See also: More Ways to Save on Travel.

Be sure to enter the comment on the YouTube page for a chance to win a $50 gift card. Travel safe and stay cheap.

But if you don’t already own a bicycle, you may experience some sticker shock if you go shopping for a new one. At the same time, I’m always amazed at the number of good quality bicycles that I see at thrift stores and yard sales, most priced at about $50 or less. Of course you may need to put a little additional money into some repairs, but if you get a used bicycle that’s mechanically sound, then you’ll usually still come out way ahead compared to buying a new bike.

See also: Try a bike tour on your next vacation.
If you’re not an experienced cyclist/mechanic, here are some things to keep in mind when shopping for a used bicycle that’s truly a good value:

Check the frame carefully: A sturdy, intact frame is the most important thing to look for when buying a used bike. Look for any signs that the frame (including the front forks) is bent, cracked, broken, rusty, or has been in an accident; patches for flaking paint can be a sign that it’s been in a collision. If the frame is bent or otherwise damaged, it probably can’t be repaired and will lead to further problems down the road … assuming it even gets you down the road.

Keep it simple: Consider buying the simplest bike that will meet your needs. Having 15 or 20 gears or “speeds” really isn’t necessary for most cyclists. It’s just more stuff that can break and cause problems. A 10-speed — or even an old fashioned single speed or 3-speed — is still fine for most casual cyclists. I’ve ridden nearly 100,000 miles during my lifetime, and never had a bike with more than 10 speeds.

Don’t be deflated by flat tires: Flat tires and dry rot of tires/tubes is common with bicycles that haven’t been used for a while, so they often need to be replaced. The good news is, new tires and tubes are usually pretty cheap and easy to install.

Spin the wheels:  Other than a damaged frame, the next most important thing to look out for when buying a used bike are damaged wheels. This is easy to evaluate before buying a used bike. Just spin the wheels: if they wobble significantly when you spin them or if they’re so bent that they won’t spin at all without hitting the frame, then you have a problem. Diagnosing how serious the problem is — and how costly it will be to repair — is more difficult, so it’s probably best to stay away from used bikes that have wheels that are seriously out of balance (aka “true”).

A little oil goes a long ways: Most used bikes are desperately in need of proper lubrication (think Tin Man in  The Wizard of Oz) and some adjustments to the gears cables, and brakes, but that’s not typically complicated or costly. Obviously if there are parts missing, that’s another story.

Finding a mechanic: Once you’ve found a trustworthy used bike, if it needs repairs look for a small, mom-and-pop-type bike shop that specializes more in repairs rather than in new bike sales. Some nonprofit organizations also offer repairs services and classes, as do some “free markets/stores”. And consider joining a local bike club; many offer repair classes, and there’s always lots of “self-appointed mechanics” in the group who thrive on fixing other people’s problems. You can also find a lot of good, free, do-it-yourself repair instructions on the Internet (just Google the brand name of your bike and the problem you’re having).

Happy biking. Ride on and Stay Cheap!

Photo by joeldinda via flickr.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), in 2012 on any day, more than 1.4 million Americans live in 15,800 nursing homes; more than 3 million have used nursing home services some time during the year.

You may not be able to control an explosion, earthquake, hurricane, power outage, terrorist attack or other catastrophic natural or human-created events. But, you can make sure you know what will happen to your parent or someone else dear to you should there be one.

Some past disaster plans have been . . . a disaster. In 2005, 70 nursing home residents lost their lives when Hurricane Katrina and Rita barreled through New Orleans and the Gulf Coast area. The federal government’s General Accountability Office (GAO), the independent investigative arm of the U.S. Congress, studied why there were so many lives lost and has brought awareness for the need for more stringent policies.

Related: A Caregiver’s Hurricane Prep List

In 2006, Louisiana passed a law requiring its nursing homes to have a more detailed evacuation plan. It calls for updating their evacuation and disaster preparedness plan once a year and having state officials sign off on their transportation plans.

Last fall, Superstorm Sandy also posed evacuation difficulties in the New York City area. Because of these continuing disasters, the federal government’s CMS, which helps improve nursing home care, expects to  issue new disaster planning requirements some time this year.

