CouchSurfing for a Cheap Vacation

The service at CouchSurfing.Com may not be for everyone, but it's a great find for those who are looking for a cheap and fun vacation where they meet lots of new people and get outside the usual tourist box. And, yes, it's free.

What is it?

The Couch Surfing Project is an international, non-profit organization with the following mission:

"CouchSurfing seeks to internationally network people and places, create educational exchanges, raise collective consciousness, spread tolerance and facilitate cultural understanding. ... We make the world a better place by opening our homes, our hearts, and our lives. ...CouchSurfing wants to change not only the way we travel, but how we relate to the world!"

How does it work?

At the website, you create a profile for yourself (similar to MySpace or Facebook), get to know fellow members through the forums and discussion boards, and when you're ready to travel, you plan your trip around your new CouchSurfing pals - who open their homes up to you for free. Of course, it's a mannerly exchange (you have to request an invite, and they have to say yes) and there are safeguards (members are "vouched for" or "verified" and there are a number of privacy settings).

And, there's a range of hospitality here. Maybe one host feels fine offering you a "couch" at their house; another may be willing to meet you for coffee or drinks, or give you a ride to/from the airport. You set the hospitality boundaries both as a host and as a guest.

It's a worldwide membership and all sorts of people are listed as members. All ages, all sexes, singles, couples, families, from all over the world are establishing online friendships via the site before traveling - or before inviting guests into their homes. This service may not be for everyone, but it sure seems like a great find for the adventuresome ....

Six Ways to Maximize Your Car's Gas Mileage

Of course, the best way to maximize your car's gas mileage is to use alternative transportation: subways, trains, buses, bikes, use your feet ... but if you live in some areas of the country (like San Antonio), mass transportation isn't always available as an option and you need to drive your vehicle. Fuel efficiency becomes very important when you have to drive to work or school. Here are some ways to help get the most bang for your gas buck:

1. Keep your tires inflated - a little bit extra helps. It takes more gas to drive a vehicle that does not have its tires inflated to the proper air pressure. What's the right pressure? Check the manual or the little sticker on the inside of your driver's door panel to find the number. Then, buy an air pressure gauge and follow the directions. Don't buy the cheapest model, either: a gauge that cost a bit more will be much more accurate.

There are also those who advocate putting a little extra air into your tires: it's true that a little bit over the manual's reccommended amount will not harm the tire and may help with mileage. It's also true that it means literally a little less rubber meeting the road, which makes for a slippery and more dangerous ride. Careful here.

2. Keep up with your regular car care (esp. oil, air filters, spark plugs). Change that oil every 3000 miles (there are all those quickie drive-thru places around town, this isn't that big a deal); and make sure you keep up with your manual's scheduled tune-ups, too.

Fresh spark plugs and air filters can make a big difference on mileage: change the air filter every 4 months, and if you want to be zealous about it, buy a cloth one instead of paper. They are more expensive, but they work better. (You can purportedly up your fuel efficiency by 10% just by changing out your air filters regularly.) Spark plugs should be replaced regularly as well. Again, don't go for the cheapest option: spark plugs are the gizmos that literally light your car's fire (actually, the air/gas combo in your engine) and those that do an efficient job of this make for better gas mileage.

3. Monitor Your Wheel Alignment. Just driving over a couple of surprising speed bumps in the road can mess with your car's wheel alignment. Potholes, jumping the curb, and just extended, normal driving can compromise wheel alignment - which essentially means that one of tires is wanting to go slightly one way, while the rest are wanting to go another. The result drains your fuel efficiency, as well as wears down the tires and makes the car a bit harder to drive.

How to check? In a careful section of road, point your car straight ahead and start moving forward. If the car turns itself to the right or the left, you've got an alignment problem. Get it fixed. It doesn't cost much.

4. Use Fuel Injection Formula. This stuff is a magic potion that is added to your fuel tank -- at some stations, it's offered as part of the purchase by those annoying automated voices. Cost is minimal, and the gook will go thru the fuel system, cleaning up the fuel injectors.

Why do you care? Fuel injectors should be spraying a mist of gas, not a splat - but that is what happens if they aren't really clean. Over time, they will get gunky. The Fuel Injection Formula cleans out that gunk. Wait though: once you've added it, you're not done. Get out on the road, and gun the engine a few times. Pedal to the metal, in a good way (don't go over the speed limit, of course) to get that potion circulating well. Do this monthly.

