When it comes to saving money when we shop I see where Ben and I are different in our priorities. I spend a few hours a week searching for coupons and reading various blogs to see where I can save the most on our groceries. Ben, well he doesn’t really care about any of that. He’ll pay full price for food because he says dealing with coupons is a hassle. Oh, but he has no problem driving two town’s over to the cigars discount store so he doesn't have to pay full price on his cigars. He doesn't smoke them very often, usually on special occasions only, but he still goes out of his way to get them cheaper! I don’t think he even considers the fact that he’s spending more on gas to drive farther!
Showing posts with label Saving Money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saving Money. Show all posts
Holiday Shopping With Coupons
It’s that time of the year again. It’s time to make your holiday shopping lists! This year I’m keeping my list simple because I’m working with a small budget, and I’m going to seek out the best deals I can find. My list consists of the little one, the husband, and a few family members. Beside each name I’ve written down the types of items I normally buy for those people, and I’m going to shop by matching up those categories with the best coupons I can find. For instance my brother-in-law is a total geek like me, so I normally get him something from one of the electronics stores. I already know I can always find best buy coupons, so I'll shop according to the coupons. I can't wait to see how much I do actually end up spending shopping this way because I won't have to skimp on gifts, but I bet I'll still spend a lot less!
Buying Life Insurance
I’ve been looking at the budget again today, and I realized it’s been a few months since I last requested an insurance quote. I started out my searching for quotes on our car insurance, but I didn’t find anything cheaper than we’re already paying. I’ll search again in October when it’s time for our policy to renew.
Then I decided to get a few quotes for life insurance. I have a life insurance policy, but Hubby does not. I’ve been putting aside a bit of money in an insurance fund, and we finally have enough built up to pay a few month’s worth of premiums if we can get a good price. I think tonight I’m going to check out www.wholesaleinsurance.net to see what kind of quotes we'll receive on different types of policies. Life insurance is definitely something Hubby needs. I feel like if something happens to me I know everything will be taken care of and there will be money to go to supporting Ellie, but if something were to happen to Hubby right now we'd find ourselves in a very hard situation.
Getting A Handle On The Finances
The one thing I find myself thinking about the most these days is money. It’s the one thing I try not to worry about, but it happens to be the one thing I end up worrying about the most. The bottom line is we have to pinch every single penny out of any little hole possible as more months of unemployment roll by. We’ve both been searching high and low for a job, but we’ve had no luck. Sure there are news stories on tv every night about new businesses opening and bringing 200 new jobs to the area, but there are twice as many people standing in line to apply. Let’s face it. The economy is still sucking, and there are so many places like our own area where people just can’t find jobs. We’ve got to do what we can do to survive on the income I do make no matter how little it may be.
After months of trying to keep up with all of our spending habits in Quicken I decided to give Mint.com another try. Note that Mint.com is also owned by Intuit now, but it seemed like an easier option than using the older version of Quicken I have. Thankfully we haven't had to go get a payday loan yet to keep the bills paid, but there have been plenty of times when I've worried about where our money would come from in the next couple weeks. I need to get a better handle on everything, and I thought Mint.com might help me do that.
I tried it a few months ago and gave up after having so many issues with adding my Paypal account. Ben’s shows up just fine, but he has a personal account. There was a glitch then preventing some Paypal Business accounts from showing up in Mint. Mine as one of them, and I hoped after waiting so long it would be fixed. Nope, the glitch is still there, and I still can’t add my Paypal transactions. Considering that’s where most of my transactions occur I can’t get an accurate look at our finances without manually adding those. As much as I didn’t want to do the work I needed to, though. I spent two hours last night manually adding those transactions from the last 3 months to get an accurate look at what’s been going on, and when I was done I was a bit shocked to say the least.
I already see quite a few places where our spending has gotten out of hand, and if we cut out those purchases we’ll be able to hang on for a bit longer while the job search continues. After adding Ben’s debit card and categorizing purchases I realized he’s been stopping at the store almost everyday for snacks and drinks. He’s spending well over $300 a month just on those quick little snack trips! We purchased reusable drink mugs and added a “healthy snacks” budget to our grocery budget just so we could cut out those little stops months ago. It looks like I’m going to have to get on top of that again to prevent those purchases. That’s money that could go towards paying down the car payment so we can get that debt paid off (and one less bill to pay) sooner!
At least it won’t be as hard to manually add transactions now because I can add them one at a time as they occur. It’s a tedious task, but it’s a lot less work than I was doing with Quicken, and it’s giving me a much more accurate look at our finances. The only other thing I have to manually add is our cash transactions. Since this month is practically over we’re going to start making sure we get and keep receipts for every cash purchase starting on June 1st. I will then manually add those and hopefully finally get a complete look at exactly where every single cent we’re spending is going. Just thinking about finally getting all this in order has made my stress level fall drastically!
Should I Switch To A Laser Printer?
Lately I’ve been wanting to upgrade my printer. I have a Canon PIXMA MP530 that I do love, but it’s a couple years old and an inkjet. I would really love to purchase a laser printer for my business, but I haven’t made that investment yet because of price concerns. I’ve been told by many that it’s not a necessity for me right now as I don’t print large amounts of paperwork each week, and the toner cartridges are expensive.
Today I was looking into it, and I realized that more and more stores are carrying recycled toner cartridges. Not only are they cheaper, but I love the fact that they've been kept out of the landfills and put back to use. Plus laser printers are cheaper in the long run, so it would probably save me a bit of cash each year. I may just have to upgrade to a laser printer for my business when my tax money arrives.
