Getting Care When You Can't Afford Coverage: pt 2 fig. 2

Last month we covered how to find reproductive health clinics and access their services if you're uninsured. While different people need different reproductive health services for different reasons, one purpose most people use them for most of the time, is to obtain contraception to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. Certain contraceptive methods may also reduce the risk of STD transmission, or can help to alleviate symptoms of disorders like polycystic ovary syndrome.

Unfortunately, depending on what kind of contraception best suites your needs, getting it if you don't have medical insurance can be expensive. Here are some ways you might be able to reduce your costs, without forgoing contraception or increasing your risk of an unwanted pregnancy.

The Condom:  Many people reach for the rubber love-glove as their first method of contraception, and for some this remains their method of choice. When used correctly, condoms or "male" condoms, are 98% effective in preventing an unwanted pregnancy(1), and remain the best protection against HIV(2) and certain other STDs for those that are sexually active.

The costs of condoms over a year can vary widely, depending on how many instances of sexual contact requiring protection you have in a twelve month period. As it is necessary to use a condom for each time you have sex even if neither party climaxed, if you're having intercourse multiple times a day, every day, using condoms becomes less cost effective, especially if you're not worried about contracting an STD (i.e. you and your partner are in a monogamous relationship, and you both have tested negative for STDs).

Pros: 98% effective against unwanted pregnancy with consistent and perfect use, no prescription necessary, can be used immediately, widely available
Cons: Some users may feel a "loss of intimacy and spontaneity" or discomfort, consistently perfect use is rare

How to get it: Condoms are widely available from many different retail outlets, from drug stores, to specialty shops, to the ubiquitous supermarkets across the American landscape. While the price per unit can range up to $1.50 per unit for premium varieties in a national pharmacy chain, online retailers may carry the varieties, for less. Drugstore.com for example, sells Durex Performax Intense condoms for  $7.99, $6.00 less than the recommended retail price. Beyond trawling amazon.com for the prophylactic of your choice, searching via Google's shopping engine may also help you to find the best value on barrier contraceptives.

Larger manufacturers also often issue coupons or provide special offers through their official websites or through the SmartSource printable coupon service. Trojan is currently offering up to $5.00 off select products through this form here. Then there's also CondomUSA's free sample section, which will send a free sample of condoms for the price of shipping and handling.

The "Female" Condom: Similar to the male condom in that it is also a barrier method of contraception and STD prevention, the female condom is worn internally for penetrative intercourse. 95% effective against unwanted pregnancy with perfect use(3), it also provides some protection against the transmission of STDs.

Female condoms typically cost between $2.50 and $4.00 per unit, and while they are more expensive than male condoms, they enable the receptive partner to take control of their sexual health and/or fertility if their partner refuses to wear a "male" condom. Female and male condoms should never be used together during intercourse as they are likely to break.

Pros: 95% effective against unwanted pregnancy with perfect and consistent use, no prescription necessary, allows the receptive partner more control over their sexual health, can be used by people allergic to latex
Cons: Not as widely available as the male condom, higher price per unit, the failure rate from typical use of female condoms is somewhat higher than male condoms or barrier contraceptive methods suggesting that some find it more complicated or difficult to use, some users feel it reduces feeling during intercourse

How to get it: While not as widely available as the male condom, female condoms are available throughout the United States from Planned Parenthood, other family planning and reproductive health clinics, pharmacies, in some supermarkets and online. As of this writing, the national drugstore chain Walgreens stocks the FC2 and is currently offering a three count package for $4.79, which brings the price per unit down to about $1.60. This third party retailer at Amazon.com sells a ten count package for $12.25, bringing the cost down to $1.23 unit, which comparable to what one would pay per unit at a drug store for male condoms. If your pharmacy, supermarket or reproductive clinic doesn't currently stock female condoms, ask them to do so in the future.

The Diaphragm: the diaphragm is a shallow dome-shaped cup with a flexible rim; it works by covering the cervix to block sperm from entering the opening to the uterus. To improve effectiveness, spermicidal cream, gel, or jelly should be used in conjunction with the diaphragm. When used as directed, only 6 in 100 women will become pregnant over a year of using the diaphragm as their contraceptive method.

In order to get a diaphragm, you must first be examined by a health care provider and be given a prescription, which can filled by most local pharmacies. Unfortunately, the requirement of an examination increases the upfront cost of the diaphragm and makes it less convenient option for some. Depending on your appointment cost and the cost of the diaphragm itself, the combined total ranges from $65 - $275, plus an additional $8- $17 for a spermicide kit. However, the diaphragm, when properly cleaned and cared for can last up to two years, which will off-set some of these higher costs.

Pros: Portable, cannot usually be felt by you or your partner during intercourse, can be inserted hours before sex so there is no interruption of the proceedings, lasts for up to two years
Cons: Requires an examination and prescription, higher up-front costs, can be pushed out of place during intercourse, some women develop frequent urinary tract infections with diaphragm use, does not provide protection against STD transmission and spermicide use can increase the risk of HIV transmission

How to get it: First, as mentioned make an appointment with a health care provider. This can be done at most planned parenthood clinics, reproductive health centers and traditional OB-GYN offices. If you're uninsured or on Medicaid or another state health program, a planned parenthood, state-run clinic or charitable clinic are likely to be best bets for getting seen for an appointment and getting help with costs or financing. Once you've gotten a fitting and prescription for your diaphragm, there isn't too much you can do to decrease the cost of filling the prescription if you don't have insurance.

One way to decrease your overall cost is to clean and care for your diaphragm. Assuming it lasts a full two years, an upfront cost of $275 breaks down to a base cost of about $0.38 per day. This does not include the additional cost of spermicide applications which will vary depending on the frequency of intercourse.

The Sponge: Unavailable in the US market for over a decade after 1995, some people of a certain age may not have heard for the contraceptive or "Today" sponge, unless, they too watched Seinfeld reruns in junior high. This method offers some of the same benefits as a diaphragm but doesn't require a prescription or a medical visit in order to get it. The effectiveness of the sponge in preventing unwanted pregnancies varies depending on whether or not you've already given birth and whether or not it's used as directed. Women who have not already given birth and use the sponge as directed can expect 91% effectiveness rate in preventing pregnancy, but women using the sponge as directed who have given birth before can only expect about an 80% effectiveness rate in preventing pregnancy.

