Wedding Chaos

As I'm helping my sister getting ready for her wedding, I am amazed at how cheap you can do a wedding for and have it still be nice. The budget for my wedding was $2,800 and I, believe it or not, came in on budget. This included everything except the luncheon and honeymoon (paid by my husband's family). It was pretty much exactly what I wanted and I couldn't have asked for a better day. :) My sister will spend around a $1,000 for everything but the honeymoon. (They're going to Paris, so that's where all their money went).

It does take a little bit of elbow grease and pre-planning, but it is doable. I'm excited to see how the reception turns out. Just today we put together the table and general decorations and they came in just around $200 for everything. They're going to be gorgeous!

So, since I'm drenched in weddingness, I'll be giving you all tips on inexpensive (but still beautiful!) weddings for the next week.

Vacation and Free Flights

I will be gone on vacation for about one and a half weeks, so I won't guarantee a post a day. But, I will try. I WANT TO HEAR FROM ALL OF YOU!!!! E-mail me at cindispenny@gmail.com with your ideas (have them ready to post) and I'll post those. I know you all have fabulous ideas and thoughts on saving money!

I do have a tip on getting free flights before I leave. Once I fly back home from this trip, I will have earned a free round-trip flight from Southwest Airlines. All I did was sign up for their rapid rewards program (which is free) and made sure to use my RR number for every flight I booked. That's it. Easy as pie. Another way to get free flights is to have a credit card that earns you points toward free flights. I've gotten $100 off a flight that way. (But, make sure you are paying your balance every month, it's not worth it if you have to pay interest charges!) Most every airline has a free rewards program, so sign up for which ever one you use. I'll save $250 by using my free round-trip airfare from Southwest.

Barter, Barter, Barter

I am not the queen of bartering, but have started to dip my toes into it's water. My latest barter was a hair cut. I got a trim from a friend and in return I will be doing something for her. She hasn't decided what she wants, but I gave her some options (cleaning, weeding, a lesson in canning, etc.).

Even though it costs me time, it's so worth it! I don't have to have a job to get the things that I want. I just need to find someone willing to trade me for something I already have for something I want. I know of a couple that got a boat from a guy who just wanted the trim done in his house. They took two days, put in trim in his house and walked away with a boat. Then there's that guy who started with a paperclip and got a house.......I'll have to interview him someday for his bartering tips. :)

Tip #13: Embrace "Free" Items

When someone says they are giving something away for free you usually think "why?" It has to be old, dirty, gross, mucky, filled with germs, and/or broken to be free. But, you would be surprised what people give away for free.

My Story: I often think the same thing when I hear free, but there are many treasures that can be found. One example is I got a window sun shade for my car by glancing at the free bin outside my local thrift store. It doesn't roll up anymore because the metal at the top is slightly bent, but it works for what it was meant for. That's all I care about! It saved me $10.

Another example is that I got a free training toilet and a life jacket from someone who just wanted them out of her house. Her kids were done with them. They are both in excellent condition!

Resource: One nationwide organization that is a great free exchange is The Freecycle Network (http://www.freecycle.org/). There are chapters all over the nation and there's one simple rule, everything exchanged between members must be free. No trading or bartering is allowed. You simply post things you want or are giving away. I once posted that I needed containers for gardening and I had three people respond and I got way more pots than I ever needed. I then passed the extras on to someone else. The only downside is that you have to be fairly quick about responding. Craigslist also has a free section, but you have to be even quicker on that one. Let me know if anyone knows of any others.

Grow your own food.....it's so yummy!

As I sit here working on my bills, I'm also enjoying my garden view. Even though I live in a condo and have no land, I decided to try a little container gardening. My entire balcony is lined with pots filled with oh so yummy fruits and vegis. So far we've enjoyed herbs, lettuce, and peas. My tomatoes, pumpkin, carrots, onions, potatoes, cucumbers, squash, and brussel sprouts all look happy and I'm excited to start harvesting soon.

I've always enjoyed gardening and I find it therapeutic after a hard day to eat what I have cared for. However, there is also money saving possibilities in it as well. I have used all organic potting soil, seeds, and fertilizer. Though I am not seeking a USDA organic certification, I would probably qualify. We all know organic produce can cost up to twice as much as non-organic. The $0.25-0.50 worth of seeds, $0.50 worth of fertilizer, and $1 worth of water gives me on average $20 worth of produce per pot. Some are higher and some are less with many different factors. This year I did invest about $50 in getting it set up, but I will definitely get my money back with how well the plants are doing! :) Even my husband admitted this year that the garden was worth it. Usually, I have to drag him to weed, water, or anything else to do with the garden.

For those of you who have never gardened before, start out small with one or two different items. Figure out what works in the areas that you have and know that there are a ton of different ways to garden. A good start is getting a basic book from the library or ask someone you know what has worked for them. Even neighbors can have different soil/micro climates, so don't be discouraged if your garden doesn't look like your neighbors. Just keep trying.