Serves 4

4 plum tomatoes, chopped
¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
8 slices salami, julienned (thin strips)
8 slices deli turkey, julienned
1 ½ bags field greens salad mix
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Dressing: Newman’s Own Balsamic Vinaigrette or Homemade Dijon Vinaigrette (1/3 cup olive oil, ¼ cup balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp. Dijon mustard, blended or shaken)

Set out four dinner plates. Arrange the field greens to cover each plate. Place the tomatoes, cheese, artichokes, beans, salami and turkey on the salad in a pie-shaped arrangement, similar to a Cobb salad. Sprinkle each salad with some of the parmesan cheese. Serve the dressing on the side or drizzle the dressing over the entire salad.

Good sides or starters: Crusty French bread and/or a container of ready-made roasted red pepper or tomato soup.

a friend

Do you really need that gym membership? Many of us have them and don’t use them enough to justify the money we spend. There are lots of creative ways to get a workout at home and put the money from your $50-150 a month membership in your Wish Jar. Here are a few:

• Brisk walking with your MP3 player or ipod is an excellent way to get the cardio you need. You can download music tracks online by entering “workout music” into the search box of the site where you buy your music. It will give you tunes with lots of beats per minute to help you keep up your pace. If you have time but not money to purchase tracks, you can make your own playlists from CDs that you already own using upbeat selections from your library.

• If you have a DVR, you can access free workouts on your cable box to get your body sculpting, yoga and cardio for free. You can choose a target area for sculpting where the workouts run for 5-10 minutes or do a couple of 20 minute cardio sessions. If you don’t have a DVR but have a VCR, there are exercise programs on cable to record for free. The Lifetime channel has Denise Austin’s workout shows, the FitTV channel has shows and if you don’t have cable, PBS and local stations often have early morning workouts that you can record.

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a friend

Most of us have been in the situation in the past 10 years where we were spending more than we saved. I, for one, used to thrive on Retail Therapy and try to keep up with the Joneses when it came to cars, gadgets, clothes and all sorts of stuff. But this type of spending is bad for your financial health and can make your savings account feel like a bucket with a hole in it. If you are actively trying to cut back, see if you are victim to any of these “big-time money wasters”.

1. Fast food/restaurant lunches – We all know how much money this wastes but it is a hard habit to break, especially for those of us who work outside of the home. Bringing your lunch just takes a little forethought and planning. Depending on your current lunch habits, it can save you as much as $200/month.

2. Designer whatever – I LOVE name brands but you can look good for much less. These days the fashion magazines have oodles of articles on how to “get this look” for less. You can also find great styles at discount and consignment stores at a fraction of the price. Savings: $200-1000/month.

3. Kid’s video games and collectibles – My son got a Wii from his grandpa and boy do those games cost a bundle. See if you can start a “game trade” with your kid’s friends so they can have new games but not break the bank. Recently, I also had to break my 8-year old of his Pokemon card habit, which cost me $5-10 every time I went to Target. Savings: $75-100/month.

4. Grocery store checkout aisle magazines – I am a decorating magazine addict and I used to get them at the grocery store but you can save TONS on yearly subscriptions to your favorites. I paid $18 for 24 months of Country Home when the grocery store price was $4.95 for one magazine! Savings: $60-120/year.

5. Luxury automobiles and “status” cars – You can waste $10-30,000 buying for status vs. transportation. I won’t “out” myself by admitting they type of German car I used to drive but I have a nice little compact wagon that gets great gas mileage and I saved at least $15,000 on the sticker price.

Happy Savings!
Julie Arnheim and Darcy Ratner, Founders, rubbingnickels.com

a friend

Now that the cold weather is gone, it’s time to do a little summer purging and make a buck or two from our unwanted items. The key to a lucrative yard sale is making tough choices about what you can let go. For many of you packrats out there (you know who you are), making these decisions will be difficult or impossible. Try to use your garage or a covered porch as a staging area and once you put something our there, DON’T BRING IT BACK IN THE HOUSE! You may have to watch your spouse and children on this one, especially if you’re getting rid of their things.

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a friend

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 small onion, diced
½ packet of chili or taco seasoning
1 tsp. chili powder
1 14 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes
2 15 oz. cans black beans
1 cup frozen corn kernels
½ cup water
Shredded cheddar cheese and/or sour cream for garnish

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium flame. Cook the peppers until they begin to get soft, then add the onions and cook until the onions start to become translucent. Add the garlic, spices, tomatoes, corn and beans (with the juice they came in). Bring to a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve with garnishes.

Good sides or starters: Garlic bread or corn bread and carrots with dip.

a friend

Do you shop online? If you do, always Google the name of the store where you are shopping and the words

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