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          Homemade presents and food can make wonderful gifts at the holidays. But how many people have the time and the energy to do it? Not many. However, there is a middle between the do-it-yourselfer and the person who buys everything allowing for both saved time and money. A few days ago I was flipping through my favorite Cupcake recipe book and I realized something, about 40% of the recipes have same base, a yellow cake batter. The only difference between the cupcakes was that there was either a different frosting or something else added to the mix. This made me realize something, instead of spending 40 minutes making this yellow cake batter every time I could buy a yellow cake mix and change it around using the recipes. For example, one of the recipes is for a melted caramel cupcake. The cupcake itself is just a yellow cake but cream cheese, brown sugar, and other ingredients are used to make it a different. If I buy a yellow cake mix then all I have to do is make the topping. I love the cupcake recipes in the book, but often times they take hours of my day. Now I can change it around a bit still get something great tasting but that doesn’t take hours of my life. Furthermore, it saves me money in two ways. The first one is buying Apple Strudel Caramel Crunch cupcakes at the grocery store would no doubt cost me a lot. The second is that I can often find cake mixes on sale for cheaper than the ingredients would cost. This is especially good for people who don’t cook often and whose ingredients go bad. (However, that is not a problem I have experienced. We go through flour and sugar like its water at the holidays.)

            So how does this apply to things beyond cupcakes? Well, practically anything can be embellished for cheap. You can buy a plain scarf and find a cute pin to add with it, add a velvet ribbon and a charm to a candle, or buy a bunch of colorful paper and an album to create a do-it-yourself scrapbook kit. There are endless options of ways that you can buy something and embellish it much cheaper than if you had bought it that way.

Posted by Heather at 08:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

    I went shopping yesterday and was inspired to create this min-post. While Ben and I were Christmas shopping I was continually asked “Do you have our store credit card?” My answer was the same as it always is “Yes.” Now, I don’t actually have credit cards for every store I shop at. In fact, I only have one store credit card (which I promptly pay the entire balance on every time I use it). But I have found that the simple “yes” helps stop me from making a mistake and opening one. The first time I was asked if I had a store credit card I truthfully answered “no” and was then informed of the wonderful coupon book that every new card opener receives, I was told then that having a store credit card would actually SAVE me money. Of course, the store counts on the fact that I will not pay my balance on time and they can get me with the 18 percent interest rate. Furthermore, I know from my own personal experience of being a retail employee that workers are encouraged to get as many people to open accounts as they can and therefore are willing to tell you just about anything to get you to do it. In addition, every credit card that you have can potentially hurt your credit. So, next time you are asked if you have  store credit card, do yourself a favor and just say “yes”. You will not only save yourself time from listening to their long list of reasons why you should open one but you will save money and your credit score.

Posted by Heather at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

            A few weeks ago I changed my budget, not that there was anything wrong with the one that I had but I like to try new things. I am inclined to treat my budgets like haircuts - I may have the same one for years but at some point they aren’t practical anymore. I did not change the amounts that I save or spend but what I did change was my style of planning. Every year for the past 3 years or so I have set a budget at the start of November for the rest of the year. It includes how much money I think I am going to spend and then how much I will need to put away in order to make it happen. However, I often find that come January there were some expenses that no matter how hard I tried I just couldn’t plan for. Therefore, this year I have decided to create a different budget. I have set an amount that I can spend per week as well as an estimate of holiday expenses. My start day for my fiscal week begins on Monday; whatever I have left on Sunday afternoon I use towards Christmas presents. At first I was hesitant that this system would work, after all I have had a hard enough time with my budget the past 6 months without having to save for presents as well. Yet, I have found that this has become a big motivator for me. When I am craving that $4 cup of starbucks and the $3.50 muffin I think to myself “If I buy this I won’t be able to get that spatula from Crate and Barrel for my mom.” I have really surprised myself with how it has motivated me to save. Normally I would buy my presents all at once and either have saved up for them before hand (which literally took months) or I would buy them and promise to pay myself back later. In either situation I found that I couldn’t get myself motivated but I can by doing it on a weekly basis. Furthermore, I have saved more money than I ever did with either of the other two plans. It has also allowed me to buy some things for myself that I wouldn’t have otherwise been able to afford. At the end of last week I still have over $50 so it allowed me to buy new paint for my room. However, there have also been a few weeks (such as this one) where I did spend my entire allotted amount so I was not able to use any of it towards Christmas presents. Yet, this only makes me want to work harder the following week.

