Pay for your trip Gradually

I decided to pull one of my old tricks and pay for my vacation gradually. I'll explain. In April, I found a couple of tickets to a Cubs and Cardinals baseball game at a decent price. Then my search began.

I started looking for a hotel room in a good location at a decent price. If you have ever been to St. Louis, you know it is hard to find a nice hotel for under $150. However, I was bound and determined I was going to look until I found the best deal. I finally found a luxury hotel at a price cheaper than your average 3 star hotel. Plus, I received $25 Visa gift cards for each night just for booking the two nights on my Visa. I paid for hotel in May.

Finally, I wanted to do a little more than just see the game. Since I hadn't been to an amusement park in years, I decided to see what kind of discount tickets that I could find. In June, I received an email that Coldstone was offering tickets for only $31, that was about $15 off the regular price.

So, I paid for my trip that I took in August, from April to June. This really helped and allowed me to have a lot more to spend when I actualy went on the trip. Plus I found a lot of free things to do while I was there.

Here's an article titled How to Travel to St. Louis on a Budget. Hope you enjoy it!

I must admit....

I must admit, this isn't really a way that I ever thought I would be discussing how to save money. However, if you think about it, it makes a lot of since.

It is always fun to get together, especially this time of year, with a bunch of friends for drinks. Then again, going to the bar and buying those high dollar mixed drinks can get very expensive.

So, this summer, why not take turns visiting friends and having get togethers at your own homes.

Here's a great recipe for a unique, but popular drink. How to Make a Lemoncello Martini. Why not try making a few for yourself, before you invite the friends.

Patch a Hole in Your Blacktop Drive

When it comes to owning a home, repairs can be expensive. One of the best things you can do, is to start attempting to make those repairs on yourself. Odds are the first time you try something it will not be absolutely perfect, but the more you try the better you will become at making those repairs on your own.

With just a few household materials and a bag of asphalt mix, you can repair that blacktop drive on your own.

Here is a brief article that goes into to detail explaining how it is done How to Patch a Blacktop Drive.

Keeping Your Energy Bills Down in the Summer

There are a number of ways to help keep your energy bills down in the summer.

Did you know that electric companies discount your power bill for usage after 9:00 pm and before 6:00 am. So whether you're an early bird or you like to stay up late, this is a good time to do your laundry and bake those cookies. Why not make meals on the weekend or on your days off at night, so that you can just heat them up during the week. This will also help make your evenings flow a lot faster. And don't forget to throw that wrinkle free laundry into the dryer before you go to bed.

Here is an article titled How to Cool Your Home on a Budget with even more ways to save.

Roma Tomatoes

Kind of an odd thing just popped into my head, so I thought I would share it here with you....Roma Tomatoes. Roma Tomatoes are about a dollar a pound cheaper than regular tomatoes this time of year. If you aren't extremely particular about your tomatoes, they taste just as good as your average tomatoe. A great way to save a few bucks and enjoy the same dinner!

Extra Earnings

In today's world, in order to get ahead, it seems so many families are turning to 2nd jobs or work from home in order to earn an extra few dollars.

While there is nothing wrong with taking on a part-time job, keep in mind it is a good idea to make sure you are doing something you enjoy. Perhaps you like doing makeovers, then maybe you want to see Avon or Mary Kay on the side. If you like spending time alone but are very creative, perhaps you could build something in your craft room or garage and sell it on consignment with someone at your local flea market.

Finally, keep in mind that winnings are earnings too. And, as we all know, the more you enter, the better your chances of winning. So why not spend a few minutes every day entering contests (preferably with cash prizes) on the internet. There's no overhead, and you might even enjoy the sites that you end up visiting to enter the contest.

If you do decide you need to earn a second income, good luck to you in whatever your adventures might be.

It's a Good Idea...No Matter Who Disagrees

I remember when I had just bought my first home. I was working with people a lot older than me. I mentioned buying things while they were on sale, and stocking them up in my basement. One of my work associates disagreed, and thought the items would end up getting ruined.

I didn't take her advice. I stocked up, while things were on sale. Well, a number of years later, over a decade, I was laid off and didn't work a full time job for 2 years. I lived all of that time on toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent, etc. that I had stocked up in my basement.

It was a good feeling, not having to worry about the general items. It's a good idea, no matter who disagrees.