Money Saving Monday #35 - Know Your Prices

My sister and I always head out to shop the day after Thanksgiving, but we don't get up early. I check the ads, and we head out when we are ready -- usually around 10 or 11 AM. While I didn't get the $3 pajamas this year, we did find a few good deals that were still available. At that time of day, we usually don't have to wait in line either!

One store we visited had a long line for checkout after noon, which surprised me.  I was especially surprised when I noticed that many of their 50% off sales took the prices of items all the way down to more than the regular price at most other stores.  Which means those people snapping up tiny Disney princesses were thinking they were getting a deal - when the regular price was $1 less at another local store.

It's important to know prices if you want to ensure getting the best deal. Stores can offer the exact same product at a wide range of prices. Just yesterday, Colin chose a new ornament for our tree that was marked at $7.97.  A second store we visited had the exact same ornament for $19.99.

I've kept a grocery price list in the past (and keep meaning to create a new one), which helped me find the best deals on groceries and get an idea of sales cycles.  In the same spirit, I rarely buy something the first time I see it so I can check prices.  I check prices at a few different stores, as well as online, to try and find the best price.

If you have a smart phone, you can check prices using your phone.  The google phones allow you to scan an ISBN and it will show you prices at local stores, as well as online. With my iPhone, I usually check Amazon for pricing if it's something I haven't seen before.

Keeping lists and tracking prices is an excellent way to make sure you get the most for your money!

Money Saving Monday #34 - Bakery Outlets

In our family of five, we can go through an entire loaf of bread during one lunch, especially if the boys have more than one sandwich.  I know it would be less expensive to make our bread from scratch, but my kids prefer store-bought bread for sandwiches.  (And I don't have the time to bake bread regularly.)

We have a bakery outlet near us, where we can purchase loaves of bread for around $1/loaf most days. They are the same breads in the grocery stores that cost $3 - 5/loaf, but they usually are close to their stale-date.  In my house, that's okay because it doesn't last long anyway!!

I like when my husband stops to pick up the bread, because I rarely make the time to shop at a store where I can only purchase one thing -- especially when I have the kids with me. I like to multi-task a bit more while shopping, but I do like the savings!!

Money Saving Monday #33 - Reducing Paper

How expensive are paper towels in your area?  A lower-cost paper towel roll in my area costs around $1.50 a roll.  And, if I buy the lower-cost rolls, they fall apart and I have to use twice as many to complete the job, so they aren't really cheaper to use.

A couple months ago I decided to stop buying paper towels.  At Target, I saw a pack of washclothes that were $3.50 for eight. I bought two packs and put them in the kitchen drawer with my kitchen towels.  Then, I spent $1 and bought a small bucket to keep in the cupboard behind the trash can.

Instead of reaching for a paper towel, I reach for a cloth rag. When the rag is dirty, I throw it in the bucket, and then throw the bucket of rags in the washing machine every few days with another load.

I wish I could say that I completely stopped using paper towels, but we still do use them for things like bacon grease.  I have, however, significantly reduced the amount of paper towels we use!  Instead of going through 2 - 4 / month, we now go through 1 every couple months.

The next step for us is getting rid of paper napkins.  I have cloth napkins -- we just have to get in the habit of using them!

Money Saving Monday #32 - Making Lists

As Christmas gets closer and closer, my gift closet begins to fill up. In order to stay on budget, I depend on my lists.  I usually start my Christmas list in January, but rarely touch it until now.

My Christmas list is a spreadsheet that holds individual sheets for Christmas cards, gifts, gifts received, and schedules.  The Christmas card list includes all the addresses of people we send cards to each year.  The gift list includes everyone who we will purchase a gift for, gift ideas, gifts purchased, if they've been wrapped, sent, or given.  The gifts received records gifts we have received and when thank you notes were sent.  Finally, the schedule includes things like ordering Christmas cards, dates and cost of holiday events, cookie baking days and more.

Tracking the gifts is very important.  It allows me to keep track of ideas in one spot, and it allows me to record when I've purchased something early and put it away. I keep a running total at all times, so I can see how much is left in my budget.  The list makes sure that I don't go overboard, and that I don't forget anything either.  It also helps me stay on track with wrapping and shipping gifts.

