’t Live Without | EcoSalon

Another great article about the changes we face & how we are moving towards a frugal based society.

Common Household Items You Can Recycle for Money | EcoSalon

Common Household Items You Can Recycle for Money | EcoSalon

Aluminum Cans
I’m a soda addict, and I can go through a 12-pack faster than a roll of toilet paper. Even if you only drink a couple throughout the week, add your significant other or roommates into the equation, and the cans can pile up pretty quickly. Instead of tossing them in your recycling bin, bag up your plethora of cans and bring them to your local recycling center for some extra cash. You can also take them to a reverse vending machine, as long as they’re not crushed.

Plastic Bottles

The same goes for plastic bottles. Keep in mind that the majority of recycling centers pay by the pound, so save gas by accumulating as many as possible before taking a trip.

Glass Bottles

In addition to aluminum cans and plastic bottles, you can also bring glass bottles to a nearby recycling center or reverse vending machine to get money back.

Printer Cartridges

Hang on to your empty printer cartridges and send them in to be recycled by eCycle Group or similar programs. While you’re at it, get your office in on the action, too. You can also bring them to a nearby Staples, but you’ll receive store credit instead of cash.

PCs and Laptops

Computers become obsolete quickly, and that means more outdated electronics in the landfill. But, it doesn’t have to be. Send in your old laptop or personal computer to Gazelle or search online for similar sites to get money back.

Cell Phones

My puppy recently mistook my cell phone for a chew toy. When I told a friend, she told me that I could send it in to Buy My Tronicsfor cash – even if it’s mangled beyond recognition.

iPods or MP3 Players

So, you upgraded to the iPod Touch, and you’re wondering what to do with your old MP3 player. That’s an easy one; there are a number of web sites that pay you to send it in, including You Renew.

Car Batteries

If your car battery goes dead, call the company you bought it from to determine their policy. Since dead batteries can be reused to manufacture new ones, many companies will pay you to bring your it back.

Digital Cameras

Get cash for your old digital camera by sending it to Gazelle or other similar programs.

Game Consoles

Have you outgrown your game console? Even if it’s broken, you can still send it in to Buy My Tronics or similar sites for cash.

Calculators

Sure, that heavy graphing calculator got you through accounting classes in college, but it hasn’t seen the light of day since. Get money back by sending it in to You Renew or similar programs.

CDs and DVDs

Trade them in at a local music store or send them in to sites likeSecond Spin to receive cash in return.

Books

Sell your old textbooks and novels to Cash 4 Books or similar programs.

Feeling really resourceful? You can also recycle…

Copper
Salvage copper from singed electric cords, leaky pipes and other sources, and bring it to a scrap metal center for cash. Chances are, what you manage to recover is worth more than a bag full of cans and bottles.

Brass
Like copper, brass is worth more than your typical recyclables. So, turn rusty old hinges, door knobs, plumbing fittings and more into cash at your local scrap metal center.

crestonnews.com | In hard times, consumers find ways to save money online

crestonnews.com | In hard times, consumers find ways to save money online

This is a great article on Online Coupons. Both on stores websites and and printable coupons. Largely about a site called mysavings.com including mentioning that it has free samples!

Labor Day & Other BBQ Tips

I was surfing the web and came across this post by a blog by the name of The Cheapskate Blog.

Here are some of the tips they had posted on their blog:

• Seven money-saving tips for a barbecue, starting with the obvious: Tell everyone to bring their own meat. (I would also suggest a pot-luck style BBQ)
• Three Dallas chefs share recipes for delicious party food that's fancy but inexpensive, like watermelon and sorbet.
• Great Bargain Wines and Beers, all $10 or less, as recommended by Real Simple.
• Ten ways to feed ten people for less than $20, including homemade pizzas and stew with fresh bread, from TheKitchn.
• How to feed a group on location—say, at a beach house—without spending a fortune or making three dozen trips to the supermarket, from CheapHealthyGood.
• Make it a wine and chips party, featuring wines under $15. (Cheese may or may not be in your budget.)

10 Frugal Kitchen Tips to Stretch Your Dollar

@DebtDiva recently posted this link and I thought I'd share it here: 10 Frugal Kitchen Tips to Stretch Your Dollar

1. Don't let food go bad. The most expensive food is the food you throw out. Either make just enough so that there are no leftovers, have a plan for your leftovers, or throw them in the freezer in individual portions making lunches super easy.
2. Produce is an area where food can go bad quickly. Store it properly to help this. When purchasing fresh produce for the week, get a mixture of items that will need eaten right away (berries) and items that will last all week easily (carrots).
3. Make your own condiments. It is cheaper and better for you to make your own chocolate syrup, maple syrup and many salad dressings. Once you buy the main ingredients in large quantities, it becomes cheaper to make these items yourself. And you will never have to run to the store when you are out.
4. Do the math on your meals. Side dishes, drinks and desserts included. Once you figure out how much it costs to make the foods you like, you can figure out ways to cut those costs. You can also make choices based on the cost. Say you want to have a more expensive main dish like chicken cordon bleu, but don't want to ruin your whole budget for the week. Not only can you choose less expensive side dishes to accompany this meal, you can balance this expensive dinner with cheaper dinners the rest of the week.
5. Eat produce that is in season. It is less expensive and it doesn't have to travel as far to get to you, which means it is better for the environment.
6. Have a night or two each week that you don't eat meat. At the very least the meat should not be the main focus of the meal.
   
