Looking to save time or money? Visit The Dollar Stretcher.com. <(begin tips) Refund Remarks Remember a tax refund is an interest free loan given to Uncle Sam over the course of a year. Better to adjust one's deductions and use the money immediately toward reducing debt or investing in a mutual fund, etc. Mike K. Pocket Protector Gardeners I know who work in a shady and heavily mosquito infested area swear by simply putting an unused fabric softener sheet in their back pockets. They say the scent keeps the mosquitoes away. H.R. Quick Change When I was first starting out, I used to paint just one wall of a room. You can usually do this with a quart of paint. In just a few hours, you have a new look! It creates interest in the room, and provides a chance to try a daring new color (like orange or a dark berry color) without committing! Andrea G. of Mount Vernon, WA Easy Massage As a nurse massage therapist, I like the idea of using a tennis ball in a sock for massage. Use a tube sock or nylon and place two tennis balls in the middle, knot on either side of the balls, and then roll the balls on either side of your spine. The sock ends become handles to position the balls and you can regulate the amount of pressure by rolling against a wall or the floor. Jackie Priority Shopping When shopping on a limited budget, this is what works for us: Make a list of everything you need. Prioritize that list and either number things in order of importance or rewrite the list in the order of importance. Shop only with the amount of cash you know you can spend. Shop with a calculator, adding up the total as you put things into your cart. Whenever possible, use sales flyers to help make your list. I had to help my father shop this way as a child and do it now when my husband's income is reduced. It really works. I don't overspend. There are no nasty surprises or embarrassing moments at the checkout, and it's a good way to make sure you have what you need most and learn to "make do" with what you couldn't have. T. Dirt Magnet I just did a very "un-frugal" thing and had my carpets professionally cleaned, instead of doing it myself. It was a luxury that we saved for. However, when the carpet cleaner was done, he gave me a tip that will save me (and you) a little money in the future. He said that when you use your home carpet cleaner, try it without carpet cleaning solution. Just use hot water. That way, you won't be running the risk of not getting all of the soap out. Soap left on the carpet can leave a film, which will attract dirt like a magnet, causing you to have to have your carpets cleaned more frequently. And carpet cleaning solution can cost upwards of $7 a bottle. So, my tip is try hot water first in your home carpet cleaner. You might not need the expensive carpet cleaning solution! Jaime of Birmingham, AL Great Grad Gift A great graduation gift idea is a smoke detector/alarm with batteries. Parents will greatly appreciate this gift if their "little one" is moving out or going off to college. BL D-I-Y Weight Loss Program Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, etc. better watch this! You and your friends and relatives can do your own program. First, you need a diet plan that is easy and affordable. Think tuna, canned soups, fresh, frozen and canned fruits and vegetables, low fat yogurt and cottage cheese. You can even make your own diet drinks with a combination of dried milk and fortified chocolate powder. Make some menus and count the calories with the help of library books and/or the Internet. Next, buy some inexpensive exercise videos at the secondhand store. They have them in abundance. Look for low-impact aerobic workouts as these will be the best for everyone's anatomy. Look for a place where everyone can meet. Usually someone's basement or family room that can be re-arranged slightly will suffice if your group is small. Before and after the workout, share strategies of what is helping members maintain their diet and exercise goals. The final component is phone contact. Make sure each member telephones a fellow dieter every day to keep up morale and commitment. One postscript is needed. Members might put $5 in a kitty every week, and every week, someone different goes home a winner to keep everyone looking toward the future. Amy of Toledo Fleas in the House Buy a dog flea collar, cut it in half and place one half in you vacuum cleaner. This will take care of the fleas in the bag when you are vacuuming. Mona L. Saving Gasoline One big fuel waster is idling. Shut off the engine whenever possible. Don't idle the car to warm up the inside or cool it either. Idling with the A/C on is very hard on a car. Also, Emunds.com also recently did comparative testing, and despite what you may have heard, it is still cheaper to roll down the windows rather than run the A/C. Also, keep in mind that most cars automatically engage the compressor whenever defrost or defog is selected. I see people all the time driving around with the windows down and I can hear the A/C running because they have the climate control in defrost or defog. When using the A/C, recirculate or "Max A/C" is more efficient than using outside air. I'm currently driving a 2006 Honda Civic Si that takes premium gas, and I get more than the EPA estimates every loop. JK Charged! Not Really! We recently got out from under our credit card debt. Yes! We switched to a card with a very low rate and rebates. I vowed to only use it if I can cover the cost. Every time I make a purchase, I put that amount rounded to the next dollar in an envelope without fail. When the bill arrives, I have the money to pay off the balance in full. It works like a charm! Lisa H. Pool Time In my area, you pay once for the water coming into the house. The water company also handles the sewage, so they figure all the water you use will also end up in the sewer system. They make you pay an additional amount equal to what you used. So, if you use $30 worth of water, you pay $60. $30 for the water coming in and $30 for that same water going into the sewage system. If you used the water on your lawn or your plants or to wash the dog or the car, you still pay as if it went down the sewer. If you are filling a pool, call them and tell them on what days you plan on doing this. They will still charge you for using (consuming) the 20,000 gallons, but they won't charge you for 20,000 gallons in sewage fees. Grant A. Mother's Day Ideas For Mother's Day, most Moms that I know would just like to have some time off or for someone to do a task that she doesn't like to do. Don't get her something that she has to clean or clean up after or find a place to put away. Give her a coupon book for some of her least liked tasks. For example, clean her car, clean the inside of the windows, and vacuum the mats. Stock the car with tissues, mints, a new map and a new pair of sunglasses. Organize a surprise afternoon out for her with her "Mom" friends without spouses and kids. If she sends Christmas cards, buy a box of cards and address the envelopes. Buy or borrow the DVD to a movie she wants to see and give her the night off to watch it. Take care of dinner cleanup and the kids' bedtime routines. Evelyn Large Family Solutions We have a large family as well with six children. Their ages are 15, 14, 12, 11, 7 and 6. Five of them are boys who seem to be constantly hungry so grocery dollars must be well spent. First, we buy half a beef from a local farmer, a whole pig and numerous whole chickens. I spend Sunday afternoons preparing snacks for kids' lunches. The Sunday evening meal is usually quite large as the leftovers form the basis of the meals for the week. For example, if I prepare a roast dinner, the leftover roast can become beef stroganoff, beef stir-fry, sweet and sour beef strips, etc. later in the week. This helps to make the meal planning for the week a bit easier (and quicker). We cook from scratch and make things like beef and cabbage buns, homemade pizza pops, burritos, etc. in large quantities and freeze them for those hungry teenagers to eat as snacks. GG    Previous Week       Current Week 05/04/06: Dollar Stretcher Tips