Weekly Roundup

I am posting this a day early because we are going camping this weekend and I don’t want to mess with the laptop. Make it a great weekend!

There is still time to enter The Buck List $10 Amazon gift card giveaway. Click here for details.

If you are interested in learning more about farms and farming visit Farmers Feed Us. They “invite you to explore this site and learn more about what we do each and every day. You can tour our farms, meet our families, and see for yourself how we grow the food that ends up on your family's table.” While there make sure to visit the recipe section.

Fuel Economy “provides fuel economy estimates, energy and environmental impact ratings, fuel-saving tips, and other useful information.”

Its Your Turn offers over 80 online games and variations, all for free.

The New York Times offers an interesting take on The Case for $320,000 Kindergarten Teachers.

Some recent personal finance posts I enjoyed reading.

This article asks why the employed are so smug about the unemployed. At one point the author asks “What’s wrong with 2 years of unemployment?” Later we get “Why not 3 or 5 years worth of unemployment?” This is another post where the comments are better than the article.

Here are 5 Things That You Should Not Cheap Out On.

Weekly Reminder – A reminder of a useful article you might have missed. Here is a list of the best free movie and TV sites.

The Free Flowers

Not too long ago I wrote about our adventure of getting a free sofa my wife found on Craigslist. It actually ended up costing us about $125 because my truck we were hauling it home in broke down and we had to have the truck, with the free sofa still strapped in the back of it, towed home. The truck is still sitting in our driveway waiting for me to figure out what’s wrong with it.

So imagine my joy when my wife called the other day and said she had a lead on some free flowers. Last spring we were making the rounds at some small town garage sales and she got to talking with a lady that had a yard full of blooming perennials. The lady offered to give us some when she divided them later in the year. My wife left the lady her contact information and the call finally came in that the flowers were ready to be picked up. My wife asked a girlfriend to go along for the ride after work, and they were off to pick up the free flowers.

They had been gone for close to an hour when the phone rang. Because I am writing this as sort of a part two to the free sofa story, you know who was calling and what it was about, right? You’re right. They had made it as far as the small town, loaded up the perennials, and now the vehicle was smoking and they had to pull over.

Long story short: the mother of my wife’s girlfriend lives in the small town that the car broke down in. Once it became apparent that our car was not going to make it back that day the mom let them use her van to drive back to our place. Whew!

The next day we drove our third, and last running vehicle, to the small town with a new thermostat to fix the stranded car…and it worked!

While we are back up to two out of three working vehicles in our driveway, I’m wondering how much more all of this free stuff is going to cost us.

Bucks Guide to Finding Free Stuff

This is the third installment of the “Bucks Guide” series, which consists of previous posts grouped into topical guides. When I read other blogs I like I’m sure there is older content I might want to read, but usually I don’t have the time to dig through the archives. This is my attempt at making subject matter easier to find here. To that end here is:

Bucks Guide to Finding Free Stuff

Find Your Missing Money

Giveaway of the Day

Free Wallpaper

Get a Free Loan from NGA

Get Your Free Tickets

10 Great Resources for Free Books

10 Free Barter and Swap Sites

The 10 Best Freebie Sites

Cheap Summer Fun Ideas

Best Sweepstakes Sites

Best Free Movie and TV Sites

Can You Really Find Good Free Stuff on Craigslist?

How to Find Free or Cheap Health Care

Five Free Software Programs for Everyday Use

How to Find Free Firewood

Best Free Reference Sites, Part One, Part Two, Part Three and Part Four

Ten Free Tips to Speed Up Your PC

Nine Free Photo Storage Sites

10 Free Online Colleges and Courses

Ten Free Online Personal Finance Courses

The following sites and their descriptions appeared at other places on The Buck List:

Garage Sale Hunter is a free site to list your garage sale or view others in your area.

Search for free books at Free Book Quest.

Check out About U for a wide variety of free online courses send to you by email.

Visit Wonder How To for their huge collection of free how to videos.

Business Forms offers hundreds of business forms and templates in Excel and Word formats to download for free.

Wi-Fi Free Spot is a directory of locations that offer free Wi-Fi all over the world, including a state by state breakdown of the USA.

If you are all about the freebies make sure to check out Hey, Its Free!

Free Printables links to 53 sites offering printable documents and templates.

10 free online training courses are being offered at the e-Learning Center.

