Do you love Facebook or Linked-in? If you find yourself spening a lot of on social networking sites, than why not earn money for it?
Gather.com is an emerging social networking for us grown-ups. Thier target market is for 30+ (although is also a great site for people in the mid - late twenties as well) With lots of interest groups from parenting, photograhy to politics.
The best part is that you can earn MONEY or redeem gift cards for your participation. According the the website:
Gather (www.gather.com) is the only social network that actually rewards members with real money for their active participation. Through the Gather Points(tm) program, members earn points by enjoying the site and creating popular content. A total of 1565 points equals $25, 3125 points equals $50, and 6250 points equals $100 in cash. In addition to cash via PayPal, members can select gift cards from premier retailers such as Amazon.com, Starbucks, Home Depot, and Target. So far this year, Gather members have redeemed more than $230, 000 in points for PayPal cash payments and gift cards, allowing them to have a happier holiday with their friends and family.”
So get hooked on social networking AND earn some extra spending money this holiday season! I will be working on starting my own gather page at michelledirect.gat
With the holidays coming up, you may be looing for nice ideas to jazz up your hairstyle. Silk flower hair accessories are a simple way to add some floral flair to your hairstyle, whether it’s an addition to your formal updo or a casual everyday ponytail.
Price points for floral hair accessories can range anywhere between $5 - $80. But there is no reason for a “Beauty on a Budget” to spend more than $15 on a floral hair pin.
Floral hair accessories are very easy to make at home, and if you like crafts, it can turn in a very fun hobby. (Possibly a profitable one, I noticed while browsing through a lot of websites who sell these crafts online.)
Another benefit to making your own unique pin, is that you can easily choose your favorite flowers and coordinate them with your outfits. Also, they make great add-ons or gifts for bridal parties. No more worrying about wilting flowers in your hair. They are more durable, cheaper and will last way after the wedding is over.
You can purchase all your supplies at a craft store like Michael’s:
- Hot glue gun
- A bag of hair pins
- Silk Flowers
- Wire Cutters (or Home scissors could work with a little elbow grease.)
- Ribbon
Check out this handy article on how to make them on eHow.com
If doing crafts just isn’t your thing, you can also buy them for a resonable price at places like mydivacloset.com and accessorie shops like Icing or Claire’s.
I have noted the energy money saving tip of electrical cords out of the socket for small electronics and appliances not in use, but I wanted to specifically talk about the high cost of leaving your video game consoles on for long periods of time.
Many people tend to leave thier video game consoles on by accident when switching to watch TV and leave to something else. And while video games are fun, the amount that it affects your energy bill isn’t.
According to this chart created from the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), the Playstation 3 was the most power-sucking console. Followed closely by the XBox 360. Luckily for all your Wii fans, the Nintendo console is very energy efficent compared to its competitors:
So if you bought a Playstation 3 (2006 model) it can rack up an additional $160 on top of your yearly energy cost.
To save money, always make sure to turn off the console completely when you are done playing it. Even leaving it in “idle” status drains a lot of energy. And if you happen to own an extra blu-ray disc player, use that to play your movies instead of puttin it in the PS3. The PS3 uses 5 times more power than the stand-alone blu-ray player.
For more information, check out the aricle, “Stop Wasting Money: Video Games and Energy Efficiency.”
With Christmas coming up (not to mention any kid birthday parties you will be invited too) the cost of gift wrapping can really add up.
The obvious way to avoid spending money on gift bags and boxes is by saving every gift bag you receive throughout the whole year. Even the cute little gift bags that mall retailers offer year round can be reused for other gifts (for example, Victoria Secret, Sephoria, Body Works etc.)
Although you are usually charged for gift-wrapping in December, many retailers offer free boxes and gift wrap outside of the holiday months, so make sure to ask for those items year-round. Even if you’re not purchasing a gift.
Many items you purchase year-round also make great gift boxes: Shoe boxes, Diaper Boxes, kitchen ware boxes, appliances boxes etc.
To neatly store your collection of gift bags, collapse them flat and just place them over a clothing hanger in your closet. That way they stay nice and neat and not on the floor. Also store boxes within each other to conserve space. Before you know it, you will have a small inventory of gift wrappings ready for whenever you need it.
If you must go out and buy a wrapping tissue or bags, the dollar stores are always the best bet.
MSN Money published an article called “15 ways stores trick you into spending” which is from the money blog called the ”Simple Dollar.” I listed my favorites tips from the article in addition to some of my own in the list below:
- Use cash in the store: Head to your bank’s ATM and pull out only what you want to spend. That way you cannot spend more than your budget.
