Cheap Reading

No, I don't mean go out and buy a dirty magazine. That's not what we're talking about here!

Most towns/cities have second-hand bookstores. In fact, we have a place called the "Book Rack", which is a second-hand store filled to the gills with all the kind of books you can imagine. They even have the whole Harry Potter and Twilight series. They are relatively cheap on the price for the books. While some of the newer ones may cost more than $7, there are some that cost less than $1!

Earlier this month, they were having a clearance. There was a basket full of paperbacks that were for $0.97 each! So naturally I grabbed a few. Even if you've read it a couple of times, the book you are looking for will be in excellent condition. They NEVER sell a book without a cover or pages torn out. They have every book you can imagine, even if there is one that is hard to find.

I am an avid reader where I can finish 2 books in 1 week. Some places, like our Book Rack, will allow you to bring in your finished book for store credit so all you have to do is read, return for credit, and buy more. You might want to ask your second-hand book store for their store credit policy. Many readers forget about the second-hand book stores because they think "Oh, I can just go pick it up from Barnes and Noble or Amazon.". But what they don't realize is that B&N or Amazon don't allow you to return a lightly-read book for store credit. It has to be in the same condition it was bought, unless it was a mistake from the delivery or packaging person.

So search around your area for a second-hand bookstore and you may just find a treasure!

Have Fun With Pooch!

It's Summertime. That means that it's hot outside and you don't want to leave your air-conditioned room. But your dog wants to go outside and play. I know exactly how you feel! So how did we compromise?

Since Texas Summers can easily reach over 100* by 3 pm, we started waiting until about 8 pm to take Zeus (our dog) outside. But he loved to run and got hot rather quickly. We remedied that by buying a kiddie pool. Yes, a kiddie pool. It was just one of the $15 pools you can find at any Wal-Mart across the country. We'd take him outside, out the pool down, and start filling it up.

At first, he wasn't so sure about it. We had to coax him in there and after a few minutes of shock (realizing he was in something strange to him), he started playing. He would dip his head in and move the water around with his nose. He would sling water with his head. He would even splash with his paw, after we taught him.

Then we found a stick. Zeus loves to chew on sticks so we figured we had this amazing thing going. We would drop the stick in the pool and he would try to get it out by holding the stick down in the water with his paw or fling it out with his head. In the process, anyone sitting near the pool would get soaking wet.

So if your doggie likes to swim or you just want to cool him off just a little but you don't have a pool, buy a kiddie pool! They cost anywhere from $10-$25, depending on where you buy it and the size. Just fill it up, take your doggy outside, and let him just play around! You don't have to do much and you will still be able to relax- even if you're getting soaked!

Tweet!

Yes, this is about Twitter.

Don't worry, this will actually turn out more fun than you think. And you don't have to follow celebrities for the fun.

You know what I found out when I started 'twittering"? That my local news stations and newspaper were also on Twitter! It may seem like they don't follow back at all or they aren't as nice as they appear on television. While some do seem to fit that category, a lot of them don't.

Case in point? I am following a local meteorologist. Nothing exciting, right? Get a few weather updates and maybe his thoughts on the weather. Wrong! I have been talking back and forth with him and found out some pretty interesting things. He likes Guitar Hero- the meteorologist likes Guitar Hero! He and my sister were talking when he asked who her sister was. She explained that it was me and he said "I thought yall were sisters!". See, Twitter doesn't have to be boring.

If you can shy away from all of the marketing people who bombard you with endless links, you actually meet some interesting people. Some hold giveaways on their blogs and you get a chance to see them when they post the link. Some people (like yours truly) twitter funny quotes. Some people even just post the most random twitter that doesn't make sense.

But Twitter doesn't have to be boring or even a "fad" if you're having fun and meeting new friends!

Clothes Clothes!

Have a solid color shirt but want to make it look awesome without having to buy a new one? You can do that with just a design printed on regular printing paper, shirt paints, and a lot of patience.

This will maybe cost anywhere from $5-$15 (depending on where you shop).

Items you'll need:

a T-Shirt of your choice
design of your choice (printed on regular printing paper)
scissors
fabric paint (squeezables are better for lines)
clothing iron
cardboard box (flattened) or tshirt cardboard
patience
fabric paint brushes

Step 1: Print your design off the computer. Take your scissors and the outside outline. Then cut the inside part out.

Step 2: Stick the t-shirt cardboard or flattened box inside your shirt. Take your design and lay it on wherever you want it to be. Take your squeezable paints and squeeze the outside outline of your design. Then take your fabric paint brush, dab a little paint onto the brush, and lightly brush where you cut the inside out.

Step 3: If you have an intricate design, use any others color you have and use them accordingly.

Step 4: Wait at least 24 hours for the paint to dry. The next day, keeping the cardboard under your shirt, use your iron over the design to set the paint.

Now don't put this in the normal wash. After a few washes, the paint will begin to peel and fade (learned that the hard way). It should be washed in cold water on delicate and dried on delicate.

Train That Pup!

