First Tip: Make some money by having a garage sale. Really take the time to look at items that aren’t being used are just sitting in the back of the closet. Organize your garage sale by telling all your neighbors and leaving small advertisements at local businesses.

Second Tip: Generate some money by renting out a room in your house. You can look at it as making money or saving money. By renting out a room you can save money on your monthly mortgage or rent as well as utilities.

Third Tip: Cut up your credit cards. Learn to build an emergency fund first to handle any unexpected expenses.  You should become your own lending agency. Pay more then the minimum.

Fourth Tip: Cut your home services expenses down. Compare home services such as phone, television, cable, internet, alarm systems and more. Look for ways to bundle up your home services and save more in the long run. Visit www.saveology.com for some ideas.

Take a walk around your home (apartment, condo, single family) and make note of all the gaps and cracks you find. You can save up to 20% on your cooling bills by repairing those gaps and cracks.

1. First start inside:
   • Turn off the electricity at the circuit bow, then remove the outlet covers to look for gaps.
   • You can either replace them with insulated covers (can cost anywhere from $3 – $4 each) OR use foam insets (gaskets) for around $49 cents each. You can find either type at your local hardware store. FYI… you can also insulate phone-jack covers as well.
2. Check the junctures (layman’s terms: where windows meet walls, walls meet floors and pipe and wires enter the home.)
   • Plug any gaps you see with calk (a box of 12 can cost anywhere from $15 – $20 and a caulking gun can cost you upwards of $40.)
3. Other areas to investigate for cracks and gaps:
   • Fireplace dampers, mail slots, wall-mounted air conditioner, attic doors, baseboards and weather stripping surround doors.

Extra tips:
Look for daylight, feel for drafts and listen for rattles.

Organic Banana Face Mask – Gives skin a healthy glow

1. Mash one half of a banana
2. Mix in a tablespoon of orange juice and a tablespoon of honey
3. Apply to the face and keep the mixture on for 15 minutes
4. Rinse with lukewarm water and then moisturize

The Breakfast Mask – Combats oily skin

1. Combine an egg yolk, a tablespoon of honey, then a tablespoon of olive oil and half a cup of oatmeal
2. Apply to the face for 15 – 20 minutes
3. Rinse with lukewarm water and then moisturize

Honey and Papaya Lightening Mask – Reduces sun spots and uneven skin

1. Blend together two tablespoons of honey and half a cup of mashed ripe papaya.
2. Apply on the face evenly for 15 – 20 minutes
3. Rinse with lukewarm water and then moisturize

Heavenly Honey Citrus Mask – Gives skin a healthy glow

1. Combine three tablespoons of orange juice with half a cup of honey
2. Apply to the face and leave on for half an hour
3. Rinse with lukewarm followed by cool water, then moisturize

There are tons of expensive products and procedures for beautifying the skin and keeping it looking young and fresh. Try some of these all-natural, low-cost do-it-yourself recipes you can use to keep your skin young and glowing.

Natural Skin Peels
Instead of expensive and possibly skin-damaging prescriptions, use eggplant, tomatoes or pineapple – they contain natural acids. Thinly slice the ingredients and place them on your face, covering the skin thoroughly. Leave on for 20 minutes, remove the fruit and veggie pieces and wash with warm water.

Smooth your Skin with Yogurt
Yogurt contains lactic acid, a naturally occurring alpha-hydroxy acid that gently peels off the dead skin layer, giving you a smooth skin texture. Over time, yogurt can also lighten spots and even out a patchy skin tone.

Remedy Rosacea with Cucumber
Peel the skin off of a fresh cucumber and puree the insides in a blender with one egg white. Coat your face with this mixture, leave on for 30 minutes. And then wash off with cold water. Use this mask daily and you should notice improvement within a month.

Don’t be afraid to bargain at the gym:
Always remember that you aren’t the only one hurting out there. According to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, the slow economy is a factor in the first nationwide drop in gym memberships in more than a decade. Here are some tips to getting a price break on your monthly gym memberships:

- More and more gyms are offering awesome deals because they want to keep their customers and take advantage of our desire to cut living costs (insert shameless plug here). Rather than have you walk away from your membership completely, they’ll likely offer you a break to keep you around. So, before you cancel, sit down with someone on the gym’s staff to see what could be arranged.

- This is also a good time to sign up for a gym membership if as long (as you’re really going to use it). Many gyms are waiving their enrollment fees and offering basic memberships for as little as $20 to $30 a month.

- Don’t forget to ask for free guest passes. You can get anywhere from a few days to 2 weeks of access.

- Of course, don’t forget to compare gym memberships before you sign up for anything! Comparison shopping is the way to go!

Check out some of the current gym membership special offers :

24 Hour Fitness
Bally Total Fitness