Take Control of Your Car Insurance Rates is a post from: LivingFrugalTips.com - Learn about: Living Frugal, Frugal Tips, Saving Money, Saving Money Tips

Editor’s Note: This is a quest post by Bethany Collins who is a Work at Home Mother (WAHM) who lives with her husband and two kids. She loves to read and surf the internet looking for new money saving tips. In her spare time she writes on personal finance (home, life and auto insurance companies, budgeting, and other investment options) and grows organic vegetables in her vegetable garden.

So many companies are constantly vying for your attention by advertising their car insurance discounts on the radio, TV, billboards and all over the Internet. The truth is you can get great collision, comprehensive and regular insurance at an affordable annual rate. But nothing good comes easy so you will have to compare car insurance rates online. Here are some great tips to help you get cheap car insurance quotes.

Shop around

Almost every car insurance company will give you a free quote online. This is not the time to sit back and relax, you will have to do some research and look into which company gives you the kind of discount you want. Friends may advise you to go with their insurance company and it never hurts to take their advice but you must also shop around for other discounts that serve your purposes better. Read up on reviews on the agency’s website and test their promptness to get back to you. If you ask a question and the company representative takes a week to get back to you, well, that’s not the kind of service you want to pay for.

Ask for discounts

When you find a car insurance company that you might be interested in, call them up and ask them if they have any additional discounts for a person in your situation. If you have a clean driving record or if you’re a good student, chances are a car insurance company can provide some discount. Sometimes being affiliated with certain organizations can be helpful as well. Military families are offered discounts by some car insurance companies too.

Drive carefully

Being a responsible driver is not hard to do when you’re on your way to the supermarket. But when you’re going to be late for work, you may find yourself ready to make hasty decisions that you will regret later.  Those are the times you need to remember that being a risky driver will increase your car insurance rates sooner rather than later!

Move to a safer neighborhood

The benefits of moving to a safer neighborhood are varied. For one you can feel safer in your own house and know that your children are safer as well. But did you ever think that moving to a safe neighborhood would reap car insurance benefits as well? The chances of your car being stolen are lower in certain neighborhoods. Not all neighborhoods that have a suburban look are really safe but if you do move to an area that is reported to have less theft and vandalism, your car insurance rates will decrease!

Buy a used car

The point of buying a used car is much the same as moving to a safer neighborhood. Used cars are less likely to be stolen and insurance companies will charge less to insure them. Another reason used car insurance costs less is because if the car gets into an accident, it is much cheaper to repair.

Multi-car and multi-policy

When you buy car insurance along with home insurance from the same company, you’ll get them both for a significantly cheaper price. Operating on the same principle, you will get a better rate if you insure more than one car from the same company at the same time.  It helps company loyalty and shows that you trust your insurance agency.

Drive less

Driving less is a simple and practical way to get a lower insurance rate. The less you drive, the less likely you are to get into an accident so the car insurance company will charge less to insure you. Instead of driving to nearby places you can walk or bike. Instead of taking the car to work you can carpool. It’s not just better for you, it’s also a really environment friendly habit.

Maintain good credit

One of the factors that insurance people take into account when they calculate how much insurance you should pay is your credit score. The best way to make a good credit score is by paying your credit card bills on time.

Use all these tips while you shop around for the best and cheapest car insurance for you. Remember that car insurance may seem like something you have to do just because it’s required by law but actually it’s more for your benefit and safety. Never skimp on coverage, get full car insurance if possible.

Taco Soup Recipe is a post from: LivingFrugalTips.com - Learn about: Living Frugal, Frugal Tips, Saving Money, Saving Money Tips

This is a very quick and easy Taco Soup recipe that you can  make in a crock pot or slow cooker for a simple evening meal. It’s got a spicy “kick” to it, but the flavor heat can be adjusted based on the type of tomatoes that are used.

 Taco Soup Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds of Hamburger meat browned

1 Yellow Onion Diced

3 Cans of Original Rotel Tomatoes (can substitute with diced tomatoes for less “heat”)

1 Can of Pinto Beans (do not drain liquid)

2 Cans of Corn (whole kernel,  do not drain liquid)

1 Can Diced Green Chilis

1 Package of Taco Season

2 Packages of  Ranch Dressing (Hidden Valley)

1/2 Cups of Water

Taco Soup Directions:

Brown ground beef and diced onion until done. Drain and place in crock pot.

Add all remaining ingredients listed above into the crock pot and stir just a bit top mix up all the ingredients.

