The Budget Smart Girl's blog, The Budget Smart Girl's Guide to the Universe and The Budget Smart Cook (formerly Eating Well on a Budget) can now be viewed at the new Budget Smart Girl site at http://budgetsmartgirl.com/

The days are getting longer…that usually means I start thinking about all the things that need doing around the house.

I’ve had paint sitting in the basement for close to two years now. I had every intention of painting the entryway, but got too sidetracked with projects in the yard. It’s on my to do list and I’ve told myself once it gets warm enough to crank open a few windows, I’m painting those walls.

Another project I’d love to tackle, but not sure if it’s in the budget right now, is the entryway and kitchen floors. Right now both floors are covered in black marble vinyl tiles that were installed by the previous owners. They were okay at first, but now I’m ready for a change. I’d really like to switch to wood flooring, but hate to think how much it would cost for someone to install it. However, I think it’s a project that’s definitely meant to be. Today I opened up my e-mail and I'd received a newsletter containing an article about best places to buy wood flooring on a budget and how easy it is to install yourself. Do you think someone’s trying to tell me something?

All this has got me thinking about things we need to do around the house to keep it looking good and in tip top shape. An hour of your time, and say $100, fixing something now, can offset having to hire outside help and a lot more money later. So as the days start getting longer, check around your house and see what needs fixing or what needs updating. Anything that adds value to your biggest investment is never wasted money.

For the last month I’ve been planning meals two weeks at a time. I’ve been writing down what I plan to cook on each day and then making my grocery list from that plan. I’ve also switched to biweekly shopping and have to say I think I’ve saved money. I’ve also been less stressed about ‘what’s for dinner’. And I’ve also cut down on the amount of food that’s wasted. By making two recipes that use the same ingredients at the same time, nothing goes to waste any more. For example, half a can of refried beans or half container of ricotta cheese doesn’t sit in the fridge until no one can identify it. Give it a try and I think you’ll be pleased with the results.


Check out the Budget Smart Girl’s site at http://budgetsmartgirl.com

Pantyhose that don’t run! I’ve been looking for those for years. And now it seems someone’s finally discovered how to make them. I saw them in the Carol Wright Gifts catalog. They’re called the Guaranteed Not to Run, Non-Run Hosiery. 3 pairs for $8.99. At around $2.98 a pair, that’s cheaper than the ones at the store. Yes, the ones that do run and get holes in them and the ones I seem to keep buying over and over again. I’m definitely going to give these Non-Run pantyhose a try. I’ll let you know my findings on the Budget Smart Girl Web site.

And speaking of another item that claims to last forever, there’s the Infinity Razor and the Lady Infinity. It’s got a lifetime replacement guarantee. The ad says it’s the last razor you’ll ever need to buy, plus, no more refills to buy. I’ve seen it in lots of catalog for $19.95, but I recently received a new catalog from The Lakeside Collection, and they’re selling both the men’s and women’s versions for just $6.95. At that price, put that on my list of things to test drive too.

It seems to be the season for catalogs. This week the first flower and seed catalog of the season arrived in my mailbox. It was from Gurney’s. They’re offering $25 worth of gardening products when you spend $25. As I’m thinking of planting a vegetable garden this year, I might take them up on their offer.

Recently I’ve been hearing no end of stories about people who have bought items like hard drives and digital cameras from big name electronic stores. The shopper gets home, opens up the box to find the item’s been replaced with a can of soup or a bag of beans. They return to the store but can’t get anyone to believe their story, so they end up with no money and no product.
I can see both sides of this tale. Yes, they’re probably lots of dishonest people who get home and switch their purchase for a can of soup, head back to the store for a refund etc. But on the other hand, if you’re honest and this really happens to you, what an expensive can of soup or beans. I’d say there’s a couple of ways you can protect yourself. One, if you can, open up the package before you buy it, just to make sure you’re getting exactly what you hoped for. Or failing that open it straight after you buy it, don’t wait till you get home. And if this has happened to you and you can’t get a refund or exchange, one organization you might want to contact is the Better Business Bureau. Depending on your situation, they might intervene on your behalf. Failing that you might want to try your state’s Attorney General’s office.


