Skin care – it’s frighteningly easy to justify and spend a fortune at the drugstore or cosmetics counter, in search of the secrets to a healthy and attractive complexion. Skin care choices in the marketplace are overwhelming and the claims made by the products’ advertisers can be both overblown and confusing. Being knowledgeable about our skin’s needs is really the only way to make sensible choices when shopping for products to care for our complexions.

Know thy skin type

The skin on our faces holds the distinction of being that which is most exposed to the elements while also being the skin that’s most visible to others. For that reason, we tend to want to take special pains to ensure that it’s as healthy and attractive as possible.

Skin comes in four basic types: dry, oily, combination (including oily areas and dry patches) and sensitive. Taking our skin type into consideration when evaluating products considerably simplifies and economizes our skincare choices.

All skin, regardless of type, has three basic needs: cleansing, moisturizing and sunscreen.

Cleansing

Cleansers loosen dirt, excess oil and remnants of products so they can be easily removed from the skin.

Follow these guidelines when choosing cleanser for your skin type:

• Dry - cleanse with a gentle cleanser as needed, up to twice a day
• Oily - cleanse with an oil-free, non-comedogenic (won’t clog pores) cleanser as needed, up to twice a day
• Combination - cleanse with a mild cleanser that’s not too drying as needed, up to twice a day
• Sensitive - cleanse with a mild cleanser that’s free of alcohol, soap and fragrance once a day

To help you choose the right type of cleanser, be aware that they’re available as:

• Bar soaps - These work best for removing dirt but may be irritating to skin
• Liquid cleansers - These work for all skin types except for the oiliest and are generally non-irritating
• Facial cleansers - These tend to be less effective at removing dirt but are the mildest to skin

Your goal should be to find the mildest product possible that effectively cleans your skin without causing dryness.

Moisturizer

Moisturizer replenishes elements needed to maintain skin’s structure, avoid damage from free-radicals and enhance cell function.

Follow these guidelines when choosing moisturizer for your skin type:

• Dry - use a creamy moisturizer right after cleansing; re-apply when skin feels tight
• Oily and Combination  - use a lightweight, oil free product
• Sensitive - use a creamy moisturizer

Know what you’re buying! Some common moisturizer ingredients and their functions are:

• Glycerol - helps water and other moisturizer ingredients penetrate skin
• Ceramides - help replenish skin’s natural oils
• Hydroxy Acids - help with exfoliation of dead skin cells
• Niacinamide - helps skin produce more natural oils; may also help reverse signs of sun-damaged skin, like brown spots and blotchiness

Sunscreen

Protecting your skin from sun exposure is crucial to its health and appearance. The sun ages and dries skin, causes age spots, wrinkles and skin cancer. Even minute amounts of sun exposure every day can cumulatively have a negative effect on skin. Protect your skin with a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 everyday, even when it’s overcast. Some daytime moisturizers conveniently include sunscreen in their formulation.

Live Smart for Healthy Skin

Beyond products you put on it, adopting these healthy habits will also help your skin look its best, including:

• Avoid smoking
• Eat a healthy and varied diet
• Exercise to increase blood flow and sweat flushes out impurities from skin
• Lessen stress

Know what you need for your skin type and you’ll find that the basics to a great complexion are actually affordable, sensible and effective.

Remember to check out the newest beauty coupons that we found online for the latest discounts in cosmetics and skin care products. What are your complexion basics?

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We’re all looking for ways to improve our finances. When we think about better finances, though, many of us think about making more money, and perhaps saving more money, or investing more. And, of course, those in debt often consider how much better life would be without debt.

As you make a plan to pay down debt, it’s important to consider what you can do to succeed. It’s also a good idea to find reasons to stick with your efforts. Many people give up on becoming debt free because they feel overwhelmed, or because they can’t remember why they are focusing so much on getting rid of debt. However, paying down debt is one of the best investments you can make in your future. As you look for inspiration to keep going, here are 3 good reasons to pay down debt as soon as possible:

1. You Pay Less Money to Someone Else

Whenever you pay interest, you are paying money straight into someone else’s pocket. When you think interest in this way, it makes a compelling reason to get rid of debt as soon as you can. Your interest payments don’t bring you anything of benefit. You don’t enjoy the effects, either. Pay off your debt faster, you’ll be paying less into someone else’s pocket, and keeping more of it for you. You can use the money on the things that are most important to you, rather than enriching someone else.

