Welcome to part 2 of my top 10 tips on vacation budget activities. If you haven’t already done so, please check out part 1. Here are the last 5 tips:

• Try house swapping. Basically, you stay in someone else’s house and they stay in yours (No, you probably won’t get to stay anywhere as nice as the place pictured above).  You can find people who want to do this in a variety of ways – anything from Craigslist to sites like Homelink. Your best bet may be to try to and do this through friends and family though – see if anyone you know wants to swap or know of anyone who does.
• Check out a local steam train.  They’re a fun way to get a blast from the past and see the countryside in a relaxed fashion.
• Check out a national park. Go a little further afield than your local parks, and get back to nature. If you’re really lucky, you have something like Yellowstone Park near you!
• Volunteer. You can volunteer for music festivals and film festivals or do local community clean up.  Volunteers often get perks like seeing shows for free or getting free stuff!
• Stay home! Do a staycation if your budget is really limited. Camp out in your own backyard (it’s cheap, requires no booking and if it rains, you can go inside!).

Have I missed any good budget vacation ideas? Please tell me yours!

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia.

The nice weather is finally here! Summer vacation will be coming up shortly, and everyone wants to get outside. But they also don’t want to break the bank. Here are my first five tips for having a budget vacation – be it a day trip or something longer:

• Check out what your city offers – particularly if it offers things for free! My city parks offer splashpads (which are great fun for kids – and adults!) and a lot less nerve wracking than watching kids by the pool. You can also go for hikes, and check out local museums and attractions. And of course, see what your local library has to offer for free.
• Visit your old college or university. They often have activities going on, and it’s a nice way to step back down memory lane!
• Share your costs with someone else. A lot of folks often rent a house if they are going somewhere like Disneyworld – it ends up being much cheaper than a hotel to share a house with several people, especially if you can prepare meals there. My Dad and I rented a villa years ago when we went to Italy – it was awesome and way more fun than staying in a hotel!
• Free cultural events. Depending on the size of the place you live in, there may be a lot to choose from or not much. I used to live in Toronto, and would always check out Taste of the Danforth (I love greek food!). There was also everything from the Gay Pride Parade to Chinese New Year. And of course the biggie – Canada Day! Usually good for at least a free piece of cake and some fireworks!
• Check out a historical site. Much has been made of the 200th anniversary of the war of 1812 this year, and there’s at least one site near me that was the site of a battle during the war of 1812. They do a re-enactment there usually once a year.

Tune in tomorrow for part 2! What’s your favourite on this list – or not on it?

Photo courtesy of wikimedia.

Last week, I went to my local library and saw a presentation called Astronomy 101. I really enjoyed the talk, and decided to do some research on Web sites that could provide me with more information about what you could see and do online in regards to astronomy. I found some great sites, and was pleasantly surprised about how much is available for free. So, I’ve decided to start a series on how to find great stuff free online – everything from learning or practicing a language to finding the best free online games (hey, it can’t all be hard work!). This week, I’m going to cover online language resources.

When I was in high school, I learned French and German. I continued the French in my first year of university, but I couldn’t keep up with the kids who had been in French immersion, so I stopped after first year. I took a few German courses, but then it got complicated, so I stopped taking German as well. I used to be fairly fluent in French, so I’m rather sad that I’ve lost so much of it, and I really want to get back into using it again. If you’d like to learn or practice a language, here are some great resources:

• Livemocha. This is one of the more well known sites. Membership is free, and this free membership includes (according to their site): chat, flashcards, messaging, making friends, and more.
• BBC Languages.  It offers courses and phrases, audio and video, vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, activities and tests
• Duolingo. Doesn’t offer a ton of languages, but it has a happy owl as a mascot. How can you go wrong with that?
• Busuu. Another language community – offers a fairly wide variety of languages.

These are just a few places to start – you can also download podcasts that help you listen to other languages, or watch videos or TV from other countries.

Do you speak any other languages? How do you keep in practice with them?

Photo courtesy of wikimedia.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the below the line challenge. Basically, it challenged people to spend no more than 1.75 a day on food and drink for a week. My free paper ran a recipe that they calculated averaged out to .65 per person to make. Here it is – linguine with sausage and mushroom ragout (I know – sounds pretty fancy eh?)

• 100 g linguine
• 1/2 Italian sausage, casing removed
• 1 white mushroom, sliced
• 1tbsp of tomato sauce.

