juan23for/flickr
By Mike Barclay of 10centsworth.com
If taking a few minutes to implement organization habits saved you money each day, would you take clutter more seriously? I’ve come up with two categories of organization that have made my life easier and saved me money.
Filing
I started filing my coupons by expiration date. I’m always forgetting where I put the coupons, and when I find them they’re already expired. As far as saving money goes, we know that using coupons is one of the easiest way to save when buying fast food or groceries. What is so difficult about having a filing container where you can keep track of coupons? If you know where they are and when they expire, chances are you’ll use them.
I’ve heard it from my Dad and from personal financial blogs that there is value to saving your receipts. Grab a file folder for each month of the year, save all the receipts, and then highlight the date so it’s easy to see before you toss them in. You might not be an accountant or know every deduction you could be taking, but saving the receipts will help whoever does your taxes figure out where you could be getting a big tax check when April 15th rolls around.
Time Management
Time is money, right? Then why do we spend so much “money” aimlessly? For example, the other day I drove to Walgreens, Walmart, Costco and Smiths. I did it two ways. The first involved driving from memory without advance planning. When I finished the trip, I’d driven 34 miles. Then I went back to the starting point, and mapped out a route using Google. I could have done the same route in 20 miles! My car gets roughly 20 miles to the gallon, so I could have saved 3/4 of a gallon, or about $2 at the average national gas price of $3. Driving that much extra every day adds up to wasting about $14 a week or $728 a year.
And while we’re on the topic of kids and errands; have you ever wanted to be in two places at once? What if you could? Well, not you physically, but what if you could get two things done at once? Barter with your neighbors! If you’ve both got kids, carpool with them and swap for something else. Maybe you take care of their dogs while they drop the kids off at the after-school activities. My hourly rate is around $10 an hour. If I had to walk the dogs (30 minutes) and then take the kids to their after-school activity (30 minutes) I’m spending a full hour, or $10 of my time. If this happens on a daily basis, that $10 becomes $70 in a week’s time. If my neighbor and I agreed that I would take her kids to the activity and she’d take care of the dogs, suddenly I’ve cut my losses in half and can spend the other half hour on something that’s productive.
Between these two examples, I’ve shown you how to save $100 on a weekly basis by planning and organizing your time more effectively. Everyone’s schedule is different, but if you get into the habit of organizing your time, you’ll start to notice your days are more productive and you’ll see the savings in your bank account as well.
What do you do to use your time effectively?
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of BobbisBargains
basykes/Flickr
Should you buy used shoes? My answer used to be a resounding “NO,” but now I answer “maybe.”
When I was little, I was pigeon toed. I had to wear sturdy shoes to correct my stance at a time when sturdy shoes were very OUT. As socially debilitating as the experience was, I learned a thing or two about how shoes affect your feet and how your feet affect the rest of your body.
When you wear someone’s shoes, you are inheriting their improper body alignment and foot problems.
This is because when you are wearing shoes, the weight of your body wears down the heels and bends the fabric to match your pressures. Someone with properly aligned hips and strong ankles would wear out the heels of their shoes in the middle, not to one side or the other.
It used to be that people had one or two pairs of shoes. However, in this day and age of Imelda Marcos shoe shoppers, you can easily find shoes at a yard sale or thrift shop that have never been worn or only worn once or twice. But should you buy them?
Here is how you check if too many miles have been put on the second hand shoes you are considering buying:
- Check the heels for wear. If you see any wear, the shoes have been worn too much to buy.
- Check for wear and tear inside the shoes. Has the size been worn off? Are there indentations in the insoles? Sometimes you won’t see the wear on the heels, but it will show up inside the shoe.
- Is the shoe sitting straight? Are the sides up and down or are they at an angle? Any sag or bulge or deviation from the original shape is a sign that you do not want to inherit the back problems of the previous owner.
If you find a pair of shoes that you just HAVE to have because they perfectly match your new pink taffeta ball gown that you plan to wear to Comic Con, but they have worn heels; don’t despair. Do what your ancestors did. Buy them and take them to a cobbler and have new heels put on them.
Don’t turn your nose up at used shoes. Just make sure to inspect them for wear before purchasing. I got a pair of brand new $200 handmade Brazilian leather shoes for my husband at a Really Free Swap. Score!
Subway.com
Get a free breakfast at Subway from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at So Cal Subway locations. The freebie is for a English Muffin Melt and an 8-ounce beverage. No coupon is needed to get the deal. The freebie is part of a publicity campaign to highlight Subway’s new breakfast options, which range from $1.75 to $3.25.
Valid only at Subway locations in Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange County, San Bernadino, and Riverside counties. Watch the Subway commercial about the deal via YouTube.
