I was raised that it is taboo to talk about money . . . how much we make, how much we spend, how much debt someone is carrying. Well, in writing this blog I pretty much threw that right out of the window, but I still find myself closing down a bit when people are trying to talk to me about money. I am throwing out the savings ideas left and right, but today when I am getting my hair cut, the hair stylist is talking to me about saving money because she is saving for a car. She starts to tell me a bit about how she ran up some credit cards at 18 years old and is still paying them off. Did I jump in and start giving her some of my ideas, did I at least offer that I had done the same thing when I was 18 years old? Nope, I just sat there and listened. I did offer that I was writing a blog on the subject, she seemed interested, but for some reason I did not say another word about it. I swear that there is a little person that sits on my shoulder saying, "You shouldn't be talking about this, it's not right". I would like to squish that little guy, because here I sit regretting that I didn't pipe up and try to help her.
The point today is to talk about it. Talk to your friends, talk to your family, talk to anyone who will listen, because many of us have been taught not to talk about finances and money. BUT . . . I have found that my friends have some great tips, and each one does things a little different that if we put all the ideas into a plan of action, we could dig ourselves right out of debt. One of my friends uses Ebates.com when she buys diapers from diapers.com. She tells me that the diapers there are the cheapest around, and they offer free shipping. By using Ebates, she gets money back just for purchasing the items that she needs to buy anyway. My other friend collects the Pampers rewards and earns enough to get a diapers.com gift card from time to time, and even gets the rewards from her daycare to earn more. Hey, if no one is using them, why shouldn't she??
As a side note, to save money lately on my beauty routine, I have stopped highlighting my hair cold turkey. I have been coloring and getting my hair done on a monthly basis since I was 15, and now is the time to stop. Just by getting my hair only cut and styled today instead of highlighting it, I saved over $100. Since I would normally spend over $150.00 at the salon to get my hair done, I'm now spending more like $50! Super bonus, I am going to be posting a note next week of some of the salons in the area and their prices. We all know that it's so hard to comparison shop for your hair-do, so we just pay what they tell us to. Today that stops, let's be informed Bluffton consumers instead!
Friday, September 3, 2010
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Coupons Coupons and More Coupons
If you picked up your Sunday paper this week, then you got the P&G coupon booklet, right???? Great coupons this week, and the big bonus is the Coupon Booklet that you can receive from P&G which they are claiming is worth $110 in savings. Thankfully, I have been saving my receipts each week so that I can comparison shop and look back at prices and savings; so I am already in the habit of sticking them in a safe place.
In order to receive this coupon booklet, you need to spend at least $50 on P&G items between 08/20/10 and 12/31/10. I use Tide and Pampers, and can tell you that I spend close to $80 per month on diapers so I don't see this being a problem at all. Other qualifying items that you may already buy include Crest, Bounty, Cascade, Charmin, Downey, and Duracell batteries. Heck just in getting a hurricane supply bin together you could probably rack up enough items to get this coupon book. The Mail In Form appeared on the 2nd page of the P&G coupons, but if you didn't have a chance to get the Sunday paper this week, there is a link to the form that you can use at www.southernsavers.com.
This Sunday when I went to Publix, I used $18.00 in coupons alone, I was so proud of myself because really that's the equivalent of a package of diapers for me, or a manicure but who's really keeping tabs on that :)
In order to receive this coupon booklet, you need to spend at least $50 on P&G items between 08/20/10 and 12/31/10. I use Tide and Pampers, and can tell you that I spend close to $80 per month on diapers so I don't see this being a problem at all. Other qualifying items that you may already buy include Crest, Bounty, Cascade, Charmin, Downey, and Duracell batteries. Heck just in getting a hurricane supply bin together you could probably rack up enough items to get this coupon book. The Mail In Form appeared on the 2nd page of the P&G coupons, but if you didn't have a chance to get the Sunday paper this week, there is a link to the form that you can use at www.southernsavers.com.