Now if you're anything like me and have a puppy (or dog) that lacks a little manners, it's hard to get them to do what ya want so they're not all over the place. I decided to check a book out from the library about training my 7-month-old Labrador/Pit Bull mix since he lacks a lot of manners. That was one interesting book!

Since my dog (Zeus) only sits for food, I thought it would be good to see if he can sit on command. Now this might require only about $5 for a dog clicker (a device that clicks when pressed) which can be purchased at any pet store. Now the idea for the clicker is to click when your pup only does an action you like or what you were trying to get out of him. The first steps once he does it is click and treat. After a while, stop weaning him off the treats when you click and eventually, he will start waiting for the click instead of the treat. Then of course, you won't need the clicker unless for another train. Okay, ready to make Fido sit?

(Without Clicker & Sitting in a Chair)

1. Hold treat slightly above the nose and start moving it to the back of his head. Once he sits, treat.
2. Have him stand again, and put the treat inside your hand and close into a fist. Repeat Step 1.
3. Show him the treat, and put it in your lap. If he goes for it, take the treat away. Wait a few seconds, then replace the treat back in your lap. Hold your hand slightly above his nose. If his butt hits the floor, reward. If he does not, stand up and hold your hand slightly above his nose. Once he sits, reward.
4. Stand up, and hold your hand in the same fashion. Say "Sit". If he sits, reward. If he doesn't, slightly push his bottom to the floor and say "Sit". Repeat step until he sits without needing a nudge.
5. Take the treat out of the equation and repeat Step 4.

Keep trying this until he can do it 100% (if you need to span it out a couple of days, feel free to do so). If he hits and misses, repeat Steps 1-4 until he gets it absolutely right.

(With Clicker and Standing)
1. Same as above except you click and treat.
2. Same as above except you click and treat.
3. Same as above except you click and treat. (Do not click and treat if you have to push his bottom to the floor.)
4. Hold an open hand above his nose. hold your hand in the same fashion. Say "Sit". If he sits, reward. If he doesn't, slightly push his bottom to the floor and say "Sit". Repeat step until he sits without needing a nudge. Once he sits on his own, click and trick.
5. Same as above except you click and treat.

How is Zeus doing? Well, we don't have a clicker yet but we're working on it. Remember- patience.

Say Cheese! (W/ Child/ren)

In a previous post, we covered how to have a goofy/fun photo session without worrying about bills or how weird it just looks with a friend. Now let's say you have children and still want to get in on the action. Here's several ways you can do it:

If your digital camera has "video" option:

1) Have them sit (or stand) on the floor in front of the bed while you sit on the bed. Turn on their favorite music, and let them sing (or lip sync) to the song. Ask them to pretend they are in a music video and they're natural creativeness will come out. Move the camera in and out. If the song is fast, shake the camera just a little bit. Turn the camera (still facing towards the kiddo) around to make it look like that was done on purpose. When he/she is done, watch the video!

If your camera doesn't offer the "video" option:

1) Have them sit (or stand) in front of the bed. Let them act goofy and make funny faces. Bring the camera close to their face (flash being off) and just take the picture of their funny face with only the face showing. Take the pictures in different angles and ways that are aside from a snapshot. If they want to take pictures of you and you are a little nervous about them using your camera, show them how to use it properly first and the safety tips so they will be extra careful with it. Then you do the silly face and goofy pictures. If the moment feels right, take silly pictures together!

If you want to and can afford it, take the picture to a place like Wal-Greens and have them blow it up the size you want so you can frame it. Then, you have a picture of a moment that was the silliest moment you've had in a while!

Even if you don't upload the videos to YouTube or the pictures to MySpace, at least you had fun.

Say cheese! (W/ Friend)

We finally got the computer fixed again and hopefully for good. Otherwise, I am just going to give up.

But that's not the reason of this post. This week's "frugal fun" is once again about taking pictures... or even videos. A couple of weeks ago, me and my sister got bored so we decided to take pictures. But not like the "model" pictures like I posted a while back. This has a little more fun and spontaneity.

Now if you have a friend your age and you enjoy the same kind of music (me and my sister enjoy heavy metal), take it to the bedroom. Have the person holding the camera lay on their stomach on the bed and the person being photographed sit on the floor (on a blanket or pillow if they wish).

Here are two ways to have fun with your digital camera:

If you have a "video" option:
Turn your favorite music on and ask them to lip sync or actually sing to the music like they were at a music video shoot. Move the camera in tight to their face or lips and move back. If the music IS heavy metal or has a fast-melody, shake the camera a little to give it that "music video" look. Once the song is over, watch the video with your friend. If your friend is "camera" shy and you're not, then you do the video so she see that there is nothing to worry about then let her have a crack at it!

If you don't have a video option:
Turn your favorite music on and tell your friend to just act goofy or whatnot. If she decided that serious pictures are what she wants for the moment, that's fine. Instead of the "original" snapshot, move in close. Take the pictures from different angles. If she gets stuck on what to do next, switch places. If you end up getting stuck, then take a break for a while.

Even if you don't upload the videos to YouTube or the pictures to MySpace, at least you had fun.