So far I have learned this....
It tends to ALL come out in the wash. Period. Plain and simple. So far I have seen that Walmart has some things that are cheaper than Kroger, and some things more expensive. Same thing at Kroger--some were higher than Walmart, some were less.
Kroger still has my vote, though! The .10 cents I save on gas has already made it a LITTLE better, but not a lot.
now it's time to embark on the last 2 months... here goes NOTHING!
Monday, March 25, 2013
Friday, March 15, 2013
Taking advantage of what you already have!
I realize that these will be different for EVERY PERSON. But think about benefits that you already have.
1. health insurance. Could you save money by switching to your spouses plan or by getting on separate plans? Look for savings here.
2. Car insurance. Is there ANYTHING you can drop? Do you really need the rental insurance?
3. Does your company offer gym memberships for free or cheap? You could ditch your current one and go cheaper!
4. Does your company offer discounts on cell phones and packages? I have had that happen before. You may check into that.
5. Does your company pay mileage? Find out! This could be HUGE!
6. Should you shop around for a lower interest rate on credit cards, home loans, car loans? On the car loan thing... I didn't know it was possible to re-finance a vehicle... but it IS! Check into it! You may have gotten a loan several years ago and now your credit would warrant a much lower rate. Happened to me just YESTERDAY!
7. Do you have old gift cards sitting around with small balances? Check that out! You would be surprised how many times a card has several dollars left!
8. Has your bank started offering new things? Maybe free checks, free bill pay--it would be worth checking into!
Look around you... what benefits could you find on your OWN!? Maybe even things you already have at your disposal and didn't know about it!
Happy saving!
1. health insurance. Could you save money by switching to your spouses plan or by getting on separate plans? Look for savings here.
2. Car insurance. Is there ANYTHING you can drop? Do you really need the rental insurance?
3. Does your company offer gym memberships for free or cheap? You could ditch your current one and go cheaper!
4. Does your company offer discounts on cell phones and packages? I have had that happen before. You may check into that.
5. Does your company pay mileage? Find out! This could be HUGE!
6. Should you shop around for a lower interest rate on credit cards, home loans, car loans? On the car loan thing... I didn't know it was possible to re-finance a vehicle... but it IS! Check into it! You may have gotten a loan several years ago and now your credit would warrant a much lower rate. Happened to me just YESTERDAY!
7. Do you have old gift cards sitting around with small balances? Check that out! You would be surprised how many times a card has several dollars left!
8. Has your bank started offering new things? Maybe free checks, free bill pay--it would be worth checking into!
Look around you... what benefits could you find on your OWN!? Maybe even things you already have at your disposal and didn't know about it!
Happy saving!
Name 3 things
Name THREE things that you can do without for 60 days and GO FOR IT!
Gym membership, bottled water, going out to eat, that EXTRA SUPER DUPER cable package, unlimited texting, the extra trips across town... whatever it may be... Name 3 things and go for it!
FOR ME:
1. Eating out. We rarely eat out anyway but when we do we tend to go cheap. We drink water, we try to share plates or eat early to get the "early bird" discount. Or we clip coupons and take with us. BUT, for 60 days we are saying NO to eating out.
2. The afternoon munchies! Well, I can't do without getting the munchies but I CAN say NO to running and grabbing a Sonic drink or a bag of chips. all it will take me is getting up 3 extra minutes to prepare for my afternoon snack.
3. Tanning lotion. Sounds silly but the one I like is $75 dollars. I know, I know... RIDICULOUS! BUT, I tan for free because of my job. And I can pick any bed so I pick the bed that would cost me nearly $100 dollars a month. So already I feel like I am saving money but I can say NO to tanning lotion. :) even though I love it...
I'll see you back here in 60 days to talk about the savings!
Gym membership, bottled water, going out to eat, that EXTRA SUPER DUPER cable package, unlimited texting, the extra trips across town... whatever it may be... Name 3 things and go for it!
FOR ME:
1. Eating out. We rarely eat out anyway but when we do we tend to go cheap. We drink water, we try to share plates or eat early to get the "early bird" discount. Or we clip coupons and take with us. BUT, for 60 days we are saying NO to eating out.
2. The afternoon munchies! Well, I can't do without getting the munchies but I CAN say NO to running and grabbing a Sonic drink or a bag of chips. all it will take me is getting up 3 extra minutes to prepare for my afternoon snack.
