Money Saving Tips

I'm Being Cheap Again!

2006-09-02T08:17:00.000-07:00

The school year started last week and already kids are out collecting money for fund raisers. The other day a high school student stopped by selling "coupon cards" that offer discounts at several local businessess. My husband bought one last year and I don't think we used it once-mostly because we forgot we had it (most times we remembered after we had made the purchase and were on our way home)

I told the boy that I didn't have any cash and he should stop by when my husband was home. This was true, however I guess I could have written a check.

I always remember the time a few years back when my husband was just starting out in his business and finances were a lot tighter. Having $10 cash on hand was great and usually meant we could go to the store and buy bread and milk to last us for a few days. Another fund-raising student knocked on my door and I said "Yes, I would buy their product" and went and got my last $10 bill out of my purse. I scolded myself under my breath for not having the courage to just say, "No, I can't afford that right now".

I have five kids who are in school. I try to allow them to only do fund raisers once per year each and they each have to do them at different times of the year. I discourage them from going door to door and try to encourage them to approach close friends and family who I know can afford it.

Broken Dryer - A Blessing In Disguise?

2006-09-01T08:45:00.000-07:00

Well, on Monday the belt on my dryer broke and I have been without a dryer all week. My husband and I talked about going out and buying a brand new one since the one we're using is probably (we're guessing) about 30 years old. We got it for free out of an old rental house that we bought when we were first married. We've actually been through 2 washing machines since then, so I guess the old saying holds true "They don't make 'em like they used to".

When we discovered that the problem was just the belt and it would only cost $20 to fix, we opted for that solution. Maybe if we ever add on to our house and can build a bigger laundry room we'll splurge and buy a new dryer.

I'm probably saving money this week as I have been hanging most of my clothes on the clothes line. I usually only hang my jeans, but realize it's not so bad hanging the other colored items as well. Just don't ask me to hang our underwear! I've been using my MIL's dryer for that.

I ordered a new belt and it should be here by next Tues or Wed. When it comes, I'm going to try to continue hanging all the clothes that I can until it gets too cold.

Free Live Nation Tickets

2006-08-31T08:11:00.000-07:00

I ran across this freebie and thought I'd share it with you:

Hint - Register first or you will get back a note saying they don't have your email address on file* - Lawn tickets by the way

Click Here

If you are a registered member of LiveNation, you can get free lawn tickets to the shows below. No fees!

If you are not a member,you should be able to sign up for free.
Tickets print up on your computer! ~ENJOY~