Caveats: may not be combined with any other offer. Substitutions cost extra.
My frugal friends at Savings.com (belatedly) shared these coupons.
Get $15 off $75 at Smashbox. Expiration date unknown.
Get $15 off $75 at Urban Outfitters. Expires April 28, 2010.
Get 20% off any single item at Gaiam. Expires April 30, 2010.
Get 20% off women’s apparel with free shipping at Reebok. Expires April 30, 2010.
VirtualErn/Flickr
Check this out! Eat a free Whopper when you bring in this Burger King coupon.
If you don’t like burgers, here is a Jack in the Box coupon for a free sandwich when you buy one.
Snag a free sample of o.b. tampons when you register on the o.b. site.
The Jamba Juice coupon for buy one get free smoothies expires soon – April 25!
Use this Coldwater Creek Outlet coupon to get an extra 25% off plus free shipping on your purchase through May 2, 2010. No minimum purchase!
Get an extra 50% off more than a dozen already-discounted magazine subscriptions through Amazon until the end of April.
Mother’s Day photo discounts and deals end soon.
Check out all the coupons and deals on my WalletPop blog.
woodleywonderworks/Flickr
Happy Earth Day! Whether or not you recognize this holiday, you should check out the amazing (if I do say so myself) list of Earth Day freebies and deals I compiled on my WalletPop blog. A sneak peak:
- $1 ink cartridge refills today only at Walgreens!
- free baseball caps at the Disney Store
- 22-33% off earth-friendly brands and products at Walgreens
- $8 off coupons for Alicia Silverstone’s EcoTools beauty product line
- free entrance to our National Parks this week
Read all the Earth Day freebies and deals here.
oskay/Flickr
Get an instant 10% off coupon for Cost Plus World Market when you join their email list.
Mark your calenders! Free pretzel day is Monday, April 26, 2010 and many pretzel stores are giving away free pretzels.
Check out all the deals and discounts on my WalletPop blog. Coming later today is s 25% off coupon code for Coldwater Creek Outlet, Mother’s Day photo discounts and deals, and a 50% off coupon code for more than a dozen magazines on Amazon.com.
Cathy at Chief Family Officer sent me these four freebies and deals at Ralphs this week. For her full list, see the link below.
Mentos Gum $1
Use $.55 off 1 Mentos Gum from 2/21 Smart Source coupon insert
Final price: FREE
Bumble Bee Seafood $1
Use $.55 off 1 Bumble Bee Premium Tuna Pouch 2.5 or 5 oz from 2/21 Smart Source
Final price: FREE
Vitaminwater Zero $1
Use $1 off 2 Vitaminwater or Vitaminwater Zero from 4/11 Smart Source
Final price: 50 cents each when you buy 2
Haagen-Dazs or Skinny Cow Ice Cream Cup $1
$1 off 2 Skinny Cow Cups printable (FF or IE)
$1 off 3 Skinny Cow, Haagen-Dazs, or Edy’s Cup from May All You
Final price: as low as 50 cents each when you buy 2
Read all Cathy’s deals and freebies at Ralphs. Thanks, Cathy!
A reader named Ellen emailed me this warning:
Hi Julia: I know you’ve addressed the subject of gift cards but I wanted to give you and your fans a warning: Watch out for gift cards to stores that have gone under! The other day I was in 7-11, which sells a variety of retail gift cards. Well, my eyes popped out when I saw a display for Circuit City! That retailer has been out of business for quite some time. I was going to alert the management but for some reason chickened out. However, next time I’m in there, I will definitely do so, if only as a duty to the customers.
jakerome/Flickr
As it turns out, Circuit City still operates an online electronics store under new ownership, so Ellen’s worry was unfounded. However, Ellen brings up a good point. In this ridiculously tough economy when market forces, natural disasters, and new spending habits are re-shaping the face of American and international businesses, it is wise to doublecheck that the company you want to do business with is still IN business.
The best thing to do is call the business and see if someone picks up the phone, especially if you are considering buying a gift card through a third party. If you are in a store and want to know if it is on the brink, look for these signs while shopping.
Another useful tool is a Wikipedia page of businesses that have failed. This list is not foolproof nor does it indicate that the company is not still operating in some form or fashion, like Circuit City. The list includes national and regional businesses, but not local ones. It is a good starting place if you are researching the solvency of a company you want to do business with.
khawkins04/Flickr
Get 33% off the list price of any one item with this Borders coupon, good through April 22, 2010.
Take home a free roll of Reynolds 100% recycled wrap when you pair this high-value $1.25 off coupon with a sale.
