Archive for September, 2009
The place where I am employed has partnered with a big bank to offer free quotes on house and car insurance. They are promising big savings and so far the quotes the co-workers have been getting don't look too bad. That being said a few people were sitting around today taling about switching companies. Not everyone want to switch their insurance companies. Many people like to stay where they are because it is "best life insurance for me" type of thining. You can still save money with your current company. You just have to switch a couple of things around with yoru current policy.
The biggest saving is in your deductible. Your deductible amount has a direct effect on how much you are paying it. The standard amount is $500. How many people that have a $500 problem are going to call their insurance company? Why would your risk higher premiums over $500? Raise your deductible to at least $1,000 and you are going to save money.
Buy your car insurance from the same company and you will get a better deal on both. It's like bundling your telephone and cable bills. You will get a discount for having both with the same company.
There are many commercials on tv for home security systems that state you can save on your home insurance by installing a system. Those of course are going to cost you more but you can also call your insurance agent and ask if there are any other types of deals or incentives available. You might get deals for extra smoke detectors or locks. You never know.
If all fails, don't be afraid to shop around. You may be able to find a better deal elsewhere. Ask your friends, family and co-workers if they can steer you towards a good company.
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I am writing from a recent experience with my pc computer. If you have ever had a computer hard drive crash or even a virus or spyware take over your computer you know how frustrating it can be when you lose all of your pictures and files. I recently lost everything I had and didn't have a recent backup. The cost to me was my time and work in trying to get all of my paperwork and important files back up to date. The cost could have also have been, although I didn't choose that route is to pay a computer company big money to try and restore my computer files or clean your computer from a virus infection.
Of course the best way to protect yourself from a virus or spyware is to have a good and up to date protection system. There are lots of good free ones on the internet like AVG and Malwarebytes. You don't have to pay for an expensive protection system, you can always find a good free programs. You have to make sure you are vigilant in updating their databases and running scans on a regular basis.
Remember computers are electronics and they will eventually fail. There is a reason why computers are so inexpensive these days. Cheap parts and those cheap parts are going to fail. If you want to save your time and your files make sure you back up your computer on a regular basis. You can do this by backing your files onto a cd or dvd or you can opt to use an online backup service. Either way, the last thing you want to do is have to pay a computer store a large bill to recover your computer when you could have prevented it in the first place.
Tags: I came across some frugal living tips that might be of interest. Some of the of course may seem over the top or really cheap in nature but every cent counts and some of them will save you money. There is not doubt about. They aren't really categorized, sorry about that. When I get a chance I plan on elaborating on a few of these as there are some really good saving money tips here.
1. Wash and reuse foil wrap. 2. Trade things you don't want with friends, neighbors, relatives. 3. Become a "brown bagger". Take your lunch to work. 4. Paper towels are expensive. Use washable cloth dish towels instead. 5. Save empty plastic food containers for storing leftovers & freezer use. 6. Don't throw away anything. Save everything for a future garage sale. 7. Attend movies early when prices are generally lower. 8. Give yourself a home permanent instead of paying top prices at a salon. 9. Consider cutting your family's hair yourself. 10. Use plastic bread wrappers and produce bags for freezer use. 11. Think in terms of doing it yourself rather than hiring someone to do it, such as home repairs, painting, garden work, cutting the lawn, etc. 12. Swap services with friends and neighbors who can do things you can't. 13. Take advantage of free recreation, such as picnic areas, libraries, public tennis courts, swimming areas, parks, zoos, etc. 14. Avoid spending on "throwaway" items such as disposable razors, flashlights, pens, toothbrushes, paper cups & plates, diapers, cigarette lighters, etc. 15. Garage sales and flea markets are excellent for both selling and buying. 16. Grow your own herbs and spices in window-sill flower pots. 17. Coffee is expensive. Brew only as much as your family will drink and stop buying your coffee from coffee shops. 18. Don't spend for extra ice cubes. Store them in plastic bags in the freezer. 19. Dilute your shampoo with small amount of water – for easier rinsing.
I have blogged a few times in the past about how buying things off season can save you money. We just closed our pool and started to clean up the backyard over the weekend. While we didn't bring in all of our outdoor patio furniture I certainly notive that much of it was pretty rough looking and will need to be replaced by next year. Now would be the time to replace it as many stores are already in high gear clearing their shelves getting ready for the winter season. Already many of the box stores are advertising shovels and snowblowers. This weekend I am going to go out and pick up a new bbq cover and look for cheap patio furniture covers. Last year we left things too late and the bbq took a beating sitting out all winter. I never did get around to replacing the cover this summer.
If you are like thousands of people you have a gym membership that you are paying for and not using or maybe you buy diet pills that you never use. Either way you are throwing money away. There are lots of free or cheap ways to get exercise or to stay active. You can try walking to work or to the store. You can find cheap gym equipment on any of the free sites on the internet or trader columns in your local newspaper. You can try rollerblading or bike running, both are cheap ways to stay fit.
My wife recently piced up Wii Active and we have both had fun doing our daily exercises. It was a much cheaper than buying a monthly gym membership. A membership that we both probably wouldn't use after the first month. There are many alternatives to shelling out a ton of money each month to stay fit. You just have to be creative.
I noticed something this weekend. The newspaper flyer inserts were pretty thick this past week. I am not sure if it was the fact that school is back in or if it's fall but either way there are lots and lots of sales flyers. Our local free newspaper was about two or three times thicker that what it is normally is. That adds up to tons of savings on everyday things and seasonal items. You could find deals on everything you can possibly think of from clothing, household goods, car accessories to sports equipement. Some of the things you can find deals on are outdoor summer goods, summer sports gear like shoes and equipment and outdoor summer supplies. I held off on a pair of sports shoes for the past few weeks and now they are on for half price. Enjoy the deals and check out your newspaper flyers.
If you live in Canada time is ticking for your take advantage of your home renocation tax credit. If you did any renovations to your hosue between Feb. 27 of this year and before Feb. 1, 2010 of next year you can apply for a credit on your tax return. The stipulation is that your renovations must be over a thousand dollars in total and you can't go over ten thousand dollars. At the max you could be eligible for $1,350 back on your taxes just for doing home renovations.
We didn't know that this was coming and did our bathroom just before the deadline so it kind of sucks for us but we are expecting to do some flooring, some doors and trim on another room. While we aren't sure if we are going to do porcelain tile or something a little cheaper if it comes over one thousand dollars we are going to be eligible. The other bonus is that you can add multiple renovations together. We also have to frame and insulate the basement so we are thinking we will have enought to qualify.
If you are doing some renos and live in Canada it's something to think about.
I am sitting here watching the Yankees game and playing around on the internet. Checking a few blogs and sports pages. What do you do when you are online? I find a lot of my friends online time is wasted, shooting meaningless messages around facebook and myspace. What purpose does that sever them? I can see doing it a bit here and there but spending hours is totally unproductive.
Why not use some of that time online to do some compartive shopping of your major expenses? I know, it's totally boring right? If you dedicate an hour a week doing some compartive shopping I am sure you can save money. For example, lets say that you are paying for short term health insurance NC. Take 10 minutes out of your life and do some compartive shopping. I am sure you facebook buddies aren't going to miss you. Faced with high insurance bills? Take 5 minutes and do some digging online. Fill out a couple of quotes and see what you get back. Trust me, your cyber buddies will leave you a boring scribble on your myspace wall.
Make use of your computer and make use of your time. That person you really didn't like in high school can wait a half an hour to brag about their kids. Go and find some deals and save some money.
