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Tips From Alice: Greeting Cards

Here’s my Mom, Alice, with a tip about saving money on greeting cards and long distance calls:

“As you know, Darcy, Mom (my Grandma) is in a Rehabilitation Center for three weeks. She has been on my mind. I was going to call her for a short visit on the telephone but then I remembered that I got rid of my long distance plan because I was really cutting back due to my retirement income. Then I thought of “Rubbing Nickels” and a great idea came to mind.

Isn’t it disgusting how expensive greeting cards are (unless you get them at the dollar store)? I have recently discovered that writing a note in longhand means more to the person than the most expensive Hallmark card. I sent my sister a handwritten note for her birthday. She liked it so much, she called me to thank me and exclaim, “no one ever takes time to write a letter anymore”. You too, can save about 80 nickels, plus postage, by sending a hand written note.”

Words of wisdom!

Darcy Ratner and my Mom, Alice
Rubbingnickels.com

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Categories: Around the House

The Best Towns for Easy Living

If you live in one of the large, expensive metropolitan areas, you’ve probably fantasized about how much farther your dollar would go if you chose a different place to live. I remember distinctly when my husband and I purchased our second home in Santa Barbara, and my mother (Alice) sent me a clipping from the Indianapolis Star that showed the Governor’s Mansion had recently sold for the same price. But how would you go about choosing another place to live?

To answer that question, I did a little research and found two articles on the subject that give good advice on some great cities to live in using different criteria. The first source, Forbes online, used violent crime rate, unemployment rate, average salary for college graduates and cultural opportunity as criteria. Redbook magazine also had some suggestions, using “reasonably priced home(s) in good locales” as their criteria. Here’s the list they came up with:

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Stressed About Life?

Being concerned about money can really bring you down. Sometimes money worries feel like a giant black cloud floating over your head. Unfortunately, there aren’t many painless solutions to financial troubles, but there are strategies you can use to lower your everyday stress and anxiety and enjoy life more.

Put on some zen music – I love Enya and Norah Jones. Maybe you’d prefer light jazz or classical. You can totally customize a station for yourself at Pandora.com and listen to the blood-pressure lowering music, even in your office.

Get some quality “touch time” – My friend Jennifer’s husband, Dale, gives these great 2 minute shoulder rubs. He usually attacks you from behind but if you surrender yourself to the moment, it can be a great tension reliever. I can sometimes get my 12-year-old son to give me one when my husband is traveling. It’s kind of peace invoking, probably like the monkeys feel when they groom bugs from each others fur.

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Categories: Ms. Nickel

Free Museum Visits…

I googled “San Francisco museum free days” and found a great site that listed all of the days that our Bay Area museums are free. I found the same type of page in:

If you live in a relatively good-sized metropolitan area, give it a google and see where YOU can visit for free.

Darcy Ratner
Rubbingnickels.com

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Categories: Free

Quick, Cheap Moves to Freshen Up Your Rooms

I have to admit that I am a House Beautiful magazine junkie. I love the glossy magazine with its elegant pictures of exorbitantly expensive furniture and fabrics. Even though I’ve been in the “no fly zone” when it comes to furniture purchases that don’t come from Craigs List or IKEA, I still love to get decorating ideas and dream about what I’d do if I suddenly had $40,000 to spend on a room on furniture. This article is about what you CAN do for little or no money to give your rooms a little sprucing up and make your nest a little fancier and fluffier.

  1. Put a fresh summery tablecloth on your kitchen table and top it with a simple garden-picked bouquet.

  2. Get out your nicest sheets and put them on your bed. Iron them if they need it and make the bed with a hotel-style, turned down look, all ready for snuggling in.

    3. Read the rest of this entry »

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Categories: Around the House

Win $500 in Basset Furniture!

Basset is giving away $500 each week to one lucky web surfer. You can put your $500 gift card towards an item like this lovely bed or just use it for a small purchase like a coffee table or lamps.

Click here to visit the Basset Website and enter to win.

Good luck!

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Categories: Sweepstakes

Clothing Consignment Dos and Don’ts

If you’ve had shopaholic tendencies in the near past, consignment may be a good way for you to put some extra cash in your pocket. If you have some nice quality clothing or accessories that you’re willing to part with, we have some tips to help you make money from your closet through clothing consignment.

Getting Prepared to Consign

The website Onlineorganizing.com has some great info on consignment. Here is their description of what consignment is, if you’ve never tried it before:

  1. you sign a contract with a retailer
  2. you leave your merchandise with the retailer
  3. retailer displays them for sale for a set period of time
  4. if an item sells, you are paid a percentage.

What sells?

When you are looking to sell, take a look at the store you are considering. Check out the condition of other merchandise and decide if your products fit in with the feel of the store. Wearslikenew.com is an online consignment website that has some more advice. For example, most store only like “higher end and/or name brand items”! They also prefer items that are no older than one to two years (no matter how classic they are). All items need to be freshly laundered or dry cleaned and they love the top fashions and will turn away most items that are appropriate for the thrift shop.