            Overall, I think that we often think to ourselves “If it’s not broken, why fix it?” but just because something is “working” doesn’t mean that it is the best system. Of course there have been budgets that I have tried that have been absolute failures but I wouldn’t have known unless I tried. While everyone needs something different from a budget, I think that the most important lesson that I have learned in the past few weeks is that finding a motivator can make a huge difference. Furthermore, it is important not to get overzealous about saving. There have been times where I have saved more than 70% of what I was earning and while it felt satisfying to save so much I was risking my sanity by not allowing myself even small spurges. Moderation, motivation, and allowing yourself small indulgences can really make a huge difference.

Posted by Heather at 09:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

            I realize that the holiday season is still not for over a month and a half but that is why I think now is the time to start planning our purchases. The closer we get to it, the harder it becomes because we are more pressed for time and money. Therefore, by starting now we can avoid pressure that causes poor choices and over spending. The first thing to consider is exactly who you would like to give a gift to. I start by writing out all of the names by section such as by family, friends, or co-workers. Then I pick an amount that I want to spend on each person. After I have picked an amount to spend on everyone I add all of them up and see if the total fits within my budget. This is another reason why I think that starting early is beneficial. I started writing my list at the end of October if the amount that I wanted to spend on everyone was too high it would have given me almost two months to adjust other aspects of my budget and save more for my gifts. If I had waited until after Thanksgiving I would have lost about an entire month of saving which could cost me money in the long run not because I would be having to spend more money but because I would have to pull money from my savings and go into the new year on a deficit. After I have decided on a final amount for each person I start a list of what I think I would like to get them. I always make the list longer than I think it should be giving 3-4 choices per person. This way I do not feel “locked into” buying them one gift. If the gift I originally thought about getting them turns out to be more than I budgeted for, I move on to the next item on my list. When I go shopping I take my list with me and stick to it. If I see something that I think the person might like better and it is the same price I buy that instead of the item I was originally going to buy them. But if it is more expensive I wait until I can look again at my budget and make sure that it fits before I purchase it. Overall, pick a budget and stick to it. I know it can be difficult but if you start early you can avoid stress and buying things you don’t need. Oh, and always follow my number one rule, just because it is on sale doesn’t mean that you need it.

Posted by Heather at 04:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When we go to the store or when we pay for a service it is extremely important to know the worth of an item. Sometimes we may find ourselves being fooled by 3/$5 offers that make us say “Wow! This is a great price!” But is it? Often I find myself at the grocery store and see a sale and think that because it is on sale that it is in fact a good price. However, many times I check the regular price and find that the item is on sale for only a few cents cheaper. While I do agree that any savings is good, there are times when “savings” actually get you to spend more. I cannot even begin to count the number of times I have heard someone say “It’s on sale, I’ll get two,” when perhaps they only needed one in the first place.

The concept of a sale after all, should imply that there is an actual savings to be made but frequently that is not the case. If it were, then stores would not dare to put things on sale as often as they do. If you think about it, stores use sales to lure customers to either buy more of a product than they otherwise would or to come into the store to buy the sale item and end up buying a regular priced product in the process. At the end of a season or if an expiration date is looming, often times a store will put something on sale to clear it off of the shelves but even in that circumstance the store is doing it for their own benefit. If they can get rid of a pair of shorts in September and make room for winter coats that are easier to sell and that people are willing to pay a higher price for, than it is in their own good. Therefore, don’t make assumptions about a sale, just because the store says it will save you money doesn’t mean it will. After all, they have something to gain by making you think that it will.

