6 Vacation Spots to Stretch Your Dollar

On the "50 Side Businesses You Can Start On Your Own", one that was missing was "Small Engine Repair." If you are so inclined and have a garage. My friend's grandfather would pick up old lawn mowers, chain saws, etc at the town dump or at yard sales. Take them home, fix them up and sell them as used. People get rid of these things because they won't start or don't know how to maintain them. He would rebuild the small engines and get them humming again, and make a few bucks.

@kjherron: I started this last summer. I didn't "BackScan", but scanned only new documents. It has been a life saver to manage the paperwork and find documents that you didn't know you needed until you need it. I use a receipt scanner, and scan in B&W only. The scanner is quick and the files are small. I also find that I can avoid scanning by just downloading my statements in PDF format (CC and Checking, etc.) from the banks web site. I keep them organized in directories and everything is easy to find and my desk is clutter free. (Documents come out of the scanner and into the shredder.) I burn the docs onto DVD and place them into my safety deposit box for off site backup. My biggest concern is security though if someone were to hack my PC, all kinds of info out there.

@oneandone: If you can go a little farther, Nashville, Tenn. is one of my favorite cities.

6 vacation spots was silly. Maybe useful for people who always had their heart set on a specific place in South America or Iceland, and now would definitely be a time to go for that. But for people who have a sum of money and want to max out on vacationing, how does London make the list. London? Yes, it's cheaper than usual, but that doesn't mean it's cheap - and you can stretch your dollar a lot farther than in the most expensive city in the world! (In some rankings ([www.citymayors.com]) London is the most expensive city in the world. In others, it's below Moscow, Oslo, Tokyo, or a few others. But it seems to consistently be in the top 5). Just because it's on sale doesn't mean it's a good deal! /planning a vacation in W.Virginia. THAT's where you go when you're on a budget.

@kjherron: I only scan important documents like insurance papers, car papers, medical bills, etc. There's not so much up-front work once you get through the initial piles and start doing it on a monthly basis.