5. Drive Smart and Plan Your Routes. The faster you drive, the more gas you use. The more air conditioning you use, ditto. Stopping and starting in traffic just burns up your gas budget, as does rapid acceleration.

What to do? If you can, plan to run errands earlier in the day so you don't have to run the car's air conditioner the whole time. Take routes that keep you out of traffic jams and intersections where you know you'll take awhile to get thru the red light. Drive slower overall, and learn to keep some space between you and the cars ahead: it saves gas to slowly come to a stop when needed, instead of pushing (or slamming) the brakes so you can stay a maximum speed for as long as you can.

6. Get That Junk Out of the Trunk. Your car is a transportation machine, and it will carry whatever is placed within its frame - and the heavier the car, the more gas it will need to do this job. So, don't carry along anything you don't have to take with you. Car trunks and truck beds should not be portable storage facilities. Store just your emergency stuff (flares, first aid kits, spare tire, etc.) and discipline yourself to keeping it lean and mean.

Six Ways to Keep Your Home Cooler For Less

1. Plan meals to avoid using the oven. Invest in more than one size of slow cooker, as well as toaster ovens, George Foreman grills, and/or Panini presses, all of which avoid heating the entirety of the kitchen. Grilling outside is another option, and it’s fun, too. And, remember, whether you’re cooking indoors or out, always make more than you need so you can use the leftovers during the week.

2. Rearrange your rooms to fight the heat. Warm air is less dense than cool air, and it rises. Your second floor will be warmer than the ground floor, and your ground floor will have more warm air than the basement. Then, there’s the sunlight bombarding your house to consider. Insulation from the heat keeps interior rooms cooler than the ones exposed to sunlight; plus, the room sharing a wall with the garage will be warmer than any interior room. Fight the heat by finding which rooms are naturally located to remain somewhat cooler than the rest. Consider rearranging your rooms accordingly: if the formal living room will be cooler than the great room next to the garage, then start using the living room for everyday activities. If the guest room is located better, cooling-wise, than the home office, ponder switching those two rooms. Make it a family habit to keep doors shut between rooms, so you can have some rooms cooler than others, and block off vents for rooms that are not needed every day. Don’t let the traditional uses for your rooms control your thinking: it’s your house, do what’s best for your family even if it’s unconventional.

3. Position furniture to maximize cooling. Move your furniture to maximize airflow: a sofa pulled away from the wall will get more air circulation than one backed against it. Bookshelves, filing cabinets, armoires, entertainment centers, even tapestries and a wall of framed photos provide added insulation for a room.

4. Use stand fans and box fans. Incorporate stand fans, or box fans, where you'll spend the most time. Stand fans usually come with remote controls and multiple speeds. Some are generic white plastic, but more and more stand fans are becoming available in designer treatments (Cottage, Art Deco). The new ones are much quieter, too. Why fans? Flowing, moving air will make you feel cooler.

5. Heat-proof your window treatments. It can be hard to sacrifice that great view through a big, clear window or patio door, but glass is far from the best insulation – even if it is double-paned. Covering windows can make a big difference in keeping rooms cooler, and it doesn’t have to cost a lot to do so. Mini-blinds can be purchased for less than five dollars per window, and can make a big difference on how cool room will be on a hot afternoon. For a little more, you can buy mini-blinds that are specifically made to help with heat, as well as draperies specifically designed to block a blinding hot sun blaring into a room on a hot, summer afternoon. The room will be darker, and you may lose that view, but the goal of keeping the room cooler before you start spending your budget’s electricity dollars will be met.

6. Use room air conditioners instead of the central system. Use room air conditioners, or portable air conditioners, rather than a central air-conditioning system, cooling only the rooms that you actually use. These units come with timers and thermostats, which allow you to coordinate cooling the rooms only when it will be needed. For example, bedroom room air conditioners can be programmed to start up and run for approximately 2 hours before bedtime, with the thermostat automatically controlling the air temperature of the room throughout the night. Portable air conditioners can also be used in the den and home office when needed. The central system can be ignored, or its thermostat set much higher than in previous years: 88 degrees, for example, with only the den and the bedrooms kept at 78 degrees in the evenings with room air conditioners, and unused rooms having closed-off vents, is a comfortable environment and much less expensive than the central system being used for all your square footage.

For more information:

How to Cook 3: Slow Cookers