Cook the Taco Soup in the crock pot on low for 6-8 hours for all the flavors to combine.

Serve with corn chips.

Garnish this easy Taco Soup recipe with sour cream and grated cheddar cheese or grated Mexican style cheese. You can also garnish with green onions and black olives if it suits your tastes.

Enjoy!

Other simple recipes that you might enjoy:

Velveeta Rotel Chicken Pasta Casserole Recipe

Skinny Margarita Recipe

Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe

Roasted Red Pepper and Chipotle Hummus Recipe

Turkey Lasagna Recipe with Lasagna Sauce

Lisa’s Nearly Famous Pulled Pork Recipe

Quick and Easy Mighty Meatloaf Recipe

Turkey Pot Pie Recipe

An Irish Feast Fit for Big Guys in Kilts – St. Patrick’s Day Recipe

Living on less – Can frugal living be a secret to financial freedom? is a post from: LivingFrugalTips.com - Learn about: Living Frugal, Frugal Tips, Saving Money, Saving Money Tips

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Jenney Roberts, who is a  financial writer by profession. She has written for a number of various Finance Communities including Debt Consolidation Care. She is a specialized writer on financial problems and their solutions.  She is also well equipped to write articles on debt consolidation, savings, planning, frugality, debt settlement etc.

There are some people who wrongly believe that being poor leads to being a frugal person. However, frugality can lead to true abundance in your life. Even with the present state of the US economy, you can easily live well by saving money and staying simple. Living a frugal life is not only important for getting out of debt, boosting your credit score or saving more money for your new car. It can also help you create less waste and less stress, thereby helping you lead a happier and eco-friendly lifestyle. It is not that there are no ways to abolish your high interest credit card debts. The debt settlement companies can assist you in reducing the principle amount that you owe on your multiple credit cards.

Then why should you go from frugal living when you have the legitimate debt relief companies to help you in such strained financial situation? This is the first question that comes to the minds of those lazy people who hate to follow a budget, saving more money and build wealth in the process. You must be aware of the negative impact that a credit card debt settlement may have on a person’s credit score. If you want to avoid such problems, you must follow certain frugal living tips so that you can immediately seek financial freedom in the near future.

• Make it easy to know where your money is spent: You can never begin to save a dime unless you know where exactly your pennies are going. Though cash is just the hardest thing to keep track of but if you maintain a monthly budget, it will no longer be a difficult and strenuous job. Accumulate all the receipts, bills when you purchase something so that you can get an idea of the amount of purchase that you’re making from your income.

• Make a solid plan to attack: Once you know where you’re spending money, it’s high time that you figure out a savings plan. Try to jump start with the largest spending categories because this will have the greatest impact on your saving potential. Make a list of the unnecessary expenses so that you can eliminate them from your spending list and make required changes in the personal financial life.

• Stop relying on credit cards: Though credit cards may seem to be an attractive thing that helps you get anything without having to pay immediately, yet it is also something that can get you into serious financial trouble. As this financial tool can soon take a toll on your personal financial life, you must make sure that you stop relying on them always. Carry cash and put an end to your reckless shopping habits if you want to stay afloat.

• Pay your bills on time: The primary reason for the large number of credit card defaults is the increase in the number of late payments on their accounts. Nothing can be better than paying your bills on time and satisfying your creditors. As this will be immediately reported to the credit bureaus you can immediately go through credit repair.

• Invest money: There are only two ways of building wealth, saving money and by making more money. Apart from saving money, you can even try to make more money. This would be possible by investing money in stocks, bonds, mutual funds and other cash equivalents. The stock market is the best among all as it can provide you with huge returns. However, make sure you use a stock broker who can help you take the best decisions.

Living beyond your means is always a bad habit, especially when you’re not so rich. Eventually you will see that the bills are getting huge and you’re losing control from your personal financial life. Though you can settle your debts through a debt settlement company, it is always better to live within your means, save money and build wealth to manage your debts on your own.

How to Gain Control of Compulsive Saving is a post from: LivingFrugalTips.com - Learn about: Living Frugal, Frugal Tips, Saving Money, Saving Money Tips

Editor’s Note: This guest post is by Kate Willson who regularly writes on the topics of top online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: katewillson2@gmail.com.

