Listen to Free Music Online

Another great tip from today's Tiphero newsletter:

I might be a little slow discovering this, but there are various sites where you can listen to free music on your computer. I tried Grooveshark today and really enjoyed listening to the playlist I made.

Use Those Coupons!

An example of how coupons can really be helpful. There is this moisturizer with spf 50 I've been wanting to try, but it's really small and costs about $24.00. Eeek! I found it on sale for $18.00, had a $3.00 coupon from the vendor and a $5.00 coupon from the store, so I got it for $10.00. If there is something you really want, if you're patient, I've found there is usually a way to get it for less.

Garage Sales

Here's my fancy new (to me!) TV I got at a garage sale. I like to keep a small TV in my bedroom and the kids had broken my last one, so bought this one for $15.00 at a garage sale to go with my $4.99 VCR I bought at a thrift store recently ... what a bargain! ... Of course, with the new conversion to digital, you need to get cable (we buy basic for a minimal fee) or have a converter box to use these older tv's.

I also picked up a kid's bike for $15.00 at a different garage sale (quite the hit!) and a couple pair of really cute shoes for $2.00 each.

A word of advise about garage sales ... you really have to be choosy or you end up bringing home things you don't need that take up too much room. We've had a number of sales around here recently and I've made myself pass on a lot of "maybe" purchases.

ps-Not advertising for "The View," it just happened to be on!

I love a clay mask!

Nice picture huh? One of my favorite cheap beauty things is a clay mask. When I'm taking care of myself well, I try to do a mask once a week. I use whatever mask I find at the drug store (nothing special) and one tube lasts me forever. They usually are green or blue and really make your pores look better. I usually do the mask on a weekend morning before makeup, leave it on until dry, then wash off with warm water. I follow with some sort of exfoliation and a wash with my normal cleanser. Today I used brown sugar and olive oil to exfoliate. If you do this, I wouldn't rub the sugar too hard and the oil was a little heavy on my face, so definitely felt I needed to use cleanser after. Here's another cheap way to exfoliate.

A "Special Days" Calendar

Today at Walmart I ran into four racks of $1.00 clothing. They do this from time-to-time. Just the night before I had checked my list of "Special Days" to see which birthday's were coming up. I was able to get one niece 5 clothing items and another 3 items.

It really saves to keep in mind birthdays/events that are coming up in the next few months so you can try to get gifts on sale. Here's a link to a post I did on having a gift stash.

Simplifying our Wants

I was sitting in church today and started thinking of how abundant (and easier) our lives become when we simplify our wants and then feel gratitude for what we do have.

I just ran into this quote that kind of sums up what I was thinking:

"With a few flowers in my garden, half a dozen pictures and some books, I live without envy."

-Lope de Vega

I Love Thrift Stores!

This is just a reminder to all of us about how great thrift stores are. One of my friends has told me I can live better on little money than about anyone she knows. Besides having free flights a majority of my adult life (sis & hubbie worked for airlines) ... thrift stores have been the other great resource to help me live "The Good Life ... on Less."

I've bought clothes, furniture, dishes, books, toys, baby clothes, movies, a lawn mower, you-name-it at thrift stores. Where I live, many of the stores have 50% off days. Three or four years ago I spotted a whole set of really nice Mikasa dishes. There were 10 big plates, 10 small plates, 10 bowls for $26.00. Being incredibly cheap ... I mean thrifty ... I chanced it and waited a couple days until 50% off day and got the whole set for $13.00. I just checked the Mikasa website and one dinner plate is selling for $16.99.

Yesterday I stopped off at a thrift store while running errands. I bought a movie I love, the book Anna Karenina and a VCR. I just have basic cable ... no fancy way to tape, no Tivo, etc. About a year ago my VCR broke and so I haven't been able to tape shows ... generally not a big deal since you can just go and view most television shows on your computer now, but on occasion I can't find a show online and want to tape it. My husband is horrified that I bought such an archaic machine, but I found one in good shape for $4.99. It was half-off since it had been sitting on the shelf so long. Apparently my husband is not the only one who thinks they are archaic. But it does the job for me, so I was tickled pink.

I don't have a thrift store very close to my house these days, but in the future I'm going to try and remember what a great resource they are!

Shower Caps!

Ok, this one isn't a money-saver but a time-saver ... time is money ... right? I recently bought a shower cap on a whim. Unfortunately mine isn't as rockin' as this one, but I LOVE it! "Pre-children" I used to wash my hair every other day. Now, I honestly only wash it about every four days (I know, gross). Anyway, with this lovely shower cap you can pretty much keep your hairstyle lookin' good (especially if you have frizzy/curly hair like me) until your next wash.

My mother used one of these and she was one of the most "put-together" women I've ever met ... and with minimal effort. It's taken me umpteen years, but I'm finally realizing what a genius she was!

Another "help" I've tried is to sleep on a silky pillow case. Really helps keep the hairstyle smooth the next day.

Another Great Link from Tiphero!

I highly recommend getting the weekly newsletter from Tiphero if you're serious about saving money. They had a link to this article today. It's about a gal trying to feed her large fiance for a week on $25.00. I have eaten on less many weeks of my life and it's a real challenge ... especially if you're trying to eat healthy (healthful?) foods. I thought her findings were interesting.