In some circumstances, residents cannot be evacuated immediately and are ordered to stay where they are (“shelter in place”). There must be plans for this as well.

In the meantime, here are nine questions to ask nursing home administrators:

1. What is your evacuation plan and does it comply with government standards? Who decides to activate that plan? When was the plan last updated? Do first responders know what the plan says?
2. What’s the transportation plan in an emergency? How will you get residents out (special equipment?) if the elevators aren’t working?
3. How often does staff review these plans? When was the facility’s last drill? Do you have them at different times of the day when there are different shifts?
4. If residents are transported via buses, ambulances or vans, will there be enough to meet their needs? Is there a written document, like a memorandum of understanding or a contract with these transportation providers?
5. Is there a backup plan if they can’t handle the demand?
6. Where will residents be taken (other nursing homes, hospitals or to family?) and are these places going to be able to accommodate them?
7. Do they have a way to transmit medical records along with residents and, if so, how are they going to do it?
8. How and when will you tell a family member where their loved one has been moved? In other words, what’s your communications plan?
9. If residents need to stay in place for a couple of days, what kind of supplies do you have (food, water, oxygen, medicine and flashlights) and for how many days? Does the place have a generator? Have they thought about an emergency supply kit geared to each resident?

New York State also has a sheet to better understand evacuation plans.

Photo by peretzpup courtesy of Creative Commons

Follow Sally Abrahms at www.sallyabrahms.com or on twitter.

Also of Interest

• Nursing Home Near Texas Blast: ‘Everything Went Flying Everywhere’
• Anne Samaan: Inspirational Caregiver Blazes the Trail
• Join AARP: Savings, resources and news for your well-being

See the AARP home page for deals, savings tips, trivia and more

The good news is that there are all kinds of specially designated days and weeks throughout the year that celebrate specific aspects of our environment and reinforce the need to cherish and protect it.  And the even better news is, as I’ve discussed here before, whenever you conserve resources and do something good for Mother Earth, it’s usually good for your bank account as well.

Here are some other Earth-friendly dates to mark on your calendar in addition to Earth Day:

• National Park Week (4/20-28): That’s right, this week is also National Park Week, with special programs being offered at many of America’s 400+ National Parks and FREE admission to all National Parks Monday-Friday, April 22-26.

• National Arbor Day (4/26): A 141-year old celebration to encourage folks to plant and care for trees. The Arbor Day Foundation’s website is leafy with tree tips and other resources. Plus, did you know that a single mature tree can increase your home’s value by $600 or even more?   

• Bike to Work Day (5/17): May is National Bike Month (as in “bicycle”) and the whole work week of May 13-17 is National Bike to Work Week, but if your legs are only up to a one-day commute, show your solidarity with fellow cyclists on Friday, May 17.

• National Garden Week (6/2-8): What better way than gardening to commune with nature, to say nothing of beautifying your home and maybe raising some of your own food in the process? National Garden Clubs Inc. has lots of special events and how-to seminars planned for the week.

• National Farmer’s Market Week (8/4-10): A celebration of the more than 7,500 farmer’s markets across the country, where you can score the freshest locally grown produce and some great deals, particularly if you’re buying in bulk for canning or freezing.

• National Wildlife Day (9/4): A day to appreciate and help to protect all of the other animals here on planet Earth.

• National Rideshare Week (10/6-10): This is the week to try a different type of commuting – and save some money – by carpooling, taking public transportation, or other alternative forms of transportation. Some public transportation systems offer discounted or even free service during the week.

• National Reuse Day (10/20):  Finally, a day dedicated to creative repurposers like me! This is the day to think outside the box, and in fact invent new ways to reuse that box and other stuff you might otherwise throw away.

• America Recycles Day (11/15):  A day to encourage and educate the public about the importance and best practices of recycling, with thousands of local events sponsored across the country. 

• National Buy Nothing Day (11/29):  Celebrated every year on the Friday after Thanksgiving (aka “Black Friday”), this day encourages folks to do anything other than shop, shop, shop.