Saturday, 8/19/06 John Fogerty with Willie Nelson Verizon Wireless Music Center Noblesville, IN
Saturday, 8/19/06 Hootie & The Blowfish with Better Than Ezra Verizon Wireless Music Center - Birmingham Pelham, AL
Sunday, 8/20/06 Hootie & the Blowfish with Better Than Ezra Homegrown Concert Series to benefit Wake County Public School System Alltel Pavilion at Walnut Creek Raleigh, NC
Monday, 8/21/06 Counting Crows, Goo Goo Dolls Starwood Amphitheatre Antioch, TN
Tuesday, 8/22/06 John Fogerty with Willie Nelson UMB Bank Pavilion Maryland Heights, MO
Wednesday, 8/23/06 Counting Crows & The Goo Goo Dolls with Eliot Morris Alltel Pavilion at Walnut Creek Raleigh, NC
Friday, 8/25/06 107.9 The Track Presents: KC & The Sunshine Band with Gloria Gaynor, Tavares, Sister Sledge Verizon Wireless Music Center Noblesville, IN
Friday, 8/25/06 Hippiefest: A Summer Concert For Peace & Love... Blood, Sweat and Tears, Felix Cavalieres Rascals, Rare Earth, Mitch Ryder, Canned Heat, Mountain featuring Leslie West & Corky Laing, Country Joe McDonald, Melanie, Badfinger, Denny Laine. Hosted by Wavy Gravy. New England Dodge Music Center (formerly the Meadows) Hartford, CT
Saturday, 8/26/06 Counting Crows & Goo Goo Dolls Nissan Pavilion Bristow, VA
Saturday, 8/26/06 KC & The Sunshine Band with Gloria Gaynor, Tavares Verizon Wireless Music Center - Birmingham Pelham, AL
Monday, 8/28/06 Counting Crows and Goo Goo Dolls with Eliot Morris Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater Virginia Beach, VA
Tuesday, 8/29/06 Black Eyed Peas with catcat Dolls PNC Bank Arts Center Holmdel, NJ
Tuesday, 8/29/06 Counting Crows & The Goo Goo Dolls with Eliot Morris Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte Charlotte, NC
Thursday, 8/31/06 Counting Crows, Goo Goo Dolls, with Eliot Morris Sound Advice Amphitheatre West Palm Beach, FL
Friday, 9/1/06 Counting Crows, Goo Goo Dolls with Eliot Morris Ford Amphitheatre Tampa, FL
Friday, 9/1/06 Hootie & The Blowfish with Better Than Ezra Post Gazette Pavilion Burgettstown, PA
Sunday, 9/3/06 Chris Brown with Ne-Yo, Lil Wayne, Dem Franchise Boyz, Juelz Santana Alltel Pavilion at Walnut Creek Raleigh, NC Tuesday, 9/5/06 Counting Crows, Goo Goo Dolls Verizon Wireless Music Center - Birmingham Pelham, AL
Friday, 9/8/06 Black Eyed Peas with special guest catcat Dolls Darien Lake Performing Arts Center Darien Center, NY
Friday, 9/8/06 Counting Crows, Goo Goo Dolls Verizon Wireless Amphitheater Selma, TX
Sunday, 9/10/06 Chris Brown with Ne-Yo, Lil Wayne, Dem Franchize Boyz & Juelz Santana Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre Charlotte Charlotte, NC
Friday, 9/15/06 Hootie & the Blowfish with Better Than Ezra Homegrown Concert Series Benefit for Hillsborough County Public Schools Ford Amphitheatre Tampa, FL
Saturday, 9/16/06 Hootie & The Blowfish with Better Than Ezra Sound Advice Amphitheatre West Palm Beach, FL
Sunday, 9/17/06 SANTANA PNC Bank Arts Center Holmdel, NJ
Thursday, 9/21/06 Checkered Flag and VH1 Classic Presents STYX and Foreigner Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater Virginia Beach, VA
Saturday, 9/23/06 Styx, Foreigner with Foghat Ford Amphitheatre Tampa, FL
Sunday, 9/24/06 Styx, Foreigner with Blue Oyster Cult Sound Advice Amphitheatre West Palm Beach, FL
Tuesday, 9/26/06 Santana with Los Lonely Boys, Salvador Santana Band Nissan Pavilion Bristow, VA
Thursday, 9/28/06 Santana with special guests Los Lonely Boys & Salvador Santana Band Sound Advice Amphitheatre West Palm Beach, FL
Friday, 9/29/06 Santana with Los Lonely Boys & Salvador Santana Band Ford Amphitheatre Tampa, FL

Can You Attract Wealth?

2006-08-30T08:25:00.000-07:00

I've been reading a very interesting ebook lately titled "Happy Pocket Full of Money" about being able to attract wealth by changing your attitude and way of thinking. That's the very basics of it, there are so many "deep thoughts" in this book so that's it in a nutshell.

Anyway, I have story to share and I hope I don't come off sounding crazy. Yesterday I was in Wal-mart looking for some composition notebooks for my kids for school. I wasn't finding any in the school supplies, so I went to the office supplies section. I was pushing my youngest daughter in the cart and carrying my wallet in my right hand. As I was looking for the notebooks, I glanced down and saw a journal that caught my eye. In my mind I thought "That's such a cute journal" I dismissed the thought, turned the cart around in the isle, checked the other side of the isle for the notebooks and did not find what I was looking for. I went back to the school supplies one last time to double check.

As I returned to the school supplies I glanced down at my wallet and was not only carrying my wallet, but also the journal that had caught my eye. It was the strangest thing!! Almost like the journal magically appeared in my hand. I don't remember picking it up. My daughter couldn't have picked it up-she was strapped into the cart. How did it get into my hand?

