Picasa: High Quality Picture Editing Tool

For Ebay I've really been needing to take high quality, appealing pictures for the items I'm selling. Unfortunately my camera isn't terrific. However, I've recently downloaded the free picture editing software from Google's Picasa and I love it! I've watched myself whittle away an hour or two just having fun making my photos look incredible. And, the best part is that the software is free!

Check it out!

http://picasa.google.com/#utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-ha-na-us-bk&utm_medium=ha&utm_term=picassa

Happy Saving!

Fresh Produce for Less

I've always wished it wasn't so expensive to buy fresh produce, it's been discouraging to me that we live in a place where it is cheaper to buy junk food than to support farmers and eat food that is actually good for us. That's when a friend told me about Bountiful Baskets. This has been a teriffic find for me. It's a co-op where you can order a basket full of fresh produce for only $15. It's based off of an idea of community where each participant agrees to volunteer every 6-8 weeks to help keep the operation up and running. It can be a pretty fun and exciting experience to pick up your first basket and volunteering isn't too difficult. I would even describe it as an exciting community event. If you are interested in getting your bountiful basket, check it out here. They don't supply in every state, but they list the locations on their website.

http://www7.bountifulbaskets.org/?page_id=233

Sell your Cell

Have any old cell phones laying around the house? http://www.sellyourcell.com/ buys them back from you! I'm not sure how old the cell can be before they won't take it anymore, but they have a search box to find your phone and see what they will pay.

Happy Earning!

Fiverr.com What will you do for $5?

Looking to make a few extra dollars? On Fiverr.com you can sell your services for $5. This website ranges from the bizzare to the surprisingly practical. This is a great way to make a few extra bucks by selling your services. It's surprisingly easy to sign up and sell!

http://fiverr.com/

Happy Earning!

Bragging about Black Friday

Find any noteworthy Black Friday Deals? Tell us about them in the Frugal Forum page!

Best Prices for Textbooks Online

College students, this post is for you! It's hard to sometimes know when you are getting the best deal for your books. Here are two websites that can help with that.

http://www.textbookpricecomparison.com/ This website helps you to find the best prices to buy books.

http://www.bookfinder.com/textbooks/ And this website helps you to find the highest paying buyers when you sell back your books.

Happy Saving!

National Park Free Entrance Days

Want to take a vacation, but don't have the extra savings? You might want to consider attending one of the National Park's Free Entrance Days. Every Year they have a few parks around the United States that you can get into paid parks without an Entrance Fee. Here are the dates for 2012 to mark on your calendar:

http://www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm

Happy Saving!

Free movies!

I love entertainment, but I don't like the cost of getting a movie. Even the few dollars spent at the redbox can add up. However Redbox offers a great deal at this website where you can sign up for their Mobile Text Club. Every month they will send you a promo code for a free redbox movie, plus great offers and freebies only for members. To join, simply follow their instructions here:

1. Text the word SIGNUP to 727272. That's it!*
2. To stop messages at any time, just text the word STOP to 727272.

Or, check it out for yourself at http://www.redbox.com/textclub.

Happy Earning!

Design on a Dime

Looking to redesign your living/bedroom? This can be a huge task, however, I have found some resources that can really help the budget while creating great looking rooms.

The things you need for a good room, and the places to find them for less:

Furniture: http://www.biglots.com/browse/furniture/living-room/sofas-loveseats-and-sectionals. There is an assortment of great looking furniture here for very low prices.

Accessories:
You can find some inexpensive Vases here: http://www.crateandbarrel.com/gift-ideas/$10-and-under/1

A huge variety of vases here: http://www.glassvasestore.com/shop.php?p=1&c=node&n=1095302&s=pr

Wall decorations, most paintings are under $15 at this website: http://www.cheapartprints.com/productlist.aspx?id=37220

Rugs: Here are a few cheap rugs: http://www.lillianvernon.com/Category/Rugs-Mats#

It's a long link, but here are some great prices for lamps: http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/search_10151_10104?viewType=pac&vName=For+the+Home&cName=Lighting&viewItems=50&keyword=lamp&sortOption=PRICE_LOW_TO_HIGH

Good luck with the decorations!

Makeovers with Limited Money

I love home makeovers, but if you are buying the most expensive products, the cost can really add up. So, here are a few less expensive alternative ideas for how to do a makeover for less.

