It’s the last Friday of July. Like it or not, summer is winding down. But thankfully for those of you who like freebies, they just keep getting hotter. Here are some of the best freebies available right now.

Free Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream: Donate some of your time for helping out a worthy cause and you’ll be rewarded by free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Just search the available volunteer opportunities at Read the remainder of this post »

Our next Twitter Tuesday Profile is living the life of a young professional in New York City. Ana, perhaps better known as @DollaThug, is a 2007 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and works in the financial services industry. She rents a studio in Brooklyn and blogs regularly at DollarThug.com.

OODC: How did you get started blogging and tweeting?
@DollaThug: I just launched the [...] Continue Reading…

It may sound too good to be true, but there are some jobs out there that can bring in significant salaries without a college degree. However, these careers do require specialized training. Payscale recently put together a list of jobs that don’t require a degree.

1. Freelance Photographer: Median Salary $47,800 Along with strong photography skills and special equipment, you’ll also need to be business [...] Continue Reading…

Celebrate Christmas in July with a whole bunch of freebies! Give them away, or keep them as a little gift for yourself. Either way, enjoy!

Free Special K Meal Bar: Need a snack? Sign up for a free Special K Meal Bar. Just fill out a short form and in addition to your free bar you’ll get coupons, too.

Free WordLock: Head to the WordLock [...] Continue Reading…

It’s been a busy year for Paul Williams. He got married to his wife Michelle and recently started his own financial planning and tax preparation business in Southern Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. When he’s not crunching numbers he enjoys tweeting as @ProvidentPlan and blogging at ProvidentPlan.com.

OODC: How did you get started blogging and tweeting?
@ProvidentPlan: I think I didn’t discover personal finance blogs [...] Continue Reading…

Any frugal person knows the joys of the local library. You can get books, movies and CDs for free. But sometimes there are super long waits for bestsellers and driving to the library just isn’t convenient. But for book worms out there, a new service may be a great way for you to save money while feeding your need to read.

It’s called Book [...] Continue Reading…

Having a roommate is a great way to save money. You sacrifice a room in your home that you probably weren’t using much anyway and in exchange you get some extra money each month. But of course, having a roommate takes a little adjusting. My husband and I are welcoming in an old friend for a couple of months who needs a place to [...] Continue Reading…

There’s a new website called Soap.com that allows you to purchase 25,000 drugstore items at discount prices – up to 25 percent off. You can also get free 2-day shipping if you spend more than $50. Wallet Pop recently decided to compare prices and the convenience of shopping online instead of at the drugstore. It found Soap.com to be a reasonable alternative.

When it comes [...] Continue Reading…

It’s summer and the freebies are hot! There are great deals all over the place– from a free pedometer to a free full-size sinus product. Enjoy!

Free Mountain Dew Wristband: Mountain Dew is celebrating the fact that a million people like them on Facebook by giving away DEW wristbands for one day. This offer ends Friday, July 16 at 6pm so head to their Facebook [...] Continue Reading…

Along with the Best Places to Live, CNNMoney also released the Top-Earning Towns across the United States.

The highest is Bethesda, MD where residents make more than $170,000 each year! Here are the other top cities:

2. Greenwich, CT: Median Family Income is $164,000

3. Palo Alto, CA: Median Family Income is $153,000

4. Newport Beach, CA: Median Family Income is $145,000

5. Lower Merion, PA: Median Family Income [...] Continue Reading…

Have you ever thought about how much you spend on razors? Some couponers are able to stock up on razors without paying anything. In fact just yesterday I walked out of the grocery store with four razors and I actually made $.24 just by taking them home. But those that aren’t into couponing find themselves frustrated with constant upgrades and product changes that force [...] Continue Reading…

The Mortgage Bankers Association announced this week that the demand for home loans in the US slid to a 13-year low, despite record-low mortgage rates. According to Reuters, requests for mortgages fell by 3.1 percent in early July which was the lowest level seen since December 1996. Refinancing has also slowed down, falling 2.9 percent.

Those that are looking for mortgages are enjoying extremely [...] Continue Reading…

CNN Money just released it’s annual list of the top 100 best places to live. Here’s a look at the top 25 and their current population:

1 Eden Prairie, MN 64,000
2 Columbia/Ellicott City, MD 155,000
3 Newton, MA 82,000
4 Bellevue, WA 124,000
5 McKinney, TX 125,000
6 Fort Collins, CO 141,000
7 Overland Park, KS 175,000
8 Fishers, IN 69,000
9 Ames, IA 60,000
10 Rogers, AR 57,000
11 Plymouth, MN 76,000
12 [...] Continue Reading…

After 25 years in the Information Technologies field, Kim Staudenraus felt like something was missing. She wanted to be doing more to help others. In 2006 Kim decided it was time to begin to change her career path. She had a passion to help others live a better life, a life without the stress of debt. She attended training with Dave Ramsey and the [...] Continue Reading…

Everyone knows, I go to great lengths to save money. I wait until after 3pm to buy my Sunday paper so I can save $.50. I never go to a store without searching for a coupon first. I always attempt to haggle on major purchases. But there are some money-saving practices that seem to be crossing the line. What do you think? Would you [...] Continue Reading…

I’m training for my third marathon. It’s coming up in October so I’ve started spending a lot more time in my running shoes. I don’t really consider myself a runner even though I’ve completed two full marathons and one half marathon. That’s why it always surprises me when people tell me they could never run a marathon because they aren’t “a runner.” I’m not [...] Continue Reading…

After a week off, I’m back with even more freebies! And to go along with the heat wave that’s sweeping the country, this deals are smokin’!

