Grow your own vegetable/fruit garden.

For the past five years I've grown my own vegetables/fruit . You don't need a lot of planting space as my patio is primarily brick pavement ! I'm someone who doesn't like to spend too much time on care and maintence so I done organic gardenening with no fertilizer . Just plant after the cold season is over, water the seeds regularly until they mature into seedlings and.then water a few time a week thereafter.  Give it a try as it may be easier then you think!
I grow okra ever year since it is so easy to grow and requires little care and I get regular veggies every few days.  I save a few seeds from a matured okra to replant the following year.  I've also done watermelon with success.See my pics as they do not require much planting space, just spawling ground! Some seeds you can get for free from your grocery produce- bell pepper seeds, cantelope, green beans, etc.  Give it a try as growing your own veggies/fruits can be rewarding as well as a cost savings.

Watermelons require a lot of sprawling space but not planting space.

The Okra blooms are lovely!




 

Cheap Online Prescription Glasses

One of my aquaintances bought a backup pair of prescription glasses online for $15.00. I thought surely that is a joke.  I examined the site and well I think the site has some great ideas and it would make a great pair of backup glasses!  They claim to have better prices than Walmart or Costco with glasses starting at $6.99.  www.zipoptical.com.  The best part of it all- they will let you upload your picture to try on their virtual glasses. That's a great feature! I've always had a problem with choosing the right frame shape for my face... I need glasses to see what I look like.  No longer do I need to depend on someone else to help me with this task and I'll have an idea of which frame shape suites my face.  It is so easy and convenient! They have glasses in different categories: men, women, children, sunglasses,  price range, different types and shapes.   Don't expect the glasses to be high quality- but a cheap second backup pair might be useful. I just might give it a try!

Adventures on Greyhound

Ever dream of traveling the world but on a budget. Whether you are as adventurous enough to travel across the states on motorcoach bus or only a few hours within your home, Greyhound offers it all. In most cases, it is cheaper than flying. On some pay in advance, fares can be as low as a few dollars, example starting at $2 from Dallas to San Antonio or $2 from San Jose to Los Angeles (you need to look around to catch these special fares). (2012)
For your destination, there are a number of schedules for you to pick and you can see all the stops/transfers and cities on your route. The bus runs 24 hours, even driving through the night. Sounds scary? Well, I am one who still has flying phobias and will probably never get used to flying. Some of the 24 hour stations I've been to are occupied by many people so I feel as safe as anywhere else.

The cons is that there might be rest stops/ transfers at odd hours of the night/ morning if you are on a long schedule.

The pros, I've had inexpensive vacations, without having to pay lodging! Just take an overnight trip and sleep on the bus. Schedule a return the next night and avoid the cost of lodging! On most of my trips, the bus is almost full of people so it's not an unsafe feeling of being alone.

Update- there is another bus line even more cost effective but with more limited schedules and locations and may not have the 24 hr full service stations with restrooms/food service- The MegaBus.  They have  stations in downtown Dallas and Houston and a few in CA, Atlanta, etc. If you are looking for cheap travels the Megabus may be of interest if you have one in your area.

Free Phone Calls!

Wish you could correspond more with long distance relatives? The cost is no excuse these days- how about free long distance phone calls? There are a number of free downloads or apps which enable you to do this from your PC, cellphone or media player.
Visit www.icall.com for a free download which would enable you to make calls from your ipod or PC with Windows. There is a few minutes of ads before your call will be enabled with this method.
You can sign up for a free Google email account and a Google Talk/ Voice account. you can get your own free phone number through Google Voice and Google talk setup for free phone calls from your PC. Visit http://www.google.com/intl/en/about/products/index.html for more info on Google Talk or Google Voice.
For your cellphone or mediaplayer, a free app to consider to enable free phone calls is Talkatone. Another easy to use or setup App costing about $5 is GrooveIP for your cellphone or mediaplayer.
If you need detailed info on the methods for the above, just visit WWW.Youtube.com. Perform a search of relevant videos to watch that will show you in depth all the basics of these different methods.

Free Virtual Makeover!

