Jasonwoodhead23/flickr
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of BobbisBargains.
Per Southern California Gas Company, home heating is 65% of a residential gas bill during the winter months. (That’s what it said in my bill insert this month.) Wow! If that is true in Southern California, what is it in actual cold parts of the country?
With so much of your utility budget going toward keeping your home warm, anything that you can do to retain heat in your home or keep the heat from leaving is a money saver. Here are 5 tips that will help you to lower your heating bill:
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of BobbisBargains.
ekkmanz/flickr
Some of the most expensive items that anyone buys in their lifetime besides a house or a car are kitchen appliances. Repairing that new washer, dryer or refrigerator is a hidden cost that you can drastically reduce by making the fixes yourself.
The best refrigerator I ever had was at least 20 years old when I paid $25 for it. Nothing ever broke on that beast. I had to leave it on one of my moves and I replaced it with a younger, more breakable, model, which quickly taught me about repairs.
The first thing that broke was
Hanging baskets are beautiful adornments to any garden or doorway. Depending on the effect you are looking for you can use trailing, tall or ‘ball effect plants’ to make your own.
Flowers that trail down from the basket give the effect that they’re just growing in the air as they swamp the basket and hide it. These include fuchsia, pelargoniums (ivy-leaved), trailing lobelia, campanula ‘bellflower’ and verbena. Tall flowers that grow upright can add height to a garden by drawing the eye upwards and include geraniums, pelargoniums (dwarf zone), petunias, begonia and upright varieties of verbena. ‘Ball effect’ flowers grow in a bushy style and include impatiens ‘busy lizzies’, bushy varieties of lobelia and clematis.
Not all hanging baskets need simply be a mass-produced pot you affix to your wall, however. With a bit of imagination and a lick of paint you can transform objects you find in second hand stores into stunning centerpieces for your garden. How about removing the seat from old chairs and letting blooms drape down it?
First browse local flea markets for chairs with wicker seats or those whose seat is easily removed. Paint the chair and remove the seat or cut a hole in it.
Next take some chicken wire and make a wire frame in the shape of a bowl to fit the seat. Attach this to the chair – use a nail gun to tack the wire to the wood, or get out your trusty Bosch drill to screw the wire against the wood.
Next line the frame with coconut fiber and fill this with a potting mix. Now you are ready to plant a very unique hanging basket. You can use this simple DIY hanging basket effect on any items you wish – so get creative and enjoy your garden.
This is paid content. Interested in a sponsored post? See Bargain Babe’s blog advertising page.
Arty Smokes / Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
Weeds can ruin a garden, but buying weed control formulas to kill them adds up when one application is not enough. They’re called weeds for a reason. Plus, think of all the toxins you’ll be adding to your garden. Here are five suggestions to keeping your garden weed free while avoiding toxins and high costs.
- Grubbing - This is the best know method for removing weeds in the garden. It doesn’t cost much, but requires a lot of elbow grease. Break up
Soil in the making!
We picked up a huge composter for $45 this past weekend at a recycling event after outgrowing our $4 homemade composters. What excites me – other than rotting food waste in my kitchen – is the tip booklet that came with it. A complete guide to composting!
Making rich soil saves me a ton of money on dirt and shortens my grocery list – I’m growing my food! So don’t pay attention to compost rumors.
Convenience is the number one factor in locating your composter. If it’s too far away, you won’t use it, especially if you get nasty winter weather. One solution is to keep a smaller homemade composter near your kitchen door. When it fills up, make one big trip to your main composter.
A kitchen pail with lid is crucial. Fill it up with food waste during the day, then dump it into your composter as part of dinner cleanup. A lid keeps fruit flies away. We got bugs last summer so I’m dumping it after lunch, too.
Hair, dryer lint, and paper napkins
jspatchwork / Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
With the weather getting warmer, gardening season has officially begun. You may already have seedlings growing in containers that are ready to be transplanted, but before you do that here are four things you need to accomplish to reap the benefits.