• National Cut Your Energy Costs Day (1/10):  Now there’s a holiday every cheapskate loves! And the U.S. Department of Energy has tips for cutting your energy costs every other day of the year as well.

• Last but not least, when it comes to truly experiencing the great outdoors and all things au naturel, May 14 is World Naked Gardening Day (seriously— just Google it, if you dare to go bare).   If you celebrate this day, though, I suggest you steer clear of the rose bushes.

# # #

Photo by: Getty Images

Also of Interest

• Your Average Yearly Cost to Own a Car: $9,122
• Is Green Beauty All Hype?
• Join AARP: Savings, resources and news for your well-being

See the AARP home page for deals, savings tips, trivia and more

In the Nitrate Vault (photo by Bill Newcott)

I recently ventured into the hollowed-out Virginia mountain where the Library of Congress keeps copies of every movie, TV show, and sound recording that’s submitted for copyright. Officially, it’s called the the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center.

I call it Heaven.

Here are stored, in specially built vaults, the highly explosive nitrate prints of films made prior to the 1950s…historic videotapes, including the first-ever color broadcast…vinyl and shellac discs dating back to the days of Edison… and in a lead-lined vault that once housed America’s emergency money supply, prints of every single movie you can name from the past 100 years.

And yes, there really is a special room where custom-made robots do nothing but watch old TV shows, 24 hours a day.

Come along with me on this remarkable journey through time, led by the most dedicated bunch of movie/TV/music enthusiasts you’ve ever met.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Also of Interest

• ‘The Twist’ and ‘Sounds of Silence’ to Be Preserved by Library of Congress
• Annette Funicello: From Mouseketeer to Teen Idol
• Join AARP: Savings, resources and news for your well-being

See the AARP home page for deals, savings tips, trivia and more

See also: Take our gas savings quiz!

But just as certain as the fact that summer’s heat will eventually arrive in full force is the fact that, over time, gas prices will only continue to increase. You don’t have an economist — or even a cheapskate — to figure out that petroleum is finite resource. As supplies dwindle and demand increases, prices are only going to go up, up, up over the long run. That’s why investing in things that reduce your energy consumption or rely on renewable sources of energy is a smart cheapskate move.

This week’s episode of my YouTube series The Cheap Life is filled with tips for reducing your pain at the gas pump, just in time for the summer driving season. Check it out and be sure to leave me your gas savings tips for a chance to win a $50 gift card! That should buy you half a tank or so.

And speaking of spending less on gas, remember that next month is National Bike Month (as in bicycle).  This is a great time of year to break out that bicycle that’s been hibernating in your garage all winter, or pick up an inexpensive set of two wheels at a yard sale or thrift store.  As we cyclists like to say, “Burn fat, not oil.”

Photo credit: raindog via Flickr. 

Maybe it’s the sound of my tires on the road or the constantly changing scenescapes across my the windshield that make it such an exhilarating experience — or maybe it’s the smell of mountain air or the jump in my stomach when going over steep country roads — whatever it is, it’s almost intoxicating.

However, there is one thing that always seems to ruin those pristine moments of a road trip.

LITTER.

It might be a pile of trash in a ditch or a single plastic bag flapping on a tree branch, it makes me sad and a little frustrated that there is so much litter scattered everywhere. And it’s not just in the urban city centers where this eyesore exists, it is everywhere!

Fortunately, it’s not something that has to be a problem.

First, look for ways to incorporate a voluntary litter pickup plan into your everyday life.
For me, when I walk my dog, I always carry two bags. One, for what my dog leaves behind, and an extra bag for trash I find along the way. Also, I set aside one day where you commit to picking up at least three pieces of litter. It’s the small things that add up in the long run.

Second, volunteer to be a part of a group clean up project.
When I lived in south central Pennsylvania, I always loved seeing the group of senior rangers from Codorus State Park doing their morning litter pickups. They always looked like they were having a blast with each other, all while doing a huge favor to the community who enjoyed this park and its many trails. Try getting a couple of friends together, then pick a park or neighborhood, and start picking.

