Frugal living is more than a lifestyle. It’s a passion. Call Me Crazy! I love It!

Why, who wouldn’t love getting paid to buy products that they use everyday?

Here’s how I do it.

I purchase an item that has a rebate offer (either a store or manufacturer rebate) while it is on sale and use a coupon during purchase. That’s it! Using this formula I almost always come out ahead. When all is done, I’ve gotten back more than I actually paid for the item.

Even when I do have to pay for the items like deodorant, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, and toothbrushes it’s about 50 cents for a item that would cost up to $2 -$4 originally.

Am I the only one out there that gets excited about this? I doubt it! At least I hope not. That would make me “Crazy”, wouldn’t it? But a lot of folks just don’t know how to combine money saving measures to maximize savings.

My local drugstore (which by the way is a national chain) often advertises items free after rebate. Hey, that cuts down on a lot of work for me. Easy Money! I e an also lucky enough to have a grocery store in my area that offers rebates and offers double coupons (sometimes even doubling $1 coupons as a special promotion). Needless to say, with six mouths to feed (myself, my husband, and four kids) I’m lovin’ that idea!

As the editor of www.simpledebtfreeliving.com, I’m always looking for new ways to save money. Visit us and follow one of the e-mail links to share your ideas or just let us know how excited you get about frugal living! Let me know I’m not the only one. Then we can put my family’s worries to rest. They think I’m really crazy.

Here are a couple other ways that I save on items we use everyday:

1. Always use items that are reusable rather than throw away

For example: Reusable coffee filters, cups and plates, and my favorite pet peeve -

The great sandwich bag conspiracy

The major manufacturers of sandwich bags would lead us to believe that it takes rocket science to keep a sandwich fresh. Ask yourself this, How long do you need to keep that sandwich fresh anyway? It’s not like it’s going to the moon. It’s just going to the office or school for a few hours.

The most practical way to approach this is to purchase reusable sandwich size containers. This is also very environmentally friendly reducing a great deal of waste. If however, these have trouble finding there way back home ( which is likely if you have children), you can save substantially if you purchase the plain old pleated sandwich bag that cost a mere fraction of the razzle dazzle zipper kind. Your mother used these for years and years with great success. I have used both methods for years and have never received a complaint of a stale sandwich!

You’ll find that doing these little things like, using real cups and plates instead of paper or plastic throw away, and recycling containers for storage or even to use in craft projects, can save a lot of money. Each by itself may seem minor, but when put together amount to tremendous savings over time.

2. Don’t buy it if you won’t use it. Things like small kitchen appliances, repair tools, and gardening tools are good examples. We know they’ll make our life easier if we just had the opportunity to use them.

There are 101+ small countertop kitchen appliances available to chop it, grind it, mix it, open it, bake it, grill it..well you get the message.

Simplify your life and narrow it down to a couple you just can’t live without. For me it’s my blender and my food processor. Although, I’m seriously considering a bread maker. Not quite sure if it’s worth the money yet. Especially when I’m so close to a bread outlet. But, you can’t beat the taste of fresh baked bread. I’m not counting the coffer maker it’s kind of standard equipment these days. I wouldn?t dare ask you to give that up! What am I crazy? Well , maybe..

It’s little things like the example above that identify frugal living.

3. Always get the best value for your money. Shop around. If this is a major purchase you will want to know what to look for. Research and compare products on the internet or in sale flyers. There’s nothing more challenging to the retailer than an informed consumer. That’s what you want to be. An informed consumer knows when it’s a good value! Informed Consumer - More Savings

Cheryl Johnson mother of four helping myself and others become and stay debt free. Publisher of Simple Debt Free Living at http://www.simpledebtfreeliving.com - a self-help plan, ideas, and resources for personal budgeting, debt management, frugal living, and extra income opportunities. Money saving tips help balance your budget and maximize everyday savings.

It is the needs of a family that decide the kind of furniture that would be right for a living room. Homes with children and pets need sturdy and functional furniture that is easy to maintain. The often chosen furniture items to enhance living room décor include couches, loveseats, recliners, coffee tables, entertainment centers, pianos, and other useful or decorative pieces. The living room also features the best pictures and art work in the house as well as other accessories like lamps, decorative lighting and area rugs. 