Repurpose, Reuse, Recycle
I was just talking to Hubby about how we need to get some extra storage for Ellie’s closet, but I we can’t really afford to buy what we need to organize it right now. We were discussing ways to do this when a thought popped into my head. I remembered how my mom used to go to the stores she shopped in frequently and ask for any old cardboard displays they may be getting rid of. Most of the time they would happily give them to her. I’m talking about the point of purchase displays you see at the end of isles or sitting out in open areas that are normally there to showcase a specific item.
She would take these displays home, paint them, and use them in our closets and utility room to store various items. I could totally do that! Since these displays come in a variety of sizes I could use them to store things like Ellie’s shoes, socks, etc. I think tomorrow I might stop by a few stores and ask around to see if any of them have any of these old displays they would be willing to give me. Most of the time the stores just throw them into the trash anyway, and I’m offering to reuse and recycle them. We always have a few cans of old paint around the house, so I can easily paint them so they don’t stick out like a sore thumb either!
My mom also used to go to a fabric store and ask for the old cardboard rolls that the fabric came on. The store was happy to give them to her, and my mom used them for all sorts of things. The rolls were huge, and she used two of them to make towers where my stuffed animals hung for years. It was very easy to do. She drilled two holes in one end of the tube and looped rope through it. Then she drilled holes down the tubes and inserted plastic hooks to clip our stuffed animals. She hung them up in two corners of my room attaching the rope to a hook in the ceiling, and my stuffed animals lived there until I grew out of the stuffed animal phase. I think I might have to try that, too.
Halloween Costume Ideas
Being that this is our daughter’s first Halloween that she gets to celebrate (we were left the hospital on Halloween last year) I thought it would be great if the whole family dressed up for Halloween photos. I knew it would be a task getting Hubby in a costume because he has always refused to dress up for Halloween with me. Apparently having a daughter to dress up with has completely changed that part of him, though, because this year he didn’t put up much of a fight when I started mentioning Halloween costumes. Instead of refusing to do it he actually spent some time looking at adult halloween costumes on the internet with me!
Because money will be tight we’re definitely making all of our costumes. I’ve started on Ellie’s ladybug costume, and Hubby is going to be a farmer. That’s pretty easy to do since he already has everything except a hat. He’s going to borrow a straw hat from my dad. As for me, I have absolutely no idea what I’m going to be. I need something that’s easy to make, but I’m clueless as to what that’s going to be yet. Hubby keeps telling me I should make myself an adult ladybug costume, but I don’t particularly want to be a ladybug. I’ve been Rainbow Brite many years in the past, and I may just have to repeat that one. I can’t help it. I love dressing up like Rainbow Brite lol. I would have done it every year as a child if my mom would have let me! Then again I don’t want weird looks from people who have no clue who I’m dressing as. I mean my 18 year old cousin had no clue who Rainbow Brite was, and when I explained and showed her my doll she said “Oh, from like back in your day.” Boy did that make me feel old!
If I had the cash to purchase a costume this year I’d probably get this Racer Girl costume. It’s cute, but not too sexy to wear while trick or treating with a baby, and it’s right up my alley. Maybe I’ll get that costume next year. This year I could always throw on my leather jacket and chaps, and be a biker chick. I just don’t want to tote my helmet around all night!
This Week’s Dollar General + Coupons Savings
Last night was a good shopping night for me. The next box of diapers I just ordered hasn’t arrived yet, and we were on the verge of running out. I only have a couple of cloth diapers that fit Ellie right now, and she had on the only clean one. I decided to make a quick run to the Dollar General for a pack of diapers to hold us over until the box I ordered from Amazon arrived. Before I left I grabbed a stack of coupons I had on my desk that were going to expire soon thinking I might be able to go ahead and pick up some of next week’s groceries if the price was right with coupons. Below is a list of my coupons.
- $2.50 off Luvs Diapers
- $1.00 off Stayfree Ultra Thin product .
- 50 off any Clorox product (manufacturer's coupon)
- $1.00 off any 2 Clorox cleaning products (DG coupon)
- $1.00 off any 2 Big G cereals
- .55 off any 1 Big G cereals
- $1 off Wisk Laundry detergent
- 1 coupon for a free pack of Nabisco cookies with the purchase of a pack of Nabisco cookies and a gallon of milk
I also took a look at the sales ad for this week before shopping, and I knew that some of the items I had coupons for were also on sale this week. When I got to the store I went straight to the clearance section as well because there are a lot of great deals there. Our local store also places some grocery items in the clearance section. In that section I found 2 boxes of Cheerios, and a tub of Clorox Disinfecting Wipes. My purchases before coupons and tax totaled $26.83. I saved an additional $10.05 with coupons bringing my total to $17.78 after taxes.
Not only is shopping at the dollar store money saving for me, but using coupons there really paid off. Of course I didn’t use coupons on any items I wouldn’t normally buy unless they were a different brand name that I normally use that ended up cheaper than my usual brand.
How I Use Coupons
 |
| Flickr: MissMessie |
I love using websites like www.Savings.com to find coupons for the items I'm purchasing online, and I've learned never to make a purchase without at least taking a minute or two (and yes that's really all it takes) to do a quick search for coupons at each online store.
For example, I've used plenty of HP coupons to purchase ink, paper, and other printer supplies. You may even be surprised by some of the stores that do offer coupons for discounts or free shipping, especially some of the big names in electronics. Did you know you can even get Sony coupons? I never order anything without seeing if there's a free shipping coupon or coupon code hanging around the internet. Coupons are so easy to find these days that it's almost impossible to NOT save money!
The next time you're shopping don't forget to do a simple coupon code search before you checkout. You never know how much you'll end up saving!