3. Tanning lotion. Sounds silly but the one I like is $75 dollars. I know, I know... RIDICULOUS! BUT, I tan for free because of my job. And I can pick any bed so I pick the bed that would cost me nearly $100 dollars a month. So already I feel like I am saving money but I can say NO to tanning lotion. :) even though I love it...
I'll see you back here in 60 days to talk about the savings!
Monday, March 11, 2013
All the good stuff cycles back around
High top shoes need to NOT come back around. Those were horrific enough the first time.
And what about those tie dyed t-shirts? I think those can keep right on walking...
But let's face it... the good stuff ALWAYS cycles back around.
As I kid I used to watch Teenage Mutan Ninja Turtles. ("Here's in a half shell--TURTLE POWER!) I loved this show. I was very much a girly-girl, but this show was my one exception! Not too many years ago, my daughter was asking about the stuff that I liked to do as a kid. I told her about the TMNT. She thought it sounded cool. I sung her the song and I even showed her a few of the action figures that I STILL have. Raphael was my favorite. He had the red thing around his eyes. And I knew Ava would think that was cool because RED is her favorite color. :)
Lo and behold--its BACK! Like I said... all the good stuff cycles back around. TMNT is BACK on tv. But, it's like "new fangled" as my mom would call it. Now they have different names. Like Michaelangelo is now Mikey. Donatello is Donnie. And so on and so forth. So it's kinda the same, but probably cooler to this generation of kids.
Visit this site to watch videos, order some TMNT stuff for your collection, and have fun just hanging out with OTHER fans of the coolest cartoon to every come on tv.
TURTLE POWER!
And what about those tie dyed t-shirts? I think those can keep right on walking...
But let's face it... the good stuff ALWAYS cycles back around.
As I kid I used to watch Teenage Mutan Ninja Turtles. ("Here's in a half shell--TURTLE POWER!) I loved this show. I was very much a girly-girl, but this show was my one exception! Not too many years ago, my daughter was asking about the stuff that I liked to do as a kid. I told her about the TMNT. She thought it sounded cool. I sung her the song and I even showed her a few of the action figures that I STILL have. Raphael was my favorite. He had the red thing around his eyes. And I knew Ava would think that was cool because RED is her favorite color. :)
Lo and behold--its BACK! Like I said... all the good stuff cycles back around. TMNT is BACK on tv. But, it's like "new fangled" as my mom would call it. Now they have different names. Like Michaelangelo is now Mikey. Donatello is Donnie. And so on and so forth. So it's kinda the same, but probably cooler to this generation of kids.
Visit this site to watch videos, order some TMNT stuff for your collection, and have fun just hanging out with OTHER fans of the coolest cartoon to every come on tv.
TURTLE POWER!
Friday, March 8, 2013
Debt relief in Canada
I actually DO have several readers, and friends, from Canada. So I hope that you find this post helpful.
Clegal.ca is a wonderful, informative site about recieving debt relief in Canada. Sheila Cockburn is a wonderful attorney that can bring forth some great insight into debt control, management, and relief.
This law office offers free information and different options to fit YOUR needs. This is not a "one size fits all" plan... this is a customized to YOUR needs Debt Settlement Plan. If your debt is a problem for you, or you are having problems meeting your monthly financial requirements, give the Law Office of Cockburn and Associates a call today!
On their user friendly website, you can view recent settlements, comments, and options that fit your financial needs!
you can call TOLL FREE at 1-866-551-8349. Or visit clegal.ca today to look for the answers to help with your financial problem!
Clegal.ca is a wonderful, informative site about recieving debt relief in Canada. Sheila Cockburn is a wonderful attorney that can bring forth some great insight into debt control, management, and relief.
This law office offers free information and different options to fit YOUR needs. This is not a "one size fits all" plan... this is a customized to YOUR needs Debt Settlement Plan. If your debt is a problem for you, or you are having problems meeting your monthly financial requirements, give the Law Office of Cockburn and Associates a call today!
On their user friendly website, you can view recent settlements, comments, and options that fit your financial needs!
you can call TOLL FREE at 1-866-551-8349. Or visit clegal.ca today to look for the answers to help with your financial problem!
Saving on gifts
One way we save a LOT of money (I estimate that this saves us around $400 a year) is to buy gifts in bulk! STOCK UP!
