Someone who wants me to claim my free cruise has been leaving messages on my land line several times a week for months. Or maybe I've won multiple cruises and have a selection to choose from. I'm also way behind in claiming my last chance to get an extended warranty, before the current warranty expires, for my new car. Which is a 1996 Elantra station wagon with a rusty trailer hitch and a clutch that's on its last legs.

They all want me to call them back to claim my prize.

And, last weekend, I answered the phone and was told I'd entered a draw at a recent trade show. Apparently I'd won a "cruise for two" from them, too. That rang a bit of a bell, as I had filled out a draw ballot at the International Motorcycle Supershow in Toronto last month. Except, that draw was for a honking big SUV parked in front of the entrance to the women's washroom. Which would have been much better at hauling my motorcycle to track days than my four-cylinder Elantra with the failing clutch.

Still. They said the cruise was leaving from West Palm Beach, and my son lives in Jupiter about half an hour from there. I could drop by for a visit! So I asked: "What's the catch?"

"Oh, no catch!" the woman on the other end of the line replied with great cheer. "It's a $400 value! All you have to do is get to port at West Palm Beach. And pay the port taxes. The cruise is free!"

"Um, what port taxes?" I asked. The terminally cheerful person on the other end of the line explained that you have to pay taxes at all the ports where the ship stops, and she'd be happy to take my credit card number so I could pay them now.

Right. That's the catch.

"A perfect stranger calls me on the phone and wants me to give them my credit card number?" I asked, incredulously.

"Yes! Then you and a friend can start packing for your cruise!" she said, with great enthusiasm. I felt like asking her if she was going to come help me pack.

If there's a single board game that stands out as the quintessential family favourite, it has to be Monopoly. But did you ever stop and wonder which city it was actually based on? Believe it or not, Atlantic City, New Jersey is the town immortalized in street names like Pacific Avenue, Baltic and Boardwalk. Watch our video to get the lowdown on the original Monopoly Town.

With two kids under five, going away for March Break just isn't an option for me this year. Judging by the number of people in my grocery store this morning, I'm in good company. If you're a fellow "staycationer" looking for ways to keep the kids busy on the cheap, check out some of the fun activities happening at these retail stores.

1. IKEA stores across Ontario are holding "IKEA Camp" all week. From 10 am to 2 pm every day, you and your kids can enjoy storytime, scavenger hunts, puppet shows, magicians, jugglers, and more. You can even get a free kids' meal with the purchase of an adult meal of $3 or more. Half a day's worth of activities, plus lunch, for $3? IKEA is really pulling out all the stops on this one.

2. Michaels craft stores often host free family craft activities in exchange for a small purchase. This week, your kids can make their own T-shirt at any Michaels store. You get free fashion paint and instruction with the purchase of a $3.50 T-shirt. Many Ontario stores are also holding Easter egg clinics this week. Buy a $7.00 egg to decorate in-store (instruction and decorating supplies are free), and take it home with you. It's not free, but I love when my kids learn something new while having fun, so it's worth $7.00 to me.

Mommies-to-be can get stylish for Spring for less with a free $50 "Style Card" from chain store Thyme Maternity. All you have to do is spend $100 (before tax) between March 11 and April 3.

Then, redeem the Style Card between May 2 and May 17 when you spend another $100 (also before tax).

To summarize, you'll be spending $200 in total, but you'll get a bonus $50 of spending power.

And why not? Sure you've got a bun in the oven . . . but that doesn't mean the oven can't be the latest model.

Many of us are familiar with traditional forms of charity that involve donating money to a worthy cause, getting a receipt and then claiming a tax deduction the following year. This sort of generosity is to be admired, but it's not the only way we can use our savings to help others.

Over the past few years a great new method of providing others with financial aid has gained prominence: Micro-finance. The term at first can sound a little scary, like something you sleep through in the back row of an economics lecture, but it's actually quite a fun way to give, get involved and then get your money back. That's right - you get your money back.

