How To Beat The Heat On The Cheap

Ugh! It is so hot here right now. Well maybe not RIGHT now, since it's about 9:30pm, but during the day.  We are having a late Summer here in SoCal.  I predict it will be hot until the end of Oct, early Nov.  Late Summers suck.  They kind of mess with your head.  You expect it to be cooler and it just doesn't happen.


Unfortunately, the air conditioner in our house is too small to cool down the entire house, so when the air is on, it is working so hard that it sucks up the electricity and since the power companies here like to rape their customers, yes I just wrote that, it's the truth, the bill can run up to or beyond $300, a month.  The $300, is if you're lucky.  Anyway, needless to say, we do not run our air conditioner.  Some days it can get above 90 degrees in the house.  Insane, I know!


Here are some things we do to keep cool and just some tips that may work for you.


Keep the doors and windows closed during the day.  Make sure your home is well insulated and you don't have a draft.  Also, let as little light into your home.  This one is hard for me, because I love natural light, but leaving too many curtains open lets in heat.


If you can, open your house up at night.  If you have a two story home, open the windows upstairs.  This allows the heat to escape through the windows and the cool air from the night in.


If you have a house fan, turn it on at night.  That also lets the cool night air in.  The important thing you want to do is cool your house down as much as possible at night.  The cooler your house is the longer it will take to heat up during the day.


Buy a small room air conditioner and put it in your bedroom.  It is much cheaper to cool one room that it is to cool an entire house.  We do this and on very hot nights my son camps out in our room.


Other ways to keep cool is to wear cool loose fitting clothing. 


Carry around a spray bottle with water in it.


Take a cool bath or shower.


Make friends with someone who has a pool.


Try to use your oven and stove as little as possible.  The grill and the crock pot are good friends of mine.


Eat lots of popsicles and frozen treats.


And the most important tip I have is to make sure you, your kids, and even your pets drink lots of water.  Ice water especially helps with keeping your body temperature cool.  


Stay cool my friends!

Use Rewards Cards As A Pot Scrubber (Original Post 05/30/2009)

I got this tip awhile ago from TipNut.com. If you have never been to Tip Nut, there are some great tips, and crafts there that I know you will love. You can use those old rewards cards or even the ones the hard plastic ones you get in the mail to clean the bottom of your pots. You simply scrape the bottom of your pots, pans or casserole dishes with the card. It doesn't scratch or damage the surface.

How to fold sheets

I found this today while going through my bookmarks on my computer.  I thought I would pass it along.  


http://raisinghomemakers.com/2010/how-to-fold-sheets/

Organizing With Office and Kitchen Supplies (Original Post~5/20/2009)

In this weeks "Quick and Simple" newsletter, there was an article on recycling office and kitchen supplies. There are some interesting uses for common items that you may have in your home. I thought it was worth sharing, so enjoy reading "17 Ingenious Things To Do With Old Office And Kitchen Supplies".

Start Your Christmas Shopping Now

I worked retail for a lot of years and the Summer is the time of year when stores start to get rid of their inventory to make room for the holiday season.


This is especially true for toys.  I was at Target today and noticed that there were a lot of toys on clearance.  If you have some money saved for the holidays, this is the time to start using it.  You can get most of your shopping done before November if you take advantage of these markdowns.  


When you shop, make sure that you check the clearance racks and keep everyone that you are shopping for in mind.  Check the internet as well as the brick and mortar stores.  You will be surprised that there are great deals online also.


Make sure that you make a list of all the people you need to shop for, set your budget and start shopping.  I hope you find some great deals and come out below your budget.  Happy Shopping!

Inexpensive Entertainment (Original Post 5/4/2009)

How do I entertain the family on a budget? I think everyone has asked that question at least once. Spending quality time with the family is sometimes hard, and you don't want to spend all your hard earned money on one day trip. I have a few ideas that my family enjoys doing together, and they don't cost much.

Some free family entertainment is watching your local little league games. We are lucky enough to be within walking distance of two fields. These games are a lot of fun to watch and it is great support for our local teams. Another free idea is to take a walk or bike ride around the neighborhood. What a wonderful way to meet your neighbors and get some exercise. You can also pack a lunch and go to the park. On a nice day, this is also great exercise and a fun way to bond with the kids.

A favorite of my family is to have a family game night. We choose a game (usually Monopoly) have some snacks and just enjoy the fun, and each other. Another favorite of ours is movie night. We pick out a couple of movies, pop some popcorn and enjoy our favorite movies. You can all cook together. Make some fun of it. Pick a theme and pretend to be in a restaurant. Let the kids be the servers and the cooks. They can make a menu, take your order and serve the food.