I know during any given year there will be about 10 friends that I will want to buy a gift for, there will be 1-4 teachers that I feel like I need to give something to for either Christmas or a special holiday, family members, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, and last but not LEAST ... CHRISTMAS! I know as of January 1st what to expect "gift wise" for the year.
So... here is what I do. I don't go HUNTING for the bargains, but if I FIND ONE, I grab my envelope marked "GIFTS" and I stock up.
Bath and Body works is a GREAT place to do this. And not just for friends, family and teachers, but also for your childs gifts to hand out at parties. Those cute little hand sanitizers in the neat holders are a WONDERFUL gift. Assuming they are not on sale, the sanitizer itself runs around $3.50. The cute little holders are between $4-8 dollars. BUT when you catch them on sale you can do what I did! Which was buy 5 sanitizers and 5 holders. That is so helpful for those MANY birthday parties my daughter gets invited to. I spent $18.00 on ALL of those. They were on sale PLUS I had a $10 off coupon if I spent over $25. What a DEAL! And now when those invitations come in I don't think "GREAT, another birthday party to buy something for..." I let Ava pick out which one she wants to give her friend. I let her pick them out which made her feel special to get to select gifts for her friends!
Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Kirklands--all great places to pick up super inexpensive picture frames and candles. When they run sales, BUY THEM! I'm not saying go CRAZY or anything, but buy up some for teachers, co-workers, etc, so that when you DO have an occasion where you need to have a gift handy you don't have the task of going shopping and spending more than you should.
AND LET'S FACE IT... when we shop for someone else we tend to pick up one for them and ONE FOR US! By shopping like this it's easier to not get caught in that trap of buying one for ourself!
This is just yet another way to stock up and SAVE MONEY!
Share yours with me at cararoxanne02@aol.com!
I know during any given year there will be about 10 friends that I will want to buy a gift for, there will be 1-4 teachers that I feel like I need to give something to for either Christmas or a special holiday, family members, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, and last but not LEAST ... CHRISTMAS! I know as of January 1st what to expect "gift wise" for the year.
So... here is what I do. I don't go HUNTING for the bargains, but if I FIND ONE, I grab my envelope marked "GIFTS" and I stock up.
Bath and Body works is a GREAT place to do this. And not just for friends, family and teachers, but also for your childs gifts to hand out at parties. Those cute little hand sanitizers in the neat holders are a WONDERFUL gift. Assuming they are not on sale, the sanitizer itself runs around $3.50. The cute little holders are between $4-8 dollars. BUT when you catch them on sale you can do what I did! Which was buy 5 sanitizers and 5 holders. That is so helpful for those MANY birthday parties my daughter gets invited to. I spent $18.00 on ALL of those. They were on sale PLUS I had a $10 off coupon if I spent over $25. What a DEAL! And now when those invitations come in I don't think "GREAT, another birthday party to buy something for..." I let Ava pick out which one she wants to give her friend. I let her pick them out which made her feel special to get to select gifts for her friends!
Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Kirklands--all great places to pick up super inexpensive picture frames and candles. When they run sales, BUY THEM! I'm not saying go CRAZY or anything, but buy up some for teachers, co-workers, etc, so that when you DO have an occasion where you need to have a gift handy you don't have the task of going shopping and spending more than you should.
AND LET'S FACE IT... when we shop for someone else we tend to pick up one for them and ONE FOR US! By shopping like this it's easier to not get caught in that trap of buying one for ourself!
This is just yet another way to stock up and SAVE MONEY!
Share yours with me at cararoxanne02@aol.com!
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Everyone has "2 cents", don't they?
As I mentioned in a previous post, I am ALL about Pinterest. I love it! Not only does it keep me up to date on the latest fashions, but there are fun DIY crafting projects and money saving ideas.
When I searched for "budget, saving money, finances, frugality" I ran across several different PINS that were quite helpful. One thing I have learned while spending the last three years of my life really trying hard to save, plan for my financial future, get out of debt, etc... is that EVERYONE has their "2 Cents". I find myself getting super excited when I see a PIN titled "500 ways to save money!" I feel like its Christmas morning! :) then I open it and begin reading and I feel let down... 500 ways to save money and only 3 apply to me. BOO!!
