I am always amazed at how complacent people are when it comes to spending money on things like pet food or pet supplies. If you are a pet owner you will know how expensive it can be to feed your pet a decent food and to buy pet supplies for them. You should look at buying dog or cat supplies like you do buying your own groceries. Try to find deals and shop around to get your best prices. In todays day and age there are many options available so that you don't have to break the wallet looking after your pets.

We shop at a store that offers a free bag of dog food for every ten we buy. We end up getting a free bag a year and that's a big saving plus we get to feed our dog a decent brand of dog food. Stop in at a few stores and see if any of your local pet shop stores offer any loyalty deals like ours do. I imagine that most would love to have you as a regular customer.

Look online. The pet industry online is crazy. There are tons of reputible big sites selling pet supplies at a good price. Many even offer free shipping for big orders. You can always split orders with co-workers or friends to save on the shipping charges or to get your shipping for free.

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I blogged before that our Utility company is moving towards billing based on the time of day that we use our electricity. One of the biggest electricity eaters they cited in the reading material was the good old pool pump. Up until two days ago we ran our filter 24/7 and even on equal billing this is still quite expensive. We run our pool for maybe four months of the year depending on the weather.

I did some research on how many hours a pool pump needs to run to be effective. Basically it needs to turn over the water once to keep it clean. There was no definite answer on how many hours because it depends on the size of the pool, use and how much sun it gets. The majority of the sites I looked at agreed somewhere between 10 hours and 12 hours a day. That is alot of extra hydro and money being wasted.

The blurry picture on the right is what I picked up from the hardware store for $15. Your pool pump plugs into it and you set the hours you want it to run on the dial. Simple as that. It took less than five minutes to install and I am already saving money on the hydro bill.

If you install one just keep an eye on your pool for the first few days and see if it is keeping it clean. If not adjust the hours it is running until you find a time that you are happy with. Right now I am running it for about 11 hours and the clarity of the water is fine.

Why run your pump for 24 hours a day if you don't have to.

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Yesterday I went to an electronics store to buy a cheap replacement mouse for my latop. They had plenty of versions and different types. Why anybody would pay over $100 for a mouse is beyond me, I was looking at something much less expensive. I wanted a cord because of bad luck with previous wireless USB models.

Anyways I grabbed the first one I saw, a Microsoft scroll wheel mouse for under $25. Perfect, just what I needed. As I was walking back down the aisle I decided to have a look around. Right there away from the rest of the "mice" was a Dynex for $4 cheaper. Exact same mouse. Why it wasn't with the rest of them is beyond me. I saved $4 by taking my time and having a look around the shelves. Grabbing the first thing you see is always a bad idea. Take your time and have a look around. Four bucks isn't much but it is a saving.

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Brand name shopping can be a dead end for your pocket book. Take it from me I have had enough problems with having to have brand name goods. What is the best golf club? What is the best diet pills? What is the best pair of sunglasses? You can knock yourself out trying to find out what the best and biggest brand names are.

Here's a tip. Many large brand name companies own lots of other companies and except for the name they manufacture the same items under lesser known names for cheaper prices. Example, one of the biggest golf club names in the business is owned by the same company that owns several other sports companies. A golf store employee showed me the clubs from the lesser known company and they were practically the same but at least 1/2 the price.

You don't always have to have the brand name to get quality. Do some digging online, read some reviews and ask some store clerks. You can find really decent stuff at a fraction of the cost probably made by the same people making your brand names.

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I was out picking up some garden supplies and was wondering one thing when I was looking at some items. What kind of shopper am I? Do you buy an expensive pair of gloves because they will last a long time or do you buy something like disposable gloves because they are cheaper? Do you buy a plastic potting planters that will last a season or do you sink your money into something more expensive hoping to get a couple of season out of them?

It's really kind of double ended question. If you don't have the money to spend then there is no sense in going into debt trying to save money too far into the future when you get away with keeping your dollars and making due in the short term. You really aren't saving because the cheaper items you buy aren't going to last as long but in the short term you can use the difference and pay off part of your debt or a credit card. It's a tough decision to make. Personally, if you don't have it then don't spend it.

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Is it just me or is the price of electronics and electronic gadgets becoming increasingly affordable? Every weekend when we are out shopping (more window shopping than spending) I can't believe how low things have become. We were out last week and glanced at some digital camcorders and I thought they would have been prices for a lot more than what they were in the store we were in. You can pick up an HDD camcorder for well under $500. I remember way back when a friend payed nearly three times that for something not near as compact and obviously not near as advanced video wise.

What's the point? The point is that enjoying a little gadget treat for those that have put away or find themselves with a little left over isn't a major purchase as it once was. Sure $500 is a big squeeze for most of us but not as crazy as having to shell out well over $1,000 like we did in the past. The economic crunch has it benefits.

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It's summer and you know what that means. The old wallet is going to take a beating with all of the birthdays, weddings, anniversary parties and other seasonal outings taking place. I have a few to go to myself and am in need of some fancy duds. You have two choices, you can rent or you can buy. If don't have too many dates on the go then renting might be the viable option but if you have a few you have to add up rental fees against the price of buying a new suit or tuxedo shirt. I started doing some comparitive shopping and was suprised how little it could cost to buy formal clothing versus renting a few times over the course of a summer.

