Today’s company is Whole Fruit and you can contact them here.
For all previous CAC posts, click here.
Not familiar with the CAC Program? Get more info here.
Giveaway Winners
30
Jul
So while I was on vacation I had 2 giveaways that ended. I used random.org to select the winners. Here they are:
Febreze Coupons: Laura who said “I love Febreze.”
Cheerios & $25 American Express Gift Card: Tina who said “I love spending time with my husband and family. I have the best husband , children and grandson and they make me so proud and happy.I also love spending time outdoors.”
Both winners need to email me with their mailing addresses at giveaways@saveitsomewhere.com no later than August 2nd at 12pm EST to claim their prizes.
Thanks to all that signed up, and keep an eye out for lots more giveaways to come!
GUEST POST: Daddy Bucks Can Pay Off Big
29
Jul
This is a guest post from Tracie over at Penny Pinchin’ Mom. To check out more of her posts, go here. Thanks Tracie!
Tracie is a stay at home mom to 3 young children ages 22 months – 5 years, in Raymore, MO. In November 2007, she and her husband decided to get out of debt and made changes in their lives to do so. In 27 months, they eradicated over $37,000 in debt through both budgeting and learning how to live a frugal life. She now shares her knowledge in order to help you stretch your hard-earned dollars so can live the life you want.
No need to adjust the image on your computer screen. That in fact IS a dollar bill with my husband’s face on it. Or, what we affectionately call “Daddy Bucks” in our home.
While I could have called them “Mommy Bucks”, it just didn’t have the same ring to it – plus, there is something about earning money from dad that makes it more worthwhile.
So, what are Daddy Bucks? Quite simply, it is a way for our daughter to earn privileges as well as money towards those special items she wants (but doesn’t always need). Let me say this — these things WORK. They are like pure magic in our house.
What brought this on in our house was actually two-fold. One – our daughter wanted things from the store I wouldn’t just buy her (a.k.a. The Backyardigans Super Spy Movie), and Two – we needed to find a way to get her to do the things she was suppose to without having arguments and meltdowns. So, daddy bucks were born.
She earns them for doing some things she should and even BONUS bucks for doing things that we don’t even ask her to. Since she is 5, she doesn’t have too many responsibilities around the house, so she doesn’t earn them for things such as picking up her toys, making her bed, brushing her teeth, etc. She earns them for other items.
For example, when she helps clean up the play room that her brother and sister have destroyed, she can earn $2 in daddy bucks. If she picks it up all by herself — without complaint – the price goes up to $5. So, we find tasks around the house that we want her to do and she earns money.
In addition, we are using daddy bucks to help her grow up. She has a blanket that she is extremely attached to. While I understand security and need to sleep with it at night, it does not need to be drug all over the house during the day. So, each day that her blanket remains in her room, she earns $3 in daddy bucks.
Now, on the flip side, when she is defiant or blatantly refuses to listen/behave, she is threatened with paying me daddy bucks. I will say that the mere mention of paying mom immediately changes the attitude and she straightens up right away. Can you tell that mommy loves daddy bucks too?!!?!
So, what does she get with daddy bucks? In our house, the redemption for items she wants is double bucks. So, if her movie costs $15 at the store, she must have earned $30 in daddy bucks to get it. She is yet too young to want to do sleep overs and the like, but we will work those into her “budget” as she gets older. Here are some ideas:
Stay up 15 minutes late: $10
Play computer games: $5 (for 30 minutes)
Go to a friend’s house: $15
Have a sleepover: $30
If you are intrigued in starting your own daddy bucks (or whatever you wish to call them in your house), you can created your own money by heading here (select your denomination and currency from the drop down menu).
This system has truly been a lifesaver for us. It is not only teaching our daughter responsibility and things she should do to help our family, but also the importance of saving and working towards a goal, be it personal or material.
Thanks Tracie!
