Vacation Meals

We live in Florida and there are so many places to go here, but you still must watch your budget. Our food budget is the biggest problem for us when we're on vacation. I have found a wonderful thing to do.

About six months before a trip, I start buying gift certificates to our favorite restaurants. If I spend $5 a week on certificates, I will have $130 when we go.

Using the certificates, you don't have to worry about the money as much because it was done slowly over time. If there are any left, you have a year to use them once you get home.

Jessica L. in Florida

Unique Wedding Gift

One of the most cherished wedding gifts we received consisted of five wine bottles with hand-made notes attached. The white was to be opened on our first anniversary, the red is to be opened in 2010, etc. The last one being a port to be opened in 2025.

Our best man went to a local wine shop and spent a half an hour with a knowledgeable clerk. Though he didn't know much about wine, he was able to find bottles that were inexpensive now but will age appropriately for their "to be opened" label. And they would be very expensive in five, ten, or 25 years! It's one of those gifts that we will cherish, and enjoy, for a very long time, and it's a reminder of all the good things yet to come.

Moriah

Other People's Money

When purchasing an auto, an alternate way to look at value is look at those vehicles that depreciate the most in the first one or two years as a great potential value. Some vehicles will depreciate 30 to 45% in the first year.

Let someone else pay one dollar a mile for the first 12,000 miles on a vehicle. Buy a one- or two-year-old car and you then can potentially get a vehicle with 12,000 miles on it at half of the new retail price. Use car value guides as a way to identify the best buys in slightly used vehicles.

Terry in Cheyenne

Finding Barter Partners

As a bookkeeper/accountant, I have bartered with a great deal of people! I eat Chinese food for free, fill up my car with gas and get it repaired, get groceries at our small local grocer, and get haircuts and tans! Over the years, I have also had rooms remodeled and building projects completed.

The best way to find people to barter with is to just ask! Many small businesses would love to have someone do a task they dislike in exchange for whatever service or product they provide. Many small business owners are short on cash, but can easily provide their skill to you! There are also barter networks on the Internet, and I think some large towns have barter networks in place. Just keep an open mind and ask around, and you will be bartering before you know it!

Jennifer

A "Simple" Error

With my credit card statement was an offer to get a copy of my credit report for free. I did it and I am glad I did. It had an account listed with Discover Card that said I owed $1208. I don't even have a Discover Card. Of course, I called Discover to find out about it and it turns out it was just a typo that someone made. I don't know if the mistake was made by them or the credit bureau. I think they transposed or just typed in a number wrong on the cardholder's account. It was registered in her name with my SSN. She was making the payments, but my credit rating was still pulled down by this because she has only a $1300 credit limit and owed nearly all that amount.

I will be checking my credit report yearly from now on. This is the first time I have ever done it, but it will not be the last.

Janet in UT

It Depends on the Definition of "Stain"

About 5 years ago when I lived in Utah, I bought the couch and loveseat that I currently have. I also bought the 7-year protection plan for stains. I finally had a stain that warranted using it.

I was told that I had made the warranty invalid because I tried to get the stain out myself! If I could have removed the mark, it wouldn't have been a "stain." Isn't a stain something you can't get out?

It was the worst way I could have spent that $100+ when I bought my new couch set and I will never purchase "stain protection" again.

Kim in Washington

The Low-Cost Health Club

Where I live, we have a use again fitness store. For about $100, you can get all of the equipment that you need! I'm currently a stay-at-home mom and love using the items during the day while watching TV or watching my daughter play outside. Examples would be an exercise ball, jump rope, dumbbells, a small step machine, and even a weight bench with weights.

If you go to the library and look through the fitness magazines, you could come up with the types of exercises that you would want to do to reach your personal goal. "Muscle & Fitness Hers" has a section called Perfect Form that covers technique, performance, a diagram with explanation of the primary muscles involved, sport uses, muscle/joint actions, and tips from a pro. Find the articles that you are really interested in and make a copy. Place your copies in a folder in sheet protectors that you can get from a dollar store. Routine getting boring? Simply go back to the library and look at the new magazines. Some other good magazines to get exercises for women from are "Fitness" and "Self."