The sponge works by covering the cervix to prevent sperm from entering the uterus and by continually releasing a spermicide that stops sperm from moving. Like the diaphragm, it can be inserted hours before intercourse and worn for up to twenty-four hours after insertion. The sponge must be left inserted for an additional six hours after intercourse in order to be effective, and should never be left inserted for more than thirty hours.

Pros: Does not require a prescription, portable, can be inserted before sex so it is not necessary to interrupt foreplay, and cannot be felt by your or your partner during intercourse
Cons: Removal can be difficult especially for inexperienced users, does not protect against STD transmission, some users report it makes sex "dry"

How to get it: Despite being totally unavailable in the US market for over ten years, the contraceptive sponge is now widely available, and is at the time of this writing, also on sale at Walgreens. After browsing various online retailers, the best price per unit we could find for the sponge was $3.88 at otcitems.com, with prices from other retailers ranging from $4.18 to $4.66 per unit. There is also a 10% off coupon code for todaysponge.com up at RetailMeNot. In addition to being widely available online, and in some supermarkets and drugstores, the sponge is also available from family planning clinics.

The IUD: A T-shaped device that is inserted into the uterus, the IUD can last between 5 and twelve years, depending on the type used. It works by affecting sperm movement, preventing them from joining with an egg. The Mirena IUD also contains progestin, which prevents the ovulation, which also helps to prevent sperm and egg from joining together. The IUD is a highly effective form of birth control, with fewer than 1 out of 100 women who use the IUD becoming pregnant within a year.

It does not protect against or reduce the risk of STD transmission and may not be safe to use for some women who are on certain medications, have an STD, or have had a pelvic infection following abortion or child birth within the last three months.

Pros: Lasts for years, can be used while breastfeeding, may improve your sex life by enabling you and your partner to be more spontaneous
Cons: Some women experience mild to moderate pain after initial insertion, spotting, and/or irregular or heavier periods, there's also the possibility of IUD slipping out of place or pushing through the wall of the uterus, high upfront costs.

How to get it: To get an IUD, you have to first meet with a health care provider for a consultation. Consultation experiences can vary from clinic to clinic and you may have to have a pelvic exam and an ultrasound in addition to a discussion of your medical history and reasons for wanting to use the IUD with your provider before getting an IUD inserted. Costing between $500 and $1000 the upfront costs for an IUD and insertion can be high in comparison to other forms of birth control, but may even out as a single IUD lasts from five to twelve years. Even assuming that a $1000 IUD will last only five years, the per day cost breaks down to about $0.55 per day.

Unfortunately, if you've decided that the IUD is the best contraceptive method for you, there isn't much one can do to decrease the initial costs. Some clinics will provide this service on a sliding scale based on your income, or will help you work out a payment plan. You may also be able to lower your costs if you qualify for a federal or state medical program. Check out this chart to see if you might qualify for medicaid.

The Pill: One of the most popular and well known methods of contraception, the birth control pill works by releasing hormones that prevent a woman from ovulating. Without ovulation, the ovaries don't release an egg, which prevents sperm from being able to meet with an egg, which prevents pregnancy from occurring. The pill is one of the most effective forms of contraception with fewer than 1 in 100 women becoming pregnant over year, as long as it is taken as directed. When not taken as directed, about 9 in 100 women will become pregnant over a year of using the birth control pill.

Pros: Reduced menstrual cramps, lighter periods, enables more spontaneous intercourse, offers some protection against Pelvic Inflammatory Disease which can cause infertility if not treated. Some types of birth control pills may have other benefits such as protecting against acne, bone thinning, breast and ovarian cysts, and ovarian cancers.
Cons: Some women experience spotting, breast tenderness, nausea, decrease in sexual desire and mood swings, especially in the first three months of use, no protection against STD transmission, increases the risk of stroke and blood clotting in some women.

How to get it: In order to get birth control pills, you first need a prescription, and may have to have a medical exam. Depending on your provider, this exam can cost from $35-$250. However, some charity or state-run clinics may be able to give you the exam at a reduced cost, or at no cost depending on your income level, age, and occupation. The pills themselves typically cost from $15-$50 per month, with most prescriptions being for a three months' supply. Though these costs are fairly fixed, there are a few things you can do to lower the costs of your birth control pills.

First, ask your health care provider about getting a generic prescription instead of a name-brand pill. While not suitable for everyone since some women take specific kinds of birth control pills to treat symptoms for disorders like endometriosis, generics usually contain the same active ingredients and may be a good alternative for some women. Second, some reproductive health clinics and private health care providers are able to dispense free samples of birth control after they've approved you for a prescription. Asking about this option costs nothing, and can help stretch your contraceptive budget for the year a bit further. Some providers may place restrictions on how many free sample packs they will distribute to you, while others may be able to continue providing you with free samples as long as they have some in the supply closet. Finally, if you're dissatisfied with the cost of your current prescription but aren't able to procure free samples or a cheaper, generic prescription, find out what reproductive health and family planning services clinics are in your area and ask them if they can help you get your birth control pills at a lower cost. Some clinics are licensed to dispense birth control pills and may be able to help you get a three month supply for as little as $20 total.

Emergency Contraception Pill: If your contraception fails, or if you have sex without using a contraceptive device, you may still be able to prevent pregnancy from occurring with emergency contraception. The Morning-After pill or emergency contraception pill works by delivering a dose of hormones that prevent a woman from ovulating. Though the emergency contraception pill can be taken up to 120 hours after unprotected intercourse, it is more effective the sooner it is started. The Morning-After pill cannot terminate a pregnancy once it has occurred; it is not "the abortion pill". Pros: Safe, available from pharmacies without a prescription for those 18 and over, can reduce the risk of unwanted pregnancy by 89% if started within 72 hours of unprotected intercourse
Cons: Possible side-effects include: dizziness, breast tenderness, irregular bleeding, abdominal cramps, nausea.

