The answer comes from a surprising source—bestselling author Sarah Strohmeyer’s new novel THE PENNY PINCHERS CLUB. In it, Kat Griffiths has never saved a penny in her life. But when she begins to think that her husband is leaving her, she decides to kick her spending habits and prepare for divorce. What ensues is a hilarious, uplifting and heartwarming story about how hardship can lead to happiness.

THE PENNY PINCHERS CLUB is the perfect beach read for those in a funk about the recession.

I’m giving away TWO copies of this book. To enter, just leave a comment on this post. The contest will end next Friday at 5pm EST.

photo credit: DRB62

Spring is coming to an end and the weather is definitely getting warmer. If you’re like me, you try to resist turning on the AC as long as possible. However, that’s only delaying the inevitable. So here are some ways to keep cool AND save money.

• Increase the temperature on your thermostat – There’s no need to keep your home like an icebox. Instead of cranking the AC down to 70 degrees, try 78 and see how you feel. I promise, unless you’re in direct sunlight, it’s not that bad
• Install ceiling fans – Feeling a cool breeze across your skin makes you feel several degrees cooler than you are. The electricity used to power a ceiling fan in the room you’re in is much less than trying to cool your whole house.
• Close vents in rooms you don’t use – Why pay to cool rooms that you’re not in. Close those vents and the doors to those rooms as well. Because you’re cooling a smaller portion of your home, your electricity bill will be smaller as well.
• Get a programmable thermostat – This way you can regulate your AC use. There’s no point in running the AC when you aren’t home. That’s a pure waste of money. I set the AC to go off around 7am when I leave home in the morning and to come back on about an half hour before I get home. This way, the house is cool when I arrive but I haven’t wasted any power cooling an empty house.
• Clean your air filters – Clean or replace your air filters once a month or whenever they look dirty. Your AC unit has to work harder to draw air through a dirty filter and this lessens its efficiency. Trust me, air filters cost much less than electricity.
• Use curtains to block the sunlight – While I love natural sunlight, I keep my curtains drawn when I’m away from home. This lessens the amount of sunlight (meaning HEAT) that comes into my home, keeping it cooler overall.
• Insulate your attic – If your attic doesn’t have the proper amount of insulation, you can lose a lot of your cooled air, forcing your air conditioner to work harder.  Increasing your insulation is not very expensive and an easy DIY project.  You’ll soon recoup the cost as you can save ~$100/yr on your energy bills.
• Install an attic fan – This is something I’m considering doing.  To get even more bang for the buck, I’m looking at solar attic fans.  Attic fans draw hot air out of the attic which has a cooling effect on your home.  If you install a solar model, there is no added electricity cost.

What are ways you’re saving money and staying cool this year?

photo credit: wayneandwax

Unless the people in my previous post, Mr. Savvy and I generally have great success with our DIY projects.  Case in point, for the last few weeks, there has been a strong gas smell when we use the oven.  I finally decided to call the gas company, sooner rather than later, as I don’t want to blow up our house.

Friday, the gas company rep came out and said the issue was with the oven, most likely the ignitor.  So Monday, an appliance repairman came out.  He confirmed it was the ignitor and told me it would be $210 (parts and labor) to fix it.  He didn’t have the part with him but said he would return later.  I didn’t like the idea of paying that much for what looked like a simple fix (I could see the ignitor when he dismantled the oven to diagnose the problem).  So when he called back to reschedule, Mr. Savvy declined.

After locating an appliance parts store, we were able to purchase a new ignitor for $32.  After about an hour of Mr. Savvy’s time, the oven was fixed.  So instead of paying $49.95 for the service call and $210 for the repair, we paid $49.95 and $32.  We saved $178, almost 70%, by doing it ourselves.  How have you saved money by DIYing?

photo credit: superk8nyc

In these tough economic times, many people are starting to DIY.  However, some things are best left to the professionals.  A recent NY Times article provides a humorous example -

“One of my clients decided to bleach her hair all over instead of coming in to get a full head of highlights,” said Sunny Brewer, a stylist in St. Clair, Mich. “She put bleach on her scalp and pulled it through to the ends and left it on for an hour. She had hair down past the middle of her back and now she’s sporting a chin-length bob because her hair broke off.”

