A Filipino-style Breakfast

Filipinos have a bowl of rice with salted duck eggs and sliced tomatoes. It is an acquired taste. But if you can enjoy it, it's an inexpensive and filling treat. The duck eggs have a long shelf life, too.

An Instant Breakfast

If making oatmeal or cutting up fresh fruit doesn't appeal to you, but you want something more lively than ordinary cereal, consider having a bowl of granola with dried fruits and yogurt or milk. You can also add honey if it suits your taste.

More Than One Type of Belt

Belts don't have to be the standard leather kind. If securing your pants isn't an issue, you can lace your jeans with a black silk scarf and use that as a stylish and wispy belt. I love the look of a black top and blue jeans with a black scarf belt or a deep eggplant top with black pants and a purple scarf used as a belt.

Storing Frozen Produce More Efficiently

You can transfer corn or peas into plastic water bottles before storing them in the freezer. They take up less space than the frozen bags they come packed in, an ideal solution for freezer storage efficiency. It's also a great way to re-use your bottles.

Ziploc Baggies

While storing your items in ziplock baggies aren't the most visually-aesthetic, they're inexpensive, versatile, and work well. There are so many different sizes available. You can maneuver them into virtually any space you have available and the translucent color allows you to see what's inside.

Moving Tip: Get the Right Boxes

Use small boxes for heavier items and larger boxes for lighter items. Smaller boxes are sturdier and less likely to break than large boxes heavily weighed down. Large boxes can hold clothes, bedding collections, etc. Books should be in smaller boxes. Before buying new boxes from a moving store, try to get free boxes from nearby stores (Target, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Office Max, Office Depot, Ralph's, VONS'Safeway, etc.) Call the stores and find out when they get new shipments in. Ask if someone can set aside some boxes for you to pick up later. Boxes may be already broken down and will probably be the larger-sized ones. But that's okay because if you're only packing light items, they can afford to be a little worn down. It may still be inevitable. You may need to buy some boxes, but think of how much money you saved from getting free ones.

Moving Tip: Using Towels as Buffers

When you're packing breakable or rough-surfaced items such as dishes and cookware, wrap them in towels to protect them. It's cheaper than buying bubble wrap. Plus if the towels are clean and the dishes and cookware are, which they should be, you can skip the washing process as you unpack them.