rachaelvoorhees / Flickr

This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.

I’m bowling on the cheap this summer and I want to share — ok, brag — about how I’m doing it. Since I signed my sister up to receive free bowling passes we’ll be spending quite a bit of time at our local AMF.

She gets two free games per day all summer long and I’ll be tagging along! I’ve decided to purchase AMF’s summer pass. It’s $29.95 and you can bring in up to four adults ages 16 and up to bowl two games per day. I’m paying less than $7.50 to bowl as I’m splitting the cost with friends!

The adult pass works well for families with teenagers who no longer qualify for the free bowling passes.

To further reduce the cost. I’m investing in bowling shoes. Yup, I love the game so much that I’m willing to commit! Renting shoes costs $4.85 and it can quickly add up as the pass does not include shoe rental.

I found a great deal online on bowling shoes. I’m getting 15% off the original price and paying $33.99. Plus I’m getting free shipping and $10 off with a coupon code. The total $23.99. My shoes will begin to save me money after only five uses!

After just seven visits, I’ll save $42.31. I plan to drop in more than seven times so the saving will continue to add up!

Here’s the math:

$4.45 (cost per game) x 2 games = $8.90 x 7 visits = $62.30 – $29.95 (cost of pass) = $32.35

$4.85 (shoe rental cost) x 7 visits = $33.95 – $23.99 (shoe cost) = $9.96

Do you like bowling? How do you save money when you head to your local bowling alley?

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I look just as cute in my new robe! guelphguy / Flickr

This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.

I headed to IKEA this past weekend in search of a kitchen island and left with bathrobes. Oye! I couldn’t help myself as I’d been looking for comfy robes for a while. At the register, I received a wonderful surprise. IKEA has a rewards card! Am I the last one to know?

While in line, I was debating my purchase with my sister and the cashier chimed in.

“You know those robes are on sale, ” she said.

“Really?! I didn’t notice. How much?”

“Let me check for you. Do you have your IKEA family card?”

“I don’t have one. What is it?”

“It’s a rewards card that gives you monthly product discounts. Plus other free stuff.”

“Does that mean I won’t get the discount today?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll give you the discount. You can get your card at our kiosk.”

The plush robes were originally $24.99, but I got them for $19.99.

After paying, I walked over to the kiosk and entered basic information to get my free rewards card. Aside from the monthly product discounts, there are other perks:

Lucy at three months!

Now that I’m never again shopping at Babies R Us, Amazon is my go to store for baby supplies. (See updated pic of my baby at right!) Last week I discovered an amazing Amazon deal when I returned a baby swaddling blanket.

The blanket, which I highly recommend for new parents, helps my daughter Lucy sleep by keeping her tightly wrapped up. She grew out of size small so I ordered her a larger size. Each SwaddleMe blanket cost just under $10 when I bought them.

But when the blanket arrived I realized

it was the wrong one – made of thick fleece instead of light cotton. Temps are already warming up, so I knew the fleece would be too warm.

Disappointed, I logged on and clicked on the return link. Because I have a free Amazon Prime membership through Amazon Mom, shipping both ways is free.

But instead of giving me a return label, Amazon said I could keep it! Wahoo!

I got to keep the fleece blanket (she may still fit into it in the fall) and got a full refund. I ordered a cotton swaddle blanket, so I ended up getting two blankets for the price of one!!!

Before you ask: I did not feel guilty for getting to keep the blanket for free. It is Amazon’s return policy, not mine. I am positive the business has calculated the costs of paying for return shipping v. letting me keep the blanket. Plus, Amazon has to figure in how much the returned blanket could sell for, if at all. This blanket costs less than $10, so returning more expensive items would not necessarily have the same result. I’m not sure returning lower priced items would have the same result, either.

Has this ever happened to you?

401K / Flickr

This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.