2. You Have Better Control Over Your Financial Resources

You don’t have control over your financial resources when demands on them are constantly being made. Indeed, when you have debt, your money has to go toward those obligations first. When you have debt, you have relinquished some of your control over your own financial resources, allowing someone else to dictate how much you pay — and when it has to be paid. Paying off your debt as quickly as you can paves the way for the ability for you to do what you want with your own money. You can direct your financial resources in such a way that works best for you, and helps you build wealth. You have a huge advantage when you are the one in charge of your own financial future.

3. Your Relationships are Likely to Improve when You are Debt Free

Even though paying off debt is mostly a financial matter, you might also find that it impacts other areas of your life. Debt can affect your relationships. Think about the stress and anxiety you feel when you are in debt. That sort of difficulty translates into other areas of your life. Marriages are strained, you are more irritable with your kids, and other relationships can be strained. You might not even realize how much stress your situation has been putting on your life until after you have paid off your debt. Pay down your debt faster, and you can find your relationships improving.

When you stop and think about the impact living a debt-free life could have on you, it becomes obvious that getting out of debt is important. You will have more control in general, and feel better about your situation.

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It may seem like a strange question to ask, but does your paycheck truly reflect the value of your time, talent, skills and experience?  If there’s any doubt, you are probably not paying yourself enough, if you’re self-employed, or asking for enough from your employer. Not knowing your own worth is a fast way to be taken advantage of, especially for the self-employed. Are you ready to settle for less than the value of your services, or are you willing to risk losing a few cheapskate clients in order to make what you deserve? Here are some tips to discovering and exercising your monetary worth whether you are self-employed or otherwise.

If you’re self-employed, shop around to see what others in your field are charging. Compare yourself to others in the same field by becoming a member of business associations and interacting on networking sites. Considering your credentials in your field as well as years and levels of experience, stay competitive with similar businesses in your area without selling yourself short. Consider not only how much you are getting paid to do a job, but how much time you are devoting to it. If a job ends up entailing more labor hours than you had originally quoted to a client, don’t hesitate to renegotiate payment, especially if the extra work was requested.

If you are selling hand-made products, don’t forget to charge for your time. Crafts and hand-made items are a great way to earn extra income while doing something you enjoy. The mistake many crafters make, however, is simply charging customers a little more than the cost of their materials. This fails to account for your skilled labor hours, and also cheapens the customers’ perception of your product. If you’re selling your products too cheap, customers will view them as cheap. If you charge more for a quality product, customers will be able to see and appreciate the value and will still buy it. A quick formula for determining pricing is as follows:

1. Your wholesale price equals 2x the cost of your materials plus your labor rate.
2. Your retail price should be roughly twice your determined wholesale price.

If you are employed with a company, don’t be afraid to ask for a raise. Knowing your own worth doesn’t just apply to the self-employed. Many employees make less than they could be making simply because they are afraid to ask. If you think you might be making less than you should, do some research. Sites like salary.com list pay rates for various career fields and jobs at all skill and experience levels. If you discover you could be making more, compile a convincing argument and formerly request a raise. It’s a good idea to do this well before your normal evaluation so there is more time and/or funds for your request to be granted. If you are turned down, at least you can’t say you didn’t try.

Whatever your career field or employment situation, don’t let anyone, least of all yourself, undervalue or underpay you. Learn your worth to show yourself respect and require the same from others.

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The traditional role of the women in our mothers’ and grandmothers’ generations was less about earning money than about spending it. Most women of their era were adept at working within and stretching the household budget to feed, clothe and care for the everyday needs of their family. Whether they had a degree in Home Economics or not, most women of those generations gained their doctorate in financial proficiency through managing the economics of their own homes. For most of us, our mothers indelibly influenced attitudes about many aspects of life, money included. What did your mother – or grandmother – teach you about managing your monetary resources?

I certainly learned some financial lessons from my mom. Here are two of them:

1. Women can manage the family finances. Her mother may not have taken this role, but my mom was the keeper of the purse strings in our family. When it came to purchasing insurance, vehicles, furniture and the like, paying bills and keeping the checkbook, it was all Mom. I grew up knowing that women can not only handle money but stretch a dollar, purchase wisely and save. Money was tight and she taught lessons in reusing and repurposing that became deeply ingrained in my psyche and still influence the way I handle finances.
2. It’s possible to be too generous. As much as I admired her intelligence, resourcefulness and adeptness at managing our family finances, I likewise admired her generosity. That generosity, however, created financial challenges for her later in life. As we grew up and flew out of the house, Mom soothed her “empty nest pangs” by feathering the nests of her children. At the point in her life when they finally had money that didn’t need to be spent on the family, she continued doing so. Instead of saving for their future and their own rainy days, she insisted she’d rather see us enjoy the things she continued to provide for us. At times they experienced financial hardships because Mom was being so generous to us. This taught me that while generosity is admirable, it’s important to take care of your own financial needs first and foremost.

Many of the habits we grew up with were never identified as “frugal” – they were standard operating procedure. We used what we had – materials, knowledge, talent and creativity – as well as money to do and get what we needed; and we certainly weren’t the only ones. Here’s a list I’ve compiled from friends and family of frugal tips and practices learned from their mothers and grandmothers:

• Used what we had instead of buying other products (like vinegar rinse for hair and window cleaning; used newspaper to wipe the spray)
• Used the library
• Reused paper lunch bags, baggies and containers around the house
• Wore clothes more than once before laundering
• Made homemade treats (Kool-aid ice pops in ice cube trays and popcorn)
• Rationed snacks and sweets for occasional distribution
• Sewed homemade clothing and altered hand-me-downs for siblings
• Collected rainwater in trash cans to hand water the garden
• Cooked dinners specifically for leftovers
• Dried laundry on the clothesline
• Saved change (wrapped pennies in coin wrappers and took them to the bank)

This traditional financial wisdom of our mothers and grandmothers is often forgotten or disregarded in our modern world. These frugal lessons and wise money management practices are even more important now, however, as we realize that our planet’s resources are no more infinite than our financial ones. Listen to your mother – there’s a lot you can learn!

What did you learn about money and frugality from your mother and grandmother?

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It’s true that many people are looking for ways to add income diversity to their households. This makes sense, now that the current climate has made it clear that relying on a day job for all of your income could prove dangerous to your finances. One of the ways that you can increase your income diversity is to build a dividend portfolio.

Dividend paying stocks provide regular income, since a portion of company profits are paid out to shareholders. This payout is an extra infusion of cash to shareholders, and is based on the number of shares held. The more shares you hold, the higher your payout. It’s true that many dividend payouts are fairly small, and made on a quarterly basis. It’s not uncommon to see a quarterly dividend payout of $0.20 a share. So, if you have 50 shares, you end up with $10 each quarter — or $40 a year. That’s not exactly a large amount of income. However, building an income portfolio dividend stocks isn’t about making one purchase.

Building Your Dividend Income Portfolio

One of the problems with investing is that many people have unrealistic expectations about what their returns. Building an income portfolio is the work of years. It can take seven to 10 years — or more — to build up your income portfolio. It’s about planning ahead. Here are two tips that can help you build up your dividend income portfolio:

1. Consistent investments: Dollar-cost averaging is one of the most effect investing tool for most “regular” folks. Consistently invest in your dividend portfolio, buying shares each month. You can even buy partial shares. Over time, you can build the portfolio up to the point where you have more shares. Over the course of eight or nine years, it is quite possible that you could amass a significant number of shares. And, if the dividends are raised consistently, you could end with a decent payout each quarter.
2. DRIPs: Another option to help boost your ability to build your portfolio is to make use of DRIPs. Many dividend paying stocks offer these plans, which automatically take your payout and use it to buy more shares. It’s basically like receiving shares for free. These are added to your portfolio, helping you build up faster. During the building phase of your dividend income portfolio, DRIPs can be very helpful.

You do need to be careful, though. Remember that there is always the risk of loss when you invest. You could lose your capital. It’s also important to understand that companies can cut dividends when they wish — or stop paying them altogether. However, companies with a strong history of paying dividends are unlikely to cut or eliminate dividends unless something serious happens in the markets, or to the company.

Dividend paying stocks are not a fast way to riches. Additionally, you might not even build up enough to completely replace your income with dividend income. However, it is possible to add a little to your cash flow, and build up to the point where you can receive passive income from dividend paying stocks.

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Flower gardens add to the beauty of your yard, are good for the environment, and are a great way to express your creativity in color, layout and design. Perhaps you already have a garden but want to add to it, or are thinking of starting one for the first time. One way to start a garden is to simply buy plants from a greenhouse, but you will pay extra for it and probably won’t be able to get as many or as large a variety of plants as you would like. There are other ways to plant a garden without spending a large amount just to get started. Take a look at the following tips to creating a beautiful garden at very little or no expense.

Start with seeds. Seeds are much cheaper than grown plants. At about $3, the average seed packet yields roughly 40 plants. Not only are seeds cheaper, growing your plants from seeds will allow you to feel more like a true gardener. Obviously, you need to think ahead and start seedlings inside if you want to plant them outside as soon as the weather breaks. Pick perennials which will come back year after year, and you’ll save more by not having to buy as many new seeds and plants the following year.

Utilize garden clubs, online forums, or neighbors to swap seeds and plants. There are great resources available via garden clubs and websites such as Organic Gardening and the one hosted by the National Gardening Association at garden.org/seedswap. Also consider asking your neighbors if they are willing to split some of their hardy perennials such as hostas or lilies, and share what you can in return. Networking with other gardeners will save you money while helping you meet those who share your interests.

Feed your garden with rainwater and compost. We all know the water bill can get pretty high if you are watering a garden all summer. Consider setting up a rain barrel to conserve resources while saving money on your water bill. Consider composting scraps from your yard and kitchen to be used for mulch. If this isn’t feasible, check with lawn and tree care companies to see if you can get mulch cheaper or even for free.

Don’t overlook marked-down plants at the end of the season.  Some annuals can be revived with a little TLC before being re-planted to inexpensively add some fall color to your flowerbeds.

Most plants are marked down in the late fall as the growing season winds down. But since perennials plants, trees, and bushes will come up again in the spring, buying them cheaper in the fall is a wise investment. Just make sure your plants are healthy-looking and bug-free.

Enjoying your love of gardening or exploring it for the first time doesn’t have to be expensive. With a little hard work, planning, and wise use of the many resources available, you can create a beautiful garden that will bring satisfaction and joy for years to come.

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It’s a smart financial strategy to price-shop for the items we buy everyday like groceries and other staples. Whether we seek out our favorite brands or are less brand-loyal and shop according to sales, the best way to get good pricing is to know where and when to buy the products we need at low prices. If you do switch among brands to optimize your savings, be aware that there are times when what seems to be a bargain isn’t really a bargain after all.

Consider the store’s own brands. Oftentimes these items are great quality offered at a considerably lower cost. Sometimes, although they aren’t as great as a name brand, the difference doesn’t matter to you, because you appreciate the alternative which saves you money. Other times, however, the store brand is noticeably inferior. In that case, you haven’t saved so much as you’ve wasted the purchase price on a product in which you’re disappointed.

I recently had two experiences with store brands – one positive and one negative.

The Good

I purchased a refill bottle of antibacterial hand soap for our bathroom. It was the same distinctive color and – as soon as I smelled it – I knew immediately that it had the identical scent as a popular name brand that is much costlier. While I don’t know that it is the actual name brand in disguise, I’m very pleased with this product and I will specifically look for the store brand again next time I’m in the market for antibacterial hand soap.

The Bad

I had a much different experience when I bought the same store’s house brand taco shells. I didn’t like the look of them from the moment I removed them from the package. They just looked “cheap.” Upon eating them, they were virtually tasteless and seemed smaller and more fragile than other taco shells I’ve tried, regardless of brand. Needless to say, I won’t buy this store’s taco shells again.

Try It and See

There are no hard and fast rules as to when to buy a store brand and when to stick to a name brand. You just have to give them a try to determine that the quality is acceptable and that the price is significantly lower to make it a good purchase. For example, I don’t spring for name brand plastic storage zipper bags. I go through a LOT of storage bags in my house and they really don’t need to be super-duper high quality. They serve their purpose for storing leftovers, then they’re discarded. As long as they seal securely, any brand will fit my needs, so why spend more on the highest quality if I don’t need it?

Be Store Brand Savvy

When purchasing store brands, pay attention to the quantity and price per unit. Make sure you’re comparing the same amount of store brand and name brand or your comparison will be invalid. Don’t assume that because it’s the store brand that it’s automatically the cheapest option. There may be a sale or discount available (like a coupon, quantity discount or rebate) on another brand that would make it worth your while to purchase a name brand.

While some people automatically assume that store brands are of inferior quality, I personally have no problem purchasing them, so long as they meet my needs and provide significant savings. They actually represent a consumer-friendly option in the marketplace that I welcome. When purchasing store brands, just make certain that you really are getting the quality you need at an appropriate price point.

What have been your experiences with store brands?

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One of the best things you can do for your future is to prepare for retirement. However, when you’re self-employed it’s a little more difficult, it seems, to find the means to set aside money for your retirement. Many people even assume that a retirement plan is something you can have only if you work for someone else, and it comes as one of your benefits.

Fortunately, this isn’t true. Anyone can open a tax-advantaged retirement plan. You just have to know what’s available to you as someone who is self-employed.

Tried and True: The IRA

One of the most common tax-advantaged retirement plans used by the self-employed is the Individual Retirement Account (IRA). You can open a traditional IRA or a Roth IRA if you have earned income; it doesn’t matter if you are working for someone else if you want this kind of retirement plan.

However, a “regular” IRA is somewhat limited when it comes to contributions. You have low yearly contribution limits to deal with, and that means that you might not be able to save as much as you want for retirement. For the self-employed, though, there is help. You can open a SIMPLE IRA or a SEP IRA as a business owner. This allows you to set more money aside — up to $50,000 a year. There are special rules, though, so you want to make sure you are careful as you set up and contribute to these types of accounts.

Consider a Solo 401(k)

If you are self-employed, but don’t have any employees (apart from your spouse), you can open a solo 401(k). The big advantage to the Solo 401(k) is that you can make bigger contributions. You can contribute from the employee side and the employer side. And, of course, a 401(k) comes with a higher contribution limit than what you see from an IRA.

You can also get a Solo 401(k) with a Roth option. This is a great thing for those who enjoy the Roth option. You pay taxes now with a Roth option, but you don’t have to pay taxes later when you withdraw. It’s a great deal if you think that you will owe more in taxes during retirement.

Consistently Contribute to a Retirement Plan

No matter what plan you decide to go with, though, the important thing is to contribute consistently. One of the basics of financial literacy is to set aside money for retirement. Even if you are among the growing ranks of the self-employed, this is an important part of securing financial freedom later in life. And you can contribute to a plan.

Make it a point to make regular contributions to your retirement plan if you want to be able to retire in comfort. Don’t forget to plan retirement contributions into your budget as you grow your business. You can save up quite a bit of tax-advantaged money while being self-employed if you take the time to learn about your retirement options and choose a retirement plan that works for you and your business.

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Giving a bouquet of flowers to your mother on Mother’s Day or to your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day is a traditional gesture we all partake in. The unfortunate reality is that holidays are often the only occasion we send flowers as a gesture of love, encouragement, or friendship. One of the reasons is that fresh-cut flowers are just so expensive, and end up in the garbage in a few weeks, anyway. From a financial standpoint, this is a waste of money. Still, giving flowers is a worthwhile gesture which shouldn’t be neglected just because of the expense. The good news is that you can continue to give flowers and still save money by choosing to shop at the supermarket instead of the florist.  Before you write off this alternative as too cheap for your taste, consider this: florist arrangements can cost up to 10 times as much as supermarket flowers.

Most supermarket bouquets cost between $6 and $15, whereas the average cost of floral arrangements varies from $40 to $100. Although there’s no argument that supermarket flowers don’t usually look as nice as florist shop flowers, is the difference worth that much money? It’s your call. If you decide to give supermarket flowers a try, here are some ways to save money without sacrificing quality.

Choose flowers known for their longevity.
One way to make the most of supermarket bouquets is to know your flowers. Even expensive flowers eventually die, and certain flowers are known to die sooner than others. Want a long-lasting bouquet? Choose carnations, which can last up to 10 days. Another hardy choice is alstroemeria, similar in appearance to a tiger lily; gerbera daisies and roses last up to 7 days, and tulips last up to 6 days.

Take proper care depending on the type of flower. Unless you’re a gardener, you’re probably doing good to make sure your flower stems get cut at an angle and put in water. The catch is that if you take a few minutes to learn about flowers’ special needs, a supermarket bouquet can outlast a comparable floral arrangement. For instance:

• Add a drop of bleach to a vase of gerbera daisies to eliminate bacteria.
• Don’t remove stems from roses because they help distribute nutrients to the flower.
• Tulip bulbs benefit more from store-bought bulb feed than the packets they come with.

Find out when the supermarket receives fresh flower deliveries. We’ve all seen the sad 3-day old discount bouquets that no one will buy. Consider inquiring with your supermarket’s manager to find out when the store receives flower deliveries so you can have first pick of the freshest and nicest-looking flowers.

By following these tips, you can end up with a $10 bouquet that looks like it was hand-picked from a florist ship. And by saving money on fresh flowers, you can give them more frequently than just on holidays. After all, it really is the thought that counts.

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You’re tired of throwing out cash at the register. And you don’t know where else you can save even though you want to save money.

Have you checked your cleaning cabinet? If you’re still using commercial cleaners, you’re running up your grocery total for nothing.

You’re a smart, savvy buyer, so why are you buying commercial cleaning products just because that’s what you were raised on?

You already know that homemade cleaners can help preserve Earth, but perhaps you’ve never believed a homemade product could clean as well as a commercial solution.

They can, and do.

Overspending On Cleaners That Aren’t Superior Is Bad Budgeting

Science shows that the ingredients already in your pantry are every bit as effective as the ones in the cleaning aisle at the grocery store, as long as you only make enough to use at the time of cleaning. Leaving the leftovers to sit until it’s time to use them again will reduce their effectiveness because the blended products break down over time.

Buying commercial products is more expensive, but it’s also potentially more dangerous. If you’ve ever been around a pregnant woman, you may know that the doctor prescribes her to stay away from certain cleaning products because the fumes are dangerous.

Why expose yourself and your family to chemicals that might be dangerous to the lungs?

By spending your hard earned money on costly chemicals, you’re putting your budget and health in danger.

Time and Money Aren’t The Issue

Fear of wasting time or effort has stopped you from mixing your own cleaning cocktails. But you don’t have to be afraid of wasting time or getting it wrong anymore.

Arming yourself with recipes that work and how-to’s that make it easy, then organizing your cleaning cabinet to support your new strategy, will help you slash your margin of error to nothing.

You can make saving money at the grocery store as simple as stirring a bucket.

Know What You Need, Then Get the Right Ingredients For the Job

Many people overspend on cleaners because they buy too many.

You don’t need a special cleaner for everything. The cleaner you use to scrub the toilet can be the same cleaner you use for the sink and bathtub. The cleaner you use on the floors can be used on counter tops and cabinets as well. Most households require only one all-purpose cleaner, a window cleaner, and a furniture polish.

These are all fast, easy and inexpensive to make.

Make Your Own Cleaning Cocktails With These Easy, Frugal Recipes

You probably already have most of these products in your pantry. These following five ingredients will help you whip up effective solutions in no time:

• Baking Soda
• Lemon juice
• Vinegar
• Liquid dish soap
• Vegetable or olive oil

Use cleaning bottles you already have on hand, to eliminate the need to buy anything extra. Just be sure to empty and rinse them until no more bubbles appear, then give them time to dry before adding your homemade money saving solutions.

Also, be sure you label each bottle and keep it for its own purpose. No mixing.

Place these recipes on index cards, then post them on the inside of your cleaning cabinet door so you can refer to them later.

Recipes:

Glass Cleaner

• 1 gallon of water
• 1/2 tsp liquid dish soap
• 1/2 c vinegar

Mix them together in a spray bottle, then shake until soap dissolves. Using a lint-free towel, clean your windows, mirrors, and other glass surfaces to a spot-free shine.

All-Purpose Cleaner

•  1/2 tsp baking soda
• 2 c hot water
• a few drops of liquid dish soap

Mix in a spray bottle and shake well to dissolve. Use with a sponge or towel to clean almost in surface in your home.

Furniture Polish

• 1/2 c lemon juice
• 1c vegetable oil

Mix in a bottle and apply to surfaces with a lint-free towel to polish furniture and hardwood floors.

Note: Do not put more oil than necessary as it will ruin the shine of items.

A couple of important notes:

If you experiment with any homemade cleaning recipes, be smart and do your homework. These solutions are made up of chemicals, and you should always take precautions when mixing chemicals.

Precautions to take:

• Do NOT mix chlorine bleach and vinegar.
• Do NOT mix acids (like vinegar and lemon juice) with alkalis (like baking soda and ammonia.)
• Mix in an area of proper ventilation.
• Make only what you can use within a few days.
• Do NOT keep mixed solutions within reach of children.

There you have it:three recipes for cleaning cocktails that will help you stay under-budget without sacrificing a single sparkle of clean.

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Gas prices – EEK! Never mind trying to plan a vacation – how are you going to afford to run your life and get to where you need to go with gasoline nearing $5 per gallon? As a consumer, you’re really at the mercy of the gas pump. Here are some suggestions for squeezing every penny out of your fuel expenses.

Cut overall mileage by planning your errands in groups. Instead of running to the bank on Tuesday, the grocery store on Wednesday and the post office on Friday, combine as many errands as you can into one trip. For example, my bank, stock-up grocery store, pharmacy, pet food store and post office are all within a mile of one another so before I run out to one, I think about what I may need at the others so I can save a trip or two later. Even if we don’t need cat food for a couple weeks, I pick it up while I’m in the neighborhood.

When we’re on the way to visit family or friends, we always consider other destinations that outing, even if only 10-15 miles farther than our immediate vicinity, may take us past so we can take advantage of our proximity. A trip to the hair salon takes us in the opposite direction from some of our usual haunts but closer to others, so we do the same every five weeks when it’s time for haircuts. This strategy saves gas and time because we’re not covering the same distance multiple times.

Give your usual errands and routes careful consideration to discover where you can combine your trips. What places do you pass when you’re picking up or dropping off your children at school, activities or friends’ homes? How about on your way to or from work, place of worship, favorite restaurant or health or social club? Saving a few miles here and there, it won’t take long to make a difference in your overall fuel expense. Just saving the multiple trips out of and back into my neighborhood represents a significant savings for me.

Experience even more savings by supersizing this strategy:

• Shop ahead for occasions - If you really want to plan ahead, you could make a list of upcoming purchases you may need to make at a mall or in a certain area. Consider purchasing upcoming birthday, graduation, wedding, anniversary and housewarming gifts when you’re near your favorite outlet mall. Stock up for wrapping paper and greeting cards while you’re there as well so as to avoid other unnecessary trips.
• Carpool shopping – Team up with some neighbors, nearby friends or family and share one vehicle on a shopping excursion. Even when you chip in for the cost of gas, it will only amount to a fraction of a single shopper’s fuel.
• Designated shopper - If you need a limited number of items from a store, rather than make the trip yourself, ask a friend or neighbor who’s going anyway to pick them up for you. You could also make a more formal plan for one person to shop for a group of people, with each member of the group taking a turn as the – duly compensated – “designated shopper.”

Like most saving strategies, this one is based on smart pre-planning of your time and effort. It’s amazing what you can save by simply not spending where you don’t need to. If you save enough money from prudently-planned travel every day, you may well be able to afford that vacation after all!

How can you save mileage in your everyday life, thereby saving money on fuel?

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One of the rights that you have as a consumer is the right to check your credit report (you can get a free report from each bureau at www.annualcreditreport.com each year), and dispute inaccurate items. However, some people take this to mean that any negative item on a credit card will be removed if it is disputed. Unfortunately, this isn’t true.

Which Items Can Be Removed from Your Report?

It’s important to realize that you do have the right to dispute some items on your credit report. However, the credit bureaus don’t have to remove the items from your report unless they are inaccurate. It’s important to understand this fact. You can dispute negative items, but if they are accurate, the bureau can leave them on your report at then end of an investigation into the issue.

If you do have items that are inaccurate, you can write the credit bureaus and ask that the information be removed or changed to reflect the correct situation. Negative items on your credit report can influence your credit score. In some cases, an error can drop your credit score by 20 points or more. It’s important to realize this, and check your credit report regularly, and remain financially literate about your credit and its impacts.

However, if your credit report shows that you have missed some payments, and you have, in fact, missed some payments, the information won’t be removed, even if you do dispute it. And, if you dispute too many accurate items, you might find yourself in trouble for frivolous disputes. Before you dispute an item, make sure that it is an inaccurate item.

Do You Need Someone’s Help to Dispute?

Many people think that they need someone else to help them dispute inaccurate negative items on their credit reports. However, you don’t actually have to pay someone to dispute items on your credit report. While there are companies that will do this for you, including credit monitoring companies, the fact of the matter is that no one can do for you what you can do for yourself.

You can dispute your own negative items by writing a letter to the credit bureau in question. You can include copies (never originals) of documentation to bolster your case. Anyone has this right. It can take a little bit of time, but it’s not that difficult.

Be wary of credit monitoring services that automatically dispute negative items on your credit report. Many of them don’t worry about whether or not the item is accurate, so you might challenge a number of negative items that can remain your credit report. Many of these services will charge a flat fee per dispute, so if the item isn’t a mistake, you can pay for a useless dispute. If you have the option, make sure that you choose to be notified of negative items, but that you don’t give permission for the service to automatically challenge these items.

In the end, you can challenge items on your credit report. However, it will only be effective if the disputed item is, in fact, inaccurate.

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Family vacations can get expensive quickly, and after saving as much money as possible on transportation, food, and lodging, you might still find that the entertainment and activities you do while on vacation are too much of a drain on your budget. Of course, there are some experiences which are invaluable enough that they’re worth the money spent. But for the rest of the time, cheap but fun entertainment is available if you know where to look. Here are a few ways to fill up your vacation days with fun without emptying your wallet.

Take advantage of free tickets and discounts by participating in a time share presentation. Time share salesmen often give away free and discounted tickets to key tourist attractions and entire vacation packages as a sales strategy. Sure, you will have to sit through a roughly ninety minute sales pitch for vacation real estate you aren’t interested in, but if you can stand the pressure, it’s worth it. Rewards aren’t based on whether you sign the dotted line, only on your participation in the presentation. Don’t feel guilty for taking advantage of these free offers even if you don’t purchase a time share. It’s how these companies do business and promote sales, and you are sacrificing a few hours of your time.

Fill in the gaps with cheap or free entertainment venues. Entertainment doesn’t have to be expensive to be fun. Check local newspapers, websites, tourist booths, and flyers in public locations for interesting and inexpensive events such as free concerts, art shows, competitions, festivals, movies in the park, and more. Libraries, nature centers and museums often host free events specifically designed for children.

Get off the beaten tourist trail and explore for yourself. The main drag of tourist destinations are heavily commercialized and designed to get you to spend money, usually on cheap souvenirs that are probably made in China. Getting away from tourist areas will allow you to avoid the temptation to spend money on stuff you don’t need, and also allow you to see the area the way the locals see it. This can give your vacation a more personal feel and allow you to cater to your unique tastes and interests.

Just relax – it’s what vacation is all about. One of the main reasons we go on vacation is to relax and do nothing, but it seems like we end up filling our schedule so tightly that there’s no time to just relax. Leaving room for some down time in your schedule is a great way to not only feel more rested after your vacation, but to save money. Some of the most relaxing activities are entirely free – a stroll by the beach or park, sunbathing by the pool, or a nap in your hotel room.

When weighing the decision of what to spend your time and money on while vacationing, remember that your memories and experiences are what you will carry away with you for years to come, not how much or little was spent. And making memories is both free and priceless.

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Are you tired of wearing rags with an expensive price tag? I don’t mean monetary price tags, I mean mental ones.

Saving Money Gives The Wrong Impression
Let’s face it, clothes amount to a lot more than an outer layer for our physical selves. They are billboards about how we feel about our inner selves. When people see us wearing whatever we can throw on, they get the idea that we don’t care about us.

A shabby outfit broadcasts that we’re okay putting on whatever we happen to have on hand because we don’t value who we are inside.

But that’s not true. We put on what we can afford because, well, we can…That doesn’t mean we’re happy with it. Give someone the opportunity to by name brand clothing, and more often than not they will – because it feels good to look good.

But are you making the wrong sacrifice?

Don’t sacrifice taste

You don’t have to sacrifice taste for price tags. You want style. You want designer digs. But you don’t want, or can’t, pay the ridiculous prices marked on the label.

So you skip the stores with the beautiful clothes you’d love to wear, and do your shopping in the places with the cheapest prices and worst designs.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

You can have it all

If you know the right places and the right times, you can have the designer clothes you love at prices you can afford. It’s simply a matter of learning the ropes. Once you know how to get them, you’ll never put on old rags again.

Your clothes can tell the world how good you feel about you once more.

Consignment makes it possible

Once shunned and looked down on, consignment is now a hot spot for finding stunning clothes you love to wear. Find consignment shops in your area and hit them often. Shops often sell their clothes for 30-90% off of the original tag! But you must make it a weekly date so you can scoop those items you want most, before other savvy shoppers.

Keep your eyes open for clothes that still have the tags dangling for an added bonus. Clothes sold in consignment stores have often never even been worn. These are your bonus buys. They may cost a bit more, but they’re usually worth it.

If you’re looking for a seasonal piece for an upcoming holiday, a consignment shop is a great place to find barely worn seasonal clothes.

Christmas, Halloween, and Easter pack a BIG punch with consignment shops. You’ll be able to find beautiful pieces to wear for your next holiday function, without spending an arm and a leg for new clothes.

And lastly, if you want to get the best bargains before everyone else, volunteer to help your local consigner and you’ll get repaid with a first sale option! For an hour of your time, you could snag the season’s hottest looks.

What are your tips for getting designer clothes at an affordable price?

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