Coupon Cravings says you can get a free re-usable water bottle from the Disney store when you bring in three plastic water bottles today only.
AlterNet says screw the planet, we should be worried about our own existence!
Cooking up a story suggests baby steps to make a green kitchen
10 recycling trucks in Philly are wrapped in Earth Day ads, says AdFreak
Environmental Graffiti has pictures of 10 artistic renditions of our planet, includes ones made entirely of chocolate, a potato, and seed packets. Very cool!
Environmental Economics created a funny video about how farting, I mean methane gas from cows, is not killing the planet.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOTflknQkzA
A reader suggested I look into tax incentives for buying green energy for the home. Seeing how it’s Earth Day, I was happy to do some research. Here are a few resources I found:
- Energy Star has a page listing many green tax credits for 2009, 2010 and some that are good through 2016
- Tree Hugger has a really cool 14-page slide show titled “Stuff Obama will help you buy,” like a Kindle, hybrid car, or wind turbine.
- DSIRE has a searchable database of incentives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency, listed by state. DSIRE is a joint project between the North Carolina Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council and is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.
- Energy Star explains how the stimulus bill has affected energy credits: The tax credit has been raised from 10 to 30 percent. The maximum credit has been raised from $500 to $1,500 total for the 2009-2010 with some exceptions like geothermal heat pumps, solar water heaters, and solar panels. The $200 cap on windows has been removed, but the requirements have been increased significantly.
- Energy Star has also answered two pages of questions submitted by readers about energy credits.
- Planet Green points out 10 general tax breaks for going green.
Thanks, Rob!
My friend Patrick O’Connor drew this cartoon. Check out more of his work on his homage, OConnorCartoons, or the social action network TakePart.com.
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Baby and kids gear is on sale at the Santa Clarita Valley Kids Consignment sale this weekend from April 24 to 26. Some 250 families are selling 30,000 items, including clothes, toys, shoes, outdoor items, books, videos, bikes, maternity clothes, baby gear and equipment.
Buying used clothes is a great way to save money and is also earth-friendly.
Hours are Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Most items are 50% off Sunday.
The sale is located at 24911 Avenue Stanford in Valencia.
If you read my tips to save money on groceries in AM NY, welcome to Bargain Babe!
This blog is all about saving money in everyday – because the little in things in life really add up. More grocery savings will come to those who start a recession garden or give up meat.
In honor of Earth Day I am now flushing my toilet with reclaimed water. Cha-ching!
Adventurous travelers looking to save a buck and meet locals should definitely check out CouchSurfing.com or read my write-up on the site.
If you like my tips and want to become a savvy-spender, sign up for my free email updates. Thanks for checking out Bargain Babe!
A friend and I grabbed dinner and a beer after going for a swim last night. We had a delicious meal at Library Ale House in Santa Monica; the Allagash Black was SO much better than Guinness, and I don’t even like dark beer! But when we returned to her car, tucked under the windshield wiper was a parking ticket. Blurg!
We had both forgotten to put money in the meter before going to dinner. Perhaps this was karma coming back to bite me in the a– after I declared Tuesday that to avoid parking tickets all one had to do was “put one extra quarter into the meter.” Actually, avoiding fines also requires having the presence of mind to fill the meter.
My friend and I grumbled over the parking ticket but I made no offer to split it with her.
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UPDATE: Just wanted to let you all know that I gave my friend $20 to cover half of the parking ticket. It took her a second to figure out why I was handing over the cash. “My readers are keeping me honest,” I told her. She smiled and thanked me, adding that it was not necessary. But it was the right thing to do, however belated.
It is still a good time to get a deal on a car. Consumer anxiety pushed car sales of six major brands down 36 to 45 percent in March, which means sellers are wheeling and dealing to move inventory. If you are considering buying a car, here are some resources.
Kelly Blue Book and Edmunds are the gold standard for checking the going rate of new and used cars.