Many modern furniture pieces are done up in leather or designer fabrics. The use of wood or metal frames ensures durability. Contemporary or modern furniture has a streamlined appearance and features varied color tones with soft textures. Bold geometric shapes in vivid colors are often the hallmark of modern living room furniture. This style is often chosen by the younger generation who like to use décor as a style statement.

A lot of emphasis is placed on lines and shapes in modern living room furniture. Those who appreciate innovative designs and are not very keen on highly ornamental pieces enjoy the look of contemporary furniture.

An entertainment center is the latest fad in modern living room furniture. It often turns out to be the focal point for the living room. Entertainment centers can be purchased for a few hundred dollars and up to thousands of dollars depending on several features. Domestic as well as international manufacturers provide furniture that can house such entertainment centers. These are available in several variants like specialty woods, carved decorations and stained glass inlays.

Other furniture items like sofas, couches, recliners and the like are planned around the entertainment center. End tables within easy reach of the seating are essential, as entertainment goes hand in hand with refreshments.

Mix and match is a distinctive feature of modern living room furniture. Instead of buying a streamlined set, people go in for odd pieces from different places that will go together. Bean bags are a popular seating option that gels easily with a living room furnished with modern furniture. These bags add a trendy look to the living room.

Living Room Furniture provides detailed information on Living Room Furniture, Cheap Living Room Furniture, Discount Living Room Furniture, Contemporary Living Room Furniture and more. Living Room Furniture is affiliated with Upholstered Ottomans.

Have you heard about entertainment credit cards? People consider them to be high-end credit cards because they are exclusive. A person needs to pay a membership fee in order to become a card holder. A perfect credit history is also required in order to qualify for these credit cards. The applicant’s annual income will also be considered and so an applicant may have to prove that he or she can afford to pay back the charges. Entertainment credit cards are also so exclusive because they do not have a credit limit.

However, the card holder has to pay the full balance within 30 to 60 days. Otherwise, an unpaid balance will be reported negatively to the card holder’s credit report and he or she will incur large fees on the account. The car holder’s account will also be cancelled in case of failure to pay the balance in full. Fortunately, large purchases may be given an extension that can be paid out over the course of a few months. Charges that are related to travel are usually allowed a thirty six month grace period. However, the interest rate of entertainment credit cards is rather high and is usually between nineteen and twenty percent.

People also refer to these cards as charge cards. Entertainment credit cards include exclusive credit cards such as, American Express and Diners Club. These cards hold far more buying power than Visa or MasterCard, even if they may not be as widely accepted. A card holder can also enjoy many additional benefits apart from credit with entertainment credit cards. Some cards offer insurance, catalogues, cash advances and other benefits.

People with perfect credit and earn over $100,000 per year have the best chances of getting entertainment credit cards. Credit card companies can trust these people to pay off their balance per the terms and they also have enough money to pay if they should default. Since entertainment credit cards are on the elite group of credit cards, they are difficult to get and cardholders have to keep their accounts in order. They have to remember that credit card companies report quickly to the credit agencies and also send accounts to a collection agency.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning Entertainment Credit Cards, including assistance on how to Apply for Visa Credit Cards. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting getqualitycreditcards.com

:arrow:   For centuries every village and farm would have a pond, they differ from to-days perception of what a pond is. Most people picture a pond as a small area of water in a back garden, a few gold fish and some lilies. This differs from what a pond was like 100 years ago. A pond was an essential part of the community, especially on farms. The water would be used by both animals and humans. When water supply and drainage became available everywhere many ponds were neglected and were either filled in or became overgrown. This article gives information about planning a garden fish pond. With current land shortages and with the effects of pollution the natural environment of pond life is diminishing. To assist nature many people build garden ponds.

This guide can help you with the planning stage. The most vital thing about constructing a pond is planning. I cannot empathise this more. You really do need to sit down with some pen and paper and decide what your finished pond should look like. The location is the most important; hopefully you will have a choice where to build your pond. An ideal pond will require no more than about five hours sunshine a day. If your home does not have shelter from the sun consider buying some plants and bushes to provide some shelter. Locate your pond where it can be seen so that it can become a focal point of your garden.

