Believe it or not it's not too early to start thinking about back to school for the Fall. At least not for teachers since they can grab a cool $25 freebie for their trouble. Staples is starting a program in which teachers supply a list of the supplies their students will need and parents can buy them as one bundle instead of hunting out each item. Teachers can refer their school for the program and if the schools signs up the teacher and the school each get a free $25 gift card.

Check the Staples site for more details.

What do you think of this program? Is there anything unethical about bribing the teachers and schools to essentially "lock in" to a particular supply store and encourage parents to shop there? Please weigh in with your comments.

You know that I love freebies, but did you know one of my favorite types of freebies is free software? I will be increasing my coverage of free software on this site and I decided to kick the new project off with a look at the different types of free software. Did you know there are more than six distinct categories of free software?

Check out the article and see if you don't learn something new about free software. Please post a comment and tell us if you have found any really fantastic free software that you think the rest of us should experience.

Have you ever felt you were throwing away more food than you were eating? The main reason I don't buy more fresh produce is the fear that it will go bad before it gets eaten. What if you could keep your produce days or even months longer? Avoiding wasted food would be like getting free food.

Erin, our Frugal Living Guide has a nice list of produce with instructions for the best type of storage for each type. Pay attention if you think everything should be stored in the refrigerator. I was surprised that some of the things I refrigerate should be kept out and some that I keep out should be refrigerated. Do you know how to best store bananas -- how about apples -- or potatoes? Read all about how to keep foods fresh longer and avoid the waste.

Do you have your own tips for avoiding wasted food? Let us know by posting a comment.

It seems to be common sense that if something is free you shouldn't be paying for it. However, many people end up being tricked into thinking they are getting a free credit report, but instead end up paying money they didn't need to pay. The culprits are marketers who create TV commercials and other ads that imply their paid services are associated with the government free credit report program.

The FTC is fighting fire with fire and they have created their own videos that tell the truth about getting your free credit report. Find out more including the one and only place to get your official free credit report that you are entitled to by United States law.

Have you seen the TV commercials the FTC is spoofing? Do you think they are misleading? Let us know by posting a comment.