Get 30% off at Ann Taylor and Ann Taylor Loft during their friends and family sale. It ends Sunday, April 25, 2010.
Get 70% off at Restaurant.com through Thursday, April 22, 2010.
Through April 25 Dairy Queen Blizzards are buy one get one for $.25. That’s practically a 50% off your total Blizzard purchase!
These coupons and deals are from my WalletPop blog. Check back later today for a huge list of Earth Day freebies, discounts, and deals!
D Sharon Pruitt/Flickr
This is a guest post from reader Marie.
There are countless fun and entertaining events and places all around the USA that we can enjoy either free or at very little cost. These events are geared towards adults, families, seniors or kids. The possibilities are endless. Some examples include:
- Museums to cater to every taste and budget
- Senior Center facilities for fun, food and friendship
- Churches for spiritual support, entertainment and companionship
- Low-cost or free kids entertainment
- Low-cost or free kids fun and educational activities
Museums to cater to every taste and budget
To find free museums, festivities and events in any US city, visit Free-Attractions.com. Select the city of your choice and look at the great free choices available. Always call ahead to confirm as the site has some outdated information. Here are a few examples of free museums in…
New York…
- Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza
- Washington Park
- New York State Museum
- Albany Urban Cultural Park Visitor Center
- Albany Pine BushNew York State Capitol Tour
- Bronx Zoo
- Delaware Park
- Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum
Florida…
- Manatee Viewing Center (Apollo Beach)
- Kelly Park (Apopka)
- National Key Deer Refuge (Big Pine)
- Boca Raton Historical Society (Boca Raton)
- Spanish River Park (Boca Raton)
- Gumbo Limbo Nature Center (Boca Raton)
- Desoto National Memorial (Bradenton)
- Manatee Village Historical Park (Brooksville)
- Rodgers Christmas House Village (Cape Coral)
- Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge (Chiefland)
California…(six pages of wonderful free entertainment!)
- Columbia State Historic Park (Coloma)
- Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial (Concord)
- Nimbus Salmon/Steelhead Fish Hatchery (Cordova)
- Redwood National Park (Crescent City)
- Jelly Belly Center (Fairfield)
- Anheuser-Busch Brewery Tours (Fairfield)
- Manzanar National Historic Site (Independence)
- UCLA Armand Hammer Museum of Art and Cultural Center (Los Angeles)
- The Getty (Los Angeles)
- Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (Los Angeles)
Senior Center facilities for fun and friendship
For a list of Senior Centers in any city, do an advanced Google search and plug in the city or zip code where you want to find a senior center. Most senior centers are open on weekdays and offer not only very low-cost nutritious lunches but also a chance to get together with peers keeping busy with the classes of one’s choice, such as dancing, knitting, crochet, cards, etc.
Churches for spiritual comfort, entertainment and companionship
Many churches in the US offer spiritual guidance, church services, concerts, hikes, crafts, book clubs, Taize, and other programs. To find information on various churches, look for ones near you in the Yellow Pages.
Kids activities
For a variety of free or low-cost entertainment for children, GoCityKids has a handy page that lets you search for activities. Click on your city. If you live in Los Angeles, you will find information on Griffith Park, O’Melveny Park, Westwood Branch Library, and Audubon Center at Debs Park.
Natural Treasures: Mountain trails, beaches, etc.
Don’t forget the natural treasures of our great country – hikes on mountain trails or along the beautiful beaches – fun for all the family. To find local beaches, go to Google and enter “beaches” and the city or state of your choice. To find mountains for hiking, camping and fun, repeat the Google search but enter “mountains in” and the city or state of your choice. Click on items that interest you to find out more details about campsites, costs, etc.
In short, wonderful entertainment, free or almost free, is just a click away on your computer. Start clicking – and have fun!
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of BobbisBargains
DIY is my mantra. One of my best defenses against paying too much for anything is knowing how to do it myself. Over the years, in an effort to stay in my budget and to teach my children to be self-reliant, I have learned many very useful skills that have saved me enormous amounts of money. Here are just a few of them.
Take and retouch headshots
A professional headshot can cost anywhere from $150 to $500 before retouching. You can learn digital photography at your local community college or occupational center for a fraction of the cost of the tuition at a fancy art school. If you are really good at learning on your own, then there are tons of free online tutorials on photography and retouching. An excellent subscription online software tutorial site that I have used for years is Lynda. For $25 a month you have access to fabulous tutorials on just about every piece of art software that exists.
Check the fluids in your car
All of my mechanics in the past have told me that if people only checked and maintained fluid levels in their cars, mechanics would practically go out of business. Many major car repairs can be avoided by proper maintenance, thereby saving you a bundle of money. By watching YouTube videos on the subject and asking my mechanics to show me, I have learned where and how to check my vehicle’s fluids. Search with the make and model of your car and you can most likely see how your engine should look.