Have you had any DIY disasters?  Thankfully I haven’t because Google is my friend.  Google twice, cut once.  LOL.

The other thing summer means is going to the beach. Mr. Savvy and I always spend a week at the beach at some point during the summer.  Last month, I was dismayed to discover that one of my favorite swimsuits doesn’t fit anymore.  I mean, I could still get in it but all body parts are supposed to stay IN the suit, not creep out.  LOL.  So I’m on a quest for a new swimsuit.  I refuse to wait until the last minute.

As I’m typing this, I’m starting to think that I could probaby use another beach hat, a pair of beach-appropriate sandals, a cuter beach purse and on and on.  I guess I’ve got my work cut out for me.  Where do you find summer deals?

I recently read the book Living Rich for Less.  It was a quick read and had many useful tips for those still trying to pare down their budgets.  Therefore, instead of letting the book collect dust on my bookshelf, I’ve decided to give it away to one of my fabulous readers.  Simply leave a comment detailing one of your own budget tips and you’ll be entered.  You can leave as many tips as you want but only one entry per person.  I will announce the winner on Saturday morning.

photo credit: quinn.anya

I like to sleep on satin pillowcases. Though for some strange reason, the washing/drying process seems to tear them up. I’m tired of paying $20 for something rendered useless after several washes.  So I’ve decided to make my own.

I already have a sewing machine (which sits in the basement, unused) and I just bought enough fabric for two pillowcases for $7.11 online.  I may already have thread at home but if not, it shouldn’t be more than $2.  Hopefully these will fare better than the previous ones.

What DIY projects have you undertaken to save money?

photo credit: PhotoDu.de

I just returned from two back to back trips – one for business, and one for pleasure.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to travel.  Therefore, here’s a re-post of some of my favorite travel tips.  What do YOU do to save money on travel?

This is a guest post by Craig Kessler from http://blog.budgetpulse.com/

New Year’s has come and gone but that doesn’t change the fact that the number one resolution is to lose weight and to be healthier. Have you already fled from your resolution? The winter tends to be the time of year that brings the dull, lazy mentality in us out. The bottom line is not to let it happen. Concentrate on your goal to achieving a healthier lifestyle, because before you know it, summer will be here and the beach will be calling your name.

Half the battle is actually getting to the gym. Once you reach the gym, the workout part becomes very easy. A lot of people have trouble actually making it to the gym for several reasons. For starters, the gym can be intimidating if you are new to working out. Another reason is gym memberships fees tend to be very high costing hundreds of dollars a year. A lot of people who are new don’t feel the value in spending all that money and will not workout because of it. Guess what? You can still get a great workout right at home for free! Fancy machines and weights can be helpful, but for the average person, basic exercises are more than enough to help someone stay active. Here are a few exercises that will keep you staying active and keep your wallet full. All of these can be performed right in your home for free.

• Push-Ups: Try sets of 10 and increase if you feel comfortable

• Sit-ups: Develop a routine you are comfortable with and try for 10 minutes

• Wall-Sits: Stand against a wall and pretend to sit as there was a chair there. Try 3 sets of 30 seconds, increase to a minute if you feel comfortable.

• Jumping Jacks: A great warm up to get the heart pumping

• Resistant Bands: Great for general strength and conditioning

A great way to have a home trainer for free is to utilize youtube.com. There are so many workout videos that show routines that can be done for free right in your home.

• 8 Minute Abs

• Chest Workout

• 8 Minute Buns

• Tae Bo

These are just a few of the many videos out there that can help you out. Utilize these techniques and workout to feel great and then take that extra money saved on memberships to buy yourself a new bathing suit and some sun tan lotion.