Free MP3 Downloads from Spin.com

For each issue, Spin Magazine offers free downloads of the songs that "make" the issue. Visit Spin.com for the 17 free mp3 downloads from their April issue (available through April 30, 2011), as well as the 19 songs from the March issue (available through March 31, 2011).

Free eBooks Today from Tyrus Books!

For those of you who enjoy eBooks (and mystery/crime fiction), Tyrus Books is again offering free downloads today.  Tyrus Books is a small crime fiction publisher.

To download your free eBook today, go to www.tyrusbooks.com and select whichever eBook you want. When it gets into your shopping cart, enter the promo code "youcallthatbrave" for a 100% discount.

Yay for great books! And yay for great FREE books!

Anniversary Giveaway : Win A Brand New 13inch MacBook Air From Stylishwebdesigner.com

In celebration of one year of blogging, Stylish Web Designer (http://stylishwebdesigner.com) is giving away a 13-inch MacBook Air! 

Stylish Web Designer was started on March 15, 2010 to share with the web design community; it is now one of the most popular web design blogs in the world. 

There are two ways to participate in the giveaway: 

1. Retweet this contest on Twitter and then reply with your twitter status on the giveaway post (http://stylishwebdesigner.com/anniversary-giveaway-win-a-brand-new-13inch-macbook-air/). Follow @stylishdesigner on Twitter also, keeping in mind that the winner will be announced via Twitter.

2. Post the contest on your blog, then go back to the giveaway post on Stylish Web Designer (http://stylishwebdesigner.com/anniversary-giveaway-win-a-brand-new-13inch-macbook-air/) and give the link in the comments section.

The prize is a brand-new, 13-inch MacBook Air. Contest ends April 15, 2011, with winners being announced April 16, 2011.

5 Uses for Spent Coffee Grounds

My husband and I drink a lot of coffee. I mean, a lot—we're talking at least two 12-cup pots a day being brewed in our house. While not the most expensive beverage on the planet (and brewing our own is certainly cheaper than a daily visit to Starbuck's), coffee still averages about $8 a container, which only lasts us about three weeks. At that price, how can you use your coffee to stretch your dollar further? Here are 5 ways to use spent coffee grounds:

1. Plant Food. Many plants prefer soil that is slightly acidic. You can mix the remaining dregs of cold liquid left in the pot with a bit of water and use it to water your plants. Used coffee grounds can also be added to home compost piles for added nutrients.

2. Ant Repellent. Ants are deterred by coffee. Place dried, spent grounds around door frames and other outside nooks and crannies to keep ants away.

3. Fight Cellulite. The caffeine in coffee grounds can effectively battle unsightly cellulite if used regularly. Massage warm coffee grounds into problem areas and let sit for ten to twenty minutes. Aim to do this a few times each week for best results.

4. Exfoliant. Just as coffee grounds can fight cellulite, they can also help increase cell turnover. For a mild exfoliant that will waken your skin, gently massage coffee grounds onto face and rinse with water.

5. Deodorizer. Coffee is a powerful deodorizer (ever wonder why you cleanse your smelling palate with coffee beans while smelling perfumes at a fancy fragrance counter?). Both coffee grounds and coffee beans can be placed in a refrigerator or freezer to remove unwanted odors.

Does anyone else have some fun and cost-effective ways to use coffee grounds?

Free eBooks Today from Tyrus Books!

For those of you who enjoy eBooks (and mystery/crime fiction), Tyrus Books is offering free downloads today.  Tyrus Books is a small crime fiction publisher.

To download your free eBooks today, go to www.tyrusbooks.com and select whichever eBook you want. When it gets into your shopping cart, enter the promo code "iamawildcrimespreeparty" for a 100% discount.

Yay for great books! And yay for great FREE books!