My Latest Grocery Savings
The last time I discussed saving money with discount stores I informed everyone that I saved a little over $21 that week by buying some of our usual grocery items at our local dollar store. This week my savings were huge compared to that. Because of Hubby's new pay schedule I'm only grocery shopping once every 2 weeks for most items. I'll buy the stuff we need weekly, but a bulk of our grocery purchases are made every 2 weeks after payday. This week when I sat down to make my grocery list I made two lists. I took my past receipts from the grocery store and made a list of the items I buy every time I shop. Then I made another list of the items I was needing that were not included on that list.
First I made a trip to our local dollar store with both lists in hand. I found I was able to get just about everything on my list there. The only things I did not purchase were a jar of mayo (because the store doesn't carry our brand of choice), our meats, and baby food. The total purchase came to $37.92. When I returned home I made a new grocery list of the items I had not purchased and would need to pick up at the grocery store. I sat down with the sales paper and decided to wait until the next day to hit up the grocery store as a lot of the meats we buy were going on sale that day.
When it came time for my trip to the grocery store I grabbed all the items on my list. Then I took some extra time to do some research. I pulled out my receipt from the dollar store, and I went down the isles writing down the grocery store price of each item I had purchased. I also wrote down the regular price of each sale item I was purchasing, so I could come up with a total savings amount for the week. I spent a total of $28.59 at the grocery store on my meat, baby food, and our mayo. I saved $14 and some change on items that were on sale with my store rewards card, mostly meats that were on sale for $1.98/lb.
Let me also inform you that I did not use a single coupon purchase on this week's groceries. My total grocery cost was $66.51. When I added up the grocery store cost (using the weekly price, so if an item was on sale I used that price) of everything I purchased at the dollar store and the purchases I did make at the grocery store at their sale prices the total came up to $111.92 after tax. When I added up my total savings I realized between shopping at the dollar store and waiting an extra day for the sale prices on the meat I saved a total of 59.89 on my groceries this week!
If I had used coupons I probably could have saved a lot more, but honestly I've never really been a big fan of using coupons on groceries. I'll use one if I am already planning to purchase the item, but most of the time most grocery coupons I come across are for items that I either wouldn't normally buy or are for a brand I wouldn't normally buy. If the cost of the name brand is less than the store brand (or current brand) I normally buy I'll take advantage of that coupon, but in most cases this doesn't happen.
I do want to experiment a little with coupons at the dollar store because, yes, they do accept coupons, and I do find myself buying name brand items there that are cheaper than the store brands at the grocery store. Also, most dollar stores will allow you to use two coupons on a single item if one coupon is from the manufacturer and the other is from the store. Yep, I will definitely have to experiment with this because I'm interested in just how many coupons I might actually use at the dollar store for even bigger savings!
First I made a trip to our local dollar store with both lists in hand. I found I was able to get just about everything on my list there. The only things I did not purchase were a jar of mayo (because the store doesn't carry our brand of choice), our meats, and baby food. The total purchase came to $37.92. When I returned home I made a new grocery list of the items I had not purchased and would need to pick up at the grocery store. I sat down with the sales paper and decided to wait until the next day to hit up the grocery store as a lot of the meats we buy were going on sale that day.
When it came time for my trip to the grocery store I grabbed all the items on my list. Then I took some extra time to do some research. I pulled out my receipt from the dollar store, and I went down the isles writing down the grocery store price of each item I had purchased. I also wrote down the regular price of each sale item I was purchasing, so I could come up with a total savings amount for the week. I spent a total of $28.59 at the grocery store on my meat, baby food, and our mayo. I saved $14 and some change on items that were on sale with my store rewards card, mostly meats that were on sale for $1.98/lb.
Let me also inform you that I did not use a single coupon purchase on this week's groceries. My total grocery cost was $66.51. When I added up the grocery store cost (using the weekly price, so if an item was on sale I used that price) of everything I purchased at the dollar store and the purchases I did make at the grocery store at their sale prices the total came up to $111.92 after tax. When I added up my total savings I realized between shopping at the dollar store and waiting an extra day for the sale prices on the meat I saved a total of 59.89 on my groceries this week!
If I had used coupons I probably could have saved a lot more, but honestly I've never really been a big fan of using coupons on groceries. I'll use one if I am already planning to purchase the item, but most of the time most grocery coupons I come across are for items that I either wouldn't normally buy or are for a brand I wouldn't normally buy. If the cost of the name brand is less than the store brand (or current brand) I normally buy I'll take advantage of that coupon, but in most cases this doesn't happen.
I do want to experiment a little with coupons at the dollar store because, yes, they do accept coupons, and I do find myself buying name brand items there that are cheaper than the store brands at the grocery store. Also, most dollar stores will allow you to use two coupons on a single item if one coupon is from the manufacturer and the other is from the store. Yep, I will definitely have to experiment with this because I'm interested in just how many coupons I might actually use at the dollar store for even bigger savings!
Saving Money With Billy.com
The first thing I noticed about this site is that it doesn't just list coupons and deals. Billy.com has a lot of other helpful information as well. There are financial calculators to keep you on track, everyday money saving tips, savings advice, and info on how to lower bills, save money on college, and so much more. All information on the site is free, and there's even an option to become a member, for free as well, to access exclusive savings and deals.
I was surprised at some of the ways this website can help you save money. Not only do they offer tons of tips for saving by living more efficiently, but there are also ways to help you save by comparing rates. For example, let's say you are moving to Tucson. You could look up Arizona moving services on billy.com to compare rates. You could save up to 55% on your moving costs just by comparing rates.
I was personally interested in the articles with advice on how to save money on cooling bills and cell phone bills. Both articles listed a ton of information that I hadn't thought of. Go ahead and check out billy.com for yourself. You may be surprised at some of the information you find that's useful to you. While you're at it don't forget to check out Billy's blog for more useful money saving tips.