This Sunday when I went to Publix, I used $18.00 in coupons alone, I was so proud of myself because really that's the equivalent of a package of diapers for me, or a manicure but who's really keeping tabs on that :)
Monday, August 30, 2010
Emptying my tank
Over the last year, Mint.com estimates that I have spent $6,600 in gas and fuel for a Toyota Tacoma and a Toyota Venza. Quick math will tell you that according to that information, I spend on average $550 per month, $126 per week, and $18 per day on gas alone. This was a shocking number for me, because I don't consider myself to be a commuter, nor do I think that we spend a great deal of time in the car at all. When I start to add all the auto amounts in my head, including car payments, insurance, maintenance, and gas . . . my heart begins to race as I come up with the number; we spend $52 per day on our cars. For now our car payments are set, we just changed our auto insurance company to lower the monthly costs, and my husband has started to change the oil in our cars himself. That really only leaves us with gas. I did a little research and found some tips for saving money on gas. I am going to start implementing some of them; I say some of them because you must know this about me . . . I love my car and I love to drive. In my car I come up with some of my greatest ideas, I can formulate answers to the biggest problems in my life, and when life gets a little crazy, I can turn up the music and jam my worries away! So knowing this, you must know that giving up driving entirely is not an option, but cutting back - Let's see, shall we:
1. Park in the first spot that you see, don't drive around finding one that is closer or more convenient (I am so guilty of this one, including the fact that I sometimes drop my husband at a store only to drive around the parking lot to lull the baby back to sleep)
2. Take care of your car - apparently cars that are well maintained run more efficiently and get better gas mileage (Oops, I am super guilty of this one, yes I am the girl that will let my car go 10,000 miles without an oil change.)
3. Find better gas prices - I use gasbuddy.com, but don't go overboard when looking for the cheapest gas because if you are driving further to get the better price, you could be spending more than you are saving.
4. Drive less (duh) - but the funny thing about this one is that we are all guilty of it. This is where you go to Target in the morning to get diapers, then head out later to Walgreens to pick up the prescription that you forgot to get earlier. Make a list of everything that you need to do and try to minimize trips.
How much do you spend in gas per day? I'll bet that you don't know. . . find out the answer and possibly find out the key to saving a little bit more money!
1. Park in the first spot that you see, don't drive around finding one that is closer or more convenient (I am so guilty of this one, including the fact that I sometimes drop my husband at a store only to drive around the parking lot to lull the baby back to sleep)
2. Take care of your car - apparently cars that are well maintained run more efficiently and get better gas mileage (Oops, I am super guilty of this one, yes I am the girl that will let my car go 10,000 miles without an oil change.)
3. Find better gas prices - I use gasbuddy.com, but don't go overboard when looking for the cheapest gas because if you are driving further to get the better price, you could be spending more than you are saving.
4. Drive less (duh) - but the funny thing about this one is that we are all guilty of it. This is where you go to Target in the morning to get diapers, then head out later to Walgreens to pick up the prescription that you forgot to get earlier. Make a list of everything that you need to do and try to minimize trips.
How much do you spend in gas per day? I'll bet that you don't know. . . find out the answer and possibly find out the key to saving a little bit more money!
Friday, August 27, 2010
Date Night In!
Planning a date night this weekend to save money on both the babysitter and going out in general. I want to make it nice enough so I'm not missing going out, so while I don't want to go too overboard in my spending, I want to buy nicer items that we normally wouldn't eat for dinner that might be on sale. Publix has small lobster tails on sale for $4.99 each, and grilling veggies on sale for 99 cents per pound. Any of the grilling veggies can be easily tossed in a little bit of olive oil with salt and pepper, then put them in the oven to roast at 425. Roasted veggies and lobster tails for dinner, now you're talking. If you're a steak person, they also have T-Bones and Porterhouse steaks on sale too. Bonus . . . Popcorn is on sale too - buy one get one free so a package is only $1.50. I think I'm gonna have to get some popcorn and a movie, (movie rentals from the machine at Publix are only $1/day and are new releases). For under $15, we can have a date night in with a lobster and roasted veggie dinner, with popcorn and a movie! Grab a bottle of wine from the wine rack and we are in business.