How to get it: Emergency contraception pills are available over the counter from pharmacies for adults over 17 and is also available from Planned Parenthood. If you're under 17 you will need a prescription from a health center or private health care provider. Costs vary from $10-$70 for the emergency contraception pill, depending on where you get it, and which kind you use. Sometimes the makers of the emergency contraception pills offer manufacturer coupons. Right now, Plan B One Step is offering a $5 off manufacturer's coupon available to print from their website.
In addition to the methods listed here, there are some other contraceptive methods such as the patch, the ring and the shot, that we haven't covered. Also, be aware that the descriptions of the methods and the assessments of their pros and cons as listed here aren't necessarily comprehensive. To find out what contraception method would best suit your needs talk to a health care provider, or find out more about each method at Planned Parenthood's website. Hopefully this list will help you lower your contraception costs and take control of your fertility and sexual well being!

If you have any advice on how to find affordable reproductive health care, or questions about looking after you're health when you're on a budget, we'd love to hear from you! Email us: cheerfullycheap@gmail.com or join us on Twitter: @cheerfulcheep.

Getting Care When You Can't Afford Coverage: Part 2 Fig.1

Issues around reproductive health are really heating up in some parts of the world this year, particularly in the U.S. as it's in the throes of a madness known as "an election year". As access to birth control is turned into a political football, thousands of men and women find themselves with decreasing or no access to important reproductive health services. Reproductive health often gets reduced to contraceptive issues, and while contraception is an important component, reproductive health issues encompass so much more including: ovarian cancer screening, STD testing, prevention, treatment and management, prostrate cancer screening, prenatal care, fertility counseling and advisement, and breast cancer screening.

Unfortunately, the usefulness of the following guide on obtaining reproductive health services if you don't have health insurance will vary widely depending on where you live in the U.S. Many states this year are dramatically cutting funding for health clinics, often in the interests of pandering to political interest groups, instead of acting in the interests of supporting affordable, accessible healthcare for their constituents.

Finding a Clinic


The first step is to locate the nearest clinic that can provide the services you need. Which services you'll need will vary depending on your gender, age, and whether or not you're already sexually active. The National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics directory is one place to start looking for clinics in the US. It can be difficult to find a clinic that can provide the services you're looking for, as the clinics listed in the directory aren't limited to providing reproductive health services.

A fairly obvious but perhaps more apt starting point for a clinic search, is to locate your nearest Planned Parenthood. In addition to providing the contraceptive and pregnancy services for which they are well known, Planned Parenthood provides a wide array of reproductive health services including: mammograms, pelvic exams, colon cancer screenings, intestinal parasite testing and treatment (or treatment referral), vasectomies, menopause treatments, and fertility testing and referral. Many Planned Parenthood clinics also offer general health services such as: flu vaccines, thyroid testing, smoking cessation, physicals and cholesterol screenings. Most of the services are provided on a sliding scale, with fees adjusted according to your income, or your parents' income if you're under 18.

Unfortunately, many parts of the country only have one or two Planed Parenthood clinics serving an entire state. While staff are dedicated to and passionate about providing affordable reproductive care to clients, areas with few clinics may face exceptionally high demand and potentially longer wait times for appointments. Fortunately, many of the services provided, are done so on a walk in basis, with no appointment necessary in many Planed Parenthood clinics for emergency contraception, pregnancy testing, counseling and referrals. Other clinics may provide STD testing, vaccinations and treatment, and birth control prescriptions or refills on a walk-in basis. Be sure to check the "view hours and service details" link when you use the "find a health center" widget on the right side of the main page.

If visiting a Planned Parenthood is not an option for you, due to extreme distance or long wait times for an appointment, try heading to your state's department of public health and social services. This may take a bit of leg work as each state seems to call this department something different, but if you search for your state's name and "division of public health" or "department of health and social services", the relevant page should come up in the top results. Once you've found the the correct webpage, look for reproductive clinic listings under headings like "family planning services", "division for children, youth, and families", "services for adults", or "clinics". Many of the services offered at these kinds of clinics are free, or offered on a sliding scale basis.

If your main concern is STD testing, vaccinations, and treatment or treatment referral, the following directories will locate your nearest HIV testing or STD testing facility. Some of the clinics listed in these two directories provide testing services for free and they are often marked in the results as doing so. Other facilities provide testing, vaccination and treatment services on a sliding scale.

HIVtest.org: provides listings for the nearest health facilities that provide HIV testing, marking in the results what type of test the clinic provides (Conventional HIV blood testing, rapid HIV blood testing, or both), and what other STD testing and vaccination services they may offer.
National HIV and STD Testing Resources: is a subdivision the HIVtest.org website, and allows you to target your search to find clinics that provide testing services for a variety of STDs. By ticking the boxes under the search bar, you can also search specifically for clinics that provide vaccinations for HPV and Hepatitis B.


Crisis Centers ≠ Medical Clinic


Be wary of any organization calling itself a "pregnancy center", "pregnancy care center", "pregnancy resource center", "pregnancy concern center" or "pregnancy crisis center". These centers pose as reproductive health facilities, but the majority of them are not licensed to provide any actual medical services. The few that are licensed generally limit their services to pregnancy testing and sonograms, with a limited number also providing STD screenings and some prenatal care. Seeking services from these centers is not recommended as they have a history of disseminating false medical information and fabricated statistics. However, they sometimes provide sonograms at no cost, so if you want to get a free ultrasonic look at your fetus, consider seeking out a CPC. Odds are you've already paid for it with your tax dollars, and as there are over 4,000 CPCs compared with only about 750 fully comprehensive reproductive health clinics in the U.S., there should be a center near you, even if the nearest comprehensive clinic is over 100 miles away. Though they often use unscrupulous tactics in their counseling programs, CPCs can be a useful resource for lower income families that are ready to start expanding their family, and want to have a baby. However, if you're seeking contraception advice, cancer screenings, or accurate information regarding abortion, it is best to seek services elsewhere.

We'll be covering contraception, what's available, how to get it, and ways you might find it more affordably in our next article. If you have any advice on how to find affordable reproductive health care, or any questions about getting contraception when you're on a budget, we'd love to hear from you! Email us: cheerfullycheap@gmail.com or join us on Twitter: @cheerfulcheep. 

Shopping Your Pantry: Tex-Mex Potato Fry

Budget life-style articles always like to suggest that you "shop your pantry" to save money and waste less food. This is not neccessarily as difficult or as easy as it sounds, it largely depends on what you have in your pantry in the first place. The advice of "shopping your pantry" is pretty useless if you haven't got certain staples on hand. While this may seem obvious to anyone who's tried out this particular kernel of wisdom, what may be less obvious is what is helpful to keep in the larder. Personal tastes vary of course, so therefore should personal food stocks but this video from Working Class Foodies is a great place to start.



