Summer and winter can wreak havoc on your pout. That’s were lip balms come in handy. To help you avoid spending money on products that don’t work, I tested ten lip balms and reviewed them below.

I wore each lip balm for three days and rated them on their smell, taste, feel and, most importantly, how well they wear. I live in Los Angeles so SPF is very important. If a balm has a hint of color or yummy taste, that’s a plus for me. I listed the results starting with my favorites on down.

My top three favorites were Blistex, Nivea, and Burt’s Bees. These three balms were moisturizing, inexpensive, and wore well. I did reapply Blistex several times because I couldn’t stop licking my lips! These three top balms have a sheen, but are not greasy. Burt’s Bees has a hint of plum tint, but lacks SPF. Top rated Blistex was the second cheapest balm I tested!

EOS was a runner up, but at $3.99 it was the most expensive balm I tested. EOS comes in a ball-like container (it looks like a lemon in the picture above). It is naturally flavored and PABA-free. It was moisturizing and I would buy it again if I found it for less.

Softlips fared well, but the tube broke and I had to push the product down to close it. Lip Smackers was one of my favorites when I was young, but their new natural line made from beeswax was not the best. It was grainy and tasted like wax.

Vaseline’s balm reminded me of petroleum jelly as it was greasy and looked like jelly. I wouldn’t recommend this for everyday wear, but if it’s extremely windy or dry, it will protect your lips. Just make sure to wear your hair back or your locks will stick to your lips. If you buy it and don’t like it, apply it to your hairline to protect your scalp when coloring your hair.

I’d like to find other uses for ChapStick, Carmex, and Chap-Ex. They were thick, waxy, and tasted like medicine. My lips did not feel any more soft or moisturized than usual. Instead, these products acted more like a block that stayed put. Carmex was my least favorite! I wouldn’t dare steal a kiss from anyone wearing this balm. After applying my lips tingled. If you’re in really cold weather, ChapStick would work in a jiffy as it will block the wind.

If you prefer lipstick or lip gloss over lip balm, here how I score free makeup samples. Also check out Bargain Babe’s video about drugstore makeup.

What lip balms do you swear by?

brtsergio / Flickr

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

CNN Money recently published an article about a company that lets you make money on your morning commute. The company offers you gigs you can accomplish via your iPhone and then get paid. How cool is that?

I take public transportation to save money on gas, and after seeing the CNN article I started thinking of ways to make money during your free time. Here are four suggestions.

1. Get a hobbie – If you love to do something, why not get paid to do it? If you’re a photographer, let your friends and family now you’ll be available to take photos at their next celebration. I recently discovered I’m good at giving cheap haircuts and have let friends know. So far, no takers.
2. Use your smarts – Tutor local students. If you are good at math, science or any language, there’s probably someone that needs the help and is willing to pay to get their child tutored. A friend of mine is an amazing graphic designer and during the summer she makes extra cash by building friends’ portfolio websites and designing their business cards. She’s doing what she loves and getting paid for it as well. How awesome is that?
3. Pet sit – If you love animals as much as I do, but you can’t afford to have them, how about sitting while the owners are away? Need some motivation to get out and hit the pavement, start walking your neighbors’ dog – for a fee, of course. If pet sitting is not your thing, baby sit.
4. Start your own lemonade stand – Go back to the days when you where a little kid and you may either have sold or bought lemonade from the stand in your neighborhood. Put those practices in use and sell what you are good at baking or cooking. I wouldn’t suggest an actual stand in the street unless you can get a food license from your city. My aunt is a good baker and she uses her skills to cater celebrations to make a few more bucks on the side.

What other suggestions do you have to make money at home while avoiding scams and doing what you love?

akeg / Flickr

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

More than a year ago, Bargain Babe wrote about a Consumer Reports finding that women pay as much as 50% more for similar products than men. Armed with a pen and notepad, I headed to my local drugstore to see if this was still the case. I compared 26 brands of deodorant, shave cream, face wash, bath wash, lotion, shampoo, razors, vitamins, and hair removal products. In some cases, like shave cream, there were very few brands that made products for men and women.

At first glance, prices for the men’s version of a product were similar as those for women or even higher. But when you calculate the cost per unit, women’s products were priced higher 11 times, compared to four for men’s.

Products cost the same per unit 11 times.

At first, I thought it was because women were paying extra for the pretty packaging. But further inspection revealed very similar packaging that only differed in color – women’s in bright or pastel colors and men’s in dark. Take a look at the price for Dove’s face wash above. Women pay $1.92 per unit more than men. Why do you think that is?