If Publix isn't your store of choice, most grocery stores have the movie rental machine, there is even one at the Parker's on 170. Another good tip that I learned is that grocery stores put their best sale items on the front page of the flyer, so you know it's a good buy if it's on the front page because it's meant to grab your attention.
If Publix isn't your store of choice, most grocery stores have the movie rental machine, there is even one at the Parker's on 170. Another good tip that I learned is that grocery stores put their best sale items on the front page of the flyer, so you know it's a good buy if it's on the front page because it's meant to grab your attention.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Fun Weekend Day Trips
As the weekend is approaching and I've been staying in town week after week to save money, I feel a little bit antsy so I decided to come up with a few day trips from Bluffton that won't break the bank. A day trip with the kids takes a little prior planning, but we can usually drum up some bags and get in the car pretty quickly when we put our mind to it.
Columbia is such an easy drive; only 2 hours and it really doesn't even feel that long, and such a great place to take the kids if you have never been there. They have a wonderful zoo, called the Riverbanks Zoo that boasts a carousel, a train ride, animals that you can feed if you get there in time, and pony rides too. The price is very reasonable for how large it is, Adults are $11.75, children ages 3 to 12 yrs are $9.25, and children under 3 are free. Senior citizens and military also receive extra discounts. Since my two kids are both under 3, it only costs us $23.50 for the day for entry to the park. If you happen to be able to go on a Tuesday this summer, they are offering 2 for 1 admission if you bring 2 cans with you for recycling. Rides and feeding the animals are anywhere from $1 to $5 per person in the zoo, but you really don't have to do those things if you don't want to. To save money on food, we would opt to pack a lunch and eat it on the way, or there is a picnic area near the zoo that you can use as well. The last time we went, we only bought a few snacks, but one of the cafes offered a tiger lunch box that included a PB&J sandwich, Teddygrams, and a juice box for $6.50. It was a super bonus because my toddler got a souvenir and a snack all for $6.50, not bad in a place like that. Check out the website to the zoo for more information:
http://www.riverbanks.org/
If it happens to be raining, head to the EdVenture Children's Museum, which is such a fun interactive place for little ones and their imagination. Children and Adults are $9.50 each, Seniors and military receive a discount, and children under 1 year are free. Our clan pays $28.50 for entry but it is well worth it to wear out our toddler and have a lot of fun ourselves. Again, I would recommend packing a lunch and eating on the way to save on funds, but they also have McDonalds inside if you don't want to stop somewhere on the way. Kids can grocery shop, climb through the worlds largest child, make a large variety of crafts, or go camping indoors!
http://www.edventure.org
Since a tank of gas for my car costs about $35.00, and I normally can get at least 4 hours or more of highway driving in, this entire trip costs no more than $75 for the day, if you don't want to pack your lunch or bring snacks for the car, you could still get to Columbia and back for under $100. So get packing, cause your going on a day trip this weekend!!
Columbia is such an easy drive; only 2 hours and it really doesn't even feel that long, and such a great place to take the kids if you have never been there. They have a wonderful zoo, called the Riverbanks Zoo that boasts a carousel, a train ride, animals that you can feed if you get there in time, and pony rides too. The price is very reasonable for how large it is, Adults are $11.75, children ages 3 to 12 yrs are $9.25, and children under 3 are free. Senior citizens and military also receive extra discounts. Since my two kids are both under 3, it only costs us $23.50 for the day for entry to the park. If you happen to be able to go on a Tuesday this summer, they are offering 2 for 1 admission if you bring 2 cans with you for recycling. Rides and feeding the animals are anywhere from $1 to $5 per person in the zoo, but you really don't have to do those things if you don't want to. To save money on food, we would opt to pack a lunch and eat it on the way, or there is a picnic area near the zoo that you can use as well. The last time we went, we only bought a few snacks, but one of the cafes offered a tiger lunch box that included a PB&J sandwich, Teddygrams, and a juice box for $6.50. It was a super bonus because my toddler got a souvenir and a snack all for $6.50, not bad in a place like that. Check out the website to the zoo for more information:
http://www.riverbanks.org/
If it happens to be raining, head to the EdVenture Children's Museum, which is such a fun interactive place for little ones and their imagination. Children and Adults are $9.50 each, Seniors and military receive a discount, and children under 1 year are free. Our clan pays $28.50 for entry but it is well worth it to wear out our toddler and have a lot of fun ourselves. Again, I would recommend packing a lunch and eating on the way to save on funds, but they also have McDonalds inside if you don't want to stop somewhere on the way. Kids can grocery shop, climb through the worlds largest child, make a large variety of crafts, or go camping indoors!
