Egg-celent Ideas

After spending months, literally, trying to figure out what to do with leftover egg cartons (it's a long story that I'll share another day), I stumbled upon an article at FrugalVillage.com where DOZENS of uses for egg cartons are listed – toolshed organizer, loose change holder, travel container for jewelry, seed starters, desk organizer. The possibilities really are limitless. 

Tell me more! What do you do with those pesky egg cartons? What about milk jugs and oversize tin cans -- how do you recycle those?

Never Waste Money On Gifts Again!

I've been told that I'm an oddity when it comes to receiving gifts, in that I absolutely adore every single gift I get, from the blingy watch my husband bought for me a few birthdays back to the scribble drawing my three-year-old nephew created for me this birthday. I don't care what it is, as long as I get something. 

Warehouse Club Pricing Codes to Know

I don’t have a car, so I don’t get to shop in bulk at those glorious warehouse stores as much as I’d like. But, don’t cry for me. I’m good at talking a car-owning friend into dropping me off and picking me up; and when I do, my favorite things to buy at Sam’s or Costco are salsa, wine, and batteries – in bulk, of course.

I just found out that many warehouse clubs have secret pricing codes to indicate an item’s status – re-ordered, cancelled, etc. For example, at Sam’s Club if a price ends in $0.01 the price has probably been recently reduced due to cancellation or to make shelf space for newer items. At Costco, look for prices that end in $0.97, as this may indicate a markdown and a great reason to stock up.

Know any other secret pricing codes that I should know to get my salsa, wine and batteries for even less? Do share!

Calling All Kitchen Beauticians...

I tried making soap a few years ago. The idea itself was solid–I’d create pine scented, antibacterial soap for hands that I’d wrap up pretty and dole out as holiday gifts. The end product was a disaster. It wound up smelling like toilet bowl cleaner. Ack! And that, ladies and gentlemen, is when my soap-making days ended.

I know that some of you may have kept at it. You might even have a really innovative product/concept on your hands – an idea that may be a hit with your friends and family, but one that you don’t have the funds to market to the masses. My suggestion: If you’re a beauty entrepreneur ready to take your product to the next level, submit it to Breakthrough in Beauty, a company that searches for novel beauty innovations and then markets them for you. If you win, Breakthrough in Beauty takes your undiscovered idea, incubates it and provides it with growth opportunity and guidance.

They’re currently looking for the next big thing in color cosmetics. Still, all submissions – from foot butters to bar soaps (the bars that don’t smell like Pinesol!) – will be accepted.

For more information visit breakthroughinbeauty.com.

Take Flight…On the Cheap

With airlines digging deeper into travelers’ wallets (on some aircrafts we now have to pay extra just to fly with a suitcase? Puh-lease!), the days of cheap flights are long gone. Right? Not quite.

My favorite airline (because they have TV’s in the backs of every seat and for a nominal fee they let pets fly coach!), JetBlue, just slashed their autumn fares to start at the VERY low price of $39 each way for travel between September 3rd and October 31st that is booked by June 26th.

What are you waiting for? The season finale of So You Think You Can Dance? Watch it on the plane...with your cat!

p.s. Enter the promotion code OCTJET2 when booking for an extra 10% of JetBlue flights.

With its rising costs, what are the other ways you plan to save on flying? Click here to tell us!

The Lost Art of Bartering

There’s a weekend flea market in the school yard across the street from my apartment. Vendors sit under umbrellas selling the usual fare – antique furniture, hand-crafted jewelry, homemade cookies.

Then there’s “The Lady in Red.” She is dressed in, well, red and sits cross-legged in the center of a large white sheet surrounded by a variety of baubles (cups, candy, mini-heart pillows). Her wares have no rhyme or reason (other than the fact that they're mostly red) and I recently found out why after trying to buy a cute pair of crimson hope earrings from her. “The Lady in Red” does not accept money for any of her items. If you see something you like, you trade her something of yours – as long as it’s red and/or white.

I ran home and scrounged around for something worth trading and decided upon a red and white popcorn bowl I’ve had lying around, but have yet to use. The Lady in Red was pleased with her new acquisition – as was I!


What’s the best barter/trade you’ve ever made? Click here to tell us about it!

Why Didn’t I Think of That? A Mani-Saving Sponge

It never fails. I’ll spend two hours primping and polishing my nails (I slow down when I use my left hand) and the next day, after washing a sink-full of dirty dishes, I’m already chipping. I’ve tried all of the topcoats and chip-proof polishes I could get my paws on, to no avail. I just got wind of this new dishwashing sponge, the Scotch-Brite Ultra NailSaver Absorbent Scrub Sponge ($2), which will be popping up in grocery stores next week. The nifty sponge comes with groves in the sides where your nails rest safely instead of scratching up against the cast iron pot you’re cleaning. Love it!

Smile, Mom!

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Free Shipping Made Easy

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.

There's No 'I' in 'Team'

This year, my husband and I have pulled in the reins on our holiday spending. This means we can't get as many gifts as usual for the people on our list.

But before you shed a tear for us, listen to our plan B:

We will buy for groups or families instead of individuals. Genius, huh? Everyone will still get something (each person gets one tear at the wrapping paper), and we'll get to keep more money in our wallets. Here are a few group gifts that are just as good as individual ones:

-Board games
-Wine
-Chocolate
-Gift jars
-DVD's


*What is a "group gift" that your group would be happy to receive?

Four Giftable Gadgets that Give Back

Men are the hardest to shop for. Do you agree? Since I can never think of anything creative to give the guys in my life -- hubby, dad, brother, father-in-law -- for the holidays, I usually result to a gizmo or gadget (i.e. an electric window scraper that plays music) that I know they'll be jazzed about...at least for a day or two.