Especially when money is tight, this approach allows me to spread out the spending and keep it under control.  I'm sure that more people than ever are heading into this holiday season worried about how much they'll spend. We will continue to spend only cash, and our budget will be lean this year.  Careful planning will make our holidays as special as ever!

Money Saving Monday #31 - Clearance!

For Halloween, we gave out Halloween themed pencils and dum-dum lollipops.  The pencils I purchased after last Halloween for $1.50 for 90 pencils. I put them away on the shelf where I keep these things, and pulled them out for Halloween.  My kids were mortified that I was giving away pencils, so I also bought a big bag of dum-dum suckers.

I took our Christmas card photo this weekend.  My boys each wore an adorable holiday tie that I picked up last year after New Year's.  The ties which sold for $15 during the season cost me $2.40!

Clearance sales are a great way to plan ahead for future holidays. If you're like me, and sometimes buy things for the future and then completely forget about them, I'll share my trick.  I put a note in my calendar!  I use Google calendar to plan our lives, so I scheduled an event for October 1 about Halloween pencils.  Google will email you about your events if you set it up, so on October 1 I received an email reminding me that I had a stash of Halloween pencils in the house!

I headed out yesterday morning to see what I could find for Halloween clearance this year, and the shelves were pretty bare already.  I think retailers purchased less inventory this year, so there is less to clearance.  If you want to catch some deals, I suggest heading out today and seeing what you can find! 

Money Saving Monday #30 - Energy!

Saving energy is good for your pocketbook, as well as the environment.  It's never a good idea to waste energy, but most people choose to conserve energy in order to save money.  That's okay -- because those efforts that save money also help conserve energy being used.

We all have chargers around the house for our various portable devices.  How often do you unplug those chargers?  I make a conscious effort to unplug ours, but I'm the only one in the house that does so.  Some people think that it is such a small amount of energy that it can't make much difference, but all those small amounts can add up to a large amount over time -- especially when considering multiple chargers!

Did you know that in the US alone, $10 billion is wasted by power being wasted by devices on standby?

Chargers are not the only culprits of standby power -- computers, televisions, stereo equipment, home entertainment equipment, kitchen appliances -- even though they are turned off they can still pull a little power from the outlet. The best way to stop that is to unplug the device from the wall when not in use, or use power strips and be sure to turn the power strip off when the devices are not being used.

The website, Vampire Power Sucks, has lots of information and a calculator to help determine how much energy you may be wasting.  As an added bonus of visiting the site, you can enter their Augmented Reality page and enter a chance to win a year's worth of electricity for your home!  (That would be a money-saving tactic, now wouldn't it?)

If you have kids, the Department of Energy has a great site to help you share information with your kids about saving energy and different ways they can help. While parents have to be good role models, sites like this can provide great information in simple ways to help them get on board with saving energy.  Lydia especially likes Tinkerbell on that site!

I ordered a Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor so that we can see exactly how much energy plugged in devices in our home use, even when turned off.  As soon as it arrives, I'll be updating you with what I've found out!  I'm hoping that my family will be more willing to unplug things once they see actual numbers of how much power is being wasted. I am also looking into using chargers that actually stop pulling power when they've charged the device, and can't wait to see how they compare to traditional chargers.

There is much we can do to conserve energy, but I believe in making many small changes over time, which will add up to one large difference.  Our first step is to reduce vampire power drainage from our home!  What are you doing to conserve energy?

Money Saving Monday #29 - Libraries!

How often do you go to the library?  We go at least once a week, sometimes twice!  Our library has limited hours, which means we have to plan well in order to make it there when it's open, but I love the library and always have!

I read many, many books throughout the year.  For a while, I was tracking the books on this blog, and I would often read 15 - 25 books a month. I think that's probably still true, maybe a bit higher when I consider books that I use for prepping a class.  Definitely higher when I count in children's books!

The library allows me to read a wide variety of books without investing a penny. I rarely buy fiction but borrow it from the library instead. I borrow cookbooks from the library before deciding to purchase them.  I borrow tons of non-fiction and research books from the library.

Colin loves to read series, and I encourage him to borrow them from the library whenever possible. Nate loves non-fiction books, and will often come home with books about robots, volcanoes, and how-to-draw. Bo likes to read mysteries and downloads books from the library to read on his Sony e-Reader.