I would really recommend the entire series, especially for those just learning to cook. In addition to demonstrating many dishes and recipes, the series also teaches many techniques, which really helps to improve and develop one’s culinary skills more quickly. All of the material is so approachable, and in addition to showcasing items like Vegan Snacks for the Super Bowl, Working Class Foodies also offers simple, straightforward tutorials for old favourites like Roast Chicken, Irish Soda Bread, and Latkes.

Cooking with what’s already in your cupboard is easier when you also have some versatile herbs and spices at home as well. Though many spices may seem expensive at first, it’s important to remember that they often go a long way. Some basic herbs and spices that compliment many dishes can be found inexpensively; some downright cheaply if you know where to look. To start, try looking in Dollar (or Pound) stores, the international food aisles at your supermarket and grocers that specialize in a particular kind of international or ethnic food. It’s not necessary to try to fill up your spice rack immediately; start with some essentials and then build off your stores to suit your tastes.
Ten useful basics are: salt, pepper, basil*, rosemary*, thyme*, oregano*, chili powder, ground ginger, cinnamon (whole or ground), and bay leaf.

Local stocks may vary, but it appears as though the American national chain Dollar Tree offers many of these basics for USD $1 or less per item. Discount outlets like Marshalls, TJ Maxx, TK Maxx, and Winners sometimes have more expensive, specialty seasonings for sale in their homewares sections.

(*Though fresh herbs are often more aromatic, it isn’t always practical to keep them in your pantry at all times depending on the season, your geographic location, etc. Some argue that fresh herbs are always superior to dried, but it’s often just a matter of convenience)

This week, since I started the week with some actual food in both the fridge and the larder, shopping my pantry was easy and resulted in something pretty tasty. From some potatoes, red onion, garlic, cumin, ancho powder, dried chives and lime juice, came a Tex-Mex potato-fry.




Served up with some fresh cream and chopped cilantro:



Everything that went into it, was already in my kitchen. In addition to avoiding another trip to the grocer's, I also managed to use up some ingredients likely to spoil in the next few days. This may be the first time I have ever successfully "shopped my pantry".

Jalopnik counts down "The Ten Best Cars for Poor People"

Yesterday Jalopnik featured an article high-lighting ten economical auto options. If there are no jobs near your residence and everything, including getting to temp agencies, interviews and the unemployment office requires you to drive, then you need a car that 1)can get you there 2)won't embarrass you once you've arrived and 3)doesn't require a lot of cash upfront.

While standards like the early 90's Honda Accord and Crown Vic are noted, the article discusses a few cars you may have forgotten about that are still worth including in your search for a new-to-you car. Some of the models mentioned aren't great on gas mileage (the 1992-1995 Buick Lesabre averages 18-mpg city and 28-mpg highway), but a car like a 1995 Geo Prizm (ranked number 6 on the countdown) is listed on Kelly Blue Book as getting 24-mpg city and 31-mpg highway. The Prizm is selling on craigslist in my area for $700-$2500 and is valued at $875-$1550 on KBB.com.

If you're searching for a new ride and don't have a lot of cash, check out their count down here for ideas how to find some cheap new wheels.

Free International Phone Calls!

The modern world is ever shrinking through globalization, and yet ever expanding through the increased movement of more and more people. Odds are, at some point, someone in your life will find themselves far from home, out of calling range. Maybe you have a loved one serving in the military overseas, perhaps a chum is off doing a study abroad or maybe you're just fortunate enough to have friends in other parts of the world... If you've got people that are farther a-field than your phone service really covers, you may be able to still phone them for free!

--Provided certain conditions are met of course...

Rebtel is a mVoIP service, that is: it's a mobile Voice over IP service. Essentially what the service does is it first gives you a local access number with which to phone your friend (more on this later), and thus, turns an international call into a local one and connects it over the internet. By dialing the local access number assigned, the caller is only charged for placing a local call. This saves a small fortune considering what it can cost to call an international number with a mobile phone (or even a land-line depending on your service provider)!

However, that is exactly the catch: you and the person you're calling are still charged for the call, but you're both only charged the rate levied by your mobile providers of making a local call. Still, within this catch lies your loophole: if you and the person you're calling have unlimited minutes with which to call local numbers or you manage to do your calling when both parties have free minutes(such as nights and weekends), you can essentially make free international calls.

The service can be a bit tricky to figure out first so here's the Cheap and Cheerful Guide to making it happen:

You Will Need:
-Internet access
-A valid mobile phone number with the ability to receive text messages
-Someone to call in another country*

1) Go to Rebtel.com and fill out their sign-up form.
Once you enter your information, create your free account and sign in, Rebtel will automatically provide you with an access number and an SMS access information. These numbers allow you to do things like: add contacts, change your preferred number and double dial while away from your computer. When you sign in, the default page should be the My Contacts tab. If you've been taken to some other feature of your account, simply click on the tab and then...

2) Enter the name and (international) phone number of the person you wish to call
Once you enter that information, Rebtel will reload the Contacts page with the local access number for that person saved in your account information. (Note: unless you text "STOP" to rebtel when you receive the SMS containing the number to phone your friend, they will continue to send you text messages. We are not aware of any charges incurred by these texts other than the cost to receive a text levied by your mobile service provider.

3) Call that number!
Dial the "local" number. (It is also possible call this number from a phone other than the one with which you registered your account. Simply dial the number, Rebtel will then ask you to enter your account number (the phone number you used to sign up for the account) and then enter the PIN you set when you registered; you should be connected momentarily.) If you are placing a free call, the line may ring for several seconds. This is because when you place a free call, Rebtel connects to the line you're calling and then gives them further instruction so that the call may be connected for free. As the line rings, the other person will be given a local access number with which to call you, and must hang-up and then call this number while your end continues to ring. (If the other caller is unable to hang-up and ring you back their FAQ page advises: "Ask your friend to press the star button (*) on his/her phone and it should work without any problem.") Once this is completed successfully, you and your friend will be connected for a free call!

It sounds more complicated than it is; while it can be a bit difficult to time correctly at first, the service is quite reliable with a high sound quality and very little, if any time lag.

If things still aren't quite clear, try checking out their series of brief instructional videos.


Other Features...