CAC – 07/29/10
29
Jul
GUEST POST: How To Save On Utilities
29
Jul
This is a guest post from Tracie over at Penny Pinchin’ Mom. To check out more of her posts, go here. Thanks Tracie!
Tracie is a stay at home mom to 3 young children ages 22 months – 5 years, in Raymore, MO. In November 2007, she and her husband decided to get out of debt and made changes in their lives to do so. In 27 months, they eradicated over $37,000 in debt through both budgeting and learning how to live a frugal life. She now shares her knowledge in order to help you stretch your hard-earned dollars so can live the life you want.
It is simple enough to find ways to save on the items you purchase at retailers such as grocery stores and drug stores. Did you know you can even save on your utilities? By making a few changes to your lifestyle, you can easily reign in some extra money at the end of the month.
TELEPHONE
The next time you get your telephone bill, take a look at the services you are paying for vs. what you are using. If you pay for items such as call forwarding, voice mail, 3 way calling, analyze if you are using them or not. If not, cut that from your bill. Many times, these services are already included in your basic, plan, but some companies still charge extra.
You can also eliminate your telephone bill by shutting down your land line. This is becoming more and more common place for families. You are already paying for the cell phone service, so why pay for two different phone numbers? This may not be an option for your and your family, but one you might want to seriously consider if you need to shave some money out of your budget.
AIR CONDITIONING / ELECTRICITY
As summer is knocking on our doors (and actually already here for many), the air conditioning units are going to get a work-out. There are a few ways to save on your energy bill this summer.
Did you know that appliances still draw electricity when they are not in use? If you unplug that lamp or TV when you are not using them you can cut down on your utility bill. We actually have a power strip that shuts down our TV, satellite dish and Bly-ray player when the TV is off. So none of those draws juice when not in use. Something as simple as leaving the television on when you are not in the room is wasting you (and the environment) precious electricity, which equals money. Just get into the habit of shutting everything of when you leave the room, you can begin to save money.
Adjust your thermostat. When you are not home, turn your thermostat up. The easiest way to do this is through a through the use of a programmable thermostat. These can be set to increase the temperature inside of your home during the day and then can be lowered around the time you will be getting home at night. In addition, when your thermostat is adjusted so it is not requiring as much electricity, your other appliances do not work as hard to get the juice they need in order to run. Be sure to start your unit’s cool down earlier in the afternoon so as to not compete with others around 5:00 p.m., which is when usage is normally hitting it’s peak.
HEATING
I realize that it is nearly summer, but you can save on your heating bill this coming winter.
Once again, adjust your thermostat. Just as we do in the summertime, lowering your thermostat to be 5 – 10 degrees cooler at night can save as much as 5 – 10% off of your utility bill. Once again, a programmable thermostat can help you easily accomplish this. Just change your settings once fall/winter comes. Oh – and to keep warm - throw on a sweater or toss an extra blanket on the bed to help keep yourself nice and warm.
WATER
It is amazing how much money can be lost through the use of water. There are some easy ways you can save here as well.
When summer brings it’s sweltering heat, we all see our plants and yard suffering. While having a gorgeous green lawn is wonderful (I love mine too), a little brown won’t hurt. So, don’t spend hours watering your yard. If you have a sprinkler system, be sure that it first of all has a rain sensor and doesn’t kick on when you’ve recently received moisture. Secondly, be sure you do not water more than once or twice week and for a short period of time – if not at all.
The most important thing to keep in mind about watering is do NOT water in the heat of the sun. Water in the very early morning (5:00 am if you can) as your precious water will not evaporate away. I’ll admit that by mid-July, a lot of my plants start to look a little wilted, so I will put some water on them from time to time, but it is certainly NOT a daily occurrence.
Turn off the water when not in use. This may sound simple, but do you leave the water running when you brush your teeth? Why not shut it off when you are brushing and not actually rinsing? Do you need to spend 10 minutes taking a shower? Why not try to shave off 5 minutes from your shower time and see how much water you can save.