Recently a conversation at our dinner table turned into a chat about college. My sister is in the ninth grade, but time flies. We discussed several options to reduce her college bill and I share six of them below. My main advice was to work hard and get good grades as this will eventually help her pay for her higher education.

AP Classes – Taking advanced placement classes is one way to reduce your college bill – as long as you pass the end of the year exam. These courses are college-level and you can earn college credit. If students pass the exam, it will be one less class to worry about. My sister will take a couple of AP classes when she’s in her junior year.

Community College – There still seems to be a stigma about going to a community college for two years and then transferring. But with classes being around $20 – $35 per unit, you can’t beat the price! Taking basic classes at a community college will reduce your college bill. No one will ever know you attended a community college as your diploma will only have the name of the university you last attend. Another option is to start taking college courses during the summer if available while in high school. I was able to take a couple course and received college and high school credit.

Scholarships – This may seem like an obvious recourse, but not many take advantage of the opportunities. Many scholarships don’t have many requirements. Make sure to have your high schoolers to apply for anything that they qualify even if the amount is small. Have them talk to their college advisers or head over to their high school’s Financial Aid office, as well, as high school students can start applying even if they don’t know where they’re attending.

In-state tuition – My sister has an idea of where she wants to go for college. She’s even eying some out of state colleges. Wowsa! I talked to her about the benefits of choosing in-state universities. One of those perks is that it will cost less. Going out of state will cost a couple thousand more per unit.

Stick with your major/college – The more you change schools, or change majors, the more time you lose, and the more expensive college gets. Each time students change their minds, they are losing credits that need to be made up. Therefore, it’s wise for them to start thinking of what they want to do. Internships during the summer are a great way to explore careers!

Volunteer Work – Many scholarships require volunteer work and high school is a great time to start giving back to your community. Students in high school can also start networking and this will help them land scholarships in the future. All they have to do is ask for letters of recommendations for free money and university applications.

Already have kids in college? Here’s how to save money on textbooks and college money wasters to avoid.

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This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.

Last week, my sister was on spring break and we took full advantage of her school-free days. I had to work, but made time for several trips to museums, the library and the beach. I even learned one more way to get into museums for free – no sneaking in required! Is your spring break coming up? Check out my post about spring break ideas on a budget.

I had planned on taking my sister to the Los Angeles County Museum on its free admission day. Only problem is I got the dates mixed up. D’oh! We were already at the front of the line when I realize the mix up.

“What are we going to do?” asked my sister with a worried look on her face.

“Let me ask.”

I walked to the window and received confirmation. LACMA’s free admission day is on the second Tuesday of the month, not the first. So I ended up paying $10 for my ticket and my sister got in for free. As I walked away from the window, the cashier called me back and handed me an application.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a free museum membership for kids and teens. Just fill it out, mail it in, and you should receive your daughter’s card in 4 to 6 weeks. She can bring in one adult for free.”

“She’s my sister. Can I still get in for free?”

“Yes, as long as she has the card and she’s with you.”

Awesome! Apparently, this museum is not the only one with a free memberships available for kids. I’ve checked online and found other local museums have similar programs. Ask at museums in your area to see if there’s something similar!

We’ve written before about getting free museum admission with your Bank of America card and taking advantage of Target’s free museum days, but there are a couple of drawbacks. Museums are always packed on free admission days and the dates my not work with your schedule. If you’re taking advantage of the BofA deal, the free entrance is only for the card holder.

The best thing about the free membership my sister is getting is it’s not restricted to certain dates or times! So this will help make it easier to plan a trip and we can beat the crowds.

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Lucy is 9 weeks old!

I had a terrible customer service experience at Babies R Us yesterday, and I’ll never shop there again. Here’s what happened.

Weeks ago I purchased three boxes of Lansinoh nursing pads (they keep milk from leaking out of your boobs into your shirt). I quickly realized three boxes was too many, and brought in my online receipt with two of the still unopened, new boxes.

