I admit, even though I hold the line on spending and avoid purchasing things that I see on those "as seen on TV" commericals, every once in awhile I see a product that looks like it might actually SAVE me some money. Case in point: Debbie Meyer Green Bags.

If you haven't seen the commercial, Debbie Meyer (whoever she is) shows off an assortment of green-tinted baggies that she says have been treated with a "special mineral" (whatever that is) which will help you save fresh produce much longer than you can in a regular food storage bag. Since my family purchases a lot of fresh produce, but we only do our grocery shopping once every 2 weeks, we do wind up throwing out some of the produce because of spoilage. When my wife spotted the green bags in one of those "As Seen on TV" stores at the mall, we decided to give them a try.

She purchased the Debbie Meyer Green Bags for about $9.99 and was eager to try them at home. She put all of our produce in the bags...fresh broccoli, bananas, green beans and lettuce. I have to admit, I was skeptical that any of the produce would last longer than the few days to a week that it usually takes to spoil unless we eat it right away.

After some time had passed, my wife pulled the broccoli out of the refrigerator and made a stir-fry. The broccoli was just as fresh and crunchy as the day we bought it at the grocery store. "How long have we had that broccoli?" I asked. I didn't remember purchasing any for awhile.

The answer? Three weeks.

Needless to say, I was pretty impressed. Broccoli usually starts to get a bit brown in the refrigerator after about a week. Using the Debbie Meyer Green Bags, we were able to triple the storage time. Other produce did last longer, but not quite that long. The bananas were still good after a couple of weeks, and the green beans were still crunchy after a couple of weeks, too. I noticed the lettuce also stayed fresh longer than usual. If you don't have a lot of freezer space for your fresh produce, or you have produce that doesn't freeze well, Debbie Meyer Green Bags are a good option.

The bags can be rinsed and reused, and are good for about 10 uses before they have to be replaced. However, when you take into account the amount of money saved by avoiding spoiled produce, they are well worth the cost.

So, do Debbie Meyer Green Bags work? Yes, they do.

Note: this product review is the opinion of Savvy Frugality and was not solicited by Debbie Meyer Green Bags in any way. I still don't know who Debbie Meyer is, but I love her green bags!

The knock at my door earlier this week interrupted my lunch hour and caused my dogs to start barking. I opened the door to see who it could be this time of the day. It was a guy holding a clip board, wearing an exterminator uniform. "Oh great," I thought. "Just what I need...a salesman."

Turns out, it was exactly what I needed. Each year, fleas take over our backyard, sending my two dogs and my cat, Charlie, into scratching fits. The exterminator explained that he was hitting as many homes on my street as possible. Construction at a nearby housing addition was sending mice, rats, and all manner of vermin into the neighborhood, including ants and spiders (not to mention the fleas would be a problem soon). I had recently seen a rat near my garbage cans.

Normally, I turn door-to-door salesmen away, even though I work in sales myself. I figured if I need someone's service, I'll seek them out myself. But, the salesman went on to explain that since the company was doing so many other homes in the neighborhood, we could essentially get a "group discount". (Note: be careful. Scam artists actually use similar lines to explain how they are giving you a ridiculously "too good to be true" deal. Check out the company you are doing business with). The regular price was $165 every two months, for repeat treatments. His company was knocking the price down to $65 every two months. During the summer months, I easily spend $32 a month on my animal's flea treatments and lawn chemicals, but now I could afford to have the professionals do it. I called my wife, leaving the salesman waiting at the front door, and asked her what she thought. After all, it's her father's house. We just live in it.

"Do it," she said. She had already priced comparable services and they were more than $200 every two months. Our savings: at least $135 every two months. I took the salesman up on his offer.

Today, as promised, the exterminator truck rolled up to our house and did the complete treatment...the lawn, around the outside of the home, and inside the home, too. If we need them to come back for any reason before the next treatment, it's free.

We all hear the horror stories about door-to-door salesman who are pitching everything from driveway paving to roofing services. In this case, I double-checked to make sure the exterminator was a local business, and that I could locate the company if I had any problems. They gave me a service order with their address and phone number, and I did not pay them until the next day when they showed up to service my lawn and home. I did see them doing other homes in the neighborhood before mine as well. The company is a franchise, and also a member of the Better Business Bureau.

