free movies!

This afternoon, on my way out of Kroger, I noticed there was an automatic rental machine between the two exit doors, with coupons in a cubby on the front. The coupons were good for one night's free rental on one in-stock movie. I had never used one of these machines before, but they seem rather convenient and affordable. There is a straightforward fee of $1.00 per night, per movie. The movie we rented tonight will be free as long as I can return it by midnight tomorrow night.

I also like the cases they distribute the movies in, as they are felt-lined & seem less harsh on the DVDs. (If we pay for one more DVD rental that skips throughout the movie, I might swear off rentals forever.)

The selection wasn't nearly as extensive as the Blockbuster a few doors down, since they only carried new releases. But, I see it as a great option to those times when the movie you want to see already has 126 people on the waiting list at the library. Or when you want to watch a movie on a Saturday night, but the library is already closed.

By the way, the movie we chose for tonight was "Polar Express." I'd have to say, I really enjoyed it -- mostly because it was obvious that the animators who made the movie were thoroughly enjoying themselves. And I think each of them had the chance to throw in some of their personal style. It was a mish-mash of animation styles, but congruent nonetheless. I would highly recommend it.

holiday photo gifts

Many of us parents like to buy holiday photo gifts for Christmas. This Christmas, I plan to buy a calendar (or 2) and a photo book (up to 4 of the exact same photo book). Since prices can vary wildly from vendor to vendor, I'm listing the going rates for December, 2007.

Snapfish
Calendar - 18.99
Photo books - 5.99
note: duplicate items receive 25% off automatically

Photoworks
Calendar - 17.96
Photobooks - 12.99
note: Photoworks creates many of their photo books on the highest quality, archival paper, but you will definitely pay for it, to the tune of $69.99 on the higher end

Winkflash
Calendar - 9.95
Winkbooks - varies, but starts at 3.99 for a small book plus 89 cents each additional page
note: your "winkbooks" could get expensive very quickly, considering most photo books are 20 pages or more

All prices listed are the starting prices. As options increase, so do prices. :-)

Christmas Season Job Ideas

Whether they're employed outside the home full-time, part-time, or not at all, many people take on an extra job around the holidays. Tightwaddy folks in particular are more prone to picking up extra hours. Aside from meticulous year-round planning or a windfall Christmas bonus, there's just no other way to avoid pulling out those credit cards. Here's some ideas for seasonal or occasional work. As you make your way down the list, hopefully you'll find something that meets both your interests & talents.

Babysitting
The Christmas season is a busy one for all families, increasing the need for good babysitters. If you have children of your own, you can often tag them along. One of the best ways to get babysitting business is word of mouth. Other ideas include hanging up flyers at the library, the grocery store or church.

Retail
Retail work is the first seasonal job that pops in our minds during Christmas. Its benefits include the massive amount of opportunities available, as well as the higher hourly wage that seasonal workers often make. Its drawbacks are few, and mostly apply to families. Since the hours are long, busy and sometimes inconsistent, it can make scheduling a real headache. Plus, this is very rarely the type of job where wee ones can tag along.

Catalog call centers
If you have one of these in your town, they often hire seasonally to handle the increase in calls. While you likely can't bring your kids to work, you will most likely get predictable hours.

Fed-Ex
Like clockwork during the month of November, Fed-Ex starts posting its signs for seasonal workers. Again, no children allowed, and you'll also have to be able to handle physical labor for several hours at a time. But, you will get predictable hours and you can make money working off those holiday calories, therefore saving money on a January gym membership.

If none of these seem up your alley, be sure to check out your local Craigslist. Start by searching the keywords "occasional," "temporary," "on-call," or "seasonal" in the jobs section. If nothing you like comes up that way, browse the pages of the industry you prefer.

And don't forget that Christmas is buying season everywhere, including consignment shops and eBay. If you have things to sell, now is a great time to try.

30 Days of Tips - Supper in Seconds

Tip #30: To save yourself from unexpected dining out bills, bookmark a site like our sister site, Supper in Seconds, for busy, rushed, or sick days. All recipes require only 5-10 minutes of hands-on preparation, making these homecooked meals even faster than a restaurant!

30 Days of Tips - Butter Wrappers

Tip #29: If you purchase your butter or margarine in sticks, don't ever throw out another wrapper! Stash them in a plastic baggie inside the fridge & use them to grease baking dishes. This works surprisingly well, and doesn't contain any chemicals or vinegars that can harm certain baking dishes.

30 Days of Tips - Christmas Gifts that Save

Tip #28: Does anyone commonly ask you what you or your family wants for Christmas? Or do you like giving gifts that save money for the recipient year-round? Consider these Christmas gift ideas that keep on saving.