Making Money With Consignment Sales
In my previous post about smarter grocery shopping I mentioned I'd be doing some things to make a little extra money in the coming weeks. I wanted to tell you what I'm doing, share with you where I'm doing it, and give you some ideas so you can see how you can possibly make some extra cash, too.
We all know it's possible to make some extra cash through yard sales, but have you ever sold anything through a consignment shop or sale? That's exactly what I'll be doing. Each year there are quite a few different consignment sales in our area. A couple of the biggest ones are The Exchange Consignment Sale (coming up Aug 27-29), and the Upstate Kids Consignment Sale Event. This is the first time I'll be participating in either although I've shopped at both in the past. Last year I found a practically brand new diaper bag, and a still brand new never word pair of women's rain boots at The Exchange Consignment Sale.
Why choose consignment sales? I'm choosing consignment sales for three reasons. First of all you've got a larger group of shoppers viewing your items. Sure, you have to give up a percentage of your earnings (you usually keep between 65%-75% of your earnings), but you can find yourself making much more than you would at a yard sale because you have more buyers.
Secondly, it's a time thing for me. I just don't have the time right now to go through all the preparations for a yard sale. Then there's no guarantee that shoppers will actually show. With a consignment sale you can tag and sort your items as you find new things to sell. You don't have to worry about advertising, set up, or any of the other things that are involved in a yard sale. You also don't have to do the selling. You prepare your items, tag them, and drop them off. The consignment sale team and volunteers do all of the setup and selling, and when the sale is done you pick up your items or have them donated to charity for you.
The last reason comes from the experience of other sellers I know who have participated in these consignment sales many times in the past. Let's get back to the making more aspect. As I said you will usually make 65-75% profit on your items, and you can make more for volunteering in various ways. You may think "I would rather get 100% profits doing things myself", but other sellers have told me they can price their consignment sale items at a higher price. Let's face it. Yard sales mean one thing...CHEAP, and everyone knows it. Customers want to haggle until you sell them an item for next to nothing. At the consignment sales you can price your items at a fair price, and you're more likely to get that price. Customers know the items will be discounted, but they won't stand there haggling with you until you're blue in the face.
Another upside to consignment sales is that many of them target a specific group of people looking for specific items. The Upstate Kids Consignment sale is an example of this. The sell is for parents to buy and sell used baby and children's items, and that's it. You know your demographic, so it's easier to sell specific items that people may not be looking for at a yard sale.
Now that I've talked about the selling aspect let me remind you that these sales are also a great place to shop, especially when it comes to the children's sales. I wouldn't even be able to list all the wonderful things I've bought at the children's sales that I would have paid double for in the store. We all know babies especially don't use their stuff very long before outgrowing it or losing interest. Most of the items at these sales are practically brand new, worn only a few times, and packed away because there is no longer a need for them.
The quality of items found at these sales is also much better than what you might find at some yard sales. There are standards that must be met for each item before it can be sold. For example, you won't find baby clothes with stains or junk items. If it's not in a condition you would use then it's not something you can sell. You can check this link for an example of the type and quality of items accepted to the children's sale.
I honestly can't wait to participate in my first consignment sale. I have plenty of items to sell, especially baby items, and I'm looking forward to getting some of them out of my house. Whether you're looking to buy or sell I suggest searching for consignment sales in your area. They are a great place to make money and/or save money while supplying used items to people within your community.
We all know it's possible to make some extra cash through yard sales, but have you ever sold anything through a consignment shop or sale? That's exactly what I'll be doing. Each year there are quite a few different consignment sales in our area. A couple of the biggest ones are The Exchange Consignment Sale (coming up Aug 27-29), and the Upstate Kids Consignment Sale Event. This is the first time I'll be participating in either although I've shopped at both in the past. Last year I found a practically brand new diaper bag, and a still brand new never word pair of women's rain boots at The Exchange Consignment Sale.
Why choose consignment sales? I'm choosing consignment sales for three reasons. First of all you've got a larger group of shoppers viewing your items. Sure, you have to give up a percentage of your earnings (you usually keep between 65%-75% of your earnings), but you can find yourself making much more than you would at a yard sale because you have more buyers.
Secondly, it's a time thing for me. I just don't have the time right now to go through all the preparations for a yard sale. Then there's no guarantee that shoppers will actually show. With a consignment sale you can tag and sort your items as you find new things to sell. You don't have to worry about advertising, set up, or any of the other things that are involved in a yard sale. You also don't have to do the selling. You prepare your items, tag them, and drop them off. The consignment sale team and volunteers do all of the setup and selling, and when the sale is done you pick up your items or have them donated to charity for you.
The last reason comes from the experience of other sellers I know who have participated in these consignment sales many times in the past. Let's get back to the making more aspect. As I said you will usually make 65-75% profit on your items, and you can make more for volunteering in various ways. You may think "I would rather get 100% profits doing things myself", but other sellers have told me they can price their consignment sale items at a higher price. Let's face it. Yard sales mean one thing...CHEAP, and everyone knows it. Customers want to haggle until you sell them an item for next to nothing. At the consignment sales you can price your items at a fair price, and you're more likely to get that price. Customers know the items will be discounted, but they won't stand there haggling with you until you're blue in the face.
Another upside to consignment sales is that many of them target a specific group of people looking for specific items. The Upstate Kids Consignment sale is an example of this. The sell is for parents to buy and sell used baby and children's items, and that's it. You know your demographic, so it's easier to sell specific items that people may not be looking for at a yard sale.
Now that I've talked about the selling aspect let me remind you that these sales are also a great place to shop, especially when it comes to the children's sales. I wouldn't even be able to list all the wonderful things I've bought at the children's sales that I would have paid double for in the store. We all know babies especially don't use their stuff very long before outgrowing it or losing interest. Most of the items at these sales are practically brand new, worn only a few times, and packed away because there is no longer a need for them.