Looking for quality makeup? http://www.eyeslipsface.com/elf E.LF. has makeup at very affordable prices. Check out their website, you might be surprised what you can find.

Want a few extra items to relax like a true spa? This link has some great relaxation and spa items for $10 or under. http://www.beddingtons.com/c-3146-under-10.aspx




Here are a few offers from Victoria's Secret for great stocking stuffers or makeover additions all under $10.
http://www.victoriassecret.com/sale/beauty-rush-makeup

Homeade microdermabrasion: Three easy ingredients, and it makes your face very soft! I've done this one many times and I love it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ou63owuUyc

Like the microdermabrasion, there are many websites that offer homeade alternatives for spa recipies, such as this one for homeade Pore Strips: http://skincare.about.com/od/skin101/ss/PoreStrips.htm (I also like to use this on my hands and feet).

Here are a few more fun websites with homeade Spa recipies:
http://mybeautyrecipes.com/lemon.html
http://www.wrinkle-free-skin-tips.com/homemade-beauty-products.html
http://www.beauty-makeup-skincare.com/home-remedies/home-remedies.htm

Happy Spa treatments!

Get Fit Without the Debt

I've been focused lately on getting the motivation to exercise. I've always been envious of those who have the finances to hire a personal trainer or pay for high end gym memberships. Not all of us can afford this, so I'm offering a couple less expensive alternatives for those who need to get ready for their thanksgiving feast.

1. Zumba online: Youtube is a great resource to find online Zumba instructional videos for free. Here is one channel with quite a few Zumba dances for free: http://www.youtube.com/user/zumbanicky#p/u/0/ZHx84CVaAPc 

2. Pilates bands: These are very cheap and often come with a variety of workout instructions on the package. These can be used to work a number of different areas on the body. This is a much less expensive alternative to toning with weights. You can find one at walmart here: http://www.walmart.com/ip/The-Firm-Sculpt-and-Tone-Pilates-Intermediate-Pilates-Body-Bands-with-DVD/5184569

Happy Saving!

Ebay update

Well, I've officially sent off my first two sold items! On my way to riches already, or at least a few extra dollars to buy myself a new pair of cute gloves.

Cheap Ways to Organize Without Breaking the Budget

So you want to redecorate your house or apartment at an affordable price? I can help with that! First, however, you have to find a place for the mountains of seemingly usless junk you've accumulated over the years. Here are a few affordable guides:


1. Have a yard sale (self explanatory).

2. Buy containers and organizers (Take the montra "A place for everything and everything in it's place" seriously). A great, cheap place to get organizers for the home are at http://www.biglots.com/browse/for-the-home/storage-and-organizaton I've been very happy with their affordable products.

3. Still too expensive? Linsey Knerl offers a few cheap and very unique ways to create storage on her blog: http://www.wisebread.com/15-awesome-storage-solutions-for-under-10. Check it out!

Happy Cleaning!

Coin Collections?

Remember your coin collection as a kid? A new idea I've run across is going to the bank and requestion coin rolls. Take a day where you can watch a few movies and sift through a lot of coins to find something rare. Apparently this can be very lucrative. I'll give it a go and update you all. Happy Earning!

Free music

Love the music but not the cost? Here are two great resources to get music for free!

http://www.amazon.com/ You can search for free music on amazon and get free downloads. Try it, there are some great songs here.

http://www.spotify.com/ This is a great resource where you can listen to almost any song on your laptop and create your own playlists. It's basically like having free itunes music, however, it only works on laptops unless you pay the premium price. I use   my spotify every day, it's great.

Craigslist

Have you checked the free page on http://www.craigslist.org/about/sites lately? There might be a few items that you can resell if they are valuable. The more items you have to be creative with, the more funds you can make. Happy Earning!

So it's a zip

The last couple of days have been a bit discouraging since I haven't made very much progress in the money making category, but I'm determined. Sometimes you need to be patient when you are first starting in order to get anywhere. Happy Earning!

Do I have to stop buying clothes?

