Lab2112/flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
While researching a post on saving money at the movies, I asked Bargain Babe’s Facebook friends for tips and some suggested sneaking in! The idea bothered me for days and got me thinking about five scenarios where I have to chose between taking the ethical high road and saving money.
Is it ethical to sneak into movies? What about buying counterfeit DVDs?
I’ve never snuck into a movie and what bothers me about this is the same thing as buying a counterfeit DVD, made when someone records the movie with a hand-held video camera from inside the movie theater. The person burns the recording onto DVDs, slaps on a cover sheet, and sells it on the street for a big profit. The problem is that the little guy gets cheated. Sure, the movie executives and stars make the big bucks, but the no-names are more likely to lose their jobs when movie studios don’t make the expected money. By doing both these things, theaters have to raise their cost and the buyer goes from being frugal to being cheap.
You’re walking down Canal Street in New York City or the Fashion District in downtown Los Angeles and you spot counterfeit brand name items at bargain prices. Ethical to buy?
No. The fake bags, shoes, and shades emblazoned with a designer’s initials or logo may be far less expensive, but you are still paying for the brand name not the item. I have no problem with a bag that looks similar to a brand name bag as long as you don’t try to pass it off as the name brand with fake logos and tags. My reason for not buying knock offs is that I’d be mortified if I got called out by the designer while walking down the street – although not very likely, it could happen. Also, why would I waste money on fake items? I rather work hard and get the real thing.
You’re heading to the movies and sneak in snacks to avoid paying for the expensive theater popcorn and soda. Ethical?
I’ve sneaked in snacks and the only reason I don’t think it’s unethical is because I am not stealing from the theater. If I didn’t bring in snacks, I still wouldn’t buy the expensive popcorn and soda. By snacks, I mean almonds or a protein bar and not a full meal.
You’re in an all-you-can-eat buffet and you wrap a leftover muffin in a napkin and stick it in your purse. Ethical?
I figure the food is headed for the trash so why not pack it up to enjoy later. Technically, I paid for it, but I draw the line at packing an entire meal for later.
You ask for a cup for water at a restaurant with a self-serve drink station and you fill it up with soda. Ethical?
This is one of my pet peeves. I can’t stand it when people do this, especially if they’re eating with me. I feel like any minute we are going to get called out. This is stealing and will force the restaurant to raise their prices so everyone loses.
Coupon Mom Stephanie Nelson
Coupon secrets - I talked to CouponMom Stephanie Nelson, who shared her secret to getting 86% off her grocery bill. She’s a super saver!
Kids eat free - Kids under 12 eat free for the month of August at IHOP. One free kids meal per adult entree ordered.
Free trial gym - Get a 7-day free trial gym membership to Bally’s Total Fitness. Note, they will pitch you hard to join, but it’s not required.
Borders - Here is the latest Borders coupon for 33% off, plus a vacation contest to Italy, India, and Bali!
Free root beer float – Get a free root beer float with this A&W coupon, which requires a purchase.
Check out the latest coupons and deals this afternoon on my WalletPop blog.
Illustration by OConnorCartoons.com
Cathy at Chief Family Officer shared four great grocery deals at Ralph’s this week. These prices assume coupon doubling up to $1. New to coupons? Check out my post on coupon clipping basics. If you want to take advantage of these deals, make sure to save the coupon inserts you receive in the mail or with your Sunday newspaper. Here’s a great suggestion for how to handle coupon organization.
Yoplait Yogurt Cups on sale for $0.50
Buy 6 and use $0.40 off 6 from 7/11 or 7/25 Smart Source coupon insert
or use $0.40 off 6 printable coupon
Pay: $0.37 each
Dannon Yogurt Cups on sale for $0.50
Buy 6 and use $0.40 off 6 Dannon Yogurt from 7/25 Red Plum coupon insert
or use $0.40 off 6 Dannon Single Serve Yogurt Cups from 6/13 Smart Source (exp 8/8)
Pay: $0.37 each
Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage on sale for $1.97
Use $0.55 off 1 Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage Links from 7/11 Red Plum coupon insert
Pay: $0.97
Vitaminwater on sale for $1
Buy 2 and use $1 off 2 VitaminWater Zero 20 ounce from August All You magazine
Pay: $0.50 each
Keep reading Cathy’s Ralphs grocery deals.
kirstiecat/Flickr
If you missed me this morning on Martha Stewart Living radio, I talked about reducing overall expenses and deciding what is a “need” and what is a “want” item.
