The truth is with a little careful research online, you can find out just about anything about anyone these days. In fact this is one reason that some people (about 6%) decide not be Internet users at all.

Still, there are times when it is critical to find out information about your neighbors. 

6 Reasons You Might Want To Know More About Your Neighbors:

1. The possibility that a neighbor may be a convicted sex offender.

2. Your neighbors always seem to know what is going on in your house and have no problem discussing it with you, even though you never told them anything.

3. The possibility your neighbor may be a convicted drug dealer who is dealing drugs again.

4. Your neighbors seem to keep an abnormal number of dogs, and you've heard what you think are dog fights going on.

5. You are suspicious that your neighbors are using your wireless connection to spy on your home, or the contents of your computer.

6. Your child tells you about some disturbing behavior (doesn't have to be sexual) on the part of your neighbor and you are concerned the safety of all children in the neighborhood.

These are just a few reasons that you might want to find out who your neighbors are.

Good news!... There are a number of online services that help to find out further information about your neighbors -- legally.

Everyone these days is offering fun reusable shopping bags for sale. So what makes one reusable bag different from the next?

For starters:

Colors

Shapes

Sizes

Compactability

Durability

Flat-bottomed
 

In the end, it all comes down to personal choice. For example, the most important features to me are a larger than normal size that also compacts small (or at least perfectly flat). Bonus points if it can stand open on its own, thanks to a flat bottom -- similar to a paper sack. My new favorite is the Walmart reusable shopping bag.
 

GOOD NEWS!  Walmart is hosting a 1Million Reusable Bag Giveaway. That's right, on Saturday, April 19, 2008 Walmart will be giving away one million custom-made reusable shopping bags -- beginning at 8AM Local Time and while supplies last.

 
For the record, in addition to large reusable bags like these, I also like to have a couple of reusable shopping bags that pack up really small -- so they're easy to carry with you. (The larger ones -- like the Walmart bag -- I keep in the car.)

Here are some fun reusable shopping bags and places to find them...

...and how people are going to utilize the old "junk" you decide to give away (for FREE) on Freecycle.

Well, Martha Stewart has made my day!

Not only did she and her staff recommend Kiehl's for their generous free sampling program (in the March 2007 issue of Real Simple), but they also recommend Sephora for similar reasons.

Sephora stores offer generous samples from the more than 150 cosmetics lines they carry. Just ask and a salesperson will hand you a packaged sample or fill jars with requested products for free."

Sounds good to me!

I read this in Real Simple magazine (March 2007):

Kiehl's hands out samples of every product it sells -- approximately 10 million giveaways a year."

Woah! I did not know that.

Check out this global design challenge...

The mission: "to create a cost-effective, collapsible piece of furniture and ship it to New York inside a large FedEx box within 90 days of receipt of the project brief."

BUDGET: could not exceed $200.
EACH DESIGN: must support the weight of a person up to 200 lbs.
CONCISE INSTRUCTIONS: must accompany the design in order to assemble it for exhibition.

More interesting DIY furniture...

What if, at the end of the day, you're left with most of the items that you started with?...

One of the best things you can do at your yard sale is to give away some items for free. And don't be shy about making a big deal of it!

I always offer free stuff at each of my garage sales.

This year, the biggest hit was:

I actually like to have an entire section of free stuff. Because, when it comes right down to it, you know that everything you have is not going to sell. So why not try to guess which of your items are LEAST likely to sell & just offer those for free right from the beginning.

Honestly, people are usually so shocked to see something for free, that they simply don't believe it. And it's only those who are TRULY interested in the item who will actually ask about it. So, it's a win-win... you only get the serious inquiries, and you both feel good about giving & receiving something for nothing!

When it comes to having a successful yard sale, you should always have a rain plan.

Otherwise, if it rains, you've gone to a lot of work for nothing!

Here's some good advice if you're contemplating having a garage sale, and you want to be prepared in case it rains...

I've been spending the past couple of days repotting some trees & plants. (...At times, Tenor thinks he's helping when he's not. But that's a whole 'nother story.)

You see, we've been trying to find a few nice trees to cultivate until we move into our new log home -- where there are currently no trees around the homesite itself, even though there is a forest of trees between the backyard and the lake

I share the highlights of my experiences below.

But first...

Sign up to receive 2 free tree seedlings! (Limited to the first 10,000 requests between now and May 31, 2007.)

UPDATE 8/6/07: It took 3 full months, but I finally received word that I was one of 35,000 people across the U.S. and Canada who will receive 2 live seedling trees as part of the Doubletree Pledge to Plant Challenge. They wrote:

As a result of your efforts and those of others who participated in this unique re-greening campaign, more than 150,000 trees will be planted by people just like you as well as through reforestation efforts by the National Arbor Day Foundation."

Do you fear spiders?

Have you read about the Brown Recluse scare?

What about the graphic pictures of a Brown Recluse spider bite... have you seen 'em?

Now you can get a FREE poster to help you identify spiders in your area.

Kids, ages 7 to 12 can get a free Lemonade Stand (plus lots of fun "extras"!) to sell lemonade in their own neighborhood!

But you've got to act quickly...

Only 10,000 FREE lemonade stands are being distributed on a first come, first served basis.

...and word is, they started giving them out on the First Day of Summer (June 21st), and they're over half gone already!

OMG!... For those of us who like to stay organized -- and who don't already lug around a personal organizer (PDA, Franklin Planner, etc.) -- this nifty little piece of low-tech gadgetry will knock your socks off.

It's called PocketMod.

The PocketMod is a FREE disposable personal organizer that's filled with templates you can use to print out and make your own lists and schedules.

But wait... it's much more than that!

NOTE: The following links to FREE offers were all active at the time of this posting. However, special offers usually expire quickly.

For that reason, I would encourage you to act today if you wish to take advantage of any of the following FREE offers.

Show me the FREE stuff...

Kim Komando has shed some light on a little-known secret in the world of plants & flowers.

She writes:

"Have you wondered what happens to the plants nurseries don't sell? I was surprised to learn that they're destroyed. What a waste! Well, Free Trees and Plants "rescues" unsold plants. Then they're offered to you for free -- you only pay postage and handling."

...How cool is that?!?

Never has the saying "one man's trash is another man's treasure" been so evident before as it is today -- in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

I had actually been meaning to write about this for awhile, but now it rings true on a whole DIFFERENT level...

Kids' Toys Kicked To The Curb
When I see children's used toys piled up at the curb on garbage day, I can't help but wonder if there isn't SOME little boy or girl who wouldn't find SOME value in a used (maybe even broken) new plaything.

I know, I know... who wants broken toys? Or worse yet, what if a child got hurt using something that was defective?

True.

But what if they're just dirty from lack of attention?

Well, we did our good deed for the day and gave our trusty old weight bench to someone who will hopefully use it more than we did.

We got some nice feedback from the new owners over on the Freecycle site:

"Thanks soooo much to the couple that gave us the weight bench. It is wonderful and in GREAT condition. We want to express our deepest appreciation. God Bless!"
-Laura and John

Freecycle is the site we used to find a new owner for our weight bench.

Freecycle is a grassroots project where people are giving (and receiving) stuff for FREE in their own towns.

It's like a mini-eBay, only it's categorized by regions, so you "join" the group that's in the same city or county as you. (That way, it's easy to GIVE or GET items to one another.)