If you have too many books or CDS or DVDS you might consider selling some or participating in a swap with friends. Last night I decided to get rid of some of the books that I have and have no intention or reading again. I took these books in the photo to Half Price Books in Skokie and got $15. Since I wasn’t doing this for any reason other than gaining more space in my house fifteen dollars was fine with me. Plus this was more than I would get if I put them out by the dumpster for people to take for free.

This was the first time I had been to Half Price Books. Years ago I sold some CDs and there was no guarantee that everything you had to sell would be bought. Fortunately, HPB will buy everything and you don’t have to go back home with items they wouldn’t buy. This is an improvement over the second hand cd shop I frequented.

There were some good things there but nothing that I wanted. I did make a purchase a brain teaser game deck which was further reduced because I had a 40% off coupon and a pin. I used my voucher and still had almost $12 left. That $12 I used to buy a treat at a quick food restaurant which has a special on Tuesdays and I still had about $2 left. Not bad for getting rid of some books and making more room on my shelves.

Look around and see if there are some items that you may want to sell, not necessarily for a great profit but it will help you declutter and also afford to treat yourself to something without feeling guilty.

Everyone can do it

Can you afford to give? That doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense does it? It seems like not a day goes by that I do not receive a packet requesting money for one cause or another. I consider those that I want to donate to but I have also thought about other opportunities to give.

Give your time. Have you ever been to a theatre or concert and the organization is asking for volunteers in different capacities? You can volunteer for a political campaign but you can volunteer for a community organization that may need your skills as well.

If an organization had to pay a person to write advertisements for them or do other things it would be too expensive. Businesses work out trade agreements for performance with other businesses. For individuals with time, talent and skills that are available that is another resource to give. You may earn free tickets to see a performance but most likely you make work during the performance which gives you a chance to use your best smile while helping out.

Other places where you can give your time would be as an adult volunteer tutor at a school. You can give small amounts of money to organizations that would really use to the money. Look at the financial giving statements on the back of some of the campaign offers that you receive. I recently received one that said that 88% of the contribution goes toward the cause, the other is for supplies like the mailer I received in my hand.

I purchased a ticket to a play last night and used a different ticketing service – Brown Paper Tickets.  At the end when you are checking out, there is an opportunity to choose from three different recipients for a portion of my handling fee. The fee was cheaper but also there was a bonus of helping someone.

In kind donations are also good too! Have an extra pair of shoes in your closet that you don’t like? Clothes that you thought you liked? You can donate items to thrift stores or goodwill shops.

There are tax breaks for certain donations and you can ask for a receipt.

Want to make a smaller donation than what you are asked for? Don’t feel pressured to give only the amount asked for – you can give more or less. If an organization that you belong to calls and asks for money, and their giving levels exceed your comfort level, you can offer an amount you are comfortable with or give to an organization that can use smaller donations that make a big impact like Heifer International or Changing the Present.

If you decide to give money you can do it in small increments. Saving money just to save is like having your fist closed and expecting someone to fill it. You need to take care of your basic needs but there are also others in need too.

More people are eating out. If you make good choices when eating out you can save money. For an occasional treat if you order out that’s great but have you ever thought about ordering a little more than you can eat for one meal so you can have another meal for just a little more. Of course this won’t be an appealing proposition with fast food burger joints. Some things don’t warm well.

Americans also reported eating out approximately five times a week in 2006. Fast-food restaurants were the most popular eating establishments for breakfast and lunch, while fast-food and casual dining were the two most popular places for dinner. Ease, convenience and cost were among the top reasons respondents ordered value/combo meals at fast-food restaurants.

Eating out is not outside of the realm of a frugal person if you make the most of the opportunity. Besides eating out too often can wreak havoc on your health in the long run, but for an occasional treat eating restaurant food can be enjoyable. Coupons, local entertainment books or even weekly specials can make eating out more affordable.

Have a coupon for a few dollars off of a pizza? That could pay for delivery or an extra topping. The larger size may be too much for your to eat without gorging yourself. But hey if you are ordering and you like it, order extra so you can have some for lunch or dinner the next night. Instead of having a “doggie” bag from a restaurant, you have it already in your house. Check to see if there are specials offered at a restaurant.

Don’t like heating leftover food; then do not order extra. If you have no qualms about warming food then this will work for you. [Do what works for you to be frugal - something you will really stick with.]

Supplement your meals with a small salad, raw vegetables, or fruits. Not only are they good for you but you will have more food left over for other meals.

Tips:

• Reheat pizza in the oven, microwaving leftover pizza makes a soggy crust
• Thai and Chinese dishes reheat well in the microwave
• Do not order extra of something that you have not had before or do not know if you will like it.
• Some dishes are best fresh
• Eat some fruits and vegetables

Being frugal sometimes means that you need to make a choice between brands or figure out the costs per ounce, pound or piece of a particular item. I went to buy some yarn for a charity project that I was working on. I had a choice between two brands that were on sale. Both were of comparable quality. One was two 16 skeins for $9 or two seven ounce skeins for $4. When I calculated the price of the yarns the difference was negligible. The 32 ounces for $9 equaled 28.1 cents while the 14 ounces for $4 equaled 28.5 cents per ounce. Four tenths of a cent is really not a big deal considering that I was only going to save about two cents. I did purchase the larger skeins because of the colors offered.

While I was there I saw an even greater deal… one pound skeins on clearance for $3.97. No I did not intend to go to buy the clearance yarn but I know that I will use it for a project in the future and if I purchased yarn even at the sale price it would not be a great deal like this 24.8 cents per ounce. The colors were not ones that I could use in my current project but being the forward thinking frugal person I am… I bought several skeins because I knew out that I would use the colors later and the price was not one I could pass up. There weren’t a lot of skeins left so I jumped on the bargain.

It’s only a bargain if you are going to use the item. I definitely will.

Learn to make something that you like so well you would eat it or use it yourself and be able to give it away as a gift.

Not everyone can sew or bake (or cook) but if you can stir, you can make some body scrub or you can make a potpourri for someone .

I tried a scrub that was in the bathroom at a department store and then I decided that I wanted some. I bout some and my best friend said – “you can make that”. I had never made any scrub before but she knew the skills I had and even though I did buy the scrub I investigated and discovered that I could make some of the scrub by buying the ingredients for a fraction of the cost.

I have made other things and have given them to people who love them. If you go to a craft store or even grocery store a lot of the materials for scrubs are there: salt, sugar, flavoring and oil are all you need to made a basic scrub. Or just make a sugar scrub, buy sugar when it is on sale, add olive oil (the cheapest kind you can find) and add some vanilla for fragrance or you can buy some other fragranced oils. Remember a little goes a long way.

Once you make some scrub then you may decide to splurge and buy containers just for your items. Majestic Mountain Sage is a company that sells reasonably priced equipment such as fragrances and additives like ground seeds or pumice. I buy the oil at a large discounter. It’s actually olive oil pomace which is a little thicker but works just as well. Heavier items cost more to ship but things like containers and fragrance oils are more difficult to get locally so buy those online.

There is nothing wrong with making gifts or giving the gift of your time.

Start scouring the sales papers for things you can use to make something. There is still time to make an afghan, throw or scarf. Just don’t go overboard. Be reasonable in determining how many gifts you can make.

If you are a crocheter (or knitter) and know someone who wants to learn, then you can give the person a hook, yarn and a certificate for 2 hours of lessons. Or use a coupon from Joann’s or Michael’s and buy a learn to crochet or knit kit.

Be creative when giving gifts. It will make your pocketbook happy. If you are not a “skilled craftsperson” there is always next year.