At the return counter, a clerk told me I needed the packing receipt but would call headquarters to get a return number. Meanwhile, I headed to the cloth diaper section and loaded $231 worth of gPants into my cart. (Lucy is almost ready to move up to size medium, 14-26 pounds).

Back at the counter,

the clerk entered the return number for the nursing pads but the computer wouldn’t accept it.

The problem?

I paid $10.99 per box but the computer only wanted to refund me $7.99 per box. Why?

Babies R Us policy dictates that for an online purchase, an in store return can only be processed for the price paid with a packing slip. Otherwise you get the lowest price the item has sold for in the past 60 days.

Not the current price. The past 60 days. So if the nursing pads had been on sale for just one day at a lower price – which they had, for $7.99 – that is all Babies R Us would give me.

Even though I had a receipt showing I had paid $10.99. Aaaaag!

The amount in question was $5.98. The principle at hand was priceless.

In my most polite but I-am-totally-ticked-off voice, I made my case.

I had proof I had paid the higher amount!

She repeated the policy.

I said it was a terrible policy to offer less money than the customer paid.

She said there was nothing she could do.

I asked to speak with the manager.

She was the manager.

I said I was a loyal customer and spent a lot of money at the store.

She didn’t bat an eye.

I said I was within the return period.

She didn’t care.

I asked for a bit of discretion considering I had proof of purchase.

She pointed out my missing packing slip.

I said I was never going to shop at Babies R Us again.

She apologized and said she didn’t make the policy.

I was out of ammo.

I could walk out in a huff with the nursing pads, or accept a few dollars less. I took the money. My only satisfaction was that after I relented, she began ringing up the $231 in gPants.

“I was serious when I said I’m never going to shop here again,” I said. “I don’t want those.”

“Oh,” she replied weakly.

From now on, Amazon, Target, and my local kids consignment store will get my baby dollars. I’m done with BRU.

I still have a bad feeling about the entire experience. And I can’t help but wonder. Is it really worth it for Babies R Us to lose a customer for $5.98?

EvelynGiggles/flickr

My kids recently went to see “The Lorax” and when they came home, my son proudly told me that he discovered a great bargain. From opening until 11:59 a.m., tickets for any movie are $6. After noon, the price jumped almost twice as much.

This got me thinking about the various ways to save money on movie theater tickets. Yazmin also has 12 easy ways to save money at the movies.

1. Go during discount times. Besides the above stated $6 before-noon discount, there are other discounts. Some theaters have special “senior” days. AMC is currently running a special Student Day discount on Thursdays. It is worth checking the theater website for special pricing before deciding on the show you are going to go to. Going to an earlier or later show could cut your ticket price in half. Note, many theaters don’t raise their prices until late afternoon.
2. Wait a few weeks until the movie is at a discount theater. Some theaters only run movies that have been out for awhile. Ticket prices are as low as a couple of dollars. You won’t be the first to see the movie, but you’ll have extra money in your pocket.
3. Look for package deals. The Academy Theater in Pasadena has a Wednesday date night package – 2 tickets, 2 sodas, and 2 popcorns for $10. Check your local theater for similar deals. Hint: mid-week bargains are more likely.
4. Buy your tickets in bulk. Warehouse stores typically sell bulk movie tickets. Prices vary depending on where you live, but they are always cheaper than buying tickets individually. Take note that you will probably have to pay a surcharge for 3D or IMAX shows.
5. Buy tickets with your credit card points. Credit card reward programs often can be exchanged for movie tickets. The ones I get through Discover have two tickets and two coupons for popcorn. These make great presents.
6. Get invited to screenings. There are lots of ways to find out about movie screenings (scroll down). Sometimes people hand out flyers for screenings at local farmer’s markets. You can search for “movie screenings + name of your city.” You can also talk to the manager of a local theater that shows screenings. They may know how to get on a screening mailing list.
7. Work at a movie theater. If you really love movies and spend a lot of your time and money going to see movies in theaters, then perhaps it is your calling to work there. Seeing movies for free is one of the perks of working at a theater. Note that one of the drawbacks is that you will smell like popcorn.
8. Wait until the movie is on DVD and borrow it from your local library. My favorite bargain of all time is the local library. Some libraries will even let you order the movie online and get it shipped to your local library. The one drawback is that movie rental times are usually short and the fines are steep. The selection is also limited. However, the price is right.

