Archive for January, 2009
We are getting some new linens and were looking at the Sferra line for the house over the week or so and it dawned on us that we still have a few christmas gift cards laying around the house that we haven't used yet. I thought I would send a quick reminder out to everyone. Use them up, remember we seen a few stores close their doors over the past few months and it would suck being stuck with a nice gift card that was worth nothing. If you are planning to hold onto them read the back of the card. Some of them have special terms about the value they hold over time. Happy shopping!
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We are experiencing a pretty cold winter this year and my other half who is responsible for the hydro bill almost blew a gasket this month when she opened the bill. There are a couple of ther factors involved such as I have been working from home more often to save gas money but it has come at a price. I have had the heat on in the house when normally it is not on.
I thought to myself I have to get the bill down and this is what I am doing now. I am layering up when in the house during the day just like I would if I was going outside. Right now it's just the dog and I here so there is no point to running the furnace.
Instead I have a tshirt, a long sleeved shirt and a sweatshirt with a hoodie, a pair of lined addidas type pants and a toasty warm pair of slippers. The furnace is turned down and I am warm.
I also added two blankets on the couch to bundle up under when watching television at night. This is something we are all doing in the house to keep the thermostat turned down as much as possible. I also make the sure the curtains are open when the sun is facing them and then closing them when the sun goes away. These two things can really help heat up the house and keep you warm.
Sitting at my feet right now is an old 4 litre water jug half filled with change. I am guessing there is about $50 in it. A pretty good part of a night out at the movies and dinner. I haven't been saving it for that long either. I have read that at any one time there is probably $100 of lose change sitting around a househould. That money can be used for lots of things like a night out, paying bills or put away in a savings account. The possibilites are endless really.
Here are some tips on how to save with a change jar:
1. Get yourself a decent jar to store your change. One that you can't get into and lift the change out of.
2. Put it in a place where you see it or where you drop your coat and keys when you come into the house so that you remind yourself to fill it.
3. Empty your change jar once a month and do something with it. If you have no immediate plans then open a savings account and start getting some interest built up on it. You can also cash it in for paper and use that for next months spending money during the week. This will save you going to the bank machine and pulling out extra cash. This way your paycheck stays in your bank account and you don't have to touch it. It's a no brainer.
How much are you spending on your diet pills and vitamins or supplements that you are paying for each month? I was reading though a few Lipovox reviews the other day and thought there is a lot of information available and many differing prices on herbal and medicinal goods. I enjoy reading through the reviews and checking the different prices online. Search for the best deal you can if you are going to be buying these types of things online. It will save you money.
Why do people keep sinking their money into things that just don’t work properly? I have a friend who is hooked on vitamins and keeps buying the same things over and over again but in the same hand complains about not feeling any better. Why do people throw bad money after worse? If you were spending a great deal of money on something like Leptorexin and it wasn’t working then maybe you would want to find another product that did help you. If you were going to the same mechanic and he never fixed your car right then why would you keep going to him?
Saving money is just as much about not spending you money poorly as it is about putting some away and getting out of debt. Think before you spend and you will find that you might just become a saver.
I watch a lot of daytime television and see all sorts of commercials and info commercials. I can't help but feel for people on fixed income trying to make ends meet these days. There are spots for everything from shopping for insurance, scooters, easy to enter bathtubs and even adult diapers. Sometimes everyone has a hard time making ends meet let alone with the added costs of getting older.
If you or your parents or even a good friend are in the same boat you should be watching their expenses and looking for the best deals you can. We can forget that our aging friends and family may need a hand making ends meet. If you have done any reading of this blog you should be a bit better equiped in the saving money department. Use your knowledge to help a friend, maybe they need it.
Over the winter time I have a bit of an addiction. That is wine. I love to have a glass or two with dinner. The benefits of drinking red wine everyday are a fact so I know in moderation it doesn't hurt. The problem is, I am an impulse buyer or a grocery store buyer. I know nothing of what I am buying or what I am paying for it.
There are a couple of things you can do. Joining a wine of the month club is a great way to get to know the different kinds of wines, sample new wines every month and even meet or get to know other people interested in wine.
I have been scouring around the internet since Christmas looking for wheels and deals on a few things I would like to replace around the house. Not that I am in a rush to get rid of my money but if I can find a few items for the right price it's a no brainer. I am amazed over the difference between shopping online last year and this year. It's all about the free shipping. You can pretty much get free shipping on anything you want from sports equipment to chandeliers. Last year I wouldn't touch many items becase companies would rip you for insane shipping charges. Now things have changed. They are hard up to sell and that means free shipping and great prices.
I am not sure if I blogged about it or not but I recently gutted all of the insulation and framing out of my unfinished basement. You see, I had found some mold. The result is one heck of a cold basement which lead me to do some reading on the subject.
I have read that you can up to 20%-30% of you heating bill just by adding proper insulation. I am proof that since I took the insulation out of my basement that it is way colder down here. I haven't been cranking the heat but instead wearing extra clothes and keeping extra blankets handy.
Depending on the size of your basement it's probably going to cost a few hundred dollars or more but you can expect to get that back over a two or three year period in heating savings. It's also a project that for the most part you can do yourself if you have a guide on how do to do it. You can read the source article as it is excellent in covering some of the different kinds of insulation that you can use in your basement and goes over everything from top to bottom.
This week is still ripe for Boxing Day or Boxing Week sales. I can't believe what they are giving away this week. I have been looking at a couple of electronics sites for computers and gadgets and there are some big bargains to be had if you are still in the shopping mood. Everything from computers, laptops, video games and even POS systems. I put off buying a few things over Christmas mostly because they were for me and wanted to foucus on the kids but this week might be the time to get out there and see if anything is on sale. Especially last years models on items. A few of the big box stores seem to almost giving away older models of gadgets.