Get Paid to Search the Web with Swagbucks

Swagbucks is a great way to earn extra money by simply searching the Internet. There are many ways to earn "swagbucks," from searching (by using their search engine at www.swagbucks.com or www.searchwingine.com) to daily polls and surveys. When searching, swagbucks are awarded randomly; when doing a poll or a survey, you are awarded Swag Bucks upon completion of the poll or survey. Once you've accumulated some Swag Bucks, you can trade them in for anything from trading cards to DVDs to gift cards to retailers like Amazon.com or Target.

It's that easy! They even provide a toolbar download so that you can search from your web browser's toolbar (much as you might search using a Google or Yahoo! toolbar) without having to navigate your browser to the search engine at www.swagbucks.com.

I've been participating in the Swagbucks program since spring of 2009, when I saw television commercial for it on the WGN network. In that time, I've earned thousands of swagbucks and redeemed them for two $20 Target gift cards as well as entered many sweepstakes for larger items (like computers and digital cameras).

It's really that easy! Search the Internet like you normally would, and receive swagbucks to be used on whatever you want! Still have questions? Visit http://www.swagbucks.com/g/how-it-works for a full description of the program and ways to earn.

Clean Your Brass Pots and Pans with Ketchup

I've never been a big fan of ketchup (I'm very much a mustard kind of girl), but we do always keep it in the house for ketchup-oriented guests. After reading an article about it in Saturday's paper, my husband surprised me with a new thrifty cleaning tip I had never heard of: use ketchup to clean brass pots and pans. I'm not sure why it works (I'm assuming the acids in the ketchup), but I do know that it does.


We first tried a little dab, to see what the results would be. After letting it sit only a few minutes, we were left with this:

You can clearly see the spot in the middle that shines like new. We then added more to finish the job:

Wipe on, let sit, and rinse off, leaving you with the finished product:

 Ta da! Our pans are like new again. Does anyone know of any other cleaning uses for ketchup?

Free Bath & Body Works Lip Gloss with True Blue Spa Purchase! (Through 3/13/11)

Shop Bath and Body Works now for free lip gloss with any full-size True Blue Spa Purchase! Plus, get free shipping with any purchase of $50 or more, now through Sunday (3/13)!

March Sweepstakes from BHG.com

The website for Better Homes and Gardens Magazine is a treasure trove of ideas for the DIYer. What's more, they offer some fabulous sweepstakes from Better Homes and Gardens and their affiliates that you can enter daily!! Here are the sweepstakes that you can enter during the month of March:

• Ladies Home Journal $1,000 Walmart Shopping Spree Sweepstakes. Enter for a chance to win a $1,000 Walmart shopping spree! (Ends today!)
  
  
• BHG Find a Pro $2,500 New Look for the New Year Sweepstakes. One winner will receive a $2,500 check to update their home for the new year! (Ends 3/31/11; enter once daily.)
• Better Homes and Gardens Hawaiian Garden Getaway Sweepstakes. One winner will win a Hawaiian Garden vacation for two! (Ends 3/31/11; enter once daily.)
• Better Homes and Gardens Sleep Number Sweepstakes. Enter to win a Sleep Number prize package worth over $10,000! (Ends 3/31/11; enter once daily.)
• Recipe.com Free Groceries for a Year Sweepstakes. One winner will win $5,000 cash for groceries! (Ends 4/30/11; enter once daily.)
• Traditional Home 2011 Outdoor Room Sweepstakes. One lucky winner will receive an outdoor room makeover prize package worth over $16,700! (Ends 5/1/11; enter once daily.)
• Diabetic Living $1,000 Healthy Groceries Sweepstakes. One winner will win $1,000 for healthy groceries! (Ends 5/2/11; enter once daily.)
• "2nd Annual Keep 'em Happy" Sweepstakes, sponsored by Farm Rich. One grand prize winner will receive a prize package consisting of a $2,500 check and $100 worth of Farm Rich product coupons/vouchers. Five first prize winners will each receive $50 worth of Farm Rich product coupons/vouchers. (Ends 5/31/11; enter once daily.)
•  2011 Best New Products Sweepstakes. Ten winners will receive a prize basket consisting of thirty-four best new winning products (retail value $305), and a $33 check for the retail value of eight best new perishable products. (Ends 6/30/11; enter once daily.)
• Better Homes and Gardens $25,000 Home Makeover Sweepstakes. One winner will receive a $25,000 check! (Ends 6/30/11; enter once daily.)
• Better Homes and Gardens Daily Sweepstakes. Enter daily for your chance to win great cooking and decorating prizes! Plus, be entered to win the grand prize of $2,500 when you enter! (Ongoing; enter once daily.)