Of course, this just saves money on the tickets. The other expense involved is the food. Do you sneak food into the movies? What’s your favorite way to save money on movie tickets?

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thinkretail / Flickr

This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.

Shh! It’s a secret. This weekend I bought my sister’s birthday gift and scored a nice deal. I received an email with a 40% off coupon from the GAP. There was a caveat. The coupon indicated I had to use my GAP card. I’ve been trying to lay off the plastic especially my retail credit cards so I wasn’t very happy about it. Oh, what the heck!

I headed to the store with my card and began browsing when a sales associate approached me.

“Do you need help finding something?”

“Um, just browsing for now. Thanks.”

“Ok, let me know if I can help with anything.”

I’m one of those people that don’t like pushy sales associates that follow you around so I walked in the other direction. She wasn’t overbearing, but better safe than sorry. Then it hit me.

“Excuse me, I have this coupon that says I have to charge my purchase.”

I was tempted to lie and say I forgot the card. Then I remembered they can still charge your card as long as you show them your ID. Darn!

“I really don’t want to put this on my card. I rather pay with debit to avoid forgetting about it and paying more later.”

“Ugh, that’s happened to me before. Don’t worry. Just look for me when you’re done.”

Once I found a cute outfit, I looked for the associate. She charged my debit card and I saved $37.16! She told me that most of the time, if you just ask, they can still give you the discount even if the coupon states you have to charge it on their credit card. That’s great news!

I haven’t used my retail credit cards in about six months. When I did swipe them, I made sure to pay the bill in full. As you may recall, I’m no stranger to getting in trouble when making purchases with plastic. Remember how my coffee addiction ended up costing me more than a few pounds?

As my monthly income continues to fluctuate greatly, my preemptive strike was to cut use completely till it steadies. I’m glad the sales associate helped me stay on track. Needless to say, I came out a satisfied customer. Have you given up credit cards? How hard was it?

Will college eventually be free? Credit: Will Folsom

This post is brought to you by Event Management Degree.

I was wide awake at 2 a.m. with my new baby, Lucy Ellen, when a story on my iPhone about free online college classes caught my eye. The classes are free, and job recruiters pay for leads to top grads. Sounds like a winning formula to me.

Could this model of higher education be the answer to the crushing cost of college? Something my husband and I are now thinking about. (A friend told us he’d saved every month and the account for his daughter, now a senior in high school, won’t even cover one semester of college. So much for a 529 plan!)

I’m not talking about online degrees, which can cost as much as attending a school with a physical campus. No, these so-called Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are taught by professors from A-list schools like Stanford, MIT, and the University of Virginia, according to a recent story in the New York Times. The MOOCs are not accredited but garner credibility from their teachers.

Students across the world are signing up by the hundreds of thousands. The courses are limited to science, math, and technology, including anatomy, cryptography, game theory and computer programming. Sound familiar? Previously, we blogged about MIT’s free online courses, which have been around for years and are one of many free educational tools homeschoolers use. The New York Times story says:

“We’re going to have detailed records on thousands of students who have learned these skills, many of whom will want to make those skills available to employers,” said Mr. Evans, the Virginia professor. “So if a recruiter is looking for the hundred best people in some geographic area that know about machine learning, that’s something we could provide, for a fee. I think it’s the cusp of a revolution.”

Is it a revolution?

As a parent, it’s certainly exciting to think that I may be able to give my child a college education for free. College is expected to cost a half million dollars in 18 years, and I don’t even know if we’re going to be able to save enough to retire!

