Frugal Finds Friday: And the award for the best multi-tasker goes to . .

You hear about reusing, repurposing, and recycling more and more these days but the award for the most versatile reusable around the house really must go to pantyhose, any color any style, but yes, pantyhose. Recently I heard a local television station touting a segment on reinventions for this disposable clothing item, the one part of women’s wardrobes which is probably the most quickly damaged beyond repair for its intended use. Since I missed seeing the special myself, I ventured online where I found a wide diversity of fascinating results.

First, I consulted the Twitter community with a simple question as to whether anyone had a good idea for old pantyhose. One man responded that he used them to polish his boots when he was in the Marines. An article on Reader’s Digest.com mentions buffing all dress shoes with them and adds that it works so well it would cause a person to want to retire their chamois cloth. Good thing I have a drawer full of pantyhose. I don’t think I have a chamois cloth.

For more of this article on uses for old pantyhose, head over to DIYFrugal where Sarah has gathered more money saving resources!

Frugal Finds Friday: Fall Soups and Stews

Fall is a wonderful time to pull out the soup recipes and cook up batches of chicken noodle soup, beef stew, lentils and chili for cold days to come.

Whether you are cooking for a big family or a few, soups can create a healthy addition to the weekly menu. They are easily expandable depending on your numbers and divide nicely into freezable portions.

My mother always made a simple beef stew in the winter that would last the evening plus a day or two of leftovers. You can vary this recipe in a number of ways by simply keeping a few soup basics on hand: potatoes, celery, carrots, crushed tomatoes, and onions.

For my mom’s basic beef stew recipe and other tips, head over to DIYFrugal where Sarah has gathered lots of great money saving resources for YOU!

Frugal Finds Friday: Consumer Alerts and Other Questions

What if you could have access to dozens of financial planners all on one day?” asked accomplished news anchor Tracy Davidson during a Solution Side news brief on NBC10. She was referring to the first ever Financial Focus Day held by the FPA (the Financial Planning Association of the Philadelphia Tri-State area) on October 3, 2009 in Malvern, PA where she would open the series of breakout seminars with a keynote speech to consumers.

In a phone interview, Tracy shared with me that FPA has been invaluable to her own research as she seeks to empower and educate the public through Consumer Alerts she shares on the air and Consumer Headlines she writes for her new website www.tracydavidson.com .

“On my website, we asked ‘What are you struggling with?’ and we received a lot of comments about getting a job. People don’t know what to do,” says Tracy, adding, “Networking is different now. Before, you had lunch with everyone you knew. Now, you can use social media like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.”

To read more of what Tracy says to consumers, click HERE to head over to DIYFrugal for the rest of the article and for more money saving resources!

Host Your Own "Swap Stuff" Party

Host Your Own “Swap Stuff Party” – The latest trend for finding bargains is to barter at swap parties. Find out how to plan one yourself – and learn swap party rules

1. Choose a Theme: Do you want to swap children’s clothes, Halloween Costumes, high end fashion, household goods, toys, furniture, holiday decorations, bedding or a hodge podge of goods? Deciding on a theme in advance will help your guests hone in on what they want to bring. Plus, if you have one type of party now, you can have another one later or rotate homes with your friends for future “swap stuff parties”

2. Chose a Time and Date: Saturday and Sunday afternoons are great times to have a swap party, but weeknights can also be good. Consider taking a poll of your friends before you choose the date.

3. Choose a Venue: If you’re only planning to invite your friends and family, your house will probably do, but use the largest room in the house and provide plenty of tables for sorting through the loot. If you’d like to open up your swap party to the larger community consider seeing if there’s a church hall or other community area you can use for free or at a reduced charge.

4. Send Invitations: We’re big fans of Evite, but don’t stop there! Create an event on your Facebook Page, Tweet about it, send individual emails and as you get closer to the event, send another message to everyone with an update of the kinds of merchandise they can expect to see on the day of the swap.

Swap Party Rules
1. Bring clean, gently used items only.
2. Each guest receives one swap coupon for each item brought to the swap party. (You can print these coupons yourself from your computer).
3. No “swap shopping” can begin until the hostess announces that all of the merchandise is ready for browsing.
4. Start shopping! You may take as many items as you have coupons.
5. If two people both want the same item, put names into a hat and draw. The winner gets the item!

Frugal Finds Friday: LOCAL DEALS!

Some of the best frugal finds are the ones right under your nose. If you want to be in the “know,” watch your local newspaper for family events and keep an eye out for sale ads for small stores around your town or close to it. Look for sale tables set out on warm nights. Take the time to walk in and compare prices and quality. You may find the quality you get in a small store is worth the extra price for a special gift. When you support local stores and restaurants, you support your town and the resources it can offer.

Recently, my family attended First Friday in Phoenixville. The night was warm and the music was lively and entertaining to all ages. For the cost of an ice cream cone, I saw friends, entertained my children, viewed an interesting new art exhibit and enjoyed the evening outside. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend my Friday night.

As we walked past one outdoor vendor, a friendly young man began telling me the benefits of the Phoenixville Area Business Association (PABA) “Local List.” For a mere $2, I received a small booklet with coupons for 43 local businesses in my town. I loved the idea because all too often I open my Entertainment book and the coupons for stores and restaurants are not nearly as convenient as right in my own backyard.

To read how the Local List works, head over to HERE at DIYFrugal for the rest of the article and to learn about more money saving resources!