The idiom, “many hands make light work” truly applies to keeping our neighborhoods, cities  and world looking better.

How do you keep your world picked up? I’d love to hear about either your “personal litter pick up plan” or your “clean up group project” in the comments below.

Also, if you’re interested in joining forces with other people who want to make their world better, start your search at AARP’s newly redesigned Create the Good. 

Picture by: fauxto_digit, Flickr

Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell in In Bruges (Photo: Focus Features)

You know how the Disney parks have rides that let you re-live great moments from movies like The Little Mermaid and Snow White? And how at Universal you can “ride” Jurassic Park and the Harry Potter films?

Well, if one of your favorite films is the cult classic In Bruges—and it’s one of mine, for sure—then a visit to the Belgian city of Bruges is a lot like hopping on an In Bruges theme park ride.

For the uninitiated, In Bruges is a pitch-dark 2008 comedy about two hit men named Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) hiding out in the ancient city while awaiting orders from their unhinged boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes). In the course of the film, Ray and Ken walk the streets of Bruges, drink in the bars of Bruges, jump out windows in Bruges, and generally cover just about every street of Bruges, which is a rather compact Medieval town.

So you can sit in front of the clock tower, where Ray called a fat American family “a bunch of elephants”:

And you can look across the canal at the double-gabled hotel where Ray and Ken stayed:

And you can admire the city’s “Lake of Love,” where Harry first arrived in town:

And you can visit the church where Ken wanted to touch the vial of Holy Blood:

Just strolling through the streets of Bruges (pronounced “Brooge”) will have you quietly reciting memorable lines from Martin McDonagh’s Oscar-nominated script:

Jimmy (Jordan Prentice): She ain’t my girlfriend. She’s a prostitute I just picked up.

Ken: I was not aware that there were any prostitutes in Bruges.

Jimmy: You just have to look in the right places. (pause) Brothels are good.

____________________

Ray: Maybe that’s what Hell is, the entire rest of eternity spent in (expletive) Bruges.

____________________

Harry: You realize there are no bowling alleys in Bruges…What are they going to have? A medieval (expletive) bowling alley?

Come to think if of it, an awful lot of lines from In Bruges—most of which we can’t reprint here—are rather unflattering toward the town. By the time the movie’s over, you might think it’s not such a nice place. But you’d be wrong. The day I was in Bruges the sky was darkly overcast, there was a sloppy rain-and-snow mix falling, and the wind was whipping like an Alaskan typhoon. But all of that only added to the town’s grayish, Medieval tonalities, like a Ruisdael painting come to life.

A short walk along shadowy Steenstraat leads you past one irresistible chocolate shop after another, their windows  jammed with candies molded into any shape you can imagine (plus some you’d have to be pretty twisted to dream up). The street empties you out onto the vast Grote Markt, dominated by the town’s landmark bell tower. Duck through a narrow alleyway or two and you’ll emerge onto another square dominated by the Basilica of the Holy Blood, behind which hides perhaps the most charming chocolate shop in the city, The Chocolate Crown.

Down some wooden stairs from the shop, you can board a small open boat and tour the town’s canals. Of course, on the day I was there punishing snow squalls slashed at the faces of everyone who braved those boats. As for me, I sat overlooking the canal, safely behind the glass of a pub called ‘t Klein Venetie, cradling a hot chocolate in my hands and chuckling softly.

A recurring line in In Bruges goes something like this: “Where the hell is Bruges?” The place is quite out of the way, and that’s probably why relatively few tourists find it, particularly Americans. There’s no major airport, and driving across Europe is not something most of us do. I would never have found Bruges myself had it not been on the itinerary of a river cruise—probably the best way for the less-than-seasoned traveler to experience off-the-beaten-track Europe.

Viking River Cruises will take you to Bruges, as will Avalon River Cruises and Grand Circle Travel. I got to Bruges on a Vantage World Travel ship. The line recently launched some new boats, which have made Vantage the only line on European rivers with one-person cabins that don’t require you to pay a single supplement.