Free Chik-Fil-A: Just in case you haven’t heard, today is Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A. Dress partially like a cow and you’ll score a free sandwich. Dress in a head-to-toe cow costume and you’ll score a free meal! [...] Continue Reading…

Are you a goal setter? Without goals our work, passion and energy can be more like a lightning strike– only making a short, fleeting impact. But with goal setting we can become more like the sun– steady, bright and strong. Goal setting can help us reduce the amount of time and energy we squander. Having goals helps us to focus our talents and truly [...] Continue Reading…

There are lots of factors that go into trying to get your house sold. When competing against other homes in your price range sometimes it can help to offer incentives for buyers. It can be a great way to convince buyers to choose your home over others in the market. There are several options for choosing incentives:

Paying Points

Offering to pay some or all [...] Continue Reading…

Driving can be a great way to see the country and save money on summer travel. But with high gas prices and pricey pit stops, the money that you save road tripping it can quickly go out the window. Here are some ways to get road-trip-ready on a budget.

Bring Snacks

Even if you think you won’t want food during your journey, pack some any [...] Continue Reading…

Do you know how many zeros it takes to make a trillion? The national debt is now over $13 trillion. According to Dave Ramsey, one trillion dollars would pay the rent of every renter in America for three years or pay every US mortgage for 14 months! If you stacked a trillion worth of one dollar bills that would wrap around the equator 2.72 [...] Continue Reading…

For today’s Twitter Tuesday Profile we’re introducing you to Kevin, a bankruptcy counselor living in Orlando, Florida. Kevin helps those going through bankruptcy to establish a budget and get back on the right financial track. Kevin tweets as @FinanciallyPoor and blogs at www.FinanciallyPoor.com.

OODC: How did you get started blogging and tweeting?
@FinanciallyPoor: 3-4 years ago I bought the domain and hosting for a personal [...] Continue Reading…

Through the years thousands of people have come to the aid of others in need. After 9/11 people traveled to New York and when Katrina hit they helped out in New Orleans. Now, there may be an even bigger incentive to give back while on a trip – you can get a tax write-off, reports Wallet Pop.

What is deductible? Your out-of-pocket expenses related to [...] Continue Reading…

Real Simple magazine took the time to share with their readers several ways to spend smarter, including shopping, eating and entertainment.

Find Savings at the Flea Market

Real Simple says don’t waste your time searching through endless bins of stuff. Flea market vendors usually display stuff worth buying in plain sight. First, you can get on the good side of the vendor. Go to the same [...] Continue Reading…

Tired of having to pay for your bags when traveling by air? I’ve heard of people who ship their items ahead of time to avoid baggage fees. UPS has come up with a solution – Luggage Boxes.

They look like cardboard suitcases and have a handle. A small box is $12.95 and a large is $17.95 and doesn’t include shipping. But is this really going [...] Continue Reading…

If you have a backyard barbeque planned for the holiday weekend, here are some tips to help you save some cash when planning for the big day. All You magazine has put together some ideas.

1. Create a bandana table runner: Throw down a checkered table cloth and you can use hem tape or sew bandanas onto the table cloth. Iron over them to help [...] Continue Reading…

My husband and I leave for a 4th of July vacation to Florida this week and there are still great deals to be had if you want to travel for the holiday. Major travel websites conducted surveys of available properties for the upcoming holiday. Here is a list of top 10 4th of July destinations from Hotwire.

1. Dallas/Fort Worth

2. Las Vegas

3. Atlanta

4. St. Louis

5. [...] Continue Reading…

Our latest Twitter Tuesday Profile introduces you to Jackie Beck, also known as @MoneyCrush. She manages websites and does technical writing in Arizona where she lives with her husband and son. Her free time is spent hanging out with family, traveling, painting and, of course, writing about money at MoneyCrush.com.

OODC: How did you get started blogging and tweeting?
@MoneyCrush: I started blogging in the [...] Continue Reading…

I know we are all trying to save some money, especially those with young children. With a baby on the way, I am definitely ready to start taking note of places where you don’t have to pay for your child to eat. Here are some places that allow kids to eat for free, so go on and head out to a restaurant and spoil [...] Continue Reading…

Can you believe it’s the last Friday in June? Don’t let your summer fly by without scoring some great freebies. Here are some worth checking out.

Free Greeting Card: The first 15,000 people to head to Flidipidi’s Facebook page will get a free greeting card. Pick a design, write a personal note and send it on its way for any special occasion. Use code [...] Continue Reading…