Hobbies & Beauty Stuff
the Discount Diva
Hobbies & Beauty Stuff
Somebody's Treasure is Somebody Else's Treasure
Freecycle, the massive mailing list where people give away free items they no longer want or request items they need in cities across the country, just got even better.
Now through May 4th, Yahoo! will be plugging Freecycle with giveaways as part of their Earth Day promotion, Free is Good.
Here's how it works: After you sign up with a local community here HERE, start watching the offered freebies that begin to pour into your inbox from your neighbors. Hidden within these messages are hundreds about "Earth Day treasures." Reply as instructed and if you're the first to respond by email, you get the free goody (think: smart cars, vacations at eco resorts and Sheryl Crow concert tickets)!
Tell us if you win!
It’s "Best Things In Life Are Free" Day!
Sponsored by 1-800-Free411 (free directory assistance/directions), today (April 11th) is the day we get to throw a party (cake and ice cream, anyone?) for all of the great things in life that are free. You know, like those free days museums host sometimes or free meals at your favorite restaurant on your birthday. To commemorate the day, I've made a list of all of my favorite no-money-needed things I've encountered in my life.
What do you have to add to the list?
1. A free, annual scoop of Ben and Jerry's ice cream on April 17 (www.benjerry.com)
2. Free Product Samples (www.thefreesite.com)
3. Free Tech Support (help.protonic.com)
4. Blood pressure screenings at supermarkets and pharmacies
5. Home maintenance tips and advice for do-it-yourself projects at free in-store clinics provided by your local Home Depot (www.homedepot.com)
6. Old couches and other home furnishings found at The Freecycle Network (www.freecycle.org)
7. A copy of your credit report to make sure everything is as it should be (www.freecreditreport.com)
8. Books and media from your local public library (www.librarysites.info)
9. A day at the museum on free admission days
10. Online courses offered by MIT (www.ocw.mit.edu) or lessons on how to run a small business (www.sba.gov)
11. Classes offered at your local Apple store on business and entertainment software, music programs and computer basics (www.apple.com)
12. 1-800-FLIGHTS: 1.800.Flights is a new media company providing flight status by phone for nearly every commercial passenger flight arriving and departing the U.S. daily. (www.1800flights.net/index.html)
13. Hire your own (virtual) personal shopper that sifts through millions of products from your favorite stores and brands and proposes a selection of "just what you wanted" items (www.personalshopper.com)
14. Take advantage of a convenient way to find your next companion without having to leave the comfort of your own home (www.petfinder.com)
15. Receive the week's top travel deals straight to your inbox. It's like having your own personal travel agent - free of charge! (www.travelzoo.com)
16. Discover new bands that are tailored to your personal music preferences and listen to them for free over the internet (www.pandora.com)
17. Manage your money by taking advantage of walk-in financial advice from retail locations of investment banks like Charles Schwab (www.charlesschwab.com)
18. Build your new bathroom without breaking the bank by borrowing tools, equipment and "how-to" instructional materials from your local library (yes, library!) (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tool_lending_library)
19. Show your smarts by avoiding paying for pricey, premium textbooks and downloading them for free (www.freeloadpress.com)
20. Save time on figuring out who to vote for by getting a free evaluation of your political stance (www.selectsmart.com/president/2008)
Recycled Art
It pains me to toss a wall calendar at the end of the year. The pictures are so nice. Plus, if we're all tossing calendars, well, that's a lot of trees going to waste! I explained this to my artsy friend a few weeks ago and she had a great idea: Frame the calendar photos you like the most! Ah-ha! And that's what I did. In the end I saved money on art and I helped save a tree.
Paint the Town
I'm a sucker for a sappy Broadway play. My husband, on the other hand, would be front row at every single Knicks basketball game, if humanly possible. As you can see, our entertainment tastes are very different, but our bank accounts are identical: tight.
Luckily for us (and our contagious case of cabin fever) I found Goldstar.com, a free service that sends out customized emails listing half-price entertainment/cultural offers -- from MLB games to symphony performances -- available in cities near you.
New Year, Same ol' Resolution
My New Year's Resolution this year (and for the last 10 years) is to exercise more. I've decided that this year I will invest in a treadmill or elliptical machine. If I wake up with the machine staring me in the face, I should be propelled to use it, right? Riiigghht...
If you've thought about purchasing exercise equipment, too, check out this website -- Treadmilldoctor.com
-- where "best buys" for treadmills and elliptical machines are listed depending on your budget.
Save money. At least that's one resolution I can stick to.
about the blogger
Ayren
Ayren Jackson-Cannady has yet to find a bargain or sale she didn’t like. It’s a good relationship for her wallet, but not so much for the dwindling closet space in the apartment that she shares with her husband, John and her cat, Shiny in Brooklyn, NY.
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