Our typical posts include store match-ups, coupons, daily deals, and discounts. We often have ideas we’d like to share or tidbits of helpful information that we come across that we think you would be interested in, too. So today we take a break from our usual deal-hunting programming to bring you our five best (so far!) tips and tidbits!
All that glitters is gold
I recently condensed my three small jewelry boxes into one large one. I forgot I had most of this stuff! I addition to discovering some great bling that I hadn’t remembered, I also came across some stuff I know I’ll never wear again. I took it to my local jeweler to see if it was worth anything. Some of it turned out to be costume jewelry, but some of it was 10-14K gold. Did you know the price of gold is hovering at all all time high? As I write, an ounce is worth $1523.83. It was a close to this when I sold some of my jewelry a couple weeks ago, for which I made a pretty penny. Don’t get me wrong: I’m in no way suggesting you sell off your wedding ring or anything that is special to you. But if you have gold that you know you’re never going to wear again and were considering selling (my high school class ring was pretty but hadn’t been taken out, let alone worn, in more than 15 years), this is a good time to do it! Another tip: Broken, mangled jewelry is worth just as much as jewelry in prefect condition!
Silver glitters, too
Gold isn’t the only thing worth a pretty penny. Silver is valuable, too. Did you know that U.S. coins (dimes, quarters, and half-dollars) dated before 1965 were minted of 90% silver? My jeweler told me that a dime dated before 1965 is worth about $3. Check those change purses!
Grow a green thumb
Last year we both learned how to can fruits and veggies. Now we’re addicted. I used the tomatoes in my garden to make the world’s best homemade salsa and spaghetti sauce and used the basil to make homemade pesto. We also froze corn kernels from super-cheap, in-season corn on the cob to enjoy all winter long. It was the first year that I really made my vegetable garden stretch beyond the summer and I loved doing it. I planted 24 basil plants this spring in preparation for a huge stockpile of pesto! This is a fantastic way to save money over the winter months when fresh produce is pricier. Growing veggies is cheap (my basil plants cost me $.27 each!), and if you don’t have a big area to devote to a veggie patch, you’re in luck. Tucking lettuce, tomatoes, and other veggies and herbs in with your flower beds is the ‘in’ thing to do now! This article provides great tips on mixed beds! No yard? Check out container gardening! We’re so excited for growing season and promise to share our fresh recipes with you this summer!
Where’d you hear that?
My husband has subscribed to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine for a long time. I never looked at it much, figuring it was all investment jargon which is more his expertise than mine. A few months ago I cracked a new issue open and now I’m in love with this magazine! Sure, it includes all the investing advice you’d expect. But there are tons of other interesting articles that I’ve enjoyed reading: how to cut your home energy use, little-known credit card perks, protecting yourself from identity theft, finding a used car deal, and e-reading tips, to name a few. Some of our other favorite sites for great tidbits of info on a wide variety of topics, both frugal and fun:
Cash in with a garage sale
This couple weeks ago we had a neighborhood garage sale and despite some misty rain it was a big success for us. We did have a bunch of kids’ clothes left over, but we had a ton to start with and a lot did sell. We’re thrilled that we made as much as we did, but I think we’re even more thrilled to have cleared a bunch of clutter out of our basement! It’s amazing how much lighter you feel when you’re not surrounded by stuff. And achieving that while raking in almost $700 works for me. I’ll admit I’m organizationally challenged, so having a lot of stuff around is bad news. This time I took the time to prepare for the sale in advance and organize and display my items so that they would be more appealing to the shoppers. I had much better success putting my neatly-folded clothes on tables rather than throwing them in boxes for shoppers to paw through. The nicer stuff was hung on racks. I used the old Yaffa blocks (you remember these, right??) that I had in my college dorm room to display small appliances and nicer toys. The nicer stuff that didn’t sell that I really hoped to get a few bucks for I’ll consign. Everything else was picked up by the Military Order of the Purple Heart and there are tons of other non-profits doing amazing things to help people that would benefit from leftover yard sale donations, too. Just check out what we gave to Milagro House during Couponing for Community! One more thing: Remember to keep track of what you’re giving since donations are tax deductible. Win-win!
What say you?
There you have it, five random tidbits of information that we wanted to share with you. Look for more detailed posts on making the most of your summer vegetable garden on Pandora’s Deals in the coming months! Now tell us, what are your best random frugal tips and tidbits? Where do you get the most useful info? Tell us in the comments! We want to know!
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