TMR Frugal Living Tip #43

Today's thrifty tip is use the back of a used envelope or junk mail to write your shopping list. You are reusing a used item. Most envelopes are long enough to write a pretty long shopping list. You are saving money by using new paper and trees.

Protect Your Kids Online

There are some really great programs to make sure your kids aren't looking at sites they shouldn't. One of the ones I like is a keylogger which will check everything being typed. This is a great tool for emails. This would also be good for teens that use sites like Myspace and do online chatting. There are many online predators so keep your kids safe from themselves.

TMR Frugal Living Tip #42

Today's thrifty tip is buy more generics. This could be food, medicines, and even beauty items like skin care. I even prefer some generic items to the name brand. The funny thing is they are packaged and processed at the same plants, but just a different label. The same foods but just cheaper. This could save you as much as 30-40% as the name brands. I don't have double store coupons and mostly local stores.

Generic medicines are just as good as name brand. They have to go through the same testing and regulations. This will definitely save you a lot of money, especially on prescriptions. I always ask for the generic form if available. My co-pays are much cheaper as well. I can usually pay $4 for certain prescriptions.

Finish That Degree!

I have always regretted never finishing my college degree. Some of my reasons for not going back are time and money. Edvisors is a great site that lets you search for Online Degrees. They have some great online universities listed. Now is a great time to further your education and get a better paying job.

He Gets It!

I am so proud of my hubby. He was at the store the other day and came across many great Lego sets that were being clearanced. He bought these for less than $40 total! The 2 big sets were $8 each and were originally $40 sets! The others were $2-6 each. He also found about 8 more small Bionicle sets for $2-3 each and a couple for $5. He bought 18 sets for $75! I'm so happy that he can sniff out a great deal. It's mainly limited it to toys and Lego sets, but hey it's a great start. These will be great for Christmas and his birthday which is about 2 weeks apart. My mom bought a couple of sets to give. I also shop for other relatives to save them time and money. I'm just so glad that my husband loves to shop clearance sales and save us money. We saved over $200! Now is a great time to buy clearance toys since the stores are making room for the new ones for Christmas. Happy shopping!

Shopping for Baby

I have so many friends that are either having their first baby or adding to their family. It's so much fun shopping for all the great baby items. It's also a lot of fun picking out a theme for the nursery and choosing the baby bedding. If you aren't sure of the baby's sex, then make sure to go with a theme and colors that could be used for either one.

Choice of Cell Phones

Do you ever feel your choice of cell phones are limited because of your carrier? I know I feel that way. Expand your horizons with unlocked cell phones. Just make sure you get a phone that isn't limited to certain carriers or options. You can even do this with a global phone. Check out the great site and get that phone you really want.

TMR Frugal Living Tip #41

Today's thrifty tip is clean out your dryer lint trap. Make sure you cleaning out the lint trap often so it doesn't have a chance to build-up in your machine and dryer vent. If you don't, then it takes much longer for the clothes or towels to dry which is wasting energy. This makes you pay more in your electric or gas bill. It's also a good idea to clean out your dryer vent every 1-3 years. If you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself, then hire out a qualified technician. There are great articles online that explain how to clean the dryer vent and the tools needed. This keeps your dryer running efficiently which keeps you with more money in your pocket. It will also extend the life of your dryer which again keeps more money in your pocket. I have listed a few articles listed below.

Wikihow-Clean Clothes Dryer Vent
How to Clean Stuff-How to Clean a Dryer Vent
Laundry Alternative-How to Clean Your Dryer Vent

A Monster of a Gift

Halloween is one my favorite holidays. I love the decorations, costumes, and all the tasty treats and candy. Now you can spread some Halloween cheer with Halloween gift baskets. You can choose from flowers with a cute plush to a decorative container with tasty treats. One of my favorites is the Web of Treats Cookie Basket. It's a spider web basket that contains yummy Halloween shaped cookies. Who wouldn't love to have one of these at their Halloween party? This would definitely be a hit with your guests. You could treat your friends at the office with one. These spooky gift baskets prove that Halloween isn't only enjoyed by kids.

