I learned about this video through SpendLessTV, which shares clips about saving money from all sorts of stations.
This 4:29 video follows filmmaker and director Karney Hatch as he fights Bank of America over his overdraft fees, something I’ve been writing about. I highly recommend it!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjH4Us0n0QY&feature=player_embedded
Related:
Debit cards are a cash cow for banks
Banks agree to lower/eliminate bank fees
UPDATE: I am SO incredibly embarrassed. This was yesterday! I apologize for the error.
Get a free 3-ounce treat at Coldstone today from 5-8 p.m. only when you make a donation to the Make A Wish Foundation. The freebie is not any flavor – beggars can’t be choosy – but a treat called “Jack’s Creation” that mixes ice cream with brownies and rainbow sprinkles and topped with caramel.
Coldstone says 95 percent of the donations will go to the Make A Wish Foundation. One per customer, while supplies last. Details here.
Gas prices are $1.20 less nationwide than they were a year ago, but don’t you wish you could fill up less often?
There’s a newish gadget that offers help. It claims it can increase your miles per gallon by 20 percent on average and by 33 percent on highways.
The device is called a Kiwi and it’s as simple as using an MP3 player – you plug it into your car. It works with all cars (including hybrids and trucks) made in 1996 or later. The Kiwi claims to boost your MPG by:
- teaching you 20 lessons to drive more efficiently (each one gets progressively harder)
- giving you real-time information about how your guzzling habits (it frowns on STOP! GO! STOP!)
As you drive, the Kiwi scores your smoothness, acceleration, deceleration, and drag, from 1 to 100. Kind of like a gas coach.
The device calculates a lot more than most car computers, including how many dollars you’ve saved and spent, and how much gas you’ve used each trip. My car only gives me my average gas consumption and how many miles I have left in my tank.
The Kiwi can also diagnose what is wrong when your “check engine” light goes on, including these 26 problems. The other major benefit of using a Kiwi is that it tells you how much you are reducing your CO2 signature – so you can please your wallet and the planet at the same time.
Now that I’ve gushed about this amazing-sounding device, let’s look at the numbers.
Does the Kiwi really save you money? It’s got a hefty price tag, $90-$300, depending on the model. The site claims it saves the average driver $560 over a year, more for trucks and SUVs.
So technically you could make you money back in six months. I’d love to test one out to let you know for sure how much money can be saved. If the company sends me one I will share my experience!
Don’t believe the hype? Watch Kiwi’s promo video.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgNPwB-auu4
Related:
Roundup of tips to cut gas use
AAA’s fuel gauge report (takes you to another site)
For my LA readers, here are the best deals from my new site, BargainBabeLA.com.
Super cheap Halloween costumes for kids at the LA Kids Consignment Sale Oct 2-4, 2009, shared by bargainbabe.
Get Pillsbury coupons worth $30, shared by Jenni Porter. Great for fall comfort foods.
Free trees through the LADWP, shared by bargainbabe
Five ways to see movies on the cheap, shared by nolemont. These are *really* good ones!
Everyone can share a deal on BargainBabeLA.com. It takes about 4 minutes and is fairly self-explanatory. If you have any questions, shoot me an email. Last week one reader won two tickets to the Hollywood Bowl for contributing to BBLA!
Vacation season is technically over with the kiddies back in school, but dreaming about next summer’s vacation may be the only way to slog through the coming nine months. Lower the cost of your upcoming vacation with cheapo lodging. I’m talking about a time share rental!
Pros: more space than a hotel room, a kitchen to prep meals, and a “homey” feel
Cons: a “homey” feel, no maid service, fewer amenities
The latest issue of ShopSmart Mag, put out by Consumer Reports, suggests four sites to find low-cost time share rentals.
MyResortNetwork.com – lets you search for rentals my location, travel dates, activities, resort, or last-minute specials. The site is free to use. Not sure how they make money, actually.
Redweek.com – charges $15 for contact info of time share owners and full resort reviews. The site offers an escrow service for safe payments and buys timeshares.
Time Share Users Group – is designed for time share owners, but has listings for prospective renters. To join as a owner or renter it is $15 a year.
VacationTimeshareRentals.com – lets you set an email alert if a timeshare becomes available at a specific resort or area. Watch out for Google ads that take you to other sites.