Now, all those suggestions are things that you can do for free. Here are a few that can be low cost. Pick a local attraction in your area and visit it. Pretend to be a tourist. A lot of people live in an area and never get the chance to really explore where they live. Take a drive. I love getting in the car and taking an "adventure". We get in the car and drive. We don't have a particular destination, we just explore. Try a new restaurant. If you find some local coupons, use them. My family has found some great hidden gems, by using coupons at restaurants, that we probably wouldn't have gone to.

This last tip isn't very inexpensive up front, but throughout the year it is good to have. If you live near a museum, zoo or theme park, buy season or yearly passes. If your family has a day together, you take advantage of those passes and have an awesome family outing.

Mother's Day Gifts (Original Post 5/03/2009)

Mother's Day gifts. I always get questions on what to do for inexpensive gifts. Everyone wants to save money, but are out of ideas of what to do. These are some gift ideas for Mother's Day, but will also work other occasions.

My number one tip, is to make something. You are never too old to make your own gifts. Even if you are not very artistic, grab the crayons and paper and make your own card. As a mother, believe it or not, you never get tired of the homemade gifts. It means so much more that you took the time to create something special.

Another thing you can do is make a special meal. It could be breakfast, lunch or dinner. It doesn't matter. Let Mom have a day off from cooking without worrying about battling the crowds in a restaurant.

Plan a special day for Mom. Get her favorite movies and pop her some popcorn. Let her have a relaxing movie day. You can also treat her to a homemade spa day. Give her a mani/pedi, do her hair and make up. Just pamper her.

Some other wonderful things you can do is clean the house, wash her car, find that list of things that she needs done and do them. The most important thing is to make her feel special. She's your mom and this is her day, she deserves it.

I hope these have helped you and have sparked some ideas of your own. You don't have to spend a lot of money to make your mom feel like a queen.

How to know when to get rid of your stuff

Collectables, memories, crap, stuff, whatever you want to call it, we all have it. Tons of it in every area of our lives, yet some of us have such a difficult time getting rid of it. What is it with this stuff, that makes it so hard to part with it? Why do we have such a deep rooted attachment to our stuff?

I don't really know. I'm not trying to claim to know. What I do know, is I have tons of it. I have a hard time parting with a lot of it. There are different reasons for different things. How do you know when you should get rid of it? How do you know what to get rid of?

I think a lot of us, put a value, whether monetary or emotional on our stuff. Doing this makes it really difficult to part with these items. Hopefully, these tips will help you figure out if you should hold on to your stuff or let it go.

Do you have a place for it?~This stuff you hold so dear to your heart, do you have a place for it? Is it just collecting dust in a box, closet, or where ever? If your things are just taking up unnecessary space, you may want to think about letting it go. If it is not being used or showcased, chances are it will remain where it is. Just taking up space.

Do you use it?~Are those items being used? Do you have kitchen appliances that you just had to have, but you have never found a use for it? Bought some gadgets that are not useful? Basically, if you have items in your home, that you have not used in the past 6 months, you probably won't use them. Take a look at those things and really think about their purpose. Can another product take the place of that? Do you play that game anymore? Is that item broken? Can someone else get better use out of the item? Weigh the pros and cons of the item and get rid of the things you really are not going to use.

What do I do with those sentimental items?~These items are always the hardest to part with. These are the things that were given to or passed on to us throughout the years. It is so hard to let go of memories. Remember, we hold the memories, not the object. If you are not displaying the items, you might want to think about why you have them. Now, I'm not suggesting that you get rid of all your sentimental objects. I would never do it. Just look at what you are keeping and why are you keeping it. If you live in a small home, and can't display all of your things, pare down. Get a chest that you can keep all those sentimental objects in. Keep them in one place, so that every once in awhile you can go, open it up and reminisce.

Why are you keeping those collectables?~We all think we have those items that are going to be worth a fortune one day. Is that one day going to be in your lifetime? Probably not. These items are more than likely just going to sit and you'll never see any profit from them. If they are collectables that you display in your home, keep them. Enjoy them, and let others enjoy them. If you are just going to sit on them and they are just going to collect dust and take up space, consider getting rid of them. Let someone else enjoy them.

Are you really going to wear that ten year old pair of pants?~A good rule as far as clothes go, is, if you haven't worn it in 6 months, get rid of it. Maybe one day that jacket is going to be retro and back in style, but does your closet have the room to wait 20 years? I'm thinking no. Purging clothes every 6 months is a good way to make room for all those new outfits that you will find. I always keep in mind that when I donate my clothes, they are going to someone who really needs them and may not have the money to buy brand new clothes. I find that makes it easier and it makes me feel like I'm doing something good for someone else.

My child has toys and won't part with them!~I have been there, many times. This is so hard. You try so hard to get rid of those toys and they tell you, “That is my favorite” or “I was going to play with that”. Teach your kids early that they can't keep all their toys. One big rule in our home is that if it is broken, and can't be fixed, it gets thrown away. That alleviates the problem of having broken toys, right off the bat. Now, getting rid of old toys. I always go through the toys myself and then I let my son go through the ones I'm getting rid of and let him keep a set amount. This gets him involved in the process. I also explain to him, that in order for him to get new toys, we have to get rid of the old ones. I also explain to him that when he gets rid of his toys, we can donate them and by doing this other kids can get good use out of them. This has always worked for me.