Ever dream of a makeover but not sure you can afford it? Every knows that appearances are important in this society and can affect how others perceive you and can even help or hinder your professional career.
Maybe the cost is prohibited or you dread that you might wind up with a nightmare look or maybe you fear it's something you just would not be able to maintain.
Have you seen where the before look was much better than the after? How do you know you will end up with the look that you are looking for, not someone else's style preference.  Maybe you are looking for a new look but it is a daunting thought if it will take forever for you to grow out a bad haircut.  This is when you should try a FREE virtual makeover. No worries about bad results or a long term commitment.
Visit www.MaryKay.com, then select Virtual Makeover selection from their side menu. You will need a picture of yourself to upload. I would try a picture with your hair up to help out with some of the shorter hair styles. You can try different hair colors, cut and style, as well as accessories and makeup. You can save different result versions and even email the results to a friend. If you like the results, you can find the pertinent product/color sample for purchase.  Have fun! 

No, this is not me with my MaryKay makeover but is me with a free Faces Android app . YEEHAW!

Cruise on the Cheap!

Traveling can be expensive, right?  If you want to make the most of your money, one alternative is Cruising!

Never been on a cruise?  Well I hope to share with you some info that will have you consider it for your next vacation.
No worries about car rental and gas expenses, lodging, or meals. The cruise will provide you with all you can eat!  They offer the buffet option or eating in their main dining rooms. Entertainment on the ship is free. This will include all kinds of music , shows, fitness centers, Vegas-like musical shows and casino playing. Of course if you want to go on an excursion once at port, that will be your cost. However, if you book early for the cruise online, such as on www.cheaptickets.com, they sometimes offer you credit for a free excursion! It is easy to book for cruise excursions and activities online , offered while on the boat, or even at the ports.  Most cruises make at least 2 different port stops, so I think this is a good deal for the money.

Where to go for the cheapest cruise? You will need to consider airfare expense because in some cases, that may be the bigger expense. The cheapest cruise East of the US may be out of the Port of Miami to the Bahamas and secondly Key West & Cozumel, and thirdly the Caribbean Islands with starting prices of 3-4 night cruises for $169 per person or roughly $340 for one stateroom as 90% of cruise lines charge at least for double occupancy. Taxes are roughly $100 per person traveling. Now if you are looking to cruise on the West Coast, try Vancouver/ Seattle one night cruises starting at $69 per person and 2 nightsVancouver/ San Francisco cruises starting at $149 per person. I always book the cheaper interior stateroom; No need for the more expensive oceanview rooms as there are plenty of internal/external space on the ship for an exterior view.  If you are going single, Norweigian Cruise line  may have a studio stateroom on a few cruises and save you a little less than the standard double price.

The selection of cruise locations are limitless. Cruising makes your vacationing easy, especially if you are traveling to a foreign country such as to Europe or Asia. There could be multiple port stops in different countries. A cheapest European  cruise could take you to Barcelona, Spain; Marseille, France; and Savona, Italy with a return to Barcelona port. Or you can cruise from Venice and visit Greece and Croatia with a return to Venice. A cruise to Alaska is most cost effective flying out of Seattle with port stops in multiple Alaska ports including Victoria, BC.

Try cruising and you may be hooked on it like me.

Poolside Entertainment

Affordable Movies

These days the price of going out to the movies can be expensive but you can find cheaper alternatives!
There are a few online internet sites that offer movie viewing for free. Try to do an internet search or try  www.Hulu.com. Their movies are a bit noncurrent but they have a pretty good selection categorized by movie types.

Another option, try visiting a few of your local libraries. Here in Dallas,  I'm lucky to find the closest library to me contains a pretty good selection of DVDs movies to check out for free with a library card.  The DVDs are pretty current too.

RedBox is a cheap alternative too. Rent the movie for a stay at home night.

If you are longing for the big screen theaters, try a search for www.Cinemark.com. I can locate two theaters in Dallas with discount prices, the movies being only some months less than currently released. Movies start at $1.00 for matinee and $.75 all day Tuesday.  Both Cinemark Movies 10 in Plano, TX and Cinemark Hollywood USA in Garland, TX have RealD 3D movies starting at $3.00 for early Bird.

Now, who says you have to go broke with your entertainment when you can enjoy a movie for cheap!