-If placing a free call is not possible due to the party you're calling having limited minutes, you can buy credit and place a call at a rate still much lower than what one would typically pay for an international call. Depending on the country and service provider of the person on the other end, rates are generally competitive-with or cheaper-than, the average international calling-card.

-Rebtel allows you to send WebSMS to existing contacts or other international numbers. As you type, the cost of the message is displayed to the right of the text box. Rates for WebSMS are much lower than standard international texting rates.

-With this service, it is also possible to make Computer Calls. Computer Calls allow you to call anywhere in the world and only pay the per-minute rate to Rebtel, with-out paying any charges to your phone carrier.





*While Rebtel offers service to over 200 countries, its service does not cover all countries. Check the International Calling Rates listings to see if your destination is covered and what the rates for calls may be.

ALLOW DAT

It's no secret that monitoring your spending helps to decrease it and it's equally well known that setting a budget and sticking to it can, well, really be a drag. However, a budget can also be a helpful tool, and allow you to allocate funds not only for savings and bill payments, but also for hobbies, socializing and personal luxuries.

Remaining disciplined and sticking with a budget is much easier when that budget makes certain allowances. Following a budget that sets aside money specifically for things like your weekly magazines, latte, or night at the Roxbury allows for some fun while still enabling you to pay bills on time and deposit periodically into your savings.

Allotting for such luxuries allows for two things: 1) it ensures that each month or week (by what ever period you plan your budget) you'll have the money for small indulgences while preventing your personal expenditures from spiraling out of control and 2) planning for these expenses means you don't have to feel bad about spending on yourself. So long as you stay within the allowance you've set, you need never feel guilty about treating yourself.

Making room in your budget for this allowance is important! No one likes to feel as though they're denying themselves. Attempting to adhere to a budget that allows no room for fun and the occasional frivolous expense, can be a bit like trying to follow a crash diet. You may make some fast progress initially, but after a short time the entire experience is so restrictive and unpleasant that afterward you may well engage in over-indulgent behavior that undoes your previous efforts.

So allow dat bruv, and grant yourself a little allowance!

OATMEAL: natural exfoliant, or sticky, pastey mess?

The skincare aisle, beauty rags and every "natural-cosmetics-you-probably-already-have-in-your-home" list have long sung the praises of oatmeal or products made with oatmeal. When used in cosmetics oatmeal is called "avena sativa kernel meal" and when used in products for treating skin irritation it's called "colloidal oatmeal". There are literally hundreds, perhaps thousands of recipes available online for formulating and using your own oatmeal-based cosmetic and personal-care products at home, but one tip I saw over and over again was the use of oatmeal and water as an exfoliant. The idea is because oatmeal is coarsely ground (but not so hard or coarse that it will be abrasive) it is similar to scrubbing the skin with almond shells or apricot kernels. Supposedly, oatmeal also contains some natural compounds that "draw out impurities in the skin". Having run out of the scrub product I typically use, I decided to give it a try. Here's what happened:

1) I took a small handful of dry oatmeal, and ground it with a mortar and pestle

In hindsight, I don't know that this was necessary however, a lot of what I had read recommended the oatmeal more finely if you planned to use it as a facial scrub.

2) I poured the oatmeal into a rocks glass, and mixed in a small amount of water

It was really small, like less than 1/4 teaspoon. The first time I did this I actually used no more than that it was still too much water.

3) Next, after taking the oatmeal paste onto my fingers, I scrubbed my face with it




This is when I discovered I hate the smell of wet, raw, America's Choice traditional oatmeal.

4) RINSE!

The verdict: While, as I mentioned, it turns out I hate the smell of wet, raw America's Choice traditional oatmeal on my face, I still got that nice clean feeling I get whenever I use a scrub. However, it is not beyond the realm of possibility that I would get this feeling from the simple act of washing my face, regardless of what I used to wash it. I've been using the oatmeal scrub every other day for about a week now, and it certainly hasn't made my skin any worse.


So...

PROS
-"All natural"
-Inexpensive
-Easy to make
-Is readily available
-Is biodegradable
-Non-toxic*

CONS
-Smells
-Can be difficult to get the correct ratio of oatmeal to water
-People being weirded out over you washing your face with oatmeal
-Could potentially clog your sink if you were to wash it down the drain. It's recommended you scoop out the oatmeal and discard it in a trash-can or rubbish-bin.

POTENTIAL HAZARDS

-Unless you know how your oatmeal is grown, harvested and processed, like with all other foods, you never know what pesticides or chemical residuals could be sitting on your cheap-and-cheerful kitchen cosmetic. I don't know the exact level this presents in foods used as external cosmetics but like with anything else in life, I imagine there's some risk, but I also imagine that it's quite small.
-Everyone's skin is different and it is possible a person could suffer an adverse reaction while using oatmeal as a natural scrub, especially if they have allergies or a pre-existing skin condition. When in doubt, it's best to consult a dermatologist.



*Please see the potential hazards section.
Cheap and Cheerful is not written by dermatologists and accepts no responsibility for injuries, chemical burns or allergic reactions sustained while attempting to use oatmeal as a natural skincare product.

The Cheap and Cheerful Guide to Drinkin at Home Part 2: 5 ways you can make drinking at home more like drinking in a bar

Last week Cheap and Cheerful covered five ways that drinking at home can be better than drinking in a bar. Still, staying in often just lacks the glamour of going out. The commotion, the crowds, the new faces... they're usually lacking behind your own walls. While this isn't always a bad thing, there are a few things you can do to turn a somewhat solitary evening into a more social occasion!


The photo "Cocktail" is (c) Fibroblast (2007) and is used under the creative commons license


1)Have some people over (Bonus if you can get them to bring over some additional beverages or bits to eat)

Inviting some of your friends over quickly turns your Long-Island-Iced-tea for one, into a little cocktail party! If your friends have found themselves sailing the same saving-conscious seas as you, they may be only too happy to have the opportunity to be spending an evening (or afternoon, or brunch-hour) outside of the house, that isn't going to require them to drop a lot of this week's hard-earned cash. Good company goes well with good drinks; it also vastly improves the taste of cheap drinks.

2) Get some niffty serving wear

While perhaps not an absolutely necessary expenditure, some swanky bar-ware can make even your nightly cocktail seem like a special occasion. Great glasses aren't always expensive either! Many of the off-price department store outlets like Marshall's, TJ Maxx, and Ross often have attractive home goods at discounted prices. Another great place to search for bar ware is your local thrift store or consignment shop. Depending on the store, you may find an even better deal for wares that are much more unique.