The ingredient list for the products I compared were similar, but could it be that some ingredients were more expensive? Could be. But how do you explain the significant difference in prices for razors, shown below? Women pay $8.92 more for a Gillette Venus razor than if they bought a packet of 4 Gillette Custom Plus 3 razors. (For razors, I calculated the per unit cost based on the number of razors, not blades.) The hair removal category also proved that women pay more for similar items. In the vitamin category, women pay $0.07 more per Nature’s Made vitamins than men.

To stop paying more for similar products consider doing the following. Voice your opinion with your dollars! If a men’s product costs less, try it out and save money in the bathroom. Continue using coupons to bring down the price of products you like. Every Monday we share drugstore coupons, which make many products free. Before buying, whip out your calculator and compare unit prices (cost / ounces). Why do you think there is a difference in prices on similar products targeted to men and women?

Alan_D/Flickr

Like me, Emily is having a hard time with her spending moratorium during Lent. She emailed:

My spending moratorium (for March) got rescheduled after some unexpected costs came up last month, so I decided to give it up for Lent instead. So far so good. Aside from my weekly co-pay at the dr’s for allergy shots, occasional gas refills, and the rare but much needed grocery replenishment (milk, eggs) it’s been so far so good.

Until Monday. I was at work and then grad school longer than intended, so my boyfriend and I wound up going out to dinner rather than cooking at home. HOWEVER, being that it was Jersey Shore restaurant week, we were able to get the $30.11 deal for a 3 course meal. Then, they also allowed us to use a buy-one-get-one-entree-free coupon that had come in the mail.

I’m going to keep going, but I am also glad that Lent is only two more weeks. Some things like school supplies are dwindling quickly, and will need to be replaced!

I feel your pain, Emily. It’s very difficult to cut out spending entirely, but even with slip ups it’s an important exercise. What a privilege it is to be able to buy!

I gave up all spending last July and ended up breaking it three times. I’m also have a hard time giving up my car for Lent this year. I’ve gotten so used to driving moderate distances (3-12 miles) instead of riding my bike that I have not been able to adjust my schedule to create time for my slower, two-wheeled form of transportation. Some habits are hard to break, and there has not been a huge financial incentive for me to put down the car keys.

Got a story about saving money? I want to hear it!

While browsing Amazon, I noticed that many cookware sets are so much cheaper than the individual items, that it is worth just buying the whole set and selling the excess items on Ebay. Have you ever heard of anyone doing this successfully?

I know a lot of people sell stuff on Ebay to make extra money, but it never occurred to me to sell new stuff that I purchased solely for the purpose of reselling it. Reader Kim wrote in saying she makes $500 a month selling stuff on Amazon. If you want to sell clothes online, The Budget Fashionista lends her tips for deciding which clothes to sell.

Is anyone else doing what Jon is doing?

This bumper sticker is stuck at home during my car-less Lent!

It’s been two weeks since I gave up my car for Lent as a financial experiment and I’m surprised to say that not much in my life has changed. I’ve walked three trips that I normally would have driven, saving myself 12 miles of driving, but I have not needed to hop on the bus or drag my bike out of the basement. Mostly, I’ve been carpooling a lot.

I’ve realized four things now that I’m driving less:

• Walking is more relaxing than driving
• I have more time to call friends and family when I walk somewhere
• Walking takes more time, but I feel really good after the light exercise
• I’m getting to know my neighborhood better by walking (I even saw a bunny on my way home!)

I did break my no-car fast once, when I took the MINI in for a VIN inspection at the police station as part of the process of registering my car now that I  live in Rhode Island. My local DMV was shuttered as part of budget cuts, so I’ll have to break my car fast once more to get to a DMV before my registration expires Apr. 2. Other than that, I’m getting around on two feet.

Luckily, the two cops who saw me pull an illegal u-turn (who knew?) in front of the police station joked that I must have been from California, where u-turns are legal. One of the cops lives around the corner from me – that’s how small Rhode Island is!

Not sure I would give up my wheels for good, but it is something I am considering. Did you make a financial sacrifice for Lent?

Family Feud built an entire TV show around surveys. Credit: dno1967b/Flickr

This post is brought to you by Survey Mastermind, a site that helps you discover the best free paid surveys online, paid focus groups, freebies and work from home opportunities!

UPDATE: Tons of readers recommended certain sites and said to stay away from others. Below are their tips.

I’ve been getting a lot of emails recently about completing surveys online for pay. NOTE: I have not tried any of these survey companies, but I’m curious if anyone has. Are they worth your time? Do you trust the companies you are working with?