The quality of items found at these sales is also much better than what you might find at some yard sales. There are standards that must be met for each item before it can be sold. For example, you won't find baby clothes with stains or junk items. If it's not in a condition you would use then it's not something you can sell. You can check this link for an example of the type and quality of items accepted to the children's sale.
I honestly can't wait to participate in my first consignment sale. I have plenty of items to sell, especially baby items, and I'm looking forward to getting some of them out of my house. Whether you're looking to buy or sell I suggest searching for consignment sales in your area. They are a great place to make money and/or save money while supplying used items to people within your community.
Saving Money With Discount Stores
After I talked today about trying to save some money by conserving energy I started looking at some of my spending habits lately. I've cut out shopping for extras that we don't need right now, and that's one reason why I haven't had any new reviews to post lately. It's hard to review products when you're on a no buy.
I did, however, realize that I haven't been as frugal as I should be when it comes to my normal shopping. In the last few months I've been too busy between the little one and work to take the time to make sure I'm really doing what I can to be a smart shopper at the grocery store. I've been hitting up one store to buy everything instead of shopping around, too. I used to keep a weekly list of prices of the things I normally buy, and I'd compare weeks and stores to make sure I was buying the right items in the right places at the right time. I've been slack lately, so I just haven't been doing that.
Today I decided to be smarter about my shopping. I sat down with my receipts from the last 3 weeks, and I made a list of what I buy each week, and what the price was. I'll continue to do that until I yet again establish a pattern. I already know that it's not always best to buy an item when it's on sale because stores tend to jack up the price of the item before placing it on sale. For example, Hubby buys powdered Gatorade for work. The can he normally buys is about $14.28, but when it's on sale the "sale" price is normally $15.99 because the store raises the price then puts it on sale for a price that is still higher than the normal price. If I only bought the powder when it is on sale I'd actually spend more.
I also need to start buying most of my groceries (with the exception of meats) at Big Lots and Dollar General again. I did just that today. Our local Dollar General has a huge grocery selection because the closest grocery store is in the next town over. I stopped at Dollar General on my way to the grocery store, and I took my grocery list as well as my receipts from the last 3 grocery buys with me. I compared prices as I purchased items that I normally buy at Ingles. I purchased $41.13 worth of groceries at Dollar General, the same brands I buy or name brands that are cheaper than the store brands I buy, and when I added up the same cost for those items at the grocery store I saved $21.62 by not purchasing them at my grocery store as usual. Dollar stores and discount stores aren't just good for saving on household items. You can really save a lot buying grocery items there as well, especially on canned goods. It's even cheaper for me to buy eggs, bread, and cheese at The Dollar General.
I don't know why I let myself stop shopping like this in the first place. I think most of it has to do with the fact that I just didn't want to take the extra time to compare prices and make that one extra stop at stores that are on the way, not out of the way, of my grocery store. When I've got the little one with me it's just easier to purchase everything at once. The only downside is that I've basically been wasting much needed money by doing so.
Now that I'm back on my saving money kick it's time to start thinking about making money as well. I have a few ways that I'm going to be bringing a little bit of extra income into our home, and I want to share those with you. I don't want to bombard you with an even longer post than this already is, so keep an eye out for that post as it will be coming up next.
I did, however, realize that I haven't been as frugal as I should be when it comes to my normal shopping. In the last few months I've been too busy between the little one and work to take the time to make sure I'm really doing what I can to be a smart shopper at the grocery store. I've been hitting up one store to buy everything instead of shopping around, too. I used to keep a weekly list of prices of the things I normally buy, and I'd compare weeks and stores to make sure I was buying the right items in the right places at the right time. I've been slack lately, so I just haven't been doing that.
Today I decided to be smarter about my shopping. I sat down with my receipts from the last 3 weeks, and I made a list of what I buy each week, and what the price was. I'll continue to do that until I yet again establish a pattern. I already know that it's not always best to buy an item when it's on sale because stores tend to jack up the price of the item before placing it on sale. For example, Hubby buys powdered Gatorade for work. The can he normally buys is about $14.28, but when it's on sale the "sale" price is normally $15.99 because the store raises the price then puts it on sale for a price that is still higher than the normal price. If I only bought the powder when it is on sale I'd actually spend more.
I also need to start buying most of my groceries (with the exception of meats) at Big Lots and Dollar General again. I did just that today. Our local Dollar General has a huge grocery selection because the closest grocery store is in the next town over. I stopped at Dollar General on my way to the grocery store, and I took my grocery list as well as my receipts from the last 3 grocery buys with me. I compared prices as I purchased items that I normally buy at Ingles. I purchased $41.13 worth of groceries at Dollar General, the same brands I buy or name brands that are cheaper than the store brands I buy, and when I added up the same cost for those items at the grocery store I saved $21.62 by not purchasing them at my grocery store as usual. Dollar stores and discount stores aren't just good for saving on household items. You can really save a lot buying grocery items there as well, especially on canned goods. It's even cheaper for me to buy eggs, bread, and cheese at The Dollar General.
I don't know why I let myself stop shopping like this in the first place. I think most of it has to do with the fact that I just didn't want to take the extra time to compare prices and make that one extra stop at stores that are on the way, not out of the way, of my grocery store. When I've got the little one with me it's just easier to purchase everything at once. The only downside is that I've basically been wasting much needed money by doing so.
Now that I'm back on my saving money kick it's time to start thinking about making money as well. I have a few ways that I'm going to be bringing a little bit of extra income into our home, and I want to share those with you. I don't want to bombard you with an even longer post than this already is, so keep an eye out for that post as it will be coming up next.
