I was forwarded this link from our youth minister at church. Awesome deals on Christian books. Check it out.
http://www.christianbookbag.com/
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Stop throwing money away!!! Top 10 disposables to dispose of.
We definitely live in the age of convenience. From fast food restaurants which are on every corner to precut veggies and packaged snacks. We have gotten away from the practice of homemade and saving. My grandparents grew up in the depression. I remember my grandmother washing out bread bags to be reused. I'm pretty sure she never bought a zip lock bag in her life! While I'm not quite that frugal, I have noticed a few convenience items in my life that simply get used once and thrown away. That means that money is going right in the trash every time one of these products is used! Here's a list of a few that, given up even in part could put money back in to your budget!
1. Bottled water. Recent studies have shown that the majority of bottled waters these days have more contaminants than most tap water, so save yourself the money and a piece of the planet and buy a refillable bottle. Add a pitcher or faucet filter for little cost and you're drinking water is actually more pure and you're saving money.
2. Paper towels and napkins. I'll admit it. There are a few jobs I will probably continue to use these for, but I have cut back. In most cases a cloth does the job just as well, or better. And let's face it, a wet washcloth is way better on BBQ sauce anyway!
3. Paper plates, cups & silverware. I have almost completely given up on these products. I still have them around for the occasional picnic or camping, but when we are at home we don't use them at all. I bought lightweight, reusable picnic plasticware that we use instead. They're inexpensive and great for outdoor dining!
4. Plastic shower curtain liners. I switched to a cloth liner 5 or 6 years ago and am still using the same one! I figure I've saved over $100 over the years by throwing it in the washer instead of buying a new one every time it gets a little soap scum or mold on it. To me this is a no brainer. The cloth in most cases costs the same amount as the plastic ones that have to be replace every 6-8 months. And it looks much nicer. Win-win.
5. Zipper storage bags. I still use these occasionally as well, but we have cut back. We now use more reusable plastic and glass containers to store left overs and snacks.
6. Hand soap containers. This one just doesn't make sense to me at all. Why buy a new dispenser every time you run out of soap? Sure they're only $1, but you can buy a refill for less than $5 and refill your dispenser over and over again.
7. Disinfecting wipes. Another convenience that just costs more than it's worth. A bottle of Mr Clean and a cloth will do the job for a fraction of the cost. If you want to further disinfect, a can of Lysol goes a long way!
8. Wrapping paper. Wrap your gifts in a pretty scarf or cloth instead. Or use a reusable bag. Newspaper if you must. Be creative. It's more fun anyway.
9. Individually wrapped snacks. You can buy everything from precut and packaged apple slices and carrots to single serve cookies, chips, pudding cups, you name it! These cost a lot of money! Try baking cookies and packing a few in a reusable container. Cut your own fruits and veggies and keep them handy in the fridge to grab as snacks. Make your own pudding! The list of solutions is as endless as the list of conveniences. You'll save money and probably have healthier snacks in the process.
10. Diapers. OK, my son is in college, so I am waaay past this one, but I needed a 10th item. Disposable diapers cost a fortune nearly 20 years ago. I'm sure the price has only gone up. Consider using cloth diapers. Better for the environment and your wallet.
1. Bottled water. Recent studies have shown that the majority of bottled waters these days have more contaminants than most tap water, so save yourself the money and a piece of the planet and buy a refillable bottle. Add a pitcher or faucet filter for little cost and you're drinking water is actually more pure and you're saving money.
2. Paper towels and napkins. I'll admit it. There are a few jobs I will probably continue to use these for, but I have cut back. In most cases a cloth does the job just as well, or better. And let's face it, a wet washcloth is way better on BBQ sauce anyway!
3. Paper plates, cups & silverware. I have almost completely given up on these products. I still have them around for the occasional picnic or camping, but when we are at home we don't use them at all. I bought lightweight, reusable picnic plasticware that we use instead. They're inexpensive and great for outdoor dining!
4. Plastic shower curtain liners. I switched to a cloth liner 5 or 6 years ago and am still using the same one! I figure I've saved over $100 over the years by throwing it in the washer instead of buying a new one every time it gets a little soap scum or mold on it. To me this is a no brainer. The cloth in most cases costs the same amount as the plastic ones that have to be replace every 6-8 months. And it looks much nicer. Win-win.
5. Zipper storage bags. I still use these occasionally as well, but we have cut back. We now use more reusable plastic and glass containers to store left overs and snacks.