Getting rid of our things is always tough. We have these items for a reason and letting go is difficult at times. I hope I was able to make the process a little easier for you. Do you have any tips for making getting rid of your stuff easier?

How to display your child's artwork

Kids love to color and craft, but you only have so much room on the refrigerator for all those projects. You want to show them that you love and appreciate all those great pictures and crafts that they make, but you can't keep them forever. HaHa, as I write this, I sound like one of those crazy infomercials. Just buy this, and all your troubles will be gone. Lol

A great way to display artwork is to designate a wall in your home and place all the crafts and art there. You can even put the pictures in frames and swap them out when you get a new one. I have one wall in my home that I display all the pictures I get. The kids love it. They are so proud when they see their artwork displayed.

Displaying their art in their bedroom is a great idea. You can buy frames at your local dollar store and they can decorate their own rooms. Turn your kids room into an art gallery.

Another wonderful tip is to scan the pictures into your computer. This way, all the artwork is saved and there is no paper mess. There are endless things you can do with the art by scanning it into the computer. You can make a mural, mosaic, scrapbook, puzzle, coloring pages, t shirts, whatever you can think of. There are endless new projects you can do.

So, think beyond the fridge, where are you going to put your childs artwork? 

Christmas Shopping in July?

Summer is the time that most retail stores start thinking about Christmas inventory.  So a lot of stores, especially Target, is starting to clear the shelves so they can fit all the seasonal product.


This is the perfect time to look for gifts for family and friends.  Toys are especially going to be clearanced out.  Since so many new toys will be released around the holidays, stores really need to make room for all the new product.  


Summertime is the perfect time to start shopping the clearance areas in stores.  You will find some great deals and you may even get your holiday shopping done early.  Most of the time, I will have my Christmas shopping done before Black Friday.


To keep track of your gifts, make a list of all the people you need to shop for and set a budget for each person.  Find a place in your home, like the garage or a closet and put all the gifts in that one place. Make sure your gift stash is a secret place so no one knows goes snooping around.  If you make sure all the gifts are together, you won't forget and have to buy twice.  Keep a copy of your list with you and place a copy with the purchased gifts. 


On a side note, I found out yesterday, that if you don't use a bag or bring your own bag to Target, you get $0.05.  So, make sure you bring your own bags or if you only have a few items, like I did yesterday, tell them you don't need a bag.

Saving Without Coupons (Original Post 04/25/09)

Today, I have some tips on how to save at the store without coupons. I am a coupon shopper. I have been all my life. When I was younger, I use to clip coupons for my grandma and my mom and they both showed me how to shop with coupons. I use coupons for everything. At the grocery store, restaurants, clothes, shoes, make-up and services.

There are times, though that I don't have coupons, but still want a great deal on items. So here is what I do.
1. Grab those ads, go online and compare prices. Sunday Saver is a great site that has ads for almost every store that prints ads. If you are unable to get the ads from the newspaper or mail you can go here and look at them. They are all in one spot. It is also a nice green way to check the ads. No paper.
2. Check the sales racks and shelves. This is also a great way to find things that you can buy and save for gifts. I have found some really nice things, especially toys, for more than half off the retail price that I was able to give as gifts.
3. Shop at outlet type stores. I always joke that I love to "Dress for Less" at Ross. Ross is one of my favorite stores. I am able to get designer clothes (not that I am a designer label snob, I'm not, I love Walmart clothes), but I can purchase some very nice items for a fraction of the cost. These places are also a great for finding very inexpensive but nice gifts. They also have very nice household items. I usually buy my sheets at these stores. I can find very high thread count sheets for about $30. This, I am a snob about and I blame my mother in law. She introduced me to 400 and 500 thread count sheets and I won't buy anything less anymore. But, I also won't pay more than $35, a set for them either.
4. At the grocery store, browse the discounted meat. I haven't bought meat at retail price in years. If I don't use it the first few days, I put it in the freezer, so the meat is still good when I do decide to use it. I have gotten some very nice cuts of meat for half of the retail price. Also, I don't buy very much steak. Steak is a luxury in my house. I use ground beef, ground turkey or chicken for everything.
5. If there is something that you really want, but it is a little out of your price range, wait. Wait for it to go on sale or better yet clearance. This has worked to my advantage several times. I have found things that I wanted, but just couldn't bring myself to pay the full retail price, so I waited. I was able to get a few things on clearance, by doing this. Now, sometimes, this backfires and the store winds up selling out of it, but I just figure it was never meant to be.

So those are the tips that I have to save money without coupons. If you follow these tips and you have coupons, you will make out even better. So, what do you do to save money without coupons?