The Save Money Blog

Archive for December, 2009

It must be a sign of the times that people are being more cautious about what they are buying and how much they are paying. I can count about five times when shopping over the holidays when people questioned their totals at the check out line in stores. I even question the total myself when picking up some party items at the corner store. I was wrong and he was right but it's good to question or to pay attention when you are shopping. There are lots of things that can go on such as the barcode scanner being out of whack or the item not having the right label. Walmart just got caught charging tax on gift cards here in Canada until somebody wised up and complained. They weren't scanning properly.

Check your totals, check your receipts. Every penny counts.

True story. A co-worker with two daughters, a wife and himself who are all drivers gets his insurance renewal and the rates are throught the roof compared to his previous policy. It's a company he has been with forever so he calls them to look into it and they tell him there is nothing they can do. We are talking about hundreds of dollars a year for no reason. No tickets, no accidents.

So he goes and looks for insurance online and find a company he is interested in and gets a quote. They offer him the same coverage for the same price he was paying before his current insurance company tried to jack the price up on him for no reason. A bonus for being a loyal customer I guess.

He dropped them like a rock and went with the new one. Never trust that you insurance company is looking out for you. They are looking out for the mansions the execs who run them live in. Shop around if your rates go up. I would never pay an huge rate increase and either should you.

I am on a mission to get a few things fixed up around the house and I will blog later this week about what I am doing to save energy. I needed a thick piece of plywood 2.5 X 2.5 for a small project but they only sell sheets 4 x 4 for over $16. Kind of a waste because I have no other use for the extra wood. A shame to pay that much when I didn't really need it all.

When we were walking to the saw to get my piece cut I noticed one of those carts they have filled with all sorts of pieces of left over wood. I went and had a look and found the exact same size piece I was buying with a big red line spray painted on it. I asked the guy if I could but that. He said sure it was only $2 because it was damaged or something. It was perfect for what I need it for.

It felt good to save a bit of money on the weekend. Next time you have a small job on the go and find yourself at Home Depot look around and see if they have leftovers.

A few friends have been talking about doing some travelling in the new year. At this point they have no idea where they are going or how they are getting there. They are interested in dominican republic vacations but have yet to do their homework on the subject. If you are thinking about doing a vacation it's never too late to start planning. There is lots of time to look at different resorts, find a good one in your price range. Time that you travel is a big factor too, peak March Break is more expensive than going in January but you might have to trade some warmer weather. Start doing your digging early and find a vacation package that is right for you instead of jumping into something at the last minute that isn't a good fit.

How do you save money with a ceiling fan in the winter?

Who would think that by running your ceiling fans in the winter that you could save on your heating bill. Heat rises, that's a fact. In the winter months there's no point of having all of your hot air trapped around yoru ceilings, especially if you have some height to them. A celing fan can save you money on your heating bill by simply running it during the winter months. If you run it clockwise it will draw colder air up, mix it with the warmer air sitting at your ceiling and push that warmer air back down towards the room you are in. I would suggest running it on slow to get the best benefit.

Remember to open your curtains or blinds up to and let that sunlight in. This can go a long way into helping to warm the air up during the day when you are at work.

A old friend was recently griping to me about his cross country moving that he is doing at the end of the year for a new job. It got me to thinking that maybe he can write off some of his expenses on his tax return. After googling around for awhile I found out that he probably can write off his moving expenses.

In Canada, if you are moving 40kms to take a new job or even attend school full time then you can write off moving expenses. You may be eligible to write off your transportation costs, storage costs, legal fees, real estate fees and even utility costs. Talk to the person that does your taxes and see if you qualify.

The lesson here is that if you are embarking on something large and expensive like a move then save all of your receipts and see talk to somebody and see if you are eligible for tax savings.

Winter and the flu season in full swing I decided today that I was going to get on board with putting a few more healthy things into my diet. My brain plan is to replace my daily coffee and bring on the green tea. Having none I walked down the grocery store on my break at work and picked up two boxes of flavoured green tea. Since it all tastes the same to me I picked up two boxes that were on sale for $2 off over most of the other brands.

When I went back to work I did the math. I usually bought two or three coffee or teas a day at about $1.50 a pop. That's pretty $23 a month I have been spending during the week on coffee and tea. When I buy my own from the grocery store it's .19 cents a tea. That is a considerable amount of savings. I figure it was about $700 a year I could save by not going to the coffee store everyday. Imagine how much more you would save if you are buying your fancy pants designer coffees.

Here are some frugal tips to get you through:

1. Buy your coffee or tea in bulk or when on sale. Shop around and get the cheapest price possible. If you are trying to save money don't buy expensive brands. Regular brands will do just fine.

2. Grab yourself nice custom mugs to drink out of so you always have one ready to go when you need it. I have about three on the go. One at work and two at home. I found a nice brand that was inexpensive and keeps my tea warm for quite a long time. That way they don't get cold and you don't have to throw them out beacause they get cold too fast.

3. Most place I have ever worked in have communal sugar, sweeteners and milks. There are usually big bowls of sugar packets sitting around from the big whigs having meetings. Save by using those during the day.

4. Stick to the plan. I was telling my friend how to save and he complained how awful homemade coffee tastes compared to coffee shop coffee. You will get used to the taste. You have to get the monkey off of your back. It takes time but stick to it. Remember the goal.

5. If you must go to the coffee shop, find a place that has a rewards card so at least you get the odd freebie.