Be sure to check for any leaky faucets or toilets in your home. It may not seem like much water loss, but it doesn’t take much to create a gallon of wasted water, which is money your are pouring down your drain (literally). The cost for a new faucet will outweigh the cost of your wasted water.
CABLE / SATTELLITE
It is really good to compare your current plant to a competitor’s plan. Many times, you can get some great sign-on rebates when you switch, which is nice. However, you need to take a look at company reviews and the plans they offer.
Sure, it would be great to have every channel the company offers or most of your channels in Hi-def — but check the prices. Do you watch enough of those channels to warrant the additional cost? One way to check this is to see if you could rent the movie through on-demand or another rental service vs. the cost of what you pay/watch. Just by dropping to a lower tier of television channels, you can knock some money off of your bill. Does watching the evening news in Hi-Def really matter? Maybe you can live without Hi-Def broadcasting as well, which can save you cash as well.
I am absolutely not advising everyone to follow every step I listed here. Just take a look through this list and make the changes that work for your family. If there isn’t anything I can’t stand it is the rising cost of utilities, so I just do what I need to do, in order to try to stay ahead of the game.
Thanks Tracie!
GUEST POST: What Did I Do With That Receipt?
28
Jul
This is a guest post from Tracie over at Penny Pinchin’ Mom. To check out more of her posts, go here. Thanks Tracie!
Tracie is a stay at home mom to 3 young children ages 22 months – 5 years, in Raymore, MO. In November 2007, she and her husband decided to get out of debt and made changes in their lives to do so. In 27 months, they eradicated over $37,000 in debt through both budgeting and learning how to live a frugal life. She now shares her knowledge in order to help you stretch your hard-earned dollars so can live the life you want.
Bills. Forms. Envelopes. Endless Piles of Paper. It seems that no matter how “paperless” you try to become, you still deal with all of this. It can be overwhelming to see it in your mailbox, let alone trying to keep track of all of it. Being organized can actually help save you money. Here are some ideas on ways to help.
Create a Bill File. One of simplest ways to avoid additional costs is to pay your bills timely. If you create a bills file and place all of your bills in there as they arrive, you will have them all in one place when you sit down to write your checks. You shouldn’t have to ever worry about not finding it or accidentally tossing it in the trash. Our family has a drawer in our desk. All bills go in there until they are to be paid. We never lose them and can find them in a moment’s notice.
Checks and Balances. This may sound silly, but take a couple of minutes and make sure that the payment that was applied to your account from the previous month, is actually the same as the amount you paid. Also be sure it was posted to your account within a timely manner from the time you mailed the check. Sometimes, late fees can incur due to a late arrival of your payment. If you have credit card statements, always review the charges to be sure that you agree with them. Two minutes now, can save a lot of headache down the road.
Also be sure to reconcile your checking account regularly. Having one missed entry could result in an overdraft fee to not only your bank, but also to the institution where you issued the check. If you didn’t have the money for the check you wrote – chances are you don’t have an extra $50 – $75 on top of that to cover these fees. Although I reconcile, I also always have an overdraft system in place just in case I make an error. Mine is attached to my savings account. Check with your bank to see what programs or services they offer to help cover you, should this happen.
Use Your Envelope System. I know I talk about the envelope system for cash. However, this envelope system is for receipts. Make an envelope for each of the retailers where you shop and then some for incidental receipts you might have. For example, I have these envelopes:
JCPenney
Target
Walmart
Kohl’s
Household
Auto
Misc
Birthday/Holiday
This way, if I have a problem with an item, I can easily find the receipt I am looking for so that I can return the item. If you don’t have a receipt, some stores will not take the item back. Others will issue store credit – – but for the lowest price of that item over the past 30 days – – making you end up in the red after your return.
Keep Track of Mail in Rebates. I love rebates. They really are a great way to get cash back on the things you buy anyway. Be sure that before you drop them in the mail that you make a complete copy of EVERYTHING and slide that into a folder. Then, when you receive your rebate, you can pull the forms out and discard them.
