Freecycle

Freecycle is a great way to get FREE stuff and recycle items. If you have something you want to give away you just post it and if there is something you are looking for you write a post saying you are looking for it. How many times do you have something that is totally usable (sometimes brand new) but you just aren't using it? This is a great way to get those things in the hands of someone who needs them and also you can get some FREE stuff you can use.

Inexpensive Home Improvement Ideas

Some of you had some great Inexpensive Home Improvement Ideas so I wanted to post them. I'll definitely be doing some of these in the future!

"Love that idea! I don't care for my gold house number's either. One of my fav curb appeal ideas are flowers. Every April our local high school horticulture programs hold large plant sales. They sell annuals, veggies, house plants, and a few perennials. Their prices are 50 - 75% off retail and they are gorgeous plants! Another place I like to go is Fred Meyer for annuals. You can get 4 four inch pots of annuals for $5.00. The plants are beautiful and they have a decent variety. As long as you water them and give them some occasional plant food, annuals will typically double to quadruple in size! Simple and inexpensive. I also find that caring for plants and watching them grow is kind of therapeutic. This is soooo easy to do!" - Heather

"We bought mis-tint paint to paint our house...and then painted it ourselves (with a lot of help from The Man!). We painted the whole house, including trim and tools, for under $100!" Kelley

"Recently I was growing tired of the windows in the living room ( yes, after only 3 months of living there! ) and decided they needed an update. This isn't a 'house' update, since I live in an apartment, but it made a huge difference in the way the living room 'shows'. Instead of buying pricy new curtains I went to IKEA and purchased twin sized flat bedsheets that were on clearance for $5 each. They already have the pocket at the hem so they are a 'no sew' project too! Sometimes finding multi-use items can be a cheap and easy solution for updating the interior or exterior of your house." ~Katie

Quick and Cheap House Update

Our house is for sale and everyone knows how important curb appeal is. It can also be pretty expensive though. Our house numbers were the ugly, dated gold. We took them down and spray painted them black. We also did the same with the gold trim around our fireplace. The before and after pictures don't really do it justice-it looks so much better. What inexpensive tricks do you have for updating your house?

FREE Post Cards

I am totally excited about this FREEBIE! I have family spread all over the US and love to send out photos of the kids but it can get expensive. Now I can do it for FREE. I learned about this awhile ago but it sounded too good to be true so I wanted to try it and make sure it was legit and sure enough, it is! You go to the Hippopost website, load your picture and you get a FREE post card. Not a sweet enough FREEBIE? Well, they even pay the postage! My only requirement for all my friends is you must send me one. =)

Feeling the Love

I decided to write this blog for 2 reasons. First it is a huge accountability encouragement to me. Hard to write about debt free living and then go charge up your credit card, especially when a lot of your readers are also your friends! While I am a pretty frugal person I do have my own financial temptations and this blog has really helped me to be more aware of my spending.
The second reason I write this blog is to encourage and help other people live frugally and be debt free. This week I received some very encouraging comments and emails from some of you sharing how you scored some free stuff with your coupons or just managed your money better. That is so encouraging! Thanks for taking time to let me know how this blog has encouraged you-I love hearing how other people are saving money. I've also learned some great frugal ideas from some of you-so keep them coming.

Another FREE Starbucks Drink

July 25-26 get a free Vivanno drink with your Starbucks reward card!

*Thanks to Ashleigh G.
As with any promo you should always call and make sure your store is participating.

"Recession"

Today I was watching Dave Ramsey and he brought up a great point I want to share. If you watch the news at all-you probably have some anxiety. I'm always hearing about this "recession" we are in (which we aren't) and how bad things are financially. Yes, the economy has slowed down but seriously let's keep things in perspective.
Things are apparently so bleak but the movie Batman set a record of 155 million sales this weekend! That is the most any movie has made on opening weekend. And, we all know movie tickets cost a small fortune-but a lot of people spent their money on them.
You know who is to blame for your financial situation-YOU. The debt I am trying to get out of is my own stupid fault. Of course, it is easier to blame it on the economy or the president. But really I'm the one in control of my money. Do you need to increase your income? Work more hours, go to college, apply for a different job. Do you need to get control of your spending? Take a financial class, read a book, make a budget. Stop blaming the economy and control the only thing you can-you.
And you know a great thing about this economic slow down? Stock is on SALE! It is a great time to invest.