Related:
17 tips to keep it cheap in Vegas
Earn money by hosting travelers
This is a guest post from Danielle Datu of MyStyle.com, a site that shares fashion, beauty and home tips. They do a great job of finding celebrity clothing trends at regular people prices, as in their shoe comparisons below.
Shoes are the perpetual It accessory for many women. But with the multitude of oh-so-stylish options available, it can be challenging for true fans of fashion to keep their footwear finances in check. How’s a girl to choose sensibly? To make your shopping experience easier, we’ve zeroed in on the five must-have shoe trends this fall—and found wallet-friendly versions of each.
1. Over-the-Knee Boots
It’s hard to strut in over-the-knee boots without looking like, well, a Pretty Woman—but not if you wear them over (A) tights/leggings or (B) skinny jeans. (If you insist on flashing your bare thighs, balance out the look with a sweet floral dress on top.) Which boots to bag? No matter how many pairs of spendy Chloé OTKBs Lindsay Lohan tweets about owning, we just can’t fathom spending over a grand on shoes. Enter Miss Me’s $30 pair, which is equally gorgeous!
2. Studded Pumps
Give your look some attitude with a pair of studded pumps, the shoe of choice for everyone from Ashley Tisdale to Diane Kruger. For a couple hundred bucks, you could make a rockin’ statement in Dolce Vita’s platforms—but we’ve got our eye on Queen’s version for less than half that price.
3. Nude Heels
Nude, schmude! Just make sure the color of your shoes is as close to your skin tone as possible. Aside from making your legs look miles long, nude shoes can class up any look. Although Maison Martin Margiela’s $575 lovelies are to die for, we’re going to spend our hard-earned cash on Type Z’s camel-hued heels. They’re only $69!
4. Ankle Boots
Just about every A-list celeb has been wearing ankle boots instead of platforms on the red carpet lately. We can’t blame them! Booties are just so darn comfortable, not to mention fierce (just look at YSL’s pricey leopard-print bad boys). Torrid has a black patent-leather pair named after Rihanna, and it’s currently on sale for just $29.99.
5. Ruffle Shoes
We saved the best for last. Why do we love this category so much? Because it allows us to gush about three trends at once. Yep, we’re sneaky like that! Ruffles scream fall. You’ve got your regular ol’ ruffle shoes, like Linea Paolo $130 slingbacks. (We prefer Zigi Soho Gloria’s version for $50.) But there are some other truly special ruffle shoes…
The girlie girl in us drooled over the oversize ruffles on Christian Louboutin‘s and Alexander McQueen‘s petal heels. Luckily, we don’t have to break the bank to get the same look: Dollhouse has knockoffs of the Louboutins for $49.95—practically pennies compared to the original $1,695 price tag—and Bakers’ replica of McQueen’s magnificent design is currently on sale for $59.99. That reminds us: We know it’s hard, but we strongly advise against buying anything at Bakers that isn’t marked down. You don’t know how many times we’ve bought something there only to find out it’s on sale the next weekend. It pays to be patient!
Another swirly rendition of this trend we adore is the zipper-trim ruffle. It’s the perfect mix of edge and femme. Pour La Victoire makes a fabulous pair for about $150. Too steep? Yeah, we think so too—so we’re grabbing Wet Seal’s equally stylish pair for $22.50.
For more great ways to save on all the latest trends, check out mystyle’s Steals ‘n’ Splurges page.
Get a $25 restaurant gift certificate for $3 at Restaurant.com using code TREAT. Expires Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009. The $25 certs are usually $10 so this makes them 70 percent off.
Get $15 off a purchase of $60 or more at Walgreens, including contact lenses, now through Sat, Sept 26, 2009. You can use the coupon code NEWSITE up to five times. Online only.
Caveats: Discount does not apply to pharmacy or photo orders, gift card purchases, taxes or shipping charges.
The art store chain Blick, which has locations in 11 states, has a 20 percent off coupon good Thursday, Sept. 24, 2009 only. Print the coupon here. Blick has stores in CA, CT, GA, IL, IN, IA, MA, MI, MN, MS, NB, NV, NY, OH, PA. Find a store near you.