I think this is how we can attract wealth. Obviously, I did pick up the journal. But doing it was so effortless that I have no recollection of doing so and it seemed to just appear in my hands. I'm really starting to believe the stuff this book is saying.

By the way, I didn't buy the journal. I already have one. *Smiles*

Dumpster Diving?!

2006-08-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, I thought I had seen it all. Then I ran across this post on another blog about "Dumpster Diving" EEeeww! You say? Read on.

These people go through dumpsters not because they're needy or poor, but because they actually find some really good stuff that is being thrown away, mostly by businesses.

At Dumster World I read about a guy find this at "Bird Bath and Beyond" (Haven't figured out the reason for the nicknames for the stores yet-maybe just to be fun?)

Hardwood floor vacume
Blanket
King sized sheets
twin sheet set
yankee candle
dish set -only two cups with broken handles
four HUGE pillar candles - will be good for a wedding
King Sized Nautica comforter
Queen sized down mattress cover

What's really cool is he says he has a small apartment so most of the stuff will be given away to his church or friends.

He also found some really cool bistro chairs, turned them into planters and sold them at a farmer's market for $50 which is what you see in the picture above. Isn't that great?! Would love to have one at my house!

The old saying is true: "One man's trash is another man's treasure"

Am I A Cheapskate?!

2006-08-26T11:22:00.000-07:00

Ok, we just wrapped up our school clothes shopping and shopping for school supplies. Here in our school district each student gets a school supply list that has several items that they need to bring with them to class on the first day of school. When you have four kids attending school, that can get quite expensive.

So, this year I decided I was going to be a cheepskate and not buy everything on the list. For example, my youngest daughter attending school had "Hand Sanitizer" and "Box of Tissue" on her list. So, there's at least 20 students bringing a box of tissue. Really, is the 2nd grade class going to go through 20 boxes of tissue? And what about Hand Sanitizer? Can't they just got to the bathroom and use the soap in the bathroom?

I honestly don't think that us as parents should have to fork out the money for this kind of stuff. I can understand the pencils, crayons, colored pencils, erasers, notebooks, etc. can be furnished by us. But some of these lists go to the extreme.

And what infuriates me the most is last night my oldest daughter who is about to start middle school walked in and said, "I guess we didn't need to buy graph paper." and hands me an almost brand new graph paper tablet that my oldest son had brought home from school last year. Did he ever use the tablet? Maybe one or two sheets. Hello!! Why can't the teacher buy one tablet and, when needed, tear out a couple of sheets for each student?

We also found a couple of other items that my kids "had to have" that were nearly brand new and almost never used. This just irks me.

What do you think? Am I being a cheepskate?

Priceline Summer Package Sale: Save up to $300

2006-08-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

I've been browsing the internet for coupons - I've never used them before. I can't believe how many great deals and coupons are offered online! Priceline is offering a summer package deal:

"Book a Flight + Hotel package during our End of Summer Super Sale. You can save up to $200 just by booking your flight and hotel together. And now, for a limited time, you'll get an additional instant rebate up to $100 when you book a vacation package by August 27th. That's up to $300 savings in sun-soaked destinations like Las Vegas, Florida, Hawaii, and Cancun or Big City destinations like New York, Chicago, and San Francisco.* "
Click Here for More Info

I'll post more as I find them!

Stinky Wash

2006-08-10T13:04:00.000-07:00

Today I opened my washing mashing to throw a load of clothes in and out drifted this stinky, musty smell. I've heard that if you throw 1/2 cup vinegar in with your towels once in a while, that will take care of the problem. And wouldn't you know that another solution came straight to my inbox from Mary Hunt's "Everyday Cheapskate" online newsletter. Here's the tip:

To disinfect and deodorize laundry, add household ammonia to the wash cycle. If you use a cup of ammonia per load (doesn't have to be the sudsing type), you can halve the amount of laundry detergent necessary. Ammonia is much cheaper than laundry detergent, so this method has several benefits. It cleans, disinfects and deodorizes laundry and "stretches" your detergent. Unlike bleach, it does not damage the fibers of your clothing or harm colors (although it is always a good idea to check in an inconspicuous place, especially with bright colors). -- Karen M., e-mail

If you've got any other ideas to deodorize laundry please let me know!