Returning To My Summer Money And Energy Saver
Things have been tight for us lately, and I'm sure a lot of you can relate. People are still dealing with the recession, and that's caused a lot of changes in the way we all value our money.
We were already living with a pretty tight budget, and then we got hit with an increase on our car insurance, and major increases in our power bill, and water bill due to rate hikes. I did some comparing, and unfortunately we can't lower our car insurance much right now. Even though we're already at the lowest rate we can find right now it never hurts to get a few quotes, but all the quotes I've gotten from the other companies are actually higher than what we're paying. I was able to lower it a bit, though, by talking to our insurance agent to make sure there weren't any special discounts we were missing out on. We actually were missing out on one. We recently started a life insurance policy, and we get a 10% discount on our car insurance as well, so that will help a bit.
When it comes to the utilities our only option to control the costs is to make sure we're running as efficiently as we can, and not wasting. Hubby spent the weekend checking the house and doing some routine maintenance. He found a pipe with a slow drip under the house that he replaced, and he found 2 windows with bad seals. After replacing those we might not see a huge decrease in our bills, but every little bit helps.
I'm also trying to be more conscious of how we use things in our home. I'm constantly walking through the house turning off lights that were left on, and I discovered Hubby has not only been leaving the tv in the living room when he goes to bed at night, but he's been leaving his Playstation 3, our home theater system, and the living room lights on as well. I find myself shutting down his computer each night before bed, but he almost always goes to bed after me and wakes up before me. I had no idea he was leaving those things on at night, now I'm making it a point to make sure he turns them all off before retiring for the night. Every little bit helps, right?
I admit since having the baby I haven't been doing some of the things I used to do to conserve energy. This is the first summer since Hubby and I got married that I've primarily used my dryer. In the past I have always hung my clothes out to dry on nice summer days, but it's been hard to do that with the baby. The heat wave we've been having would be perfect for drying clothes, but it's impossible to drag her out in the heat for even a few minutes at a time. I talked to my Grandma, and since she's been wanting to keep Ellie more often through the week we worked out a deal. I'm going to save my laundry for the days she has Ellie, and I'm going to cut down on my dryer usage by taking advantage of that baby free time to hang my clothes out.
I've had many people over the years comment on the fact that I was line drying my clothes, and surprisingly most of the remarks have been negative. I was surprised by how many people were opposed to line drying for so many reasons. Those reasons include they think their clothes will be stiff, covered in pollen, and they think line drying is a hassle. I grew up with hanging out clothes and bringing them in from the line as one of my chores, so it's been a way of life more than an extra step I was taking to conserve energy.
My clothes have never come off the line stiff, and that's because I use fabric softener in my laundry (except for baby clothes) along with a bit of baking soda. I don't have any solutions for the pollen issue other than the fact that I don't hang my clothes out during those times that are really bad for pollen, but I don't think line drying is a hassle at all. Sure I've got to carry my clothes outside to hang them out, but I find it quite relaxing. I used to set aside one day each week as my laundry day, and I'd get everything done at once. As one load came out of the washer I would load another and head outside to hang out the first load. By the time I had the first load on the line the second would be ready to come out of the washer. I actually miss the way I used to do laundry because I enjoyed that time outside to myself so much, and I definitely miss the cash I was saving by doing so.
We were already living with a pretty tight budget, and then we got hit with an increase on our car insurance, and major increases in our power bill, and water bill due to rate hikes. I did some comparing, and unfortunately we can't lower our car insurance much right now. Even though we're already at the lowest rate we can find right now it never hurts to get a few quotes, but all the quotes I've gotten from the other companies are actually higher than what we're paying. I was able to lower it a bit, though, by talking to our insurance agent to make sure there weren't any special discounts we were missing out on. We actually were missing out on one. We recently started a life insurance policy, and we get a 10% discount on our car insurance as well, so that will help a bit.
When it comes to the utilities our only option to control the costs is to make sure we're running as efficiently as we can, and not wasting. Hubby spent the weekend checking the house and doing some routine maintenance. He found a pipe with a slow drip under the house that he replaced, and he found 2 windows with bad seals. After replacing those we might not see a huge decrease in our bills, but every little bit helps.
I'm also trying to be more conscious of how we use things in our home. I'm constantly walking through the house turning off lights that were left on, and I discovered Hubby has not only been leaving the tv in the living room when he goes to bed at night, but he's been leaving his Playstation 3, our home theater system, and the living room lights on as well. I find myself shutting down his computer each night before bed, but he almost always goes to bed after me and wakes up before me. I had no idea he was leaving those things on at night, now I'm making it a point to make sure he turns them all off before retiring for the night. Every little bit helps, right?
I admit since having the baby I haven't been doing some of the things I used to do to conserve energy. This is the first summer since Hubby and I got married that I've primarily used my dryer. In the past I have always hung my clothes out to dry on nice summer days, but it's been hard to do that with the baby. The heat wave we've been having would be perfect for drying clothes, but it's impossible to drag her out in the heat for even a few minutes at a time. I talked to my Grandma, and since she's been wanting to keep Ellie more often through the week we worked out a deal. I'm going to save my laundry for the days she has Ellie, and I'm going to cut down on my dryer usage by taking advantage of that baby free time to hang my clothes out.
I've had many people over the years comment on the fact that I was line drying my clothes, and surprisingly most of the remarks have been negative. I was surprised by how many people were opposed to line drying for so many reasons. Those reasons include they think their clothes will be stiff, covered in pollen, and they think line drying is a hassle. I grew up with hanging out clothes and bringing them in from the line as one of my chores, so it's been a way of life more than an extra step I was taking to conserve energy.