Usually when we think of frugal living, we think of saving money and reusing items and keeping things in order to avoid paying to replace them. Waste not, want not, am I right? However, did you know that saving items far longer than they are useful can be quite expensive as well? Think about it. For example, a car that has over 200,000 miles on it means the owner hasn’t purchased a new car for some time, which saves him or her money certainly. But, as with most things, that car’s age will soon lead to its falling apart. As each part fails, the car will need to be fixed or the part will need to be replaced. That extensive maintenance will cost us money. So what we need to do is figure out at what point an item’s usefulness no longer makes up for the expense of replacing it.

But how can you do this? Well, there are three things you can do to make sure your appliances, vehicles, house or apartment, gadgets, and other belongings are not costing your money.

Understand Life Expectancy and Cost of Ownership

The first thing you should do is understand the typical life expectancy of your things as well as the expected cost of ownership over time that goes with owning them. Ask your friends who have owned similar things, such as cars or televisions, how long the item has lasted them. What kind of shape did your friends keep it in? Did they have any trouble with it as it aged? Also, ask experts what they think: how long could this dishwasher last before it needs to be replaced? Know the going cost for regular maintenance visits to the auto dealership. How will the cost of those visits vary with each brand of vehicle and as the vehicle ages? You can also find answers to these sorts of questions by searching online for cost of ownership calculator tools for all sorts of things.

Maintain Your Belongings

Another frugal tip to protect yourself against incurring unnecessary costs on your belongings is to make sure they are well-maintained. Keep your belongings clean. Wash them according to the instructions. Use them correctly. Don’t abuse them. And keep them in good shape. This means scheduling and doing the regular maintenance according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Of course, this is a cost that you’ll have to incur, but it’s a much better cost than the alternative of having to pay for emergency repairs when, say, the furnace in your home breaks during the dead of winter. When you compare those two costs, you’ll see that the regular maintenance costs are much less usually than the costs of rushing a technician and equipment out to your house.

Decrease Clutter in Your Life

Finally, you should learn to let go of things when they’ve outlasted their usefulness. If you’re someone who keeps around broken things in the hopes of one day fixing them or using their parts to fix something else, then you should reconsider that habit. Think about this: how much does it cost to keep those things around? It may not cost you too much money, as you’ve already been storing them in your own house, but it does cost you energy and time to wade through that clutter in order to take stock of your things. If you have to wade through the clutter, then how can you be exactly sure as to what of your belongings is in good order and what needs to be discarded?

Conclusion

Really, what frugal people need to do is to maintain a good routine that helps them constantly evaluate their habits and their belongings. The above is merely a suggestion as to how you can start building that routine to control over-saving and other unnecessary habits that actually hamper our abilities to be frugal in our lives.

Check out our Saving Tips page for more frugal tips or explore some of our money saving calculators on our Tools page.

Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe is a post from: LivingFrugalTips.com - Learn about: Living Frugal, Frugal Tips, Saving Money, Saving Money Tips

Recipe & Picture Courtesy of Food Network - Paula Dean's Chicken & Rice Casserole

This creamy chicken and rice casserole recipe is quick and easy and a great choice when a little bit of comfort food is in order. There are a few slightly different versions of this southern chicken casserole favorite. The version that I made is a Paula Dean’s Food Network favorite. Cooking at home is always a great way to save money, Plus, you can make this ahead of time and freeze for future use … saving time during hectic work weeks.

Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe Ingredients:

• 6 cups cooked chicken
• 1 (6-oz) package Uncle Ben’s Long Grain and Wild Rice cooked – I prefer the fast cook variety
• 1 (10 ¾ oz) can cream of celery soup or cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (4 oz) jar pimientos, sliced – can omit if don’t like or don’t have on hand. I made without pimientos and didn’t miss them.
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cans French style green beans, drained
• 1-cup mayonnaise – I prefer Duke’s Mayo
• 1 (8 oz) can water chestnuts sliced
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Chicken and Rice Casserole Directions:

1. Season 4 chicken breast and bake them for an hour. Let chicken cool and then chop. You can substitute rotisserie chicken or chicken with bone in if you prefer. Simple cook, remove from bone, and chop.
2. While chicken is cooking, saute chopped onions.
3. Prepare Uncle Ben’s Long Grain and Wild Rice according to package directions. As mentioned I prefer the fast cook variety which is much quicker to prepare.
4. Next, mix all ingredients.  Pour into a greased 4-quart casserole dish.
5. Bake chicken and rice casserole for 30 minutes at 350.

Serves 6 to 8.

Recipe Note:  You can make this chicken casserole ahead of time and it freezes well. Prepare as directed above. Pour into casserole dish and freeze PRIOR to baking. When ready to eat, simply defrost and bake as directed.

Great served with a salad!

