Why take a Staycation when there is VRBO?

We just finished a week at the beach in a private condo and spent less than $1000 for the entire week - food & gas to get there (2000 miles round trip) included - for a family of five. This was much better than a Staycation which is how we spent the Fourth of July week last year.

The key to our great, low cost vacation was finding a private condo, one block from the beach for $490 for the week. (True, it wasn't directly on the beach, but walking the block to the beach didn't kill us.) I found the condo through a website called Vacation Rental By Owner - VRBO. The owner of the condo was very pleasant and everything worked out great!

The condo had cooking facilities, so I was able to prepare the majority of our meals. It also had a washer and dryer, so we didn't have to pack a lot and we were able to clean up our beach clothes each day when we got back.

Another benefit of renting from a private individual was the beach where we were was not very crowded during the week because those around us in the other condos were at work! It was wonderful.

Check out this great condo find here: http://www.vrbo.com/56023

My experience with VRBO was great, just like the experiences of the individual who recommended it to me. So, check it out and don't suffer another Staycation at home!

Until another frugal moment hits...

The Frugal Queen

Cutting Eveyday Expenses - Make Your Own Laundry Soap

On occasion in the past I had heard about individuals who made their own laundry soap, but I had no information on how to do it until I watched a show on "The Duggars" on the Discovery channel. After watching the show and learning how they are raising a family of 18 through the pay-as-you-go method (no credit, no loans, etc.), I checked into their website and tried their recipe.

I have been using their recipe now for over three months and it has saved me a tremendous amount of money. Full credit for the following recipe goes completely to The Duggars (here is a link to their website: http://www.duggarfamily.com/recipes.html) :

* 1 bar of Fels Naptha Soap (shredded)
* 1 cup of Washing Soda
* 1/2 cup of Borax

Mix and use 1 to 2 tablespoons of this laundry soap per load. I have a front loading washer which is newer, so I normally use only 1 tablespoon (2 when the clothes are extra soiled).

I made a triple batch of laundry soap and the total cost was only around $5. I got approximately 120 loads out of this batch. This was an incredible savings for me as I have been a die hard Tide user for years.

A few tips if you want to purchase the ingredients and try it yourself:

#1 - call around to make certain the store carries the ingredients
#2 - there is such a thing as washing soda (it is in the laundry aisle if the store has it) don't let anyone tell you it doesn't exist - it just is not as common as it was in years past - the box I purchased was Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (not Baking Soda)
#3 - make sure your container is clean and dry before you put the ingredients in it and that it has a lid
#4- don't reuse old containers from other items as you don't want to mix chemicals (this can be fatal in some cases - I don't want to scare you, just to caution you not to mix chemicals accidentally)

Thanks again to The Duggars! You are my frugal heroes!

Until another frugal moment hits....

The Frugal Queen

A Great Financial Resource

I have found a great new resource for frugal individuals such as myself - the transforming Debt Into Wealth system. I have listened to the CDs (which I checked out from the library for free, thank you!) and his system makes sense.

I am going to give it a try and I will give you periodic updates on how I am doing. If you are interested in learning more about his system, check out his website at:

http://www.johncummuta.com/

Remember though, I was able to check this resource out of the library, so make certain you look there first. ( I am NOT getting paid to promote this program, I just liked it when I listened to it and felt it made sense.)

If you have any good resources for debt elimination which you have come across, please feel fee to post them as an addition to this post.

And so not be be negligent in my posting, here is your frugal tip for the day - use your local library first before purchasing resources. My family frequently visits the library (my little ones are on a first name basis with the librarians in the children's section) and we are able to check out books, games for the computer, books on tape/cd, music and movies. So long as we remember (that is Mom remembers) to take them back on time, it is a completely free service! Just think of the savings in movie rentals along!

Check out your local library - its a frugal person's paradise!

Until another frugal moment hits -

The Frugal Queen

Online Shopping - Great Money Saving Ideas

When online shopping, I have learned a great idea for saving money which I would like to share: always search for coupon codes before finalizing your purchase.

Coupon codes are promotional codes provided by the online retailers to entice shoppers to their websites through offering free shipping or a percentage off.

I receive coupon codes in the mail frequently, but don't always have them handy when I need them to enter into the website. So, instead of purchasing the item without the coupon code, I "google" the name of the retailer and the word coupon.

A good example of this would be "googling" the terms "lane bryant coupon" all together (less the quote marks).

When I did this just a moment ago, I received a link to a page from coupon cabin which I have pasted below. It contains various coupon codes which I can use on the Lane Bryant website to save money when making a purchase. (certain limitations do apply, just like in the regular store)

http://www.couponcabin.com/coupons/lane-bryant/index.htm

or this one from Coupon Mountain:

http://www.couponcabin.com/coupons/lane-bryant/index.htm

It works for many online retailers. Try it out and if you find another great coupon posting website, please let me know!

Until another frugal moment hits,

The Frugal Queen