I love research sites. Created in 1998, All Experts has answered more than 1 million questions and is the “oldest & largest free Q&A service on the Internet.” They have “thousands of volunteers, including top lawyers, doctors, engineers, and scientists, waiting to answer your questions.”

Free Night of Theater this year is in October. Check out their search option to find a show near you.

Try out Free Sharing as an alternative or addition to Freecycle and Craigslist to get rid of your junk or find something you need for free.

Have you ever thought about furthering your education online or even going for a degree? Visit Online Degree Programs where they say they have “1089 Online Degree Programs and 115 Colleges in our database!” No money? Check out their 100+ Places to Get a Free Business Education Online.

So…what to do when your hippy philosophy is offended by what you consider to be your lesser, sell-out sibling? You start up Free Use. Actual quote from the site: “You see, we believe that giving things away for free…came about the time man separated from primates, as a species.”

Outright offers free, online bookkeeping for small businesses. I have not used it but they appear to offer everything you need to keep your books up to date.

I have highlighted video sites in the past, but Channels describes itself as the first DVR for web video, and includes an index of over 150,000 shows. And it’s free.

If you have a need for royalty free stock photos, available for personal and commercial use, you will want to bookmark and use Public Domain Pictures.

Clicker is a database of “more than 450,000 episodes, from over 6,000 shows, from over 1,200 networks, tens of thousands of movies, and 50,000 music videos from 20,000 artists.”

Sign up for free with Deal Taker and use their email notifier to receive their latest deals, freebie and coupon offers.

Money Trakin’ is a free site that helps you to manage your budget by tracking all of your expenses and income.

YoYo Games claims to be “the world’s largest user generated game site with over 25,000 games.” Register with them and make your own games and play what others have created, all for free.

If you ever find yourself and up to 95 of your friends, family members or coworkers in need of a free conference call (also recorded for free) make sure to bookmark Free Conference Call for future reference.

The National Library of Medicine has a massive database of health-related organizations operating toll-free telephone services. This is another site worth bookmarking.

Free All Music offers free, and legal, MP3 downloads for watching ads.

Mint offers free online money management and budgeting software. They claim to have over one million users and to have identified more than $300 million in potential savings for its users.

Start Sampling is a free on-line sampling company. You join up and receive samples in the mail and can also participate in their Frequent Tryer Miles program. If you like freebies this one is worth a look.

Coupon Cabin – This site monitors discounts for more than 2,000 online stores and sorts through thousands of e-mails a week to find free coupons, codes and deals. Sign up for their weekly newsletter while you are there.

My Kids Eat Free – With the help of their readers this site collects and lists restaurants that offer free and reduced meals for the little varmints.

There are plenty of freebie sites out there but a few really stand out. Freebeezndealz provides a constant stream of freebie deals for readers to choose from. Sign up by feed or email and see for yourself.

Upload your photos and music for free to Animoto to create 30 second videos. To create longer videos requires paid membership.

SparkPeople is a free weight loss site that offers personalized diet & fitness plans, a calorie counter, exercise tracker, fitness demonstrations & videos and message boards that provide answers from their dietitians & trainers.

2 Car Pros offers free car repair advice by certified ASE technicians, as well as a forum, videos and an archive of questions and answers by manufacturer and topic.

I have never been a big fan of Walmart (their stores are full of strange people and stuff made in China) but freebies are a different story. Stop by their freebie page and see if there is anything you can use.

Didn’t attend enough lectures in college? Or maybe you didn’t go to college and you want to know what you missed out on? Check out Lecturefox for free videos
(some are in mp3 format, too) of lectures from Princeton, Yale, MIT and other universities.

Founded in 1998, Computer Hope is “a collection of free services that allows any user to access its database of…free technical support, computer product information, free online forum, computer product buying tips, third-party computer company information, computer dictionary, weekly computer newsletter, daily computer news, and much more.”

Check out Contest Bee for a large collection of free online contests, sweepstakes and giveaways. I have looked at dozens of these sites and I like how clean and streamlined this one is.

Car Care offers a free car care guide, a repair shop search engine, a service schedule and a listing of DOT websites for the United States and Canada.

My Free is a fun site to click around on, offering freebies, recipes, sweepstakes, jokes and bargains among over a dozen other categories.

Since 1996 Tech Support Guy has been providing computer tech support for free. If you don’t find the answer you are looking for by searching the site you can ask a question in the forum section.

Like crossword puzzles? Hundreds are available in varying degrees of difficulty for free at Crosswordsite. Play on the site or print them off.

