Bruce Tuten/Flickr
Time again for a list of in-season fruits and vegetables to help you save money on groceries. Buying in-season produce is almost always cheaper than buying out-of-season produce. Greater supply…lower prices. Plus, in-season produce is often grown closer to home than out-of-season produce, which we import from Chile, Mexico, and other countries. Expect prices for spring fruits and vegetables to rise.
The following list of summer fruits and vegetables comes from FruitsAndVeggiesMoreMatters.org. The list includes some of my favorite foods, like beets, cantaloupe, corn, eggplant, grapes, limes, peaches, and watermelon. If you can’t remember what is in season, prices are a good indication.
Apricots
Beets
Bell Peppers
Blackberries
Blueberries
Boysenberries
Butter Lettuce
Cantaloupe
Casaba Melon
Chayote Squash
Cherries
Cherries, Sour
Corn
Crenshaw Melon
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Figs
Garlic
Grapefruit
Grapes
Green Beans
Honeydew Melons
Jalapeno Peppers
Lima Beans
Limes
Loganberries
Lychee
Nectarines
Olallieberries
Okra
Passion Fruit
Peaches
Peas
Persian Melons
Plums
Radishes
Raspberries
Strawberries
Summer Squash
Tomatillo
Tomatoes
Watermelon
Zucchini
Readers have won a ton of prizes – mostly gift cards – on BargainBabe.com, but this reader giveaway has me especially excited. Call me domestic, but I’m thrilled to announce the giveaway of a Kenmore Elite mixer, which is being donated by Sears, worth $249.
The 400 watt mixer has a tilt back stand, comes with a 3- and 5-quart stainless steel mixing bowls, and has an LED light so you can watch the action. It weighs 25 pounds and has a 5 year limited warranty. This mixer got three out of five stars by reviews on Sears.com. Read the product page for even more details.
To win, like the Kenmore and BargainBabe.com pages on Facebook. If you are already a fan of one, make sure you fan the other. Fan both pages by Wednesday, June 9 at 11:59 p.m. PST to be considered. One winner and two runners up will be randomly selected. Good luck!
joshua l/flickr
By Mike Barclay of 10CentsWorth
Picture this. You’re getting ready to go out with the girl (or guy) of your dreams for the first time and you want everything to be perfect. Dinner and a movie won’t cut it. Your brain starts spinning trying to come up with “unique” date ideas. Wouldn’t it help if there was a bunch of date ideas in one place, organized by category?
Well friends, look no further than HotDateIdeas.com.
The site is owned and run by a man named Dave who’s done a fabulous job of making that first impression a good one. Dave spends personal time evaluating and trying his date ideas so he can give a more personal review of each date, which is my favorite part of the site.
HotDateIdeas.com has a top 10 list of rated date ideas to look at right off the bat, a news feed with blog posts about new dates Dave is trying out, and a new section called “romantic ideas” that shares creative ways to let your significant other know you’re thinking of them. There’s even a forum where you can ask questions about dating and relationships and get advice from other users.
HotDateIdeas is a great site if you struggle with originality when it comes to wowing the person you’re taking out. The left column of the home page is categorized into different “genres” of dating ideas. Click on any category and it’ll take you to a separate page with summaries of all the ideas. Click further on any idea and you’ll see Dave’s experience with the date, including extra tips to make the date successful.
Here’s a few of my favorites.
Stargazing – Not groundbreaking material, but when’s the last time you laid out in a dark area and watched the stars? If you have any phone made by Google there’s a free application called “Google Sky Map” that shows star charts and constellations to add to the conversation.
Blackout – I’ve done variations of this myself just because so much of my life revolves around technology that it’s nice to “step back” for a moment. Use candles, turn off cell phones, computers and TV and just enjoy each other!
Now I know my ABC’s! – This one caught my attention as a day date. Find an activity for every letter of the alphabet. You’ll need the whole day to get through this type of activity, but it’s a great way to get to know each other as well as have a memorable date!
The only part about HotDateIdeas.com that bugged me was having to dig to find the purpose of the site. The About tab could be more visible. The only ways Dave makes money that I can see is via advertisements all over the site. I like the free information on HotDateIdeas.com, but he could make this a membership site or at the very least have a “donate” button.
If you want fantastic ways to spice up a relationship that’s fallen into a routine, or sweep that new special someone off their feet with something they’ve never seen before, HotDateIdeas is a great way to get those creative juices flowing.
