The Save Money Blog

Archive for February, 2009

I have come across some nice freebies and coupons. I don't have time to post them all week so maybe from now on I can do a weekend post with links to a few freebies and coupons.

Jack In the Box Two Free Tacos – 02/24 only you have just have to print the coupon off

Aqua Fresh Toothpaste Coupons – let the page load and follow the links at the bottom there are lot of coupons for toothpaste and related products

Subway $2 Gift Card – for California Only, just fill out the form

Coupon Free Buger King Whopper – the Whopper Sacrifce looks nice and is open again

Crystal Light Free Sample – I love this stuff and have been adding it to my daily water for a long time

There are a few freebies and coupons for the weekend! Enjoy!

Income tax time is right around the corner so planning ahead is always a good idea. I am the worst for running around at the last minute looking for my receipts and papework.

If you haven't already start a filing system and as your bills and receipts come in get in the habit of placing them in the same place all the time. I was forever leaving them all over the house until I started a system.

Remember to save everything, you never know what you are going to need or use at tax time. If you are running a home based business or work from your home remember to save all of your receipts and bills. You can get deductions for heating, property taxes and expenses like gas, meals and even safety equipment. Save everything.

Try to get at them early so you have time to double check things over or even to a professional if you need to. There is nothing worse than having to rush at the last minute and wondering if you have made mistakes on your return.

Although the weather doesn't show it spring it right around the corner if you are like me it's the time of year when you start replacing your outdoor furniture and other items. To me this usually means chairs, tables, bbq accessories and pool equipment.

Although maybe a little late replacing any of your lawn mowing or grass cutting equipment shouldn't be done in the spring or summer. If you know you are going to need a new lawnmower try to replace it in the fall. This is usually when the big stores are looking to dump the current years inventory to get ready for their winter supplies. You can also look around during the winter and see if they have any sitting around that they want to unload.

Although I am not a camper replacing your tents and sleeping bags should be done at the end of the camping season or in the off season. You can expect some good savings for the same reason pointed out above.

Barbeque grills, swimming pools, and patio furniture are also great items everyone wants to be able use during the summer months. If you have to purchase a barbeque grill during the summer there are generally sales on them around Memorial Day and Father’s Day. You can get a great deal on an older model that the store is trying to move out to make room for the newer models.

Finally, today I stopped by a golf store to see that they had in their bins. I was suprised at the huge savings they had in brand name clubs like Taylor Made, Maxfli which is owned by TM, Calaway and others. This was a mom and pop golf store and he told me that the savings were good right now because their new clubs were going to be in over the next month. I am going back next week to pick up some supplies.

Off season is where it is at when you want to buy season goods. Happy shopping and do it right to save some money.

This is from an article that I am came across some of these suggestions were basically too silly to publish but a few of them made sense or if a different slant was put on them they  could make sense. For example, a few of the suggestions are about making items and selling them. A friend does this every year at flea markets and Christmas shows and does quite well.

1. One way to get money is to have a yard sale and sell items
that you are getting ready to toss away because you don't want
them any longer.

2. Get cash surrender from life insurance policy.

3. Go to a pawn shop and pawn some jewelry.

4. Take the lawn mower house to house and mow lawns for a fee.

5. Paint house exteriors in spare hours. Charge prevailing rate.

6. Gather vegetables from your garden and sell at road side
stand.

7. Baby sit for profits.

8. House sit for vacationers, get extra by up keeping grounds.

9. Do typing for fellow students or fellow workers for a fee.

10. Read books and do reports for a fee for students.

11. Research any subject (in library) for $25 a page.

12. Make Christmas wreaths during holiday season to sell, using
discarded boughs from your own and neighbors Christmas trees.

Wipe Out Your Debts!

If you're afraid to answer the phone because your creditors have
been calling every night; and you're worried that one of them is
going to call your boss and tell him you're a deadbeat;  and
just trying to pay off your bills leaves you almost nothing for
food – it time you thought about bankruptcy!

With a small amount of money, a lawyer (and even he's not
necessary a lot of the time), and a careful evaluation of your
assets (what you own) and your liabilities (what you owe), you
too can make a new start with the help of the Federal and State
bankruptcy laws.  But don't rush into this without carefully
determining which is the right way for you, for there are
several different ways to stop your creditors cold, and choosing
the wrong way can result in your losing much more than you might
otherwise have to.

Straight Bankruptcy Usually Costs Less, and It's Quick!

If you have very few assets, and lots of debt, and not enough
income to pay the debts off, even on an extended plan (more
about that later), then you will probably have to file straight
bankruptcy.  You must file the proper forms (or "schedules")
which you can purchase from any really good office supply
stationery store in your nearest city, especially one in a
district where there are lawyers' offices.

Bankruptcy is not a very complicated court action, so don't be
too afraid of it.  You will need to know which district you live
in for Federal Court purposes;  look in the telephone (white
pages) under U.S. Government – Courts, and locate the U.S.
District Court in your nearest city.  Probably that court has
jurisdiction;  but check this out by phoning the Clerk of the
Court and asking him, giving him you home address.  You will
have to fill out several "schedules" or lists of your creditors:
creditors having priority, creditors having security, and
creditors having unsecured claims without priority.  You must
list every creditor, for any one that is not listed can still
sue you and collect, even after the bankruptcy!  If you don't
know if a debt is secured (backed up by a related asset, like
refrigerator bought on an instalment loan) or unsecured (made
only on your personal reputation, with no related asset), ask
the creditor.  Include as a creditor the name of anyone for whom
you co-signed a loan or note, and anyone who co-signed for you.
Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday I told the family I would replace our DVD Player that skips all the time (and I mean all the time) with a new BluRay player. It was a spur of the moment and I figured that we would just go to one of the big block electronic stores and find one. I also wanted to look at tv stands while we were out as we are outgrowing our old one but that is another story.

Instead of just rushing out I spent a good few hours searching the internet and going through flyers from the week looking at different prices. I was amazed at the difference in pricing for something as simple as a blu ray player. In the end I found one that was at least $30 cheaper at one store than the rest of them and that is what I bought. If I would have rushed out I would have been down the money. The extra time I spent researching paid off.

I recently found out that a relative of mine was laid off from her travel agent job because like everything else things are tough all over. Not enough people taking vacations because they just can't afford it. Probably because they have been laid off as well. That got me to thinking. If the travel industry is as hard up as the rest of the working world then there would have to be some really good deals out there for those that can afford a vacation. I wouldn't think that it matters is you are booking a flight, hotel lodgings or even looking at European cruises. I haven't dug a lot into looking at actual prices but it makes sense to me. If you are thinking about taking a trip over the next couple of months start digging for prices now. You never know what you will find.

So today I was reading through some freebie sites and came across a forum discussing SwagBucks. It's a site where they offer random points for using their search engine and you can redeem the points for prizes or draw tickets for prizes. Just install their toolbar in your IE of FireFox, user their search engine for your surfing needs and  you can gain dollars. The search results are returned by Google and Ask. I just joined today and I already have enough for a $5 Amazon gift card.

So nobody gives anything away for free. I believe that for sure. So what's the catch? There is no catch. They are using a couple of pay per search engines where they are being paid for you searching terms and in turn they are paying it back by giving you random points for goods. If you are going to use a search engine you are probably going to use one of them anyways so why not give it a shot.

Let me know how it is working out. They also post bonus codes that you can redeem for points but I haven't caught on yet. Please let me know if you come across any.

Join up for SwagBucks and start earning points.