CarBuyingTips.com has a slew of resources, including how to negotiate thousands of dollars off the price of a new car, dealership ratings, and getting pre-approved for an auto loan.
CarsDirect.com has a searchable database of incentives dealers are offering, including four for college graduates.
Bankrate.com has a calculator that compares the financial benefit of a rebate v. a low-cost loan
Cars.com has a green buying guide that covers hybrids, cars that run on ethanol, diesel engines and high-mileage cars.
10 confessions of a car salesman is the story of a reporter who goes undercover for Edmunds.
CNN Money has 10 things to do before you start your research.
This post is brought to you by Severnside, waste management and recycling specialists.
My sister has an interesting way of flushing the toilet. She lives on the sixth floor of an apartment in NYC and it takes a while for the water to get hot when she takes a shower. So while the water is warming up she shoves a bucket under the faucet.
When she needs to flush the toilet, instead of pressing the lever, she dumps the water from the bucket all at once into the toilet boil. The additional water kick starts the toilet’s siphon, which sucks down the dirty water waste.
She saves water by re-using the cold shower water and by only flushing the toilet when necessary. If it’s yellow…
I stayed with her recently and I was surprised how easy it was to adapt to her flushing system. I rather liked the idea of conserving water, though I did worry that we would forget to flush before guests came over. As soon as I got home I returned to my old ways.
Now, in honor of Earth Day tomorrow, I am trying to adopt my sister’s green habit. I installed a clear bucket under the shower faucet and feel greener already. Hubby says he is on board – as long as he still has the option of flushing the toilet the old fashioned way.
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Get a free scoop of ice cream at Ben & Jerry’s Tuesday, April 21, 2009. Stop by between noon and 8 p.m. for the freebie.
When I went on free scoop day two years ago I received a full-size scoop of a flavor I chose. Not sure if that is still the way it goes, however.
Expect lines if you go on your lunch hour or after dinner. Find a participating Ben & Jerry’s near you.
When deep discounts and buy-one-get-one free offers did not get customers in the door, businesses started offering refunds and “worry-free” guarantees in case of job loss, according to the NY Times.
“Companies offering these extreme guarantees — which typically require documentation to verify a job loss — said they were a direct response to research showing that a growing number of consumers were worried they might lose their jobs,” the story says.
A few examples:
“JetBlue will refund plane tickets. Virgin Mobile USA will waive up to three months of cellphone service charges. Walgreens will allow members of its in-store clinics to stay enrolled free if they lack health insurance.”
A few weeks back TheStreet.com also highlighted companies that will give you a break if you receive a pink slip.
Thanks, Sarah!
I spoke to a lovely group of people Saturday night about saving money in everyday life. I shared my best tips with them and they gave me great tips in return. If you are looking for a low-cost speaker, email me at julia@bargainbabe.com. Here are some of the best tips I learned:
- You can get a lower car rental price by calling the local office instead of booking online. The exception is priceline.com.
- A lot of restaurants have beefed up their happy hour offerings, making it possible to snack on appetizers at the bar for dinner.
- Traveling with UnTours.com is cheaper and less structured than a guided tour, but easier to arrange than a DIY vacation. You stay in a home or apartment instead of a hotel and Untours plans as many or as few excursions as you want. Trips are 7 days minimum and meals are not included. They have tours in North America and Europe.
- Yapta.com tracks the price of a flight after you book. If the price drops, Yapta emails you how to get a refund.
If you are counting the days until the beginning of the month when your spending budget is replenished, like me, here are a few ideas and resources to get you to May.
- Make meals out of whatever is left in your fridge. Click here to see how many days I lasted when I stopped buying groceries.
- Or cook recipes suggested by one grocery store that only cost $3 a day, which is how much food stamp recipients have for groceries.
- Park your car in favor of biking, taking the bus, or walking. Hubby and I recently took the bus downtown for a date and I was pleasantly surprised how convenient it was.
- Most museums have at least one free day a month. Check when it is at museums near you.