I love clothes. That's why I have to be smart about how much I spend on my clothes. Someday when I'm rich because I've been smart with my money I will shop for those $300 dollar BKE jeans (Sigh). For now, I have a few website suggestions for those who love clothes, too. I've ordered from all of these websites and have been very happy with the results:

599fashion (Everything here is $6 or under)
10dollarmall/ (Everything here is $10 or under)
15dollarstore  (Everything here is $15 or under)

A few websites that I haven't ordered from yet that seem to have good deals are

http://1015store.com/ (Clothes under $15)
http://www.amiclubwear.com/ (Cheap boots, but keep in mind that the shipping might be a little more)
http://www.trendsunderten.com/collections/accessories (Accessories under $10)
http://www.lnlclothing.com/NEW-ARRIVALS_c_35.html (Almost everything here is under $15)
http://www.joesnewbalanceoutlet.com/shopbyprice.asp?sort=LOW_HIGH&qry=women25&size=&width=&shoeLast=&p=2 (This is a link to some miscelanious women's items under $25 including cute work out outfits!)
http://store.buyhotcouture.com/index.html (Everything here $15 or under!)

Happy Saving!
If you have stores you would like to add to the list feel free and tell us about them in the comments!

Debt Elimination Calendar

I love this calendar! I haven't written a budget in quite some time, but I'm going to use this as a template. I got it from a publication from the LDS church called "One For the Money." Take a look, it's a pretty logical and helpful way to crawl out of your debt. The way it works is thus: to the far left are the debts you intend to pay off first (these should be the most pressing debts such as debts with high interest rates). In each column is the amount of money you will pay each month to each bill. After one bill is paid, you take the money you would have used for that expense and pay it toward the second most pressing debt until finally your debt is gone. Good luck!

Debt-Elimination Calendar

	Credit card	Dept. Store	Dentist	Piano loan	Auto loan
March	110	70	50	75	235
April	110	70	50	75	235
May	110	70	50	75	235
June	110	70	50	75	235
July		180	50	75	235
August		180	50	75	235
Sept.		180	50	75	235
Oct.			230	75	235
Nov.			230	75	235
Dec.				305	235
Jan.				305	235
Feb.					540
March

Places that buy photos

I'm looking into selling online photos. I live in a beautiful spot of country and I'm hoping to rack up a bit of money with this technique. One website I plan on looking into is http://www.shutterstock.com/. I'll let you all know if it ends up being a lucrative experience or not.

Online Surveys: Scary or A good idea?

I'm not sure I have the answer to this one yet, but there is one company in particular that I am looking into called Opinion Outpost http://www.opinionoutpost.com/.

I've taken one survey that they sent to me in an email, however I'm not sure yet how to check my points. I'll keep you all updated about whether or not it's been a successful experience for me.

Yard Sale: It's a technique

Yard sales can be a great way to make a few extra dollars in a hurry, but there are some techniques that can help improve yours. Here's a few tips and tricks to think about when planning your yard sale:

Advertise: If people know, they will come. Advertise on Craigslist, put up many signs and put them out early. Let friends and family know before hand about the sale so they can spread the word.

Have a good variety: People who yard sale chat with one another about where the good yard sales are, so make sure you have items that will appeal to a wide variety of buyers.

*Note: One way to do this is to go around to neighbors and ask if they have anything they would like to get rid of or donate to your yard sale. As an added courtesy you can offer them a deal to take the item to the local thrift donation center and give them 50% of the profits with little to no work on their end of the bargain.

Don't overcharge: people come to yard sales with the idea of spending LESS, not MORE. So, the best way to earn money is not to overcharge your products. Instead sell more items for less money, and you'll be surprised how the money adds up.

Combine with another yard sale: You won't be able to make money on their products this way, but more items equal more foot traffic, so there is a better chance that your products will sell.

Offer a raffle: Put together a basket full of goods. I've actually gone online and ordered many freebie samples online to put together a sample basket at no cost to me. (This is a good way for companies to have their products advertised as well.)

Then, sell raffle tickets for the basket at $1 a piece and have people write their names and phone numbers down. You can then call or email the person who won their prizes to come and pick it up. Make sure the products are something that you would want.

Sell baked goods: Have an old family recipe that you're famous for? Bake it and sell it off in plates. You can even offer a sample plate so people can try a small taste of what they would be buying.

Sell beverages: My two recommendations: Sell water if it is hot outside and hot chocolate if it is cold.

*Note: Many people take the route of trying to sell soda, but not everyone drinks soda and if it doesn't sell it can be expensive. However, you can pick up very cheap hot chocolate packets at your local dollar store and large packs of water for under ten dollars. Put them in a cooler or thermos and charge 50% to re-hydrate your parched customers.

List it high: Don't be afraid to list your products a little bit high and let your customers haggle.

Last, have a good time! Put balloons on your posters and around the yard sale and play some fun music to create an exciting atmosphere