Here is something that was on Good Things Utah about saving money on medications. And for those of you that know me, you will be shocked that Amanda found it before me. Here is the link to the clip.
http://www.abc4.com/content/about_4/gtu/featured_on/story/Money-Savers-Over-the-Counter-Medications/vQyXqdDYMUy8cIZq_ViZIw.cspx
Click on the video clip on the right side to see.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Garage/Yard Sales
A Few Yard Saleing Tips- by Rose Torres
1. Nicer neighborhoods = nicer stuff (and often better prices).
2. NEGOTIATE THE PRICE. If they won’t accept what you are willing to pay walk away, you’ll find it somewhere else.
3. Check the newspaper on Friday and Saturday morning for ads. Map out which ones you want to hit first.
4. Start early. By 10:00 most of the good stuff is gone, by noon it is definitely gone.
5. Don’t arrive before it starts- sellers appoint a start time for a reason.
6.Shop group sales, Daybreak does a community sale about May that is fabulous (check the listings).
7. Avoid going on holiday weekends. Most people don’t do yard sales when they could be out playing.
8. If it is a large item in size or price and will need to be picked up/paid for later in the day, make a down payment. The seller will know you are serious and won’t sell it while you run to the ATM or find a truck.
9. Bring Cash. Only some sellers will accept checks.
10. A good rule of thumb: if it is new, pay half what they did. If it is used, pay less than half. As long as you think it is a deal, it’s a deal.
11. Most importantly: Don’t buy stuff you don’t need just because it’s cheap. That defeats the point of buying things used (to spend less!).
Comments from Kristin: I completely agree with these tips. I love to yard sale. The newspaper and online sites are were I look for listings. KSL.com (classifieds) and craigslist.com (Salt Lake) are free postings, so you might find extra listings there that the newspaper might not have.
~Another hint my sister thinks about when she is planning is, if there is a sale that starts on a Friday and she isn't shopping until Saturday morning, she would consider that a low priority, since the good stuff might be gone.
~Also, know what you are looking for, so you can check the listing for those specific things, and those might be your priority sales to get there when it starts. Decide which are priority sales and plan or map it out in order of when they start and where they are located by how much stuff they have that you are interested in. Then number them so you are not deciding on the road, and maybe mapquest it so you know what roads to take to get there the night before.
~ The most important tip that Rose mentioned was START EARLY. The early bird gets the worm, not the one who is sleeping in or taking care of the kids because she didn't delegate that to the husband.
~Oh, one that I found very helpful is, pray about your shopping trip, maybe days ahead of time and that morning. I have been surprised how much more we found on the trips we prayed about ahead of time. The Lord has blessed us for wanting to use money wisely.
Happy Yard Saleing!!!
1. Nicer neighborhoods = nicer stuff (and often better prices).
2. NEGOTIATE THE PRICE. If they won’t accept what you are willing to pay walk away, you’ll find it somewhere else.
3. Check the newspaper on Friday and Saturday morning for ads. Map out which ones you want to hit first.
4. Start early. By 10:00 most of the good stuff is gone, by noon it is definitely gone.
5. Don’t arrive before it starts- sellers appoint a start time for a reason.
6.Shop group sales, Daybreak does a community sale about May that is fabulous (check the listings).
7. Avoid going on holiday weekends. Most people don’t do yard sales when they could be out playing.
8. If it is a large item in size or price and will need to be picked up/paid for later in the day, make a down payment. The seller will know you are serious and won’t sell it while you run to the ATM or find a truck.
9. Bring Cash. Only some sellers will accept checks.
10. A good rule of thumb: if it is new, pay half what they did. If it is used, pay less than half. As long as you think it is a deal, it’s a deal.
11. Most importantly: Don’t buy stuff you don’t need just because it’s cheap. That defeats the point of buying things used (to spend less!).
Comments from Kristin: I completely agree with these tips. I love to yard sale. The newspaper and online sites are were I look for listings. KSL.com (classifieds) and craigslist.com (Salt Lake) are free postings, so you might find extra listings there that the newspaper might not have.
~Another hint my sister thinks about when she is planning is, if there is a sale that starts on a Friday and she isn't shopping until Saturday morning, she would consider that a low priority, since the good stuff might be gone.
~Also, know what you are looking for, so you can check the listing for those specific things, and those might be your priority sales to get there when it starts. Decide which are priority sales and plan or map it out in order of when they start and where they are located by how much stuff they have that you are interested in. Then number them so you are not deciding on the road, and maybe mapquest it so you know what roads to take to get there the night before.
