TIP: Free Movies

This week I borrowed "Gone With the Wind" from the Saint Charles Public Library. My 13-year-old daughter hadn't seen it. The only reason she knew of it was the Great Movie Ride at Walt Disney World. She is now on a quest to see all the movies in the Great Movie Ride, but the classics are hard to find at Blockbuster; they tend to carry more current stuff.

But, I found "Gone With the Wind" at the library - so I borrowed it for FREE (!) and I got to keep it for a week. I just renewed it for another week. (It's 3 hours long! So it's taking us a couple days to get through it.) It's a great movie - I forgot how rich the characters are.

So check out the library - it's a great way to save money on books, music and movies.

TIP: Eat Leftovers

Even on a budget, you can justify eating out if you can bring home your leftovers and make a second meal out of it. Most portions in restaurants are big enough for two meals. Granted, not everything reheats well. You have nothing to lose giving it a try because the restaurant is only going to throw out your leftovers anyway. Just don't leave the box on the table when you get up to leave!

The same principle works for home cooked meals. If the dinner you make for your family of four costs $12 and you get two additional meals out of it, divide $12 by 6 meals and the cost is just $2 per person.