- Instead of going out to an expensive dinner or show, invite your friends over or go on one of these cheap dates. Or rent a free DVD from the library.
- If you hit the bars, leave your credit cards at home and only bring the amount of cash you want (or have) to spend.
- Find out what kind of free stuff you can get on Frugal Freebies.
- Dig out unused gift cards and re-consider using them. Maybe I will go to Panera Bread, after all!
Make it a game to see how long you can go without spending. Instead of feeling trapped because you cannot buy anything, think of how powerful you feel by doing so much without spending!
Earth Day is Wednesday, April 22, 2009.
Get a free roll of Reynolds new recycled aluminum foil (worth up to $4) when you visit their Web site on Earth Day. Go here to set up a reminder email.
My Green Electronics is a cool site that lets you calculate how much electricity each appliance and gadget sucks by the minute, day, month and year. Knowing the cost of each item may help you cut back.
MSNBC has a great roundup of green resources, like a site that helps you find a local recycling program for a lot more than bottles, get info on hybrid and alternative-fuel cars, and more.
Get $1 and $2 off coupons for Seventh Generation products when you register on their site.
Yahoo! has a “green” page with many money-saving tips, like using baking soda as a home cleaner and buying an LCD TV instead of a plasma TV, which uses twice as much energy. If you have covered all the basics, read their ten tips to go even greener.
The site 123 Greetings has 10 free earth day cards you can send electronically to friends.
Get a free medium drink at Peet’s Coffee when you buy one of three green products, from $5 to $22. Peet’s regularly gives ten cents off if you bring your own cup and twenty-five cents off when you reuse a bag. They also give away coffee grounds for your garden or compost bin. Just ask.
You may find many local deals by Googling “earth day deals + 93167″ or whatever your zip code may be.
Find Earth Day events near you.
A reader named Rachelle wrote me with this plea for help:
My birthday is coming up and we’re looking for ways to cut back. My girlfriend said for her birthday, her husband used a coupon and bought her a pair of scissors she wanted from Michael’s for $15 and she was THRILLED. That was her only gift. I would NOT be thrilled. I would be depressed beyond belief. I don’t need lavish gifts but I DO want to feel special. A nice dinner is not going to cut it. Any suggestions for our MEN out there on how to make us feel loved and special (birthday or not) without spending a ton of $$$? This is not the year for fancy jewelry (I would be mad) but if my husband just bought me a pair of scissors, I think I would cry.
So what’s in between a pair of scissors and a schmancy bauble? Hmmm…I dialed The Gift Therapist, aka Jennifer Melnick Carota, for answers.
- Silver jewelry. “You can get really great bracelet or ring at TJ Maxx and it doesn’t necessarily have to be diamonds and gold,” Jennifer said. She has picked up many nice pieces for under $20 by checking the clearance section first.
- Loveopoly. This is a romantic, personalized game of Monopoly with four pricing options. You can buy a deluxe set for $75 or a game board personalized with your memories for $20. Two other options are $40 and $60.
- A note a day or week. Fill a jar with notes about the person, your memories together, and what you love about them. This costs almost nothing if you do it yourself or Kindnotes.com has custom options starting at about $26. “This makes a very cute and sentimental gift,” Jennifer said.
- Picture frame collage. Buy a frame with 4-20 slots and create a timeline of your relationship or a special event by filling each slot with a favorite song, quote, trinket or picture. Look for frames under $10 at Wal-Mart or TJ Maxx, Jennifer said.
- Indie movie of the month. Build in a monthly date night with a subscription to Filmmovement.com, which mails you DVDs of great films that don’t hit the big screen. You can pick what genre you prefer to receive. A three-month subscription is $27, six-months is $51 and a year is $100.
- Burn a romantic CD. Put all the songs that are important to you and your gal. Or design it to compliment a dinner you are cooking for her.
Still looking? Jennifer suggests thinking about what experience you want your recipient to have and build a gift around that.