Cut Hair- Save Money

2006-05-16T15:30:00.000-07:00

Have you ever thought about how much money you spend yearly on hair cuts? Having five kids, I know that I could spend alot-especially with two boys who like to wear really short hair. They need a hair cut about every six weeks-at least. A long time ago I decided to invest in some hair clippers and start cutting their hair myself. The clippers came with an instructional video so I practiced the techniques on them. I'm sure that their first few hair cuts weren't near what a professional could do and they still aren't, but they've gotten better. My teen ager will even let me cut his hair so techniques must not be too bad. I figure I'm saving about $180 per year for just my boys hair cuts alone.

Save Money When Using Your Washing Machine

2006-05-08T19:03:00.000-07:00

I'm always looking for ways to save money-any way that I can. I found this list on how to save money when you're doing laundry. Here's one tip:
Locate your washing machine as close to the hot water tank as possible. The shorter distance, the less amount of heat loss in the pipes.

Here's another:
Use the proper setting for they type of clothes you're washing. If they are delicate or knits, use that setting if offered rather than the "regular" setting. This will use less energy and the clothes will last longer.

Read the full list here:
http://www.savingadvice.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4686

Everyday Cheapskates - Mary Hunts Advice for Debt Proof Living

2006-05-06T08:57:00.000-07:00

Everyday I get an email from Mary Hunt's Column "Everyday Cheapskates" Mary is creator of Debt Proof Living Newsletter (Formerly known as Cheapskate Monthly). I just love her column! She's got great practical money saving tips and advice everday. You can subscribe to her Debt Proof Living Newsletter Here

I would advise anyone who wants to get their finances in shape to subscribe. Or, if you're already on a budget and living frugal, Mary's got some great tips even for you (thought you were doing everything to pinch a penny?-Thing again!) I look forward to her newsletter everyday, and usually learn something new each time I read it.

Credit Repair Debt Consolidation

2006-04-17T09:36:00.000-07:00

Did you know that debt consolidation can be an important tool in credit repair? You can quickly go from someone in poor standing with several creditors to someone in good standing with one creditor. Read more about Credit Repair Debt Consolidation

Make Money Goals

2006-04-04T15:23:00.000-07:00

When I was a newlywed my husband encouraged me to put $25 per month into a savings account. My first thought was "$25 per month into a savings account? That's not very much!". Every once in a while I would remember to deposit that amount into our savings account, but the amount seemed so insignificant at the time, that I soon forgot to make the monthly deposits.

That was close to fifteen years ago, and if I would have stuck with it we would have about $4500 in our account!!

More important than the amount is the habit. Get into the habit of saving money. If you have to, have it automatically withdrawn every month from your checking account. You will be so relieved to know that you've got a slush fund when your car needs repaired or you need a new water heater.

How many times have you heard it? Pay yourself first! You are the one who worked hard to earn that money-you should be the first one on your list when you pay those bills. And remember, no amount is to small. The pennies do add up!

Make Your Own - Monday

2006-04-03T13:38:00.000-07:00

I love to find recipes that I can use to make household cleaners, moisturizers, bathsalts (and anything else that can be homemade!) with just a few of the items I already have in my closet. I came across a great website that has recipes for homemade items: http://www.pioneerthinking.com

Here's a recipe that the website included for a gentle face mask:
1/2 cup oatmeal or cornmeal
plain yogurt (add enough yogurt to form a paste)
For a gentle facial cleanser mix ingredients, smooth over entire face avoiding eye area. Wash off with warm water.

Oatmeal is highly absorptive, hypoallergenic, and helps to soften skin. Oats have the best amino acid balance of all the cereal grains (amino acids work as water-binding agents in skin care products). Oats have also been clinically shown to help heal dry, itchy skin. Oat grains and straw appear in shampoos, dusting powders, moisturizers, and cleansing bars and more. Source: Oatmeal: Not just for breakfast anymore

Save Money on Groceries

2006-03-30T19:25:00.000-08:00

One of your biggest variable expenses is your monthly grocery bill. In order to keep that bill down, you must shop with a list and avoid pre-packaged foods such as the "Lunchables" and the frozen dinners.