Why pay a gym membership when you can exercise at home or with a neighbor in your backyard, house or apartment? And the great thing about the magazines is that they show you so many exercises using just yourself, a chair, a wall, or an exercise ball that you would be hard pressed to ever get bored! Stay fit!

Dana H. in Battlefield, MO

White's Nice

Years ago, I stopped buying matching washcloths when purchasing new towels and hand towels. Instead, I buy white washcloths "in bulk" at a discount center. I place a dozen or so, folded, in an attractive basket in each bath and renew as needed. You can buy a dozen white cloths for the price of one matching cloth.

In addition, I discovered this practice has other lifestyle advantages:

1. No more grousing at husband or children about using matching items. The white cloths match everything!

2. Since the discount cloths are white, you can soak, bleach, boil or sterilize to your heart's content without fear of fading.

3. The cheaper cloths are not as bulky and thick, making them much easier to handle when wet. That's a plus for little hands as well as arthritic hands like mine.

4. I like a fresh cloth with each trip to the tub. This system indulges, even encourages, that.

It's a "win-win" for the smart shopper.

Patricia H.

A Gift That Really Pays Off

My husband and I, both on retirement incomes, opened small college savings (529 plans) accounts for our five grandchildren. We contribute the money we would have spent for gifts on birthdays and Christmas. We still give the grandkids a few small gifts (books, clothes, etc.), but they receive so much stuff that they never miss more "stuff" and we write them a note telling them we sent money to their college accounts.

Kathi F.

Auto Trash Bags

One thing I wish everyone around the world would do is save grocery store plastic bags. They can be used in your vehicle as a cheap garbage bag. Use them instead of throwing your trash out the window. When it gets full, throw the whole thing in the trash.

Stores sell fancy garbage bags for vehicles, but you have to worry about it getting dirty and then having to clean it. With the shopping bag, there is nothing to clean because you throw it away with the trash.

Michael N.

Laundry Stains

I have found the wisdom of using warm or cold water to wash all of our clothes except underwear. Like many people, I used to wash whites in hot water, with bleach. After reading many articles about cutting utility bills, I decided to give it a try. This happened around Christmas time, just in time for my husband to get a new load of t-shirts as gifts. I was impressed as week after week I washed everything in warm or cold water with the same detergent as before, sometimes using bleach, sometimes not, and the whites looked great! I also found that on my husband's new t-shirts, there were no hard yellow patches under the arms from deodorant. What a great difference, and what a savings!

CEW in Texas

Stretching Cat Litter

I have tried the cheap clumping litter, and of course, I prefer the more expensive brands. But the cost is prohibitive! By mixing the two, I have found that you still have a good product that does the job without the clumps falling apart and smelling up the cat box. I mix mine 50/50, but you can experiment to see what combination satisfies you.

Keep in mind that cats can be very picky about their litter box. Therefore, you may want to do this gradually, so they can get used to it.

Shawna P. in Barberton OH

Making Guests Welcome

I have a suggestion to make a guestroom welcoming. I always put out a tray with several bottles of water, some sweet and salty snacks in individual servings, and some breath mints and gum.

Guests really appreciate the water in particular, especially if they have to take medication or if they get thirsty in the middle of the night and don't want to roam around an unfamiliar house looking for something to drink. If they don't eat the snacks during their visit, most of our guests are grateful to take them on the trip home.

Tracey B.

Smooth Savings

Love smoothies but find them just a little too pricey? Make your own by freezing chunks of fruit and whirring in the blender with skim milk. Strawberries, bananas and even canned pineapple (freeze in ice cube trays with a little juice) make delicious smoothies, as do blueberries and raspberries. Powdered milk is also good in the concoction.

JR

Time to Find a Hotel

Here's a tidbit that I found to get better rates at hotels. If you can get a room early in the evening, it will cost a lot less than if you got it later in the evening. Later in the evening, most travelers are tired from driving and just want a room no matter what the cost. So, they raise the price in the late evening.

Samantha 

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