The Tightwad Times

I’ve had a few requests for places online to do paid surveys and test products. It’s fun and easy to make money doing paid surveys. The idea of getting paid just for giving your opinion on products and services is enticing to a lot of people.

It’s important to understand that you won’t get rich by any means doing paid surveys but you can certainly make a nice chuck of money completing them. And, like mystery shopping, you often get free product samples to try out, some that are rather expensive and some that are not yet on the market to the general public, and you get to keep these items, just for giving your opinion.

Following are just some of the places that I have had good luck with, either by getting fantastic free products to test and keep or to do paid surveys and get paid for it.

PineCone Research is by far the best place online to work for to take paid surveys. These folks are THE paid survey leaders. Sign up fast, these positions get filled FAST!!  *Update* PineCone Research is closed to new members at this time. 

Get Paid to Review Products… $5 to $75 Per Review. Keep the products you review.

FREE Paid Surveys! Make up to $150!

Could you use an extra $300 to $1,000 a month to pay some bills? Join here for free.

Get paid cash for each survey you complete about movies, sports and products.

FusionCash pays you cash to try products and services and take online surveys. It’s completely FREE to join. Sign up now and get $5 deposited into your account instantly.

Earn up to $80 for each survey.

Get paid to take surveys with Survey Savvy.

Get Paid to Take Online Surveys - Your Opinion is Worth Money!
Receive cash for survey offers, coupons, discounts, gifts, rewards and giveaways, targeted to your specific needs based on how you answer our survey. Sign up for other great survey offers where you can get paid for providing your honest opinion. Free $5 Signup Bonus!! Signup Today!!

Popularity: 31% [?]

By Deborah Taylor-Hough

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner And just in case you’ve forgotten, it’s always celebrated on February 14th. (Now you have no excuse for ignoring it again this year.)

But if you’re thinking, “Well, I have no excuse … except for the fact that I don’t have much money to spend on an elaborate gift or dinner out at a fancy restaurant right now.”

No worries. Here’s a list of inexpensive — and often free — ideas for spending some quality romantic time with your Valentine.

Outdoor Ideas
If the weather outside isn’t frightful this time of year where you live, Nature’s a romantic spot to spend some snuggling time together.

You could always have an exercise date if you’re both fitness nuts: a brisk walk on a tree-lined lane, a game of Frisbee in the park with your favorite view, bicycling along the waterfront, a hike to a local destination. One of my favorite things to do is rent a canoe and meander slowly around the local waterways.

For a less physically demanding outdoor idea, slow the pace down and stroll leisurely through the park rather than power-walking. Hold hands, look at the flowers, watch the birds, listen to the sounds of nature. Go somewhere you haven’t been for ages … maybe an arboretum, beach, game reserve, or Japanese gardens.

And don’t let a bit of rainy drizzle stop your plans. A romantic stroll under a shared umbrella followed by a cup of coffee or tea in a local coffee shop is definitely a romantic alternative to the typically more expensive dinner and a movie. Plus, most parks are less crowded on rainy days, so you’ll have more privacy for your romantic walk.

Even in the winter, it can be fun to wander through the local zoo. Many times the animals are more active this time of year rather than in the summer when they’re all hiding in the shade, escaping the summer heat.

Your local newspaper is always a great resource for inexpensive date ideas. Check out the “What’s Happening” section for information on local heritage festivals, film showings, street fairs, home tours, fireworks displays, musical events, and county fairs.

Indoor Activities
If it’s too cold or wet to spend Valentine’s Day outside, try taking a romantic drive together into the countryside, perhaps stopping for coffee and pie at a diner along the way. Mmm.

Spend the afternoon browsing through antique stores together. Talk about the things you remember seeing in your grandmother’s house when you were a child. It’s amazing the memories that can come back looking through things from long ago. You might discover things about your loved one you never knew.

Museums are often a fairly inexpensive way to spend time together. Check around for history and art museums you’ve overlooked in the past. Many of them have free days, too.

If it’s winter in your area and winter consists of sunny skies and palm trees, you might want to consider going ice skating together at the local skating rink. The change in temperature is invigorating, and it’s fun to bundle up in a scarf and gloves if it’s not something you do very often. Plus, it’s always appropriate to hold hands while skating together. Instant romance.

Stay-at-Home Ideas
Breakfast in bed is a fun wake-up on Valentine’s Day morning. Maybe cook some heart-shaped pancakes to complete the theme?

You could also have a tea party, just for the two of you with a selection of delicious gourmet teas, a variety of cakes and cookies, romantic music, and of course some fragrant flowers (they can just be ones picked from the yard … you don’t have to go overboard — and over-budget — with a dozen long stemmed roses).