3) Serve some snacks

You don't have to put out a huge spread, but setting out a few things to nibble on can really class up the occasion. It doesn't take much at all! A few handfuls of mixed nuts or even just some cheese and crackers on a plate, lend a great deal of flair to an otherwise totally casual evening at home. Simply using an eye-catching serving dish or plate and placing it on the table before your friends arrive looks like a great deal more than it actually takes!

4) Get dressed like you would if you were going out

If you are the type to dress before you go out, dressing for an evening in with some friends as you for an evening out marks the night as an occasion instead of reminding you that ya'll are sitting in your living room because you're broke.

5) Consider tidying up the joint

Make the place comfortable for you and your friends! Clearing the clutter or at least taking out the trash can really improve the feel of a place, your place included. While it's not really necessary to mop the floors and scrub the toilets, it's generally much more cheerful to drink in a place where you aren't staring down a week's worth of dirty laundry, pizza boxes and junk mail.

Happy Hosting!

Tally Traveled to New York by way of the China-town bus: a study in taking your own advice.

1)Research your options

Check. Unfortunately, not living in a major city, my options were more limited than if I lived somewhere with better transport hubs like New York or Baltimore. Still, where I live is large enough to be serviced by one of small China-town lines mentioned in the previous article. With a round trip ticket costing only 35$ total, it was nearly 30$ cheaper than a fare from a national bus company, and 73$ less than even the least expensive train tickets.

As far as assessing the quality of my ride went, I had it easy. I was fortunate in that a great number of friends and acquaintances had already used this bus service, and found the experience, if not exactly pleasant, at least palatable. Thus, my decision was made.

2)Approach the bus-trip experience with the right attitude

Having traveled by bus before, I didn't have to do too much adjusting. Experience had taught me that while traveling by bus is certainly less glamorous than going by plane and less comfortable than going by train, it is generally a far cry from that had been painted to me before. --Provided you don't have too far to go.

Really, I rather looked forward to not having to drive and watch the road, band to instead spend the two and a half hours of travel time listening to Man...or Astro-man? while I worked on some drafting.

3)Come early, but expect delays

Check and check. I was there about forty minutes early to be sure I'd have time to buy a ticket at the window. The bus was about twenty minutes late, but I figured it would be, so it wasn't that serious.

4)Don't sit too close to the bathroom

Check.

5)Remember your manners

Check, but it really only came up once. When boarding the departing the bus, there no seats available that were next to an unoccupied seat. When taking my seat, I simply asked the woman I was going to sit down next to if she minded if I sat there. She replied "not at all; by all means". Both of us spent the trip occupied with our headphones on, so for better or worse, our exchange ended there. Nonetheless, I tried to bear in mind the basic civility of not encroaching on her personal space or disturbing her from her work during the journey, and she regarded me with the same courtesy. As far as I know we both had a pleasant trip.

6)Pack a snack

Check. Man was I ever so glad I did! Having generally missed breakfast, I brought a bag full of walnuts and a biscotti. Brunch wasn't had until about an hour and a half, two hours until after my arrival. When I did get to my omelet, I was hungry for it, but I would have been ravenous and cranky had I not had a nosh on the bus.

7)Bring something to do

Check. Generally I bring a notebook with me wherever I go, so naturally I brought one on the bus. While I didn't do any heavy writing, I had plenty of time to work on drafting out some ideas that had been kicking around during the week. Being less distracted on the bus than I would have been at home, I may have actually gotten more done in two hours than I would have at my desk.

8)Bring some tunes

Check. Everything is better with surf rock. Including bus rides.

9)Don't reward aggressive behavior by responding to it

This was, on this trip at least, a total non-issue. I faced no hostilities from my fellow passengers and I never have on inter-state bus trips. I have dealt with them on my morning public-transit commute to work, but in those situations I've just ignored them. Typically they respond to a non-response with some disparaging comment (curiously enough, almost always regarding my sunglasses), and then move on to attempting to rile up someone else.

Admittedly, it kind of kills my pride to have someone behave badly to me or anyone else, and have them get away with it, but I know that it isn't worth getting in a scuffle in an enclosed, moving space with a (more often than not, drunk) stranger.

10) Be cool and keep calm

Number 10 is another item that didn't really come up that weekend. Everything went smoothly, I arrived at my destination on time, and alighted in front of Macy's on 34th with a minimum of hassle.

So what were you doing in New York anyway?

Who wants to know?
No, seriously, who wants to know?

I was visiting a friend, and attending Siren Fest, the free summer music festival at Coney Island, put on by The Village Voice. Free music, a sea breeze and the Wonder Wheel! All in all, a fairly cheap and very cheerful way to spend a summer Saturday!


Workin' our way to the front.


The famous Cyclone


And of course, the Wonder Wheel.

COMING UP NEXT, THE CHEAP AND CHEERFUL GUIDE TO DRINKING AT HOME: A TWO PARTER

FREE CULT TV

Has your cable been cut? Do you crave classic, obscure, quirky or pulpy programming? The still free web-service Hulu is here to help! The website is already well-known and well-loved for providing the public with access to new episodes of series such as Glee, Lost, Modern Family, and Saturday Night Live shortly after their initial broadcast, but Hulu also offers a back catalog of classics and cult-hits like:

-The live-action series The Tick, featuring Patrick Warburton
-The original The Outer Limits
-Seasons 4-7 of Married...With Children
-Several episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000, including Horrors of Spider Island

Also worth perusing is their Film Department! Check out:

-Horror classic and Zombie genre-piece Night of the Living Dead.
-Akira Kurosawa's highly-acclaimed retelling of King Lear, Ran
-Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps
-British '60s sex-comedy The Knack...and How to Get It


Unfortunately due to different licensing terms and agreements, not all series and films are available all the time. Some titles are accessible for weeks or even months, others may expire once a series's season ends or once the new season begins. New titles are added frequently though, and while many of them are about as acclaimed as current offering Cheerleader Ninjas, some searching usually unearths something entertaining if not always edifying (though there are sections devoted to Documentary, Health and Wellness, News, and Food). Enjoy!

Eating Lite: lighter on your wallet?