Simply Checklists provides “a simple way to help others organize, achieve goals and live a better life one check mark at a time.” They offer free, printable checklists for almost every chore, task or occasion.

Use Many Books to download free eBooks for your iPad, smartphone or eBook reader. As of this writing they say they have 27,288 eBooks available, all free.

Free Stuff Times posts links to free stuff every day and is “one of the biggest and most frequently updated Free Stuff sites on the internet.”

SnagFilms “is committed to finding the world‘s most compelling documentaries, whether from established heavyweights or first-time filmmakers, and making them available to the wide audience these titles deserve.” This free site has a library of over 850 films.

Giveaway Scout scans thousands of blog giveaways, contests and sweepstakes of products ranging from coupons and samples to jewelry and electronics. Subscribe for free to their email notice of the latest offers.

Discover Life provides “free on-line tools to identify species, share ways to teach and study nature's wonders, report findings, build maps, process images, and contribute to and learn from a growing, interactive encyclopedia of life that now has 1,356,001 species pages.” If you like the outdoors, this is a good site to explore.

Related Reading:

Bucks Guide to Making Side Cash

Bucks Guide to Finding Work

$10 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway

The Buck List is offering an Amazon $10 gift card to one lucky reader. Just click on the following link to Sustoo Amazon Deals and then leave a comment below about what you like to buy from Amazon, along with a way for me to contact you. I will choose at random one winner, who will be notified when the giveaway ends on August 2nd.

Good Luck!

Why Government Debt Matters to You

The following is a guest post by Gary Foreman, the editor of The Dollar Stretcher.

You see much in the media about federal and state government debt. Most of the reports concentrate on the big picture. How many trillions of dollars the U.S. federal government owes. Or how many billions short a particular state budget is.

But few seem to address what that debt means to the average person like you and me. How our lives are changed by the debts that our federal and state governments take on.

According to USDebtClock.org the average U.S. Federal Government debt per citizen is over $42,000. And, they calculate that the interest per citizen at $2,800 per year.

So that means that you're paying $233 per month just to cover the interest. So it's a little like you and your mate are making a car payment every month for the rest of your lives. Not to buy you a dependable set of wheels, but to pay the interest on the money that's already been borrowed in your name.

For a family of four it's like having two new cars stolen from your driveway. If you're a car salesperson those are two cars that you can't sell because the customer can't afford them. If you're an autoworker, those are two cars you don't get to build. Government debt takes money out of our pockets that could otherwise be spent and create jobs.

Maybe your taxable income is low. In fact, maybe you don't pay any taxes at all. So why should you care? You're not going to be paying any of that interest. That's for someone wealthier than you.

Well, you're affected, too. Every time that you go to borrow money you'll pay more because you're bidding against the government. That's right. The government borrows its money from the same places that you do. So you have to outbid them to borrow money for your mortgage, car loan or credit card account. Instead of borrowing at 8% you'll need to pay 9 or even 10%. And, the more they borrow the worse it gets.

You don't need to pay taxes or borrow money to be affected by government debts. If you benefit from any government service you can look forward to cuts in that service. With more of the government budget going to pay for interest, there's less available to pay for roads, school lunch programs or any other government services.

So what should you do now to protect yourself?

Expect to see government look to save money in all areas. Be prepared to receive lower benefits on government programs. That includes Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, even government pension benefits. You may be fortunate and not have your program cut. But, you'd be foolish to think it couldn't happen.

The next obvious step is to pay off any debt you currently owe. That eliminates the need to compete with the government to borrow money. Plus you'll have more flexibility so you can adjust to a changing financial environment.

Also, be prepared for inflation. Unlike you and I, the government can print more money. That allows them to repay their debts in cheaper dollars. However, there is a cost. An increase in the money supply will cause prices to go up. And, we'll have inflation.

Some argue that government debt doesn't matter. They say that the government doesn't ever really have to pay back debts. Government can carry it forever. And, maybe that's true. Up to a point. But just like your family budget, if you want to be able to keep borrowing money you absolutely must make your interest payments. Even if that means that your family can't pay rent or buy groceries.

The same thing is true for the government. At some point the government won't be able to pay the interest due and still perform essential government services. According to U.S. Controller General David Walker, within 12 years the largest item on the federal budget will be interest payments.

You may hear the argument that the government can't quit spending in a recession - even if they have to borrow the money being spent. That ignores the simple fact that every borrowed dollar increases the amount of interest that we'll pay next year and every year thereafter.