Check out the Budget Smart Girl’s site at http://budgetsmartgirl.com

I received a free one-week membership to a new yoga studio that just opened close to where I live. While I’ve given yoga a couple of attempts, I’ve failed miserably each time. I really would like to pursue it again. And while this trial membership is very tempting… heated studio, a way for me to unwind, maybe do a little networking while I’m there, I have one major problem. I don’t think my body is designed for the majority of yoga poses. A couple of times I thought, go on try this new studio, it’s free, if you don’t like it, you’ve wasted no money. Well, my way of thinking is if I do some yoga at home and get myself into a position I can’t get out of, only my family, and oh, yes, the cat, knows about it. However, out in public, that’s another story. What if the paramedics have to come and get me? Sometimes free is tempting, but possible public humiliation takes away the edge of getting something for nothing…even to a Budget Smart Girl.

Loud bangs inside the house aren’t a good thing. Usually it means something’s gone wrong and hence it’s going to take some money to fix.
That’s exactly what happened Friday morning while I was putting the breakfast dishes into the dishwasher. I opened the door, was about to put the first dish inside, when out of nowhere, bang. I couldn’t figure out what had happened, but when I closed the dishwasher door, it had mysteriously got a lot heavier. I guessed straight away spring in the door had broken and hence the loud bang. Usually my first thought is one of horror. Service call usually $100, parts and labor usually a frightening price. But then I remembered we have the dishwasher covered under a service plan we signed up for with the electricity company. We pay $12.95 per month for four appliances and this covers everything, service call, parts and labor, and even $350 towards a new appliance should they be unable to fix the old one. I made a call and within the hour, a service technician asked the model number and told me they should be able to install a new part either Monday or Tuesday.
If you’ve ever thought about one of these service plans and hesitated, invest in one. Our service plans costs $155.40 per year, and I’m sure the service call, parts and labor for the dishwasher will equal or be more than that amount. And although our dishwasher is in its senior years, it works perfectly and will probably be good for another three or four years.

If you think it’s only humans that suffer from downturns in the economy and housing market, it’s not. I read a really sad article on Yahoo. It said because of all the house foreclosures, many people are just abandoning their homes and leaving their pets behind. I can’t imagine how heartbreaking this must be. And how sad for these animals to be left all alone and then placed in an animal shelter. I just hope they all find wonderful new homes and families.


Check out the Budget Smart Girl’s site at http://budgetsmartgirl.com

A short blog this week because I’m working on a couple of projects that are keeping me extra busy. Being busy did get me thinking about how we sometimes fall prey to paying more money than we should when we’re run off our feet. For example, not having enough time to plan and cook dinner. Yes, we go for the convenience food or head to the nearest restaurant. I’ve done my best to avoid that, but it’s not always easy. I’ve been relying on foods in the freezer and pantry. Yesterday it was cheese pizza topped with leftover chili. And if you’re wondering how my cook once, eat for a month project is going…I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I’ve been too busy to plan all the meals and can’t seem to spare a day to do all that cooking. One thing I’m going to rely on this week is the slow cooker and hope that gets me through this busy time.

I sold my first novel last week. No word yet of a publication date, but I’ll keep you posted. Hey, you know what a shameless self-promoter I am.

And speaking of which, The Budget Smart Girl’s Guide to the Universe and Eating Well on a Budget will no longer be published on the Garden and Hearth site. Both will posted on my new Web site, here’s the link http://budgetsmartgirl.com/. Two articles are already on the site if you want to check them out. I didn’t plan to launch it until next month, so it’s in its early stages, and I hope you’ll bear with me while I get more content loaded onto the site.

