In this economy each of us is at least trying to shop wisely, squeezing out maximum effect from minimum expenditure but it isn’t always easy.   While I’m very good at finding the things I need at a good price, I’ve never quite mastered the art of the Coupon and admire those people who are organized enough to use coupons more than occasionally.

This week  I came across two great resources, which literally lead you to the savings without even pulling out your scissors.  Both are free services and available 24/7:

• One is a mobile app, website FaceBook and Twitter account ~ http://www.Cellfire.com , which allows you to browse local offers and then simply show the coupon on your cell phone screen to the cashier.  You can even save coupons to your grocery card!
• The other is a colleague from one of my networking groups Michelle Bank; a Mom of 2, a Special Ed Teacher and Coupon Queen whose family and friends convinced her the world needed her talents so:  http://www.michellebank.com – teaching countless ways to save was born.

Enjoy and share folks ~ A virtual bonanza!  I don’t know about you but I’ve got supplies to buy.

EXTRA:

Following a tip from a  Heidi one of our beloved readers I checked out Groupon ~ just in case I’m not the only one here is the 411.

1. Sign up and check your email, Facebook or Twitter feeds for daily deals on cool local businesses.
2. Share it, Groupons are deals which you can pass only via email or broadcast to your social networks
3. Enjoy it – Print vouchers or pull them up on your mobile device to present it to the business

Fly Drive

If you are flying over the holidays and need a car, You can save yourself 30% or more (even taking into account the cab fare) by booking a  car from a rental facility OUTSIDE the Airport loop and You can also avoid the lines at the terminal facility

You can still use the same well known providers you would usually (most Car Hire companies have multiple facilities close by and frequently even transfer vehicles between stores) and it couldn’t be easier with new mapping programs. Plus now many Car Dealerships, like Toyota are renting cars too.

Either ask for directions to be sent with your confirmation and take a cab,  or if you’re traveling midweek you may even be able to bargain for an even lower rate and/or pick up from the airport too due to quotas and the fact that overheads are lower.

If you just can’t be bothered do yourself the favor of checking anyway and get a reference number and contact with your quote because many companies have a price match policy!

Note: Since the Feds launched their crackdown on unsafe rental cars at Thanksgiving, there couldn’t be a safer time to rent.

Jack O Latern or Facesaving tips

Be sure to test the recipe on your wrist before applying them to the sensitive skin on your face and check the list of of ingredients first incase you are allergic to any in which case don’t try it!

Recipe:

1/4 cup   raw pumpkin pulp (grate or mash),

1 egg white,

1 teaspoon lemon juice,

1 teaspoon tomato juice, (or 1/2 teaspoon tomato puree).

Combine using a handheld blender or masher until creamy.

Smooth onto your face be sure to avoid your eyes – lemon and tomato juice sting! (you can always put old teabags or cucumber slices on your eyes to add to the spa treatment).  Lie back (this is not a mixture you can wear and keep working – not unless you want your house to look like something out of Animal House ~ Food Fight!)  and relax for 10 + minutes and allow nature to do her work!  Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water, pat dry and glow!

Pumpkin is rich in zinc which can help purify oily and blemished complexion.

The natural enzymes in Pumpkin, lemon and tomato juice  gently exfoliate your skin without any harsh abrasive particles

As a further caveat DO NOT try this if you have recently been skiing and your skin is windburned or sensitive! Try the oatmeal mask instead- don’t want you feeling like you’ve  been put through a grater, while the fruit acids/enzymes are gentle there is no glamor or fun in looking peeled!

Check out our other skin care and eco friendly recipes.

Here are a couple of tips that may pull the fat out of the fire :

*  Pans ~ fill with very hot water and add 1/4  teaspoon of fabric softener, let it soak for an hour and the baked on gunge should just wipe away, remember to rinse thoroughly.

* Pans & Bakeware ~ fill with very hot water and add 2-3 teaspoons of automatic dishwasher powder, soak for 1/2 hour or until it clear.