8 Ways to Save Money by Living Green

Living green doesn't have to be a daunting proposition. By making even a few small switches around your house, you can benefit the environment while benefiting your wallet.

1. Switch to Halogen Light Bulbs. While halogen light bulbs may cost more up front (perhaps four or five dollars as opposed to a dollar or two), they do last several thousands of hours longer than their cheaper incandescent counterparts, so you actually end up spending less in the long run on replacement bulbs alone. Halogen bulbs are also more energy-efficient than incandescent, and cut down on your energy bill. Some states and companies even offer rebates to those who replace old incandescent bulbs with halogens.
2. Buy a Programmable Thermostat. By using a programmable thermostat to lower (in the winter) or raise (in the summer) the temperature of your house during the night while you sleep or during the day while you are at school or work, you not only save energy but also a considerable amount of money each month on your energy bill. While certain models can be expensive, expect them to pay for themselves in just a month or two.
3. Turn off the AC. Living in Minnesota, my husband and I cherish the warmth of the summer. That said, the humidity can really get to be too much at times, and we do enjoy the air conditioning. But, in order to save money (and energy) we have installed a governor on our air conditioning unit that automatically turns the AC off when it has run for too long, and doesn't let us set the temperature below a certain point. Our energy company gives us a percentage off of our energy bill each month during the summer to have it, which is also nice. We also have an unwritten rule that until we have a stretch of hot days in the 90s, the AC doesn't get turned on. Needless to say, we enjoy paying our energy bill in the summer much more than we do during the winter.
4. Watch Your Water.This is a biggie for me, since I love love LOVE taking baths. According to @livinggreenstore (http://www.livingreen.com/), a shower only uses 10 to 25 gallons of water while a bath takes up to 70 gallons, and letting your faucet run for five minutes uses about as much energy as letting a 60-watt light bulb run for 14 hours. Taking showers instead of baths, turning off the faucet when brushing your teeth, and (while I have yet to employ this tactic, my sister-in-law is religious about it) abiding by the rule, "If it's yellow, let it mellow; if it's brown, flush it down," can save a lot of water—and a lot of money.
5. Plant Your Own Vegetable Garden. Tending your own garden is not only great for the environment (by upping the number of carbon dioxide-consuming plants as well as reducing the gas/oil required to ship fruits and vegetables grown elsewhere) but also great for your family (as your veggies will likely have no pesticides and fresh produce is always a better option than processed foods) and your wallet. Seeds are cheaper than buyer fresh produce shipped in from elsewhere. Gardening is also a great, stress-relieving hobby, and is great for fostering relationships with neighbors and coworkers, as any extra tasty produce can be shared.
6. Make Your Own Compost Pile. Whether or not you plan to plant your own garden (see number five above), you can use compost for any lawn-related purpose. This saves on the hundreds of thousands of tons of chemical waste that go into water supply each year, and there is no need to spend money on expensive potting soils and fertilizers (which themselves are generally hazardous to our environment).
7. Walk or Bike to Work. Finding alternate means of personal physical transportation (i.e. walking, biking, or skating) not only saves on the carbon footprint caused by your car, but it saves your wallet (gas in Minnesota is again up to $3.49/gallon and rising) and your health (and with your new method of exercise, perhaps you can ditch your expensive health club membership!).
8. Make Your Own Safe Cleaning Supplies. Vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and baking soda (as well as many other common household items) can be used for safe alternatives for chemical cleansers. By making your own cleaning supplies, you not only prevent chemical-laden liquid waste from entering our rivers and waterways, you keep your kids chemical free and save money each month on products.