Posted by Heather at 05:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Recently I read an article where the author said that buying out is cheaper than staying in. Of course my curiosity was sparked. After all, saving for a wedding has left little money for eating out so Ben and I often use different excuses to legitimize our spending. I thought that perhaps this would give me the opportunity to once and for all come up with a concrete excuse that I could always employ. However, as I read the article I quickly realized that it wasn’t the excuse that I was going to be looking for. The author argued that if you were to use their wage for the amount of time that they spent having to actually cook the meal that it would cost more to make it themselves than it would have to have gone out in the first place. However, this has caused me to wonder, what would happen if we applied this rationality to everything? Suddenly, it costs me more to clean my house than to pay someone else to do it, taking my dog for a walk would be cheaper if I paid a dog walker to do it for me, and my homework would defiantly be cheaper if I paid an online agency to do it for me. But something is missing. Oh yeah, the fact that I am not actually getting paid for any of that. You can’t spend money that you don’t have. (Well, I am sure some credit card agencies would argue differently.) If you are not getting paid for the meals that you cook at home you cannot justify using your “wages” to eat out. Work time and home time is completely separate. As a feminist I am often tempted to argue the women should get paid a “wage” for the work that they do at home. My reasoning for this is that may times a home job can be more time consuming than an actual full time position outside of a home, a mother’s job is never done. Yet, for this case I don’t think that applying a wage to cooking when you aren’t actually earning money for it is a bit silly and more expensive. If you consider only the price that the food itself costs it is MUCH cheaper to eat at home.

            Now, that isn’t to say that we should just stay at home and cook it ourselves either. Part of what frustrated me about this article is that is seemed to suggest that you can have more time to do important things if you aren’t cooking the food yourself but when I look back on my childhood I have so many fond memories of dinner time. Both of my parents loved to cook and in fact many of my favorite recipes are ones that my dad found. My parents would make things together and I would help set the table and get everyone something to drink. We would all talk while dinner was being made and afterwards we would all clean up together. Now that my dad has passed away and I am an adult and getting ready to be out on my own those moments are priceless to me. We may have not been getting paid wages for our work but we got something much better instead.

Posted by Heather at 03:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

One dollar and seventy eight cents to one dollar and ninety six cents. Not that much of a difference, but in the long run paying that $0.18 every Tuesday and Thursday when I am down at school and buying a bagel with cream cheese certainly does add up. For those of the students living on campus they get to avoid paying tax by paying with their meal plan but for the rest of us, we have to pay our dues to the government.

On the one hand sales tax is a great governmental tool. It allows the government to tax more the people who are spending more and thereby target those people who can most afford to pay more taxes. Yet, being able to afford those taxes and having to pay them are two separate things. For someone who is buying their groceries taxes might often mean having to give up some essential items. While for the most of us taxes never get this extreme, they can have a significant impact on our budgets.

 
Despite this, in general people rarely pay attention to the sales tax. After all, it is added onto the entire purchase only after you have dragged everything up to the counter. Therefore, when we shop we should be more mindful of how much tax we are paying. For example, when I am down at school in Chicago I know that the sales tax is higher than near my house. So if I see something that I like I will wait and try and see if a store by my house has it instead. Of course there are some stores in Chicago that simply are not chain stores that I can find near my house or that only carry that particular item at that one store so if I want to purchase it, I must purchase it there. However, I do not need to purchase other things at that store. I feel that sometimes since we already are there, we feel that we might as well just purchase other things there. But in actuality it can be much cheaper to wait until you can go somewhere that has less taxes.

 
There is another thing to think about with taxes: what are they for and who are they helping? If you live in a certain city you might actually want to try and do your shopping there because the taxes that are being collected are going to help you. So if you work in a different city you may not want to purchase things near where you work because those taxes aren't going to help your neighborhood. However, if you are not incredibly dedicated to helping your city raise funds then being mindful of what the taxes are and where they are can help to save you more money.

 

 

Posted by Heather at 06:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

            This morning Ben and I went on a caramel apple hunt. We wanted the kind with a huge apple and hand dipped with caramel. We didn’t find what we were looking for, but we found many other things that we liked. Fall is my favorite time of year so all of the beautiful decorations and foods gave me warm memories. I was so tempted to buy many of the things, including the “Halloween hot chocolate” that turns orange when added to water. But in the end we didn’t buy anything. Two things helped me to make this decision. The first one was that I remembered the fabulous day after Christmas sale that my favorite home store has. Last year I bought 10 red chargers for under my plates and 80 little silver boxes for our wedding all at half price. Since many stores keep a good supply going early the day after Christmas will usually yield good results. The second thing was the expiration date. One store had apple cider (my favorite) and when I checked the expiration date I was surprised to find that it does not expire until November of 2007. Therefore, waiting until the end of the season and putting it away until next September would work. This made me think of everything else that I was in love with, the Halloween dish towels, fall candles, fluffy sweaters, and wreaths. All of those things could last me for years, even the candles which I love to have as decorations but rarely burn.