Someone might say that this article is political. It's not meant to be. Debt doesn't care which political party creates it. A dollar of debt created by either party will have the same effect on you. A state or country can't continually spend money it doesn't have. Any more than you or I could.

I'll leave it up to you whether you want to contact your elected reps and tell them to balance any budget they're responsible for. But, I'll admit that paying for two non-existent cars that aren't in my driveway isn't very appealing. And thinking that my children and grandchildren will be paying for them too is even less appealing.

Weekly Roundup

Giveaway Scout scans thousands of blog giveaways, contests and sweepstakes of products ranging from coupons and samples to jewelry and electronics. Subscribe for free to their email notice of the latest offers.

TicketZoom claims to be one of the largest resale event ticket companies in the world. If you need tickets for sports, concert or theater events make sure to check out the site, where they say you can save up to 50% on tickets.

Windows Secrets offers a large, experienced staff that writes about almost anything having to do with Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Windows Update, and more. Subscribe to their free weekly newsletter or upgrade to their paid subscription to access all content. The subscription fee is whatever you want to contribute.

This article on the secrets of extreme savers offers several great case studies on how people are saving vast amounts of money.

Discover Life provides “free on-line tools to identify species, share ways to teach and study nature's wonders, report findings, build maps, process images, and contribute to and learn from a growing, interactive encyclopedia of life that now has 1,356,001 species pages.” If you like the outdoors, this is a good site to explore.

Some recent personal finance posts I enjoyed reading.

I liked this one on everyday philanthropy.

I’m always a sucker for a post about multiple streams of income.

Weekly Reminder – A reminder of a useful article you might have missed. Times are tough for some people right now. If that includes you or someone you know here is a post about food banks, pantries and soup kitchens.

No More Summer Garage Sales

Last weekend my wife and I held a garage sale with another couple at their place. We had pretty high hopes this year because the sale at our place last year was a success. The sale this year started Friday morning and, while we enjoyed visiting with our friends and the people that attended the sale, by early afternoon on Saturday we agreed to call it quits and shut down. Our main reason was the heat, not to mention my wife had some how acquired a quickly spreading rash and had managed to twist both of her ankles. Limping around itching herself in 90 something degree heat didn’t seem to be something she was enjoying.

Summers here in Iowa, especially during July and August, can be brutal. A hot day in an arid part of the country is still hot, but usually the humidity is low. Not here! On a hot day in Iowa the whole state can turn into a corn and soybean fed sauna. To the most masochistic of us these are the best conditions to hop on a bicycle and take a week to ride across the entire state. As for my wife and I we agreed that the next garage sale will be a spring or fall affair.

Frugal Lessons From The Past: Soar Away From the Vise

History can provide some of the best lessons to help us figure out solutions to today’s problems.

Concerning finances, thrift, frugality and simple living there are tried and true bedrock principals that we should never forget.

This post is part of a series that focuses on some of those principals by going to source materials for inspiration.

The following passage comes from a beat up little 46 page booklet I rescued out of a dumpster years ago. It is entitled “Homesteading Your Way to Health and Happiness” by Fred Moller, Jr. In it he describes how he and his wife Cheddy came to the decision to try homesteading and he gives readers tips and pointers if they decide they want to try it, too. At the end of the book is a section called “Our Secrets.”

“Cheddy and I have a real aversion to charging things. That is to buying things today and putting off the paying until tomorrow. That’s the way Uncle Sam does things as do those who are famous for their economic savvy. You see how much trouble Uncle is in just in terms of Federal Deficit. We don’t make much money by today’s standards. However we make a little more than we need. That is our biggest secret!

You can accomplish this same situation by not “biting off a bigger chunk than you can chew.” Be willing to relocate, if necessary, to get land at a reasonable price. Remember that its price is based only on the laws of supply and demand. If money is short, go where not many people want to live but for a reason that you don’t find objectionable.

Try really hard to get rid of all the mortgages soon! Even if you have an early pay penalty on a mortgage, pay it as soon as possible and forget what it means to have that anchor tied around your neck. Buy a small place, put up conservative shelter, pay it off and SOAR! Now you have extra money in your jeans.

You have the freedom to launch any career that you crave because you are no longer in the VISE.”

A smaller modest place also means minimum property tax. It all goes together and compounds (banker language) to enlarge your free time.”