Some door-to-door sales are definitely scams, but other times, they can work out in your favor. Just make sure you are dealing with a reputable company, one that is local, get references whenever you can, and don't pay for anything until you either receive the merchandise or receive the service you are paying for. If everything checks out, that next knock on your door could bring big savings.

'Tis the Season for holiday shopping, lots of eating (which I'm guilty of) and giving to those who are not as fortunate as we are. This is the time of year when a lot of people start thinking of charitable giving, whether it's to a Salvation Army bell ringer with a red kettle, or by donating food to a local food bank. Some people do it because it make them feel good (which I'm also guilty of) and others do it because tax time is just a few months away and those donations are tax deductible. Whatever the reason, it is always a good thing to give something back to the community and help those who really need it.

Several years ago, my family and I were in dire straits. I had been unemployed for six months, and my wife's salary was barely putting food on the table. There were some days that we didn't know where we were going to get our next meal. Of course, back then we were not living a frugal lifestyle, so we lived beyond our means and made things even worse. A few weeks before Christmas, we not only didn't know how we were going to eat, but we also didn't know how we were going to get a few meager gifts for our son. Generous family members who were aware of our situation sent some large checks to us in the mail, and we were able to have a nice Christmas after all. But, something still bothered me. There were plenty of people in our town who were in a situation just like ours.

I went grocery shopping, and packed all of the bags and boxes into the back of the car. I then drove to the nearest food bank, which was run by a Catholic priest who had done some fantastic work for the down and out in our area. He happened to be there as I was dropping off the bags of food. "Why are you doing this?" he asked. "I almost didn't have a Christmas this year," I said, with tears welling up in my eyes. I couldn't believe I was crying over donating food. "I wanted to make sure somebody else was able to have a nice holiday, too." He thanked me for my donation and invited me to come and eat Christmas dinner at the food bank. I declined, but did volunteer to help deliver food to shut-ins on Christmas Day. Even if you can't donate money, you can still donate your time.

Since then, I have contributed to other causes I feel do some great work: Feed the Children, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and Best Friends...which helped rescue pets in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. These were organizations that I either researched or visited personally. In the case of Feed the Children, I have been to their headquarters and met the president and founder of the organization, and watched the trucks of food rolling away from the loading dock.

Not everybody can research their charity of choice that thoroughly, of course. So how do you know your charity dollars are going to good use? It's sad to say, but there are some charities whose sole function is to raise money to pay their own salaries, and very little of it goes to the people they say they are trying to help. Other so-called charities are just blatant rip-offs, aimed at separating you from your cash. In the worst cases, people posing as charities try to get your credit card info and other personal information for purposes of identity theft.

Fortunately, there are web sites like Charity Navigator, which evaluate and grade charities to help people make an informed decision before they donate. Out of my preferred list of charities, Feed The Children and JDRF get four out of four stars. Best Friends gets three stars. Charity Navigator is great because it not only tells you how much money the charity has collected, but how much it actually uses for charitable purposes.

The Better Business Bureau runs another web site where you can check the finances of the charity you plan to donate to. It's called Give.org, and it's part of the Better Business Bureau's "Wise Giving Alliance". This database goes a step further, by noting the salaries of the people who run the charities, along with more detailed financial reports and a list of any complaints about the charities filed with the BBB over the past 36 months.

GuideStar is another service which provides background information on some 1.7 million IRS-recognized charitable organizations. It requires users to register before they use the service, but registration is free.

If background checks on charitable organizations doesn't seem very, well...Christmas-like to you, then there are other giving alternatives.

- Donate money, toys and clothing to the local branch of the Salvation Army, or donate your time by ringing a bell at one of their red kettles. The Salvation Army does great work, and raises the majority of its funds during this time of the year.

- Donate to your local food banks. Many of us take a regular hot meal for granted, but there are hungry people right in your own backyard.

- Tithe to your church. If you have a church, give to it on a regular basis. Many churches run their own faith-based charities and not only do great work in the community, but mission service to impoverished countries overseas as well.

There are some good charities out there doing great work and making the best use of your donations. With a little homework, you can ensure your donations are truly going to a good cause. It really is better to give than receive.