- Remove weeds - These little suckers will sprout anywhere, even from cement and they will suck the life out of your plans by feeding off of the soil’s nutrients. Spending a good amount of time removing weeds will pay off. Make sure to get to the root of the problem by digging them out and not just pulling them.
- Take a Soil Test – Check soil
Bargain alert! Yardsellr is a great resource for selling items online without having to deal with the strict policies or fees of other sites. (It’s completely free to list). Yardsellr is also an easy site to search for interesting collectibles, home décor, or clothing, jewelry, and designer handbag listings that aren’t over-priced or sold on a limited time or auction system. Check out toys, books, and sports memorabilia too… there’s 2000+ categories, even one devoted to Hello Kitty!
So how does it work? Yardsellr operates both as a website and directly within Facebook with over 2 million people buying, selling, and commenting on stuff. Items are categorized in specific bins or blocks, similar to the setup of an actual yard or garage sale. By “liking” a Yard Sale block or bin, buyers and sellers get updates of recently posted items in their Facebook newsfeed in real time. Or you could just visit Yardsell.com and enter in what you’re looking for.
Yardsellr is having a new user giveaway right now using their Photon$* point system. People who register receive 1 million Photon$, or $10 for FREE to instantly to spend on the site. Click here to sign up and check it out.
* Up to $10, or 1 million Photon$ points can be earned every day by interacting on the site. Just look for the $ sign on Yardsellr.com to see how you can earn free money!
This post is brought to you by Urban Base, Newcastle Estate Agents.
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains.
nicolas.boullosa/Flickr
Big News! I just bought a house. Did you know that buying a house has been noted as one of the most stressful experiences in life? Now that I have done it, I totally agree.
I am so very, very grateful to my fabulous Realtor, Rachel Baroth, without whom, this sale would not have happened. Until this purchase, I had no idea how important it was to choose a really great Realtor. I thought I could do it myself. After all, I have found and rented several houses and procured several loans with no difficulty.
So, how hard could it be to buy a house? Oh my dear! Buying a house has gotten so complicated, the rules of the game so changeable, and the amount of paperwork so overwhelming; I can’t imagine going not having a trusted and knowledgeable expert by my side. Finding the house you want to buy is, in fact, the easy part.
Therefore, I wanted to share the top five things to look for when choosing a Real Estate Agent: (more…)
This gardening post was brought to you by the UK’s Pond Liner Website. Bradshaws Pond Liner company stock a wide selection of garden pond filters and pond pumps including the Oase Pond Pump and the Hozelock Pond Pump. Check it out for some seriously good bargains on any garden pond liner or automatic fish feeder.
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains.
Muffet/Flickr
One of my greatest pleasures is working in my garden. Not only do I get Vitamin D from the sun, but I also get exercise, fresh air and the occasional fresh fruit or veggie. Although each individual seed packet or plant doesn’t cost a lot of money, the expenses DO add up.
Here are five of my favorite sites to help you with your garden schedule and budget:
- KinderGARDEN is a wonderful site chock full of links to help you garden with kids. I had a great time (more…)
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains.
When my kids were little, I got almost all of their toys and clothes at yard sales. They didn’t even know that toys came in packaging until they were six years old. After all, why pay 90% more to have the toy come encased in unnecessary, resource-depleting material? A 4-year-old really doesn’t care. They only want the toy.
Since my family was used to receiving presents that were pre-owned, it was no big deal to keep doing it at Christmas time. It’s not like I’m giving them dirty, ripped and broken items. At a yard or estate sale, I find gently used or never used items that are financially out of reach if they were brand new. Just this weekend, I purchased a hip like-new soft leather jacket for my daughter. Retail price new: $200. Yard sale price: $5. It’s a no-brainer. Wrap it up in a pretty re-usable holiday bag with tissue paper and it’s a WOW present. (more…)
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains.
mmlolek/Flickr
I make quite a lot of handmade gifts for the holidays. My chocolate covered pretzels are such a hit that friends look forward to them each year.