Check out some of my other recipes that you might enjoy:

Velveeta Rotel Chicken Pasta Casserole Recipe

Skinny Margarita Recipe

Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe

Roasted Red Pepper and Chipotle Hummus Recipe

Turkey Lasagna Recipe with Lasagna Sauce

Lisa’s Nearly Famous Pulled Pork Recipe

Quick and Easy Mighty Meatloaf Recipe

Turkey Pot Pie Recipe

An Irish Feast Fit for Big Guys in Kilts – St. Patrick’s Day Recipe

How to Save Money through Simple Changes is a post from: LivingFrugalTips.com - Learn about: Living Frugal, Frugal Tips, Saving Money, Saving Money Tips

Editor’s Note: This guest post is contributed by Omar Adams, he writes on the topic of online accounting degrees. He welcomes your comments at his email: omaradams47@gmail.com.

It may be trite, it may be a cliché, and it may have been repeated through the ages, but there’s no doubting the fact that “A penny saved is a penny earned”. In today’s economic climate, it’s becoming harder than ever before to make enough money, and with expenses and costs soaring on the other side, the balance is skewed and tilting dangerously into the hole of debt. We’re often reluctant to save money because it’s an effort that is hard to sustain – we save one day, yet blow away much more the next thus nullifying all the good that has been done. For thriftiness to work, it must become a habit and not a one-off thing that you practice whenever the mood strikes. So if you’re looking for easy and sustainable ways to save money, read on:

• Take a jog in the park: Forget and forgo those expensive memberships at swanky and upscale gyms; instead, take to walking or jogging around your local park. Gym memberships are a waste of money, especially when you’re not regular and when you’re charged for services you never use (like a personal trainer or special equipment). A jog in the fresh outside air perks up your spirits, boosts your health, and keeps you fit and strong; and the best part is, it’s also easy on your wallet. Stay indoors during inclement weather and do some stretches, a few squats, lunges, and other simple weight training exercises that work all the muscles in your body and boost your metabolism. At the most, you’ll have to shell out to buy a small pair of dumbbells and a workout mat.

• Eat at home: It’s not only healthy for your body, but also for your bank balance when you eat home-cooked meals. You get the best nutrition, you avoid all the unhealthy aspects of restaurant food (high fat content, preservatives, reused oil and trans-fat), and you save money every month. If you can’t cook every day, make batches during the weekend and freeze them to use during the rest of the week.

• Look after your health: With health insurance costs soaring by the day, it pays to adopt preventive measures to safeguard your health and that of your family. Simple things like regular exercise (even a short walk a day will do), healthy food (less fats and more of fresh fruits and vegetables), avoiding cigarettes and alcohol, less time in front of the television and the computer and more time doing something physical (like household chores, gardening, or even just playing with your kids), and regular screenings to catch disease in the early stages go a long way in keeping your money where it belongs, in your bank account.

• Eliminate what’s unnecessary: We live in a world where there’s plenty of everything, so much so that it’s a chore to choose among all the options available. However, if you think in terms of only what’s necessary, it’s not only easy to make a choice, it’s also easier on your wallet.

Trying to save money on a regular basis may not seem easy at first, but when you strive through the initial days, it soon becomes second nature and not such a difficult task after all.

Now Hiring Media Planning Supervisor for Publix Supermarkets Hispanic Business is a post from: LivingFrugalTips.com - Learn about: Living Frugal, Frugal Tips, Saving Money, Saving Money Tips

This is a great job opportunity to work on a premier brand at a progressive advertising agency.

22squared is the sixth largest full service independent advertising agency in the U.S., with two highly collaborative office environments (Atlanta and Tampa). Our Publix Supermarkets team is growing and we’re seeking super-talented people to join us to work on the newly awarded Publix Hispanic business.  We are now hiring a Media Planning Supervisor with Hispanic experience, and have a number of other great opportunities, so please check the  job postings on our website and tell your friends!   www.22squared.com and click on “join us”.

We believe the most effective way to grow brands is through advocacy. We call it the Friendship Model, and we apply it across all media for clients as diverse as Publix Super Markets, Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, CBSSports.com, Florida’s Natural Growers, Lincoln Financial Group, Shoe Carnival and Southeast Toyota Distributors.