Related Reading:

Frugal Lessons From The Past: The Art of Gardening

Other Uses for Baking Soda

It’s time to pull that little box of sodium bicarbonate out of your kitchen cabinet and consider all the other things you can do with it besides baking. This natural, environmentally safe and inexpensive powder could be the most versatile product in your house, if only you knew the secret powers that it held. To that end, here are some other uses for baking soda.

Use it to eliminate strong odors from your hands by rubbing them with baking soda then rinsing with water.

Sprinkle a little in your shoes to eliminate odor.

Mix a ¼ cup with one quart of warm water to wash almost any household surface. Wipe with the solution and rinse. For dirtier surfaces just use more powder.

Add a cup to your bathwater to act as a skin softener.

Use it as an occasional substitute for toothpaste to keep your teeth white. You can also soak dentures and retainers in a cup of water mixed with two teaspoons of baking soda to keep them clean.

Sprinkle it on small grease or electrical fires to put them out.

Once a week pour ½ cup down your drains followed by hot water to keep them clean.

Remove burned-on food from a pans and skillets by soaking them in a baking soda solution before washing.

Add water to make a paste and use it as a facial scrub.

Make a paste with water to polish chrome and stainless steel.

Use a ½ cup of baking soda as an alternative to bleach when washing your clothes.

Put an open box in the refrigerator to absorb odors.

Mix a teaspoon with a glass of water and drink to sooth heartburn.

Sprinkle some on your carpet or upholstery, wait a few minutes, and then vacuum to cut down on various odors, including those left by pets.

Make a paste to relieve itching from insect bites, rashes and pain from bee stings and sunburn.

Related Reading:

Other Uses for Petroleum Jelly

Weekly Roundup

Groupon features a daily deal on stuff to do, see, eat, and buy in your city. They promise businesses a minimum number of customers so as to pass on the discounts to members. Sign up for a free account and click "BUY" before the daily offer ends at midnight. If the minimum number of people sign up, the site charges your card and sends you a link to print your Groupon.

In the mood to hit some garage and yard sales this summer? Make sure to check out Yard Sale Treasure Map. Enter your location, search radius and the day you will be out and the site will map all of the sales matching your criteria that are listed on Craigslist.

If you have any old German military items sitting around The Ruptured Duck could be a good place to get an idea of what your stuff might be worth. The owner, Bill Shea, has a massive collection for sale that includes belts and buckles, books, insignia, documents, daggers, swords, field gear, flags, medals and badges and much more. Make sure to visit his links page while there.

I read this article about when the benefits run out with mixed emotions. I have known people that milked the system and didn’t try to find a job at all, sitting around waiting for the checks to arrive. I have also known people who desperately tried to find work while on unemployment. As for how long the benefits should last…it was and still is a temporary solution, and that means by definition it must have an end.

DogFriendly provides nationwide city guides and travel guides for dog owners. If you like to travel with your dog this site is indispensible. While there take a look at their free online travel guide.

Some recent personal finance posts I enjoyed reading.
I liked this post on the luxury of frugal thinking. Take the time to read through the comments section as well.
This blogger makes a good point that personal finance success is not always in one form.

Weekly Reminder – A reminder of a useful article you might have missed. This is a quick little post where I list the best sweepstakes sites.

The Compost Bin Bonus

A few weeks ago I got to looking at our compost bin and realized I hadn’t turned it for quite a while. I grabbed the spading fork from the garage and dug into the top layer of decaying matter. A few more stabs and I was down to the rich, brown compost that made up the lower levels and, lo and behold, there were some of the longest, fattest night crawlers I have ever seen.

We started composting last year, keeping a small plastic bucket on top of the fridge that we add coffee grounds, vegetable parts, egg shells, etc. to until it is full. It’s then walked out to the compost bin and dumped. The paper from our shredder is also added to the pile, as well as an occasional sprinkling of dirt. We even kept this up over last winter so that we now have about a knee high pile ready to be spread out on the garden this fall after harvest.

Back to the worms…I had read they were part of the composting process but for some reason I conjured up an image of tiny worms quietly nibbling on garbage, not the huge things I found thrashing around like movie monsters from the 1950’s. A very pleasant surprise and one that will come in handy the next time I go fishing.

The Best Advice to Making Money Online…Don’t Lose it to Investment Scams

The following is a guest post by Bryan Sayers, who writes on the topic of online forex investments. He welcomes your questions and comments to this post.

