Free From Broke

A Personal Finance Blog for Regular Folks

Frugal

Use Alternative Housing Arrangements and Save on Your Next Vacation

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The family vacation is pricey.

According to Free Money Finance, in 2007, the average American spent $1,654 on their summer vacation.

If the vacation is a week long, that is approximately $236 a day, of which I am guessing accommodations are a large portion of the expense.  If you are a family of four, you may be able to stay in cheaper hotel accommodations, but if you have three or more children, hotel stays get to be tricky (and expensive) because most hotels will only sleep 4 to a room and want you to buy two rooms or a suite, both expensive options.

If you would like to minimize your expense for accommodations on your next vacation, there are several hotel alternatives.

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Earth Day Freebies and Deals – and a Little History Too

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Earth Day was first held on April 22, 1970, and it was lead by Senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin.

Nearly 20 million people participated and today, 42 years later, we still celebrate Earth Day, but now, 175 countries celebrate Earth Day.

Earth Day 2012 will also be celebrated on April 22nd (and will be celebrated on that date at least until 2015).

The primary purpose of the day is to bring awareness to environmental issues as well as to focus on reducing, reusing, and recycling.

Of course, proponents of frugality recognize that the things we do to keep Mother Earth healthy are the same things we can do to keep our finances healthy.  By reducing, reusing and recycling, we become more financially conservative.

When you buy a used car, shop at garage sales or your thrift stores or hold your own garage sale or donate items you no longer use, you are saving money and keeping items out of the landfill, which is a win-win.

To celebrate Earth Day this year, several retailers are offering freebies or discounts.  There are plenty of great offers to take advantage of:

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7 Online Service Alternatives that Save Money

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It seems you can do everything online these days except wash your clothes — and some genius will no doubt figure that out fairly soon.

One of the great benefits of the Internet is the many ways it helps us save money.  From tax filing to wedding registries, the World Wide Web has a lot to offer.

Consider the following seven ways you can save with a computer, tablet or smartphone.

1. Online Car Insurance

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Ten Quicks Tips to Save on Gas Costs for Your Car

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Gas prices!

Everyone loves to comment on the rising prices of gas including politicians, the media and the guy who took my order at the coffee shop this morning.

The process behind determining the price of gas is one that most of us will never understand.  Some people just accept that prices are high and they have to pay it, but there is something you can do:

You can choose to save money on the high cost of gas.

Extreme Measures

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Consider Working at a University to Help Pay College Expenses

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My aunt and uncle, both high school graduates with no college education, had nine kids and helped the ones who wanted to go to college pay for their education.

Many of the nine children now hold professional positions such as financial planner and nursing supervisor.  They are all successful adults, and some make very good salaries.

My aunt and uncle were able to help pay a portion of their children’s college costs despite the fact that my uncle worked in a factory for a number of years while my aunt was a homemaker.

How were they able to do it?

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