Here's a little tip for all of you folks making guacamole for Super Bowl Sunday.

In order to keep your guacamole from turning brown, place an avocado pit into the dip until you are ready to serve it. The pit tricks the avocado into thinking it's still whole and slows down the browning process.

You can use a little lemon or lime juice to delay browning, too... but the avocado pit is free with your avocado purchase!

If you have a Caribou Coffee gift card, be sure to register it online between January 28 and February 24 to get a $4 credit added to your account. If you don't have a Caribou gift card, you could go buy one and then register it and still get the $4 credit.

Go to this website http://www.cariboucoffee.com/promo/4bucksfree.asp to register your card. According to the terms, you can only register one card per name and e-mail address. The credit will get posted to your card within 8 days.

I'm not a coffee drinker, but my husband is. I am a fan of hot chocolate and smoothies, though. We got some Caribou gift cards from friends when the twins were born so that we could use them on "date nights." I never got around to registering them. And now I'm glad I waited!

It's a good idea to sign up for their mailing list, too. They send you a lot of coupons, including one for a free drink of your choice on your birthday.

Last night my husband and I had a date. We went out to dinner and then went to the KAXE annual meeting.

It was a good time. I especially liked that my name tag labeled me as the Northern Cheapskate. It's a label I'm still getting used to wearing, and it felt good.

I've said it before... KAXE is a GREAT radio station (and not just because they give me and my husband a lot of air time!). Last night was further proof of what a great organization they are.... I'm only on the air a couple of minutes a week, but everyone there makes you feel like you are an integral part of the operation. I've never been so appreciated as a volunteer before.

Oh, and I got an awesome free tote bag. Way cool. It's huge.

But anyway.... of course, a night out sans kids also means a chance for me to run a few errands sans kids, so I made my husband go to Target. I was able to stack some manufacturer coupons on top of Target coupons on top of some clearance items, so I was able to stock up on a few things. I got 10 boxes of 3-in-1 Electrasol dishwasher tablets (20 count) for 64 cents each (normally $2.89 a box). I got a 24 count bottle of extra strength Tylenol for 49 cents and a bottle of children's Tylenol for $2.99 (normally $5.50). I also found boxes of size 6 diapers (Huggies and Pampers) on clearance and was able to get them for 18 cents a diaper. (Normally they run about 30 cents a diaper for that size).

So, I had a great shopping trip, and a great evening with my husband!

Living frugally also means living a simple life. So I've done a little housekeeping here. With the help of my husband, Northern Cheapskate now has its very own domain. You can still reach me through the blogspot address, but the new, easier-to-find website is www.northerncheapskate.com.

The easier you make things, the easier it is to remember, right?

My dear frugal friend Michelle sent me some great information on how to save on anti-virus software for your computer.... unfortunately for me, I renewed my Norton about a month and half ago. But I thought it would be good to share this information with all of you.

Here's what Michelle writes:

"I bought a new computer three years ago and got a great deal on it (still have the computer, still love it). Like most computers, it came with a 90-day free trial of an anti-virus software product. When the 90 days were up, you had to purchase a subscription to the product (at a cost of about $40 for one license for one year). I'd renewed the subscription twice since then and it recently expired. (Side note: you have to be careful with products like Norton & McAfee. When you buy a subscription, it will automatically renew itself when the license expires, unless you specifically tell them you don't want automatic renewal. Another reason it always pays to check your credit card statements.)

I'm no longer paying for anti-virus software AND I'm actually happier than I was before when I was shelling out $40 or more a year for protection. Why? AVG Anti-Virus software. They have a free edition available on their website and I'm much happier with it than I ever was with Norton (or McAfee). My computer runs faster (you wouldn't believe how much working memory Norton and McAfee use--it's unbelievable) and there are DAILY updates with AVG as opposed to the twice or thrice weekly updates with other products.

As for the lack of technical support, I think there's a workaround in that you can look at online support for the product even without purchasing an "upscale" version of it (that's what I'm calling the versions that aren't free). And if the answer you need isn't found there, you can probably find it by entering search terms in a search engine.

(Side note: I know how important it is to have your security software up-to-date. I got hit a few years ago with a virus (on a previous computer) and although the damage wasn't as extensive as it could have been, it was still annoying to have to spend a few hours of my time cleaning up and fixing something that could have prevented with a few minutes work on the front end.)

Another idea, if you have internet service through your phone company, they often give you a CD to install to set up their software on your computer. Many of those phone companies also include free anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam software with their product. When I lived in Illinois , I had DSL with SBC. You could download and install anti-virus software for free from their website--all you had to do was log in with your username and password. I believe Qwest has a similar arrangement.

