Bargain Babe

Coupons, Freebies, and Tips to Save Money Every Day

A source of Valentine’s day deals

Love is getting cheaper. Valentine’s Day spending will drop 5% this year with jewelry, intimate apparel and dining out taking the biggest hits, according to market researcher IBISWorld. You may opt for homemade gifts this year, or you could find some great discounts to lower the cost of gifts. One source of V-day coupon codes is CouponChief.com. The site pays users who register and upload

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Food is discretionary, not a necessity

I grew up in a house where food was never scarce. To make sure I ate well when I went to college, my mother gave me a credit card to use for all my groceries. “I don’t want you to worry about having enough to eat,” she said. I am grateful for my mother’s generosity when it comes to food and nearly everything else. But

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Save money on your cell: family plans

My sister points out a fabulous way to save money on  cell phone service: get your family and friends on the same cell phone carrier and buy a family plan. The potential perks are many: Some cell phone carriers do not charge you when you call someone on the same carrier. AT&T does this, for instance. Other carriers let you call a certain number of

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Ease debt with free home goods

It is hard to stop wanting stuff when your paycheck runs out, so why not join your local Freecycle Network and see what other people in your community are giving away? Freecyclers trade stuff, keeping items out of landfills. There are 4,670 groups with 6,327,042 members across the globe, according to Freecycle’s Web site. Each network is a Yahoo! group based on geography so you

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Financial dilemma: lowering assessed home value

Name: Tom Location: Van Nuys, CA Problem: “I was a Care giver for my aunt (live-in) since 1991 also for my dad (her brother),” Tom writes. “I gave up all outside interests to make them a priority. They both passed and I inherited the house. Because I wasn’t a son or grandson, the taxes went from $600 year to $7,200. ” Now Tom can’t pay

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DIY appliance repair: resources

Within the past week both my step-father and my brother-in-law fixed broken appliances on their own. In normal times, I’m betting they would have called up a repairman to take care of it. But these days, money is shorter than time. Luckily, there are many online resources that make DIY work a cinch. Fixya.com is a site that provides tech support, manuals and trouble shooting

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Coupons: Michael’s, Restaurant.com and more

Get 40% off one regular-priced item and 25% off frames at Michael’s through Jan. 31. Print the coupons here. Some caveats. Get a $25 restaurant gift certificate for $3 with promo code SUPER on Restaurant.com. Expires Jan. 31, 2009. Read the redemption rules carefully before purchasing. Macy’s rolled out an online Valentine’s-themed coupon today. Get free shipping and 10% off a watch or jewelry purchase

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A cheaper alternative to sponges

Sponges are money suckers, but you already know that. Within a month of unwrapping one, they begin to disintegrate into the sink. And that’s only if the moldy smell has not forced you to toss them. Hubby and I tried to prolong the lives of our sponges by soaking them in a mild bleach solution. With days the smell had returned. We stuck them in

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Financial dilemma: name your mortgage terms

Name: Rick Location: Calabasas Hills Problem: Rick wants to refinance his existing mortgage. “Two times I have used Priceline.com and have named my own prices and fees,” Rick says. “Priceline does not have this service anymore. They have refinancing but not name your own. Do you know of any sites (that do)? I have an 803 credit score and want a 15 year mortgage.” Solution:

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Free color paper at FedExKinko’s

I discovered yesterday that Kinko’s gives out free colored paper, but I am so used to jumping through hoops to get a freebie that I could scarcely believe the paper’s price tag was $0. It started when I decided to make flyers for Bargain Babe. I called my local Kinko’s – now called FedEx Office – to check if they were open on MLK day.

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A 30 day pain-free declutter guide

Minimalism Month: a 30 Day Pain-free Declutter Guide

Freebies