My blogger friend Nicole from Nicole’s Nickels wrote a guest post for BargainBabe.com with really easy tips to make sure you only work with reputable survey companies. Definitely read it before you check out any of the eight offers below, which I received recently.

1. Dollar Surveys. Get paid through Paypal to complete surveys you receive via email.

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7. Opinion Surveys. Evaluate new products and share your opinions on this site that is free to join.

8. Inbox Pays. This site teases an offer to get $5 for registering.

Clicking on these links supports BargainBabe.com.

jwalsh/Flickr

I’m having second thoughts about giving up my car for Lent. Not because of my business trip to Los Angeles that will pose a particular public transportation challenge, but because a video shoot I’m doing that was moved from today to next week and the location is three hours away!

Three hours by car, that is. By bus, train, and foot I’m guessing it will take me five hours to get there. I need to be on location by 10 a.m. Yikes! It’s an all day shoot so I won’t start my trek home 5 p.m. Double yikes!

Also, it’s supposed to snow Thursday. Yikes, yikes, yikes.

I can throw in the towel, brace myself for a long commute and stick to my pledge, or exempt myself from autolessness for work. Thoughts?

To rent or not to rent? Credit: dennis/Flickr

Perhaps as a sign that going car-less for Lent is a good idea, yesterday for the first time I saw a bus go by my house. I can’t pretend to need a car when there is a bus route at my doorstep, can I?

Didn’t think so. Where I was in doubt about this sacrifice, you had none. Other than Linda O., commenters unanimously want me to ditch my car keys.

Final answer? I’m going car-less for Lent, which starts Wednesday, Mar. 9 and ends on Easter Sunday, Apr. 24, 2011. (The end of Lent is debated, but I’m sticking to Easter). During my auto fast, I’m allowed to drive my car on Sundays, which is another issue hotly debated among Catholics. I’m not religious, so instead of giving up a sin for Lent, my twist is that I’m giving up a financial sin.

Owning a car is a financial sin? One calculation shows that driving takes $7,095 out of my community each year. Not only is that a lot of money leaving my pocket, it is a lot of money leaving my community. By riding my bike, I’m improving my health and reducing my pollution output. By taking the bus, I’m supporting local economy. By taking a taxi, I’m really supporting the local economy.

Just one problem. During my auto fast I have a business trip to Los Angeles. I no longer have a functioning bicycle in Los Angeles, so I may have to rely on buses. Or, I could exclude business needs from my fast, just like I did during my no-spend month, which means I could rent a car in Los Angeles.

Would renting a car on a business trip during my auto fast be cheating?

No car means no cruising for Dogwin!

I’m not religious, but most years I give up something for Lent to remind myself what sacrifice feels like. It makes me grateful for all that I have, and mindful that many others have much, much less. It’s also a fun way to challenge myself to save money. Last year I gave up meat after calculating how much more expensive meat is than vegetable protein.

This year I’m considering giving up my car after reading that driving takes $7,095 out of my community each year. My yearly auto expenses are much less than $7,095 because I paid for my used MINI out of pocket. But certain auto costs do go out of town. My insurance company is out of state and if my car broke down, there is not a repair shop in town to service it. By not driving I am redirecting out-of-town dollars to in-town dollars, in theory.

What makes giving up a car interesting is that I’m not sure I’m going to save any money by not driving. A trip to the airport (likely to come up during Lent) via taxi could blow any savings. My monthly car costs are about $103, including insurance, gas, and registration. Airport parking and repairs would bump that figure up considerably.

In fact, one trip to the airport during Lent may wipe out any savings from my car sacrifice. Here are my costs for getting to the airport by:

Car - Cost of driving 54 miles   at $.50/mile = $27 + $70 to park my car for 7 days ($10/day) = $97. Time: 50 minutes each way.

Taxi – A RT taxi ride would cost $166 plus tip. Time: 40 minutes each way.

One RT taxi ride to the airport basically negates my savings from not driving ($166 versus $97 + $103). Of course, even I if I don’t drive I still have to pay registration and insurance. So I don’t save my $103 in monthly car costs unless I give up my car for good. For this experiment, it’s only gas and wear and tear I’m saving. Cheaper airport options:

Bus - RT cost is $5 for ticket and transfer. Time: 1 hour 45 minutes each way.

Shuttle – Local shuttle service is $50 per person RT, a great option if I am traveling alone. Time: 1 hour each way.

As long as I take the bus or shuttle to the airport, I’m saving money by giving up my car.

So, do you think I should give up my car for Lent? Are you giving up something for Lent?