The size is also very important as it’s normally easier to create and maintain a biological balance in a larger pond. The depth of the water can be increased to help achieve a greater water volume. The size is dependent on how many and what size of fish you intend to stock it with. The depth must also be well below the normal water freezing point. The fish will spend a longer time in the deeper areas during extreme hot and cold spells. During the planning stage, work out the volume of the water and try to construct the pond to your measurements. You will need to know the water volume when adding water treatments.

If you are trying to attract wild life to your pond it will be necessary to construct it at ground level with the surrounding environment so that wildlife like frogs can access your pond and make it their home. You must also consider other animals like hedge hogs and make sure that if they fall in they have the ability to get them selves out. A good pond will have three areas, a shallow marshy area. This is ideal if goes around the whole circumference but this is often not practical for example if you want to create a waterfall. As a guide it is recommended that at least 20% of your pond surface should contain this type of area. The next area should be a shallow area. An ideal way of achieving this is to have a tier in the pond. This will enable you to grow pond plants that require different depths. The final part will be to deeper area, as mentioned this is critical for fish survival in winter months. The shape of your pond is also a consideration. It is thought that fish prefer a rounded shape rather than a square shape, but there is very little evidence to support this theory. The circle or oval shape will be the cheapest shape to make.

For more information on How to build a fish pond please visit http://www.gardenfishpond.co.uk Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Bromhall                                                  http://www.fastlinxs.co.uk/Home_and_Garden1.htm

:arrow:   When starting out as a gardener, there are many many things you don’t as yet know. In fact, quite often you might not even realize what you don’t know, which means they may not be a problem at the beginning. However, as your experience grows and you become anxious to try out new garden styles, various flowers, plants or shrubs, you’ll realize you’re going to have to start learning some gardening basics.

For instance, it’s important to know in which garden zone you live in. In the United States — and most parts of the world — there are garden zones assigned, which makes it a somewhat easier to understand which types of flowers, plants, trees and shrubs grow well in your zone. These zones are separated based on how much heat an area gets, and when the first and last frost of each year take place.

Other factors contribute to the success or failure of growing flowers and other plants, however, including how much natural rain falls, the length of sunlight throughout the day, as well as the types of soils found in the area.

Due to these other factors, garden zones are just a baseline to get you started, but you may discover that some plants you’ve tried to grow may not always act the way you expect them to in your gardening zone. This is due to the differences within the same zone, and will depend on where you live. Each zone stretches across the country from the east to west coasts, with the lower zones being farther north, and the higher zones being south.

The same zone on the east coast is likely going to be slightly different than the desert southwest mainly because of differences in sun strength and the level of humidity. In addition, there can also be substantial differences in the types of soil naturally present in each area. Thus, while all plants are marked for which zones they’ll grow in and how much sun they require, the same plant may perform quite differently in different parts of the country even if it’s the same zone.

Here’s a good general rule: if you can buy a plant or flower at your local garden center, it’s likely to grow with relative success in your area.

It may be best to try and start with small seedling plants and then experiment with them in different locations. You may discover that the your first year planting pansies, for instance, they’ll die quickly because they didn’t appear to like the full sun location where they were planted. The following year, if you try another spot with less strong sunlight for so many hours of the day, they could thrive and grow much better.

Meanwhile, you may discover that Vincas grow and thrive in the hottest places in your yard, no matter how many hours the sun beats down on them.

If you’re interested in finding out which gardening zone you live in, check around on the Internet, or ask at your local garden center or nursery. If you live at the edge of two zones, the good news is that you’ll have many more plant varieties to experiment with in your garden because often you’ll do well with plants that can grow well in both zones.

Glenn Cutforth is a writer, graphic designer and publisher of quality eBooks at Maxx Publishing http://www.MaxxPublishing.com. If you’re interested in getting started with your own Garden, visit his website Lawn and Garden Magic at http://www.LawnandGardenMagic.com, where you’ll find a wealth of information, tips and resources.

:arrow:   Many people invest in rental property with the expectation of having an income every month. However, being a landlord is about more than just collecting money every month. Many new landlords make some common mistakes that may end up costing them money on their real estate investment. By knowing what these mistakes are ahead of time can help you avoid making them.