Will the Internet force colleges, like so many other industries, to become more competitively priced?

401K / Flickr

This post is brought to you by Bankers Life and Casualty Company.

Creating a financial budget that puts you first is essential for women who faced with the decision to help themselves or others would opt for the latter. Guilty.

Most of my life I’ve been told that a person’s budget is a reflection of their beliefs and morals and because of that I’ve struggled to put myself first. I’d be lying if I said I’ve figured out the perfect budget because there isn’t a one size fits all. What I’ve come up with is a budget that takes care of me first and also supports my beliefs. Here’s how I’ve allocated my money.

1. Pay yourself first. How many times have you heard that one before? And how many times have you done the exact opposite? When money comes in, take a percentage and deposit it into your retirement account, savings, and emergency fund. During this hard economic time, it’s wise to have six months or more worth of income in your savings. I’m doing it at a snail’s pace, but I’m getting there. I save 30% of my income and divide it among my savings accounts.

2. Pay off unavoidable bills. It’s funny how I’ve always managed to pay these bills even when I’ve been strapped for cash because I know there are immediate consequences. I used to short change myself by using money from my savings account. Now I make sure to reduce costs where ever possible to use only 30% of what’s left after I save money.

3. Be good to yourself. A few years ago, this category was nonexistent. This includes money for the extras like entertainment, eating out and shopping. I also use this money for health expenses. Although I allot 25% of my income to this category, sometimes it goes unused as these expenses are not reoccurring and I save it for later use. This was another step to taking better care of myself.

4. Be good to others. The remaining money is used to contribute to causes I believe in, helping others and tithing. I didn’t have this category included in my budget before. If friends or family had an emergency, out of my savings account it came out. Big mistake. I’ve come to understand that helping others is just as important as caring for myself. If needed, I allow myself to reduce this category to meet other necessary needs first.

To build a budget that reflects your beliefs without putting yourself last, take mine and alter it to fit your needs.

This post is a part of Women’s Money Week 2012. For more posts about budgeting, see womensmoneyweek.com.

Love book made from deck of cards

I am so glad that it is finally time to start making Valentine’s Day crafts. I just love them. Can’t get enough of those hearts and flowers and rainbows and paper doilies.

I found eight lovely and do-able Valentine’s crafts.

1. Little felt heart pins. These are so simple and yet so sweet. Just a bit of felt cut into heart shapes, hand stitched and stuffed with a little pin backing.
2. A garland of love. Print out pictures of your loved one(s) and cut into the shape of hearts. Glue picture on a heart shape red card. Tie heart onto a string. Make a garland of love.
3. 52 things I love about you. This is so clever! Take a deck of cards and punch 2 holes. Use rings or ribbon to bind together (see picture). On each card, write a reason why you love your love.
4. Valentine coupons. Must admit that I made last minute Christmas coupons using this wonderful online tool. You can customize the coupon and print it out. A great idea to help your kids come up with a gift for mom.
5. Rose petal covered bed. I’m not sure if this really qualifies as a craft, but it is such a great visual of the perfect rose covered marriage proposal. Short and sweet video.
6. Heartstring. Turn a cardboard tube into a heart string. Great reuse of cardboard tubing. The messy part is going to be painting the cardboard red. For young kids, I suggest using magic marker. If you are going to make this yourself, you might want to consider spray paint.
7. Heart shaped crayons. Simple and unique craft to make with your kids using that big box of broken crayons you own.
8. Pop-up heart card. This is a unique pop-up design that requires an adult hand and exacto knife…but worth it. Nice.

OK, get busy making those Valentine crafts. And remember, you can make every day Valentine’s Day with just a little love.

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A baby nursery for less than $260!

Remember my post from October about looking for a pregnant Halloween costume? Well, the time has *almost* come. Here are nine ways I’ve saved money in preparation for parenthood.

• We compared the prices of popular baby gear on Amazon, Babies R Us, and Target to make sure we got the best deal on a car seat and other items we wanted to buy new. You’d be surprised which retailer was the cheapest!