My clothes have never come off the line stiff, and that's because I use fabric softener in my laundry (except for baby clothes) along with a bit of baking soda. I don't have any solutions for the pollen issue other than the fact that I don't hang my clothes out during those times that are really bad for pollen, but I don't think line drying is a hassle at all. Sure I've got to carry my clothes outside to hang them out, but I find it quite relaxing. I used to set aside one day each week as my laundry day, and I'd get everything done at once. As one load came out of the washer I would load another and head outside to hang out the first load. By the time I had the first load on the line the second would be ready to come out of the washer. I actually miss the way I used to do laundry because I enjoyed that time outside to myself so much, and I definitely miss the cash I was saving by doing so.
Going To The Beach
Awhile back my Dad and I were discussing taking a family vacation this summer since I haven't been on a vacation with him since I was a teenager. I think the last time I went on a family vacation with him was to Pigeon Forge, TN when I was 16. That was the last actual family vacation we had before my parents split up, so it's been quite a long time. Now that we have the baby I really want to take a family vacation that involves my Dad.
We'd discussed going camping at the beach, but at the time he needed to do some rv repair before we could take his rv anywhere. Now it's repaired, and we're yet again discussing a beach trip. As much as I love going to Edisto and renting a beach house it's just as nice to go down and camp at the local park. We haven't done that in awhile, and it's a lot cheaper on our budget as well. I broke the news to Hubby that there's no way we can afford to buy a house by the end of the year, but we can afford to go on a vacation. That makes him feel a little better, and I can't wait to take the little one to the beach. Plus I'll get to spend some much needed quality time with my dad hunting for seashells and shark's teeth.
Now I've just got to get the plan in motion. I'm going to set aside some cash each week into a beach fund since we've decided the best time to go will be September. That's when we normally take our beach trips because it's considered out of season making things cheaper, and you don't have so many people to deal with. Then again we never really have to deal with a lot of people at Edisto anyway. It's a gorgeous island, and it's never overcrowded even during the busy tourist times. I seriously can't wait for this! I'm ready to pack up and leave right now, but I'll be patient. September will be here soon enough.
Slow Down & Save Money
Why is it every time I work out our budget so that I can start setting a little money aside for savings with we hit with something else? It’s time to rework my budget again because we just got our policy renewal letter today for our car insurance, and it doesn’t look good at all. Our insurance rate went up $60 a month. Yes, I said $60! Part of that is because of Hubby’s horrible driving record. Just when one ticket clears off his record he ends up getting another one. Some of it is actually because our insurance company decided to increase rates based on credit ratings. I think it’s total bs to do that since I’ve been a loyal customer for years, but what can you do?
I know what I’ll do. I need to request an auto insurance quote from a few other companies, then I'll buy Hubby the radar detector he's been wanting. When we first got married I bought him one. I figured it was a $100 investment that would save us a lot of money since he wouldn't be getting so many speeding tickets, and honestly that's exactly how things went...until the thing died about 2 years later. I've been saying for years I was going to buy him a new one, but I've kept putting it off and purchasing other things instead. Well now I think it's finally time to get him a new one!
Playing The Stock Market
Hubby came running in from work today so excited to talk to me about what he learned at work today. It didn't take but about 30 seconds for me to burst his bubble. He came in talking about how his boss is taking a course on the stock marketing and learning to trade. He was throwing out all this info about about stock brokers, futures broker, day trading, value investing, and the list goes on. Poor guy didn't have a clue what he was rambling about, but he was rambling away.
That's when I burst his bubble. I said #1 you're the guy who refuses to put any money in the bank unless it's absolutely necessary. We deposit exactly what we need to pay bills and keep our account open. How is someone who hates banks so much going to like the stock market? #2 You absolutely hate dealing with money. I manage our finances because you can't handle them.
Of course I hurt his feelings, but I was just being honest. In the end we settled on an agreement we can both live with. I promised to set him up an account with one of the online mock investing games. If he can make a profit in the game after 6 months to a year I'll think about investing. He never took any kind of government and econ or any classes in school that deal with any type of investing situations. That's another reason he can't handle money and budgeting. As of right now, he needs to learn about it before he goes jumping in with money we don't have...especially with the market crashing like it is.
That's when I burst his bubble. I said #1 you're the guy who refuses to put any money in the bank unless it's absolutely necessary. We deposit exactly what we need to pay bills and keep our account open. How is someone who hates banks so much going to like the stock market? #2 You absolutely hate dealing with money. I manage our finances because you can't handle them.
Of course I hurt his feelings, but I was just being honest. In the end we settled on an agreement we can both live with. I promised to set him up an account with one of the online mock investing games. If he can make a profit in the game after 6 months to a year I'll think about investing. He never took any kind of government and econ or any classes in school that deal with any type of investing situations. That's another reason he can't handle money and budgeting. As of right now, he needs to learn about it before he goes jumping in with money we don't have...especially with the market crashing like it is.
Buying A Foreclosed Home
I'm having an insomnia night tonight, and that really sucks. I've got a full day planned with a ton of stuff to do today, but it's already 5:12am. I haven't slept at all.
I'm supposed to go with my sister-in-law this morning to look at a couple foreclosure listings, but I might have to back out. She's been trying to find a house in her price range for months without any luck. A friend mentioned a couple houses she knows about that are in foreclosure, so we thought maybe that's the route she should take.
There are also a ton of listings online. I've noticed with most of the foreclosed home websites, you have to sign up to see the actual details of the listing like information on the condition of the house and photos, but they give you the address as part of the free information. I made a list of all the homes I found in our area, and if she doesn't like either of these we're going to drive by these I've found. If she likes the look of them, then I can get more information on what bank the foreclosure is through.
