Valentine's Day - Frugal or Free Gifts

It's often the small - unexpectedly - kind things that we do for one another that are the most memorable. There is no need to spend a bunch of money, or even any money, on a meaningful gift for someone you love.

Here are some of my favorite frugal ideas for Valentine's Day:

• Buy a Single Red Rose - in full bloom, a single red rose means "I Love You."
• Make or Buy his favorite Cookies from the grocery bakery.
• Buy an "I Love You" balloon and put it in the bathroom or in her car before she gets up.
• Take the time to find a romantic card, and add your own words to the card - Don't just sign it!!
• Write "Will You be My Valentine" on a piece of paper and slip it into his lunch box or her purse.
• Cut a heart shape from blank paper. Write "Will You Be Mine" on it and color around the words with crayons. Place it where she will see it when she gets home.
• Write "Lucky Me - I have You" across the top of the mirror (with bar soap or lipstick) before you go to bed at night. Make sure the words don't cover the whole mirror and it's still usuable.
• Have "Your Song" playing when she gets home, and sing along.
• Write out All the things you love about your mate on little slips of paper and place them in a jar. These things don't have to sound romantic. "I love you because you cleaned up after the dog when I was too tired to do it," is a real expression of love and appreciation. Don't underestimate the power of honest appreciation.
• Rent his or her favorite movie and plan on watching it with him or her. This is especially meaningful if you don't like the movie and usually won't watch it.
• Tell your partner you want to go for a drive, and take her to the place where you first met, had a great time there, or something special happened. Talk about the memory and how it made you fall in love with her.
• Show up at your mate's job with a home-cooked (by you) meal for lunch.
• Write "I (draw a heart) U" on your forehead and pretend you don't know it's there.

Make the person you love feel truly loved on Valentine's day. That doesn't cost a thing.

Veterinarians are Salespeople - Be Aware

We've changed vets. To my disgust, I learned the hard way that veterinarians are salespeople, too.

The first vets we chose were chosen for convenience. A husband and wife veterinarian team's office is less than 2 miles from our house.

In the beginning, we always saw the husband and he was great. Our first appointment was made because we had found a 7 week old kitten, covered in fleas, with obvious eye infections, outside in the rain.

At that time we were still renting and pets were not allowed at that property, but we just couldn't let the little thing suffer out in the rain. We explained to the vet that we were not supposed to have animals, and we had very little money to spare on a kitten that we would probably have to get rid of (if the landlord demanded it).

That vet reduced his office fee and didn't charge us for one of the tests, and we were grateful. So, when we bought our own house and adopted a dog from the Humane Society we took our dog (and that once-ill cat) back to him for their health-care needs.

That was when we started seeing the wife in that team. She was entirely different from her husband. Where he had been happy to discuss the costs of high-end pet foods and their more affordable alternatives, dog shampoos and which worked fine while costing less, and flea treatments and over-the-counter alternatives, she pushed every line of every high-end product they sold.

Now, I'm not saying this woman shouldn't sell products that make them money. After all, every business is in the business of making a profit, but when this woman began pushing puppy shots every two weeks I started getting irritated.

I didn't have a problem with the first three shots. I understood that it was difficult to be sure that the immunization had "taken" and was not neutralized by immunity received from the mother. But on the third visit I asked if this or the next one would be the last and this vet proceeded to tell me that my puppy may need more than five puppy immunizations.

Now, that is rediculous. I knew from doing research on this issue that too many immunizations were worse than too few. And, the timing was equally important in determining whether the shots would "take" (every two weeks is too close together, but she insisted on that interval).

Combining this pushiness about giving shots indefinitely with the fact that this woman didn't even want to discuss cheaper alternatives for basic dog care (brushing dog's teeth rather than paying for a cleaning, etc), led me to believe that she was simply trying to make money and had no interest in the health of my pet.

So, we found another vet. This doc doesn't push his sales products on us and is willing to discuss cheaper alternatives for basic pet care.

If you want to stay in control of your money, do your own research. Don't take your vet's word for everything. Some of them are just as hooked into consumerism and greed as any other salesman you might encounter in a store or on TV.

Best Exercise Most Frugal

According to a study from the Duke University Medical Center, a brisk walk each day (a total of 2 - 3 hours each week) will significantly cut your risk of cardiovascular disease. Walking is also the best way for middle-aged people to lose weight.

This is good news for those of us who find that we are gaining weight as we get older, even though our eating and exercise habits stay the same. According to the Duke University study we gain about 4 pounds a year as we age. So, if you are exercising but not losing any weight you are still ahead of the game.

It's nice to know that the most frugal exercise - walking - is also the best. Walking doesn't cost anything. I'd call that frugal.

If the weather is too bad to walk outside, just go to your local Walmart supercenter or the mall and walk up and down the aisles for 30 or 45 minutes. That's not hard to do, and if you combine your exercise with your normal shopping trips you won't even have to add the cost of gas to your workout.

So, there is no need to run out and buy all of those exercise machines and gadgets. These gadgets usually end up in the thrift stores anyway. If you shop at thrift stores you know what I mean. I've seen entire rooms at the thrift store filled with nothing but exercise equipment.

Don't waste your money. Just walk. It's good for your heart, your waist, and your wallet.

The Problem with the Car

I got my car back from the shop. It runs great so far, but I'm skeptical. Since I've had the car in the shop for the same problem 4 times, I want to wait a while before I deem the car truly fixed.

But, I'd say it's probably fixed. It runs better than it has for over a year. I've taken it to two different mechanics and neither of them (nor any of the other mechanics at those businesses) could figure out what was wrong with it.

The problem with the car was that it wouldn't start some times, and when it did start it would run rough in 1st gear and 3rd gear. The battery was been tested 3 times and found good. The alternator was checked twice and found good.

The starter had been checked. The voltage regulator had been checked. The fuel pump had been checked. They were all found to be good.

In my quest to fix this pain-in-the-butt car, I've had the gear shift cable replaced, the ignition cylinder replaced, the fuel filter replaced, the spark plugs and wires replaced, the ignition wires replaced (I think these are the same as spark plug wires but I have a separate charge for them), and the crossover pipe replaced (suspected vacuum leak).

This time I had the coil packs replaced and I think they were the problem all along. Before I took the car to the shop this time, I looked over all the receipts from previous repairs and noticed that on two invoices (from different shops) there was a mention that one of the coil packs was weak.

But, on both invoices, changing the coil pack was "not recommended at this time." I brought this to the mechanic's attention when I took the car to him, and suggested that he check the coil packs again.

Lo and behold, he said the coil pack was the problem. He also said that the battery (which had been tested 3 times and said to be good) had a dead cell and this accounted for the starting problem.

The mechanic gave me the choice with the coil pack. He said we could replace just the bad one or replace them all. Since one had gone bad, he said it was more likely that the other two were not in good shape and may go bad soon. He also had coil packs with either a 1 year warranty or a lifetime warranty.

After all the hassle I've had with this problem, I opted to replace all of the coil packs, and chose the lifetime warranty even though they were significantly more expensive. But, I did go buy a battery myself and bring it to him to put in. I saved $20 by doing that.

The repairs still totalled $420, but if this fixes the problem it's more than worth the price. A new (used) car would have put us in debt again, and I will avoid that if at all possible.

Why am I sharing all this mechanical stuff with you all? In case anyone has the same sort of problem, I would like to save them the hassles I went through. Always be sure to read the invoices. This might just save you the expense and aggravation that I went through.

Most Reliable Used Cars

I've put my car in the shop again. They weren't very happy to see me there since I told them, "If you can't fix it right this time - just tell me that and I will take the car back home."

Anyway, while I am waiting to hear from them I have been dreaming about buying another car. I did some research and thought you all might like to know which used cars are considered the Most Reliable.

Edmunds Best Bets

• Economy Car: 1999-2004 Honda Civic
• Midsize Car: 1999-2004 Toyota Camry
• Large Car: 1999-2004 Ford Crown Victoria / Mercury Grand Marquis
• Luxury Car: 2003-2004 Infiniti G35
• Sporty Car: 1999-2004 Mazda Miata
• Mini-SUV: 1999-2004 Honda CR-V
• SUV: 2002-2004 Ford Explorer
• Minivan: 1999-2004 Honda Odyssey
• Small Pickup: 1999-2004 Toyota Tacoma
• Large Pickup: 1999-2004 Ford F-150

Warranty Direct's Top 100

1. Honda Accord
2. Subaru Forester
3. Mazda MX-5
4. Mitsubishi Carisma
5. Toyota Yaris
6. Honda Civic
7. Nissan Almera
8. Honda CR-V
9. Toyota RAV4
10. Nissan Micra

Buy Another Car or Fix the Old one AGAIN

Since my daughter is turning 14 this weekend, she is eager to put in applications around town. In our area, grocery stores begin hiring at age 14 and she has been counting down the months until she was old enough to apply.

The problem? My car is not running properly. I parked the car while I worked on paying off our credit card debt. Since my kid takes the bus to school and I work from home, the 2nd car wasn't a necessity.

But, she wants to work and I don't want to do anything that interferes with her desire to start making her own way in the world. Additionally, I want her to have a clear understanding of how much work is required to make the money needed to purchase wants like cell phones, high-end clothing, and cars and insurance.

But the delimma of whether to sink more money into a car that I've had in the shop 3 times for the same problem is not an easy one to resolve. If it was a simple issue of so-and-so needs replaced, and it costs $xxx to replace it, I would happily put it in the shop and have it fixed.

With this car the issue isn't that simple. It's what I get for buying a Pontiac Grand Prix, I guess. I've had 3 different mechanics try to fix the car, and although they've all replaced something, that something was not the problem. So, I continue to have the same problem after shelling out hundreds of dollars.

After reading several articles online, I'm thinking I'm going to put old Duchess in the shop again. It still works out far cheaper to keep trying to fix this car than to go in debt to buy another one. Here are the best of the articles I read, tell me what you think.

Keep Your Old Clunker or Buy a New One MSN Money
Fix Old Car or Buy New One - Dave Ramsey's Advice

Teen Parties - be Cool and Save Money

My daughter's 14th birthday is this weekend, and we've put our heads together to come up with party ideas that won't break the bank (Mom's wallet).

Not only is this a good opportunity to teach your kid some money management skills, it's also a good way to save some money while still satisfying a teenager's appetite for all things cool.

I've learned some interesting things about the way teenagers think in this process. Did you know that having a pizza delivered is cooler than picking one up, even if you could get more AND better pizza by getting it yourself?

It's true. It doesn't really matter what kind of pizza it is as long as it delivered. Delivery is cool.

Deli snack trays are also cool. But, you can make them yourself and save a chunk of cash. As long as it looks good and offers a variety of bite-sized food with toothpicks stuck into them - it's cool.

Teenagers are slightly concerned with nutrition. So, you can include celery on the snack tray if you fill it with peanut butter. Mostly they want cold cuts - rolled and stuck with a toothpick, cheese (stuck with a toothpick), cucumbers (stuck with a toothpick), carrots (that's going to be hard to stick with a toothpick), and dip or ranch dressing in the center of the tray. I'm thinking toothpicks must be cool.

If yours is a slumber party, renting movies is a cool way to have fun, and a must-have. The movies don't even have to be New Releases. Older teenage classics like The Notebook, Titanic, Grease, Bring it On, and I Know What You Did Last Summer are usually a hit.

Teenagers also like the animated Disney movies like Cars, Ice Age, and Over the Hedge. Check into the 5-for-5 (5 older movies for $5) deals that most movie rental stores have.

Music is another cool must-have at a teen party. If you don't have enough music or need some more recent, popular singles you can download them from Walmart.com for 88 cents a piece. Just click on Music once you get to the Walmart site.

Walmart also has some music downloads for only 48 cents each. Maybe you will get lucky and your teen will find something they like in that category.

Twister is making a comeback. It's one game that most teenagers will still play with their peers. It's cool and cheap too. It's only $14.99 at Amazon.com.

It's not hard to create a cool party and still save some money. Just set a dollar limit for the party, give your teen a pencil and paper with the budget written at the top, and brainstorm until you fill the party with cool and frugal activities that satisfy you both.

Time to Increase 401(k) for Retirement

It's time. I've been thinking about increasing my 401(k) contributions, but I've been putting it off.

I have other goals - goals that I want to accomplish as quickly as possible - so it's been easy to ignore retirement savings since we are decades from retiring.

Everyone wants to think about the "now" not the "later". It's human nature, and I'm no different than anyone else when it comes to that.

But, when I think of the lost opportunity of NOT taking advantage of saving Pre-Tax dollars, my frugal heart skips a beat. That's a lot of money we are letting slip through our fingers, folks.

For example, let's say you make $20,000 a year before taxes. *That puts you in the 15% tax bracket. You want to save 10% of your income for retirement. In pre-tax dollars you will save $2000 each year.

But, if you don't put that money in a tax deferred account like a 401(k), you will only save $1700.

You've just lost $300 - plus all the interest it would have generated.

It's gone forever.

It belongs to the government now.

Are you happy with that? Three hundred dollars is a lot of money to just give away, don't you think? Especially when it's going to the government. They already have enough of our money.

So, I am going to just bite the bullet and increase my 401(k) deductions. In take home pay, it will only decrease our income by a few dollars a week.

How about you? Are you ready to stop letting the government take such a big mouthful, and keep more of your own hard-earned money?


*These tax calculations have been simplified. For a more detailed explanation of your tax bracket, I recommend Moneychimp

Festival of Frugality

I have neglected to post a link to the sites that have hosted the Festival of Frugality carnivals and Carnival of Shopping in which one of my articles was included. I would like to take the time now to link back to those sites. Please forgive my oversight in not posting these links sooner.

1. Savvy Steward
   
2. Mom Advice
   
3. Become's Pocket Change
4. Frugal for Life
   

Cold-EEZE vs generic - Real Relief

It's the cold and flu season again. Guess who is sick first? Yep, it's me. But, I since I found out about using zinc lozenges for colds I won't suffer nearly as much.

My cold is not too bad, but I do have a cough and irritated throat. I'm sure my throat would hurt more if I still had my tonsils. I had a tonsillectomy as a child and haven't had a really painful sore throat since.

Anyway, a friend told me about using zinc lozenges for a cold years ago. I was skeptical at first. I knew there was no cure for the cold since it was a viral infection rather than bacterial. And, I had used most over-the-counter (OTC) medications meant to treat the symptoms of a cold.

Most OTC meds offered limited relief, but they were all that was available as far as I knew (other than vitamin C). Then I tried the zinc lozenges, and I was sold.

The most commonly known brand of zinc lozenges is Cold-EEZE, but there are generics. I usually buy generic zinc lozenges from Dollar General. They are more a tablet than a lozenge, but are meant to be dissolved slowly in the mouth just like a lozenge.

All brands of zinc lozenges leave a funny taste in your mouth that seems to coat your tongue. This means the zinc is doing it's job. The taste is not pleasant but the relief of cold symptoms coupled with a shorter duration is definitely worth the unpleasant taste.

The generic zinc, in my opinion, has a stronger taste than Cold-EEZE but it's about half the price and works just as well.

If you begin taking the zinc lozenges at the first sign of a cold you can sometimes stop it in it's tracks. Taking it after your symptoms are full-blown will still reduce the longevity by almost half. And, the zinc actually relieves your symptoms for about 2 hours.

I have bought the brand name of zinc when I had a bad cold. After a few days of taking the generics, the taste can be off-putting, and Cold-EEZE does taste better.

Other than taste there is another potential side effect. Some people experience an upset stomach if the lozenges are taken on an empty stomach. That's an easy cure though. Just eat before taking it.

Overall, I would recommend the generic zinc lozenges mainly based on cost. If you have kids, you will want to keep zinc on hand, and if everyone is taking it 4 times a day it can get expensive to buy the brand name lozenges.

If the taste is more important to you, buy Cold-EEZE. Whichever brand you choose, I would definitely recommend using zinc lozenges to reduce the symptoms and duration of your family's colds. This stuff really works!

Stock Up On Food Sales - Maybe

Buying in bulk to get a good price or because something is on sale is a great way to save money - but only if you don't end up using more than you normally would.

When my partner and I make up the grocery shopping list every two weeks, we check the sale papers. Often there are sales on items that we normally buy anyway. These sales help us to keep our food budget low, and if the sale is good enough we will stock up.

We are careful about what we stock up on, though, because in the past we've found that sometimes we ended up spending more money rather than less. Why? Because with some items we tend to eat more when we have more.

The way to prevent this is to ask yourself a question before you buy more than you need. "Will we eat more of this if we have more in the house?"

An example of something we will eat more of if there is an abundance is cheddar cheese. Everyone in my family loves cheddar cheese. Cheese is a good source of calcium, and since we don't drink much milk the calcium we get from cheese is an important part of our nutrition.

The problem is if we see a large amount of cheese in the fridge, we tend to eat more. Besides the fact that cheese is high in fat, we don't want to eat more than we need because of the cost of cheese (if you don't know the price of cheddar cheese, I'll tell you. It ain't cheap.)

So, if we stock up on cheese and everybody knows we have an abundance, everyone tends to eat it more often. This ends up costing us more money than it would have if we only bought what we needed.

We found a way around this when it concerns cheese. We just hide it deep in the freezer and once a week we move 1 pound of cheese to the fridge. Out of sight, out of mind works for us in this regard.

I think every family probably has something that tends to be consumed as quickly as it's brought home. With these foods, be careful about how much you buy, or hide the excess from your family (or yourself). Allot a certain amount per week and only have that amount available for consumption.

Make sure those sales actually save you money.

Buy Contact Lenses Online - Save Big

I have found another reason to keep one of those credit cards after you've paid off your debt. Buying contact lenses online.

I had no idea how much money you could save buying contacts online until my partner was advised to switch from rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses to soft lenses (replacement/disposable).

Switching from gas permeables to soft lenses meant an increase in cost of almost 100% since gas permeables can last for years and soft contacts last, at most, 2 months per pair (soft lenses are recommended for 1 month's use, but most eye docs will ok their use for 2 months or until there is a noticeable difference in vision or comfort).

After being quoted a price of $30 for a box of 6 soft contacts lenses at the docs office, I decided it was time to do some research. I knew there was big online market for contacts, I'd just not looked into it since my partner hadn't needed contacts for the last 3 years.

After reading up on contacts and learning what I needed to know (OD, OS, Base Curve, etc.) at AllaboutVision.com, I did a Google search to compare prices. And, boy was I surprised.

It seems the eye docs really mark-up the contacts they sell. The highest price I found online for the contacts my partner needs is $25 a box, but the lowest price was only $15.

Even after you add in shipping (most online companies won't charge shipping if you spend $99 or more) you still come out saving about 40%.

So, how do you take advantage of this great savings? You order online and pay with a credit card, of course.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm certainly in favor of buying ONLY what you have the money for, but paying with cash is sometimes NOT the best way of being frugal.

So, hold on to at least one of those credit cards. You might find that with a little discipline, it actually helps you SAVE money.

Credit Cards for Online Shopping

Who used a credit card for Christmas shopping? Raise your hand.

I not only used a credit card for some Christmas shopping, I also applied for a new one. I know what you are going to say. It's not a great idea to get a new credit card when I have worked my hieny off to pay my credit card debt in full.

And, if you subscribe to Dave Ramsey's way of thinking, you would be right. But, I've found that cutting up all my credit cards and using cash for everything just does not fit my lifestyle.

Since I'm frugal, first and foremost, I must find the best deal on the things I buy. And often, the things I've decided to buy are a better bargain online.

For example, I decided that I was going to buy a better air purifier this Christmas. I have been using a Holmes air purifier, and although it is a good price at my local Wal-Mart, it doesn't do a great job cleaning the air. Also, the filter has to be replaced often and the price of the filter is almost as much as the machine itself.

So, I decided I was going to do some research. I wanted to find an air purifier with a better customer rating, and one that has a washable/permanent filter. The first place I look when I want customer ratings is Amazon.com.

Amazon.com has just about everything I'm looking for, and most things at Amazon have customer ratings (if there is no rating, I wouldn't buy it unless I have recommendations from friends or family).

So, anyway, I went to Amazon.com to find ratings on an air purifier and found one with 4.5 stars that I liked the look of. This air purifier (Honeywell HFD-120Q Tower) has a permanent (washable) filter and the manufacturer offers a $20 rebate.

Also, Amazon had a promotional discount for purchases over $125. This discount deducts $25 from your order when you enter the promo code at checkout.

See the savings adding up?

Now here is the clincher. Amazon.com has partnered with Chase to offer a branded Amazon.com Visa credit card. If you apply for this card through Amazon's site, you will receive a $30 credit after your first Amazon purchase.

How could I pass this up? I was going to buy an air purifier anyway. But, buying it through Amazon.com with the Amazon credit card would save me $30. Once I deduct the $25 promotional code and the $20 rebate, I end up paying $75 for a $150 air purifier.

Now, how can you be frugal and NOT take advantage of this deal? Since I make purchases from Amazon several times a year, this credit card will continue to earn credits for me everytime I use it.

Using credit cards saves me money, especially when I shop online. So, I won't be cutting up all of my cards.

How to pay for Christmas

How are you going to pay for Christmas this year? Did you save money throughout the year? Surely you knew Christmas was coming, right?

I saved a little bit of money each payday, and had it automatically sent to my Freedom (Smart Money) account at INGDirect. So, when I was ready to go Christmas shopping all I had to do was log in to ING and have the money transferred to my checking account. It only took 2 days for the money to get there, and I was all set to shop.

You don't have to make much money to do this. Five dollars a week adds up to $260 a year, and you won't even notice it coming out of your paycheck. Five dollars is easy to forget about.

If you are thinking that $260 is not even close to what you need for Christmas, then by-all-means save more. Whatever you do, do not touch those credit cards. STEP AWAY FROM THE CREDIT CARDS!

If you didn't save money for Christmas, now is the time to start saving for next year.

Keep Saving after Credit Card Debt is paid

I've paid off all of our Credit Card debt. So now, what do I do with that extra $185 (plus the $200+ from Kim's part-time job) that I was sending the credit card companies every month?

Yep, you guessed it, I'm going to save it. Or, most of it anyway.

The money from Kim's part-time job is nice hunk of change, but it's not something I am counting on. Part of the agreement Kim and I made about her getting another job was that it was temporary and she would quit at the first sign of feeling over-worked. (While the job lasts, it will all be saved in the New House fund.)

But, the extra $185 a month that went to pay off our credit card debt gets to be redistributed in the budget. And, that's going to be fun!

A small portion will go back into our food budget to add a little variety, and provide us with occasional treats.

Things like herbal tea, Ruffles potato chips (a rare treat, but the best brand of chips out there), roasts, lasagna (high cost for the cheese and sausage), and steak were cut from our food budget. They can come back in now - on an occasional basis.

Another small portion of money will go back toward paying down our mortgage. Paying just a small additional principal payment can shave years off your mortgage, and save you money in interest payments.

By paying an extra $30 a month for 2 years, I've cut the mortgage back 3 years and 1 month. That saved me $3720 in interest payments.

The biggest chunk will go into our New House fund and be saved for a down payment and closing costs on a new home in the sticks. (I enjoy other people, their guests, friends, music, and pets the most when it's from a distance :-).

So, most of the money I freed up by not having debt gets saved.

Saving money is a permanent goal for me, and will always be a part of my budget. It's a truly satisfying feeling knowing I will have that money tucked away - ready for what we decided is most important to us.

Credit Card Debt Paid Off - was it worth the sacrifice?

I did it! I paid off all of our credit card debt. Hooray for us! (We did the happy dance yesterday, when I sent that last payment to Bank of America.)

If you read Tweak Your Financial Goals - 1 Year Mark, you know that as of November 7 (2006), I still owed $560 on the last credit card. I figured I would have it paid off in 3 months.

I was sending approximately $185 a month to that last credit card company. Now, that might not seem like a lot of money to some folks, but when you're supporting a family of 3 on less than $20,000 ($16,700 take home) a year it's a hunk of cash to come up with every month.

If you've done the math, you can see that sending $185 a month for 3 months pays off that $560, and that was my plan. But, when I made the November payment, I was so excited about being so close to my goal that I dug even deeper to pay it off early.

I made the November payment on the 17th, and by the 27th I came up with enough money to send an additional payment. Then yesterday (December 8th) I had December's payment a week early, so I made 3 payments in about 21 days..

How did I manage to come up with $560 in less than a month? I did two things.

One, I pared our living expenses down to the bone. That meant:

• a cold house (turned the heat way down-this meant I could use some of the money I had saved for propane, because we would have more left for next year)
• no treats or snacks in the food budget (we rarely eat junk food so that part wasn't too hard, but entres of ground beef, eggs, beans, soups, or pastas was boring at times)
  
• no eating out (we don't do this often, but I even eliminated our once-in-a-blue-moon fast-food run)
• no extra principal payments on the mortgage (I usually send in additional payments to accelerate our 30 year mortgage, instead I sent that money to the credit card company)
  

Two, my partner got a part-time job at a nearby grocery store. Now, this method of coming up with extra money obviously made the biggest difference in the short run, but it was the most challenging for me.

Kim had been talking about getting a part-time job for a while, but I was against it. I felt that she was already contributing enough by working 40 hours a week at her regular job. Also, I didn't think she would find a job that would allow her to set her own hours (she wanted to work one day during each week and Saturdays).

But, she persisted. She really liked the people at the grocery store where she does our shopping, and she believed that the manager there would let her work on the two days she had available. So, I figured it was worth a try. She was right. He hired her on the spot.

The hourly wage is low, and some weeks she is only scheduled for one day, but the $50 she makes on that one day made a huge difference in our saving ability. (And, she really likes working there.)

The job doesn't cost us much. It's only 5 blocks from home, so the gas use is negligible. She packs a lunch, or comes home to eat. And, she didn't have to buy any special clothing; it's a grocery store so jeans and tennis shoes are fine.

So, that's how we did it. Lots of sacrifice and some extra work. Was it worth it? You betcha! We are Free from debt (except the mortgage), and that feels really fine!

Organize your Kitchen

Cleaning out your kitchen cabinets and drawers might not be the most fun you’ve ever had, but it offers some real benefits.

• An Organized kitchen
• Less clutter; more space for everything; less breakage when rooting in the cabinets
• Time savings – no more searching through a drawer full of utensils for the potato peeler
• Money savings - you won’t waste money on duplicates or things you don’t need
  

Are you with me? Then let’s get started.

First decide how many dishes your family needs. If you have a family of 3 like I do, a service for 4 is enough. If you have a family of 6, a service for 8 will give you 2 extra place settings. If you have guests often, then you will want a few extra, but don’t have (buy) more than you need.

Why? Because the more dishes you have, the stronger the temptation to let them pile up. If you have just enough dishes for everyone, they will be washed quickly because they are needed. They won’t be piling up in your sink.

Now, open the cabinets that hold your dinnerware. This is where you will start. Once you get your plates, bowls, and glasses pared down based on your family size, other decisions come easier.

Take out any dishes that your family doesn’t (or rarely) uses. Do you actually use those small glasses? What about coffee mugs; how many of those do you actually use?

Do your plates all match? Do you want them to match? Pull out what you don’t use.

Second, move to the silverware drawer. You might want to keep extra forks or spoons. If your family is like mine, you have a problem with disappearing forks or spoons. So, pare down based on your family size (2 of each utensil per person), but keep extra disappearing utensils (we keep extra forks).

Third, tackle the preparation and cooking utensils. Take your time here and really think about whether these are actually used. Most of us have too many cooking and preparation utensils, and we don’t use most of them.

The cook in the family usually has a favorite spatula, slotted spoon, ladle, potato peeler, paring knife, and carving knife - and she/he doesn’t use anything else. But, count how many spatulas, spoons, peelers, and knives you have. Wayyy more than you use, I bet.

If you don’t use it, get rid of it. It’s just taking up space and making it difficult to find what you need.

Fourth - on to the mixing bowls. Unless you mix and bake several things at the same time, you only need 3: small, medium, and large. If you have several sets of mixing bowls, keep the glass bowls and get rid of the rest. Glass is best because it won’t react with anything you put in it, unlike aluminum (which doesn’t get along with acids).

Last, take a good look at your cookware. How much of it do you use? Does anyone actually use that little saucepan that comes in the set of pots and pans? I think my daughter has used ours for hot dogs a couple of times, but mostly it just takes up space.

If you get stumped along the way, or just have a difficult time letting something go, put it into a box and set it aside (in the garage or shed). If you find you need it, it gets to come back inside. If you don’t go looking for it, you don’t need it. Pass it on to someone who will use it (donate it).

There, now you have an organized kitchen. You can reach your mugs without knocking the glasses over. You're saving time because you know where everything is. And, you won't be wasting money to buy duplicates of things you can't find.

Money Tips for Teens

• Save 5% of All the money you get - Gifts, too.
  Saving 5% isn't hard, it's only a nickel out of every dollar. But the earlier you start saving it, the faster it will grow. So, when you need a hunk of cash to buy a car, clothes for the prom, or an expensive trip with your classmates, it will be there for you.


• Have a Savings Goal.
  Are you saving for a car? The prom? A trip? Whatever your goal is, figure out how much money you will need, and start saving. Having a goal focuses your brain power, and makes it easier to save (It's cool, too. