10 tips for saving grocery money

1. Match your coupons with items already on sale: This can seem like you're doubling your savings! Cans of kidney beans on sale this week? Use that coupon to save even more.
2. Shop at more than one store: This will cost you a little in gas, unless you can walk or ride a bike, but the savings are likely worth it. Go not only to different stores, but to different store brands altogether. Went to Kroger yesterday? Today check out that Fresh Market. What's on sale will vary from store to store each week. Maybe one place has Pepsi on sale, but another store will have Coke on sale.
3. Buy a newspaper: At least while newspapers are still around. The couple of bucks you plop down for that Sunday paper can almost always be recouped through the many coupons found inside. And in most towns, the grocery store circulars (those weekly 4 to 6 page pullout sections showing what a store has for sale) usually run in most daily papers on Wednesday or Thursday.
4. Buy fruits and vegetables when in season: They'll be cheaper then, and you can freeze the fruits and vegetables to use later.
5. Try to stay away from prepackaged foods: I'm especially talking about those already prepared meal-in-a box thingies. You know what I'm talking about. Those boxes that come with crackers and ham slices and cheese and maybe a pudding. And those frozen dinners that include a meat and maybe corn, mashed potatoes and a roll or dessert if you're lucky. Not only are those meals not healthy for you, but they cost a bunch of money. Yes, they're convenient, but we're trying to save money here.
6. Drink water: It's cheap at home and readily available from the tap. If you don't quite trust drinking water from the tap, get a Brita filter or something similar. Yes, you do have to pay for water used at home, but it's much, much, much cheaper than those soft drinks and juices and milks from the store.
7. Buy the store brands: Some of you will complain the quality isn't as good. You're letting the label fool you. Yes, the quality of store-brand items might not be top-of-the-line, four-star material, but it's still as good as many of the name brand products. In fact, often it is the very same item as a name brand product, the store has just been allowed or paid to put their label on the package. Stores are willing to do this because enough people will search out the cheaper deals to make it worth the stores' while.
8. Save those expired coupons: Yes, the expired coupons. But this one only works in some areas. Some stores will accept expired coupons, or they'll have a special day or week every so often where they'll take expired coupons. Some Cub Foods will do this.
9. Look for coupons online: For some reason, plenty of people seem to forget this one. There are tons and tons of free coupons available on the Internet. Sometimes you have to go to a particular companies Web site and sign up with them to receive a coupon or coupons, but there are other, general Web sites that offer all kinds of coupons. My favorite is coupons.com.
10. Be flexible: You're in mood for fish this week, but the turkey burgers are on sale? Buy the turkey burgers. You're going to have to sacrifice if you truly want to save money. Hankering for cheddar cheese, but have a coupon for American? Buy the American; the cheddar will be on sale eventually and you can get it then, or better yet, you've already got cheddar at home because you bought it last week when it was on sale.

10 Ways to save money on air conditioning

1. Watch placement of your appliances: Electric appliances put off heat. Sometimes it's not much heat, but sometimes it is. Even televisions put off a certain amount of heat. So don't place any appliances near your thermostat. This fools the thermostat into thinking it's actually warmer than it really is, and then the thermostat will kick on more often.
2. Keep out the sun: Whether you've got blinds or heavy drapes or some other kind of window covering, keep them closed so the sunlight doesn't allow in more light and heat. Adding awnings outside above your windows can help even more to keep out sunlight.
3. Paint your house with light colors: Darker colors hold in more heat. Light colors hold in less heat. It's that simple. Paint your house using lighter colored paints. This will help to cool your house.
4. Cook outdoors: This one isn't feasible for everyone, but for those with outdoor grills, this could help keep down your air conditioning costs. How? Because cooking and baking creates quite a bit of heat, and that heat will linger a while when the cooking is done indoors. Remember that if you have central air, not only is your unit pumping in cool air, but it's also pumping out warm air. Thus, the less warm air there is, the less work your central air unit has to do.
5. Don't block those vents: The cool from your air conditioner can't circulate if the vents are covered or obstructed by drapes or curtains or furniture. Keep anything from covering those vents, allowing the air conditioner to do a better job at cooling. This would allow your place to cool better and faster, instead of tying up the thermostat which will keep reading a warmer temperature even though the air conditioner is running.
6. Make sure your attic is ventilated: The sun beats down a lot of heat onto rooftops, and that heat will linger at the top of your house unless there's a way for it to dissipate. The best way is through attic ventilation. Most houses will have some kind of vents for the attic, but some old houses do not. If your house doesn't have ventilation, talk to a contractor about correcting this situation, or if you're one of those do-it-yourself persons then look into it yourself. Also, make sure not to block any of your vents from the inside or the heat will have a harder time getting out.
7. Turn up the temperature: This is the easiest way to save a little air conditioning money. Turn that thermostat up. Even just a couple of degrees can save money, but the higher you turn it up, the more money you will save. Just don't let your place get too warm because that can be unhealthy and downright dangerous in extreme warm weather.
8. Inspect those coils: Central air units will have an indoor coil and an outdoor coil. You need to keep those coils clean for the air conditioner to work to its best potential. If you don't know what the coils look like, check your owner's manual or call the company's help line. Dust tends to gather on the indoor coil, and sometimes dirt or dust can build on the outdoor coil.
9. Watch those seals: If you have a window air unit, one of the most common ways to lose cool air is for the seal between the unit and the window to have a hole or not be tight. Check those seals frequently, at least once a week. Sometimes you'll have to replace a seal altogether, put other times you can close up a small hole with a piece of duct tape.
10. Don't forget the fans: Ceiling fans. Floor fans. Handheld fans. Doesn't matter. They're all cheaper on the electric bill than an air conditioner. A fan can't bring in cool air like an air conditioner, but fans do help to circulate what cool air there is. Also, fans can feel pretty good when they blow on you on a hot day!

