In the final hours before my spending moratorium kicked in today, Day 1 of 31, I made three purchases.
1. I paid $.68 for a Twix bar at CVS on my way home from the library. (To me, candy should still be $.50. I won’t miss paying retail.)
2. I charged $31.65 for a Thai dinner after my dancing lesson with Hubby. Had some very tasty fresh spring rolls and curry at Chili Thai in LA.
3. I spent $12.61 filling up my gas tank at the 76 station. I’ve got a full tank to last me the month – roughly 400 miles.
Now it’s no more spending for a month!
Two brave souls stepped forward to join me on this frugal experiment.
Emily said:
I will be joining you on the Moratorium although I will have slightly fewer restrictions as I have recently moved and am not ruling out the possibility of unexpected expenses.
Tamara said:
I am going to join you on your spending moratorium for the month of July! I do have one question though, and I will post it in the comments, what do you think about buying wedding gifts? I have two weddings to attend in July and am not sure how to proceed with “counting” the spending on gifts. Am I allowed to, or not?
I wanted to make it easy on Tamara so I put her question into a poll.
[poll id="29"]
Related:
BB considers going on a spending moratorium
Votes are in! BB goes on a spending moratorium
Spending moratorium starts Wednesday
You may have noticed there is a new way to find coupons on BargainBabe.com. In the right column a few inches below the Search box there is another box that says Savings.com. We are partnering with Savings.com to provide you coupons that are constantly being updated. Some of them are really hot!
When I last checked there was a coupon for $25 off an order of $75 or more at Lane Bryant, a 50% off deal for any one item at Hanes, and up to 8% off at Apple for teachers and students. Not too shabby.
I hope these coupons make BargainBabe.com even more useful to you. When you use them, you are supporting BargainBabe.com because I earn a small fee from each sale.
~Julia
aka Bargain Babe
SpendLessTV, a website that has clips of TV segments on saving money from a variety of channels, has a video about credit card perks you rarely use. It’s worth watching.
Caveats: not all credit cards have the perks mentioned.
Here are two clever posts from my friends at WiseBread. The first lays out five signs that indicate if you’ve gone too far and failed at frugality. It’s a good reminder that forcing yourself to be frugal is not a winning solution. The second post that I wanted to highlight lists 5 respectable ways to get a free meal. Who doesn’t love free food?
If you’d like more tips from WiseBread, buy their book, “10,001 ways to live large on a small budget.” I’ve got a copy myself, which I reviewed here.
Now that it’s officially summer, time to get your beach reading on! Here are a few good sources for cheap books.
PaperbackSwap.com – register for a free account and list 10 books you are willing to swap. That earns you two credits to request books from other members. The more your trade out the more books you get to request in. You pay to mail out books and receive them for free. The site is great for kid’s picture books and NY Times best-sellers. They also have DVD and CD swaps. Read more about how it works.
BookMooch.com – this site uses a similar system as PaperbackSwap. You pay to mail books and receive them for free. You need to send out one book for every three you receive to remain in good standing. BookMooch is free and has a very cute Web site.
Bookins.com – this site charges a flat fee of $4.50 per book but boasts better customer service than Paperback Swap and BookMooch. The site’s point system allows you to trade books for DVDs. You can also print postage from home. Read more about how Bookins works.
Goodwill and Salvation Army – large thrift stores often have a used book section. Expect older titles and great prices.
Your local library – but of course!
Related:
15 places to get free books online (affordable if you have a Kindle!)
Education World provides summer reading lists by grade (scroll down to see the options)
NY Times recommends these books for vicarious travel
Thanks, Andrea!
Wise Bread is one of my favorite blogs because it is so interesting. My case in point is a recent post from one of their bloggers on DIY funerals. The writer breaks down how a low-budget funeral can add up to $8,000. Then he suggests a few alternatives, including making your own coffin.
Oh. My. Goodness.
I guess he didn’t know you can buy coffins at Costco. Read the post here. It’s quite interesting!
Here’s one way to lower your wedding costs: go on a road trip instead. Jaime Case and Chris Hodges, a 30-something couple from San Francisco, dreamed of a destination wedding in Mexico but they couldn’t stomach asking their guests to spend $3,ooo apiece to celebrate with them. Instead, they are bringing the wedding to their guests. I spoke to Jaime on week three of the six-week pre-marital road trip adventure.