http://www.edventure.org
Since a tank of gas for my car costs about $35.00, and I normally can get at least 4 hours or more of highway driving in, this entire trip costs no more than $75 for the day, if you don't want to pack your lunch or bring snacks for the car, you could still get to Columbia and back for under $100. So get packing, cause your going on a day trip this weekend!!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Figs and Feedback
I knew as soon as I saw the ad in the Bluffton today that I would probably end up offending someone from Starbucks. Which of course I did, who decidedly called the Vox and complained that the headline for the article even appeared on the front page of the paper. Funny enough, in the article I did say how much I love Starbucks, how great the drive-through attendant is, and that it is in essence, my "happy place." Funny that this person even thinks that by my writing this article about cutting costs I have in essence put his/her job in jeopardy as well. Oh well, I guess you can't please everybody, but it could have just as easily been written about a cigarette company if I smoked, or Macy's if I was addicted to buying clothes. Anyhow back to saving money, in no particular order.
Figs . . . Have you ever eaten a fig? I'm sure that you have heard of Figgy Pudding, I think it's in Scrooge the movie and maybe even a Christmas song, but figs are super delicious. It just so happens that Figs are on sale at Publix, buy one get one free so if you only want one package (which is really all you need to buy at one time since they are very perishable), then they will only cost you $3.00. For figs, this is a great price since they normally run about $6.00 per pint in this area probably due to the fact that they are shipped all the way from California. Figs can be used in so many dishes, and are considered by some diet fanatics and nutritionists to be one of the super foods. This week, we are making a pizza with figs, prosciutto, and both fontina and mozzarella cheese. But since there are about 15 figs in the package, the pizza will only use 5. We will also be broiling them in the oven, drizzling them with honey and serving them over vanilla frozen yogurt for an "off my diet" treat.
If you happen to be having company this week or throwing a get together, buy a package of figs and stuff with cheese, then wrap with thin slices of prosciutto. Super easy and you will look like a gourmet chef. There are many recipes online, but any sweet or savory soft cheese will do just fine. You can serve them cold or pop them in the oven to crisp up the prosciutto and warm the cheese. I am getting hungry just thinking about it. Figs can also be frozen for up to about 10 months or so if you don't plan on using the entire package.
Figs . . . Have you ever eaten a fig? I'm sure that you have heard of Figgy Pudding, I think it's in Scrooge the movie and maybe even a Christmas song, but figs are super delicious. It just so happens that Figs are on sale at Publix, buy one get one free so if you only want one package (which is really all you need to buy at one time since they are very perishable), then they will only cost you $3.00. For figs, this is a great price since they normally run about $6.00 per pint in this area probably due to the fact that they are shipped all the way from California. Figs can be used in so many dishes, and are considered by some diet fanatics and nutritionists to be one of the super foods. This week, we are making a pizza with figs, prosciutto, and both fontina and mozzarella cheese. But since there are about 15 figs in the package, the pizza will only use 5. We will also be broiling them in the oven, drizzling them with honey and serving them over vanilla frozen yogurt for an "off my diet" treat.