Frugal Finds Friday: Reasons for Recycling

People start recycling for a variety of reasons. Some people want to stop landfills from overflowing so new ones won’t end up in their backyard. Some people are simply addicted to sorting and organizing and categorizing. Some people just hate waste. I started recycling because I was running out of trash bags.

I realized that if I pulled out the milk jugs, soda cans, glass jars and cereal boxes, I didn’t have to empty the trash as often. What I didn’t realize is that when you start to recycle you become aware of the decision-making process about waste and reusable goods at a very intimate level. Everything leaving the kitchen or closets or storage spaces starts going through a process of mental evaluation: do I toss it, can I save it or can anyone use it in any form?

A commitment to recycling changes one’s whole perspective. Despite being a sentimental packrat, I realized that once you get into the habit of assessing usefulness around the home, you make smarter decisions on everything. Instead of stockpiling more, I found that I stashed less because I realized that if I was not using something in a reasonable time, someone else could be and that I needed to let it go. For example, I found many old games and toys that my children grew out of years ago sitting dusty on our basement shelves just in case a younger child stopped by. I boxed them up and took them to Goodwill where someone else could immediately benefit from their educational value.

In Shel Horowitz’s e-book, “The Penny Pinching Hedonist: How to Live Like Royalty with a Peasant’s Pocketbook,”he states “Recycling is a popular idea these days — and for good reason. It’s good for the budget, the environment, and the society as a whole. But if you think of recycling only in terms of melting down plastic and metal or dissolving paper and making a new batch, think again.

For more of this article, click HERE to go to DIYFrugal.com where Sarah is gathering lots of money saving resources just for YOU!

Frugal Finds Friday: Get Frugal with Air Travel

Going somewhere? Driving takes a long time and a lot of gas. So what do you do when you are on a shoestring budget and you need to fly to get to your destination? You plan on planning ahead.

When I knew I would need to make several short trips early this year, I asked the sage advice of friends who travel much more than I do. Several said to start my search at an all-encompassing travel Web site which will list all the airlines going to my destination. Expedia.com, Orbitz.com and Travelocity.com are just a few of the popular ones.

A new one I just found is TravelZoo.com, which advertises last minutes deals. Usually the last minute ones are going places I want to go, not need to go.

I was told next to take the list of airlines going to my destination and check the actual Web site of each airline. This method works great when you know you already have your transportation and housing figured out.

To read the rest of this article, head over HERE to DIYFrugal.com where Sarah is gathering lots of money saving resources just for YOU!

Frugal Finds Friday: Legal Zoom

Need frugal legal help? Since websites have sprung up to help you in every aspect of life, why not one for creating a will, an LLC, a power of attorney or a living will?

Brian Liu partnered with others to start LegalZoom.com a few years after graduating from college and realizing how many of his family and friends could be helped by standardizing the process for simple documentation. More complicated matters would still require personal assistance, buy why not a website that people could access easily with step-by-step instructions?

I first heard of LegalZoom when an organization I knew was considering becoming an LLC, or a Limited Liability Company that protects your sets like a corporation, without the burden of corporate maintenance. Someone said, “Why not LegalZoom?”

Looking into it, I found the prices to be cheap and the steps pretty straight forward. The site guides the user through filling in the documents and submitting them within the appropriate state. It also indicates whether witnesses are needed and where appropriate signatures need to be placed once the final document is received. Someone at the site reviews the documents to ensure they are filled out correctly before either sending them back to you or on to the state. This is not a legal review but they will make sure the forms are filled in with the appropriate information.

To read more of this article, click HERE to go to DIY Frugal.com where Sarah has gathered lots of money saving resources just for you!

Frugal Finds Friday: Saving Healthcare Dollars

Worried about healthcare? The writers of WiseBread.com have included 50 ways to get the most out of healthcare in their new compilation book “10,000 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget.”

Julie Rains, the author of this particular segment, offers suggestions on personal preventative health such as exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, and ceasing smoking. In general, I’d say stop all destructive measures you are personally inflicting on your body. Life is tough enough without you adding insult to injury. Take care of the body God gave you and the results will be worth the effort.

In other preventative measures, Rains suggests doing recommended self-exams, going for free blood screenings and blood-pressure tests and knowing the details of your symptoms when you enter the doctor’s door. Take free or nominal-fee health classes but beware of when the classes are sponsored by the pharmaceutical companies who make the drug or treatment being recommended. Ask about anything you don’t understand.

To read more of this article, head over HERE to DIYFrugal where Sarah has lots of great money saving resources just for you!

Frugal Finds Friday: What’s in your DIY tool kit?

What’s in your handy do-it-yourself tool kit? Hammer? Measuring tape? Clear Fingernail Polish? Believe it or not, clear fingernail polish can be a very handy tool in the home with uses ranging from nylon repair to rust prevention to killing warts.

Getting no-see-um bugs in your house? Or bees? When the bugs start getting bigger, you know you have hole to patch somewhere. One use for clear polish is on window screens with small holes. Much bigger, like over 1/4″ in diameter, and you will need a patching kit or possibly rescreening materials.

In the wardrobe department, one of the most popular uses for clear nail polish is to apply it to a run in one’s stocking which usually prevents it from pulling further. Women have used a variety of colors for the same purpose but clear is usually the optimal choice since it is, of course, see-through. With the significant decrease in women wearing nylons, those helpful little bottles of clear lacquer have found their way onto to other diverse uses.

For more of this article, click over HERE to DIY Frugal where Sarah is working up tons ‘o money saving resources just for you!