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I remember when not so long ago the "frugal" was pretty much a negative term. It was almost an insult to refer to somebody as being frugal. In today's economy I think things have changed. Being frugal is almost being smarter with your money than being a cheapo. I found some tips about living a frugal lifestyle. Most are things that I have talked about but I thought I would share as it makes for good reading.

1. Eating Out - Having gimmicks with friends on a Friday night is fine if you do it once in a while. But this can be expensive if you add them up at the end of the month.

2. Clothing - Naturally, if you are the kind of person who adores signature and designer clothes, do not expect that there will be something left of your take home pay. Instead of being trendy, wear clothes that can easily be matched with your other clothes.

3. Own Home - If you are planning to move out and find a place to settle, do not be overwhelmed by the excitement, instead be practical. As a start, buy a smaller house or try other ways like rent-to-own, do-it-yourself arrangements, and owner financing.

4. Buying Your Own Car - Shy away from sports cars or SUVs. Just stick to your purpose of buying a car which is to transport you anywhere you need to go. Check out also program cars like a new car warranty. Maybe this is not just the best time to replace your car with a new one.

5. Shopping for Groceries - As much as possible do not go with items that are branded. Choose non-brands and try looking for items on the highest or lowest shelves for best prices. Grab the opportunity and shop during sales or use coupons.

6. Family Out - There are inexpensive ways to bond with your family and be entertained like going to libraries, local parks, malling, picnics, visit friends and local church.

7. Buying School Supplies - Stock school supplies at home and do not buy anything fancy.

8. Be contented with what you have and try to live within what you earn.

9. Plan your Child’s College Education - Teach them the ways to be independent and self-supporting by encouraging them to apply for scholarships and “on campus jobs”.

10. Be Aware of your Financial Limitations 
 

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Is your credit card debt out of control? It seems the more and more I read the news I am reading more and more about problem with credit cards. In fact, the Canadian government just enacted some changes to the way credit card companies work just a few weeks ago with the aim of helping credit card holders. This must be indicitive that many have credit card problems. It is easy to concieve that many people may run into a jam and have to use their credit card but many just use them to spend irresponsibly and then can't get out of the hole they dug themselves. Paying off your credit card debt can be hard and requires much discipline but what do you do after you have payed off your debt? Where do you go and what do you do with your money?

The problem many people find themselves with is that they get their credit cards payed off and then find themselves right back in debt again. Here are a few tips to not land yourself back in credit card debt.

Do not overspend. Yielding to the sale offers for something that you don’t really need, is a big mistake that leads to overspending. Like I have said before, take a day or two and think about if you really need that new item. Chances are after sleeping on it you won't need it or can survive without it. 

Always remain within 70% of your credit limit. It may sound tough but if you keep falling into debt it's a good rule of thumb to live by.

Make credit card bill payments in time and in full. Don't go over your head with your card. Make sure you have enough at the end of the month to pay off that card and if you can't, put it away and stop spending.

Don’t hold more than two credit card accounts. I have two cards and can't foresee myself needing anymore than that. Having more cards is just going to land you in trouble.

Put a cap on your credit card limit. If you don't have one thousand dollars to spend then don't have a one thousand dollar monthly limit. That is just going to get you into trouble. If they offer you a higher limit, learn to just say no.

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This might sound the direct opposite to my last blog post but trust me it is not. It is about having the patience to save money once you have decided to take that route.

Walking is a perfect example. Have the patience and walk to the store or to work instead of driving there.  It will save you on gas expenses, parking costs and the maitainence of your car.  Walking also improves your health and state of mind which can be a big plus if you are bogged down with money problems.

Have some patience when making your next purchase and compare prices before you end up buying.  It doesn't matter what you are buying, get offers from three to five companies, go online and look at a few different prices from various stores. Let the stores you visit know that you are taking the time to search the market and they may just be able to offer you the best savings. The patient consumer is a winner.

Use coupons as much as possible.  Be patient in cutting them out and going through them before making any purchase.  Pack them together with your grocery bag or in the car so you can use the discount voucher at every opportunity.  One can save $20 - $50, just by using the coupons. 

Track your expenses.  Have the patience to keep your receipts and record all your expenses, no matter how small or frequently they occur.  By doing so, you are made aware of where every single penny goes.  Furthermore, you will know when you have spent too much on clothing, when in fact you still need to settle your credit card balance, or pay the mortgage.  You will have a better hold of your financial health, by patiently tracking your finances.

Hold-off and sleep on it.  If you are about to purchase a $100 item, hold off the purchase until you’ve given it much thought, say sleeping on it for 1-2 nights.  If after such time, you decide that you absolutely need and can afford the purchase, then go ahead.  Nevertheless, you’ll be surprised at how much you can save by just sleeping and thinking things over. 

Exude moral excellence by patiently saving for years to come, starting today!

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