If you happen to be having company this week or throwing a get together, buy a package of figs and stuff with cheese, then wrap with thin slices of prosciutto. Super easy and you will look like a gourmet chef. There are many recipes online, but any sweet or savory soft cheese will do just fine. You can serve them cold or pop them in the oven to crisp up the prosciutto and warm the cheese. I am getting hungry just thinking about it. Figs can also be frozen for up to about 10 months or so if you don't plan on using the entire package.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
A Fine Line
As I am waiting in line at Publix today, I have a girl and guy in front of me checking out. I can't help but look at what groceries are on the belt as I wait (C'mon, you know that you do this too). I notice that they have a plethora of hot dog buns, 6 cases of a variety of Dr. Pepper, and Totino's Pizza rolls galore. While I am standing there, the cashier begins to ring the coupons through, which takes no less than 10 or 15 minutes. Her stack of coupons is amazing, I can't take my eyes off the ones that just keep on coming. I am so utterly interested as to how many she really has and how much savings that this is going to add up to. The girl turns to me, nods and apologizes for the seemingly never ending scans of coupons. "I have my own large stack too, so I understand," I offer, but she really doesn't give me the time of day, as I desperately wanted to chat about this to find out if she knew any secrets that I have not yet found. I continued on even though she wasn't really inviting me to, "I use southernsavers.com, it's a great website, they do all the work for you." This time she nods again and tells me that she uses that site too, offering nothing more. Feeling a little obnoxious, like those strangers who think it's OK to touch other people's children in public, I finally close my mouth and mentally tell myself not to open it again until she is gone. As her receipt prints out, I can't help but eavesdrop, because I am dying to know after this production exactly how much she saved. Her total savings was $215.00 - WOW!
Ok, then I begin to remember the items in her cart again and I have come to a conclusion. If you don't mind buying junk food, you can essentially get a super savings at the grocery store. Not for nothing, because my savings was $70.00, it just couldn't touch $215.00. For me there is a fine line, I definitely will have a few junk food items in my cart, but I know that it's also important to eat healthy and know what you are putting in your body. If you don't believe that, then I would urge you to watch both the documentaries: Food Inc and Super Size Me. Food Inc has changed the way that I buy food, and has if nothing else, made me more aware of the hormones, pesticides, and additives that are put into the food that we purchase from the grocery store.
Just a little side tip that I have started doing, before you throw out your already read magazines, flip through them for valuable coupons as well. Most magazines will have at least a few coupons and their expiration dates tend to be much later, the magazines that I found good coupons in were: Southern Living, Good Housekeeping, and Parenting.
I have also decided that I need a better coupon organizer, as I currently only have them separated into 3 categories right now which are: baby, food, and not food. I am finding that the more coupons you clip, the harder it gets to remember what you've got, so I think it's time to spend the $5.00 and upgrade to one with a few more compartments. Here is what I am thinking for more categories: Baby, Frozen, Dairy, Cereal, Paper goods, Canned goods, Drinks, Animal, and Personal Care. I again may need a Misc category too but I think that will better help me when I am preparing for my shopping trip.
Ok, then I begin to remember the items in her cart again and I have come to a conclusion. If you don't mind buying junk food, you can essentially get a super savings at the grocery store. Not for nothing, because my savings was $70.00, it just couldn't touch $215.00. For me there is a fine line, I definitely will have a few junk food items in my cart, but I know that it's also important to eat healthy and know what you are putting in your body. If you don't believe that, then I would urge you to watch both the documentaries: Food Inc and Super Size Me. Food Inc has changed the way that I buy food, and has if nothing else, made me more aware of the hormones, pesticides, and additives that are put into the food that we purchase from the grocery store.
Just a little side tip that I have started doing, before you throw out your already read magazines, flip through them for valuable coupons as well. Most magazines will have at least a few coupons and their expiration dates tend to be much later, the magazines that I found good coupons in were: Southern Living, Good Housekeeping, and Parenting.
I have also decided that I need a better coupon organizer, as I currently only have them separated into 3 categories right now which are: baby, food, and not food. I am finding that the more coupons you clip, the harder it gets to remember what you've got, so I think it's time to spend the $5.00 and upgrade to one with a few more compartments. Here is what I am thinking for more categories: Baby, Frozen, Dairy, Cereal, Paper goods, Canned goods, Drinks, Animal, and Personal Care. I again may need a Misc category too but I think that will better help me when I am preparing for my shopping trip.
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