Ever since I signed up Netflix, the number of movies I’ve rented has gone down significantly. When I do, it’s usually from a Redbox kiosk. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I rented a movie that wasn’t from a Redbox (it was probably in high school, when Blockbuster still existed and was charging $4.99 a night!). More recently, I’ve been looking into Redbox again since Netflix changed their pricing structure and we opted to get only the Instant offerings, which usually don’t include new release DVDs.

We used Redbox a lot because we knew it was easy to find Redbox promotion codes. Even if we didn’t have a promo code, movies are only a dollar a day and we have multiple kiosks in the area, some within walking distance. Even if they are just a dollar a day, there’s something fun about getting it for free. I’ll explain how you can still get movies for free off Redbox.

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As February 14 steals ever closer, many wonder what they can do to show how much they care — without breaking the bank. The good news is that the vastness of your love doesn’t have to be measured in dollars.

Indeed, if you can find a heartfelt, sincere way to express your love, you don’t need to spend a lot of money. A good relationship doesn’t have to be based on expensive things and grand gestures. Instead, here are 9 ideas that will cost you less, and help you show your love more:

1. Play hooky together: Instead of going in to work, take the day off. Or, take a half day. Either way, you can play hooky together and have a great time. This is especially effective if your kids are in school. You don’t have to pay a baby-sitter and you can spend some quality time taking a walk, watching a movie at home, or going to lunch (which is much less expensive than going to dinner).
2. Save on flowers: Instead of getting flowers for Valentine’s Day, get them a couple of weeks early, or a couple of weeks late. My husband almost always gets me my Valentine’s Day bouquet sometime around the end of January. The flowers are just as beautiful, and just as romantic — but at half the price.
3. Share your feelings: Write little notes expressing how you feel, or sharing the good qualities of your significant other. Leave them for your partner to find in unexpected places like the purse or wallet, inside a frequently used drawer, or some other hiding place. Best of all: If your partner doesn’t find them all on Valentine’s Day, s/he will get a fun reminder later on.
4. Cook dinner together: You don’t have to go out to have a romantic dinner. If possible, cook dinner together. Make something you both like, and enjoy it — add candles for a special touch. It’ll provide you with some quality time as you cook together, and then eat slowly.
5. Use deal specials: If you must go out, use deal specials. Look for discounted gift certificates online, and get your meal for cheap. Just remember that the tip is supposed to be on the original cost of the meal.
6. Go for dessert instead: If you want to get out, but don’t want to spend the money for dinner, consider just going for dessert. You can pay a sitter to come for a couple hours (less expensive than an entire evening) and head to the local pastry shop or coffee shop. Share a dessert and have some coffee or cocoa, then head back home.
7. Get your candy for less: Don’t worry about having candy on the day-of. Instead, consider how much you can save if you head to the store on February 15th. Go shopping together and pick out your favorite chocolates for 50% to 75% off. Yum!
8. Memory box: Decorate an empty box, and then fill it with favorite memories. Use items that remind you of times spent together, including photos, ticket stubs, and small trinkets. Your partner can go through it and remember all the loving times you’ve shared.
9. Homemade goodies: You can make homemade goodies for Valentine’s day together. Heart-shaped cookies, chocolate-drizzled popcorn, and other tasty treats. Create a special dessert for dinner, that you two can share with a special drink and a movie later. No need to go out.

(Photo: Sugar Daze)

Much like Bank of America’s Museums on Us promotion, Target Arts + Culture is a program put on by Target in which you can get discounted or complimentary passes to a variety of arts and cultural sites in your area. The program isn’t nearly as widespread as Bank of America’s program but in many cities you can get discounted or free tickets to local venues. The larger the city, the greater the number of options.

For example, Baltimore has just one discounted venue (Port Discovery) while New York City had eleven free venues. If nothing else, it’s worth checking out to see if there’s something fun you can do on the cheap!

(Photo: hellomokona)

Yes.

Rhett Allain of Wired did an extensive study of three battery brands (Energizer, Duracell, and a dollar store variety) and concluded that the brand named batteries are worth the added cost. Brand named contain more energy, disperse that energy better, and cost, on a joule per dollar basis, less than the dollar store variety. The differences between the brand name (Energizer vs. Duracell) were not significant. He did this by having the batteries power a light and took some measurements to arrive at his conclusions.

It was nice to see my own opinion confirmed (I use mostly rechargeable batteries but when in doubt I avoid dollar store varieties) but the big takeaway for me was the energy dispersed over time. As you can see, current (Amp) and potential (V) are highest at first and then drop significantly between 3 and 5 hours. At around 6-7 hours, it has minimal energy left but has that for quite some time. What I typically do with alkaline batteries, after they’ve exhausted most of their charge, is use them in remotes. Then, as new alkaline batteries come into the system, I cycle out the ones in remotes (for fear of leakage). I find that remotes use very little energy.

The difference between brand name and el cheapo batteries is significant and this little study, with its wealth of data, proves it.

(and please use rechargeable batteries… alkaline batteries are horrible, especially if you don’t recycle them!)

(Photo: grandhi)

As a new year begins, and you consider what you can do to make this coming year better than the last year, it’s a good idea to look at your habits. Many of our habits contribute to money leaks in our lives.