• I stalked craigslist, Freecycle, and my local Mommy & Me consignment store to furnish our nursery, pictured above, for less than $260. I can’t believe how much used baby stuff is free or extremely cheap. Here are more places to look to avoid paying retail for baby clothesand gear.

• We cooked five dinners ahead of time and froze them, including turkey spaghetti, chicken corn chowder, and pork and hominy stew. I also made a batch of chocolate chip cookie dough, which freezes really well for up to a month. Everything but the turkey spaghetti recipe came from my favorite cookbook, America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.

• We considered using disposable diapers but the environmental and dollar cost convinced us to go with washable cloth diapers. We’re using the Gdiaper system and were lucky to find a huge stash of them at a garage sale for $.50 a piece!

• We planned family visits to get extra help cooking and cleaning, reducing our take out bill and sleep deprivation. Not sure if this will save us that much, but it will certainly be nice to have the company!

• We updated our budget to live on one salary, nixing a lot of luxuries we used to enjoy.

• We skipped a lot of baby gear money traps. It’s obnoxious how many manufacturers use parents’ fear to sell worthless crap.

• I bought most of my maternity clothes second hand from a local consignment shop, and found hot deals at Sears for new items. In one trip, I paid $133 for two pairs of pants, two sweaters, two bras, and three tops. That averages to $14.78 per item.

• We fully stocked our kitchen pantry and toiletry closet so we won’t have to pay full price if something runs out.

Anything else we should do before baby arrives?

TFDuesing/flickr

If you want something you don’t have the money for, figure out how to make it. (I’ve already talked about getting things by swapping or repurposing).

Personally, I have found that learning to make something is the best way to go. I get what I need, and I know how to repair it. Here are my five favorite sites to go to when I want to learn new things:

1. General instructions - Instructables - You can learn anything from how to carve a pumpkin to how to build your own computer to how to construct a rocket ship. Instructables has more pictures and instructions than videos.

2. Video tutorials - YouTube – Now that YouTube has grown beyond silly home videos, you can find all sorts of wonderful how-to videos. Check on the length of the video before choosing which one you want to watch. It’s pretty boring to watch a 10-minute video on how to tie a knot and it’s pretty useless to watch a 30-second video on how to do your taxes.
3. 
   5 minute Life Videopedia – Five minute videos about all sorts of stuff at http://www.5min.com/Category/
4. The ultimate handyman site - DIYnetwork – I also like HandymanUSA. These are both wonderful sites to go to when you want to know how to fix your broken doorknob or unclog your sink.
5. Hundreds of the best 18-minute talks on Technology, Education & Design - TED talks – Think of the very best speaker you ever heard. Now imagine the talk being no more than 18 minutes long. These are TED talks. My favorite ones are by Sir Ken Richardson on the subject of education.

There are so many things we pay for someone do for us that we could do ourselves. By hiring others to weed our gardens, cook our food, and fix every broken thing, we lose the joy of creating our own lives. The internet gives us access to information that allows us to learn new things with a few clicks. Use it!

What are your favorite sites to learn new things?

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rachel_titiriga/flickr

I live in Southern California, the land of the lemon tree. With so many donations from friends, I have found tons of uses for the mighty little lemon.

Here are ten of my favorites:

1. Lemon juice and salt on your copper bottom pans make an instant cleaning miracle. Just sprinkle the salt on the copper bottom, then squirt on some lemon juice and give a gentle scrub. Your copper will shine like the day it was made. This works on any copper surface, not just pot bottoms.