The first of my ‘free gifts’ arrived the other day. My year’s subscription to Redbook magazine for purchasing $20 worth of products at E.L.F. It’s always nice to get something you haven’t had to pay for. And if you’re interested, they’re now offering a year’s subscription to Working Mother magazine with a $20 purchase.

While I’ve had some free time I’ve been working on content for the new Budget Smart Girl Web site. I’ve decided to include a ‘what I’m test driving’ section. Products that promise to either save time or money. I’ll try something out, see if it’s really worth the money, and does what it says, and report back to Web site visitors.

As an avid gardener and cook, one thing I’m tempted to buy is an AeroGarden. You can grow things like tomatoes, herbs, even start flower seeds, in it, and best of all it’s small enough to fit on a countertop. As I love eating salads for lunch, I thought this will probably pay for itself over time. And it’s a way for me to do some year round gardening. Check it out at www.officialareogarden.com

And speaking of vegetable gardens, I’m really thinking about starting one in the back yard this year. The only thing I’m not looking forward to is the digging, but I think I may have come up with a solution. When we moved into our house the previous owners had two ponds, one was a preformed one. We took it out of the ground and it’s just been sitting around. I’m thinking of using that as my garden, no digging, and as it’s off the ground, not so much back aching work when it comes time to planting and weeding. Now I’m going to start looking through seed catalogs.

We used to get the Sunday newspaper, but then decided not to renew our subscription because the paper seemed to have more ads than editorial content. I did write cancel on the new bill and even called their office, but the paper kept arriving every Sunday morning for the next six weeks Finally they stopped, but then we started getting letters from a collection agency, saying the newspaper had handed over our account to them because we owed them for six week’s subscription. I got that all sorted out and last week I received not one, but two offers to start receiving the paper again, 52 weeks for just $26. The one thing I do miss about the paper is the coupons. I figure at 50 cents a week if I use just one 50 cent coupon at the supermarket, the subscription has paid for itself. However, on the other hand it’s not my favorite paper, and should we decide not to extend our subscription beyond the 52 weeks, I’d hate to go through all the hassle again.

For money saving tips visit www.gardenandhearth.com/Bargain-Shopping.htm and www.gardenandhearth.com/EatingWellonaBudget.htm

My philosophy is if you’re going to buy something make sure you get maximum return and there are three ways you can do that-

One-use a coupon to get a discount on the product.
Two-get a rebate or refund on all or most of the cost of the product
Three-get something in return for buying the product.

This week I used all three methods to make the most of my buys.
I sent in four yogurt tops to Stonyfield Farms and I’ll be receiving a year’s free subscription to Organic Gardening.

I sent a copy of my cash register when I bought two tubs of Fleischmann’s olive oil spread and will be receiving a full refund on the purchase price.

While I was shopping at my local co-op I used a $5 off coupon and a coupon for a free loaf of French bread that I used to make garlic cheese bread.

And remember the survey I mentioned about the Morningstar Farm teriyaki burgers? I figured out the password they wanted was actually the serial number. I took the survey and will be receiving a $10 debit card.

I also bought a package of Synders of Hanovers tortilla chips and you can go to one of these sites, www.eatsmartsnacks.com or www.syndersofhanover.com and register to win a total gym, and there’s also a fitness journal you can download for free.

The couch in our family room has been starting to sag in certain spots. It’s ten years old and while it still looks good, you can definitely tell everyone’s favorite spot to sit. I was thinking about getting some of the boards you can buy to put underneath chairs and couches to extend their life. However, while I was looking at the photos of the product, they just seemed to be cardboard with plastic covering. So when I was folding up boxes some of the Christmas gifts came in, I got a great idea and I thought, how about giving this stuff a try first. I cut the cardboard to the exact size of the couch and slipped it under the cushions. You can’t see it, it works like a charm, and I saved $20, plus the cardboard was just heading to the recycling bin anyway.

For money saving tips visit www.gardenandhearth.com/Bargain-Shopping.htm and www.gardenandhearth.com/EatingWellonaBudget.htm