            So what does this mean? It means that getting wrapped up in the season is easy to do but doing so can get pricy. It can also be hard to concentrate on the past season. For example, right now the thought of summer is depressing and the last thing that I would like to do is think about a new tank top but budget wise, summer things are the only thing I should be thinking about. The nice thing though is that many stores are starting to change their merchandise over earlier and earlier so that when the spring clothes start rolling out, it will still be cold enough that we can get some use out of the clearance winter things.

Posted by Heather at 03:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

            Things are cheaper when you buy them together. After all, the more the company can sell the more money they make. As a result they make higher quantities a bit cheaper so that they can get you to purchase more of it. This can be great for big families who will use a gallon jar of pickles or the giant box of cereal before it expires. But for the rest of us buying a 3 lbs jar of peanut butter means that half of it will end up molding in the back of the cabinet. So how can a smaller family or a single person take advantage of these higher quantity discounts without having to actually eat 40 cans of tuna in 2 months?

            The best way to do this would to split these items between yourself and a friend. For example, you could buy the giant bag of chips and give half to a friend and keep half for yourself. Now, the trick here is that everyone likes something different so the best place to start would be to ask your siblings since most people who grow in the same household end up with the same taste. For example, in my family my grandma buys her vanilla in about a gallon container and then sends my mom and I home with vanilla in smaller jars. That way we all are able to pay a cheaper amount for our vanilla and no one has to actually use all of the vanilla. Furthermore, doing this doesn’t have to be difficult. Pick a few staple items, breakfast food, flour, sugar, or anything else that you use a lot but that doesn’t go bad within a few weeks (such as milk). Then you can each pick which items you are going to be in charge of buying. This way you do not have to actually go grocery shopping together but you can still get a discount.

            Buying in bulk can also be a good idea for other household items beyond groceries. For example, toilet paper, paper towels, and cleaning products can all be cheaper when you buy them in bulk. While these products don’t really expire for someone with limited space some cannot purchase them in bulk because they simply cannot find space for them. Therefore, splitting these products with someone else can help them a great deal. Furthermore, people are usually less picky about their paper towels than they are about their food so it might be easier to find someone to split them with.

            Last, sharing plans can be a great way to save money. For example, I was paying $60 a month for 450 minutes and my fiancé was paying about $40 for 250. We put ourselves on a family plan and now we get 1400 for $50 which is a much better deal than what we had before. However, I do not recommend doing this with anyone who you do not fully trust because you do not want to do anything that could hurt your credit history.

Posted by Heather at 03:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

    Society lives with rules. Everything about the way we live is just so. Two years ago I went through a revolving door the wrong way for an experiment for my sociology class and about 10 people who were waiting to go through the door wouldn’t go through until they could get it to go the right way. That said, I feel like while there are good reason for keeping all of these “rules” in our society such as to help keep things run smoother, there is also a time and a place for them to be broken. One time when it is okay to do this is with coupons and sales. While the coupon might say “Expires September 15^th” it would not hurt to ask today if they would still accept it. You might be surprised by their answer. These limits on coupons and sales can often be bent and broken, especially if the sales people are willing. When I have asked if they would be willing to extend the coupon I am often surprised by how many stores actually can and will do this for me. However, it is also important to note that not every sales person is allowed to do this and that they have to follow the rules set by their company. Yet, many stores will do this either as an incentive for you to buy more or to get your loyalty. My mom was recently shopping and the saleswoman gave her back a coupon that specified that it could only be used. This ended up being good for not only my mom (who got 25% off another pair of shoes) but for the sales woman who was able to get another sale towards her commission. Therefore, asking to extend a coupon is not always purely selfish but can actually be good for both people because each has something to gain.