Ken and Ray would probably have enjoyed going to Bruges on a river cruise. But they would most likely have stayed in the same cabin. And they would probably have been there to whack the captain.

(Photos: Bill Newcott)

Here, drawn from the interactive and film fests, are five lessons I took away from the circus in Austin:

Diana Nyad led a walk in Austin to promote the premiere of ‘The Other Shore,’ a film about her quest to swim from Cuba to Florida.

1. Never give up
63-year-old Diana Nyad is planning her next attempt to swim from Cuba to Florida after four earlier failed attempts, three of them since she turned 60. The documentary The Other Shore explores her motives and fierce determination.

2. The Internet of Things is here
Three-dimensional printing may seem like a solution in search of a problem, but what if you could “print” a prosthetic hand or a replacement for part of your skull? Well, you can. Just ask the founder of Makerbot, Bre Pettis.

3. Doing what you love keeps you young
Arhoolie Records founder Chris Strachwitz helped rescue and document the sounds of America from Blues to Zydeco to Conjunto. His record label recently celebrated its 50th anniversary and he’s going strong at 81. You’ll have to watch the film about him to find out why it’s called This Ain’t No Mouse Music.

4. History is anything that happened yesterday and helps us understand today
Watch for these two documentaries that present the roots of our digital culture in unexpected ways. Was the music file-sharing service Napster a cover for theft, or the precursor of dozens of apps and services we welcome today? The makers of Downloaded consider both sides. Did VHS make possible our time-shifting, watch-anywhere culture? The creators of Rewind This say it did.

5. Shakespeare never grows old
In 2011, filmmaker Joss Whedon (The Avengers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) gathered a group of friends at his California home to create a modern-dress Much Ado About Nothing. The result, filmed in about two weeks, is the funniest, truest and most engaging Shakespeare film in memory. Coming soon to a theater near you after its U.S. premiere at SXSW.

More from Austin: Comedian Sarah Silverman, when told that a writer from AARP was interested in the launch of Jash, her new YouTube comedy channel, looked stricken. “Why is AARP following me?” she asked plaintively. “I’m only 42.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten (AP) — Passengers from the cruise ship Carnival Dream headed to the airport Thursday instead of sailing home after an on-board generator problem halted their trip in the latest maintenance headache for the world’s largest cruise line.

Carnival Dream in 2009

The Dream was in St. Maarten on the final stop of a Caribbean cruise when the crew announced it would not be sailing home to Port Canaveral, Florida, because of a mechanical issue with a diesel generator, passengers said.

Carnival Cruise Lines said the Dream had a “technical issue” with its backup emergency diesel generator that was discovered during a test Wednesday. A company statement said that the ship did not lose power but that there were periodic interruptions to elevators and restrooms.

Carnival said all systems were functioning normally Thursday but the company decided to get the passengers home by air.

Passengers strolling about the Dutch Caribbean town of Philipsburg told The Associated Press that the power and water were out for 10-20 minutes, contradicting media reports of longer outages and unsanitary conditions.

“We have toilets. We have water. It’s no different than a regular day at sea,” Tasha Larson, 31, from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, said after disembarking with her boyfriend to spend the day in St. Maarten.

An engine fire last month crippled another Carnival ship, the Carnival Triumph, leaving 4,200 people stranded for five days without working toilets or power.

Passengers Mary and Terry Washington of Tampa, Florida, said they were grateful because the malfunction gave them an additional day to spend in St. Maarten. “The plumbing is fine. The food is fine. Everything is fine,” Mary Washington said.

Another passenger, Tammie Knapper of Hedgesville, West Virginia, said she also preferred another day in St. Maarten to the risk that the ship could encounter problems as sea. “It’s better that we are here than in the middle of the ocean,” she said.

St. Maarten offered to assist with police escorts for moving passengers to the airport.

“We would not want them to encounter any delay, discomfort or setback,” said Deputy Prime Minister William Marlin, who visited the ship Thursday.

The Dream was on a seven-day cruise of the Caribbean with 3,646 passengers. The ship’s March 16 voyage from Port Canaveral has been canceled.

 

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

Photo: Kuloskulos via Wikipedia