TMR Frugal Living Tip #40

Today's thrifty living tip is get your house prepared for winter. Some of you are already having winter weather. Take the time now to keep the heat in and the cold out. I have 22 windows in my house. I would love to replace them, but that's an investment we can't afford to make right now. Instead we are going to weather strip all the doors and windows. We also redid my front door this year by filling in the small cracks on the door and staining it. I no longer feel the air being pushed in. Here are some great suggestions to help you cut down on your heating bill.

1. Caulk your windows or doors or put the weather stripping
2. Clean your gutters removing all debris
3. Trim any trees that could fall and damage property
4. Wrap your exposed pipes and drain all garden hoses plus shut off water to outside plumbing
5. Clean or replace your heating filters and clean all vents
6. Clean your fireplace and chimney since creosote can build up

There are many other ways to prepare your house for winter. We don't have snow so many of these tips don't apply to me. I am sure I missed a few, but no matter how you heat your house, test it to make sure it's running properly. Also, clean it out and the vents so it will run better. We still don't have to run our heater for at least another month, but we are ready when we do. If you can afford it, then insulating your house is another great way to conserve energy. I will post some more great tips all winter to help you lower your bills.

Stop Calling Me!

Do you ever get tired of running to answer the phone only to have a recorded message or they hang up. I know I am. I do have caller id, but some numbers won't display their information and it just says unknown. I usually don't answer, but now I've noticed some companies are getting sneaky. They will use a local phone number so I don't know if it's a real call or a sales pitch. I have found a great website for Phone Number Reporting. You just type in the number to check if someone has already left a comment about it. If not then you can you submit that number and leave a comment about it. Was it a recorded message, telemarketer, scam, or collection agency? This is a site that will allow you to help others. It's a great website that I intend to visit regularly.

TMR Frugal Living Tip #39

Today's thrifty tip is have a date night with your spouse or significant other. All couples should make this a priority, and especially if you have children. I know it's harder to get out when the kids are younger so just have a date at home. Put your kids to bed early, and just snuggle on the couch watching a movie. There are lots of quality ways to spend time together as a couple. You might not want to do some of these on a date, but it's just an idea of how you can spend more time together connecting as a couple. I think one problem is that many couples don't make enough time to be together as a couple.

1. Play board games
2. Watching a movie
3. Cooking a nice dinner
4. Listening to music in front a fire
5. Talking to each other (remember how you met)
6. Folding laundry together
7. Snuggling and kissing on the couch (like teenagers)
8. Laying under the stars on a blanket in your backyard

There are so many great ways to spend time with each other. I hope some of these ideas have helped. My husband is off all next week on vacation, and we already planned a lunch date. We will also paint the kitchen so we will get lots of quality time together. Though remodeling can be a tad stressful so it won't be all roses.

Great Idea for International Buyers

I know many international buyers love to buy from U.S. stores and sellers on ebay. The problem is that many of them won't ship overseas. Now you can have your packages shipped to a U.S. address and just pay for mail forwarding. Shipito.com is a service that will provide you with an address in California, and they will forward it to any address in the world. This is a great solution, and the prices are very affordable. They also offer a yearly service which is great for people that love to do lots of shopping. You can also make money by signing up as an affiliate. Place their banners on your site, and you will get paid for each new customer that uses their service that came from your site. Happy shopping.

TMR Frugal Living Tip #38

Today's thrifty tip is to use fruits or items from outside to decorate your house. Colorful apples or oranges look great displayed in a bowl. You can eat them or cook with them before they start spoiling. You could make a very colorful wreath using leaves, pine cones, or other items. Display pine cones in a bowl for a more earthy look. There are lots of ways to decorate for fall without breaking your budget.

Socks Make Great Stocking Stuffers

I have several teenage nieces, and I have such a hard time shopping for them. I always try to find cute and trendy items to put in their stockings for Christmas. I recently found a great brand called Hue. They have some really cute socks on their website. The styles were also perfect for my nieces. They had ankle style socks, cashmere, boot socks, and so much more. The colors are fun and vibrant, and there were also some very cool pattern ones. This is definitely a brand that will be a huge hit with them. The best part is many of the socks were one size fits all so no guessing on my part. If you have a hard to shop for person on your list, then check out this great site.