What are some ideas you’ve used or would like to try when it comes to dating? Are there spin offs of anything on HotDateIdeas that you’ve done, or any ideas you have personal experience with? Let the love flow!
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains
With the Frugal Festival just around the corner on June 19 in North Hollywood, I thought I should write a primer on the basics of swapping. There are two basic kinds of swaps, free and paid.
- Everything that is being swapped at a free swap is free. Some free swaps charge admission, which indicates higher quality items will be swapped. Admission to the Frugal Festival is $5 if you bring swappables. If you come empty handed, admission is $10. Admission is free at 2p.m. for the final hour of the swap.
- Bring things to the swap that you no longer want, but that are in good working order. Clothes should be clean with no stains or holes. Electronics should work. Games should have all their pieces.
- The idea is that everyone brings things to the swap. Some swaps are loosely organized and you just set them out on a table or blanket and walk away. Once you set them down, you no longer own them. They are free for anyone to take. At other swaps, such as the Frugal Festival, the organizers sort the swappables to make it easier to find what you want.
- Most swaps do not insist that you bring things to swap, but it is only good manners that you bring things to add to the swap.
- If someone brings a box of fresh picked tomatoes, you would not take the entire box. You would take one or two of the items so that others could share. Let us not be greedy.
- If a swap is running for several hours, it is fun to stay for the whole time and see what kinds of items show up. It is a nice community time. You meet nice people. You can bring something you would like to share, like a craft or a talent such as massage or balloon sculptures. However, if you just want to drop in and leave, that is fine as well.
- If the swap is being held outdoors, you may want to bring a chair and shade. You may even bring a table or a blanket to put things on.
- Bring something to put your new treasures in while walking around. If you put something down, it becomes fair game again and it just might be taken by someone else while your back is turned. If the item is big, you might want to put it in your car so you can continue to browse. At the Frugal Festival, each swapper will receive a free reusable bag to put their finds in.
A free swap is a nice way to get rid of things you no longer need and send them off to a loving family that want them. It’s a win-win situation.
Hope to see you at the Frugal Festival June 19, 2010 at the NoHo Performing Arts Center, which is located at 11020 Magnolia Blvd in North Hollywood. The swap drop off begins at 10 a.m. and runs until noon. From noon to 1 p.m. the organizers and volunteers sort the swappables. The swap begins promptly at 1 p.m. and ends at 3 p.m. We are primarily swapping clothes, shoes, and accessories, but will also have areas for media and housewares. For more info, visit the Frugal Festival website.
little blue hen/Flickr
Nordstrom’s half-yearly sale is on! The sale is happening in store and online in the women’s, junior’s, and kid’s department.
Get a free sample of FEED Whole Grain Granola. Don’t delay, however, as this deal will probably run out today.
Check out all the coupons and deals on my WalletPop blog, including a Borders coupon for 33% off one item, and an Apple deal for a free iPod Touch when you buy a Mac.
taberandrew/Flickr
This post is brought to you by Mint.com, successor to Quicken Online and a great alternative to Microsoft Money.
When is it worth it to “nickel and dime” someone? I’m not talking about saving a dollar here or there by using coupons or waiting for a sale, but the savings gained by negotiating a slightly lower price.
My case in point is two friends who are about to sign a yearlong lease for a loft in a good location in downtown Providence, RI. The apartment comes with two covered parking spots, a major perk in a snowy climate. All apartments come with at least one space because overnight parking is not allowed.
The landlord, a casual friend of my friends, agreed to leave the place vacant in June and July so my friends can move in August 1. The landlord is willing to lose two months rent to secure responsible tenants, I’m guessing.
He could find other tenants, however. Apartment vacancies are dropping in Providence because of rampant home foreclosures in a state that has the fourth highest unemployment rate nationwide. The vacancy rate was 7.6 percent in the third quarter of 2009, according to the Providence Journal. As a consequence, rents are rising. The landlord is asking $1,250, which is a bit high for the city they live in. Average rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $1,003, the ProJo reported.
My friends really like the loft but are considering asking to pay $1,200 a month, which would save them $600 over the year. The savings are significant to my friends. One of them is unemployed and the other is living off student loans while in law school. But they are worried asking for lower rent will damage their relationship with their landlord/friend, or at the very least make it awkward in social situations.
At what point does saving money end up costing more in bruised relationships? Is it possible to keep the business of negotiating rent out of the friendship? Bottom line – should my friends ask for lower rent?
Related posts:
Money morality – helping out low income friends
Money morality – do you accept money from parents?
Money morality – legit to shop at thrift stores?