Media Planning Supervisor Job Description:

Key Duties & Responsibilities:

• Assists in execution of best-in-class traditional media and some digital media planning.  Collaborates with Media Planning team as well as Creative, Engagement, and Brand teams to influence and integrate resulting overall Client strategy.  Supervises day to day planning activities and invests in the development of media planning reports.
• Supervisory responsibility for media planning for one or more accounts
• Collaborate with AMD’s/MD’s on strategic development, analysis and optimization
• Guide, mentor and supervise media planners and assistants
• Effectively manage multiple priorities under tight deadlines
• Anticipate possible problems / issues and prevent; or provide timely creative, effective solutions as required
• Effectively and professionally represent Agency to client and external partners
• Constantly learning industry trends in this rapidly changing space

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities / Experience:

• Strong Hispanic media planning experience a must.
• Knowledge of buying broadcast media for the Hispanic market a plus.
• Supervise, mentor and coach.  Able to identify and assist in cultivating up and coming talent
• Progressive and persuasive thinker who can participate in client engagements
• Proven ability and interest in staying current with social, digital and offline media trends; and an ability to translate that into new solutions/strategies for Clients and Agency
• Demonstrated pro-active thinking with creative problem-solving skills
• At least 6 years experience working in media organizations – (e.g., general advertising agency; media planning and buying firm) working in the digital and off-line media planning.
• Excellent writing and communication and presentation skills
• Strong in team building and leadership skills
• Minimum:  Bachelor’s degree in advertising, marketing or related field and 6 years directly related experience
• Ability to work well under pressure and tight deadlines.  Someone who thrives in an environment surrounded by smart, challenging minds working together to solve complex client issues; someone who likes to work hard and play hard!

Qualified candidates contact: lisa.duncan@22squared.com

Roasted Red Pepper and Chipotle Hummus Recipe is a post from: LivingFrugalTips.com - Learn about: Living Frugal, Frugal Tips, Saving Money, Saving Money Tips

There’s nothing I love more than finding something that I love and then learning how to make it myself … for less. I absolutely love hummus. To date my favorite is a Publix store brand, Jalapaneo and Cilantro flavor. Yummy goodness and good for you and you can get it on sale  2 for $4.00. Even Better. We were talking “hummus love” at the office and a guy I work with passed along a wonderful recipe that I made the other day and it was very easy to make and is absolutely delicious. The recipe below calls for canned chickpeas, but you can make with a bagged variety too. It’s a bit more time consuming, but you get more for your money.

Ingredients for Roasted Red Pepper and Chipotle Hummus Recipe:

• 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained, 1 tablespoon of liquid reserved
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped roasted red pepper, plus 2 tablespoons for serving
• 1 Chipotle in Adobo
• 1 1/2 teaspoons adobo sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• scant 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• pinch red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Directions:

1. In a food processor or blender, combine chickpeas, reserved liquid, tahini, garlic, red pepper, chipotle, adobo sauce and lemon juice until a paste forms.
2. Scrape down bowl or blender and add olive oil, cumin and paprika.  Puree until smooth.  Season with salt, to taste.
3. Transfer hummus to serving bowl and drizzle with olive oil.  Top with roasted red peppers and serve with pita bread.

The above recipe makes about 2 cups. Note: This hummus can be stored up to five days in the refrigerator.

Optional Hummus Recipe:

Another great idea is to make a plain batch first making as instructed above but leaving out the red pepper, chipotle and adobe sauce. You can set aside some plain and then mix in the other ingredients as you wish to create your own hummus recipes.

Great Coupon Sites & Apps to Save on Groceries & More is a post from: LivingFrugalTips.com - Learn about: Living Frugal, Frugal Tips, Saving Money, Saving Money Tips

While admittedly I am not a coupon clipping queen, I do respect and admire those that can buy $100 dollars worth of groceries for a fraction of the price. My style is more about quality store brands like those you can find at Publix or UKrops or other quality grocery retailers.

What a lot of people don’t know is that store brands are often the quality name brands simply repackaged in a store brand label. With that said you are getting quality at a discount without even having to use a coupon. Add to that a buy-one-get-one store sale and voila — mega savings without having to clip! I find that more time efficient, but each frugal girl has her own style. The common denominator is to SAVE!

But, if you love to clip coupons and save on groceries, then here are a few great coupon sites to check out. Not only can you search for coupon specials by zip code, but you can then view by key categories and print out only the coupons you want before going shopping. And, if you want to stock up on your favorites, these sites let you clip more than two coupons to keep on saving!

Great Coupon Sites

Coupons.com

A great coupon site (and I’m not the coupon clipping queen). You can enter and search by zip code and then view by key categories. You can also print more than two of each coupon if you want to stock up on a favorite product.

Red Plum

Another similar coupon site, but it excels on the design side (that’s the ad girl in me). It’s kind of like the Target of coupon sites. It’s got the same zip code search with fewer categories (which I prefer) and it’s packaged in a great, clean, functional site.

Smart Source

Another great site where you can print more than two coupons for those stock-up extravaganzas. I guess it comes down to a personal preference in terms of look and functionality as well as determining if one site carries more coupons for your favorite brands than another site.

I’ve also got these listed on the Frugal Links page of Living Frugal Tips for on-going access to instant savings.

Great Coupon Apps for Smart Phones

There are also a slew of coupon apps coming to the market for use on your phones. One in particular that I have on my phone is The Coupons App (free Android app). I’m using the free version which limits the capabilities, but still offers great deals and ways to save — especially on dining out offers. For a monthly fee, more features can be enjoyed:

• Real-time coupons widget
• Scan barcodes for local pricing
• Share coupons bu texting to any/all phones, email, and Facebook
• Voice search
• Plus it saves coupons to your calendar and more.

As I come across more great coupon apps or sites I will update this page. Please share any great coupon sites or free coupon apps that you come across.

Happy Clipping!

17 Money Saving Frugal Tips is a post from: LivingFrugalTips.com - Learn about: Living Frugal, Frugal Tips, Saving Money, Saving Money Tips

Check out these 17 great money saving tips from Living Frugal Tips. Fast and quick ways to save without having to try (really hard). That’s how we roll here at LFT — fast, quick, easy and everyday ways to save!

1.  Save water by taking a shower (uses 8 gallons) versus a bath (uses 21 gallons). Also turn the tap off while brushing your teeth to save another 2-1/2 gallons.

2.  Save money on dry cleaning by purchasing a hand-held steamer (Walmart $19.00). Simply hang, steam and save big. Steam 4 – 5 pieces & it’s paid for itself. — Tipster: Becky Wilson

3.  Pre-portioned food costs more! From snack packs to individually wrapped cheese & chicken breast portions — they cost more. Buy regular or bulk size and create individual portions on your own.

4.  Improve your cars fuel economy by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. This improves fuel efficiency up to 5% & can save you $75-$100 a year based on mileage and gas prices.

5.  Get Living Frugal Tips on the GO. Living Frugal Tips is now Smartphone compatible with the iPhone, iPod touch, Android, Opera Mini, Palm Pre and BlackBerry Storm mobile devices.

6.  What to do with fresh herbs that are about to go bad? Chop them up, put them in ice cube trays, add water & freeze to preserve. Then just add the herb cubes to soups or cooking as needed for fresh flavor.

7.  As water restrictions ramp up over the hot Summer months, a good tip is to pull your car in the grass when washing it so you can wash and water at the same time. Saves water & $$ — Tipster:  Becky Wilson

8.  Want a ‘green’ way to clean faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Rub a cucumber slice on the surface. It will remove tarnish, bring back the shine, & won’t leave streaks or harm your hands while you clean.

9.  If you enjoy eating out on occasion and want to save money, go to www.Restaurant.com and buy gift certificates for a fraction of the face value. Some restrictions apply, but it’s worth checking out!

10.  Trying to beat the Summer heat? Install more ceiling fans! the breeze of a fan can make you feel three to four degrees cooler. You can then raise the thermostat and still stay comfortable.

11.  Have a theme park visit planned this Summer? Take advantage of the current specials such as Buy One Day and Go All Year. You can’t beat that. A year of fun for the price of a day.

12.  Save up for big purchases and use cash to pay for them. During the time it takes you to save, you have plenty of time to make sure you really need it, and by using cash you won’t overspend.

13.  Don’t have a warehouse club membership card? Just give a family member or friend a check or cash and have them buy a gift card for you. You can shop and get the deals without paying the membership fee.

14.  The start of Summer is a great time to replace your air conditioning filter. By doing this every 2 – 3 months you will maximize your air flow and energy efficiency and save money.

15.  Save on clothing costs by buying things that coordinate. Solid colors that you can mix & match will minimize the amount of clothes you need. Black, tan, navy, gray and white are the basics to build around.

16.  Want new clothes? Hold a clothing swap with friends. Clean your closet of things you’ve not worn in a while and trade with friends who’ve done the same. What’s “old” becomes new again.

17.  Stop the need to go out for lunch or pick food up for dinner by making meals that are leftover friendly like casseroles and soups. Prepare, pack up and frig or freeze them for quick mid-week meals.

Please share all your money saving tips with Living Frugal Tips!