6. Hand soap containers. This one just doesn't make sense to me at all. Why buy a new dispenser every time you run out of soap? Sure they're only $1, but you can buy a refill for less than $5 and refill your dispenser over and over again.
7. Disinfecting wipes. Another convenience that just costs more than it's worth. A bottle of Mr Clean and a cloth will do the job for a fraction of the cost. If you want to further disinfect, a can of Lysol goes a long way!
8. Wrapping paper. Wrap your gifts in a pretty scarf or cloth instead. Or use a reusable bag. Newspaper if you must. Be creative. It's more fun anyway.
9. Individually wrapped snacks. You can buy everything from precut and packaged apple slices and carrots to single serve cookies, chips, pudding cups, you name it! These cost a lot of money! Try baking cookies and packing a few in a reusable container. Cut your own fruits and veggies and keep them handy in the fridge to grab as snacks. Make your own pudding! The list of solutions is as endless as the list of conveniences. You'll save money and probably have healthier snacks in the process.
10. Diapers. OK, my son is in college, so I am waaay past this one, but I needed a 10th item. Disposable diapers cost a fortune nearly 20 years ago. I'm sure the price has only gone up. Consider using cloth diapers. Better for the environment and your wallet.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Tithing & Saving
I heard a great radio program the other day. Focus on the family featured Amie Streater. I would suggest checking it out. You can listen at focusonthefamily.com. Go to daily broadcasts for March 18th, the title is Breaking Free From Bad Money Habits. One thing that Amie suggested made perfect sense to me and I plan to put it into practice very soon.
The subject of tithing and saving. Ideally, the goal is to tithe 10%, save 10% & and live on 80%. Now we do ok in the tithing department, but the saving could definitely use some work. Her strategy basically boils down to this. Start where you are. If you don't give or save anything, you're not going to all of a sudden be able to jump in to 10-10-80. But you can start giving 1%, saving 1% and living on 98%. Do that for a month. Then bump it to 2%, 2%, 96%. Keep inching your way toward your goal and in less than a year you will be at the coveted 10-10-80.
Like I said, we are already doing fine in the tithing, but we definitely need to work on the savings. My plan is to start this month by saving 1% of our income. Then next month 2%. To make this more practical, I've set up an automatic transfer from our savings to our checking to occur every payday when the direct deposit goes in. It will come right off the top and hopefully we won't even miss it. Just remember to record the transfer every week. That may be the tricky part!
The subject of tithing and saving. Ideally, the goal is to tithe 10%, save 10% & and live on 80%. Now we do ok in the tithing department, but the saving could definitely use some work. Her strategy basically boils down to this. Start where you are. If you don't give or save anything, you're not going to all of a sudden be able to jump in to 10-10-80. But you can start giving 1%, saving 1% and living on 98%. Do that for a month. Then bump it to 2%, 2%, 96%. Keep inching your way toward your goal and in less than a year you will be at the coveted 10-10-80.
Like I said, we are already doing fine in the tithing, but we definitely need to work on the savings. My plan is to start this month by saving 1% of our income. Then next month 2%. To make this more practical, I've set up an automatic transfer from our savings to our checking to occur every payday when the direct deposit goes in. It will come right off the top and hopefully we won't even miss it. Just remember to record the transfer every week. That may be the tricky part!
Friday, March 18, 2011
Plan Ahead
One thing I'm working on is planning my spending. This includes everything from making (and following) a grocery list to saving up for big ticket items.
The first I'm tackling is groceries. I find if I have to stop a few times a week to pick up bread or milk or what ever... I end up spending much more than the weeks when I plan ahead and shop wisely.
On my good weeks when I'm at the top of my game, I sit down on Sunday afternoon or Monday evening and go through the Sunday paper. I clip coupons and go through the ads. (If you don't have a good coupon organizer, I would suggest investing in one. You can usually buy them at the dollar store, or the bargain bins at Target or Walmart) I also check the store and coupon websites. I try to find as many coupons and deals as I can to match up to the items on my list. I keep a separate envelope with my grocery list of the items I've matched. I also note on my list what coupons I have to go with each item. This really doesn't take as much time as it sounds. With practice it gets faster and easier. I usually only spend between 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. Rarely an hour.
This is also a good time to plan your dinners for the week. The items on the front page of the ads are usually "teasers". These are really good deals to lure you in to the store where they're hoping you will spend more money on impulse buying.... remember to stick to your list! If you plan your meals around the top sale items you will save money. Also, if it's a really good deal, stock up your freezer for the weeks when the sales aren't so good. Remember to add side dishes and ingredients for the menu items you plan to your list.