She has to be careful though. Foreclosed homes are great buys if you can find a good one, but sometimes you can get stuck with a bigger problem than it's worth. The homes are sold by the bank that foreclosed on them, so they're all sold as-is. It's also harder to convince a bank to haggle on the price because they believe you're already getting a deal. In most cases you are if the house is in good condition.
We'll just have to see how it goes tomorrow. If I can make myself go to sleep in the next hour then I'll just ask her to wait until later in the day to look at these properties. I don't want to sleep all day, but I do need to grab a little sleep. My body feels dead tired. It's my mind that's wide awake.
I'm supposed to go with my sister-in-law this morning to look at a couple foreclosure listings, but I might have to back out. She's been trying to find a house in her price range for months without any luck. A friend mentioned a couple houses she knows about that are in foreclosure, so we thought maybe that's the route she should take.
There are also a ton of listings online. I've noticed with most of the foreclosed home websites, you have to sign up to see the actual details of the listing like information on the condition of the house and photos, but they give you the address as part of the free information. I made a list of all the homes I found in our area, and if she doesn't like either of these we're going to drive by these I've found. If she likes the look of them, then I can get more information on what bank the foreclosure is through.
She has to be careful though. Foreclosed homes are great buys if you can find a good one, but sometimes you can get stuck with a bigger problem than it's worth. The homes are sold by the bank that foreclosed on them, so they're all sold as-is. It's also harder to convince a bank to haggle on the price because they believe you're already getting a deal. In most cases you are if the house is in good condition.
We'll just have to see how it goes tomorrow. If I can make myself go to sleep in the next hour then I'll just ask her to wait until later in the day to look at these properties. I don't want to sleep all day, but I do need to grab a little sleep. My body feels dead tired. It's my mind that's wide awake.
Yes, I'm Still Here
I promise I didn't die. I'm still around! Whoever said darn better take that back!
I bought a few things last week that I really want to share with you, but there's one problem. My orders haven't arrived yet!
It's ok though. When I placed my orders with E.L.F. I knew not to expect them super quick. The shipping and processing times are really lame, but the products are well worth it. I mean come on everything is $1 each! Anywho, I promise to take some pics and share the products I purchased as soon as the order does finally arrive.
Until then I've got laundry to get back to. I've got clothes on the line, and another load in the washer ready to hang out. BTW, the home made laundry detergent works GREAT! I've never seen my clothes so clean!
I bought a few things last week that I really want to share with you, but there's one problem. My orders haven't arrived yet!
It's ok though. When I placed my orders with E.L.F. I knew not to expect them super quick. The shipping and processing times are really lame, but the products are well worth it. I mean come on everything is $1 each! Anywho, I promise to take some pics and share the products I purchased as soon as the order does finally arrive.
Until then I've got laundry to get back to. I've got clothes on the line, and another load in the washer ready to hang out. BTW, the home made laundry detergent works GREAT! I've never seen my clothes so clean!
Make Your Own Laundry Rinse And More
While searching through recipes I just found a Laundry Rinse recipe that I think I'm going to go ahead and try as well. This will give me the option to add my essential oils to give my laundry that wonderful smell without all the nasty chemicals while still allowing me to use a powder detergent.
Here's the recipe from Modern Cottage.
I already use vinegar in 1 load every week to clean out my washer, so adding a few drops of essential oil to the bottle is easy.
I also recommend if anyone's going to try this you might want to go ahead and try another great vinegar use! I use vinegar to keep the bugs away! Mix 1 part vinegar and 1 part water in a spray bottle. Then just take a walk around the outside of your house spraying everything at the base of your house. Make sure to spray around doors and windows really well! It's mostly a mosquito repellent, but we've also noticed it keeps the spiders away, too!
A good homemade mosquito repellent for your skin is 1 part vinegar to 1 part mineral oil or baby oil. Spray it on before you head outside!
Most women know vinegar will not only remove chemicals left behind after shampooing, but it also helps condition your hair. My mom always used a vinegar rinse on my very long hair as a child to condition and detangle. That's something I still do as an adult, but now I also use vinegar on the dog, too. It conditions his coat while also helping to work as a natural insect repellent. It's also better than harsh dog conditioners that irritate his sensitive skin.
Ok I totally didn't mean to turn this into a 1000 uses of vinegar post. I'll save the rest for another day!
Here's the recipe from Modern Cottage.
Laundry Rinse (instead of fabric softener which is so bad for you and the environment, you don’t even want to know)
1. 1 gal white vinegar
2. 25-30 drops essential oil - optional (This was another internet purchase. We’re currently using “gardenia.” Mmmmm. Straight vinegar works just fine though.)
Use 1/4 c in the rinse cycle. I promise your clothes won’t smell like vinegar. The vinegar clears the last bit of soap remaining on all your clothes and reduces static.
I already use vinegar in 1 load every week to clean out my washer, so adding a few drops of essential oil to the bottle is easy.
I also recommend if anyone's going to try this you might want to go ahead and try another great vinegar use! I use vinegar to keep the bugs away! Mix 1 part vinegar and 1 part water in a spray bottle. Then just take a walk around the outside of your house spraying everything at the base of your house. Make sure to spray around doors and windows really well! It's mostly a mosquito repellent, but we've also noticed it keeps the spiders away, too!
A good homemade mosquito repellent for your skin is 1 part vinegar to 1 part mineral oil or baby oil. Spray it on before you head outside!
Most women know vinegar will not only remove chemicals left behind after shampooing, but it also helps condition your hair. My mom always used a vinegar rinse on my very long hair as a child to condition and detangle. That's something I still do as an adult, but now I also use vinegar on the dog, too. It conditions his coat while also helping to work as a natural insect repellent. It's also better than harsh dog conditioners that irritate his sensitive skin.
Ok I totally didn't mean to turn this into a 1000 uses of vinegar post. I'll save the rest for another day!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)