However, there are people in my life to whom I want to give something more significant than a pretzel, however tasty. Let’s face it, a sugar coated carb stick is a fun treat, but not one that says “I Love You.”
What can you give that will last a year but not break the bank to someone special? Here are my five best ideas: (more…)
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains.
KeithWilliamson/Flickr
The other day I was in the grocery store gazing at the endless array of cleaning supplies and thought, “we are being scammed.” There is no way in the world that all of these products are needed – especially by smart folks who live frugally. So I thought I would share some of my tips to use basic household supplies for every day uses.
Ammonia – Wonderful stuff. It’s one part nitrogen and three parts hydrogen. Don’t mix it with bleach.
- Use it to clean your windshield wiper blades. Soak a rag and clean the blade.
- Get that horrible smell out of the washer when you left wet clothes in too long. Wash again without soap but with a tablespoon of ammonia.
- Don’t buy Windex ever again. Put two tablespoons of ammonia and one quart of water in a spray bottle.
Aluminum Foil (more…)
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains.
I recently helped a friend of mine rid herself of the stuff in her storage units along with the monthly rental expense. For the Bargain Queen, this has been an eye opening educational experience.
Public storage facilities are popping up everywhere and the move-in specials and seemingly low rental rates appear to be a tantalizing and easy solution to having more stuff than room.
It is so tempting to take your stuff and shove it into a storage unit and promise to go through and toss it out when I have time.
Believe me, you will NEVER (more…)
programwitch / flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
With shorter days and longer nights approaching, it�s time to start preparing your garden for fall. �Before you begin planting, there are many tasks that need to be completed. Here are some fall gardening tips to get ready for the next growing season and continue to save money through gardening.
Rearrange
Here’s one of the toughest jobs you must accomplish, but it must be done. You need to get rid of all the diseased or damaged plants that have stopped producing and look tired in your garden. This is work – some of your spring plants may be monstrously (more…)
Yazmin Cruz
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
The Frugal Festival was the first time I had been to any kind of swap. That day, as volunteers and I sorted through clothes, the anticipation built in the room. Come the swap start the anticipation turned to excitement as hundreds of people rushed in the doors to swap. I didn’t swap then, but got my first swapping experience this past weekend.
I was invited to a garden swap in the Milagro Allegro Community Garden in Highland Park, California where gardeners exchanged everything from tools to produce.
I must admit I was a skeptic. I didnt think Id end up liking it as much as I did. I dont even like participating in Secret Santa come Christmas time because I usually end up with the worst gift. But not this time.
The swap was free of charge and was organized much like the Frugal Festival. There was a specific area for everything people brought to swap like plants, seeds, magazines, produce and worm tea, which is worm pee used for fertilizing.
I arrived a little late but was still able to exchange the seeds I had brought with me. I had all kinds of seeds including dill, broccoli rabe, kale, and lima beans. I also had seeds that Id harvested myself like basil and cilantro seeds.
Heres my haul and approximately how much I saved:
- Organic Gardening magazine – $3.99
- Sunset magazine – $4.99
- Heirloom cucumber seeds – $2
- Organic Plums (10) – $6.90
- Organic Tomatoes (2 lbs.) – $5
- Aloe Vera plant – $4
- Organic Bay Leaves – $4
- Organic Pineapple Sage – $2
Total Saved: $32.88
My goods.
I am now a believer – swapping is the new shopping. If you’ve never participated in a swap, you must. BargainBabe.com writer Bobbi wrote a post on how to get the most out of a swap that is essential to read before heading to your first swap.
I already leafed through my magazines and found yummy recipes using my tomatoes and bay leaves, and I cant wait to try my pineapple sage tea, which I hear is good for anxiety. The only thing I wasnt able to get was the worm tea, but I hear the community garden is looking to have swaps every last Sunday of the month and you know I’ll be there.
What kind of swaps have you participated in and how much money have you saved?