I am what you would call a "Casserole Queen". I have a big family to feed and casseroles are usually quick and easy. Many of them call for a can or two of Cream of Chicken soup. If you use this item often like I do, you know it can be expensive-usually at least $1.00 per can (unless you find a really good sale). Well, I just discovered something last week that I could substitute and it's a fraction of the cost. There are Lipton Cream of Chicken dry soup mixes that come in a box for $1.17. There are 4 packets in a box, each packet equaling about the same as a can of the soup. It's not quite as thick, but it gives the same flavor to all of my casseroles!

Save Money on Your Mortgage

2006-03-29T10:38:00.000-08:00

We always want to save money on our mortgage. I found this tip at savingadvice.com and thought I'd share it:

Consider refinancing your mortgage, especially if your current home loan is over 2 years old. Even reductions of as little as 1/2 of a percent can save you hundreds of dollars a year and thousands over the lifetime of the loan.

Credit Card Money Saving Tip

2006-03-24T10:17:00.000-08:00

Avoid taking cash advances using your credit card. Interest rates are usually much higher for cash advances than on your credit card purchases (which are already high). Furthermore, there is usually no grace period with cash advances meaning the interest starts to accrue immediately.

This tip came from savingadvice.com

More Money Saving Tips

2006-03-22T10:03:00.000-08:00

We all need to save money right? Especially those who are just starting a home business and are on a shoe string budget. I belong to a Search Engine Optimization Training Class and our instructor gathered a bunch of money saving tips from all those in her class. Click Here to read them all.

Money Saving Shopping Tip

2006-03-20T15:18:00.000-08:00

Ok, today's the beginning of something great! If you're a frequent visitor (more than once :o) to my blog, you'll notice that I've changed the template and on the right there you'll notice a "Money Quote" and a great list of freebies that will be changed daily-compliments of savingadvice.com!

Now, here's the best part. I'm going to search the net every business day and add the best money saving tip I can find to this blog! With all of this money saved, you can apply it to the credit card bills and get out of debt.

Here's the first of the daily money saving tips:

To truly reap the benefit of using coupons, have the cashier total your bill before subtracting out your coupons. Write a check for the pre-coupon total. The cash you receive back, or your coupon savings, can then be placed in your saving account. (or applied to your credit card balance)

Financial Analysis

2006-02-15T15:33:00.000-08:00

Well, my husband and I had a "financial analysis" recently. We were pleased to find that our money situation is not as bad as we had once thought. We have debt, but our mortgage is down to where we owe more on our credit cards. We are going to find out if the interest on the home equity loan we got to consolidate our credit card bills is tax deductable. If not, we need to re-finance so that it is.

We're still waiting to hear the news from our accountant on our taxes. I'm crossing my fingers that our estimated tax payments took care of most of it.

It might be time for you to figure out your own debt elimination plan. Isn't your financial freedom worth it?

Are you suffering from a Holiday Hangover?

2006-01-25T14:12:00.000-08:00

Well, being that it's almost February I guess it's too late to wish you a Happy New Year. I've been getting my tax stuff prepared and have made a New Year's Resolution that I am going to be a better bookkeeper this year! I hate taxes and tax season, but complaining gets me nowhere so as the commercial says "Just Do It"

My husband is a self-employed contractor and we've decided to incorporate our business. Now we'll be paying ourselves a wage-but I don't know how the business is going to afford it :o) I'm going to have to re-do our personal budget. I've been going to the store everday lately because I haven't been doing my weekly menu planning like I should. Definitely need to get more organized on that one.

If you are suffering from a Holiday Hangover as far as your budget is concerned, you might want consider consolidating your credit card bills. We did that last year and I know it's definitely easier to stay organized! I know it has saved us on late fees because there's only one payment to keep track of.

It looks like my blog has been getting a lot of attention from spammers lately. You're more than welcome to leave a comment with your website link. If you have a finance related website, I'd love to exchange links.

Chop, Chop, Chop This Holiday Season

2005-11-11T10:25:00.000-08:00

It seems as though the Christmas shopping season comes earlier and earlier every year. This year on the day after Halloween a town that is close by started setting up Christmas decorations. Wait! What happened to Thanksgiving?

