Save on Home Expenses

En español | View for less. Netflix streams movies to your home for $8 a month. See free TV shows at Hulu.com, TVClassicShows.com and TVLand.com. Or pick up a film at Redbox kiosks for $1. Network websites also offer some free viewing.

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Repurpose pantyhose. Use the legs to scrub dishes, shine shoes, train shrubs or store onions, flower bulbs and paintbrushes. The seat can protect squash and melons from garden critters or be stretched over a wire hanger to make a pond or pool skimmer.

Soft touch. Cut dryer sheets into two. Each half has enough active ingredient for a large load of laundry.

Hang up. Ditch your cell plan if you use the phone only for emergencies. You can call 911 from any working cellphone, even if you don't have a service plan or assigned number. A mobile phone costs as little as $10. Check out freebies at American Cell Phone Drive.

Penny-wise superfoods. What foods give you the most vitamins and minerals for the least money? In descending order, the best vegetables are cabbage, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens and carrots. Top fruits are watermelon, plums, oranges, apples and strawberries.

Start saving money by cutting your costs right at home. — Photo by: Corbis

Free music online. Internet radio stations such as nuTsie, StereoMood and Jango offer music to fit your taste and mood. Radio Tuna searches for online stations currently streaming the artist or genre you've requested.

Try homesteading. To boost their populations, some rural communities in Minnesota, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa provide free land to build a home, often with tax incentives. Do a Web search for "free land" or contact the Center for Rural Affairs for details.

Next: How recycled junk mail can save you money.