Are you a camper? Like to hike, bike, or run? There’s no better place to get sporty gear than at REI’s used gear sale, which is this Saturday at most REI stores. You have to be a member to get into the sale, but the deals are amazing. A lifetime membership is $20. To find out the exact date and time of a used gear sale near you, first find your local REI, then look for store events (usually a link at the VERY bottom of the site).
Here’s what happened last time I went to an REI used gear sale, a story I shared on the Bargain Hunter blog I wrote for the LA Daily News.
At least twice I’ve written about crazy people who stand in line a *really* long time for a new electronic gadget or some other excuse to spend money and be the envy of your social circle. Saturday morning I found myself being one of those crazy people you roll your eyes at. My ridiculous excuse: the REI used gear sale, when the sporting goods store pawns off returned gear that ranges from barely used to slightly defective.
I woke up at 6:11 a.m. – before the alarm went off – pulled on my jeans and high tailed it over to REI. As I approached the entrance I was amazed to find no one in line. If I am the first person in line I really AM crazy, I told myself. Luckily, around the corner there were about 40 crunchy granola types waiting patiently. The girl in front of me was reading the presidential primary voter info booklet. And it was still dark! 
The sale started at 7 a.m. and they let people in about 30 at a time. I was in the second batch and immediately went for the sleeping bags. I’ve been using a lavender one my mom bought me, like, in the 80s, and the thing just doesn’t work anymore. Slim pickings – just 3 bags and one was $199 so I didn’t even consider that one. After close comparison I chose a silver REI Zephyr with orange accents that is warm to 20 degrees, for $59.93 (orig $149, selling new for $115). Not bad considering the only reason it was returned was that the original buyer wanted to zip it to another bag. I’ve already tested it and it’s very warm.
I also grabbed a large KEEN messenger/weekend bag that I’ll use to replace my ailing gym/weekend bag. It was $35 (orig $90, selling new for $65) because the lining in one of the pockets has a two-inch tear. (I know how to sew.) It ain’t a looker, though. When I showed it to Hubby he said, “Keen, they make shoes don’t they? This bag looks like a shoe.”
I’m still glad I made both of these purchases because I use the bag and sleeping bag all the time!
Remember my post about debit cards being a cash cow for banks? Well the NY Times story that inspired the post caused major change. The paper reports today that Chase and Bank of America plan to “drastically overhaul their debit card programs…changing the way they credit transactions and allowing customers to opt out of overdraft protection.”
B of A is going to let customers turn off the overdraft protection, which can lead to enormous fees, starting Oct. 19. In Jun
e, the bank plans to limit the number of times a customer can use their overdraw on their account. And customers can choose to have overdraft protection or not when they open an account.
Chase is going to start crediting transactions chronologically instead of ringing up the biggest withdrawals first, which can lead to extra fees. Chase is also going to limit the number of overdraft fees to three per day and will not charge when accounts are overdrawn by less than $5.
Let’s hope these changes lead to other banks changing their debit card policies to benefit consumers. Because it’s about time!
UPDATE: This comment from reader Tamara makes me want to move to Canadia!
All this debit stuff in the US is so foreign to me. I was in Chicago recently and most places we went said “we take debit”, but really that means, “we take credit cards, but it’s okay if they are hooked up to your bank account and are kind of like debit”.
In Canada NO ONE carries cash because we all have actual debit cards that are issued by our banks and the money comes right out of our bank accounts. They are not VISA, or MC debit cards, they are *just* bank debit cards. And there is little to no fee to use them, and if there isn’t money in your account, and you haven’t previously set up an overdraft, your transaction is declined and your purchase doesn’t go through.
Also, debit cards are accepted EVERYWHERE from major retailers to 7-11 to the dollar store.
Smithsonian Magazine is sponsoring free admission Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009 at hundreds of museums across the country. The free pass is good for you and one guest and does not include entry to special exhibits or IMAX screenings.
Caveats: one card per household, no rain checks, cannot be combined with other offers, card must be presented for free general admission.
Download and print out your free admission card here. Browse the list of participating museums here.
California has over 90 participating museums!
- Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
Palm Springs - American Museum of Ceramic Art
Pomona - Birch Aquarium at Scripps
La Jolla - California Center for the Arts, Escondido Museum
Escondido - Children’s Discovery Museum of the Desert
Rancho Mirage - Corita Art Center
Los Angeles - Craft and Folk Art Museum
Los Angeles - El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park
Santa Barbara - Elverhoj Museum of History & Art
Solvang - Escondido History Center
- Fowler Museum at UCLA
Los Angeles - Fullerton Museum Center
Fullerton - Historic Mission San Juan Capistrano
San Juan Capistrano - Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum
Huntington Beach - Japanese American National Museum
Los Angeles - Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust
Los Angeles - Millard Sheets Center for the Arts
Pomona - Mingei International Museum Escondido
Escondido - Mingei International Museum San Diego
San Diego - Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
La Jolla and San Diego - Museum of Latin American Art (MOLAA)
Long Beach - Museum of Making Music
Carlsbad - Museum of Neon Art (MONA)
Los Angeles - Museum of San Diego History
San Diego - Museum of Ventura County
Ventura - Oceanside Museum of Art
Oceanside - Palos Verdes Art Center
Rancho Palos Verdes - Pasadena Museum of History
Pasadena - Point Fermin Lighthouse
San Pedro - Quail Botanical Gardens
Encinitas - Reuben H. Fleet Science Center
San Diego - Reynolds Gallery
Santa Barbara - Riverside Metopolitan Museum
Riverside - S.C.R.A.P. Gallery – The Art Museum for the Environment
Indio - San Bernardino County Museum
Redlands - San Diego Air & Space Museum
San Diego - San Diego Archaeological Center
Escondido - San Diego Chinese Historical Museum
San Diego - San Diego Natural History Museum
San Diego - San Mateo County History Museum
Redwood City - Santa Monica Museum of Art
Santa Monica - Skirball Cultural Center
Los Angeles - The Adobe Chapel Museum
San Diego - The Whaley House Museum
San Diego - University Art Museum
Santa Barbara - Victor Valley Museum & Art Gallery
Apple Valley - Watts Towers Arts Center & Charles Mingus Youth Arts Center
Los Angeles - Western Center for Archaeology & Paleontology
Hemet
Thanks, Yolanda!
Hi folks,
I’m feeling waaaay under the weather today (Tuesday) and am not planning on blogging. Hope to be back tomorrow,
Julia
aka Bargain Babe
My gift strategy is to look for gifts starting a few months before the holiday. If I find something that will make a great present, I stash it in a box in my closet until November, when I make a formal list of everyone I want to give gifts to. This takes some pressure off of buying gifts (because I’ve already bought many of them) and it allows me to take advantage of sales.
My digital buddy Jennifer Melnick Carota, aka The Gift Therapist, has a similar strategy. She keeps a special “gift wallet” in her purse where she keeps $20 in cash.
“This allows me to challenge myself to find the best gifts at the best prices…without the guilt of cutting into my household budget,” she told me. “In addition to gift items, I also load up on off-season gift wrap, baskets, and ribbon all year long. Look for major steals at up to 90 percent off following any given holiday!”
Buying early is one strategy for keeping within your budget. If it doesn’t appeal to you, no worries. I will suggest a few other approaches in the coming weeks and months. But if any of these gift ideas appeal to you, start watching for them to go on sale!
For anyone who cooks – America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook
For the techie – a clearance gadget from ThinkGeek.com. A friend says the titanium chopsticks are the bomb, but I like the Dado Stacking Cubes for $15 (orig. $27).
For a good friend – cute note cards. Know someone who loves to send thank yous in the mail? For an extra touch, pair the gift with a special roll of stamps. This blue and brown set of cards with a tapestry design comes with 14 cards and 15 envelopes for $9. Keep an eye on sales at stationary stores for a low-priced set.
For a host or hostess – look for serving pieces in the clearance section of your favorite discount department stores, recommends the Gift Therapist. “The plates, platters, and/or utensil sets make a fabulous addition to the gift of food,” she said. “And be sure to tell the giftee to keep the dish!”
Related:
Price predictions for Black Friday
Join the Sears or KMart Christmas Club and get $100
Yes, it really is time to start saving for Christmas
File this under boring, but necessary. Blunt Money explains how credit card interest is calculated.
Need/want to lower your cell phone bill? Cash Money Life has seven tips to pay less for mobile coverage.