~ The most important tip that Rose mentioned was START EARLY. The early bird gets the worm, not the one who is sleeping in or taking care of the kids because she didn't delegate that to the husband.
~Oh, one that I found very helpful is, pray about your shopping trip, maybe days ahead of time and that morning. I have been surprised how much more we found on the trips we prayed about ahead of time. The Lord has blessed us for wanting to use money wisely.
Happy Yard Saleing!!!
Monday, March 2, 2009
D.I. Exchange
On Wed. March 25th we are having a D.I. Exchange at the church. Bring your things that you are clearing out from spring cleaning and let others take them home for more use.
Here is the schedule:
6:45 drop off/set up
7:00 exchange
7:15 a short class
7:45 clean up*
The short class will be on treats and entertainment for kids, whether you are a mother or a grandmother, it will be good to share. I realize this is mutual night for the youth, so if you need to bring your kids to the exchange, please don't let the lack of a babysitter stop you from coming. Just please, keep them near you, as there will be many things for kids to get into.
*Special note: all of the items that you brought to the exchange, that do not get taken, will be your responsibility to clean up and anything the D.I. excepts may be dropped off at my house for a D.I. pick up. That way you don't have to go home with all your unwanted items.
Call me if you have any questions.
Kristin
250-7569
Here is the schedule:
6:45 drop off/set up
7:00 exchange
7:15 a short class
7:45 clean up*
The short class will be on treats and entertainment for kids, whether you are a mother or a grandmother, it will be good to share. I realize this is mutual night for the youth, so if you need to bring your kids to the exchange, please don't let the lack of a babysitter stop you from coming. Just please, keep them near you, as there will be many things for kids to get into.
*Special note: all of the items that you brought to the exchange, that do not get taken, will be your responsibility to clean up and anything the D.I. excepts may be dropped off at my house for a D.I. pick up. That way you don't have to go home with all your unwanted items.
Call me if you have any questions.
Kristin
250-7569
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
From Amanda Clawson
Amanda is working hard to live thrifty, but she doesn't have kids yet, so she hasn't been forced into it like me, yet. But she did her part to participate this month. She came with some link and websites to share some good information.
Couponmom.com
Studio 5, the local morning show on channel 5 has a segment on "Living on Less". Check out the link here. I see some yummy recipes from the budget friendly Living on Less section. It looks like the site has other fun stuff.
Rachael Ray has "10 Meals for under $10" each week. I am looking forward to checking that out.
Here is a blog she wanted to share. Check it out: Frugal Moms Unite. I think I will study this one for a while. It looks fun.
Here are two links to sight up to recieve coupons: Coupons.com and Valpak.
I am sure I don't have all the information we covered that night, so please let me know what good things I missed.
Couponmom.com
Studio 5, the local morning show on channel 5 has a segment on "Living on Less". Check out the link here. I see some yummy recipes from the budget friendly Living on Less section. It looks like the site has other fun stuff.
Rachael Ray has "10 Meals for under $10" each week. I am looking forward to checking that out.
Here is a blog she wanted to share. Check it out: Frugal Moms Unite. I think I will study this one for a while. It looks fun.
Here are two links to sight up to recieve coupons: Coupons.com and Valpak.
I am sure I don't have all the information we covered that night, so please let me know what good things I missed.
Other Thrifty Ideas
Did you know you can make syrup without buying if from the store? You can make almost anything by yourself. I love homemade salad dressings. I am learning a few and loving it. And then I know what I am eating. And it cost less.
Buy things in bulk and pay less per ounce or pound. Besides the links I listed in the previous posts, Kitchen Kneads is on Redwood Rd and about 75th south. They are a kitchen store that you can buy your wheat flour, noodles, candy making supplies, TVP (texturized vegetable protien, what you eat at Taco Bell in there tacos) and much more. Kitchen Kneads also has cooking classes for making breads, cooking with beans and others I just can't think of right now.
Buy and stock up during caselot sales. Try to set money aside each paycheck to save for times like this and you can afford to buy in bulk.
Use the envelope system to stick to your budget. It is the only way Frank and I dare to budget right now. When he gets paid, we figure out all the utilities that will be automatically withdrawn and the fuel that I will use the debit card for and then I take the rest out in cash. I pay our tithing and or fast offerings, then I put the rest into envelopes that fit our catagories, like groceries, gifts, food storage, clothes, and etc. Oh, and doing forget to build up your savings, of course. Then when I go to the store I always make sure I know how much I have in my envelopes and as I put things in my cart, I write the price down and keep a tally so I don't go over. When the money is gone from the envelope, I am done until he gets paid again.