10 ways to save money on electricity

1. Unplug anything that glows: There are a lot of electrical items around most homes that have small LCD lights that continue to glow even once the item has been turned off. Believe it or not, those little lights to use up energy, which adds to your electric bill. Sure, it's not going to be much of a savings, but it all adds up. Common items that have those little lights are DVD players, television, cell phone chargers, battery chargers, printers, flatbed scanners and more.
2. Audit your energy usage: The nonprofit group Residential Energy Services network can help you find a professional auditor, but that can get expensive. Contact your local electric company and they might be able to send out an auditor for free or for really cheap. An auditor generally will come out to your home for several hours during one day and will do a study on the electrical usage of your home or property. Then the auditor can offer suggestions on how you can curb your electrical use, and you too can look over the audit to see where you can cut back.
3. Only wash full loads of dishes and clothes: When you run your dish washer or washing machine, they use up a good amount of electricity, as well as water. So don't run those machines until they are jammed full. If your dish washer is only half full, don't use it yet. The same goes for your washing machine and clothes dryer. If these machines aren't full, then you're wasting electricity and money.
4. Take shorter showers: Huh? How does this save on the electric bill? Simple. Shorter showers mean you are using less hot water, and hot water is heated by a water heater. Get it? Water heaters use electricity.
5. Close air vents: If you have rooms in your home that are not used, perhaps a spare bedroom or room over the garage, shut the air conditioning and heating vents to those rooms. This will cut down on your air conditioning usage and thus save you money on electricity.
6. Turn down your air conditioner or heater: For comfort reasons, this is best done when no one is at home for lengthy periods, such as when everyone in the home is gone to work or school. This helps to save in another way, too. During the summer it's hottest during the day, which causes air conditioners to work all that much harder.
7. Use that toaster oven: If you have a toaster oven in your kitchen, make sure to use it for small meals. Obviously a toaster oven isn't appropriate for large meals, but it does use less energy than a regular oven and is perfect for warming up sandwiches, prepares small foods, etc.
8. Don't put hot food in the fridge: This might seem silly, but keep in mind it's the little things that add up to bigger savings. When you place hot foods in the refrigerator, it causes the refrigerator to work harder at remaining cool inside, which means more electrical usage. Allow hot foods to cool down to room temperature before putting them away in the fridge.
9. Buy a self-cleaning oven: But hopefully you've already got one. How does a self-cleaning oven save on the electric bill? Self-cleaning ovens have more insulation than regular ovens, which means they put out less heat into the house. Less heat in the house means the air conditioning isn't working as hard. Which means you're saving a little money.
10. Use ceiling fans: Yes, ceiling fans are run on electricity, but they generally use less electric than an air conditioning unit. You don't necessarily have to shut off your air conditioner, but you can turn it down a little and use it in conjunction with the ceiling fans.

Live in a mansion for a only hundreds of dollars a month

It's a tough economy out there right now, especially for the real estate market. Across the nation there are thousands upon thousands of homes sitting empty, and many of them have been and will continued to sit empty for a good long time. Some of those homes are very nice, in good neighborhoods.

So why should those places sit empty if you need a place to live?

No, I'm not talking about squatting. That's illegal and can get you arrested.

What I am talking about his home tending.

How it works: The basics

The way home tending generally works is you agree to live in the home and pay a basic, cheap rent. How much? You'll have to work that out with the person renting the house to you, but I've personally paid rents of only $600 a month for a $700,000 house.

Who is it that rents the house to you? That will vary. There are home tending associations or businesses in some places, and they will often work with you to find a house. In other areas, sometimes you can hook up with a real estate agent or even a bank that has lots of empty houses for sale.

Personally, I have checked lists of homes that are nearing foreclosure, and I've then contacted the home owners themselves. Most times, when people get a letter from the bank saying they are being foreclosed upon, the people pack everything up and flee. But foreclosure doesn't work that quickly. It usually takes anywhere from two to six months, sometimes longer, before a foreclosure is completed, meaning it's auctioned off (usually at a county court house, but sometimes elsewhere). That's two to six months, sometimes longer, a house is sitting empty with no one living in it.

