Services

If you hate feeding quarters into those darn parking meters (and/or having to keep checking your smartphone for when your meter expires), remember that metered parking in Denver is FREE every Sunday and on city holidays.

Parking meter holidays include the following: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Cesar Chavez Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. For more information and tips on surviving metered parking, check out Park Smart Denver.

While many of us sit on our recyclable items, like a squirrel hoarding a winter nut stash, until we find a neighborhood or community recycling event, there is a year-round affordable alternative. Check out SustainAbility, a one-stop recycle site. [Read more…] about Need To Get Rid of Hard-To-Recycle Items? SustainAbility Can Help

Fill your tank without emptying your wallet. Gas Buddy helps drivers find the cheapest fuel prices across the U.S. The service has a nifty feature allowing MHOTC to bring you (in real-time!) the current Top 10 lowest gasoline prices in the Denver metro area. Prices are updated throughout the day. You can review the list by clicking here (or by clicking on the Cheap Gas tab at the top of our homepage.) If you’re on the road often, the page is definitely worth bookmarking.

The Denver Post recently reported that the Colorado legislature may scrap this program. So if you have any leftover paint, consider recycling it now. Coloradans love to recycle anything and everything, but disposing of leftover paint is a hassle. To the rescue: PaintCare, a FREE paint recycling program with more than 150 drop-off sites across Colorado, more than 50 in the Front Range alone. Drop-off sites are mostly paint and hardware stores. [Read more…] about Recycle Leftover Paint For Free Year-Round

With our busy lives, it’s easy to lose track of the small things. A rebate check, that bank account you opened to get a free toaster or maybe a security deposit? According to the Colorado State Treasurer’s office, more than $600 million in cash and property has gone unclaimed by 3 million people. The good news is money or property turned over to the State Treasury for safekeeping always belongs to the owner or heir of the account and there are no time limits for filing your claim. Are you on the list? [Read more…] about Does Colorado Owe You Money? Get It Now.

Xcel Energy is willing to pay you $50 for any second refrigerator you might own. C’mon you know the one that seemed like a good idea at the time and now just takes up valuable garage or basement space (plus costs you $100 or more in higher electric bills). Xcel will recycle your fridge for FREE. They’ll even pick up the beast at no charge and give you $50.

The refrigerator must be a second unit at your home, work, and get cold enough to make ice. It must be at least 10 to 30 cubic feet and have been in the house for at least two months. As an added bonus, Xcel Energy will throw in two CFL light bulbs for you to use wherever you want. For more info call 1-866-552-8755.

Recent measles scares and this nasty strain of flu enveloping the country had me thinking about the importance of up-to-date immunizations, and not just flu shots. There are no-cost and low-cost ways to get children (infants to 18 years) and adults immunized for everything including measles, mumps, polio and Hepatitis A & B. Even if you miss the monthly events, you can still visit walk-in clinics.

Typically immunizations start at about $25 per shot, but you can also pay what you can afford. Most clinics serve uninsured, Medicaid, Medicare and CHP+ patients. Private insurance may also be accepted, so be sure to ask. And no child is turned away for inability to pay. It’s very important that you bring your own and/or your child’s immunization record every time. Here are few of the local clinics we found: [Read more…] about Where To Get Free or Low-Cost Immunizations in Denver

In today’s digital age, we keep track of what readers click on every day. Otherwise, we would never know what’s a hit with readers and what completely misses the mark. (News Flash! The term “FREE” seems to play a significant role in the popularity of a post.) In 2017, we posted thousands of deals, promos, giveaways, round-ups and family-friendly events.

Right now, there are lots of Top 10 lists of most-read articles or most-viewed photos, so we thought we’d jump on the bandwagon just for fun. (Fun Fact: Collectively, our 10 most-viewed posts/pages for 2017 garnered more than 800,000 clicks!) Most of the top posts won’t be a surprise to bargain hunters. (Although, the list did change significantly from 2016.) However, we hope it will be interesting for readers to learn what exactly their frugal friends are clicking on all year long. Drum roll, please! [Read more…] about 10 Most-Viewed Posts on MHOTC in 2017

Everyone can use a helping hand now and again. The Senior Resource Center, a nonprofit which provides services to seniors, offers a Chore Service Program at no charge. It’s available to residents age 60 and older and there are no strings attached – no testing or income requirements. You can get help with chores in any home or apartment, up to three (3) times a year. Services include: organization and clean out of home, packing and unpacking items for moving, deep cleaning of bathrooms, kitchens, etc., first-floor window washing inside and out, cleaning closets, seasonal yard clean up and more. SRC’s service area includes anyone living in Adams, Clear Creek, Denver, Gilpin and Jefferson counties, as well as the city of Broomfield. For more information call 303-235-6952.

If you like dining out, but hate trying to make a reservation, check out OpenTable.com. This is one of our favorite websites. Why? You simply type in the date and time you want to dine, number of people in your party and general location or neighborhood you want to dine in. Presto! The system tells you which restaurants have available tables. Talk about a time saver — and time is money — no waiting on hold or until the restaurant opens. [Read more…] about Use OpenTable, Dine Out For Free

As consumers, it’s not always easy to resolve issues, know what’s a scam or who to turn to for assistance. The government wants to help consumers make informed decisions on many topics, including cars, education, employment, banking, food, health, housing, insurance, travel and more. Its FREE 152-page Consumer Action Handbook is a great resource on consumer purchases, including how to handle problems and send an effective complaint letter. (The current edition was released this year, 2017.)

Plus, the handbook lists contacts at companies, trade associations, government agencies and national consumer organizations. The government has made getting the guide quick and easy. You can download the publication or order it online. (You can order up to 5 phyical copies with FREE shipping.)

When it comes to any consumer issue, knowledge is power.

Getting around Cherry Creek can be tricky, what with all the construction and traffic. But now you can park your car and then let someone else do the driving from store to restaurant to wherever. Eco-Rides USA is a FREE shuttle service that provides door-to-door connections for anyone traveling within the Cherry Creek area (6th Avenue to Cherry Creek Dr. and University Blvd. to Colorado Blvd). Eco-Rides’ mission is to be a free version of Lyft/Uber that provides point-to-point connections for residents, last mile connections for commuters, and luxury rides for visitors. Eco-Rides USA are street legal, luxury golf carts equipped with full doors, windows, heat, air conditioning, security cameras and more bells and whistles!  Eco-Rides operates daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. To hitch a ride, call 720-699-2669 or simply hail one whenever you see it.

Indulge in too many “spirits”? Don’t even think about getting behind the wheel. The Sawaya Law Firm is once again offering FREE cab rides from Saturday, October 28 through Tuesday, October 31. Here’s how it works: [Read more…] about Free Cab Rides Over Halloween