Now, this doesn't mean I don't also buy books.  I receive Amazon gift certificates for some of the reviews I do on this blog, and they all go to buying books.  We currently have 30 shelves full of books in our home.  If I had to purchase ALL the books we read, however, we wouldn't be as well-read (or we'd be bankrupt!) 

In addition to books, we also borrow audiobooks and dvds from the library.  Our library has a page on their site giving an idea of how much money is saved by using the library.  When I filled it in (conservatively) we saved over $10,000 last year by using the library.  I knew it saved money using the library, but I didn't guess more than $10,000!

Libraries often have classes and events that are free, have a wide variety of magazines and newspapers available, and have computers available for use. They are a wonderful resource in communities, and a fantastic money saving place to visit!

Money Saving Monday #28 - Homemade Beef Jerky

My 7yo loves beef jerky.  He would ask for it at the store, but I always told him no, because I thought it was gross.  Bo would buy it for him, though, and we found out that he loved it.  I still said no in the store, though, because it seemed expensive.

Last year, my husband and Nate decided to use our dehydrator to make their own beef jerky.  It was delicious (I never thought I liked beef jerky, until I tried theirs!) Nate has recently been asking about it again, so when I saw that London Broil was $1.77 / lb this week, I picked some up so they could make more.

It is an easy recipe, and the taste is amazing. Plus, it is so much cheaper than buying it from the checkout lane. My husband removes as much fat as possible from the meat, then slices it into beef jerky-sized slices. They make a simple marinade (2/3 cup soy sauce, 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce, 1/3 cup brown sugar, few dashes of liquid smoke, some pepper, and a couple crushed garlic cloves) and let the beef marinade for 3 - 4 hours.  They put the beef onto the dehydrator and let it go for 6-10 hours.  We then package it up and enjoy!

If you don't have a dehydrator, you can also use your oven on low, with the door cracked just a bit. I'm not sure how long it would take, but I'm guessing 4-6 hours.

We gave it as gifts last year, and it was a hit!  I think it cost us about $10 this time to turn 3 lbs of London Broil into jerky -- which to me is quite the money saving venture!

Money Saving Monday #27 - Holidays and Gift Cards

Christmas is less than 3 months away.

I'll let that sink in for a second.

We always approach the holidays as a cash-only endeavor, and I have no plans to change that.  I plan carefully and spread out the spending during the months leading up to Christmas.

One thing that I have already started doing is picking up gift cards when I'm shopping.  At most grocery stores these days, you can buy a gift card for pretty much anyplace, but the smallest denomination is often $25.  Sometimes I want a card worth $25 or more, and it's so easy to add it to my grocery bill that day.  It's especially nice when I've managed to save that amount (or more) with coupons!

Gift cards in the $5 - $10 range are great to have on hand to give as tips, include in cards, or stuff stockings.  By picking them up during a regular shopping trip in the months leading up to Christmas, it helps spread out my holiday budget. Who doesn't like a $5 gift card to Starbucks?  Even though I don't drink coffee -- I do drink tea!

Have you started your Christmas / holiday shopping yet?  Some years I'm almost done by now, but I haven't really started yet this year.  I have just a few gift cards tucked away in my closet, but will start looking for deals and specials in the coming weeks!

Money Saving Monday #26 - Free Events

Outings as a family of five can be tough on a budget.  I try to keep costs under control by watching for free event.  This past Saturday, the Smithsonian magazine sponsored free museum admission for museums around the country.  This is a great way to visit a museum, but there's a chance that it might be extra-crowded since it is a free event.

Our county started a program last spring where library-card holders could receive a 4-person pass for a local museum. During the summer, those passes were hard to come by, but now that school is back in session, I've been able to grab two in the last couple months.

We headed over to the Heard Museum a few months ago, and the Arizona Science Center yesterday.  The number of passes is limited, and each one is good for just 7 days, so you have to plan carefully once you borrow a pass. I love this program, though, and will definitely continue to use it.  I hope that they extend the program beyond April!

Another thing to look for are free museums, or free places to visit. We had lived here for a few years before we discovered the Riparian Preserve.  During the cooler months, it's a great place to visit, spot local wildlife, and enjoy a wonderful walk.

We also enjoy geocaching -- which does require a GPS -- but once you have a GPS the cost is just gasoline for your car and maybe a few small trinkets.  My kids love the search for each cache, and it's a great way to be outdoors!


Getting out of the house doesn't have to mean spending lots of cash.  What resources do you use your area to save money while still visiting new places?

Money Saving Monday #25 - Dual Uses

I never seem to use as much conditioner as I do shampoo, and I like to change shampoos every time we need a new bottle. While I could continue to use the conditioner with a new shampoo bottle, then they'd never match up and the scents would be off. (I thought I was crazy that this bugged me, until I read in Oprah recently about how it doesn't matter if you choose shampoo & conditioner from different lines, but if you do you might have a scent clash.)

In order to use up conditioner, I use it to shave my legs! Conditioner is a great substitute for shaving cream, and the entire bottle gets used up, no matter what I'm using on my head!  This tip goes right along with my tip from long ago about shaving daily.  I still do that, and it definitely still makes my life easier!

What products perform double duty for you? 

Money Saving Monday #24 - Grocery Store Savings

You can't get away from spending money on food, and it can be time-consuming to plan purchases to save the maximum amount of money. I haven't been as diligent as I should be about groceries -- I used to keep a price book; shop only sales; use coupons religiously. I have gotten sloppy, and our grocery budget reflects it!

I decided to get our food budget back under control this fall, and started with my shopping trip last night.

I couldn't get a better picture, but this is a shot of my receipt from last night's grocery run. I saved $135.65 between coupons and store specials, and spent $193.06.  I purchased 103 items, so it averaged out to about $2/item. I bought only things that we would regularly purchase, and everything that we'll use.  I was fortunate that I had a few coupons for free items, which helped bump that figure up.

I had a coupon for free bacon - which was worth $4.69 and a free Oscar Mayer Lunchable - which was worth $3.50.

It also helped that the store was offering quadruple coupons this weekend (up to $1) and also accepted competitor's coupons.  I had a bunch of coupons that were about to expire, so I used them and enjoyed the savings.

One thing that I noticed is that stores are definitely starting to limit the brands they offer. I had coupons for Musselman's applesauce, but the store I visited only stocked Mott's and the store brand. That happened with a frozen treat as well -- they only stocked the Dreyer's brand of whole fruit bars.

The thing that helped the most was that my sister came shopping with me.  She usually does, and it helps because she helps keep Lydia entertained while we shop. If I hadn't her help, there's no way I could have successfully used coupons last night.

I feel like I know many of the money-savings tactics for groceries, but the time factor required has overwhelmed me recently. I need at least an hour each week just to plan grocery trips -- reviewing ads, planning meals, reviewing coupons.  And then it's always at least 90 minutes in the store.

How do YOU find the time to save money at the grocery store?  I know the mechanics of saving money (coupons, where to find more coupons, sales, price books, price matching, loss leaders, etc.) Even though I know that, I'm not putting the things I know into practice right now. I'm curious about your strategies and would love to hear from you!

Money Saving Monday #23 - Selling Books

We did a bit of cleaning yesterday, and I filled a plastic tote with books that we've either outgrown, or were no longer interested in. I tend to do this every few months, and it seems I can always fill a bin (or 2 or 3). What can I tell you? We love to read in this family!

Even though we use the library quite a bit, there are still books that we pick up when out, or that we purchase because our library doesn't carry them (anything published after 2002, for instance -- ok, it's not that bad, but budget cuts have definitely affected library shelves.)

I do like to purchase reference books -- and of course, I purchase tons of books for the kids to help encourage their reading. Today, though, I filled a bin with books we don't need to keep in our home any longer.

This week, I'll take them over to Bookman's and whatever they don't take, I'll take to Half Price Books. I've found that Bookman's will give me a better price, but they are much more picky than Half Price. Half Price, however, will take pretty much anything -- so I won't have to lug them home again.

I like Bookman's and Half Price Books because I can have cash in hand and the books out of my house in one short afternoon. Bookman's will offer me store credit for a larger amount than the cash offer -- which I do take when there are specific books that I need to purchase.

Another way to turn your books into cash is to sell them via ebay, half.com or Amazon. I would probably earn larger returns doing that, but it would mean listing all the books, selling them separately, storing them during the sale, packaging them for mailing, going to the post office . . . and then I'd be at Bookman's or Half Price in a month with whatever didn't sell. At this point in my life, it's more important that the books are out of my home (and I make a little cash.)

Money Saving Monday #22 - Links That Help Save

Today, I thought I'd do a bit of linky-love to my favorite blogs / sites that help me save money throughout the year. These blogs / sites devote themselves to sharing great deals and scoping out new offers all day, every day! I'm indebted to them for helping me save time and money.

• Freebies for Mom (Heather seems relentless in finding and sharing great deals. She seems like a real sweetie, too!)
  
• Baby Cheapskates (this site is especially good for helping find diaper deals. Now that we're done with diapers, I still read to find great deals on other products and for ideas I can pass along to friends with smaller kids)
• Money Saving Methods (Not only does she share great tips and deals, but she also shares her personal savings / earnings each month utilizing the tips/tricks she shares. Very enlighening!)
• Mommy Savers (This was one of the first sites I stumbled across years ago when I started staying home and trying to save more money. It's a site with discussion forums and lots of great info.)
• Suddenly Frugal (This site has moved a few times in the last few months and I finally found it again and remembered to bookmark it. She has great ideas and I'm glad that I found her again!)
• Moms Love Shopping (Ok, I'm a contributor there, so I'm a bit biased. But I think I add some great deals over there, and I offer honest reviews of products my family uses. Chele and her sister Kacie also offer great reviews and bargains, plus Chele has a funny and informative weekly podcast.)
  

I know there are many, many other money-saving blogs out there, but these are the ones I have in my reader and that I have found to be consistent and helpful. If you have a favorite, feel free to add it in the comments!

Money Saving Monday #21

As a freelancer, I often have dribs and drabs of money coming in. When I'm paid via PayPal, the money is easy to keep track of, but when I receive checks, I sometimes misplace them.

I *try* to put all checks received in the same place when they arrive, but I confess that I fell down on that a couple weeks ago and misplaced a medium-sized check and one tiny check. I knew that the clients had paid me, but I couldn't find the checks to deposit!

Losing a check is definitely NOT a money saving tactic, especially when you need that check to pay the electric bill. Thankfully, I did find both checks (in two different places!) this morning.

My tip for this week is to always put checks and other funds in the same place as soon as you receive them! This will save you money (you can deposit the funds and pay bills without late fees!) and save face (how embarrassing if I had to contact my clients and let them know I misplaced their checks?)

Money Saving Monday #20

Saturday, we visited a local museum and had a lovely day. On the way home, a truck drove by us on the freeway and started pointing at the front of our van. Bo got off at the next exit, and we found one of our front tires quickly going flat.

He filled it with air, but the damage was such that it wouldn't hold air so he had to put the spare tire on. (as an aside -- I'm so glad he was driving when this happened and not me!) Nate was excited because he got to help his dad change the tire.

We took a trip to Wal-Mart, because we had purchased our tires there last, and had the road hazard warranty.

The road hazard warranty is $10/tire and covers road hazards and flats. Wal-Mart will pro-rate the cost of the tire based on remaining tread -- if the damage is not to the sidewall of the tire and is covered under their rules. They will also repair a flat at no charge, if the flat can be repaired.

It turned out that they applied $22 towards the cost of a new tire for the damaged tire and we replaced 2 more tires in addition as long as we were there. The question was -- is the road hazard warranty worth it?

Last time we also purchased 3 tires (no, I'm not exactly sure why we seem to replace 3 at a time -- the van does have 4 tires) and we opted for the road hazard warranty. It cost $30 for the three tires, and we got $22 back.

That doesn't seem worth it, does it? We've almost always purchased the road hazard warranty -- but the last time it didn't apply at all because of side wall damage. We decided to refuse it this time and saved $30. Even if we do have a flat -- the cost of repair is $9.50. That's less than the road hazard warranty! This warranty hasn't been a money-saving offer for us.

Money Saving Monday #19

I had a pleasant surprise on Saturday when I stopped at Paradise Bakery to buy lunch for my sister and me. When they rang up our meals, and I handed over my loyalty card, they let me know that I had earned a free meal and a free drink! It's great when that happens!

Loyalty cards help businesses track what people buy, which helps them create specials, discounts, and make merchandising decisions. It also allows them to provide specific discounts and specials to loyal customers.

I have quite a few loyalty cards, and I use them because they are money-makers for my budget. This weekend, I earned a free lunch. Last week, I received a $10 reward from Office Max for past purchases. I also have loyalty cards for Pet Smart, Lakeshore Learning, Best Buy, Staples and all the local grocery stores. Fry's Grocery Stores (part of Kroger) sends me customized coupons once a month or so based on my past purchases.

You can register for most loyalty cards online, or take an extra few minutes while checking out to sign up. As long as you remember to use them when you checkout, the savings add up over a year!

Money Saving Monday #18

When I shop online, (and it's not Amazon), I always search for promotional or coupon codes before I process my order. Usually I type "coupon code" and the name of the store I'm shopping at into my search bar in order to find those money-savings codes. You can often find codes for percentages off, free shipping, or sometimes even free with purchase offers.

It takes a few extra minutes, but overall it's well worth the time spent. Recently, I've started visiting Coupon Chief to look for coupon codes. At their home page, they list popular and new coupons. You can also search for codes for any store.

Coupon Chief has more than 40,000 coupons for over 8,000 stores right now -- making it one of the largest coupon code databases.

I like that they offer an email subscription so I can receive a newsletter in my inbox reminding me of their service and letting me know what new coupons are available.

They also offer an interesting program that pays you if you upload coupon codes that others use. Their Pay-2-Share program will pay you 2% of all sales made via the coupon you upload, for the stores that participate in the program (and there are tons it looks like!)

The next time you shop online, don't forget to search for a coupon code!

Money Saving Monday #17

Today I stopped at Bath & Body Works to see what was left from their big semi-annual clearance sale. It was the last day, and I was hoping for some great deals.

They had a few 90% off items, as well as some 75% off items that I picked up. They also had a special "buy 3 get 3 free" for bath gels, lotions and body sprays.

I walked out with 6 bottles of bath gel, 1 bottle of lotion, 1 bottle of hand soap, 1 bottle of body spray and 3 bottles of anti-bac for only $34.35. The total retail cost was over $100!

One of the reasons I paid so little was because I had a coupon that they sent me in the mail for $10 off $30. When I received it, I immediately put it in my coupon wallet, which I keep in my purse. This way, whenever I am out, I have my coupons with me!

I also take the few minutes to fill out surveys that are included at the bottom of receipts. I rarely call the ones that offer the "chance" to win a gift certificate, but I always fill out the ones that offer $$$ off a future purchase. My receipt today offered a code for $10 off $30, and a recent restaurant visit offered $3 off a future visit. These codes usually have close expiration dates, so keep track of those.

I keep these receipts in my coupon wallet as well. It helps me always have the chance to save money when I'm out -- even if I didn't plan a visit to a particular store. I have a cute coupon wallet I received as a gift, but even an envelope tucked into your purse with coupons can help you save!

Money Saving Monday #16

Our hot tub has been broken for about 6 months. We had it installed around the same time we had our pool dug a couple summers ago, and it is my favorite part of our yard. We use it year-round and I love the heat of the water.

Unfortunately, the economy here in Arizona continues to plummet and both the swimming pool and hot tub company are bankrupt. While we had a 5 year warranty, once the company went bankrupt, the warranty no longer existed. (As a side note -- both these companies had been in business over 15 years and were well established in the community. The hot tub company even manufactured all their own tubs locally. Such a loss!)

My money saving tip for today is to marry someone handy. LOL! If my husband wasn't so handy with tools and mechanical things, our hot tub would still be broken! Instead, thanks to his skills, information on the internet, and parts from ebay -- my hot tub is working once again!

So, while it definitely helps to marry a handy person, my real tip is to do the research and try to make repairs yourself. Bo performed research on the internet and had a pretty good idea of what was wrong. He then searched ebay and found the part he believed we needed. When it arrived, he took apart the heater, replaced the bad part, and re-filled our hot tub.

Obviously, if you have no mechanical or technical skills, then a professional should be consulted. I'm grateful that my husband has auto mechanic skills from his time in the Air Force, and has hvac and electrical skills from his years in the industry. Having those skills has saved us thousands of dollars over the years.

The hot tub feels glorious! I know that it's 110 around here right now. I still like sitting in the hot tub in the evenings! And our pool is only a few steps away if it does get too hot.

(This picture is of our backyard. The hot tub is to the right. I do feel a bit spoiled when I look at how nice it is!)