7. Shop your pantry first before heading to the store. Figure out what you need to go with what you already have. Don't start from scratch each week.
8. Stock up on much used items when they are on sale, then you won't have to pay full price next week, or the week after, etc. depending on how much you stockpile.
9. Cook as much as possible from scratch. If you have the right basic ingredients at home, you can make just about anything.
10. Stretch foods as much as possible. See the examples below.
    

• If you buy a jar of pickles, once you have used the pickles, cut up a cucumber and add it to the juice left in the jar. Store in the fridge for a few days and you have a new jar of pickles for the cost of the cucumber.
  
• When my dad was in town recently I bought an expensive jar of seasoned oil to go with our bread. When we used the last of the oil we noticed the bottom of the jar was still full of the seasonings. I filled it with olive oil, shook it up and we have another bottle of seasoned oil, minus the high cost.
• Last time I made tacos, I quickly cooked up a pot of instant rice while the beef was browning. When that was all done, I mixed it together and added the taco seasoning. Everyone loved and a cup of instant rice is much cheaper than more ground beef.
• Try to use less of something each time you use it until you notice a difference in flavor. Maybe the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon of salt, but really 3/4 teaspoon works just fine.

PricePlease - Online Shopping - Discount Tracker - We watch all the prices. You get all the savings!

PricePlease - Online Shopping - Discount Tracker - We watch all the prices. You get all the savings!

This seems like a pretty cool little site. You paste the URL of something that you want to watch the price on, and it will do so for you. So far you can only do this with 259 stores, but they are always expanding.

If you've bought something recently, it will check for you to see if they drop the price for a possible refund.

Stress Relief Tips for Summer

Stress Relief Tips for Summer

Chill Out: Summer Tips for Stress Relief

Don't go into meltdown over stress! Take a mental vacation via meditation or yoga.

By Jeanie Lerche Davis

WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD

Any sort of change causes stress, even good changes -- the kids home on summer break, or having a baby. You feel the tension caused by stress in your shoulders, in your neck. You lose sleep, feel depressed, and feel tired. The long-term effects of stress are much worse: stress ups your risk for heart disease, mental distress, andweight gain. This summer, practice a few simple tips for stress relief. Enjoy regular exercise.Walking is a good way to reduce stress. Sometimes, just learning to accept what you cannot change can help ease the burden of stress. Meditation and yoga are two stress-management techniques that help train your body to relieve stress.

Meditation for Stress ReliefThe practice of meditation is ancient. But in recent years meditation has gained worldwide acceptance for its ability to produce the "relaxation response" and ease stress. When we are in this state of deep relaxation, our breathing, pulse rate, blood pressure, and metabolism decrease. By meditating on a daily basis -- even just 10 minutes once or twice daily -- it's possible to lift depression, lower blood pressure, and ease stress.

What is meditation like? You silently repeat a word, sound, or phrase while sitting with your eyes closed for 10 to 20 minutes. The sound can be "om," "one," "peace," or any other word with special meaning. Focus on the sound -- or on your breath -- and ignore intruding thoughts as best you can. You can periodically open your eyes to check a clock, but don't set an alarm. Meditation is sometimes difficult at first, but over time nearly anyone can achieve a state of relaxation. Find a meditation center or class to learn this timeless stress-reduction technique.

Yoga for Stress Relief Yoga is another ancient practice that reduces stress and tension. Yoga can lower blood pressure and levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. Through yoga practice, you also boost flexibility, strength, endurance, and balance. Don't worry about having to do pretzel positions. You don't need to stand on your head either. In a beginner's class, you will learn basic stretches or poses. There are several different styles of yoga, and you may want to try different ones to see what feels best.As you work through poses, you must focus on inhaling and exhaling -- and it's this concentration on the breath that is yoga's key to stress management. With this focus, you let go of external thoughts and anxiety.With meditation and yoga, you get a mental vacation!

Are your Eggs Fresh?

How To Test Eggs For Freshness on Howcast

This is a great way to see if your eggs are fresh!

ReUsing 2 Liter Plastic Bottles.

Here are some great tips for Reusing those 2-liter plastic soda bottles. Saw this great video on @thriftstoreremx's site.

Tips for staying cool in hot weather!

Here are some tips for staying cool in the hot weather without AC.

How To Survive Without Air-Conditioning on Howcast