What are you doing to try and save money these days?

hot tubs for sale cheap image

This summer is not looking so great, money wise. So to save money I have cut back on some spending by purchasing store brand items, switching my phone plan to prepaid service, and setting my air conditioning at a cool temperature to help cut back on the electric bill. That is just a few ideas, but I would like to know what others are doing to save money.

Answer
1. Buy things on sale with a coupon
2. Make sure your coupons are organized or you will get frustrated using them. Three common ways to organize are alphabetical by brand, by categories, and by insert date (insert date found in small print on the margins of coupon inserts).
3. Shop Walgreens, Rite Aid and/or CVS for free or very cheap products.
4. Don't be brand fussy.
5. Use blogs that feature coupon matchups to help you know which coupons to use at which stores.
6. Do rebates from Ace Hardware and Menards (ok this will save you money more on household things than groceries probably, but it still might be a good source for things you need).
7. Know if there are stores that double or triple in your area. (It would help to know what state or area you live in to help you answer whether you are near any that do. Pick n Save in south east Wisconsin doubles. Other stores in other states double or triple. )

My favorite websites & blogs related to saving money:
www.taylortownpreview.com --will show you the coupon previews for different places.

http://stretchyourdollarwaukesha.wordpre⦠-- lots of ways to cut costs on your grocery bill and other areas. Recipes from scratch. Coupon matchups for Walgreens, Target, Walmart, and southeast Wisconsin grocery stores. Occasionally there are listings for free after rebate items at Menards and Ace Hardware. Also an article titled "100 free things to do this summer" that might help you out!

By the way I avoid using AC for more than 4 hours at a time. I live by the library so I walk there and use their AC or take a 5 min cold shower or sit in a tub of cold water if I am too hot instead of using the AC.

Source(s):
I am constantly reading blogs related to coupon matchups and saving money and also books on couponing and saving money. I'm like coupon mom on TV. I've had 4 garage sales this year selling my stockpile of brand new food items, makeup, deodorant, hair products, dental products and more and have made $900 this year and have only sold half my stuff so far or less! I have a huge stockpile. Also this stuff makes GREAT wedding shower and housewarming gift sets once you get into it. I do a ton of shopping at Walgreens and Walmart.

How much is my table bell worth?

Aqualily6

I was given a box of Christmas ornaments a few years ago and I am going to be moving. I was going through everything to sell in my yard sale and there is this antique looking bell with a ring on top. There are also 2 holes on each side of the bell. I think there used to be a chain with a bell chime inside.

I saw a plastic Made in India sticker, so I figured it wouldn't be worth much, but it looked antique. I thought maybe it could be silver, so I looked up how to tell if something is silver. I tested it with a magnet and it did not stick, I set an ice cube on it and the ice cube melted in seconds (the way a hot spoon would melt an ice cube), and I tinged it with my finger and it chimed beautifully.

Description:
It is shaped like the end of a trumpet, long and slender, with a ring on top that almost looks like a key ring. There is one drill hole through the ring (maybe where another chain would go with a bell ringer on it).

There is no silver mark, just a made in india label, but I can't tell how old the label is
(It was stored in tupperware storage tubs for years, so it was kept really well.)

It looks a little bit tarnished around where fingers must have touched it, and some up inside of it. In the grooves of the detail work it is black-ish colored.

It is about 6 1/2 inches tall, and the diameter of the base is 2 inches.

The base has a flower petal shape, up and down bumps, so it looks like a trumpet shaped flower.

(I found only 2 from India that looked similar on ebay, but they were bronze and 1 was slate gray - possibly aluminum or something. They were selling for cheap, which causes concern.)

What ever it is, I know it is a rare item and I'm hoping it is silver. Do you think it is silver? Is there any other ways to tell. Is it possible that it is a silver antique from India? How much would this table bell, I believe is what it is called, sell for if it was silver?
I was just going through the boxes of ornaments again and I found the chain for my bell, with a little metal stick on the end.

The chain attaches to the hole in the top and the stick (when not in use) slides through the two holes at the base of the bell. It looks cool. Using this info, I found more similar bells. They are usually made as brass from what I can tell. (I cannot find a reproduction of it yet, so it must be really unique)

It is similar in structure to these-

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1800s-Original-Vintage-Rare-Huge-Hand-Inlay-Forged-Inlay-Brass-Cow-Bell-Bell-/300893152929?pt=Asian_Antiques&hash=item460ea126a1

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-6PC-SOLID-BRASS-ETCHED-BELLS-MADE-IN-INDIA-SMALL-2-LOT-W-/370812645192?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item565627ef48


And then I saw this thing, that looks very similar with the horn shape:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LARGE-UNUSUAL-ANTIQUE-WOODEN-PULL-TOILET-PULL-BELL-PULL-HANDLE-LIGHT-PULL-KNOB-3-/380562995711?pt=UK_Antiques_Architecural_

Answer
Take it to any jeweler and ask them to help you decide whether it is silver - that makes a difference.
Is it anything like this?
http://gifts.indiavision.com/Mothers_Day/Puja_Items/Antique_Silver_Bell.html

Before you do anything, find out what it's made of, and how heavy it is if it' really silver.
It may be that its worth is in the metal itself, or at least that should be taken into consideration
Dealers frequent the yard sales looking for things they can sell, so don't sell it there for 5 bucks until you find out if it's worth more.

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