In my blog I try to be very SPECIFIC. I get so tired of hearing that I can save money by only going to Starbucks 3 times a week instead of 7. If you are doing that then you OBVIOUSLY are not trying to save money! (Not trying to be harsh, just being real)
Let's go over some very basic ways to save money. They may not ALL apply to you are looking for post that says "ways to lower your 3.5 million dollar mortgage" you have come to the WRONG place.
1. Downgrade your cable. Notice I didn't say CANCEL your cable. Some bloggers and financial advisers will tell you to do that. I just can't tell you to do that. I can't do it myself. If you are in a place in your life where you are cutting back on EVERYTHING to save money, then taking away your cable is like taking away your entertainment. Just because you want to save money doesn't mean you should sit in a dark house and stare at each other. Awkard. Just downgrade it. Look at the package options. There HAS to be one that's lower that will still give you enjoyable channels.
2. Downgrade your cell package. Do you need unlimited? Or are you texting me than you are on the phone? If so, try to lower your minutes. Are you paying for features that you do NOT use? Then get rid of them.
3. GROCERY BILL. Ugh. Sigh. Barf. I get SO tired of trying to find ways to shave money at the grocery store. For the first time in a LONG time my husband went with me to the store Friday night. He nearly fainted when we checked out. Keep in mind, I only go to the store ONCE a month. So yes, it is more than the person that goes every week or even bi-weekly. when we got home and were putting things up I said "I HATE spending so much money at the grocery store!" So we started looking at everything we bought. We really HAD done well with what we spent and the quality/quantity of food we had. It's hard to save at the Grocery store without being a crazy couponer. And even then--is it necessary? Do you need 37 cans of green beans? If you do and you can get them cheap then YOU GO GIRL! But if you don't, then what was the point? I guess my advice would be this... coupon when you CAN and when it makes sense. AND WHEN ITS A BETTER DEAL THAN THE OFFBRAND! It took forever at the store the other night and my poor hubs was bored to tears--BUT, I had a good amount of coupons to compare with the regular store brands/current specials. I don't want to spend 20 cents more than I have to. ADVICE: go to the store when you have AMPLE time and when you have JUST eaten. If you try to do it quick you are more likely to buy things that you don't really need. Look up specials and match them with coupons. ALSO, if you plan a month ahead it's easier to know what you will need in the coming weeks. So if it's on sale, STOCK UP!
4. FREEZE. Along the same lines as saving on grocery bill... FREEZE THINGS. EX: 1 month ago at Kroger strawberries were 3.89. YIKES. Friday night they were $1.49. Buy them when they are cheap, take them home and clean them, shave off anything like a steam, seeds, etc, (Depending on the fruit or vegetable) and then freeze it. I eat a LOT of salads. And I HAVE TO HAVE carrots on them. I love carrots. But when I buy a bag of carrots (usually around 2.39-2.99) I can never eat them all before it's time to throw them out. Not anymore! I came home from the store and kept out enough for me to use for that week and froze the rest. Saving where I can.
5. MAKE WHAT YOU CAN. I have a fabulous recipe for homemade detergent. If you want it, email me. (cararoxanne02@aol.com) It's pretty lengthy to put on here but I would love to share it. For a year supply of detergent (based on a fam of 4) it costs around 10 dollars to make. MAKE YOUR OWN COOKING SPRAY. (1 part oil-either olive, canola, etc-, 5 parts water) use a spray bottle. Shake it and TA-DA. There ya go. It's better for the environment, it's better for ingesting, and it's better for the pocket book.
6. PLAN. Not crazy planning, but plan. Plan meals ahead of time. Plan for birthdays. Plan for those things that come up ocassionally. We have a propane tank that fuels are heat for our home. It's EXPENSIVE to fill because it's all at once, there is no monthly bill where you are taking small bites at a time. No, we eat the WHOLE rhino at once. And it's pricey. So I keep up with it. I put money away in an envelope so that it doesn't feel like we are hit with a huge bill. PLAN AHEAD.
this is by no means a brilliant or brand-new idea list, but there are practical ways to save money.
Can you add to this list?
When I searched for "budget, saving money, finances, frugality" I ran across several different PINS that were quite helpful. One thing I have learned while spending the last three years of my life really trying hard to save, plan for my financial future, get out of debt, etc... is that EVERYONE has their "2 Cents". I find myself getting super excited when I see a PIN titled "500 ways to save money!" I feel like its Christmas morning! :) then I open it and begin reading and I feel let down... 500 ways to save money and only 3 apply to me. BOO!!