Caveats to Consigning

Reader’s Digest did a recent article on the 13 things that consignment store owners may not want you to know. Here’s some of their insider information:

  • Sellers margins are shrinking like everybody else’s: Consigners want higher prices, and shoppers want lower ones.
  • Designer knockoffs are a “no-no”. You can go to jail for selling fake merchandise so they won’t take it.
  • Bigger sizes sell faster. If it’s a size 14 and classic, it’ll sell. If it’s a size 6 and classic, they won’t have many customers, depending on the neighborhood.
  • Clean out your closet before the season begins; that way, your fur coat or your wispy sundress gets the most time on the rack.

We hope you make some cash!

Darcy Ratner and Julie Arnheim
Founders, Rubbingnickels.com

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Categories: Ms. Nickel

Mommy Day Camp



OMG! It’s summer and you didn’t get around to or couldn’t afford to put the rugrats in Summer Camps. Yes, we all love our children but I know sometimes we feel like my friend Anjana, who calls her 4 and 6 year old “thing one and thing two.” But we’re here to help with some great info we’ve created and found on the web to keep the kids from sitting in front of the TV until their eyes bleed. :)

Birds of a Feather Go on a Hike Together – Part scientist, part detective this fun idea provides you and your kids with fresh air and a lot of exercise.
–Supplies Needed: * 1 Notebook (Journal); * Pencil or pen; * Binoculars
–Objective: Find 3 – 5 different kinds of birds in your neighborhood, park, or woods.
Click here to get the link to read about the rest of this activity at mommydaycamp.com.

Mall Scavenger Hunt – Take your older kids to the mall with a fun list of things that they need to find. They can even come up with the list themselves and make it silly like “pink underwear” (sure to get a laugh from the 10 and under crowd), “anything with Bart Simpson on it,” a “red tennis racquet” or “leopard print shoes.” The most it should cost is an Aunt Annie’s pretzel or Hot Dog on a Stick to keep their energy up. Have fun!

Patriotic Decorations for the House – Get the kids crafting with these low-cost 4th of July themed crafts from Kaboose.com. Choose a garland, a star-studded door hanger or a patriotic star wand to wave on the 4th.

Bread Baking with Kids – There are a lot of resources for this activity on the web. The one I liked best talked gives great hints to setting up your baking and emphasizing the science behind how the bread rises. Here’s the link from Disney’s Family Fun. For the bread recipe, we found a great one called Simple Bread from a website in New England. Enjoy!!

We’ll be back with some more ideas to keep you and your kids going in a few weeks.

Darcy Ratner
Rubbingnickels.com

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Categories: Entertainment

Free Sample!

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Click here to receive a free sample of Soooo Sweet®! Now!

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Categories: Free

Super Summer Reads…

As voracious readers, we here at Rubbingnickels.com always have a few book recommendations in our beach bag. This summer, we’re recommending some older titles that you should be able to pick up used (and cheap) on the Amazon website. Take the time this summer to relax, sit back and escape from reality with one or two of these fun titles.

A Reliable Wife – Robert Goolrick (2009) – A great classic read with twists and turns to the bitter end and lots of steamy scenes.


Sleeping Arrangements – Madeline Wickham (aka Sophie Kinsella) (2001) – A great airplane read in which two families end of having to share the same vacation cottage and as it turns out, two of the adults have “history” that re-ignites when they meet again. Completely enjoyable!


The Historian – Elizabeth Kostova (2005) – This was written a year or two before the Twilight series and takes on the Vamp world from an historical angle. Great mystery and intrigue ensues as two researchers try to track down Count Dracula through Prague, Bucharest and Translyvania.



Pillars of the Earth – Ken Follett (1989) – If you’ve read Follet’s new novel, World Without End, you HAVE to pick up this first book on the same subject (churches, romance and architecture). It has terrific characters, romance and historical fiction.

A Traitor to Memory – Elizabeth George (2001) – This mystery series is definitely my favorite. If you’re an Anglophile like I am, you’ll love George’s British detectives from England’s famous Scotland Yard as they chase down killers through the streets of London. If you’re a purist, you might want to start with her first book, A Great Deliverance. Once you start reading these, you won’t stop until you get through the series.



Sit back, relax and get reading!

Darcy Ratner and Julie Arnheim
Rubbingnickels.com



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Categories: Ms. Nickel

Win a Cruise with Holland America!


Join Holland America on a cruise and experience their uncrowded, mid-sized ships, where their award-winning crew is ready to pamper you with warm intuitive service. Prepare to be delighted with the flexible dining choices, spacious, elegantly appointed staterooms and art filled public rooms. Take time to luxuriate, relax and recharge.

Click Here to Enter to Win a Cruise

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Categories: Sweepstakes
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