We have a minivan and a Toyota Corolla. Whoever has to do the most driving that day takes the Corolla. Even if that means I’m squeezing four kids into the Corolla. We also became much more conscious about our driving habits in general and are sticking to the little changes we made.

Jeff Yeager at the Green Cheapskate blog is taking it further. A tank of gas has dropped from $60 back to $40 for his truck, so he slips $20 into an envelope each time he fills up and expects to save $1,000 in a year.

Topics: Economy, Gas | 1 Comment »

Nothing saves money like getting free stuff!

By Deb | October 23, 2008

I saw this website on Inside Edition tonight, and I just had to check it out:

Freebies 4 Mom.com

This site will give you access to a lot of free items, and you’ll be able to save a lot of cash!

When my children were infants, I used to write to all the baby companies and ask for samples and coupons. I’d get coupons for free or reduced formula, baby food, and diapers, just to name a few. One time I received a box full of a dozen baby bottles with a dozen packages of baby formula!

Many times, all you have to do is ask for a sample, and the company is more than happy to give it to you.

Check out the site listed above, and you’ll be able to cut down your household spending….It will only cost you a few moments of your time.

Topics: Budget, Economy, Food, Thrift | 1 Comment »

Still Not Rich?

By debtfreemom | October 11, 2008

This article gets to the core of why you may not have as much cash as you’d like.  I think it says it all.

Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »

Are you tossing cash in the trash?

By Deb | October 7, 2008

A few weeks ago I cleaned out my fridge. What should have taken a few moments to toss away the spoilage took a good deal of my afternoon to accomplish. Before I knew it, I had filled two garbage bags full of old food, spoiled food, and food packages that had never been opened. I was mortified. If I was wasting this much food, could it be possible that we’re tossing hundreds–if not thousands–of dollars into the garbage each year?

According to a New York Times article, Americans waste about 27 percent of food each year. That’s more than one-quarter of our food budget, or more specifically, an estimated 96.4 billion pounds of food each year. With rising food costs, how much money are we really wasting?

In Living Debt Free in a Consumer’s World, I talk about “found” money. One way we can find extra money in our budget is to limit our food purchases. Buy only what you need each week and if you have a surplus of food, eat what you have before buying more. Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

I’ve always liked to stockpile food, especially since becoming a single mother. In my earlier days of single motherhood, stockpiling food set my mind at ease. I knew that even if I ran out of money, my children would still eat.

However, if we’re tossing away food, we may as well be tossing greenbacks into our waste cans. Check out this picture from the New York Times article that shows how much food we toss each year: http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2008/05/18/weekinreview/18martin-popup.html

Now is a good time to limit your food spending each week to what you actually eat so that you’ll toss less cash into the trash and keep it in your wallet where it belongs.

Topics: Budget, Cash, Economy, Food, Thrift | 1 Comment »

Our fiscal cancer

By Anita | September 15, 2008

If you care at all about what our country will be like in 20 years, and about the devastating effect consumerism has had on our society, watch this 60 minutes interview with the nation’s controller:   

Topics: Debt, Economy, Recession | 1 Comment »

Read magazines online for free

By Anita | August 14, 2008

There’s no catch here. You don’t even have to sign up and give them your email address. Mygazines is a collection of magazines that you can read online. Most popular magazines are available here and they are uploaded by readers. Even though many magazines provide their content for free on their own websites, you usually can’t access the current issue until the next month. But at Mygazines you can find all the current issues.

The interface is pretty cool: with the mouse you can click on a page corner and simulate the turning of a page. The magazines are scanned so it’s similar to a hard copy version of the magazine.

Very often I notice a cover story on a magazine while in the checkout line at the grocery store but don’t want to pay $5 for the magazine just to read the article. So this has come in handy.

I don’t know if they will run into copyright difficulties. In their press release they say they have, “full intentions to work with the industry, with the aim of fortifying the future of all those either directly or indirectly supported by the production, sales and distribution of magazines.” At any rate, so far so good.

Topics: Shopping | No Comments »

College Starts This Month: Warn Your Kids About the Dangers

By Deb | August 12, 2008

Credit cards companies.  They’re out there, waiting to offer your kids a free t-shirt, free lunch, or just about anything it takes to get them to complete an application.  Before you send them off to college, warn your kids about the dangers of credit cards.

Although many colleges prohibit credit card companies from soliciting on campus, many of them are coaxing college students to apply for credit just outside the boundaries of the campus.  They’re offering new, “just can’t say no” incentives to get your kids to use plastic instead of cash.

Before your child goes to college, warn him or her about the dangers and how easy it is to rack up thousands of dollars in credit card charges that can ruin credit in the long run.  Do more than just have the talk.  Show your kids–on paper–how long it takes to pay off $1000 of credit card debt.  It could take 10 or 11 years, and they’ll be paying back a lot more than the original agreement.

Finally, show them the film Maxed Out.  It’s a film that shows the real dangers of credit card debt and features the stories of two college students who got in way over their heads.

Topics: Credit Cards, Debt, Economy, Kids | No Comments »

Women on a budget make better fashion choices

By Anita | July 20, 2008

If you are on a budget and don’t have the ability to make impulse clothing purchases, then you’re in luck. According to my favorite fashion guru, Tim Gunn: “People get their fashion right more frequently when they are shopping on a budget than when they have deep pockets or a bottomless pit of a purse.”

This is because you have to ask yourself more questions and think harder about your wardrobe when you have to be careful about what you purchase. What colors and patterns look best on you? Will an item fit in with the rest of your wardrobe? You’re more likely to ask, and know the answers to, those questions before buying something.

By the way, if you are a Tim Gunn fan and need a fix, check out this Time Magazine video.

Topics: Budget, Clothing | No Comments »