If you find that they need a little more help, you can put pans / metal bakeware still filled with liquid mix over a low simmer on your stove top.  If you use glass or ceramic bakeware (+ liquid) can be popped in the microwave for a minute.

Don’t let them boil dry though!

& on that subject,  Here is another tip from Nana ~  If you have burned a pan (as long as you didn’t burn through the bottom!)   You may be able to reclaim it by boiling up a batch of rhubarb.    Comes up like a new pin!  although  I wouldn’t recommend eating the rhubarb- if you crave rhubarb pie boil up another batch.

Hope they work for you.

If you could buy a new laptop for $100 or a $3,000 car for $1,000… legally, would you be bothered that it was confiscated by Law Enforcement?  Cars to CD players, jewelry to jet-skis are all listed, you can even buy homes.

Police, Federal Authority and Tax sales are a great way to snag a bargain.  Check out:  http://www. Propertyroom.com, http://www.policeauctions.com – registration is free or search in the classifieds in your local newspaper.

A little bit of research is all you need to snag a bargain!

However or wherever it happened – we all know of someone it happened to.  It is definitely an expensive event but can also cost you more in terms of  loss of data and photos!  (not everyone carries a camera but most of us carry a phone with built in image capture plus who can afford to lose their contact list).

So before declaring all to be lost try this:

* Remove the back from the phone

* place in a small box or bowl

* cover in uncooked rice (real rice not minute rice)

* leave for 24-36 hours.

The rice will act as a desiccant and wick away the moisture.  As an alternative you can use those little packs of silica gel ~ if you can find enough around your home.

*I know several people who had this happen to them.  One friend had just returned from being backstage at the Rolling Stones concert with bunches of pics.  Unfortunately on reaching home he leaned over his pool to retrieve something forgetting his phone was in his shirt pocket – Splosh! Luckily with this tip he was able to retrieve some of the content.

Hope it works for you. If you have any tips you would like to share contact us.

After Sun Lotions definitely sting on a raw face but here is one that doesn’t:

1/4 cup – full-fat plain yogurt

2 tablespoons -  Oatmeal

Mix thoroughly and apply to your face, decollete or whatever part got burned!   Lie back and relax for 10 mins before rinsing off with tepid water.

This will soothe the pain and rejuvenate.

Its actually a good mask for exfoliation too..can be massaged into skin (oatmeal as a gentle exfoliate and natural acid in the yogurt)  but not when your face is sore.

However, giving up soda is not an easy thing to do … believe me I used to fall off the wagon frequently!

I’m not sure if its the fizz or the sweetness I crave but I’ve found something that helps. I now keep a bottle of Club Soda ( zero calories and 6mg sodium, Cola has average of 9mg of sodium)  or Seltzer (zero calories and O sodium) around and use that instead. You can even get flavored versions - I’ve lost 10 pounds, which is a bottom line I can live with!

To remove or reduce the discoloration caused by deodorant, simply spray the armpit area thoroughly with vinegar before  washing – then launder as usual.

It’s also great for fighting stains too, try it on mustard, tomato sauce, or ketchup.

For ring around the collar – try baby powder!  Rub the baby powder thoroughly into the marks before laundering and wash as usual.  The Baby powder acts as a blotting agent soaking up the grease stain.

Be sure to check out my other green tips with vinegar:

http://www.thoughtsfromabroad.net/2010/05/12/eco-friendly-drain-disposal-deodorant/

http://www.thoughtsfromabroad.net/2010/04/22/happy-40th-earth-day-to-celebrate-try-this-eco-friendly-odor-remover/

Here is another wallet friendly tip for your kitchen and bathrooms. To clean and deodorize your drains and garbage disposal unit mix equal parts of vinegar (any will do except balsamic but plain white vinegar works best) and baking soda and pour down the drain.  Leave the mixture to fizz for a 3-5 minutes (the effervescent quality actually spreads it around more),  and flush the drain/ flush and pulse the disposal unit with warm water.  The added abonus is fruit flies don’t like it.

*Remember to pour down both sides if you have a double sink.

Do you have any money saving tips to share?