by Pam on November 21, 2010
A friend of mine recently gave me a great tip for passing along books on your shelf that you’ve already read. Rather than them sitting and collecting dust, a really fun way to give them away is to do a book exchange with friends and family. Have a get- together and have everyone bring a book they have already read that’s sitting on their bookshelf. Have them wrap it up like a present.
Next, have everyone draw a number and the person with number 1 gets to choose their gift and then they open it. Number 2 then can either select their own gift, or they can steal number 1’s gift, and so on. If your gift gets stolen, then you get to choose and open another gift. This goes on until all the books have been unwrapped. The benefit to being number 1 is that at the very end you get to choose what book you want most.
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by Pam on October 14, 2010
Recently my husband and I went on another road trip. We drove about 5000 kilometers over the course of 8 days, spending time with friends and camping. We are usually really good about sticking within a tight vacation budget,, however, on this trip we were more careless with how we spent our money. And, as a result, our vacation ended up costing more than we anticipated.
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by Pam on September 28, 2010
My husband and I do not eat out a lot because we know it is cheaper to cook ourselves. However, it is nice to eat out once in a while as we get to try different foods and we don’t have to clean up the mess afterwards.
Lately we have been eating out more frequently, and although my husband’s all time favorite place to eat is at a buffet that serves all-you-can-eat snow crab legs, he was willing to try a Chinese buffet that was half the price.
We were pleasantly surprised by the buffet. For just $10 per person, the buffet offered a variety of Chinese main dishes, some salads, soup, fruit, dessert, and even a few varieties of dimsum. Although it was not as good as our classic crab legs buffet, it was a really good deal and we were impressed.
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by Pam on August 29, 2010
There are a lot of ways you can save money when you travel. My husband and I generally camp whenever possible as it has been a cheap way for us to get to see a lot of places. However, some friends of ours recently introduced us to an organization called Mennonite Your Way. They had gone to the U.S. for a vacation and they stayed with people who open up their homes to travelers. Not only did they save a lot of money by not having to stay in hotels, but they also had the opportunity to meet a lot of new people.
Mennonite Your Way is not strictly for Mennonites, in case you were wondering. According to their website, it’s a hospitality network for Christians. They have created a directory of over 1700 hosts in approximately 60 countries and for a donation you can get a copy of the directory. Then, you can contact the hosts located in your area of travel and make arrangements with them directly. The whole purpose is to encourage fellowship with folks from all over the world. On top of that, it makes traveling a whole lot cheaper as well.
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by Pam on August 15, 2010
If you enjoy playing video games as a hobby, you may find that it can really hurt your pocketbook if you buy all the latest games at full price. One way to enjoy the games without spending an arm and a leg is to buy used video games online or at stores such as Blockbuster. Patience will always save you money as well. Rather than buying the newest games when they are first available and paying an exorbitant amount of money on them, wait for a while and the prices will go down, especially after another version of the game is introduced.
If you would rather not wait, then buy the game at full price. Play it until you are tired of it, and then sell it on E-bay or on a used website local to your area. Many large cities in Canada have a site where you can post your item for free such as www.usedcalgary.com, www.usedtoronto.com, etc. You won’t get all of your money back, but used video games are usually fairly easy to sell for at least half the price you paid for them, and likely more if you are selling the latest version.
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If you are like me, you enjoy trying foods from different countries from time to time. The easiest way to do this, of course, would be to go to a specialized restaurant that serves that special cuisine you have always wanted to try. However, going out to eat is often really expensive and may not fit within your entertainment budget. But that doesn’t have to stop you from trying different things and expanding your menu.
Rather than eating out, check out local markets and small grocers in your area that offer goods from various countries. Major cities will often have stores catering to their multicultural populations so it shouldn’t be hard to find grocery stores and shops that sell delicacies from around the world.
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Hobbies can be expensive. The neat thing is that if you are creative, you can enjoy a hobby without spending an excessive amount of money. You don’t have to buy the latest and most expensive equipment and gadgets. Instead, you can buy them used or in some cases, make them yourself. Some hobbies are practically free, while others can be costly, but if you’re careful, you can make your money go a lot further, still allowing you to do the things you love.
Take photography for example. Although it may be considered a fairly expensive hobby due to the cost of cameras, lenses, developing film, and so on, there are ways you can cut down on costs. To get some ideas, check out the article “10 Ways To Save Money On Your Photography”.
The article discusses ideas such as using borrowed equipment rather than buying your own, posting your photos online rather than paying to develop them, and taking pictures at places where it’s free as well as making use of natural light.
Even if you are on a tight budget, it is important for you to allow yourself a small amount to spend each month on your hobby. Having a hobby is healthy as it gives you a chance to relax and enjoy yourself after a long day at work or with the kids.
As nice as it would be to get your hands on the latest and greatest equipment out there, it’s definitely not a necessity. Feel free to pursue your hobbies, just be realistic about how much you can spend on them.
A friend of mine recently gave me a great tip for passing along books on your shelf that you’ve already read. Rather than them sitting and collecting dust, a really fun way to give them away is to do a book exchange with friends and family. Have a get- together and have everyone bring a book they have already read that’s sitting on their bookshelf. Have them wrap it up like a present.