In my blog I try to be very SPECIFIC. I get so tired of hearing that I can save money by only going to Starbucks 3 times a week instead of 7. If you are doing that then you OBVIOUSLY are not trying to save money! (Not trying to be harsh, just being real)
Let's go over some very basic ways to save money. They may not ALL apply to you are looking for post that says "ways to lower your 3.5 million dollar mortgage" you have come to the WRONG place.
1. Downgrade your cable. Notice I didn't say CANCEL your cable. Some bloggers and financial advisers will tell you to do that. I just can't tell you to do that. I can't do it myself. If you are in a place in your life where you are cutting back on EVERYTHING to save money, then taking away your cable is like taking away your entertainment. Just because you want to save money doesn't mean you should sit in a dark house and stare at each other. Awkard. Just downgrade it. Look at the package options. There HAS to be one that's lower that will still give you enjoyable channels.
2. Downgrade your cell package. Do you need unlimited? Or are you texting me than you are on the phone? If so, try to lower your minutes. Are you paying for features that you do NOT use? Then get rid of them.
3. GROCERY BILL. Ugh. Sigh. Barf. I get SO tired of trying to find ways to shave money at the grocery store. For the first time in a LONG time my husband went with me to the store Friday night. He nearly fainted when we checked out. Keep in mind, I only go to the store ONCE a month. So yes, it is more than the person that goes every week or even bi-weekly. when we got home and were putting things up I said "I HATE spending so much money at the grocery store!" So we started looking at everything we bought. We really HAD done well with what we spent and the quality/quantity of food we had. It's hard to save at the Grocery store without being a crazy couponer. And even then--is it necessary? Do you need 37 cans of green beans? If you do and you can get them cheap then YOU GO GIRL! But if you don't, then what was the point? I guess my advice would be this... coupon when you CAN and when it makes sense. AND WHEN ITS A BETTER DEAL THAN THE OFFBRAND! It took forever at the store the other night and my poor hubs was bored to tears--BUT, I had a good amount of coupons to compare with the regular store brands/current specials. I don't want to spend 20 cents more than I have to. ADVICE: go to the store when you have AMPLE time and when you have JUST eaten. If you try to do it quick you are more likely to buy things that you don't really need. Look up specials and match them with coupons. ALSO, if you plan a month ahead it's easier to know what you will need in the coming weeks. So if it's on sale, STOCK UP!
4. FREEZE. Along the same lines as saving on grocery bill... FREEZE THINGS. EX: 1 month ago at Kroger strawberries were 3.89. YIKES. Friday night they were $1.49. Buy them when they are cheap, take them home and clean them, shave off anything like a steam, seeds, etc, (Depending on the fruit or vegetable) and then freeze it. I eat a LOT of salads. And I HAVE TO HAVE carrots on them. I love carrots. But when I buy a bag of carrots (usually around 2.39-2.99) I can never eat them all before it's time to throw them out. Not anymore! I came home from the store and kept out enough for me to use for that week and froze the rest. Saving where I can.
5. MAKE WHAT YOU CAN. I have a fabulous recipe for homemade detergent. If you want it, email me. (cararoxanne02@aol.com) It's pretty lengthy to put on here but I would love to share it. For a year supply of detergent (based on a fam of 4) it costs around 10 dollars to make. MAKE YOUR OWN COOKING SPRAY. (1 part oil-either olive, canola, etc-, 5 parts water) use a spray bottle. Shake it and TA-DA. There ya go. It's better for the environment, it's better for ingesting, and it's better for the pocket book.
6. PLAN. Not crazy planning, but plan. Plan meals ahead of time. Plan for birthdays. Plan for those things that come up ocassionally. We have a propane tank that fuels are heat for our home. It's EXPENSIVE to fill because it's all at once, there is no monthly bill where you are taking small bites at a time. No, we eat the WHOLE rhino at once. And it's pricey. So I keep up with it. I put money away in an envelope so that it doesn't feel like we are hit with a huge bill. PLAN AHEAD.
this is by no means a brilliant or brand-new idea list, but there are practical ways to save money.
Can you add to this list?
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