Next post: I’m giving up my car for Lent, except…

Digital Vincent/Flickr

Kim emailed me saying she is selling things her family doesn’t need to bring in extra income. I failed at selling my crap on eBay so I had to know how Kim is doing it. She writes:

My husband is recently in the job market, so the family finances needed a boost. He had been an avid dvd collector and my #1 son told me to sell off some of the dvds that we weren’t interested in watching again. I just put in the serial number on the back and the website told me whether they were selling or not, and approximately what price they would sell for. We keep about 40 on Amazon at any given time, and have sold just over 100 in six weeks. Some of the best sellers were the older dvds. I guess they didn’t make as many back then.

I will say that I did price them to sell. For example, if the lowest price was $4.95, I listed mine for $4.75. I also added that my dvd was NOT a previous rental, which many of those for sale seem to be. Just today a friend of mine at work (I am a schoolteacher) was asking what I was selling and she told me to bring in any extras and that she would be interested in buying some of them from me – hadn’t thought about that potential market   Anyway, January netted just under $500 for us, which is a great “emergency fund” that we really needed. Actually, I am designating $100 to be our “fun fund”, which we haven’t had in a long time. Have a great Friday, Kim

Kudos to Kim and her family for recognizing they were sitting on a stash of cash! And for following through to set up an Amazon sellers account, do the pricing research, and keep customers happy. I also like her positive attitude about her husband being “in the job market.”

What do you have in your home that you’ve been considering selling for extra money? To get you started, here are seven ways to make money off spring cleaning.Or, if you prefer to de-clutter your house in one fell swoop, donate or hold a garage sale.

Jeff Keen/Flickr

Emily emailed me with plans to save money this month starting on Tuesday. She wrote:

I have decided to make your spending Moratorium an annual adventure, and this time, I have decided to include my new boyfriend (his choice, not mine!) Of course, we will still pay for essentials (including my allergy shots) but only what is absolutely necessary. I just wanted to let you know, and thank you for your inspiration.

Best of luck Emily! I admire your boyfriend for joining in and really glad you didn’t push it on him. Forcing your spending decisions on another person is a recipe for breakups and a big difference between being frugal and being cheap! He must be quite a catch, at least financially!

Is anyone else going on a spending moratorium? Or maybe a spending spree?

Dottie Mae/Flickr

This post is brought to you by Savings Account Comparison, finding the best savings account online.

On the way home from a ski trip my friend Emily told me she saved $800 over two years without thinking. WHAT?!?

Emily signed up for a Bank of America program called Keep the Change. It puts aside the change rounded up to a dollar from every purchase she makes with her debit card. So if her groceries comes to, say $32.50, Bank of America takes $.50 from her checking and puts it into a special savings account. If she spends $12.03 on lunch, $.97 is deposited into her special account. If gas cost $28.46, she automatically saves $.54.

Each time she makes a purchase with debit, she doesn’t have to approve the deposit or even think about it. Over time, Emily’s little chunks of money grew to $800. It helped that for the first three months, Bank of America matched her contributions 100%. That’s free money! After three months, the match falls to 5% up to $250 per year. B of A is one of many banks that offer this type of automatic savings program. The Armed Forces Bank and Academy Bank have a Saving Cent$ program.

There are lots of caveats to the B of A program, however. To participate, you need to have or open a B of A savings account and checking account with a debit card. Purchases with rewards or ATM cards are not eligible for matching. A minimum balance of $25 is required upon opening. Matching funds will be reported to the IRS on Form 1099 and fees may reduce earnings. You can open up to five of  these accounts per person or household, whichever is less.

But before you run out and sign up for Keep the Change, there are a few things to watch out for:

• The annual percentage yield is very low, a half of one percent (.05%).
• The money you are saving is transferred to you once a year on the anniversary of the date you opened the account. So you don’t have access to the money a very long time.
• You may face fees if you do not meet minimum deposit or other requirements.

This program, and others like it, are not new. B of A’s Keep the Change program dates back to Dec. 2005. I have never used this type of savings account and prefer to take out a chunk each month by automatic deposit. But for folks who struggle to pay themselves first, this may be a good first step.

Have you use this type of savings program? Would you recommend it?

As reader Harvey commented on my post Friday about the radio spot, “It is the January 7, 2011 edition. You are near the beginning – the fifth and last blogger to be interviewed. You can listen directly or download the podcast.” You can also read the transcript of the entire clip, though it’s fun to hear my voice on the radio (at least, for me it is!).

Thanks for summing it up and providing a link, Harvey!