Why are you having a road trip wedding?
It started off as a trip to go visit everyone so they can save money by not coming to the wedding. And it’s become more of an odyssey of learning about marriage. It’s like premarital counseling but more intensive and all encompassing. The idea is to save more money for other people. On the whole we are still spending less than the average wedding, which is about $30,000. That doesn’t include the rehearsal dinner, the dress, and the honeymoon.
How much did the recession play a role in your decision to have a road trip wedding?
If we got married in 2008, we would have done what our friends did: a week-long destination wedding. We absolutely would have done that. But in my heart I could not stomach asking people to pay to go to Mexico.
How much is your road trip wedding costing?
Everything we’re doing…will be less than the average cost of a wedding, about $27,000 dollars. The road trip is only costing us about $2,000. The gas itself is $1,100-1,200, plus a few nights at hotels. We’re not adding food because we would eat anyway and a lot of people are buying us dinner! We are staying with family and friends and eating cheaply. Ford donated a Fusion and is covering car insurance. We pay for the gas.
How much are you saving?
A traditional wedding would have cost us about $27,000. The trip is saving us $25,000, some of which we are using to throw a dinner at a restaurant for family and close friends when we return. That’ll cost about $12,000. But our guests are also saving a lot of money, which is more of our point.
How much are you saving your guests?
It would cost our 200 friends in other states about $20,000 to come visit us. Plus, we get to spend a lot more time with them than we normally would at a standard wedding.
Are you having a ceremony?
We are having a ceremony and small dinner in Ventura, Calif. It’s going to be about as non-traditional as you can get. No flowers, no wedding party, no wedding cake. Just dinner at a restaurant. You can call it a wedding or whatever you want, but that’s more for my parents. We didn’t mind spending money on serving people dinner. But we wanted to spend money on spending time with people.
Did you get a dress?
I got a sample dress at Saks bridal, which was closing. I’m probably going to sell it afterward. My Mom bought it. If you have any debt at all, there’s no need to spend $2,000 on a dress. But I wouldn’t position us as the cheapest wedding around.
Where have you gone so far?
We have been to 19 states, including CA, OR, WA, ID, CO, WY, UT, NM, LA, MI, AL, FL, GA, SC, NC, TN, KY, W.VA, IN, OH, PA, MD and D.C.
Has anything unexpected happened?
Some of the people we spent time with we’re going to become even better friends with, like a guy who I was on the swim team with in junior high school. We would not have invited him to the wedding, but he heard about our road trip on Facebook and invited us to stay in their guest house in Salt Lake City. We stayed with them and had an amazing time. I feel we’ll actually go back and go skiing sometime. If they had come to the wedding I would have shook their hands and that would be it.
They say planning a wedding is the first test of a marriage. How is going being on the road together?
We’ve only been doing this for 20 days, and we have thought about breaking up. Imagine talking about your marriage and what it’s going to be for 45 days straight. Fundamentally I know Chris is a good person. He is a gem amongst men in that he can talk about anything. I don’t have to deal with, what are you thinking? I don’t have to wonder. I know because I can ask. That makes him very attractive.
I’m more driven. Chris likes to enjoy life a little more. It’s my personality to wake up and have a to do list. During an interview, there was a question about Chris not being as passionate as me. It hit me at the wrong time and I shared more info than I should have. Later, Chris brought it up. He said, This seems like an issue. This keeps coming up. We need to solve this, he said. When we talked it through we just have different way of looking at it. We both want the same things but we have a different approach.
For more check out the Wedding Road Trip blog. Thanks, Monica!
Wal-Mart is hiring 22,000 workers across the country, including 1,000 or more workers in Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, South Carolina, Utah and Virginia,” according to a CNN story.
The hirings are significant in lieu of our depressing unemployment rate, which economists predict will rise to 9.2 percent after the economy lost 520,000 jobs last month. That’s a 25-year high!
I’m very conflicted about Wal-Mart. I don’t like to feature their deals on BargainBabe.com because of their checkered past. But I know for many people shopping at Wal-Mart is a way to make ends meet. I “vote” with my dollars and let others do the same. To each their own, right?
Because of the recession, however, I’m wondering if people are applying for and taking jobs they wouldn’t otherwise consider.
[poll id="26"]
I didn’t know this, but there are a ton of auction sites in addition to eBay. ShopSmart mag, which is published by Consumer Reports, reviews four good ones in the July issue.
Overstock.com auctions – check this site for designer labels, stuff liquidators are unloading, and items that have been returned by Overstock customers. A grading system indicates the item’s condition.
Sam’s club auctions – you have to be a member to bid on their big ticket items, like comforters, TVs, vacuums, and tents. Items are returnable within 30 days, but not to a store.
Shopgoodwill.com – this auction site is best for collectibles, like teacups, figurines and decorative dishes. ShopSmart found deals in clothing, quilts,handbags, and vintage jewelry. Items are not returnable, so examine pictures carefully.
Ubid.com – for electronics this is the place to go. The site sells excess cameras, TVs, and video game systems from manufactuers like Apple, Sony, and Hewlett-Packard. Many of the items are refurbished so check warranties.
For readers in Los Angeles, you can meet me at the West Valley Public Library this Saturday, June 6, in Reseda, California.
Starting at 1 p.m. I’m speaking about frugal vacation strategies, Disneyland discounts, and how to negotiate a deal. We’ll also go through the steps to create a simple budget (the same one that saved me $2,000 the first month I tried it).
The West Valley Public Library is located at 19036 Vanowen St. in Reseda, CA 91335. See you June 6 at 1 p.m.!
I just picked up my new eyeglasses from Costco and LOVE them! They stay on my head, look cute but not lawerly (which was a problem with my last pair, especially with dresses) and were about $150 less than I would have paid at Lens Crafters, where I used to go for glasses.
They cost $107, about $50 MORE than if I had bought them online. (My previous post covered options to buy cheap glasses online.)
In the end the extra $50 allowed me to try them on before purchasing, which was important to me. But I plan to test out an online glasses stores soon because my prescription changed and I would like new sunglasses. I don’t care as much about how the sunglasses look so stay tuned for my full report!
The Metropolitan Opera in New York is giving free access to watch more than 200 full-length operas online this weekend. From 5 .p.m EST May 1 to midnight EST May 3, visit MetPlayer.org to stream an online video of an opera on your home computer.
To take advantage of the freebie you need to register/log onto their site.
Once you log in you can view their 20 high-def presentations, more than 40 classic telecasts, and 150 historic audio broadcasts dating back to 1937, according to a release about the event. Subtitles are available in a few languages.
Read the Met’s FAQs section about how it works and check out the technical requirements and troubleshooting tips. Met Customer Care will be available from 10 am to 8 pm on Friday and Saturday, and from noon to 6 pm on Sunday.
Thanks, Hubby!
Liz Pullam, a widely-read personal finance columnist and author compiled a list of her 100 favorite Web sites to save money. Sadly, Bargainbabe.com is not mentioned, but many of the sites I have shared with you are on her list. Enjoy!
My two-year-old pair of glasses open two inches wider than my head, which means it was time to plunk down $250 at Lens Crafters for a new pair. NOT!
My friend Megan alerted me to a Web site that sells cheap glasses, Goggles4u. All the frames are $13. My light prescription added another $17 to $45 dollars. There was a good selection of cute frames, an easy way to compare favorites and a handy guide to measure the size of my face. I found six pairs I liked. A feature that uploads your picture and lets you virtually try the glasses on did not work, unfortunately. The site offers free shipping and refunds the full cost of the frames and 50 percent of the lenses if you are unhappy.
I also found Zenni Optical, which sorts frames by price: $8, $10, $13, $15, $16, and $19 for complete pairs (upgrades available). You can also search by type of frame. The site was not as user-friendly as Goggles4u and had more frames made out of metal than plastic, which is what I wanted. I did not find any frames that I liked. Returned pairs must be received within thirty days of the initial shipment date for a 50% percent refund.
39 Dollar Glasses is just like it sounds. The site sells glasses with a prescription for $39. Bifocals are $79. You can search by frame type or look at new arrivals. I liked many of their pairs, but had a hard time telling what I would actually be happy with. The site’s return policy says if they cannot re-cut your lenses to fit a new frame, you can exchange them for a new pair or you get a refund minus a 30 percent restocking fee.