Invest in a Shredder. With Identity Theft on the rise, a shredder is almost a must anymore. You can pick up a small one relatively inexpensively at most retailers. When you get those credit card applications in the mail, or your bank statements, you should never toss them into the trash. These items must be shredded in order to protect your personal information. Dealing with a stolen identity can cost you more than money – it can cost you time away from the things and people you love.
These are systems my family uses and they really do help us stay on top of everything. Our bills are always paid on time. We can easily find anything we need at the drop of the hat. By implementing these few simple changes into your own life, hopefully you’ll feel a little less stress.
Now, as far as actually HAVING to pay the bills – sorry, your own your own there!
Thanks Tracie!
GUEST POST: What’s the Deal with “Do No Double” on Certain Coupons?
28
Jul
This is a guest post from Staying Lean In Oakland County. To check out more of her posts, go here. Thanks!
Tashena Lynette Gonzales is the author of http://stayingleaninoaklandcounty.blogspot.com/ and is a Bilingual Supply Chain Specialist by day and frugal blogger at night. She uses her education in the field of marketing, her experience as a consumer and the plethora of frugal experts already on the web to try to bring tips on frugal living to those in her area of metro Detroit, while still looking for on-line deals that other readers can enjoy nationally.
Have you ever noticed the dreaded “Do Not Double” on a coupon and been worried about it? I live in a great area I have a Meijer that doubles coupons up to $.50 as well as several local grocery stores. I have a VGs that doubles coupons up to $1.00 and I work near a Kroger that doubles coupons up to $1.00. So when I have a plethora of coupons that say “Do Not Double” what does that really mean? There are actually a two groups that these break down into. The first group are the coupons that are readily accessible and the bar code starts with a 9. These are usually the tearpads, blinkies and some home mailers. They are coded to not double because the manufacturer knows they have a higher redemption rate. Any barcode that starts with a 5 will double automatically when scanned. So why are some coupons that will double automatically worded with Do Not Double? Well I have read a few articles and heard it discussed and here is the deal. When a store offers double coupons that is an additional Store incentive. When this first occurred some stores wanted to solicit the full amount from the manufacturer which manufacturer’s did not authorize. So to make it clear that to stores they will only be reimbursed the face value of the coupon they put “Do Not Double” on certain coupons.
The stores are taking a hit on these coupons and using them like they do their ”loss leaders” to get you to come to their store rather than a lower priced store.
So what about the Do Not Double coupons that start with a 5? Basically two things are involved, the coupon policy and the cashier. If the coupon policy states that all coupons are doubled to a certain amount then they should be doubled. Some coupon polices do state that all coupons (of a certain value) will be doubled unless the coupon states otherwise. (For example check out Busch’s Coupon Policy.) Then there are the cashiers who not knowing the intent of the “Do Not Double” will restrict your coupon.
So basically know your coupon policy and the cashiers and act accordingly. If the coupon policy states that all coupons to a certain amount are doubled but the cashiers restrict them often at that store perhaps speak with the manager. (But proceed with caution because the end result could be changing the wording of the coupon policy.) You may also want to opt for the U-scan or take your business else where. You can find more in depth information at these two articles here and here.
GUEST POSTS: How To Maximize Your Online Shopping
28
Jul
This is a guest post from Staying Lean In Oakland County. To check out more of her posts, go here. Thanks!
Tashena Lynette Gonzales is the author of http://stayingleaninoaklandcounty.blogspot.com/ and is a Bilingual Supply Chain Specialist by day and frugal blogger at night. She uses her education in the field of marketing, her experience as a consumer and the plethora of frugal experts already on the web to try to bring tips on frugal living to those in her area of metro Detroit, while still looking for on-line deals that other readers can enjoy nationally.
If you have been following blogs for a while you will notice deals come up every now and then and they will alert to go through cash back site like Big Crumbs , Shop at Home , ebates, or cashbaq.
When you see those you may wonder if it is worth especially if you are doing an on-line deal costing $10 or less. Well yesterday I get an email with the following:
Subject: Your Big Fat Payment From Ebates!