I guess since Christmas decorations are already up, Christmas lists are already being made. Which is actually a good thing. You definitely want a plan when you set out to do your Christmas shopping this year.

What's the first thing that should be on your to-do list? Chopping! You read right-chopping. This is a quick and simple three step process (depending on how fast you can find your scissors). Here's what you do:
1. Find your scissors
2. Gather up all of your credit cards
3. Chop up your credit cards with your scissors

Ok, I know that as simple as this seems this could be a giant step for some of you. Credit cards are comfort, there to re-assure us that it's ok if we don't have enough cash. But, how many of you still owe on credit cards from last Christmas?

I've thought of a few things that might make it easier to shop without credit cards this season. Here they are:
1. Make a list. Write down on the list every one you are going to buy gifts for this year. Now, right next to each person's name write a dollar amount that you are not going to exceed when you buy their gift. If you have any ideas of what that person may like, write that down as well. Keep this list with you every time you go out. You never know when you might stumble across a great sale. And remember, just because you have a certain amount written down it doesn't mean you have to spend that much. If you find a $10 gift for a person that had a $15 limit go ahead and buy it. Then you can justify buying the perfect $20 gift for another person on your list.

2. Homemade gifts are great! Keep them in mind for every person on your list. You can make bath salts, ornaments or Christmas goodies and wrap them in a pretty box. This will definitely save money and give the gifts a warmly received personal touch.

If you still owe on credit card bills from last Christmas you may want to consider consolidating your credit card bills And it's never too late to develope a household budget

After all is said and done, it's not about the gifts anyway. It's about remembering and sharing the true spirit of Christmas.

Setting up a Personal Budget

2005-05-11T10:45:00.000-07:00

I know you've been putting this off for a while. But really, it isn't that difficult. Just think about it this way-how much effort would you put into getting a raise? Setting up a personal budget will be just like getting a raise because you'll begin to see your paycheck go a lot further.

Debt Consolidation Solutions

2005-02-05T23:55:00.000-08:00

Credit card debt is at an all time high. You may be included
with the millions of Americans who have credit card debt. You
may have considered consolidating your credit card debt. If
you have, you should investigate all of your options.

Your fist option is debt consolidation through a debt
consolidation program. This is where a debt consolidation service
negotiates with your creditors to get the lowest possible
interest rate and combines your payments into one. In doing
this you will be paying simple interest compared to the
compound interest you have been paying to your creditors.

The second option is cash-out refinancing. This is where
you refinance your home to pay off the current mortgage and
take the difference in cash. Then you would use this cash to
pay off credit cards and student loans. Keep in mind that
your mortgage payment will be higher, but your credit card
bills will be eliminated and the interest on your home is tax
deductable. Read and understand more about

cash-out refinancing.

The third option is a home equity loan. This is a loan you will
get using the equity you've established in your home. This
loan payment will be an additional loan payment to your
mortgate. Home equity loans generally have a higher interest
rate than a cash-out refinance, but will probably be lower interest
than your what your credit cards are charging.

Remember that debt consolidation using the equity in your
home is trading unsecured debt for secured debt. This means
that if you are unable to make your payments, you will
lose your home. You will have to be very careful in
making this decision.

As you can see there are a few options when it comes to
debt consolidation. In order for any of these choices to be
effective you MUST establish a budget and stick with it. You
must be committed to eliminating all use of credit cards!
Consolidating your current debt will be useless if you continue
with bad spending habits. Creating a budget and eliminating
debt can and will be very rewarding!

Money Management Discussion Group

2004-11-04T13:49:00.000-08:00

I'm starting a Money Management Discussion Group for anyone interested in living a debt free life. This group will share thoughts and ideas on frugal living, budgeting, freebies, financial goals, make your own and do-it-yourself projects. My goal for this discussion group is to inspire and motivate each other to stick to a budget and ultimately be financially independent.

You can join by clicking on the "Money Management Discussion Group" link above or you can subscribe via email at money-management-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Frugal Halloween Costume Ideas

2004-09-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

If you're on a tight budget or are lacking in creativity, here are some homemade Halloween costume ideas that you can use:

Frugal Halloween Costume Ideas