Some items you can find coupons for just by googling the product. Go to their website. I have found coupons for coffee creamer, laundry soap, cereal, just about anything. It can't hurt to look, right? Just type "coupon/kellogg" or coffee-mate or arm&hammer, or whatever name brand product you're looking for.
Be sure to check out the store brand products. Many times the prices for these items can't be beat by the name brands, even with a sale and a coupon. Often the quality is just as good as the expensive name brands.
The best days to shop are Tuesdays or Wednesdays. Now I work full time, so I have to go in the evening, and I know how difficult it is to give up an evening to do groceries, but the reward is a free Saturday morning! ...And you get better deals in the middle of the week. By the time Saturday comes around, many of the deals are sold out or picked over. Stores usually stock their shelves in the beginning of the week, so Tuesday or Wednesday works great. If you do go on Saturday and miss a deal, be sure to ask for a rain check.
When an item is on sale, stock up! This may mean a little more out of pocket immediately, but in the long run... you know you're going to use toothpaste eventually! And you won't have to buy it when it's full price. Be careful that you only stock up on things that will last and things that you will use. A good deal isn't saving you money if it sits in your pantry and never gets used.
One way I keep my grocery spending under control is to use cash. I determine how much to spend weekly or bi-weekly and withdraw that money on payday. I keep this amount separate from my carry around cash and roll whatever is left over to the next week or use it to pick up those inevitable "extras" that may have been forgotten. (I'm working on eliminating those) If you've started a budget, you can determine this amount from there. (mint.com if you haven't checked it out yet)
There are also sites out there that help you co-ordinate coupons with sales.
I've listed some coupon sites below. There are many more out there.
couponbug.com
coupons.com
couponmom.com
savingaddiction.com
The first I'm tackling is groceries. I find if I have to stop a few times a week to pick up bread or milk or what ever... I end up spending much more than the weeks when I plan ahead and shop wisely.
On my good weeks when I'm at the top of my game, I sit down on Sunday afternoon or Monday evening and go through the Sunday paper. I clip coupons and go through the ads. (If you don't have a good coupon organizer, I would suggest investing in one. You can usually buy them at the dollar store, or the bargain bins at Target or Walmart) I also check the store and coupon websites. I try to find as many coupons and deals as I can to match up to the items on my list. I keep a separate envelope with my grocery list of the items I've matched. I also note on my list what coupons I have to go with each item. This really doesn't take as much time as it sounds. With practice it gets faster and easier. I usually only spend between 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. Rarely an hour.
This is also a good time to plan your dinners for the week. The items on the front page of the ads are usually "teasers". These are really good deals to lure you in to the store where they're hoping you will spend more money on impulse buying.... remember to stick to your list! If you plan your meals around the top sale items you will save money. Also, if it's a really good deal, stock up your freezer for the weeks when the sales aren't so good. Remember to add side dishes and ingredients for the menu items you plan to your list.
Some items you can find coupons for just by googling the product. Go to their website. I have found coupons for coffee creamer, laundry soap, cereal, just about anything. It can't hurt to look, right? Just type "coupon/kellogg" or coffee-mate or arm&hammer, or whatever name brand product you're looking for.
Be sure to check out the store brand products. Many times the prices for these items can't be beat by the name brands, even with a sale and a coupon. Often the quality is just as good as the expensive name brands.
The best days to shop are Tuesdays or Wednesdays. Now I work full time, so I have to go in the evening, and I know how difficult it is to give up an evening to do groceries, but the reward is a free Saturday morning! ...And you get better deals in the middle of the week. By the time Saturday comes around, many of the deals are sold out or picked over. Stores usually stock their shelves in the beginning of the week, so Tuesday or Wednesday works great. If you do go on Saturday and miss a deal, be sure to ask for a rain check.
When an item is on sale, stock up! This may mean a little more out of pocket immediately, but in the long run... you know you're going to use toothpaste eventually! And you won't have to buy it when it's full price. Be careful that you only stock up on things that will last and things that you will use. A good deal isn't saving you money if it sits in your pantry and never gets used.