Alter your own clothes
This is a skill that I learned as part of my visits to Swap O Rama Ramas where I also scooped up hundreds of dollars of free clothes. Who knew that you could actually cut down and re-sew a t-shirt so that it looked attractive?
Read musical notations
Music gives me great pleasure. Instead of feeling like I need to take a vacation to chill out, I can just spend some time with music. Check out your local library for how-to videos for kids. If you really want to understand music the easy way, then I suggest attending one of Duncan Lorien’s “The Understanding of Music” seminars. I’ve taken this seminar before and it is simply brilliant. Plus, it comes with a 100% money-back guarantee.
Build things out of wood
Great and free places to start to learn how to handle a hammer and nails are the free workshops given at Home Depot and Lowes. Lowes has how-to project videos online as well as free kids clinics each Saturday morning. Learning to be your own handy person can save you up to $100 an hour on simple repairs.
Along with the savings you get when you do things for yourself, you also gain competence and the satisfaction of knowing that you can do things yourself. What are your favorite DIY sites?
Free fries at Jack in the Box – today only! The fast food chain is trying to spread the word about its new fried potatoes.
Get a free sample of Aveeno Nourish shampoo and conditioner. You get to choose from one of four types.
Get $5 off Haggar pants at Sears when you donate a gently used pair as part of an Earth Day “pantcycling” program to benefit charity.
Get 25% off your next pair of heels or sandals with this Shoes.com coupon code.
Get a free sample of fizzy bath tablets to make getting cleaner fun for kids!
Going shopping this weekend? Use this Filene’s Basement coupon and get 20% off.
Or head to the mall and use this Banana Republic coupon for 25% off.
Right now the Entertainment Book is $15 plus you get free shipping. Not bad for hundreds of BOGO free and 50% off coupons.
Bizarre. Here is a free sample of a high-tech disposable toothpick that eliminates the need for floss.
Check out all the coupons and deals on my WalletPop blog.
My frugal friends at Savings.com shared these coupon codes.
Get 15% off orders at Swell. Expiration date unknown.
Get 35% off orders of $100 or more at GameStop. Expires April 30, 2010.
Get 25% off $25 or more at Kodak Gallery. Expires April 30, 2010.
Get 10% off your order at Crocs. Expiration date unknown.
Get 20% off site wide with free shipping on $100 or more at Hanna Anderson. Expires April 21, 2010.
By Mike Barclay of 10CentsWorth.com
hipsxxhearts/flickr
How many times when growing up did you hear, “Eat everything on your plate. There are starving people in Africa”? If it was anything like my household, it was almost daily. Interestingly enough, I recently had my own paradigm shift about food waste. What started out as “I don’t have the money to toss out food I don’t eat” has turned into a realization that none of us do!
Statistics show that Americans throw away about 25% of the food we prepare. That amounts to about 96 BILLION pounds of food tossed into a dumpster (video). The food service industry (restaurants) estimate that 4-10% of the food they prepare is wasted before it gets to you. That’s a lot of food! “There’s a huge disconnect,” says William Rathje, a Stanford archaeologist who ran the University of Arizona Garbage Project for years. “People don’t pay attention to their food waste because it goes straight into the garbage or disposal. It’s not like newspapers that stack up in the garage.”
According to the USDA, the average weekly amount spent on food for a family of four using a low cost plan (we’ll go with kids in the age range of 6-11) is about $170. That breaks down to about $24 per day. Remember that earlier stat that 25% of the food prepared in America is wasted? What’s a quarter of $24? $6. A family of four is essentially throwing away enough food for an entire person each day!
So how do we get that 25% waste down to zero? Recycle it! The most obvious option is just not to throw it away! If you have leftovers, think of ways to reuse them. Make sure they’re in a clear container so that you can see what’s in them, and try your best to keep them up in front. You’ll have a better chance of not forgetting about them that way. And who says you need to eat the same dish four nights in a row? I found a great site for leftover recipes that lets you plug in the main ingredients and populates a bunch of recipe ideas. (See BargainBabe.com site review here.)
Ripened fruit? No problem! Toss them in a blender with ice and make smoothies.
Obviously some things aren’t reusable and some food needs to be tossed. But even then, it doesn’t necessarily need to be wasted. You can easily make your own homemade kitchen composter which will allow you to save those scraps and turn them into fertilizer for plants around the house, or even your garden in the backyard.
So the next time you start to scrape your plate down the disposal, pretend it’s cold hard cash that you’re inserting down the drain, and think again.