Absolute necessities - Send your student packing with basic toiletries like shampoo, deodorant, and toothpaste. Basic bedding and clothes are necessities, as are a few notebooks, a pencil, and a pen.
Bedding – Use sheets and pillows you already have (no one sees them, anyway) but look for a sale on a new comforter or quilt to make everything feel new. If extra long sheets are needed, send your student to college with an extra flat sheet and they can fold the corners themselves. Or, head to Target for a $10 extra-long Jersey sheet set.
If you are worried about bedbugs, buy a mattress protector but skip a pricey mattress enhancer. If the bed is not comfortable, pick up a piece of egg crate foam, which is super cheap.
Computer – Wait to buy a computer until your student arrives at school and finds out if the college has specific computer requirements. Some schools, like Wake Forest in North Carolina, give each student a free computer and color printer/scanner/copier. Wow!
Textbooks - Your student can download a free eReader app to their smart phone or computer and find free copies of classics by Jane Austin and others in the public domain. Borders alone has more than 1 million free eBooks.
Buy used textbooks – and not just from the school bookstore but on Craigslist, eBay, and Amazon. Amazon offers students get a free Amazon Prime membership, which comes with free 2-day shipping. A Prime membership usually costs $79.
Rent a text book from Chegg.com, which has a 30-day “any reason” return policy. You’ll pay about 50-70% less than buying a book outright, and you don’t have to worry about selling your books at the end of the semester.
Try swapping for textbooks on sites like BookMooch.com, but don’t expect many textbooks.
Go digital by checking the distributor’s website to see if you can purchase an electronic copy of the textbook. They save on ink, paper, and transportation, so the cost goes down significantly. A friend once got a $115 economics textbook for $40. If you can bring it on your laptop to class, then you’re set.
Kitchen - Most frosh are on a meal plan, so they don’t need anything but perhaps a coffee maker (which every garage sale across America has). For students not on a meal plan, stock up on silverware, plates, cups, appliances at the nearest Goodwill for $15-$20.
Furniture - Are you kidding me? Dorms rooms are teeny tiny and students are required to keep in their room any furniture provided by the school.
Humidifier – Send a humidifier when temps drop (assuming your student lives in a cold, dry climate). It is hard to sleep in super dry conditions and lack of sleep may make them more prone to colds and missing class. (Just a hunch on that last one.)
Buy used - Avoid getting sucked into the mentality that everything has to be new. Going to college is a special experience, but spending a lot of money outfitting a dorm doesn’t make it so. Before you head to the store, raid the attic, go to garage sales, and search Craigslist.
Let them decide - Another strategy to save is to give your student a budget and let them prioritize what to buy. Putting them in charge – while still helping find deals to stretch their dollar – may well motivate them to become savvy shoppers and help them separate “needs” versus “wants.”
Shop the dollar stores - Your student is not going to cart a lot of this stuff home every summer so there is no point in spending money on items that don’t have a lone lifetime, like a plastic shower caddy.
Create rewards for luxuries - Reward student for good grades and similar achievements with luxuries they want, like a mini fridge if they earn straight A’s.
Use coupons - But of course! Check the retailer’s website for coupons before you shop and save the ones you receive in the mail. Make sure to get toiletries on sale and use a coupon whenever possible!
Remember, if a student really needs something s/he will keep asking for it!
LXH/Flickr
I’m scheduled to be on Martha Stewart Living radio tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. EST. That’s an early 5:30 a.m. for you west coasters!
You can hear the show on Sirius satellite radio channel 112. I’ll be sharing tips to manage back to college expenses on the Morning Living show with host Kim. If you miss the segment, I’ll write up my tips in a blog post for Wednesday.
~Julia
The blue envelope coupon giant Valpak just released the results of a consumer survey on coupon use and frugality. They talked to 1,000 American consumers in May. Here are the most interesting findings:
Digital coupons are the next big thing. 91% said they have used an Internet coupon, compared to 65% two years ago. 77% have used the Internet to look for coupons in the past 6 months, up from 62 percent a year ago. Redemption of mobile coupons increased by 250% in one year (although I’m guessing mobile redemption was basically nonexistent a few years ago).
Coupon use is still growing. 46% said they search for coupons and discounts more often than in the past. “Couponing is expected to increase more than 150 percent between 2009 and 2014,” the survey says. Saving money extends to other areas of life, with consumers across all demographics searching for ways to save, comparing prices, and reading reviews.