- Don’t use Shopping Carts whenever possible. Carts make it covinenat to do big shopping “making it psychologically easy to toss in an item you don’t need.” If you have a specific list of a few items, don’t get a cart and just quickly pick up the items you need in your hands to prevent impluse spending.
- Have a specific shopping list and stick to it. Avoid enticing end-caps that highlight impulse items you didn’t go into the store for.
- Walk quickly - avoid making too many stops in the store to look at items, it is too tempting to pick up additional items that will drive your bill up at the cashier.
- Use your cell phone calculater - to calculate price per unit volume. That way you can quickly calcuate what a good deal or not.
and my favorite tip:
- “At the checkout, rethink everything you put in your cart” and don’t be scared to hand unwanted items to the cashier. Don’t feel guiltly about this. You don’t have to pay for anything you dont’ want.
Frozen whole turkeys can be stored in the freezer for at least 12 months, so November is a great time for stock up on these frozen birds. Many grocery stores even give FREE turkeys away with certian purchases so watch out for the best deals.
Why stock up on turkey? Well there are just so many different meal options for left-over turkey. You can make oven roasted turkey the first day, then have enough meat left over to make a week’s worth of dinners and lunches - thus saving you money on your grocery bill.
I have noted before the advantadges of owner a chest freezer. That way you can buy at least 3 frozen turkeys at the rock-bottom prices that November brings. Use one for Thanksgiving and plan delicious leftovers for that week afterwards. Use one for Christmas and the other one to be used in the next coming year.
Leftovers don’t have to be boring. Look for reciepes online for turkey:
- Casseroles
- Soups
- Sandwhiches
- Stir-fries
- Unique Rice Pilafs
- Quiches
- Pot Pies
- Pasta dishes
Plan ahead for delicious varieties of dinners that will excite your family…and you pocket book!
Make sure to wash your clothes properly to preserve your clothing and prevent you from have to frequently replace key peices of your wardrobe. Especially for children’s clothes, removing and pre-treating stains immediately will pro-long the life for many wears and hand-me-downs for younger children.
The web is a great resource for building a mental guide on the best ways to remove stains. I found that mrscleannw.com has a detailed article on how to remove stains.
Below is some quick tips on removing the most common stains:
- Wine & Blood - Rinse with cold water, pretreat with dish soap and hydrogen peroxide
- Juice- Pre-treat with dish soap and rinse with hot water
- Chocolate - rinse with cold water and soak in non-chlorine bleach and water.
- Grass Stains - Apply a stick stain remover and let it sit over night. Wash with chlorox bleach if the fabric is white.
- Ink - Pre-treat with dish soap or stain remover. Leave in cold water over night. Wash with Chlorox if fabric is white.
- Mud - allow the mud to dry completely. Shake and crack the dried mud off. Use a vacuum to suck all the dirt off before throwing it in the washer.
For higher priced wardrobe peices like suede coats or boots, pre-treat with a fabric/shoe spray to protect it against rain, mud and wetness. Also for childrens clothes, try to use a bib whenever possible to the best stain protection.
Circuit City filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday and is in the process of liquidating at least 155 stores nationwide. If you are in the market for a new TV or camera this Christmas, then Circuit City should be on the radar right behind the “Black Friday” deals.
As of today, Circuit City plans that they will continue to operate in hopes that they will survive the Christmas season and rebuild in 2009….but I wouldn’t bet on it. Save money by turning down any offers from the register clerk selling Circuit City warranty upgrades (most of the time this extra expense isn’t worth it even for Best Buy.) Make sure to check the manufacturer’s warranty so that you are still covered if Circuit City becomes history.
That goes the same for Circuit City gift cards. Unfortunately, the economy has narrowed consumer confidence in retailer-backed gift cards to just Wal-Mart and Target – the only retailers (crossing fingers) that probably won’t go bankrupt this January.
-For more budget tips, visit my Frugal Living Examiner page.
If you are like millions of other Americans, you may not have had the most fruitful year. Sometimes it is hard to feel warm and positive when financial stress comes your way. Well don’t let a tight budget ruin your holiday.
Despite some of the money woes that may be going on, there are always tons of things to be grateful for. A nice (and FREE) activity to do for Thanksgiving is to have everyone in the family share what they are thankful for. Make it a fun game by having everyone write it on a piece of paper and place it in a “Thanksgiving Pot.” After dinner is over, you can pull and read all of them in front of the family. (No anonymous rude remarks about your in-laws)
This will help to bring in cheer and to remind you about the most important things in life…….some of which money can’t buy.
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