Rose LeDuc mentioned she would like to try a class on kids' snacks and other things around kids. What other things would you all be interesting in covering? I am also hoping Rose will get us her mexican enchilada sauce she talked about.
Buy things in bulk and pay less per ounce or pound. Besides the links I listed in the previous posts, Kitchen Kneads is on Redwood Rd and about 75th south. They are a kitchen store that you can buy your wheat flour, noodles, candy making supplies, TVP (texturized vegetable protien, what you eat at Taco Bell in there tacos) and much more. Kitchen Kneads also has cooking classes for making breads, cooking with beans and others I just can't think of right now.
Buy and stock up during caselot sales. Try to set money aside each paycheck to save for times like this and you can afford to buy in bulk.
Use the envelope system to stick to your budget. It is the only way Frank and I dare to budget right now. When he gets paid, we figure out all the utilities that will be automatically withdrawn and the fuel that I will use the debit card for and then I take the rest out in cash. I pay our tithing and or fast offerings, then I put the rest into envelopes that fit our catagories, like groceries, gifts, food storage, clothes, and etc. Oh, and doing forget to build up your savings, of course. Then when I go to the store I always make sure I know how much I have in my envelopes and as I put things in my cart, I write the price down and keep a tally so I don't go over. When the money is gone from the envelope, I am done until he gets paid again.
Rose LeDuc mentioned she would like to try a class on kids' snacks and other things around kids. What other things would you all be interesting in covering? I am also hoping Rose will get us her mexican enchilada sauce she talked about.
Links for Websites
Welcome to our blog. Here I would like to start sharing what we covered in class and add things that were requested by class members. We had two new members come, friends of Amanda Clawson, Stephanie and Laura. We were excited to share the fun.
Grocery Smarts is a website that posts all the local grocery store ads and then matches them up with the manufacturers coupons. You pick the store and then it will list all the items on sale and then what it will be if you add the coupon to the sale. You can pay just a fraction of the regular or sale cost. If you would like to print out only the items you are interested in, just read the special note at the top of the local store you selected to shrink the page. Just keep in mind, some weeks are better for matching the coupons to sales than others. It rotates and come in seasons.
Budget101.com has a forum page about meals that are $2.50 or less for each serving. The site has a lot of great ideas of making your dollar go further. Like making homemade gifts or making your own ketchup, if you are interested.
Blue Chip Group is a local manufacturer of some food storage and bulk food items, specifically Morning Moo milk, which is a great alternative I use for milk. It tastes pretty good and is less expensive. They also carry things other than what they manufacture, which makes it a fun food storage shopping experience. You can print out a pricelist to see and compare items.
Walton Feed is a place with great prices for food storage, but they are in Idaho. The shipping is very expensive for such large bulk items. It is most cost effective when ordered as a group of people together to place one large order. But I thought I would let you know. They also have information about wheat grinders on there.
Thrifty.com is another fun place with homemade gift ideas. It full of ideas to live frugally.
Grocery Smarts is a website that posts all the local grocery store ads and then matches them up with the manufacturers coupons. You pick the store and then it will list all the items on sale and then what it will be if you add the coupon to the sale. You can pay just a fraction of the regular or sale cost. If you would like to print out only the items you are interested in, just read the special note at the top of the local store you selected to shrink the page. Just keep in mind, some weeks are better for matching the coupons to sales than others. It rotates and come in seasons.
Budget101.com has a forum page about meals that are $2.50 or less for each serving. The site has a lot of great ideas of making your dollar go further. Like making homemade gifts or making your own ketchup, if you are interested.
Blue Chip Group is a local manufacturer of some food storage and bulk food items, specifically Morning Moo milk, which is a great alternative I use for milk. It tastes pretty good and is less expensive. They also carry things other than what they manufacture, which makes it a fun food storage shopping experience. You can print out a pricelist to see and compare items.
Walton Feed is a place with great prices for food storage, but they are in Idaho. The shipping is very expensive for such large bulk items. It is most cost effective when ordered as a group of people together to place one large order. But I thought I would let you know. They also have information about wheat grinders on there.
Thrifty.com is another fun place with homemade gift ideas. It full of ideas to live frugally.
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