Forget staycation, the new buzz word is valucation. People are tired of vacationing at home. 65% said they plan to spend money on travel, including trips abroad, in other American cities, and on cruises. But nearly everyone is watching their budget: 79 % plan to spend about the same or less this summer compared to last summer.Valpak is an authority on consumer savings.
Savings habits are sticky. 75% said they will keep looking for coupons and ways to save after the recession blows over.
About the survey. It was conducted by e-Rewards Market Research. Results are within 3.1 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level. ValPak delivers coupons to almost 40 million households each month.
The results of this survey ring true for me. Most everyone I know is eager to find good coupons and is learning the basics of where to find coupons. Times certainly have changed from when us frugal folks were the only ones using coupons and waiting for sales!
What interests me is how Internet coupons are developing in response to demand and fraud. With newspaper circulation declining, fewer people are getting coupons through the mail so it makes sense that online coupons will fill the void. The Internet has dramatically altered many aspects of our economy. Do you think coupons will be effected, too?
Smashbox - Here are three Smashbox beauty coupons you may be able to combine for a triple savings whammy!
Back to school deals - Here is my latest round up of back to school deals through August 7, 2010, including a free backpack at Office Depot with a $10 purchase. Nice!
Free kids clothes swapping trial - Here is a swapping coupon for a free trial membership at ThredUp, and online site that facilities the swapping of children’s clothes.
Check back this afternoon for the latest coupons and deals on my WalletPop blog.
Yazmin Cruz
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
The Frugal Festival was the first time I had been to any kind of swap. That day, as volunteers and I sorted through clothes, the anticipation built in the room. Come the swap start the anticipation turned to excitement as hundreds of people rushed in the doors to swap. I didn’t swap then, but got my first swapping experience this past weekend.
I was invited to a garden swap in the Milagro Allegro Community Garden in Highland Park, California where gardeners exchanged everything from tools to produce.
I must admit I was a skeptic. I didn’t think I’d end up liking it as much as I did. I don’t even like participating in Secret Santa come Christmas time because I usually end up with the worst gift. But not this time.
The swap was free of charge and was organized much like the Frugal Festival. There was a specific area for everything people brought to swap like plants, seeds, magazines, produce and “worm tea,” which is worm pee used for fertilizing.
I arrived a little late but was still able to exchange the seeds I had brought with me. I had all kinds of seeds including dill, broccoli rabe, kale, and lima beans. I also had seeds that I’d harvested myself like basil and cilantro seeds.
Here’s my haul and approximately how much I saved:
- “Organic Gardening” magazine – $3.99
- “Sunset” magazine – $4.99
- Heirloom cucumber seeds – $2
- Organic Plums (10) – $6.90
- Organic Tomatoes (2 lbs.) – $5
- Aloe Vera plant – $4
- Organic Bay Leaves – $4
- Organic Pineapple Sage – $2
Total Saved: $32.88
My goods.
I am now a believer – swapping is the new shopping. If you’ve never participated in a swap, you must. BargainBabe.com writer Bobbi wrote a post on how to get the most out of a swap that is essential to read before heading to your first swap.
I already leafed through my magazines and found yummy recipes using my tomatoes and bay leaves, and I can’t wait to try my pineapple sage tea, which I hear is good for anxiety. The only thing I wasn’t able to get was the worm tea, but I hear the community garden is looking to have swaps every last Sunday of the month and you know I’ll be there.
What kind of swaps have you participated in and how much money have you saved?
Bargain Briana shared five CVS deals on sale this week through August 7, 2010. If your store is out of an item, make sure to ask when it will be restocked.
Terminology
wyb – when you buy
B1G1 – buy one get one
Altoids Smalls, Mints, or Gum on sale for $1.49
Earn $1 Extra Bucks (Limit 1)
Final Price after Extra Bucks: $0.49
Ice Breakers Ice Cubes 40 ct. on sale for $2.50
Earn $1 Extra Bucks wyb 2 (Limit 1)
Final Price after Extra Bucks: 2 for $4
Pantene Expressions or Restoratives or Head & Shoulders on sale for $4.99
Earn $1 Extra Bucks (Limit 3)
Use the $1 off 2 Pantene Products 8/1/2010 Proctor & Gamble (P&G) coupon insert (exp 8/31/2010)
Use the $1 off 1 Pantene Hair Products 8/1/2010 P&G Insert (exp 8/31/2010)
Use the B1G1 Free Head & Shoulders 7/11/2010 Smart Source (SS) coupon insert (exp 10/10/2010)
Final Price after Extra Bucks: as low as $1.49/each
Gillette Fusion, Venus, Embrace, or Breeze Razor on sale for $9.79
Earn $5 Extra Bucks (Limit 1)
Use the $4 off 1 Gillette Fusion Razor 8/1/2010 P&G Insert (exp 8/31/2010)
Use the $2 off 1 Venus Embrace or Breeze Razor 8/1/2010 P&G Insert (exp 8/31/2010)
Final Price after Extra Bucks: as low as $0.79
iTunes Gift Cards
Spend $50, Get $10 Extra Bucks (Limit 2)
Final Price after Extra Bucks: $40 for $50 Gift Card!