Perhaps the biggest misconception among those seeking to make money online is that it’s easy. An easy buck! However, in reality, generating income online requires the same diligence and hard work as making money in any other entrepreneurial venture. Having this mindset alone can help a person avoid many of the investment and financial scams that litter the web. In this article, we will identify several red flags that often appear in online investment scams.

The Guaranteed Return

The biggest red flag in an investment opportunity is the promise of a guaranteed return. If a website or financial product ever promises a guaranteed return, it is one of two things. One, an outright scam in which the seller is intentionally attempting to bilk you out of your hard-earned money. Or two, a seller who is ignorant of the true nature of financial markets and finance in general and believes they have stumbled upon the golden secret. Either way, you want to steer clear of the situation. The world of finance is unpredictable. A basic tenet of market theory is that anything can happen at any time. Thus, no investment is 100% secure.

Cheap Sales Language

Earn Huge Profits in No Time At All!! Work Next To Your Pool From a Laptop Computer!! 6 Days of Work To Earn 3 Months of Pay!! Many investment scams prey on our desires for financial success and independence. Scam artists are fully aware that anyone looking at their advertisement is looking at it because they want to make money and they want to be financially independent. So instead of sharing the practical steps to generating lasting wealth, including hard work, discipline, diligence, content-area expertise etc, they instead appeal straight to our emotions. When you see this type of cheap sales language accompanying an investment opportunity, let is serve as a warning sign.

Transfer of Funds

Any investment opportunity that requires you to wire transfer funds to a certain bank account should be treated with the most extreme levels of caution. This can apply to several different types of investment scenarios.

First, let’s examine financial brokers. Many people who are seeking to generate money online become interested in the possibility of trading financial markets. It should be understood that financial markets are heavily regulated by government agencies including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Commodity Futures Trade Commission (CFTC), and the National Futures Association (NFA). The best wisdom is to conduct business only with firms and persons registered with these organizations. Although registration with these government agencies is not a guarantee against fraud by any means, it can greatly reduce the probability. An individual should exercise great caution in ever depositing funds with a “broker” that is not registered with any of these agencies. The reason is because these unregistered brokers can simply close up shop any day, and run off with all the deposited funds in their firm. That means you, the investor, would be out of all your money.

Second, let’s briefly examine a request for money. Any investment opportunity that requires you to wire money or send goods to an undisclosed destination should be avoided. These scams are rampant on online advertisement venues such as Craigslist.

The requirements to making money online are no different than making money in any other business venture. It takes hard work, discipline and time. It won’t happen overnight. Simply being aware of the few red flags discussed in this article will help people navigate the sometimes murky waters of online investments and business opportunities.

Frugal Recipe: Broccoli Cauliflower Soup

This soup is delicious anytime of the year, but might be best during the summer because so many of the ingredients are in season and more favorable and fresh because you can buy them locally or grow them yourself. Cooking it in a slow cooker also cuts down on the heat generated in your house.

Ingredients

Head of cauliflower – cut up

Head of broccoli – cut up

One medium onion – diced

A couple stalks of celery – sliced

A pinch of garlic, salt and pepper

2 cans chicken broth – or make your own

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 cups of cheddar cheese soup

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup of milk

½ stick of butter

Directions

Add the first six ingredients to your slow cooker, top with water and cook on medium for around six hours. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook until blended and melted. Being a carnivore I usually add some diced ham or smoked sausage to this soup, but it’s good without the meat, too.

Related Reading:

Kielbasa Skillet

The Free Sofa

Recently my wife spotted a sofa sleeper for free on Craigslist. We wanted one for the guest bedroom so we drove my old Ford truck the 40 miles to the little town where it was located. “It will be a fun little drive in the country,” she said. That didn’t sound so bad, and the sofa was priced right. We made the drive and after loading it up we stopped at a convenience store for a glass of ice for the warm bottle of water we had in the truck and a slice of pizza that we split because we had not eaten yet that day. Heading back down the highway we got about 5 miles out of town when something began to smell hot. The truck began shaking and losing power. We were just able to turn off of the highway onto a gravel road when it died. Once we rolled to a stop we hopped out and looked under the hood. What greeted us was smoke pouring out of the valve cover. I commented that this free sofa wasn’t free anymore.

It was a bright sunny day, in the 90’s and humid. Looking around us as far as we could see were waving green corn fields without a tree in site. After placing a call to AAA we stretched a blanket across the windshield to create some shade and waited. And waited. The flies were biting, the sweat was trickling and there was nothing to do but watch the corn swaying in the fields. I observed that if we were stuck out there after dark at least we had the sofa to sleep on.

