It's that time again....for the tip of the day.

Lots of people are planning a great escape this summer. Vacations that require air travel can bump up the vacation bill big time! But sometimes driving can rack up quite a bill, too, especially with gas prices the way they are.

Use this handy-dandy Road Trip Calculator to figure out how much moolah it's gonna take for that so-called cheap road trip you are thinking about taking this summer!

Tip of the day time is here!

Are you shopping around for a new bank? Consider this: bigger banks may tout lots of perks to their checking and savings programs, but be sure to read the fine print. And there is A LOT of fine print. You will most likely receive pamphlets in the mail several times a year as they continue to revise this fine print. This can result in you paying $12 here or $25 there in annual fees you have no recollection of agreeing to.

Why not use a smaller, neighborhood bank instead? You will get much more personalized attention and they are more likely to be understanding when things go awry in life. When the going gets tough, a smaller, neighborhood bank who knows your family well is much more likely to let you slide when you overdraw your account, etc. If you've been a good customer over time they will work with you when you are experiencing tough times.

Some of my best tips come from readers. If you have a frugal living tip, freebie, hot coupon, or great deal send it my way! Click the button above and shoot me an email today.

Want to save some serious money? Read on for your money-saving tip of the day.

Instead of making one monthly payment to the mortgage company, try making 2 smaller payments every month. This will reduce the number of days your higher balance will accrue interest (eek!) AND will result in an extra mortgage payment by the end of the year, which will help you pay off the mortgage a little faster.

Tip of the day, comin' right at ya!

When you buy a new small appliance or electronics equipment, save that box. Better yet, save the box AND tape the receipt to it. Now stash it away for the next few months and if it breaks or doesn't function properly you are prepared to exchange it at the store.

Are you going to Women of Faith this fall? They are coming to my area (Philly!) the weekend of September 9th-10th and I am so excited! Women of Faith conferences are two days of inspiration, laughter, and encouragement. It's a chance to become refreshed by spending time with your girlfriends and worshiping God together. The lineup is AMAZING this year and includes singing sensation, Natalie Grant.

Looking for your tip of the day? Here it is!

Kids love to build tents and forts. Want to supply them with some frugal material to keep them building and playing for hours? Try buying flat bed sheets with characters printed on them from thrift shops or Goodwill. They can be had for super cheap, just bring them home and wash them in hot water and voila---instant tents!

Why spend $25 on that Dora/Diego/Spiderman/Thomas the Train/Star Wars/Tinkerbell tent?

You guys know how I love reading right? And summertime is the best time to sink your teeth into some great new books! All summer long you'll catch glimpses of me reading poolside, on a park bench while the kiddo plays, in my beach chair, and snuggled up under the covers at bedtime while the a/c blasts.

As an incentive to keep on reading all summer long, I like to join in for as many summer reading programs as I can find. I love when doing one of my favorite activities leads to free "prizes"! Like with the Tyndale Summer Reading Program, all I have to do is read 5 of the books on their suggested reading list and I will win a FREE (yep, my favorite word...FREE) book of my choice. What do they ask in return? A short review, posted in some realm of the social media world. Easy peasy! Read 5 more and get ANOTHER free book. And so on and so forth. Kids and teens can join in the fun, too.

By the way, the top three leaders in books read at the end of the summer will receive a $50 gift card for Amazon. And all participants who read at least one book will be entered to win a free e-reader. How great is that?

Money-saving tip of the day coming your way!

Summer is in full swing and that means days lounging by the pool, catching some sun at the beach, and...going to the doctor's office? Yep, I try to catch up on as many of our annual/bi-annual appointments as I can in the summer when the kiddo is out of school and I am off from work (yep, 'cause I'm a teacher, but don't hate me for my three months off each year, they're unpaid...LOL).

What's a kid to do while doing all this waiting in the dreaded waiting room?

How about checking out a Boredom Bag? A Boredom Bag can be a small backpack or tote bag filled with age-appropriate puzzle books, sketchpad and washable markers/crayons, new stickers or temporary tattoos, travel games, sugarless bubble gum, etc. Whatever suits your child's fancy. I've been known to toss a juice box and snack in ours, too. I keep it stocked and on a hanger in our front hall closet, ready to snatch up on the way out the door to the dentist or wherever we happen to be doing our waiting that day.

Keeping your kids busy will save your sanity and make your kids happy. And happy kids don't need to be bribed with, "Mommy promises if you are good/quiet/patient, she will take you to get a happy meal/new toy when we leave today." And THAT saves money!