Keep reading Bargain Briana CVS deals.
Free laundry sheets - If you “like” my BargainBabe.com Facebook page you already saw this deal for a free sample of Purex Laundry Sheets. Not sure how much longer it will be around!
More free samples – Get free dog treats, a free issue of a baby magazine, and free saline nose wipes.
Ben & Jerry’s – Sign up for their ChunkMail and you’ll get a free ice cream coupon on your birthday, plus a buy one get one free coupon on your half birthday.
Pinkberry – The Pinkerry deal for 50% off during happy hour (5-7 p.m. daily) on their tasty summer watermelon flavor ends August 8, 2010. What will their fall flavor be?
Check out the latest coupons and deals on my WalletPop blog this afternoon.
Casey Serin/Flickr
I get a lot of financial snail mail that I’m not sure if I should keep or not. I’m not talking about monthly bills – almost all of those I receive and pay electronically – but monthly statements, prospectuses, agreements about and changes to my investment account, and disclosure pamphlets. I get the feeling my bank is required by law to send this info to me, but if I read each of these brochures I would be up until 2 a.m.
My area of expertise is in everyday finance, not high finance. Instead of picking up the phone and tracking down an expert for an interview, I wanted to ask the BargainBabe.com community for their opinion.
What financial snail mail do you read? What do you keep? Is it necessary to shred everything I toss?
PatrickHoesly/flickr
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains.
It is hot and a couple of days ago my husband’s friend went to the hospital for heat exhaustion. Talk about a bummer and budget buster!
Benjamin Franklin said that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” I agree with Ben. My personal financial guidelines are not about saving a few dollars here and there on items I buy. They are about saving many thousands of dollars on things that I DON’T have to buy.
Avoiding heat exhaustion is an excellent example of my personal philosophy. Note, I am not a trained medical practitioner and this post does not constitute medical advice, just practical tips I’ve learned.
The average cost of a hospital stay was $1,690 in 2007, according to a Census Bureau press release from last month. Going to the hospital also means missed days at work that you don’t get paid for. There can also be the expense of emergency transport and child care if you are a care giver, not to mention how horrible you feel. Going to the hospital for heat exhaustion is a ridiculous amount of money to pay for something that is SO easily avoided.
Symptoms of heat exhaustion
- profuse sweating or no sweating when you should be sweating
- dizziness and weakness, nausea and vomiting
- rapid heartbeat
- flushing of the skin
- headaches, muscle cramps
- extreme fatigue
These are the warning signs that you need to do something quick to avoid a major problem. Heat exhaustion left unattended can lead to possibly fatal heat stroke. Heat exhaustion is caused by the depletion of fluid, salt, potassium and electrolytes in the body.
How to prevent heat exhaustion
- Drink half of your body weight in ounces of water a day. If you weigh 140 pounds, drink 70 ounces of water.
- Along with the water, you need to have salt, potassium and cell salts. Some experts recommend that for every 16 ounceos f water you drink, you need 500 milligrams of salt. The body uses potassium to help regulate salt through the process of urination. So, you actually could take potassium every time you urinate. A good place to get great deals on supplements online is Vitacost.com.
- Kool Off is a product that is a quick, easy and effective heat exhaustion preventative that you spray on your face, neck and under the tongue. It replenishes the body’s supply of salt, potassium, cell salts and oxygen. One bottle lasts a long time. You can keep it in your purse, glove compartment or backback.
- Another of my favorites is a cool downz neck bandana. When you soak these in water, they expand and stay moist and cool. You tie them around your neck and this cools the blood as it goes through your neck arteries. Natural body air conditioning. Pretty nifty and surely thrifty.
I think it is worth spending a few bucks to keep yourself cool and prevent spending thousands of dollars taking care of the effects of heat exhaustion. It’s little pieces of advice like this that have kept me on my budget and out of debt.
Do you have a stay cool tip?
We made a video out of my post on the telltale signs of a fake coupon. Check it out!