            Another thing that I learned while I was working in retail is that sometimes you can get a discount when none is advertised. I worked at a smaller chain beauty product store and if someone were buying a large amount of one thing, say 20 bars of soap for a bridal shower, if they asked us for a discount we were allowed to give them 20% off. However, we were not allowed to tell them this. So, if a woman walked in and bought 20 bars of soap and never said anything about a discount she would pay full price. If another woman walked in and bought the same 20 bars of soap and asked for a discount, she would get one. While it does seem unfair that one woman would get a discount but they other wouldn’t the lesson here is that it is important to ask. Many retailers feel that if a person doesn’t ask for the discount that they don’t need a discount so they don’t advertise them. The worst that the sales person can say is “no” and in that situation you are still paying the same amount that you would have been anyway. If they say “yes” you can sometimes get a really good discount for a small effort. So while we may have been raised to at least try to follow the rules, fortunately those rules don’t always hold firm for sales and discounts. It can be difficult to flat out ask for a discount so if you have trouble with that start by asking if they will accept a late coupon, you might be surprised by the results.

Posted by Heather at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

             For a new kitchen table $45 might seem like an unbelievable steal, yet are you getting what you paid for? In theory, if furniture is well taken care of, it can last for years. The dresser that I have in my bedroom is over 22 years old and is still just as beautiful as when it was brand new. So, I have found myself wondering lately if classic and moderately priced beats out trendy and cheap. This has caused me to look at what I have that has lasted and what hasn’t.

            Two years ago, we wanted to downsize our computer desk. It was fine 12 years ago when we actually needed a place to store our oversized computer, printer, and scanner, but with everything shrinking the desk was becoming a place to store our junk and something we really just needed to get rid of. Since it was too big to move out of the front door, we began to take it apart, and an entire day later we had finally yanked apart every price of wood and neatly packed it so it could be put back together somewhere else. It is currently at someone’s house and is still in wonderful condition. The desk we replaced it with however is not. We wanted something small, with two drawers that would hold our computer but that we could easily move for cleaning so we went to IKEA to find something that we hoped would fit all of our needs. The desk we bought cost under $100 and a year and a half later it began to fall into pieces. First the drawer stopped working right, then I pulled the whole front of the drawer off, then other pieces started to loosen and slowly the desk is falling apart. Now, I am a very handy girl – I put a new kitchen floor in this summer and I am VERY comfortable around power tools so this is not a case of not putting it together correctly, but rather a simple case of poor quality. We are now going to have to buy a new desk. If we continued buying a new desk every two years we would spend about $600 in 12 years, the same amount of time that we had a desk that cost us around $400. Furthermore, if we hadn’t decided to downsize, our old desk would still be great condition and probably last us for another 12 years if not more.

            There is no question that the better quality something is, the better it is and while it isn’t always possible to by the best quality products available, it is important to be smart about what quality products you do buy. Two weeks ago I bought a $1,900 mattress, which I admit is a bit of a splurge, but the sheets that I put on it cost me $25 for a complete set. Furthermore, the mattress is guaranteed to last for 20 years costing me about $95 per year and will help me with my chronic back pain. The sheets on the other hand will go within two years no matter what quality I get and since I wear pants and a t-shirt to bed, their quality won’t matter much anyway. In general, while discount stores for furniture might seem like a great way to save money, you could actually be costing yourself in the long run.

Posted by Heather at 05:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

   

            Blending two lives together gets complicated. Especially when each person has their own car, insurance, cell phone, bank accounts, credit cards, and furniture. That is why Ben and I have been slowly merging everything together over the past year. By the time we are married next August almost all aspects of our lives will have been meshed together. This week we have been working on getting onto the same cell phone plan. Even though we have the same carrier it has been difficult to actually get it done. They can’t help us in the store, and their hotline has limited hours. However, we are bound and determined to get this done; the only thing we haven’t decided about yet is if we should upgrade our phones. With the possibility of having to sign a new contract it may take at least two years before we can get a phone at a discount. After all, many companies give huge price cuts to people signing a new contract but make their current subscribers pay retail price for the phone. This has lead me to consider exactly what should we be willing to splurge on and what we shouldn’t.