This year I'm not going to deviate from the gadget gifts they've come to expect from me, but I am going to be smarter about my choices. Here are four little devices that will actually save my recipients money -- something that EVERYONE wants for Christmas.

1.)Filtered Water Bottle for the man who spends money everyday on bottled water. Katadyn Micro Bottle Water Filter, $30
2.)Spice Grinder for the man who likes buying spices in bulk -- now he can grind up his own! Krups GX4100 Electric Coffee and Spice Grinder, $30
3.)Self Cleaning Electric Shaver for the man who spends his loose change every week on razors and shaving cream. Braun 7526 Syncro Self-Cleaning Electric Razor, $100
4.)Espresso/Cappuccino Machine for the man who likes his java on the go -- and pays for it! Self Cleaning Electric Shaver for the man who spends his loose change every week on razors and shaving cream. DeLonghi Espresso/Cappuccino Maker, $78

It's a Wrap

I went to stock up last week on boxes of tissue (my hubby has already started sniffling) and was drawn to the decorative/stylized name brand options. Why not? They'd match perfectly with the very different color schemes in our apartment -- one room is bright blue and fire engine red, another is hunter green and khaki. I piled six of them into my cart before I saw the price tag. $5 each! Yeah, right.

A light bulb went off in my head as I stacked the name brand tissues back on the shelf and dumped six of the store brand, kind-of-hideous tissue boxes into my cart. My total was $5.

At home I pulled out my stash of wrapping paper and covered each box in a different pattern. I can honestly tell you that I've never seen a prettier box of tissues in my life!

Rainy day? Try it.

Halloween on a Shoestring

The last time I dressed up for Halloween was when I was five. Yes, it's been that long. My mother transformed me into a fortune-teller with a sparkly beanie on my head and a magic 8 ball in tow.

I've finally found two reasons to don another quirky costume in my lifetime. First, one of my good friends is hosting a huge costume party and you're not allowed in unless you're dressed up. Sneaky way to get all of your friends to participate, huh? Second, there are tons of websites selling great costumes for pennies. Here are some of the best. Happy Haunting (er, Hunting)!

HalloweenExpress.com w/ full costumes for women marked down to $19.99

ZoogsterCostumes.com w/ costumes for the whole family at 50-75%off

CostumeCraze.com w/ costumes for pets for as low as $6.95

CostumeDiscounters.com w/ a "Lowest Price Guarantee" on costumes for all ages

My To-Do List

1. Freeze my tights and stockings (they'll last longer).
2. Shave (and then heal any nicks with honey).
3. Update my family photo album (and use egg whites to secure the pictures instead of buying glue).

These are just a few of the many so-quirky-I-MUST-try money-saving tips outlined in The Penny Pincher's Book Revisited: Living Better For Less written by British couple John and Irma Mustoe.

And, on next week's list (I love this planning ahead thing): Put nail polish in the fridge so it lasts longer; boil left over salad to add to soup; and wrap my brother's birthday gift in an old calendar page.

What's the strangest penny pinching idea you've ever tried?

Better Late Than Never

This past weekend one of the streets in my neighborhood hosted a stoop sale block party, where residents pulled out all of their unwanted wares to hawk on their stoops or front lawns. A whopping 30 houses on the block participated and I was ready to shop! The plan was to get up early, run a few errands and then be the first one there.

Of course, my plan completely backfired -- I woke up late and I didn't finish my errands until 4pm (the sale was ending at 5pm!). I managed to make it there just as most of the stoop sellers were packing up.

Being late turned out to be a good thing. As I sulked and gave puppy-dog eyes to the stoop sellers packing up their leftovers, I stumbled over a pair of Steve Madden black slingbacks sitting on the sidewalk with a sign that read "FREE" beside them. I picked them up to check out the size. Eight and a half -- that's my size! I shoved them in my bag and kept walking, with a little more pep in my step now. Then I came upon a corner house. The stoop seller was busy packing up, but I noticed there was one little table he hadn't gotten to yet and on it was a bunch of costume jewelry -- rings, chunky bracelets, and necklaces. The sign said $1, but when the homeowner saw me looking he yelled, "They're a penny now!" Score! I bought them all and it only cost me $0.50.

The moral of the story is this: A sale is not over until it's over.

A Clear Forecast for Flying

I get so worked up when I buy airline tickets. Mainly because this little voice in the back of my mind keeps saying "wait...wait...wait...maybe the ticket will be cheaper in 30 minutes...wait." Then, another voice says "buy it now!...quick...what are you waiting for?...if you don't buy this ticket right this second it will be $100 more in 30 minutes." The voices -- it's crazy, I know!

You can imagine the relief I felt after discovering Farecast.com, an airfare prediction engine that calculates whether the current price on plane tickets will increase, decrease or stay the same within the next week. And while the site spits out a ton of airfare data that tracks price fluctuations for time, day, etc., it also gives you the bottom line: "Buy Now. Fares will rise." Or, "Wait. Fares will drop." Short, sweet, and too the point -- that's all I need.

Book Smarts

I never appreciated classic literature when I was in high school or college. Back then I preferred to rush through the Cliff's Notes before a test rather than to relish the famed storytelling skills of Mark Twain, William Shakespeare and F. Scott Fitzgerald (just to name a few of the authors on my LONG high school reading list).

Well, with time comes change and I'm more interested than ever before in "The Classics" -- thanks, in part, to Bartleby.com, a website that publishes famed fiction, nonfiction and reference material free of charge.

Been wanting to read Pride and Prejudice since...well, since you didn't read it the first time? Here's your chance!