A little note and a chocolate

A fantastic present for $1-3 that will make your beloved grin with glee is to write down five compliments to the person you love on an ornate piece of paper and give it to them with a little chocloate heart. I did this for my husband last year and it worked extremely well.

Here are some ideas to get you started.

• I love the way you smile when you look at me.
• I love how you phone me when you are away.
• I adore you. You are fantastic.
• You make me happy.
• Hugging you is heaven.
• You have a wonderful sense of humour.
• You are the love of my life
• You make my knees weak
• You are my rock. I depend on you.
• You are beautiful. I will be yours forever.
• You are wonderful because...
• I love you because...
• I like the way you see the best in everyone.
• You have the most beautiful laugh in the world.
• You are such a caring person. You make me smile.
• You make me smile.
• You are couragoues. You take on challenges when others are scared.
• You are so nifty. Why didn't I meet you years ago?
• You are kind. You helped your neighbours when they were struggling.
• You are a full of fantastic ideas.
• You are so focused. I wish I could be like you.
• You are adorable. And I do adore you.
• Looking at you makes me smile.
• You're one of the smartest people I know.

Slipping a note in their lunch box

Discount Furniture

All commercial office fit-out companies have a stash of cancelled orders, wrong colours/sizes, discontinued or floor stock.

I suggest if you are searching and find what you are after and there is floor stock - make an offer as the showrooms update each year.

Also a meeting table makes a great dining table - usually for a fraction of the cost.

Contributed by: Kerryn Briody

Auctions and Garage Sales

Buy Saturday’s Courier Mail (or relevant paper in your area) and go to the section to do with Auctions. You have to know your prices but you can pick up some really great furniture bargains.

Also get up early Saturday morning and go to garage sales, these are also listed in the Courier Mail. You will have to get there about 6.30 am to get the really good bargains.

I don't find second hand furniture shops cheap at all. The dealers from these shops get their stock from auctions and garage sales so all the furniture is marked up.

Contributed by: Michelle Langley-Taylor

Massive mark ups - Ask for a discount

The Age reported a few years ago that the mark-up on furniture is around 300% - so never, EVER accept full price! Offer less than the suggested price, even offering cash if necessary.

A friend tried this at a major chain store when buying a laptop. The salesman pulled a typewritten list of prices and models out from behind the till and told him, "The lowest price I can accept for that laptop is $2000" - more than $500 below the ticketed price!

Contributed by: Tonia Griffith-Jones

Hardward from Clints, Go-Lo, etc

If you buy hardware items from Clints, Go-Lo, etc. Do not expect them to last very long! Every new cheap tool I have bought from a discount store I had to throw out.

The Keeper is new to Australia. It costs 54c per month versus the $6 per month I currently spend. It is a "small, soft rubber cup worn internally like a tampon". It costs $64 and lasts 10 years. After reading the 163 testimonials on the US web site. I can’t wait to try it. Here are a couple of them.

"I first started using The Keeper five years ago this month. I LOVE it! In fact, although I have spent the last three years in theology school, I believe my strongest evangelism skills have surfaced in converting others to The Keeper. (I'm at about 12 converts and counting...) It has brought me through travels (some extended) in Southern Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, Europe, and daily use here in the States. In fact, during a recent move, I misplaced my The Keeper (still hoping to find it in a box somewhere) and had to go back to tampons - not only did they not work as well, I kept forgetting to bring them places! Thanks for making such a wonderful product. I'm proud to continue spreading the word." -Melody

"I'm just finishing my second cycle with The Keeper and I'm totally thrilled with it - no spots, no feeling "not so fresh" like I did with tampons and pads, and best of all, NO CRAMPS! I've actually been able to enjoy my period as the time of rest and cleansing it's supposed to be rather than wondering if I'm about to leak, have enough supplies with me, etc.. Thank you for setting me free!" -MAC, Maryland

"I just wanted to echo my extreme satisfaction with The Keeper and to express my gratitude for creating a woman-friendly, environmentally-friendly product that I feel proud supporting! I talk to everyone I can (that will listen!) about your product: from feminists to engineers and designers.... everybody is fascinated! I wish every menstruating woman had one - not only for the many health and environmental reasons, but that it promotes an intimate and healthy relationship between women and their bodies! Hooray for The Keeper!" -Heather, Laird, California

Evelyn needs help. Here is a copy of her email.

"I need a product to lift the urine smell and stain of a dog. She continually goes to the carpet when I'm not looking and I can't remove the stains. The carpet is cream and it shows everything. Please help!"

The Savings Vault is our members only area. It costs $17 per year to access and is a huge ever-growing collection of general and specific money saving tips. Here is a brief list of hints in the Savings Vault:

Appliances: 12 Tips on washing machines and good places to buy new and second hand appliances. I saved $150 on our new stove.

Christmas: 33 Tips how to decorate your tree and house for less, better ways to wrap presents and general ways to save money at Christmas time. I saved $90 decorating our tree from sales and discount stores.

Frugal Publications: 9 books, magazine and web sites we recommend. The more you read the better you will get.

Pets: 20 tips to save money on dogs, cats and fish. I will save $150 this year by changing my brand of cat food.

Arts & Craft: 6 tips for buying fabric, recycled supplies, paint brushes and stickers.

Clothes: 53 tips for finding factory outlets, retail discounts, second hand clothes, cheap lingerie and caring for your shoes. I saved $250 by buying three shirts on sale.

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Babies: 61 tips for things you do and don’t need to buy in baby's first year. I saved $6000 by buying second hand and accepting hand me downs. If you aren’t careful, you will have to go back to work a lot sooner than you planned.

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Groceries: 268 ways to save money at Aldi, Coles, Woolworths, Bi-Lo, Bread, Cleaning Products, Meat, Fruit, Vegetables and Toiletries. I have saved $1200 this year by shopping at Aldi.

Telephones: 27 tips to help you save money on your phone bills. We reduced our phone bill by $300 per year by changing service providers

Beauty: 39 tips for saving money on Hair, Nails, Perfume, Powder, Skin and Make-up.

Education: 12 tips for saving money on text books and photocopying.

Health: 22 ways to save money on medicines, dental, vitamins and glasses.

Cars: 35 general tips for caring for and buying cheaper cars.

Entertainment: 44 tips to save money movies, videos and dining.

House: 60 tips for saving money on furniture, manchester, decorations, water and electricity. We saved $5000 furnishing our house. The only piece of furniture we paid for in our house was the mattress.

Travel: 12 tips for saving money on accommodation, air travel and buses around Australia.

Children: 24 ways to save money on school supplies, clothing and toys.

Fitness: 13 ideas, how to exercise for free, inexpensive clubs and fitness equipment.

Office: 15 ways to save money on faxes, supplies, internet and office equipment.

Weddings: 35 ways to save money on your wedding dress, decorations, food and several cheap gift ideas.

Accessing the Savings Vault

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