            A year and a half ago I bought my current cell phone. At the time, its retail price was over $300 but I was given a discount for signing my new contract and I only ended up paying around $100. However, now my phone seems outdated. But, should I really buy a new one? If the one I have now is getting outdated after only 18 months, is buying a new one really going to do me any good especially if less than two years from now it is outdated too? This has led me to only one conclusion: technology splurges should be few and far between. Even though I use my cell phone every day, the size or the mega pixels that the camera part has does not really matter. The extra centimeter in my purse isn’t going to make much of a difference and I have a separate digital camera that I use to take pictures. Therefore, for me a new cell phone just doesn’t make sense. Yet, it can make sense for some people. Ben’s mom wants her new cell phone to double as a digital camera and for people who work away from an office may really need a phone that doubles as a PDA and has unlimited internet access.

            In general, I think that any technology purchase should be really thought through. Just because something is outdated doesn’t mean that it can’t work anymore. For me, I purchased a 3 pound laptop last summer. Since then there have been 2 new models that do bigger and better things. However, my purchase was because I wanted something that I could put in an oversized bag to lug around with me. I bring my laptop to work, school, friend’s houses, and just about everywhere that I can think of. Therefore, I don’t need the new model that has better speakers or a better video card because mine works, even if the sales people want me to upgrade it is really about what works best for me. I think that when people are buying new technology they should only splurge on something that then genuinely need. Yes, the newest cell phone may have tons of games, an amazing digital camera, extra memory, and be the size of a credit card, but for the girl who only needs it to talk the purchase just doesn’t make sense – no matter how cool it looks.

 

Posted by Heather at 06:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

When we buy an item we are not paying for just the item itself. We are paying the people who make the item, the people who transport it, the people who sell it, and countless other things from the space the store takes up to their phone bill. If we were only paying for the value of the item itself, items would be much cheaper. Therefore, it is important to know what else goes into the price. While you may not be able to get the store to tell you how much the crystal chandelier cost or how much they pay the piano player, you can make educated guesses on which stores spend more on things that ultimately the consumer is paying for. Stores that don’t spend as much on overhead can often offer their items for cheaper. For example, I found the same pair of shoes at both Bloomingdales and Carson Pirie Scott. At Bloomingdales they cost $78 dollars; at Carson’s they were $75. While the $3 may not indicate a huge difference in prices, if I had bought six items at Bloomingdales and each were $3 cheaper at Carson’s then I would have spent eighteen more dollars than I needed to. Of course, Carson’s doesn’t sell everything that Bloomingdales does and not everything that they sell the same is cheaper. However, it does bring up an important point, that you aren’t paying for the just the item. The actual value of the shoes is most likely less than half of their cost.

            While some department stores can be more expensive than others, it is also important to realize that some “discount” stores may be more expensive. Last week I wrote about how some generic brands may actually be more expensive because they count on people assuming they are cheaper and buying them without actually checking the price. The same goes for some discount stores. If you walk into one and assume that everything they have must be cheaper than at any store in a mall you will ultimately pay more than you have to. Instead you should know your prices. This doesn’t mean that you should drive all over the place and compare, but rather always keep your eyes open. If you are running a quick errand at one store because you know they have the type of popcorn that you like, you may want to see how much they charge for other food items that you buy regularly such as bread or milk. You don’t have to look for every item but pick one or two and compare their price to what you are paying elsewhere. This will allow you to see prices at other stores without having to actually drive all over the place to do so.

            Last, the most important thing to break down the cost of is any service you might be paying for. This can be anything from having a lawn service to paying for a catered meal. When I asked for a breakdown of the per person cost for my wedding to Ben Clark next summer I was surprised to learn that $24 per person was being charged for alcohol. In total $2880 of our wedding would be used to pay for alcohol. After doing a mental run through of all of the people who don’t drink I found that this would be incredible wasteful. Therefore, we were able to reallocate the money and instead have a much nicer entrée. Having the price broken down for you can be extremely useful in other situations as well. With a lawn service you might find that you are paying for them to use a leaf blower to scatter grass clippings. However, if you live in a windy neighborhood this may not be something that you need. Since most services are package deals we often pay for things that we actually may not need. By breaking the prices down we not only learn exactly what we are paying for but also what we don’t need.