The shop assigned to handle the remote area we were in was very busy and we ended up waiting two and a half hours for the tow truck to arrive. We had just drunk the last of our water when the driver showed up. He was sympathetic about our situation and invited us to wait in his air conditioned truck cab while he loaded our truck, with the free sofa still strapped in the back, onto his flatbed truck. As he hopped into the cab to drive us home we both grimaced as he somehow pegged the scenario perfectly. “Let me guess,” he said, “you got a really good deal on that sofa on Craigslist.”

Related Reading:

How I Sell on Craigslist

Is AAA Worth It?

Can You Really Find Good Free Stuff On Craigslist?

Weekly Roundup

The winner of The Buck List’s $60 gift certificate giveaway was Xing L. Thanks to everyone who entered and keep your eyes open for future giveaways.

SnagFilms “is committed to finding the world‘s most compelling documentaries, whether from established heavyweights or first-time filmmakers, and making them available to the wide audience these titles deserve.” This free site has a library of over 850 films.

The mission of AlphaClone is to “make it easy for investors to benefit from the stock picking prowess of the world's top investment managers.” They help investors to invest in stock strategies that are copied (cloned) from the holdings of top managers. Visit to learn more.

If you are planning on traveling around the U.S. anytime soon make sure to bookmark the National Traffic and Road Closure Information site. They offer state by state information on construction, weather and road conditions and links to all of the state DOT’s.

A reader pointed out this article on 12 must have iPhone apps for serious bargain shoppers.

PeopleString say that they give their members back 70% of the revenue the site generates. They offer an online community, email, IM, 1 on 1 video conferencing, cash back shopping, sharing in ad/search revenue and their Mailbox Cash feature. It’s been my experience that these kinds of sites don’t pay much, but why not make a little doing things you already do on the internet?

Some recent personal finance posts I enjoyed reading.
This article presents five different scenarios when you shouldn’t take money from family.
Here are some ideas on how to avoid out-of-network health care charges.

Weekly Reminder – A reminder of a useful article you might have missed. Here is a post about three blogging lessons I learned by example.

The Used Coffee Maker Experiment

A few days ago the on/off switch of our coffee maker broke, meaning it would not turn on. My wife, daughter and I were at a department store later that day looking for a wedding gift for a friend when we walked by the coffee machine aisle. The one my wife wanted with all the bells and whistles was around $60. We decided to shop around some other stores another day to see if we could find a better deal.

The next day my daughter and I stopped in to a local Salvation Army thrift store. While I was looking for some shorts she went off wandering around. When she reappeared she was holding a used coffee maker she had found that had all the features her mother wanted, for $15. She plugged it in and it worked, and it was so clean it looked brand new. She decided to buy it for her mom and it’s now sitting, and still brewing, on our kitchen counter.

We normally buy small appliances like that new but considering the new prices, the condition of the used machine, and the desire of a daughter to buy her mother a gift, we have embarked on The Used Coffee Maker Experiment. Time will tell if it was a good deal.

Do You Want What You Have?

The following quote is by Dr. David G. Myers, a professor of psychology at Michigan’s Hope College. It is from an essay about what affect wealth has on well being.

“Wealth is like health: Its utter absence can breed misery, but having it doesn’t guarantee happiness. Happiness seems less a matter of getting what we want than of wanting what we have.”

Related Reading:

Throwing Starfish

11 Ways to Go Frugal

The following is a guest post contributed by Jena Ellis, who writes on the topics of Online Certificate Programs. She welcomes your questions and comments at her email address: jena.ellis20@gmail.com.

If you're not careful, the word "frugal" can start to sound like an insult. People use it to mean "cheapskate" or even "freeloader," which is unfair when you consider that at its heart, frugality is just about living wisely and well and doing it within your means. If you're new to living frugally or you've been doing it a while, it can be a good idea to take a step back and refocus on where you can save the most money. With that in mind, here are 11 great ways to live a low-cost life:

Plan your shopping. Don't go to the mall and browse the racks; that's the quickest way to spend money you don't have on something you don't need. Plan in advance what you need to buy -- clothes, a tool, etc. -- and only buy that. Trust me, this is a great way to save money you didn't know you were losing. Impulse buys can be deadly for people trying to live a smart, frugal life.