One way I keep my grocery spending under control is to use cash. I determine how much to spend weekly or bi-weekly and withdraw that money on payday. I keep this amount separate from my carry around cash and roll whatever is left over to the next week or use it to pick up those inevitable "extras" that may have been forgotten. (I'm working on eliminating those) If you've started a budget, you can determine this amount from there. (mint.com if you haven't checked it out yet)
There are also sites out there that help you co-ordinate coupons with sales.
I've listed some coupon sites below. There are many more out there.
couponbug.com
coupons.com
couponmom.com
savingaddiction.com
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
The dirty B word....
It's not what you're probably thinking... it's BUDGET
I am as reluctant as anyone to make and stick to a budget, but I'm going to try... again. The first thing I have done is keep track of all my spending for the last 90 days.
I found a free site that will link all of my banks, accounts and credit cards and it's working pretty well. I have been using mint.com. There are others out there like it. Check with your bank, some offer similar sites for free. The hardest part was going back through the last 90 days and categorizing all of my transactions. It took a little while to familiarize myself with my accounts and transactions, but I have it all organized now and it's working great! Remember to go back in regularly to label new transactions.
There are other budget tools out there. You can search them online. Be careful that a site is secure before you enter your personal information.
For years I have also used an excel spreadsheet to log all of my monthly payments. This comes in handy in knowing what is due each month, helps you to see where your money goes and even serves as a notice if a bill is lost in the mail. Simply list all of your payments along the left of the page and the months Jan - Dec across the top. Be sure to leave some blank spaces to add payments you might have forgotten or new ones that come along. Be sure to include your mortgage/rent, utilities, credit cards, loans, anything that you pay regularly. Simply pull it out each time you pay bills. I keep mine in a small pencil box where I put all of my bills when they come in the mail.
Now comes the hard part... sticking to it!
I am as reluctant as anyone to make and stick to a budget, but I'm going to try... again. The first thing I have done is keep track of all my spending for the last 90 days.
I found a free site that will link all of my banks, accounts and credit cards and it's working pretty well. I have been using mint.com. There are others out there like it. Check with your bank, some offer similar sites for free. The hardest part was going back through the last 90 days and categorizing all of my transactions. It took a little while to familiarize myself with my accounts and transactions, but I have it all organized now and it's working great! Remember to go back in regularly to label new transactions.
There are other budget tools out there. You can search them online. Be careful that a site is secure before you enter your personal information.
For years I have also used an excel spreadsheet to log all of my monthly payments. This comes in handy in knowing what is due each month, helps you to see where your money goes and even serves as a notice if a bill is lost in the mail. Simply list all of your payments along the left of the page and the months Jan - Dec across the top. Be sure to leave some blank spaces to add payments you might have forgotten or new ones that come along. Be sure to include your mortgage/rent, utilities, credit cards, loans, anything that you pay regularly. Simply pull it out each time you pay bills. I keep mine in a small pencil box where I put all of my bills when they come in the mail.
Now comes the hard part... sticking to it!
Friday, March 4, 2011
Join the Club!
In today's economy, I'm sure it's no surprise that everyone is cutting back. This has inspired businesses to get creative. They want you to visit their places and spend money and they're willing to give you amazing deals to get you to do so. One way they do this is to offer rewards clubs. You can get deals on everything from gas to groceries and everything in between just by signing up with your favorite places to visit and shop. Most have online registration, so look up the gas stations, grocery stores, department stores, coffee shops, restaurants and anywhere else you frequent. If you can't find them online, ask next time you're there. My husband and I have gotten several $100 gas cards for FREE over the years just for joining the club and swiping our card everytime we buy gas that we were going to buy anyway. We've gotten free appetizers, movies, popcorn, desserts, coffee... the list goes on. Beware of the places that want you to sign up for a credit card to get their deals. Be sure that you can pay off your balance monthly before you sign up. A free coffee isn't really free if you're paying interest on your gas! We'll talk more about credit cards another day. For now... get out there and join the club! Or clubs!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
One way I've learned to save money on things I buy anyway is collective coupon groups. These groups purchase deals in groups and pass them on to members. I recently bought $20 certificates for $10! These are available for restaurants, salons, car services, just about anything. Some of the ones I have found are linked below. Check them out.
Groupon -
http://www.groupon.com/r/uu18719694
Seize the Deal -
Living Social Deals -
https://livingsocial.com/redeem_invite/27160972-cindym?ref=lnk
Groupon -
http://www.groupon.com/r/uu18719694
Seize the Deal -
Living Social Deals -
https://livingsocial.com/redeem_invite/27160972-cindym?ref=lnk
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