After browsing these three sites I was uneasy purchasing prescription glasses online. If I didn’t like my purchase I estimated I would incur fees ranging from $12.50 to $25, including shipping. That seemed like a lot of money to essentially try on a pair of glasses.
I decided to head over to Costco, where I had gotten a super cheap eye examination for $49. I quickly narrowed it down to four pairs, all $49.99. “I can see why you didn’t want to buy them online,” Hubby said. It was so hard to tell what looked good until I put them on.
Finally a salesman came over and asked if he could help. Yes! He knocked out one boxy pair straight away and helped me decide against a dark green pair. The two remaining pairs turned out to be the same Norma Kamali frame, one in black (above) and one in a deep red.
I chose red. Anti-reflective glare was another $29.99 and my prescription was $27.99.
My total came to $107.97, which is about $50 more than if I had bought them online, but a lot less than going to Lens Crafters. I decided $50 was worth knowing I liked the frames and not having to deal with returns. My friend loves her glasses from Goggles4u, but I couldn’t stomach the risk. In the name of vanity, I paid extra.
Thanks, Megan!
The last time I suggested readers nix their land line for a cell phone or computer phone line I was practically booed off the blogosphere. Okay, maybe it wasn’t that bad. But I was surprised how resistant people were to giving up their land lines.
I’m not campaigning for the end of land lines again, but I am pointing out the cost of two alternatives. A reader named Diana prompted this post when she asked:
Have you ever checked out Vonage, or any of the internet phone line companies? Our AT&T bill is so high for very small usage and I have been wondering about Vonage. Rather nervous about trying it because if you are not happy and want to go back to AT&T, you have to get a new phone number and I imagine they impose fees for reinstating service. We’re not ready to give up a landline for cell phone only.
To help out Diana, and anyone else looking to lower their phone bill, I compared the price of two phone services that operate through your computer. Both require a high-speed Internet connection.
Vonage (most customers can use for 911 calls)
Plan 1: Unlimited local and long distance calls in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico costs $10 for the first 3 months, and $25 per month after that. You also get free calls to five pre-selected European countries. Includes voicemail, caller waiting and caller ID. Caveats: must be a new customer and sign up online. Yearly cost: with taxes and fees it comes to $326.53. Effective monthly cost: $27.21.
Plan 2: Upgrade to $35 a month for 25 visual voicemails and directory assistance. Caveats: must be a new customer and sign up online. Yearly cost: with taxes and fees it comes to $448.35. Effective monthly cost: $37.36.
Plan 3: For $18 a month you can downgrade to 500 outgoing minutes (you have unlimited incoming minutes) for calls to the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. Additional minutes are 3.9 cents each. Includes call waiting, voicemail and caller ID. Caveats: must be a new customer and sign up online. Yearly cost: with taxes and fees it comes to $289.84. Effective monthly cost: $24.15.
Skype (cannot be used for 911 calls)
Plan 1: Download Skype software and it is free to call any other Skype number. Monthly cost: free.
Plan 2 (monthly subscriptions): $3 per month for unlimited calls to landlines and mobiles in the US and Canada. $6 per month for unlimited landline and mobile calls to one country of your choosing. $13 per month for unlimited landline and mobile calls to 40 countries. You can make outgoing calls but not receiving incoming calls as part of these monthly subscription plans. If you want to receive calls you must purchase an online number, which costs $30 for a full year if you have a subscription. Otherwise it is $18 for 3 months or $60 for a full year. Yearly cost, excluding taxes and fees: $36, $72 or $ 156 depending on the plan. Monthly cost: varies.
Plan 3 (pay as you go): Buy Skype Credit to pay a la carte for making calls and sending text messages. You pay a flat rate of 2.1 cents per minute to over 30 countries or pay the going rate to a specific country. Connection fees apply. See all of Skype’s pricing here. Monthly cost: varies.
Vonage seems to be a more direct replacement for a landline, while Skype is great for folks who make a lot of international calls or are not worried about giving up their landline.
How much do you pay for your land line? Would you save money giving it up for a computer phone line?