Note: Dear Ebates Shopper, Thank you for using Ebates every time you shop online. Congratulations, here is your Big Fat Payment! Please feel free to contact us with any questions that you may have about your payment or your Ebates account. Happy shopping! Sincerely, Ebates Customer Care
Custom Note: Thank you for using Ebates every time you shop online!
Payment Type: Instant
And then I had $13+ transferred into my paypal account. Between that, You Data , Surveys , and Swagbucks I have close to $30 in my paypal account. I think that is pretty good mostly for doing things that I normally do anyway.
To figure out the best site to use I go to Ev’reward I like the site a lot because it even tells you Upromise and converts mypoints points to a percentage for you so you can compare apples with apples. They will also let you know if there are any on-line coupons/promotional codes available currently available. However you may need to look up a few manually I don’t believe Shop at Home yet appears nor does zamzuu if you are an affiliate with them.
Two other sites to check for promotional codes are Promotional Codes and Retail Me Not.
Another thing I do is use a card that offers a rewards program. Usually credit card rewards programs are better than debit card rewards programs. Go Money Central MSN Credit Card Smarts for a great article on how you can chose the best rewards credit card for you. Go Credit.com Credit Rewards for a list of some available credit card offers. As the first article says though if you carry a balance on your credit cards then rewards credit cards are not for you. They are for those that pay their credit card off in full every month.
I do not have a rewards credit card however here is a list of some of the best rewards debit cards at Best Cash Cow best debit reward cards Every month it seems more banks are adding rewards programs so check with your local bank to see if they have one that you are not yet utilizing.
Go Extra Money for Searching Shopping and more for an article I listed previous with various cash back websites.
Also sign up for a rewards program for that store if available.
Here is an example of a transaction:
Need to buy ink from Best Buy
Ev’rewards informs that the best deal is 5.4% at Big Crumbs If I bought 2 cartridges from the store it would be $36.02 (including tax) But I buy it on-line (and choose in-store pick up) There is an automatic internet discount if you buy two cartridges you get 25% off the 2nd one bringing me down to $32.53. Additionally as a bonus I get points on my best buy rewards card (after $250 spent I get a
coupon for $5 to spend as cash. And I get a few points back for using my fifth third debit rewards card. Although the last two are minor after 8 or so more transactions at best buy of that size I have an extra $5 to spend. And from just using my debit card as I normally would I’ll have $25 deposited in my savings account. (For me it takes about a year but no extra effort.)
So how do you maximize your on-line shopping experiences?
http://stayingleaninoaklandcounty.blogspot.com/2010/02/how-to-maximize-your-on-line-shopping.html
CAC – 07/28/10
28
Jul
GUEST POST: Welcome To Motherhood
28
Jul
This is a guest post from Courtney over at My Dallas Mommy. To check out more of her posts, go here. Thanks Courtney!
There is no doubt that babys are expensive! I have found that if you sign up for the following mailing lists (email and snail mail), you can save big on everything baby! I hope that you find this list helpful!
Diapers:
Huggies
Pampers
Goodnites GoodNites®
Luvs
Diapers.com
Make sure and sign up for the Rewards Programs for Huggies and Pampers!
Bath &Body Products:
Johnson & Johnson
Aveeno Baby
Formula:
Enfamil
Similac
Bright Beginnings
Nestle Good Start
Parent’s Choice
Member’s Mark
Other Baby Items:
Playtex
Avent
Boudreaux’s Butt Paste
Desitin
Dr Smiths
Baby Foods:
Gerber
Beech-nut Baby Food
Earth’s Best Baby Food
Del Monte Nature’s Goodness
Clothing:
Carters Celebration Club
Children’s Place
Gerber Clothing
BabiesRUs
Books & Magazines:
American Baby
BabyTalk Magazine
Developmental Updates
BabyCenter
If you know of more, please leave a comment on this post and we will add them!
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