I love using my local library to read books for free.But sometimes I just like owning books.  When I splurge on books, I try to get the best deal possible.  One of the best places to buy books are at used book sales.Many non-profit groups (such as libraries) hold these used book sales as fundraisers.  The books are donated to them, they sell them, and use the proceeds to support their cause.  Most used book sales charge anywhere from 10 cents to $3 per book.  Some sales … [Read more...]

Buying store brand items instead of name brands can be a real money saver.It's definitely worth trying out because many times the store brands come with a money-back guarantee, so that if you don't like it, you can get a refund.You're also not shelling a lot of cash out of pocket for the storebrand items - so if you don't like it, it won't break your budget.  And who knows? You may find that you never go back to the name brand version again.Here are five of the store brand items I regularly … [Read more...]

One way to be a savvy consumer is to be aware of recalls.  You need to make sure you know when a product you own is unsafe.  And you need to know how to fix that problem so that you can make sure your money hasn't been wasted.The easiest way to learn about product recalls is to sign up for e-mail alerts through the Consumer Product Safety Commission.  The CPSC will send you daily e-mail alerts with the latest recalls.This is how I found out one of my cribs had been recalled.  … [Read more...]

My husband and I recently attended a Minnesota Twins baseball game, something we haven't done in years.I was pretty surprised at how expensive America's favorite pastime had become.$5 for a hot dog?$6.75 for a beer?$15 for parking?I can only imagine what it must cost to attend professional games at bigger venues.We didn't really plan ahead for our venture to the ball park, but if I had to do it over again, here are some ways we could save money at the ball park.Park away from the stadium and … [Read more...]