Anyway, in the spirit of helping people save money, I thought I would pass this stuff along.

Editor's Note: Michelle is a great frugal friend. She's toiled on a graduate student's salary , so she knows how to pinch pennies! Thanks for the info, Shel!

I got my power bill today. I am currently signed up for budget billing, which means that my bill is the same amount every month. The power company takes my annual usage and divides it by 12 and that is how much my bill is. The risk with budget billings is that if you use more electricity than what they've estimated, you will end up owing the power company money. If you use less, they will have gotten to keep your money interest free until they return it. In the end, I like knowing exactly how much my bill will be each month.

Even though I know exactly how much I owe the power company each month, I still make sure to study my bill. This month I wasn't surprised to see my heat portion of my bill take a big leap because it has been 20-below-zero for several nights last month. But I was surprised to see my electric and hot-water bill take a leap.

The increases in those two parts of my bill have forced me to more closely examine what we've been doing the last month. First of all, I attribute the increase in our electric use to the fact that we were home a LOT in December, and it is also the darkest month of the year. I also realize that we've been running the dishwasher and washer and dryer a lot more this month.

The bill was a wake-up call to me - to remember that I must be diligent in my energy conservation. This means I need to stop leaving lights on, leaving the computer on all day, and running not-quite-full loads of laundry and dishes. I need to be aware of those things that quietly steal electricity even when not in use.

So, for the first time in two years, I decided to check my and my husband's credit reports. It's a good idea to check your report to make sure that everything is accurate and no one has stolen your identity.

We got our free credit reports from the three consumer credit reporting companies, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion through www.annualcreditreport.com. Be sure to go to this website and not the one that's advertised on television all the time (they claim to be free, but then hook you into all kinds of other things you don't need to buy). It was totally free and only took about 20 minutes for each of us from start to finish. Be sure you're connected to a printer so you can print your reports.

Our credit reports were totally accurate, so that was a relief, especially since I had my wallet stolen a few years back. But the accuracy of our reports wasn't the only thing that made me happy.

I did a little math of all of our paid off debts. In the past seven years of our marriage, my husband and I have paid off close to $68,000 in debt!!!!! It felt so good to look at that number and to realize that all our scrimping and saving mattered! It was very encouraging. The road to being debt-free is a very long one, and being able to really see how far we've come gave me a second wind.

You should check your credit report to make sure it's accurate. And if you've been working hard at debt reduction, tally up those numbers and see how much progress you've made. It will inspire you to keep going.

One of the non-frugal amenities we have is satellite television. We live in a rural area, which means the nearest Blockbuster is 50 miles away. When I look at the ratio of cost to hours of entertainment, I find my satellite to be a huge bargain.

When our ten-year-old VCR died last summer, we faced a decision. We had a lot of children's videos our son loved, plus a few classics we enjoyed. We already have two DVD players, so we just wanted to get another VCR so we could play the videos we had. Well, you can't buy JUST a VCR anymore... you have to buy a VCR/DVD player combo (for upwards of $70). We didn't want another DVD player. A relative gave us an old VCR he wasn't using, but that died shortly after we got it.

Then we started to hear people talk about their DVRs (Digital Video Recorders). A DVR allows you to do all kinds of neat things from pausing and rewinding live television to recording a whole season of your favorite shows. It sounded really neat, but I balked at the $6/month addition to my satellite bill. Finally my tech-savvy husband convinced me it was the way to go.

And now that we've had it for 6 months, I truly know it was a GREAT decision for us.

First of all, we have saved a ton of money on movie rentals and pay-per-view movies. Our satellite provider had a couple of "Free premium movie channel" weekends, and we used our DVR to record lots of movies we had wanted to see, but hadn't gotten around to renting. We now have hours of free movies to watch.

Because I can record my favorite shows and watch them when I want to, I am no longer slave to the television. I can also fast forward over the commercials, which means I am no longer tempted by products. (And I snack less because I don't run to the fridge during the commercials!).

I'm also able to learn more about personal finance. I use my DVR to search and record financial shows. I love being able to watch The Dave Ramsey Show, and the Suze Orman Show, while I clip coupons or pay bills.

The biggest savings has been in children's programming. My son LOVES Thomas & Friends, Bob the Builder, and Curious George. Thanks to our DVR, we have an extensive library of his favorite shows. I recently saw Bob the Builder DVDs on sale at Target. One episode was $5.50.... Well, we have more than a dozen episodes on our DVR... which means that just in children's programming alone, our DVR has paid for itself for the year.

After making baby food for the twins several times in the last month and a half, I have started to lose my ambition. It got to the point where I actually considered buying baby food (gasp!).

At their six-month check-up, my doctor gave the boys the go ahead for meat. My one son needs meat because he is a hungry boy all the time. Yet, I haven't made any meat for them. I've been pretty lazy.

This week I used some coupons I had for free jars of baby food to get the boys some meat dinners. Yesterday I fed them "Sweet Potato and Chicken Dinner," which for some reason also had apricots in it.

And it was AWFUL! The boys liked it well enough, but it smelled terrible, and was so runny that it ended up getting all over them and their clothes (which required stain remover). I hated it. It was enough to snap me back into baby food-making mode. I realized that I like the control I had over the ingredients and the texture of the food.

So today's project is to plan some meat and veggie dishes for the babies using a baby food cookbook I got at the library, a book I got for Christmas, and the internet.

Sometimes you need a little wake up call to remind you that saving money can be a good thing.

I know I shouldn't get so ruffled about little things, but it seems like it is the little things that snowball into bigger deals.

So I am ticked off about the price of pears... no... not the price of pears... what I have been CHARGED for pears. Twice now I have purchased pears at TWO different grocery stores. Both times, I specifically bought the pears that were on sale. And both times, I got home, read my receipt, and discovered that I had been charged for a different type (and more expensive pears). Of course, by the time I'm home, it seems ridiculous to try to correct it since to return the merchandise would cost me about $6 in gas.... so I just grit my teeth.

I know, I know. It's not a lot of money. Between the two grocery stores, I've lost about $1. And shame on me for not checking the receipt today when I'd already gotten burned once on it.

But it does make you think, doesn't it? I mean, what ELSE is costing us more than it should?

From now on I guess I should check my receipts more carefully.

As some of you know, I am pretty anti-debt... so it may surprise you that I am an avid credit card user. The catch is that I ALWAYS pay off my credit card each month IN FULL. I never, ever carry a balance. A few years ago, I saw an opportunity to use this to my advantage. I have a Citibank rewards credit card that I use for my monthly bills (phone, satellite, internet) and to make all major purchases. We also put all of our gas fill-ups on the card. Because of the rewards program, we have gotten several $50 Target gift cards (which are a big help with diaper purchases!), and several $25 Amazon and restaurant gift certificates.

It takes tremendous discipline to use your credit card like this. It is very easy to rack up a $1,000 bill if you're not careful. But if you budget properly, you can make a little bit of money or some great gift cards just by using your card for your regular expenses.

I've also started using two other programs to earn free stuff and cash back. The first one is MyPoints. MyPoints basically grants you points for reading e-mails, signing up for offers, etc., and making purchases via their website. I haven't made any purchases yet in the two months I've been a member, but I already have enough points to get a $10 Barnes and Noble gift card. And that was just for reading my e-mail. (I would recommend creating a separate e-mail account for this, because it is a LOT of mail).

A friend of mine just turned me on to Ebates. Ebates is a website that gives you a percentage of your purchase in cash back just by shopping through their website. I used their website to purchase some things for about $5 (I also used a gift card). Because of their sign-up deal, my friend will get $5 for referring me, and I will get $5.57 and a $10 Target gift card just for signing up and making a purchase. My friend said she's made well over $150 using Ebates. What's cool is that if you have a rewards credit card, you'll earn points there, PLUS you'll earn the cash back. Pretty neat.

If any of you are interested in either MyPoints or Ebates, e-mail me at northerncheapskate@yahoo.com and I will refer you. (That way, I get some referral points/bucks. )

Thanks to a tip from iMommies, you can get a free houseplant at Lowes. All you have to do is sign up for the Learn2Grow program and then you'll get a printable coupon for $10 off the purchase of any houseplant at Lowes. Click here to sign up and get the coupon. The website looks like it has lot of tips for the novice gardener/houseplant owner. And registration is free.

I really like having houseplants... when I can keep them alive. I lack a green thumb. I am an equal opportunity plant-killer; I've killed more than a few cacti in my lifetime. So I like the idea that I can get a houseplant for free. Maybe this year will be the year no houseplants die in my house!

I am a frugal website junkie. On any given day, I look at 10-20 frugal living/personal finance blogs and websites. One of the reasons I called my own blog "Northern Cheapskate," was because I saw a fundamental difference between what I am able to do in rural Minnesota versus what a lot of other people are doing to save money.

You see, a lot of those bloggers live in metropolitan areas. Where I live, I can't take at advantage of awesome CVS deals with "extra care bucks." We do have one Walgreen's in our area, but if you don't race in there the second the sale flier comes out, the deals disappear. I don't have the luxury of being able to just drive to another Walgreen's on the next block. NONE of the grocery stores in my area double coupons. And none of them offer frequent shopper programs.

When I see a great deal, I have to consider the time and money it takes to get to town. I live a half-hour between two towns (one has a population of 18,000; the other has about 7,000). At current gas prices, a trip to "town" costs me about $6. Because of the cost, I have to combine trips - so I only go to town for a great deal if I have other reasons to go. One town has a Super Wal-Mart, the other a Super Target.... if both stores have a great deal, I have to figure out which one is more worthwhile. This is something people who live in big cities don't even think about.

And, sure there's Craigslist... in Duluth.... which is two hours away from me... so no savings there.

Living in a rural area forces you to be a bit more creative when it comes to living frugally. You learn to fix things, re-purpose things, and make do. You learn to find thrift stores, read the local shopper, use Freecycle, and find bargains via the internet. You learn to get to know your neighbors and co-workers because they can be a great resource for information. In a way, I think living in a rural area makes my savings that much greater than all of those big-city people. When you lack certain amenities, it makes you think a bit more about what you "need."

And of course, not having shopping malls helps with that whole "temptation to buy" thing!

If you're looking to save money on entertainment, look no further than your local library. I live equal distance between two awesome libraries, and because of that, I have saved a lot of money.

When you think about libraries, most people think about books. I check out all kinds of books from my library - how-to, personal finance, fiction, cooking, children's books - you name it. Any time I hear about a book that sounds interesting, I always check my library first. Most libraries in the country have inter-library loan systems, so if they don't have the book you want, they can get it. Not only am I saving money by not buying books, but sometimes I learn things from them that allow me to save more money. I've read a lot of books about frugal living at my library. I've also done a lot of product research (via Consumer Reports) utilizing the library.

The library also helps keep the clutter under control at my house. I don't need to have shelves and shelves of books in my house when I know I can check them out anytime I want at the library.

The library also has videos, DVD's, CD's, and magazines. Every couple of months, I spend an hour at the library looking at all the magazines. I don't have to pay to subscribe to them, and I don't have to deal with the clutter they leave behind (and those stupid subscription cards!). My library also just started offering downloadable books in MP3 format, so you can listen to books in your MP3 player.

Our local libraries also have great programming. There are book clubs, interesting speakers, and stimulating children's programs. It's also a great place to access the internet if you don't have access at home.

For those of you who stick close to home in the country, there is a bookmobile that comes nearby, and our community has a "Mail-A-Book" program where the library sends you books (no postage charges!) to read.

The library is one of the most useful tools in a frugal person's toolbox. Check it out!

I had a meeting in town today, so after I was done, I went to one of the local grocery stores to get more fresh fruits and veggies for the babies and to stock up on meat. (It was on sale).

The bagger, noticing the large quantity of chicken I was buying (about 28 pounds worth), said, "You must really like chicken."

And I do... but especially when it's on sale! I spent about $100 at the grocery store today, and saved $53. My freezer is well stocked. Now I just need to make some more baby food.

Saturday is also known as "Dump Day" in our house. It's the day when my hubby hauls our refuse and recyclables to the local transfer station (i.e. the dump").

Going to the dump is a humbling experience. You realize how much stuff people throw away. When you see all the garbage, it motivates you to do what you can to reduce, reuse and recycle. We recycle far more now than when we lived in town... In town you just chuck stuff in the dumpster and it disappears. But at the dump, you can see (and smell) what everyone has chucked.

Recycling things also saves us a lot of money, too - we have to pay per garbage bag, but recycling is free. (And of course, we sell our aluminum cans!)

One website that can help you save money is Freecycle. Freecycle's mission is to connect people who are looking to unload stuff with people who need stuff. Everything is free. There are thousands of local groups, and each group is moderated by a local community volunteer. It's a great way to get rid of stuff and to find free stuff. Popular listings include baby items, pets and supplies, housewares, and furniture. Visit the website to find your community and sign up. You'll help the environment and your wallet.

Have I mentioned that I love the Coupon Mom? Thanks to two tips from her website, I got two GREAT deals from Target.

Using manufacturer and Target coupons, I got TEN tubs of Huggies diaper wipes for $2.87!!! (they are normally $2.39 per tub).

I also got Campbell's tomato soup and chicken noodle soup for 20 cents a can!!!

Woo hoo!

I also overheard an employee say he expects the remaining Christmas stuff to go on sale 90% off tomorrow. So if you are in the Grand Rapids area, you may want to take a peek. They still have quite a lot of ornaments and wrapping paper left.

Our dear friends at KAXE teased my hubby the other day about what the "Northern Cheapskate" might get someone for his birthday.

Well, I can tell you that I did buy Aaron nice Christmas and birthday presents (on sale, of course), but I admit that I did get him one thing that was FREE (plus shipping).

My hubby is the king of networkers. He is always connecting with new people and some of those connections have allowed him to do some really cool stuff. So for Christmas, I went to VistaPrint, and got 250 business cards for him for free. These cards are different than his work cards because they include his other interests (writing, politics). The cards also have his website , e-mail, and cell number on them. His new "networking" cards were a big hit, and all I had to pay was a few bucks shipping.

I found out about VistaPrint from my sister-in-law. She and her husband had cards printed with all of their contact info - address, phone numbers, cell numbers, and e-mail addresses. They just moved to their new home about 1.5 years ago, and the cards are an easy way for them to give friends and relatives their updated contact info. VistaPrint also offers lots of other free items such as calendars, rubber stamps, postcards and notepads. You only pay shipping.

I will probably print "mommy" cards in the near future, so that when I connect with other moms I can just give them a card and not have to fumble for paper and pen.

About six years ago, a dear friend of mine introduced me to scrapbooking. I was instantly hooked... and the scrapbooking stores loved me. My initial foray into scrapbooking was definitely NOT a frugal time in my life. Of course, I didn't have kids yet either, which is probably a good thing or I would have gone bankrupt!

Two years ago, I discovered digital scrapbooking. Since the twins have been born, I have gone completely digital and I don't know that I will ever go back to traditional paper scrapping. If you've never heard of it, digital scrapbooking is simply scrapbooking done on the computer. You use a computer photo editing software (I use Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0) to design your pages.


What I like about digital scrapbooking are the cost savings. I never run out of adhesive, patterned paper, stickers or embellishments. In fact, you can find plenty of things for FREE online. A simple Google search for free digital scrapbooking supplies will find you lots of great freebies. One of my favorite sites is DigiFree. I also like Shabby Princess. You can download background papers, embellishments, fonts, tags, brads, etc... anything you can imagine.... off the internet for free. And you can use them over and over again - unlike a piece of paper that can only be used once. You can also design your own papers and embellishments or change the color of existing ones. Digital scrapbooking means you always have the perfect color or design for your page.

I also like that there's no mess in digital scrapbooking. I don't have to worry about my toddler getting into my stuff, or cleaning up paper scraps. If I get interrupted, which happens a lot, I can simply save my work and come back to it later without worrying about it getting messed up.


I love that there is an "undo" option. When you scrapbook digitally, it is easy to fix mistakes or to completely change a layout. It is a lot of fun to play with design. Oh, and you can also do some cool design tricks that you can't do in paper scrapping, too.

I have also found that once you get over the learning curve, digital scrapbooking is faster than paper scrapping, especially when you factor in clean-up time. You can also duplicate your work easily. I designed one digital scrapbook that I gave as gifts. I designed it once, and printed it three times. This year, I made photo calendars for Christmas. I designed three different calendars and gave it to 14 people. I also do a small amount of duplication in my personal scrapbooking. For example, I do a page layout for each of my babies' scrapbooks. The layouts are the same - I just put in different photos for each baby. Sometimes I will print an extra layout for my family scrapbook as well.


The only cost is printing... I estimate that it costs me about $1.50 to $2 a page. With paper scrapbooking, it is easy to spend $3-$7 a page. I don't have the extra cost of printing my photos and then attaching them to the page... I simple print everything at once, which also saves me time.

One of my favorite resources (for its online community, tutorials, and freebies) is Two Peas in a Bucket. It's a great place to get started. I also recommend checking out Renee Pearson's books, Digital Designs for Scrapbooking. They're loaded with how-to's. You can also pick up a copy of Digital Scrapbooking magazine for information. If you're not sure if digital scrapping is something you would like, you can start by downloading a free trial of Adobe Photoshop Elements, and then download some free kits to get started.

What I love the most about digital scrapbooking is the freedom it has given me. I am no longer burdened by the bleak selection of scrapbooking items at my local Wal-Mart or JoAnn's. (we only have one scrapbooking store in my area and it is small and doesn't have very good hours or prices). I can find or design items any time of the day and I can get them instantly. I am also no longer burdened by the need to have money in my checking account. I can enjoy the art of preserving memories without decimating my budget.