It might take some time to eradicate a habit in your life, but you can work on one at a time. Work on developing good habit from this list each month, and in 10 months you could have a new you that is also more financially sound:
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Every year, my family does a white elephant party. It’s fun to see what creative things others come up with when the limit drops ever lower. Whether you want something silly, or something a little more serious, the good news is that it’s possible to stick within the limit without too much trouble.

Web sites like Overstock.com, Amazon.com, Gifts.com, UncommonGoods.com, and a wide array of gag gift web sites (Including FunSlurp.com and Stupid.com) all have the ability for you to search by price. Some of the “safest” gifts include specialty foods, gifts cards, decorative soaps and generic mugs filled with hot chocolate, candy or coffee beans. If you don’t mind something a little more “fun,” though, here are 15 ideas for frugal white elephant gifts under $15:

1. Angry Birds Plush Toy: Angry bird plush toys are all the rage this year, and you can get one — with sound — for less than $15, making a fun white elephant gift for any party.
2. Christmas Ornament: Look for a character Christmas ornament, or look for a silly ornament. These make fun gifts that can be useful, too.
3. Stress Ball: Who isn’t stressed about something? There are any number of stress balls out there with clever sayings, funny pictures, or odd shapes. And many of them cost less than $15.
4. Desktop Sports Games: From desktop bowling, to a small ping-pong game meant for the top of your desk, there are different sports games designed as novelties for playing with no matter where you are.
5. Novelty Push-Pins: There are a number of ways to hold items onto a cork board. Novelty push-pins are perfect for the job. These come shaped as sports equipment, vegetables, and even a headless man in a suit. You can even get a package of huge push-pins of comic proportions.
6. iPhone Stands: There are a number of novelty iPhone stands, designed to look like wrenches, sticky bubblegum and more. Useful gifts for the smart phone owner, and fun to boot.
7. Koi Toy: This fun fish, found on FunSlurp, lights up when you put it in water. Your co-worker or family member can keep it in a class of water and enjoy all the benefits of a goldfish without the hassle of having to take care of one.
8. Toilet Mug: Up til now, the gifts have been mostly classy. However, it can be fun to give novelty mug shaped like a toilet. Other funny-shaped mugs are also available, adding a new twist to the idea of the coffee break.
9. Bacon Soap: Bacon jokes haven’t quite run their course. There is soap scented like bacon, and a number of other bacon-temed products you can choose from.
10. Bobbleheads: These are great favorites, and they’re loads of fun. I once got my dad a bobblehead moose. There are character bobbleheads, animal bobbleheads, and more to choose from.
11. Fortune Telling Pen: Ask a question, click the top, and the future appears. This function pen on Stupid.com is a fun and usable white elephant gift.
12. Marshmallow Shooters: Mini crossbows, marshmallow guns, and other marshmallow shooters can be fun. Just remember to include a packet of marshmallows.
13. Earmuffs: Faux-fur earmuffs, or earmuffs with cute animal faces on them, can be fun gifts. You can also find more “serious” earmuffs for less than $15.
14. Instant Excuse Ball: This is a fun gift that works like a “Magic 8-Ball.” Instead of telling your future, though, it provides you with excuses that can be used to get out of almost everything.
15. Grenade Screwdriver Set: Useful tools presented in a fun way. Comes with different bits that can be used in a pinch. There are other screwdriver sets in shapes other than the grenade.

(Photo: susanti.chandra)

What is your opinion of Craigslist? Does it seem like a cyber garage sale that is full of the garage sale type of people? Let’s generalize for a moment but we’re talking about the people who show up in the trucks that look like the engine could fall out at any minute and they want to haggle over your $1 shirt for sale.

Or maybe you’ve seen the news reports of somebody seriously injured by meeting with somebody to finalize a deal they made on Craigslist? Craigslist looks like a website that hasn’t been updated since the web was invented but that is part of what makes it such a great tool and if you can get beyond your preconceived notions, you stand to save a ton of money.

First, all of us should be reminded that the actions of a few don’t represent the masses and if we avoid meeting new people because they may be violent, we’re in for lonely life. However, just like in any situation where strangers are involved, use some common sense. If something doesn’t sound right, it probably isn’t. The truth is logical, consistent, and often easy to understand. Use this common sense approach to your Craigslist haggling.

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Back in college, I used to sell all sorts of products on eBay and thus developed keen understanding for how the post office worked. I didn’t do a tremendous amount of selling but as a lazy and poor college student, I did my best to make my shipping as efficient as possible. Many of the tips below come from that experience and are very much USPS centric since my packages were often very light, but many of those tips apply to any shipping service.

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These days, there is a secondary market for just about everything. You can find gift cards with unused balances remaining, and buy them for less than the face value. And, with the advent of daily deal sites, it makes sense that a secondary market has sprung up around them as well.

However, before you go looking for discounted daily deals, it’s a good idea to keep these things in mind:
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Some of the most thoughtful gifts are handmade. You can personalize them, and the recipients can tell that you have put some real effort and consideration into them. Additionally, handmade gifts are also relatively inexpensive. With a little creativity, you can provide interesting and attractive gifts for your loved ones.

Below are 12 ideas for handmade gifts that can add a personal touch to the holidays:
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