Tennis is my favorite thing to do in my spare time so I have a vested interested in learning how to play and improve without going broke. My friend, Ray Bilsey, is the Head Pro at one of our local tennis clubs. I asked him to give me the skinny on how to save money if you are addicted to tennis (like I am). Here’s his advice.

Rackets – New rackets come out every year. Ask a USPTA pro what type of racket is best for you (choosing your racket is based on your racket/swing speed). Each racket company (Babolat, Wilson, Prince, etc) designs rackets that are good for each type of player but you need only to demo those rackets that are designed for your racket speed. Many players purchase a racket because it feels light and forgiving when they first pick it up. They realize later that other rackets are better suited for their game and end up buying multiple rackets over just a few years (rackets last a long time). The key is to get the ‘right’ racket the first time (ironically, top quality rackets are cheaper than 20 years ago ranging from $120 to $199 for most top of the line rackets). Better yet, if you know what type of racket you like best but really want to save a few dollars, ask your local pro shop if they’ll sell their demo (most shops will do so when the company comes out with a new line of rackets, once per year. Or if you need a backup racket (high level players often need a backup racket in case their strings break), wait for the time of year when your local pro shop will sell you a demo and use that as your backup).

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This past weekend, we had a bucketful of fun going berry-picking with friends. I wasn’t even sure what was in season, but the website: PickYourOwn.org provides local listings of pick your own (also called U-pick or PYO) farms in the United States, Canada, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and other countries. There are crop calendars for each local area to tell you what is available to pick throughout the year, local weather forecasts and really easy illustrated directions to show you how to make jam, jelly, salsa, pickles, spaghetti sauce, applesauce, apple butter and 150 other recipes with step-by-step directions to can, freeze, dry or preserve the harvest.

It is a treasure trove of information. We packed our own lunch and enjoyed ripe, just picked boysenberries, blackberries and strawberries. Just beware of juicy fruit that can drip! The next day, we got together to make berry cobblers and freeze our berries for fresh smoothies all year long.

Very Berry Crisp

2 pints (4 cups) mixed berries, such as raspberries, marionberries, boysenberries, blueberries, or blackberries

½ cup of sugar

Topping:

• ½ cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
• ¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Dash of ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup butter, or margarine, room temperature
• 1/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a bowl, combine berries and sugar. Mix well. Transfer to an oiled 9×13 baking dish. To make topping, in food processor combine flour, oats, sugar, spices, salt, and butter. Pulse until crumbly. Or combine ingredients in a bowl and using a pastry blender, cut in butter until crumbly. Mix in nuts. Sprinkle topping over fruit mixture.

Bake until fruit is juicy and topping is lightly browned, about 40 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Although it is scrumptious without ice cream, it is even better with it!

Julie Arnheim, Rubbingnickels.com

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My husband and I just came back from Hawaii with our kids and let me just admit, IT WAS NOT CHEAP. We decided that we were just going to go for it with our little tax refund windfall but with every dollar that we overspent on drinks, food and the $15 per day for a freakin’ beach umbrella, I started to feel sick. By the end of the week, I had started making PB and J’s for the beach and had taken us on a “90 minute” timeshare tour, just for the $200 in Hilton bucks we’d earn. David says I’m just too frugal since we started this website. Oh well!

So where are some places that you can go where you won’t break the bank? I surveyed the web and came up with some great recommendations.

Soloman’s Island, Maryland – According to www.1000-vacation-ideas.com, “one of the most economical and beautiful places to go for a vacation is Solomon’s Island, Maryland. Solomon’s is away from the hustle and bustle of the beaches, but if you are looking for a quiet place to bike, enjoy the water and have some down time it is perfect. There is a small town area with some quaint shops to visit and a few hotels offering waterfront views. The Calvert Mariners Museum is a popular spot to visit, offering harbor cruises”. Sounds good to me!

Denver, Colorado – There are a number of websites that claim Denver, called the “Gateway to the Rockies”, provides tons of opportunities for every tourist. Not only are the views gorgeous, there are also tons of places to visit like the Zoo, the mile-long 16th Street Mall, or one of dozens of local brewpubs in a city famed for its beer. Even though it can be cold, Denver has 300 days of sunshine and is the center of the country for activities like fly-fishing, rock climbing, hiking and white water rafting.

Phoenix, Arizona – According to www.excelle.monster.com, Phoenix is the place for you, especially if you are a sports fan. The area is “not only home to all four major professional sports, but also houses more niche events and large annual contests such as professional lacrosse, MLB spring training, two NASCAR events as well as both boat and drag races”. As to the weather, Phoenix is warm and is, therefore, the perfect setting for water parks such as Big Surf, Oasis Water Park and Waterworld Safari. Have some fun in the sun!

Enjoy your summer!

Darcy Ratner and Julie Arnheim
Founders, Rubbingnickels.com

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Two years ago Dave and I moved into a house that was built in 1958 – with the original kitchen from 1958. The bad news was that we live in an area where the contractors all drive Cadillac trucks and live in mansions so we had to get creative. The worse news was that my husband had given me a $35,000 budget for the kitchen remodel (yeah right!). So I had to get really creative to get my project done and I’ll share some of my tips for cheap remodeling.

Kitchen Designer? – No way! There are two reason why you should NOT use a designer if you’re doing a cheap remodel.

1. Designers encourage you to buy higher end everything than you would if you were shopping for price and value.
2. If you have a decent decorating “eye” or a good friend who has one, buy a bunch of home decorating magazines in the style that you like and start tearing out pictures of what you like. Once you’ve nailed down the look of your cabinetry, flooring, and fixtures, you can use the pictures to drive your design.

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Get a free sample of Starbucks VIA ready brew from Walmart through the mail. I’ve tried the regular and the decaf and they are SO much better than your traditional instant coffee. And so handy to have in your purse if you’re having a mid-afternoon slump and can’t get out to Starbucks.

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