Try having a picnic in the livingroom by the fireplace. Spread a blanket or tablecloth on the floor, light some candles, pack traditional picnic food items into your picnic basket, turn on some soft music. Maybe feed each other fresh strawberries.

If you have a series of movies you both enjoy, a movie marathon can be a fun way to spend the day. Stock up on snacks ahead of time, cuddle under a blanket on the couch, and watch a day full of Lord of the Rings, the Matrix, or a variety of romantic comedies). Turn off the ringer on your phone and just spend the day getting lost in the stories together.

Have a happy Valentine’s Day!

Copyright 2008 Deborah Taylor-Hough
Used with permission. All rights reserved.
http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
–Deborah Taylor-Hough (freelance writer and mother of three) is the editor of the Bright-Kids and Simple Times e-newsletters. She’s also the author of ‘A Simple Choice: A Practical Guide to Saving Your Time, Money and Sanity,’ ‘Frugal Living For Dummies(r)’ and ‘Frozen Assets: How to Cook for a Day and Eat for a Month.’ Visit Debi online at: http://thesimplemom.wordpress.com

Popularity: 25% [?]

This Taco Bell copycat seasoning mix recipe is yummy and much less to prepare and use than buying the little packets from the store. This taco seasoning recipe can be premade and stored in an airtight container such as a mason jar, sealed plastic storage bowl, or zipper bags.

Taco Bell Seasoning Mix Recipe

2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced onion
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon crushed beef bullion cube
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder (or to taste)

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Store in a container until ready for use. When ready to use, brown ground beef and drain. Add seasoning mix and 3/4 cup of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat. Simmer uncovered, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Popularity: 33% [?]

The Tightwad Times is all about the art of being a tightwad. The cost of living is going up more and more on a daily basis, and it’s becoming nearly impossible for some families to keep up and make ends meet. Even frugal living (living within your means) is getting harder for many people. Hard working people are finding it’s even becoming more and more impossible just to buy food and medicine, not to mention pay a house note or rent, etc.

Because of this, we’ve created The Tightwad Times.

Being a tightwad takes frugal living a step farther. Tightwad living is not only about living within your means, it’s reusing things over and over, finding freebies and rock bottom bargains, buying second hand, making use of everyday household items in new ways, and living a more simply and thifty lifestyle.

The Tightwad Times will bring readers extreme tightwad living tips, recipes that can feed a family, freebies and bargains, discounts and sales, and tips on how to save money and get by in today’s high priced world.

Popularity: 24% [?]

Those pesky little fruit flies arrive in your home, unnoticed as they grab a free ride in on the bananas or other fresh fruit. Within a couple of days, a couple have multiplied into a tiny swarm. Soon you have your own village of fruit flies. But how do you get rid of them without spending a load of money on pesticides that will only smell up your house?

Some homeowners pour vinegar or bleach down their kitchen sink drains. Unfortunately this tactic doesn’t get rid of the fruit flies. It might drown a few, bleach a few, or make a few smell like a pickled fruit fly. Otherwise, the fruit flies are still in your home.

There is an easy and very inexpensive way to rid of your home of fruit flies. Simply build a fruit fly trap and trap the fruit flies in the traps. All you need to build a fruit fly trap is a banana or two, a knife, some cling wrap or similar plastic wrap, a few rubber bands, and old plastic jars or bowls that can be thrown away after use. Using an empty mayonnaise jar, plastic butter bowl, or plastic lunch meat container will work. Don’t use any container that you want to keep. Be sure the container is deep enough to hold a few slices of banana.

After you have your necessary supplies together, simply slice up the bananas and divide the slices into several containers. Place the cling wrap or other plastic wrapping tightly over the opening of the jar or bowl, and place a rubber band around it to hold it snuggly in place. Using the knife’s point, poke a few tiny holes into the plastic wrap. Make them very tiny. The fruit flies can get in, but once in, they can’t get out. You now have fruit fly traps that will trap the fruit flies and remove them from your home.

The more fruit flies you have, the more fruit fly trap containers you might wish to make. If the fruit flies have journeyed to other parts of the house, you will want to place a container in each room they are in. Don’t remove the plastic covering from the trapping containers! Allow the fruit fly traps to sit for about three days or so, then simply toss the trapping containers into the trash. Remove the trash the same day.

Using fruit fly traps is an easy and inexpensive way to rid the house of fruit flies. No chemicals are needed, the home doesn’t smell terrible, and the traps are very environmentally safe.

Popularity: 49% [?]