Put simply, micro-finance is your chance to play the "little bank" to those around the world that need a small loan but do not qualify to borrow from the big banks. So how does it work?

The Bachelorette's Jillian Harris can't be called a bachelorette anymore. She's engaged to her TV suitor, Ed Swiderski, and as if to properly train her new groom in the rigors of televised matrimony, she recently brought him to the prime-time wedding of the Bachelor who originally jilted her, Jason Mesnick, as he married his first choice (or, er, second choice), Molly Maleney.
If ABC was a theatrical repertory company, Harris would qualify for a leading player, having already done two dating series. This Sunday, she steps into yet another role. Few people know she's also an interior designer and she will bring her expertise -- in design, not dating -- to ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Harris called WalletPop from the Chicago home she shares with Swiderski for a sneak preview of the experience she had designing a bedroom for a home with a chronically-ill child. Charity aside, it turns out that Harris is a thrifty gal. First of all, her gift to Jason and Molly wasn't something like china or flatware. It was a $120 laundry basket from Crate & Barrel. "People are going to call me cheap, but it was not a cheap present!" says Harris. But it was undeniably economical. And although she knows it won't endear her to executives at ABC, she tells Jason Cochran that she'd rather have a date by a campfire than the lavish ones that were staged by network producers. She also claims to want an intimate wedding of her own -- although she charmingly backs off that assertion when asked if that means she won't allow ABC cameras at her own nuptials.

We've all gotten enough chain e-mails to know the drill. Prosperity and good luck await if you forward this to 10 friends, but be prepared for doom and gloom if you break the chain. If you're like me, you take a minute to scan the e-mail, roll your eyes, and delete it. Even if you consider these e-mails a nuisance, you probably think they're harmless, right? Well, not really.

Security experts say that these e-mails are a common scam that can lead to identity theft. Many chain e-mails are created by scam artists trying to collect personal information. By passing chain e-mails on to your closest friends, you've given the scammers a host of new e-mail addresses. And that's when the real trouble can start.

Have I mentioned that we're on the verge of buying our first house? To be honest, we've been "on the verge" for almost three months. We've put in two offers so far. The first fell through. That seller, it seems, is VERY proud of her 14-year-old above-ground pool and believes it to be a key selling feature of her house. (Remind me to talk a little about depreciating assets sometime, will you?)

Anyway, because she spent so much money to install this liability back in 1994, she won't take a penny less than her asking price – and wouldn't even sign papers when we put in a lower bid. (!) Needless to say, the thing is still vacant and still on the market three months later.

We've put in another offer since then. At the moment, we wait. Apparently the seller this time has a way whacked out work schedule. I've been there. We can be patient. Hopefully by the time you read this we'll have a home to live in!

If you're also on the verge of taking the plunge for the first time, let me share a few things I've learned about the house-buying process.

When Dollarama decided to start selling stuff priced up to $2 last year, people complained that it wasn't a true dollar store anymore. But, let's face facts; inflation happens and I think the folks at Dollarama were smart not to stubbornly resist that reality.

Things that had disappeared from shelves, like dish drainers, began to reappear priced at $1.25. Dishpans that were getting a little floppy from the use of thinner plastics, are a bit more pricey now, but sturdier. That's a good thing. And yeah, some things, like tea lights that used to come in a package of 20 for a buck, now cost the same for a package of 16. That's the way of the economic world, wherever you shop.

The two buck price point means that Dollarama can now offer a greater variety of merchandise and it's quality stuff, too. I, for one, love the decorative items like the glass vases. And just look at the variety of full-sized brand name health and beauty items turning up on store shelves.

Dove Deep Moisture Beauty Body Wash, 354 ml costs $4.72 at Wal-Mart. I got mine for $2.

You can go online and order 50g Oxy Daily Moisturizer with SPF 15 for $14.69 but it's out of stock at this writing. I got the exact same thing for two bucks at Dollarama.