Work out on your own. Avoid paying a costly gym membership and work out on your own. You can do tons of exercises and get in great shape without ponying up high monthly fees for all that equipment.

Cut out the red meat. You'd be amazed at how much you can reduce your grocery bill by cutting out the beef. Plus, as a bonus, you can focus on lighter meats or veggie meals.

Sack it. You probably hear this tip all the time, and that's because it works. Taking a sack lunch to the office, even if it's just last night's leftovers, is so much cheaper than going out for a midday meal.

Buy a clothesline. You can slash your electric bill by skipping the dryer and hanging your clothes on the line after they're washed.

Get a family cell phone plan. It's unlikely you'll be able to ditch your cell phone altogether -- for many people, the cell phone is the only phone they have -- but you can save some serious cash if you pool your plans and get a family rate to share with your spouse and children.

Cut the credit cards. Don't use credit cards, period. They trick you into living beyond your means and suck you into a world of debt that can take years to escape. If you've got debt, work hard to pay it off. If you don't, consider yourself lucky.

Cut the cable. This is a good decision, especially if you're not a huge sports fan and don't need dozens of channels of games and highlights. Cutting off your cable TV will save you hundreds of dollars a year, and you can use some of that money to invest in DVD purchases or rentals for programs you really want to see. As a bonus, you'll have more free time to spend with friends and family.

Cut the addictions. Smoking and drinking can be hard habits to break, but the financial and health benefits you'll reap from eliminating them from your life are amazing. You'll be healthier, wealthier, and all-around happier. Seriously: You'll bank thousands of dollars by quitting. Don't be afraid to ask for help, either.

Share your ride. Joining a carpool is a great way to reduce fuel costs and lower your carbon footprint. Along the same lines, check out the public transportation options in your city. I've found it cheaper -- and more relaxing -- to ride the train to work than to waste gas dealing with rush-hour traffic.

Use that library card. Books, movies, music: You can get them all for free at your local library. Hang onto those hundreds of dollars you're spending on trips to the movie theater and various stores by opting for free media.

That's just the beginning. With a little practice, you'll be living like a frugal champ in no time. Good luck!

Weekly Roundup

Don’t forget to enter The Buck List’s $60 gift certificate giveaway. Click here for details. The giveaway ends on July 8th.

Neighborhood Goods offers is a site where you can save money and resources by renting out your own stuff or borrowing what you need from your neighbors.

Hot Coupon World says their site was designed to be operated “By Couponers, For Couponers.” Give this free site a look to see if you can find some good deals.

Posts of the Week – Some recent personal finance posts I enjoyed reading.
Number two on this list entitled 4 Frugal Things You’ll Never See Me Do made me chuckle.
This interesting post offers stats on what we do with our time.

Traveleyes “is a travel company with a difference. We provide holidays for both blind/visually impaired and sighted travelers, journeying together in a spirit of mutual independence.” Visit this unique site to learn more.

Like to get email? InboxDollars is a free site where you can earn money for reading 2 or 3 emails per day.

Weekly Reminder – A reminder of a useful article you might have missed.

I wrote this post about turning your hobby into income.

Car Review from a Tow Truck Driver

My wife and I recently had a vehicle break down (I will write more about that adventure soon) and called AAA for a tow. We found ourselves trapped in the cab for the 35 mile trip with a very chatty driver. Besides running us through his entire work history and calling his wife on his cell phone to tell her about his day one of the observations he offered was his opinion on the best and worst cars on the road. In his opinion the best car out there was the Volvo. In his 5 years of towing he had only towed four of them, and those had not broken down but had been in accidents or had flat tires. The worst vehicle? He said the Jeep Grand Cherokee was hands down the biggest piece of junk on the road. He had towed more of them by far than any other vehicle.

I have not owned either vehicle so I don’t have an opinion but I thought it was interesting to get a car review from someone who tows them every day.

Win a $60 Gift Certificate

The Buck List is offering a $60 gift certificate to one lucky reader this month and if you have a laptop or a smartphone you won’t even have to get out of bed to enter. Just leave a comment below along with a way for me to contact you and I will choose at random one lucky reader to win a $60 gift certificate from CSN Stores, which is also valid at any of their online stores such as Bedroom Furniture, AllModern, CSNLighting or Cookware. The winner will be notified when the giveaway ends on July 8th. If you win be aware there could be shipping charges and if you will be ordering from a Canadian address international fees could apply for certain products. Make sure to check that out when you are picking out your product.

Good Luck!