Generally, you will not sign a long-term rental agreement with a home owner or with a home tending company, or with a bank. What you will need is a lease agreement, one that stipulates the amount of money you will pay, how often it will be paid, and the amount of time you will be given before you will have to vacate the property once it has been sold or auctioned off.

Why would anyone rent you a house for cheap?

When I've contacted the home owners, usually they are thrilled to have someone living in the house and renting from them. To them, it's free money. They've left the house, they are waiting for the hammer to fall, and usually they need the money.

Again, there are multiple ways home tending can be worked out. If you live in an area that has a home tending organization, check with them first.

Also, real estate agents and banks want to be able to sell a house, whether or not it's being foreclosed upon. Houses that are taken care of, and houses that have someone living in them, tend to sell better on the market and look more appealing to potential buyers.

What's expected of you

For one, you need to take care of the house, including mowing the yard, keeping the place clean, doing minor repairs, etc.

Why?

Because the place has to look good, more than just presentable, to potential buyers.

The downsides

Some might consider home tending taking advantage of those who are having their home foreclosed upon. You're not, not really. You are actually doing them a favor. You need a cheap place to live, they need money. Why not use this property to satisfy both of your temporary needs?

Of course, there are many downsides to home tending.

First off, you have to be able to move at a very short notice, sometimes a week or less. Sometimes you might know that moving time is coming, but often times you will not. If you keep up with foreclosure dates and the like, and if you happen to work in real estate, is pretty easy to know when you would have to leave a house in which you're home tending. But if you don't follow such things, you might just get a phone call from a real estate person or a bank representative saying, "Hey, the house is being sold this weekend!" That means you've got to move.

Also, don't expect to stay in the house for very long. I've home tended several times now with my wife; one house we were in for only five weeks, yet another house we lived in for 9 months.

If any major repairs are needed done, you are out of luck. There is no landlord to pay for big fixes. So, you either fix it yourself, which could cost lots of money, or you move sooner than expected or try to live around whatever major catastrophe has happened, be it a dead water heater, a flooded basement, a tree through the roof, whatever.

Moving often brings its own challenges. You'll have to change your mailing address often. You'll have to change your driver's license often, and anywhere else it's important for your address to be listed correctly, such as at work, with your bank, credit card companies, etc.

If you have school-age children, home tending is not likely for you because it would be more than a chore to have to make your child change schools often, unless you happen to be able to do all your home tending in one school district.

In closing

Home tending has some pluses, but it also brings with it a share of negatives. For a couple without children, and who possibly have jobs that allow them to work from home, home tending can not only help with cheap rent, but it can also be quite adventurous by allowing you to live in different homes, some you possibly would never be able to afford normally.

Just don't forget the downsides. And again, I'll suggest that if you are interested in home tending, check with any local home tending services in your area before trying to do this on your own. Even if there's not such a service in your area, perhaps you should contact a home tending firm in another area and ask them how you could get started. At the least, check out a few websites to learn more.

Also, keep in mind that any home tending companies, banks or real estate businesses you do business with will likely want to do a background check on you, perhaps even have you bonded.

Some home tending links

Home tending solutions

Designer home tending

What is a short sale in real estate?

10 ways to conserve water

1. Foods: Use a pan for washing fruits and vegetables. This will save you from running the tap water as much.
2. Hosing: Don't use the hose to clean off your sidewalks and driveway. A broom will work just as good and it won't take any longer nor much more work.
3. Teeth time: When brushing your teeth, turn off the water while actually brushing. You also could use a cup to hold any water you might need for after brushing.
4. Car washing: If your lawn needs watering and your car needs washing, park on the grass during the washing. The soap isn't harmful to the grass, and you get two tasks done at the same time.
5. Car washing #2: Turn off the water while you are soaping your automobile. To make it even easier, use one of those nozzles that allows you to turn the water off at the end of the hose.
6. Eating: Save the water you use for boiling vegetables to make into a soup. If you're not planning to have soup any time soon, freeze the water in a freezer bag and mark it with a label so you'll know what kind of vegetables were boiled in the water.
7. Sprinkler: Don't water the house and sidewalk and parked car. When using the sprinkler, move it so it is only hitting grass or other plants that need the water.
8. Watch those bills: Water bills, that is. If you have an unusually high use of water one month, the water bill will let you know. Maybe there's a leak somewhere? Go looking for it. Or contact the water company and/or a plumber if the high water bills continue and you can't figure out why.
9. Drums and barrels: Use a water drum or barrel to collect rain water as it pours or trickles off your roof. You can use this water for your plants and yard. Water barrels or drums can often be found for sale at container stores or dry feed stores.
10. The kids: If you have children, make sure to teach them the responsibilities of turning off faucets when they are finished using them.