http://thesavemoneyblog.com A how-to blog on ways to save money and stretch that ever-shrinking dollar Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:43:12 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Digging in the dirt can be a wonderfully therapeutic thing. Yes, it requires an expenditure of effort to prepare the soil, plant the seeds and seedlings, feed, water and maintain your garden (though not necessarily as much as you might think) but the rewards are immense. The fruits of your ... http://thesavemoneyblog.com/money-talk/plant-a-postage-stamp-vegetable-garden/ Believe it or not, there are things you can find for free. We've even done the looking for you! 1. Browse these sites for everything from free food, free samples to free services and contests: http://www.justfreestuff.com/ http://www.totallyfreestuff.com/ http://www.thefreesite.com/ 2. Use SwagBucks as your internet search engine and win bucks to spend online. 3. Watch movies and ... http://thesavemoneyblog.com/money-saving-tips/nothing-in-life-is-free-wrong/ This may sound a bit convoluted but bear with me. I have fibromyalgia and with it comes a lot of pain. With the pain can come a lot of expense - doctors' visits and pain medication can quickly eat up thousands of dollars. One of the things that has helped me far ... http://thesavemoneyblog.com/money-talk/if-youre-buying-used-beware/ Money being scarce as it is right now you've probably scratched those plans for a Disney family vacation, or that trip to the Turkish baths and dazzling bazaars in Istanbul. The irony is, stressful times mean you need a break more than ever. But take heart! You can still make ... http://thesavemoneyblog.com/money-saving-tips/budget-friendly-travel-plans/ "Old is new again" doesn't just apply to things. At a time when stretching a buck is paramount, taking a look at how our grandparents and their parents ran their households can offer some much-needed savings advice. Here are some hints for the gardener gleaned from a couple of marvelous old books, ... http://thesavemoneyblog.com/money-saving-tips/housewives-tips-for-outside/ An up side to the downturn in the economy is that you really can get some great bargains right now. Combine that with a little imagination and setting up an office for your new home business can be a relatively easy and inexpensive task. I started thinking about this when both ... http://thesavemoneyblog.com/money-talk/setting-up-a-simple-home-office/ How much is your time worth? Maybe more than you think. Bartering is a means of exchanging one service or commodity for another, without the use of money. In times of monetary crisis (like Now!), when cash is in short supply, it can be a means to get the things you ... http://thesavemoneyblog.com/money-talk/the-art-of-barter/ Whether you feel secure or not about hanging on to your job, it makes a lot of sense to prepare for the worst. Here are a few things to start doing now: Stop spending! In the first quarter of this year consumer spending increased 2.2%. It's certainly not that Americans are ... http://thesavemoneyblog.com/money-talk/are-you-prepared-for-job-loss/ Actually, the title of this article is a little misleading. I came across a gem of a little book at my mother's home the other day - "500 HOUSEHOLD HINTS by 500 HOUSEWIVES". Published in 1926, it's a compilation of cleaning and cooking tips for the 1920s housekeeper that is ... http://thesavemoneyblog.com/how-to/household-hints-from-old-housewives/ 96 pence the sign read. Sounds cheap enough for gas, doesn't it? But do the math! Here I am in jolly old England visiting family. On the drive from Gatwick airport to the family home I'd been thinking to myself that at least our falling dollar had afforded me a good ... http://thesavemoneyblog.com/rant-and-rave/rant-rant-and-rave/we-dont-have-it-so-bad/