To prepare:

• Cook up the linguine
• Pan fry the sausage (break it up first)
• Add in the sliced mushroom
• Add in the tomato paste and some water.
• Spoon the sauce you’ve made over the linguine

It’s not a bad meal – it’s got carbs and protein and some vegetables as well (and technically fruit if you count tomato/tomato paste as a fruit).  I tend to find sausage a bit greasy myself, but half a one broken up wouldn’t be too bad.

No – this might not be enough for everyone. I showed the recipe to my husband and he declared there’s no way that amount of food would fill him up!

Look for more low cost recipes in the coming weeks.

Would you try this recipe? How would you change it without adding a lot to the cost?

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia.

Seniors have long been stereotyped as being resistant to change in general and, in recent years, to internet technology in specific.  While there may be some truth to this, as the web grows more integrated into every corner of our lives, older Americans are becoming more comfortable with the digital revolution and its countless advantages.

Image Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Nowhere is this shift more apparent—or potentially beneficial—than in the realm of online banking. The image of Grandpa holing up his savings in a mattress is being chased away by a growing sector of web-savvy seniors no longer intimidated by computer technology.

About 15% of current consumers of internet banking fall within the 55 and over demographic, and as long as seniors are using the web in the first place, their use of computerized banking services is little different from twenty-somethings.

Still, some seniors are reluctant to reap the many conveniences of paperless, wireless financial transactions.  If this describes a Baby Boomer you may know, here are some easy ways to sell them on the positives of modern banking.

Online Banking Makes Life Easier — Especially for Seniors

Older consumers may still see internet money management as unnecessary and overly complicated, rather than the time-saving innovation that it is.  By bringing home a few of these clear advantages to your retired friend or loved one, you’ll be helping them simplify their golden years in ways they may not expect.

●    Online banking delivers greater control.  With real-time transaction records, web banking gets rid of unwanted surprises.  In fact, by checking up-to-the-minute pending transactions, seniors might prevent costly overdraft fees before they are processed.
●    Paying bills requires minimal work. Keeping track of numerous regular due dates can be an annoyance or even a challenge to older customers.  With automated bill-pay functions, seniors have one less thing to manage.
●    Ongoing debits can usually be arranged for predictable dates, a blessing for the many Boomers on a strict fixed income.
●    Simply put, bypassing brick-and-mortar operations is physically easier.  Even if a senior is in good health, the elderly can be challenged in getting around for a number of reasons.  Eliminating a bus ride into town or an arduous walk on a stroller will be music to many seniors’ ears.
●    Online banking is as green as it gets.  Senior citizens are just as environmentally conscious as anyone, so preventing all that paper waste is especially appealing.  For older people eager to live less cluttered lives, elimination of hard copies is doubly attractive.

Image Courtesy of 401 (K) 2013/Flickr.com

Using Mobile or Online Banking Is Not A Security Risk

Even when seniors recognize the many ways that new technology makes financing less complicated, they still may be wary of the very real dangers of fraud and identity theft.  The following protocols are wise for consumers of all ages, but might be especially worth pointing out to seniors just getting used to modern security measures.

●    Avoid obvious passwords and security questions.  From birthdays to grandchildren’s names, sentimental passwords and other potentially guessable checkpoints are a liability.  Encourage passwords that even close friends could never guess.
●    Monitor all activity on a regular basis.  Most online transaction records clearly provide vendor names, often with contact numbers into the bargain.  With just a little vigilance, suspicious activity can be easily detected, and banks’ fraud departments are almost always able to expunge bogus charges expediently.
●    Make sure banking is performed at a secure location.  Seniors may not know that not all internet locations are protected, so discourage logging in from non-secure hotspots.  Bringing them up to speed on firewalls and anti-spyware devices won’t hurt either.
●    Warn against third-party ID requests.  While almost no online provider will ever request usernames or passwords offsite, such fraudulent requests can appear alarmingly legitimate.  Without causing paranoia, be sure to educate seniors on how phishing works—and how to avoid it.

With just a little bit of education and reassurance, older bankers can be as efficient at state-of-the-art money management as anyone…and spend more time on the things that truly matter.

Marcela De Vivo is a freelance writer from Los Angeles. She has worked with a variety of LA senior services, using her background in online marketing to help seniors transition from traditional to online banking.

Yesterday, I wrote a post about my first top 5 tips on how to save money and live green. Without further ado – here’s part 2!