The first mistake that many real estate investors make when they purchase rental property and become landlords is that they do not become knowledgeable of landlord tenant law in their specific area. Three of the biggest problems in this area are late fees, tenants rights to privacy, and evictions. Some landlords may charge excessive late fees, and courts generally take a dim view of late fees that they consider too high. A landlord may charge a late fee, but they must show where the damages are from to validate the amount of the fee if it is steep. Another common legal mistake new landlords make is violating the rights of their tenants. Normally forty eight hour advance notice is required for a landlord to come into an occupied rental unit, whether the reason for the visit is for repairs, maintenance, or to show prospective tenants the rental unit. If a landlord violates this by repeatedly showing up without notice then a tenant may get money damages for the violations.

A big mistake that new landlords make is that they do not maintain and improve their rental property. By keeping the maintenance up on your rental units the value of your investment does not decline. By improving your investment property, you increase the amount that tenants will pay to rent your units. As the landlord you can charge higher rates and get better tenants if your units are clean, nicely done, and well kept. Even a simple spring cleaning, minor repairs, and cosmetic work between tenants will improve the class of people who want to rent your unit.

A very common mistake that new rental real estate investors make is that they do not treat their investment property like it is a business. You invested money to make money, not to lose it or give it away. It is important to remember that you are not a charity, and that tenants need to live up to their side of the contract. If doing business with a person cost you money instead of made you money, you probably would stop doing business with that person. If a tenant is repeatedly late with the rent, they are costing your business money and it is best to cut your losses and find a new tenant who will pay their rent on time.

To maximize your real estate investment income it is important to remember these tips. Know the laws in your areas concerning the rights of landlords and tenants, charge reasonable fees that are not excessive, and value the privacy rights of your tenant. It is also a good investment strategy to maintain and improve your investment property to keep or increase the value of your investment. Remember that your investments are a business, and keep this in mind when you are dealing with your tenants.

Joel Teo writes on various financial topics including Las Vegas Real Estate . Learn about Las Vegas Real Estate Investment at http://www.RealEstateInvestment101.info

:arrow:     It is very important to realize when you are considering a bonsai garden exactly what style garden you want. Not all gardens are created equal, and some are easier to maintain than others are. This means that if you are a bonsai gardening novice you would be best suited towards a simpler style of garden to begin with instead of tackling the most advanced forms. Once you have mastered the basics you can certainly feel free to jump into the advanced forms of gardening and you will have the knowledge and confidence you need in order to have a beautiful garden.

While the professionals at Bonsai Boy can help, you select the right plants that will match the style garden you select. The first style is the Chokkan; this style is considered the best for beginners because it is one of the easiest and simplest to learn. The trees in this style are typically upright and straight. If you are looking for a tree for this style look for something with a straight trunk and a balanced branch structure. Typically, the plants from this style are planted in rectangular shaped pots, which accent the shape.

Next is the Moyogi, this form is a bit more advanced style. The top of the trunk leans forward slightly instead of growing straight up. Young plants tend to be much easier to locate in this form because they are more flexible. This style also looks great in an oval or even rectangular planter that helps to accentuate the style of the plant.

Shakkan is next with a trunk that slants more than the Chokkan or Moyogi styles. This tends to be considered an intermediate style of bonsai garden and the plants are typically planted in round or square planters so that the tree bends out over the planter.

Kengais the next, it is one of the more advanced styles available. This style tends to be very difficult because of the sloping style of the plant that is required. For this style to be best used it is helpful if a round or hexagonal planter is used that is higher than it is wide to help the plant cascade in the proper direction better.

Han-kengai is next. This requires the trunk to grow straight before cascading downward on a slight angle. The angle is very slight and not dramatic at all compared to many of the other styles. The shape of the pot is usually a round or hexagonal pot same as with cascading plants, however they planter does not need to be as high in order to achieve the same effect.

Funkinagashi is a style that simulates extreme exposures. The branches tend to be empty and blank which represents the loss of greenery when extreme weather conditions occur. Lastly is the Bunjingi style, this style has several shapes but is often called the strangest form of bonsai gardening. The shapes are typically unnatural and strange, which is meant to symbolize trees surviving in nature under awful conditions.

Chris Wight has been developing a green thumb for years and has recently fallen in love with the art of Bonsai. To learn more about Bonsai Gardening, please visit his site: http://www.BonsaiBoyDeals.com                            http://www.fastlinxs.co.uk/Home_and_Garden1.htm