ECONOMIC VEGETARIANISM: (n) (the practice of) only eating vegatables because you can't afford to buy meat. From urbandictionary.com

Ah, economic vegetarianism, --also known to many as the collegiate or immediately post-collegiate diet. Truthfully, strict economic vegetarianism may not be the best nutrition regimien. Ensuring that one recieves a balance of the full spectrum of vitamins, minerals and nutrients while undertaking a strictly vegetarian diet can be complicated and difficult (but still far from impossible!). Additionally, though I can tell you with certainty that carrots are still cheaper than steak (they also tend to be crunchier. If you like your steak to crunch, you and I should probably never barbecue together), I've never actually done the numbers to prove that a healthy, varied, vegetarian diet is cheaper than a non-vegetarian diet. Food, the costs of production, industrial farming, and the role and effects of social class in our culture are all complicated issues in and of themselves; the point where these concerns converge raises an entire series of complex questions that are far beyond the scope of this blog.

Don't misunderstand though, this is by no means an indictment of vegetarianism! While I would consult a proper nutritionist (or at least get some free advice from the guy who works at the healthfood store) before permanently switching to a strictly vegetarian diet, economic vegetarianism can be a useful general guideline when you're looking to scale back your bills at the grocer's.

Despite a surge in popularity over the past couple of decades, vegetarian food (especially budget-conscious vegetarian food) still gets a bad rap at times. Though the idea that vegetarian fare primarily consists of bland, boiled vegetables persists, it really doesn't have to be like that! My favourite vegetarian dish to make and serve is a black bean chili dish that was inspired by a recipie I once saw in Nutrition Action. (I say inspired because even the first time I made this dish I was unable to follow their recipe due to a combination of my unwillingness to buy what I thought were unnecessary ingridients for something I was sure I was only gonna make once, and my habit of reading the ingridients lists for recipies, but never the directions.) This black bean chili is easy, it's usually cheap to make, and reheats well in the microwave. Though I usually make this chili for myself to take in my lunch during the working-week, I've served it to many of my dinner guests, and always to compliments.

The great thing about this recipie is that once you have it down, you can mix it up a little bit. The tomatoes and red peppers give this dish a natural sweetness that's pleasant underneath the hotter spices, but also does well on it's own as the main flavour of a milder version. It's easy to make, and most of the ingriedents average out to less than 1$ a piece (the unforunate exception to this, is the key ingridient that gives this dish it's subtle sweetness, the red peppers).

BASIC BLACK BEAN CHILI RECIPIE:

-2 tbsp olive oil (or just enough to coat the bottom of whatever pot or pan you use)
-1-2 red bell peppers*
-1-3 cloves of garlic
-1 onion, red or white
-1 lg can of black beans
-1 can of diced tomatoes
-chili powder
-hot sauce (optional)
-salt and pepper

Optional topping:

- sour cream
-fresh cilantro and/or chives

*An alternative to using so many peppers is to use 1/2 to 1 pepper, and then finely chop or grate up a couple of carrots as well. Carrots are usually much cheaper in the produce section and also have a natural sweetness, that enhances wonderfully when the vegetable is cooked.

1) Dice up your bell peppers! If you like chunkier chili, don't worry about dicing them up too finely. I like mine in bits that resemeble 1"-1 1/2" cubes. Set aside

2) Use your olive oil to coat the bottom of your pot or pan (I think the recipie I adapted this 8stove. Turn your stove burner on to medium-low.

3) After your oil starts to warm (I never wait til it's "screaming hot"), dump in the peppers and let them cook in the oil until they become fragrant and a bit shiney (for me, with my stove, this usually ends up being around 5 miuntes).



4) As the peppers are cooking, dice up your garlic and onions. Once they're cut up, dump them into the pot with the peppers.

5) Continue cooking the pepper,garlic, and onions on medium-low until onions start to become translucent (again, this is usually just takes a few minutes, usually around five of them).

6) Drain and lightly rinse the canned beans. Dump beans into the pot with the vegetables.

7) Next, dump canned, diced tomatoes into the chili pot. Your dish should look a bit watery. That's good. You'll know the chili is down when the liquid from the diced tomatoes cooks down.

8) Take your chili powder, and give a few of good shakes into the pot. I use quite a few good shakes and my chili is usually still pretty mild. If you want a spicer dish consider using a full-table spoon, or adding other, hotter spices of your choice.

9) Add any additional seasonings and herbs you'd ike to use to flavor your chili (such as hot sauce). A few of the things I like to add when I have them on hand are: Adobo peppers, Valentina hot sauce, cumin, red pepper flakes and tabasco sauce

10) Stir your chili.

11) Now walk away from it for a while, and let it cook slowly, on medium-low to low until the liquid from the canned tomatoes cooks down (this usually means your chili cooks for an hour or two. Yes, that is a long time; it's worth it).

12) Make sure you check on your chili and stir it up now and then to make sure none of it burns and sticks to the bottom of the pan.

13) After your water has cooked down, turn your burner off, and spoon the chili into a bowl.

14) Top with a dollop of sour cream and fresh cut cilantro and/or chives



15) Eat some chili!

How I learned to stop worrying they'd lose my luggage and LUV like SouthWest Air: 10 things I learned about SW by flying with them

April is coming to it's final week and Summer fast approaches! For many, that means vacations, travel, other cities not their own. While "no money" generally still means "no vacation", "a little money" might be able to buy a little more vacation than you thought.

One of the first things you need to figure out when going away, is how you're going to get there. For some, the cheapest option might be driving there. Depending on what sort of car you drive, or if you don't drive at all, the bus may be the next best option as far as getting the cheapest fare is concerned. The down-side is that in addition to usually being pretty uncomfortable, time on the road eats into the time you could be spending lounging in a sunny park, or on a river bank or in a nice hotel room somewhere. It could be worth it to pay a few extra bucks and fly...

When someone says the words "budget airlines, I bet the first or second thing that comes to your mind if you live in the United States is Southwest . --What comes to your mind when you hear the words "Southwest Airlines" might be something other than "budget airlines" or "cheap travel". Maybe you think "cramped cabins" or "lost luggage" or "FLIGHT FROM HELL" (-or maybe you just think of this? ).

