It’s approaching the first day of Spring which means that it’s almost time for backyard barbecues and outdoor fun! If your backyard leaves a bit to be desired you may be dreading this time of year. Don’t worry! These 10 ideas will spruce up your yard for a low cost AND give you a backyard to brag about.
I have never written about a specific credit card on BargainBabe.com until now. Most of you have enough credit cards or use debit cards, right? But this credit card from Sustain:Green is truly unusual: every dollar you spend saves a rainforest. Okay, not the entire rainforest, but a tiny part of a huge one in Brazil.
I’m writing about this unusual credit card today because I believe in taking personal responsibility for climate change.
Note: there are no affiliate links in this post.
The best dishwasher for you via shutterstock
Last week, my dishwasher of 10 years decided that it just didn’t feel like doing its job. It was done. And after scrubbing dirty dishes in the sink by hand, I was done, too. So I went to Sears to find a new dishwasher. Aside from the sticker shock, here’s what I found.
What do you avoid buying at Costco? mandritoiu / Shutterstock.com
During college I survived through my Dad’s generous Costco buys. Six girls living in one house….it’s no surprise we loved all those bulk buys and extra savings and that hasn’t changed for me! There are so many way to make your Costco membership worth it BUT there are plenty of BAD BUYS at Costco.
The clothes I scored from an online connection.
Yesterday I did something to save money that made me uncomfortable – which is saying a lot. I have dumpster dived, switched to cloth wipes, and refused to spend a penny for an entire month.
Are you a winner?
Announcing the winner of the Presto pancake griddle contest, sponsored by my desire to forget about the heaps of snow on the ground and focus on delicious, steaming, pancakes. My Presto griddle is a workhouse that makes pancakes and potato-bacon hash on the weekends. You can check out out here. (Price ranges from about $35-$49 on Amazon.)
Being frugal can make you happy. Via Shutterstock
What do you think of words like “thrift” and “frugal”? Those words evoke thoughts of, perhaps, deprivation and poverty. Some people presume cutting down on your spending is equivalent to searching dumpsters for finding one’s meal. It is no doubt why so many of us prefer a life of overwhelming debt to a frugal one.
Gluten free via shutterstock
My son has been gluten-free for 12 years, so I pretty much have a Master’s Degree in trying to find deals on gluten-free products. When we started out, there wasn’t even a Whole Foods nearby – I was ordering everything online and it was quite pricey.
Sales of gluten-free food and drink there have surged from $5.4 billion to $8.8 billion over the past two years. They are set to grow a further 20% by 2015. Which means you can find gluten-free foods in every store. The variety is better, the convenience is better, the taste is unquestionably better and even some of the prices are more reasonable.
Are you saving enough for retirement? Via Shutterstock.
When I started saving for retirement at 23 last year I thought I was ahead of the game. While I wish I had started saving even earlier, many of my friends haven’t set up a retirement fund or opened an IRA yet!
My friends think exactly the way I did last year, “Why start saving now? I have so much time!” While this is true, it will cost them big bucks. Here are three retirement calculators that will help you decide:
What do you look forward to about weekends? For me it’s pancakes. Every Saturday is “pancake day” and on Sundays we use our griddle to make bacon-potato-red pepper hash. YUM!
Our Presto Griddle is a workhorse. I’m buried in snow here in New England, so what better way to cheer up than share my love of pancakes. Plus, tomorrow is the start of Lent! (When folks often give up rich foods like pancakes.) Today we are giving away a beautiful Presto Griddle worth about $50.