• an Entertainment coupon book
$30 or so on the front-end can easily save hundreds throughout the year.
• a large toaster oven
An oven in a busy kitchen often consumes the second largest chunk of energy money next to the furnace. With its smaller size and zero preheating time, a double-tray toaster oven can significantly reduce that bill for somewhere in the range (no pun intended) of $100.
• passes to local museums & other attractions
What is more fun than taking off to the museum on the spur of the moment? That's quite possible with a membership pass. Family passes often pay for themselves in less than 3 visits.
• time-saving cookbooks
Cookbooks are a popular gift idea, but the ones focused specifically on time-saving meals can save the most money over the long-term. It's always the times when we are stressed, hurried, or sick when we want to blow our grocery budget on dining out. Meals that only require 5-10 minutes of hands-on prep time could save $30 with each use.

30 Days of Tips - Hosting Dinners

Tip #27: Eating out can be extremely expensive and is a common budget buster for many families. We struggle with this in our own family, even though most of our dinners out are treats from our parents or other older family members.

If you have a relative that commonly takes you or your family out to dinner, consider hosting a dinner at home instead. They can provide most (or all) of the food and you will provide the space, ambience & clean-up. Your relative will probably spend less than half of what he or she would have spent at a restaurant and you will be able to keep the leftovers for an extra meal or two later.

30 Days of Tips - Winter Energy Savings

Tip #26 - For extra winter insulation, try using fabric on exterior walls, especially if you have an older home (which were often built without insulation inside the exterior walls).

Ideas include hanging extra-thick "winter curtains" over the windows or hanging rugs or quilts on blank exterior walls.

30 Days of Tips - Halloween Decorations

Tip #25: Try these ghostly cheap Halloween decorations.

Make small ghosts from a white washrag (or square of fabric) wrapped around a few cottonballs. Tie tightly just under the cottonballs to form a little ghost head & body. Draw or glue on eyes, mouth & other details. Put an ornament hook through the top of the fabric for hanging.

Make a large ghost by hanging a white sheet over a tomato cage. Stuff with a small pillow on top & tie if desired to form a head & body. Cut out eyes & put a lamp (no candles, please!) under the ghost to make him glow or draw on eyes with black or glow-in-the-dark paint. Consider a blacklight lamp under your ghost for a strange effect.

30 Days of Tips - Halloween Candy

Tip #24: Don't groan until I finish this tip for all the parents of trick-or-treaters out there. When you purchase Halloween candy, purchase candy you like because if there is any left over, you'll be able to enjoy it. If you run out of candy, hand out the candy that your child has already received that your family doesn't care for.

I know it's tempting to think it's "too tacky," but let me ask you: is it better to buy more candy than you actually need, thereby stressing your wallet and increasing the demand for unhealthy foods, and then ending up with a bunch of candy you'll never eat that you have to either throw away or constantly fight over with your children? I would prefer to redistribute the candy we'll never consume.

When you dump the contents of the little plastic pumpkin into your hand-out bowl, just do it inside, not on the front porch, OK?

30 Days of Tips - Storing Large Containers

Tip #23: Large items can throw in a wrench in the best storage plans. But using those items as storage containers themselves can open up more space & create a more intentional, less cluttered look to your home.

Here is an example of over-the-refrigerator storage. Inside the fabric-lined canner, you'll find dog leashes, toys & bones. Inside the orange canister, you'll find dog treats. Inside the basket in back, you'll find our dog's supplement powder on one side and clothes pins mixed with a child's garden tool set on the other. And finally, way in the back, we've placed a tall open basket lined with a paper bag that houses old batteries until we can take them to the trash center on a toxic waste day.



Why does TTT spend so much time on creative storage? Because most of us have a single largest payment each month...the one we make to our mortgage company. By deliberately choosing to live in a smaller home, we can significantly reduce this expense. However, living in small spaces requires constant creative solutions, lest we risk becoming so dissatisfied that we start eyeing the larger homes.

30 Days of Tips - Filtered Water

Tip #22: Not only does chlorinated tap water taste bad, it is also not very good for your health. The problem is that the cheap filtration systems (the pitcher & faucet mounted types) don't filter out chlorine & the filtration systems that do are very expensive.

Try this homemade solution. Since chlorine will evaportate out of the water given enough time & air, let your water sit on the counter for 24-48 hours before running it through an inexpensive pitcher filter. In time, it becomes an easy system to maintain. Before bed each night, fill your water containers & set them out. Use the oldest one first for the least chlorinated water.

30 Days of Tips - Handmade Cross Ornaments

Tip #21: Here's a rainy day activity that can double as a Christmas gift when complete. Thanks to L for contributing this activity!



Cut one pipe cleaner into a 2/3 piece and a 1/3 piece. Wrap the small piece around the large piece to make a cross shape. Thread on beads of your choice. Twist the ends to "seal." Twist the top to form a loop to hang from the tree.

30 Days of Tips - Wall Art

Tip #20: Don't spend money on wall art. For larger pieces, try maps, photo collages, or themed item collages (think dried leaves, small twigs, dried flowers or flower prints on a warm-toned fabric background for a Fall theme).

For smaller pieces, try framing children's artwork, old magazine covers, or make your own art. If you aren't confident enough in your drawing or painting ability, consider stamping or stenciling.