I'm a big believer in instituting family time. Having meals all together on a regular basis has been proven to improve nutrition and eating habits and communication. Research also shows that children who grow up accustomed to this are less likely to use/abuse drugs and alcohol in their adolescent years.

We like the occasional Game Night here at our house. We also like having a weekly Pizza Night. Why not combine the two and try out a great game, Pizza Night Family Dinner Game?

The game is easy to play with everyone in your family ages 5 and up. There are dice and 150 pizza-sliced game cards filled with questions that are great conversation-starters, silly activities to do at or around the table, and more! The cards are spill-proof and wipe-able, so moms need not worry about greasy pepperoni fingers ruining the game.

Our son thoroughly enjoyed the novelty of playing while eating! This game is definitely a cool idea and I hope to check out some other games from Family Time Fun. What's next on our wish list to try? I'm thinkin' the Gather 'Round Restaurant Game...sounds like it would be good for any travel time.

Tip of the day time, y'all!

This morning I was chatting with a girlfriend about the perils of stain-fighting. Yep, because my summer is THAT exciting. Nah, in all seriousness it was a great visit. Anyhoo, back to the stain removal...I have bought so many brands and varieties of so-called stain treatment products it is not funny. And said products have cost me an arm and a leg over the years (read: $4-7 each, basically more than a buck). And I found that most of them do not do a bang-up job of removing the mayo, grass, whathaveyou from my family's garments.

Enter LA's Totally Awesome Laundry Pre-Wash spray. It costs one measly dollar. And it comes from my mecca, er, favorite store, Dollar Tree. And no, this is not a referral link. I don't make any money from promoting this product. Although, Dollar Tree (or LA's Totally Awesome Co., if you are reading this I would totally accept the aforementioned money...just sayin'!)

And if you combined it with the goods from this laundry tip, your laundry will be really something.

Here's your money-saving tip of the day:

Leaving on a jet plane sometime this summer? Same some money by making a new family policy of no checked bags. Not only will you avoid the panic of getting your luggage lost, you never have to worry about possibly paying extra fees (for bags over the acceptable weight). Carry on bags are free at all airlines.

Happy Summer Solstice! Yes, it is officially the first day of summer. And today also marks the first day of Real Cinema's Summer Movie Express. For just $1 you can get admission to see some great family-friendly flicks at any of their participating theaters (ETA: My nearest location is a United Artist Theater, which is owned by Regal). Each week there are two choices of movies, one that is rated G and one rated PG).

Tip of the day for ya!

Summertime is here and things are heating up. Especially when you turn the oven on. Try to avoid baking anything in the oven this summer (or at least do it later in the evening) and you'll save on your electric bill. You see, the oven is the appliance that heats up your house faster than any other and that will make your air conditioner work harder. Try using the microwave, crockpot, or toaster oven to whip up summer meals.

Ready for your tip of the day?

Ever wonder what kinds of things make a difference in your credit score? Here are five mistakes people make that will drop it lower:

1. Making late payments on your monthly bills.

2. Not paying a bill.

3. Maxing out your credit card(s).

4. Carrying high balances.

5. Having an account written off to a collection agency.

Time for your tip of the day, my frugal friends!

Feeling broke is no fun at all. You know eating at home makes more sense when it comes to budgeting, but there is an easy (and frugal) way you can perk up the experience: serve dessert daily.

Serving and eating dessert on a daily basis feels downright fancy, doesn't it? Try serving some of these easy to make and inexpensive desserts:

-ice cream sodas

-make your own sundaes

-parfaits with yogurt/pudding/Cool Whip and fruit

-jello with whipped cream

-pudding with a crushed cookie topping

-fresh fruit salad or melon slices

-frozen bananas

-smoothies

-popsicles/frozen fruit bars

-cupcakes

-make strawberry shortcakes (with Bisquick)

It's time for the frugal tip of the day!

I love a bargain as much as the next gal, but sometimes cheap stuff is, er, cheap.

Case in point: My hubby likes to wear baseball caps all week to work. He gets up somewhere in the neighborhood of 4:30 a.m. and that just isn't the time you feel like styling your hair. So a hat is a necessity! But if you are going to purchase an item that you will use a lot, you don't wanna skimp on quality. So do we buy cheap-o hats? Nope. We buy them from stores that sell good-quality apparel that is made to last, like L.L. Bean. They might cost around $20 each, but they will last much longer than an inexpensive hat from Walmart or the like.

Sometimes it pays to pay a bit more.

Please bear with me as I ease back into my blogging schedule. I have lots of doctor appointments and such, but hope to write soon!