Posted by Heather at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

  

       Everyone knows that generic is cheaper, or is it? All generic really means is that there is not the major brand name attached to it. It does not mean that they use different ingredients or less costly methods of production. That is why comparison is so important. How you can do this is by dividing the price by the weight. Many retailers will do this for you on the price tags that are on the store shelves. For example, you might see a sign that says $3.50 and below it says $0.29 per ounce. It is the $0.29 that matters. The reason for this is that companies are always trying to look more appealing than another. One way that a company might try to seem more appealing is by putting a different amount in their package. For example, if company A is selling 12 ounces of cookies for $3.50, company B might decide to sell 10 ounces of cookies for $3.25. A hasty shopper might look at both bags of cookies and see that company B’s bag is $0.25 cheaper. However, company B is selling their cookies for $0.325 per ounce whereas company A is selling theirs for $0.29 per ounce. Therefore, while company A’s bag is $0.25 more overall, in reality their cookies are cheaper.

            Another thing to consider is that sometimes cheaper generic products actually can be better. One of my favorites is a store brand macaroni and cheese that costs $0.34. With the 3 tablespoons of butter and the ¼ cup of milk that it takes I figure it costs under $0.50 for the entire thing. The only problem that can occur when looking for different alternatives is that often you really do get what you pay for so you have to try a lot of bad things to find those few good ones.

 

Posted by Heather at 04:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

   

            When I bought my car, a full tank of gas cost me fewer than eighteen dollars. Four years later I am paying twenty-five dollars more. At forty-three dollars per tank driving is quickly becoming a costly habit. With thousands of people in the United States driving SUVs and other inefficient vehicles, this is a problem that it quickly coming to the forefront of our minds. While we may not have much control over the prices of gas, we can control how we let it effect us. One way that we can do this is by consolidating our trips out. While a car gives us the freedom to go out anywhere at anytime this is not the most efficient way of doing things. Instead, try to run all of your errands at once. Many people drive by one store they regularly shop at on their way to another. If this isn’t the case for you, try to see if there are other stores that you could shop at. Sometimes we are just in the habit of going to a certain store, even if it is out of the way. Try a place closer to home or closer to other stores that you regularly shop at. Also, check to see if you can buy items at a different store. For example, many grocery stores also sell stamps which would cut down on an extra trip to the post office.

            Another idea is to do more online shopping. Yes, the shipping can be pricey but if you look around you can often find a retailer with either low or no shipping cost. For example, Nordstrom.com offers an every day shipping price of $5 on every order. Another good option would be Overstock.com which has a shipping price of $2.95 on most orders. Furthermore, many other online retailers will wave the shipping cost if your order is above a certain amount. However, one problem with shopping online is that you cannot always be certain of the exact make of the item. For example, many items are not true to color on a computer screen.  You make think you are ordering something in forest green but when it comes it is actually lime green. This is especially a problem with retailers who give creative names to their colors such as “Cinnamon Apple”. Therefore, in order to ensure that you get the best results possible, it may require investing some of your time into researching the item you are looking for. I have found that often different retailers will have a different picture of the same item.

            Perhaps the best way to save money would be to simply find other means of transportation such as the subway, bus, or carpool. For the most part they are inexpensive options. However, it is important to consider that if you are driving to a parking garage 2 miles away and paying $4 to park and then spending 20 minutes on the train, there is a possibility that you could have driven there for the same price (as long as you had free parking at your destination). Carpools can be a great resource, but before you commit make sure the other people in your carpool are reliable. If they are going to be consistently late then you probably should not carpool with them. Last, walking or bike riding is an excellent way to not only save gas but to improve your health!

            In general, while we may love our cars for the independence that they give us, we need to be smarter about our usage of them in order to save money. Unnecessary errands and driving farther than we actually need to can waste gas and money. Combining errands, shopping online, and using other modes of transportation are great ways of saving. However, be sure to check that they actually are cheaper. If you live 3 miles from a Nordstrom, paying $5 for shipping may not be cheaper than driving there. Likewise, public transportation may not always be cheaper. So investigate and choose the option that works best for you.

Posted by Heather at 08:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)