Horror stories about lost baggage, crowded and uncomfortable planes were all things I had heard, and before I actually flew with them, this bad press had more or less formed my expectations for the experience of flying Southwest. Despite all the bad press, I decided to fly with them anyway. After all, the one thing I knew for sure, was that they still had the cheapest fares to New Orleans.

Here are ten things I learned about Southwest by flying with them:

1) Southwest truly is the greyhound of the skies

Obviously I'm referring to the bus service, not the racing breed. Depending on which flight you book, Southwest is more like a literal airbus. For example, on our way into NOLA, our plane first stopped off in Nashville, TN to let some passengers off, and then let on some others. For some reason I wasn't really expecting this, but it wasn't a big surprise. Briefly I had wondered why our flight from BWI in Baltimore to Louis Armstrong in New Orleans was going to take closer to four hours than two and a half. The brief stop at BNA was a sensible explanation (and probably also explained why two adult-fares round trip cost just over $400 after taxes and fees). That said, the "stop" went fairly smoothly, and fairly quickly. We were probably on the ground for less than fifteen minutes before we were taking-off again.

2) If you have a specific destination in mind, with a specific date, book early!

You get a better rate if you're booking at least two months in advance (these rates may not be better than their special events and sales, but you can't be guaranteed which flights are on sale at a give time of the year). Also, once you've settled on a destination, a date, and a place to stay, I would suggest booking right then! When I first looked into booking flights to New Orleans, the best rates for the dates we could travel came to $79 per person, each way. Despite the fact that I was probably not going to find a better rate than that ANYWHERE, I felt it necessary to mull it over for a couple of hours. I went off to do some chores, made my decision and returned to try to book the tickets. What I had failed to realize was that it had gone from 11pm to 2am so technically, it was the next day. So the fares had gone up slightly. I went ahead and bought the slightly more costly tickets, and boy was I ever glad because they went up again maybe a week later!

3) If the days you want to fly are not set in stone, then when first searching fares, search a range of dates

Most people know that the most expensive day of the week to fly is typically Friday. In my experience however, the cheapest day of the week to fly seems to move around the calendar depending on the time of the year. The first set of dates I searched for my trip turned up rates I wasn't entirely satisfied with; I had a feeling better rates were out there. Fortunately, since I was booking early, with plenty of time to give my vacation notice at the office, I was able to pull up a chart that quoted the fare prices for the entire month and take my pick. Since my travel dates were flexible, I was able to book flights on the days of that month with the best rate.

4) Check-in early!

Unless you're flying Business Select, there isn't any assigned seating on Southwest (and even then, seats aren't aren't so much assigned as business select gets to board first regardless and take their pick). The advantage of this is that there is no extra charge for a window seat or an aisle seat. The disadvantage is that there is no guarantee you'll be able to snag one. Boarding was sort of a managed free-for-all with passengers boarding in groups of 1-30 and then 31-60 for A, B and C clusters. While the attendant made sure that passengers in cluster C did not board before all those in cluster B, nothing was too strictly enforced. That worked out though, because it meant no one scrutinized me -with my B:58 ticket, pushing to the front of my group to secure two adjacent seats for my traveling companion and myself. Because the last thing I wanted to do was get stuck next to some schmuck who's going to spend the next three hours regaling me with tales of their coworkers' marital troubles, while I'm trying to listen to the Boogie Nights soundtrack on my iPod.

5) If you live close to more than one airport, check the travel rates to your destination from all those that are near-by! One airport in your vicinity may offer better rates than the others

I'm fortunate enough to live about halfway between BWI and PHL. For what-ever reason (and I imagine there is one or several) tickets from BWI worked out to be between $200 and $250 cheaper than flights from PHL.


6) Southwest lets you check your first and second bags for free!

In an age where many airlines charge to check any bags and where others are talking about charging for carry-on baggage, two free checked bags offers a savings of up to $120 round trip!

7) Sometimes it's cheaper to drink on the plane than in the airport

This may have been what surprised me most about the airline. I was under the impression that Southwest was more or less the Ryan Air of the US. Meaning that I figured they would charge for EVERY SINGLE THING(non-alcoholic beverages, peanuts, the bathroom) and then tack some additional charges on top of that. Two whiskeys in the sky cost me $10; two whiskeys in the airport bar cost me $20.

8) Southwest was actually a little classier and a little more comfortable than I expected

Similarly surprisingly was that Southwest offers passengers a complimentary non-alcoholic beverage (choice of coffee, tea, soda, juice or water) and snack (we got pretzels and cheese nips). Additionally, my companion and I found ourselves with more legroom than expected (more than I expected anyway). Our flight wasn't quite as roomy as say, United, but seating was a far-cry from the school-bus style seating I expected. There wasn't a lot of reclining action available, but also there were no springs poking me in the back.

9) Maybe Southwest doesn't have the best reputation as far as keeping track of your luggage, but they didn't lose mine

That said, I can't promise they won't lose yours. Just to be safe, if you're bringing enough luggage that you need to check something, I suggest packing only things that are easily (and cheaply) replaced in your hold luggage. The odds that you'll get your bags back are pretty good, but why risk losing your favorite shirt or your new souvenirs? (For the record, the only things packed in our checked bag were toiletries and towels)

10) The pilots' reputation for bad jokes is pretty well earned

WARNING: You will probably laugh anyway.

Your facebook status is free advertising.

That's all there is to it really. --And you probably already knew that. If you didn't, consider the following: unfortunately, printed periodicals are on the decline. Many local, and even some national papers are shrinking and condensing their layouts to save costs. -And when was the last time you remembered to check the listings in the local daily for things like garage sales, music equipment and appliances?

Are you having a garage sale? Make it your facebook status! Moving and selling your old bed frame and bookcases? Make it your facebook status! Opening an etsy or ebay store? MAKE IT YOUR FREAKIN FACEBOOK STATUS!

So, depending on the number of facebook friends you have, and the level of privacy (or lack there of) on your facebook profile, you may be able to reach close to, or more than the number of people you normally would have had you put up paid classified ads in the local papers and periodicals.

Is it effective free advertising? It all depends on the number of contacts you have established through your facebook profile and how many of them are able to view your status updates. If nothing else, you could always use it as an additional venue while using traditional methods to announce your yard sale extravaganza. I can't say I've established any mathematical equations for computing possible revenue, but I can say the odds are pretty good that if you're reading this blog post, you were linked through my facebook status.