Free toothpaste, Haagen Dazs for $1.50, and free Mars candy bars are some of the deals at featured in Coupon Cravings’ lists of what is free and super cheap at CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid.
If you are being hounded by a collection agency, read Five Cent Nickel’s steps for getting the upper hand.
There are all kids of great deals and freebies on Common Sense With Money, including $5 subscriptions to Marie Claire, Redbook, and InStyle.
Frugal Dad finds financial peace in an 11-year-old pay stub.
How would you describe your relationship with your money? I fight with mine, but he never seems to agree with me. Then I ignore him until we both simmer down. Not very healthy. I recently talked to Morgana Rae, a money coach who writes Abundance and Prosperity, about how to turn my money monster into a money honey.
What is your money philosophy?
The underpinning of what I teach is that we all have these subconscious relationships with money as if money were a person. We are human beings so we relate to everything as if it was a human being. Our dogs, our cats, our boats, our cars, our money.
The money we have is very judgmental, sort of a tease and then it leaves us high and dry. It’s as if it’s our fault. The formula for especially women is you have to work so hard for so much and you have to do all the work in the relationship and he’s going to leave you anyway.
No you can’t have this, you can’t have that. It’s like being on a diet. So money becomes this punisher or critic who stresses people out with health care bills and mortgages. If you can change money from this nasty, critical monster who keeps making you work hard for not enough and trade him in for this handsome, romantic, sexy lover who wants to stay with you, you’re going to treat money a little differently.
If you asked your money what he wants he’ll say really nice things. It’s okay to spend money if it’s worth it.
How do we know our money will answer with responsible answers, like you have suggested?
There has to be a level of personal responsibility. There has to be a reality check. There has to be some inner resonance.
What do you mean?
It has to feel true. It really hinges on it being a relationship with another human being. He (money) is not a prince who comes to rescue you. Because then you are the victim.
How can people create a healthy relationship with their money?
I would start by examining all the negative things you’ve heard or seen with money. Find the negative thoughts and turn them into a real bad ass monster that is so intolerable you just want to get rid of him. Then you imagine who would you love so much. This relationship is not based on what he can buy you but on how good a relationship partner you can be to him.
Money likes to be responded to and loved and paid attention to. When money represents all of your failures, your irresponsibility, your guilt for buying that stuff, divorces and breakups and betrayals, people go unconscious. They don’t want to see it. They don’t want to deal with it.
They are running away from their relationship. They are scared of it. The people who most need to pay attention to their money are doing it the least and it’s self fulfilling because the money gets scarier and scarier.
How should we pay attention to our money?
Look at your bank account every week. Write down everything you purchase. There is a consciousness and awareness and decision making that changes you from blithely buying the junk purchases to buying very special nice things with consciousness, awareness, and gratitude that makes you feel good about yourself.
What steps can I take to improve my relationship with my money?
1. Examine your relationship with money. Money is a stand in for everything else. Our choices, our worthiness, our freedom. What are all the things you’ve seen, heard or experienced around money?
2. Make money the bad guy. Get rid of the dynamic of unworthiness and foolishness. You make it so real that you could taste this guy. He makes your skin crawl.
3. Get rid of him.
4. Invent your money honey. You take on the role of the great relationship partner. What do you need from me so you can stay with me?
5. Ask your money what it wants. What do you think of how I am spending you? Do you want this? Do you want me to do that?
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Get 15 percent off any purchase of $75 or more at Nine West when you donate a pair of gently used shoes by Sept. 24, 2009. The coupon can be used online or in the store. All donated pairs will be passed onto the charity Soles4Souls.
Get $1 shipping at Overstock.com, which has steeply discounted prices on clothes, home goods, and a lot more. The cheap shipping offer ends today, Sept. 21, 2009. Good on standard shipping to the lower 48 states and APO/FPO destinations only. Excludes books, music, movies and games. No code needed.
Get 30 percent off notecards, photobooks, T-shirts, mugs and more at Snapfish using code POSTLABOR. Good through Sept. 25, 2009. Details here.
Get 40 percent off a regular priced item at Michael’s now through Sept. 26, 2009. Print the coupon here. Some caveats.
Thanks, Tina!