2. Put lemon juice in a spray bottle and go for a little sunbath. Spritz the lemon juice on your hair and let the sun do its job. You will end up with a summer blond look.
3. Turn those lemons into lemonade. The very best lemonade that I ever had was at a yard sale. The little boy who sold it to me was proud to tell me that the lemons came from the tree in his backyard. Lemon juice + filtered water + honey + ice = yummy lemonade
4. After shampoo rinse. When I was little, my mom used to pour lemon juice over my hair as an after shampoo rinse. Some people don’t use shampoo or conditioner at all – only water and some lemon juice.
5. Deodorize your garbage disposal. After you are done squeezing the juice out of the lemon, cut it up into strips and put down your disposal. Not only does it help break up the grease and gunk on the blades, but it leaves a pleasant lemon scent.
6. Keep guacamole from turning brown. Avocado turns brown when exposed to air, so your wonderful homemade guacamole can look yucky while still tasting great. Spritz the top of your guac with lemon juice to keep a bright green.
7. Similar to the avocado, apple slices will also turn brown when left out to the air. Dip the slices in lemon juice to keep them nice looking. The taste of the lemon compliments the apples.
8. Help soften elbows and heels by rubbing a squeezed lemon rind on them. Make sure you don’t have any cuts in your skin or they will sting.
9. Lemon and honey in hot water is good for a sore throat or a cold. If nothing else, the honey tastes good and the heat soothes.
10. Kill weeds in the cracks in your sidewalk. Much like the tip that Bargain Babe gave us with vinegar, it turns out that lemon juice also kills weeds. Soak the area with lemon juice instead of toxic chemicals. You will definitely want a friend with an overloaded lemon tree for this tip.

I know that there are tons more uses for this great little fruit. What are your favorite uses for lemons?

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Urban Woodstalker/flickr

Do you know the main idea that separates people who live over-budget from those who live under-budget?

People who go over-budget do so because they think they must have NEW stuff. This often translates into buying at the highest price. Go to the mall and buy a new shirt. Top dollar. Go to the car dealer and buy a new replacement part for your car. Super top dollar. Go to the bookstore and buy a just published book. Very expensive.

Some people feel that it is “bad” or “uncool” or “low class” to buy recycled, used, or discounted. Well, if you are super rich and have money to burn, then, be my guest and buy retail. I surely want to go to your yard sales and I certainly don’t want to try and balance your budget.

People who live under-budget think new stuff is a waste of money. They would rather get used stuff and re-purpose it.

So where are the best places to get great re-purposed stuff? Here is my top 7 list:

1. Yard Sales – You just can’t beat a yard sale for great prices and wild diversity. I love the adventure of yard sales. Go to a family neighborhood for kid stuff. Go to an area with lots of artists for cool and unique items. Utilize Yard Sale Treasure Map to find the yard sales in your area.

2. Thrift Stores – You never know what kind of great buys you will get in a thrift store. I’ve seen designer suits for $9.95 and service-for-12 Noritake china for $29.95. It’s important that you check for nicks, tears, broken zippers, stains, etc. when buying at a thrift store. There is no returning. On the flip side, I love donating to my local thrift store. I get a tax deduction plus I know I’m putting treasures into someone else’s hand and out of the landfill.

3. Swaps - Find a swap, attend a swap, create a swap. Just swap! The best way to recycle and re-purpose and end up with new-to-you stuff. Many swaps have some sort of minimal entrance fee plus you need to bring stuff to swap. I’m hooked on swaps.

4. Your friends and/or co-workers – Have a closet clean out with your friend. Get your co-workers to swap clothing, books, electronics. It can be as simple as putting a basket in the office lunchroom for a book exchange.

5. On the curb of the sidewalk – I have found the most wonderful stuff on the curb. I’ve gotten a great light table for graphics, an end table and a treadmill. Keep the universe happy and put your cool stuff out on the curb for others to find.

6. Consignment stores – Not as good as a thrift store, but sometimes you can get GREAT deals on very high quality designer clothes for young and old.

7. Specialized consignment sales – Some sales, like the LA Kids Consignment sale specialize in public such as kids, plus size or sports equipment

Learn to love the re-purposed lifestyle and do what you REALLY want with the money you save. How do you re-purpose?

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