• Recycle – it helps cut down on things going into the landfill. In the case of beer bottles – bring them back to the store to get your deposit back! Depending on where you live, you may be able to get money for pop bottles, cans, etc. I know Mr. CBB has made extra money of his neighbour’s beer bottles!
• Don’t just turn things off – unplug them! Even when something isn’t on – it can still be using energy if it’s plugged in! One option is to connect things to a power strip, and just turn that on and off when you’re using things.
• Use less gas. Carpool, take public transit, use your bike or skateboard, or walk! It’s finally spring here in Canada and I am loving the chance to finally be outside and enjoy it!
• Eat green – grow your own produce, cook your own meals, and cut back on meat. Lentils and beans are very economical and go a long way.  We can finally recycle take out containers here – which is good, cause I always felt bad ordering in and then putting those in the garbage!
• If something dies – think before you replace it. Do you really need a snow blower? A gas or electric mower – or will a push one do? Can you share with your neighbour?  I’m quite lucky – the one really big dump we had this year, our nice neighbour came over and did our driveway with his snow blower!

Do you follow any of these tips? Have I missed any?

Okay, I’ll freely admit I’m a little behind in putting this up as it’s past Earth Day. But it can never hurt to both save money and live green. So here are some tips to help you out:

• Wash clothes in cold water. You may have to manually change your setting on the washer to do this, but it’s well worth it. Clothes end up just as clean and you don’t pay to heat the water up.
• Make your own household beauty or cleaning products. Baking soda and vinegar work great on a variety of stains and dirt, and used toothbrushes are great for scrubbing everything from baseboards to windowsills.
• Buy secondhand clothes. Saves things from going into the landfill, and you can often find stuff with the tags still on them! I’ve bought everything from a dress to wear to a funeral to a “Zombie Walk” costume at a thrift store.
• Use low energy appliances. This one is pretty self explanatory.
• Cut out paper and plastic waste. Bring your own cloth bags to the grocery store. Sign up to receive your bills online (but not if this means you won’t remember to pay them!).  Try to get removed from junk mail lists that don’t interest you.

Tune in tomorrow for part 2 of this post!

What do you do to live green and save money?

Image courtesy of Wikimedia.

I recently went to a presentation at my local library called Astronomy 101. I’ve always been interested in astronomy (not to be confused with astrology, although I’ll cheerfully read my horoscope! ), but I live in an area with a lot of light pollution so it’s hard to see much.  When I do get somewhere you can actually see the sky, I’m amazed at how many stars there are out there!

The presentation included some photos which were amazing. The speaker covered a variety of topics including all of the planets, the Voyager explorer, and the fact only 12 men had walked on the moon1

I decided I wanted to see what else I could learn online, and did a little searching. Here are some great sites that can help you learn more about the universe!

• Astronomy for Kids. This is more for the younger set, but it’s still a fun site.
• NASA. Everything you ever wanted to know about NASA, including information on jobs and missions.
• The Planetary Society  This one has it all – information on planets, the sun, major moons, and space imaging.
• Worldwide Telescope – Use this to explore the universe!
• Google Sky. Yup, Google doesn’t just offer mail and a way to check out your new house – you can even see space thanks to them!

What’s your favourite free online resource?

Last week, I wrote about the 1.75 a day for food challenge. I didn’t take it myself, but have decided it would be fun and helpful to post easy and economical recipes each week.  Here is the first one – from a jar of Kraft Peanut Butter – super easy peanut butter cookies. Can’t get much easier than 3 ingredients!

• 1 cup of smooth peanut butter
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 egg

That’s it. To bake them:

• Turn the oven to 325 Farenheit.
• Mix all of your ingredients together until blended.
• Roll them into balls, and place them 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.
• Flatten each one in a criss cross pattern using a fork.
• Bake for 15 minutes.
• Allow them to cool for 5 minutes.

You can’t get much easier or cheaper than this! I think to make a batch it’d come to a total cost of no more than a few dollars – and less if you can get the peanut butter or eggs on sale!

Yummy!

Courtesy of flickr

What’s your favourite cheap and easy sweet treat?

First off – let me give credit to Mr. CBB who made me aware of this site. They send out free samples (you just have to become a member of their site). I recently got an email from them saying they had new samples available, and my box arrived a few days ago. I got the following:

• 2 free sample size laundry detergent packages
• 4 free dishwasher detergent sample size packages
• 2 granola bars
• 1 sample size bottle of shampoo and one of conditioner
• 1 razor
• 1 breath right strip

And yes – this is all free! No catch, no paying for postage and handling, etc.  Plus it gives me a chance to try out some new products to see if I like them at all.  In theory, I should also be getting 3 free copies of Canadian Living as well.

Have you ever used Sample Source? Are you aware of any other sites that provide free samples? If so, please post them in the comments!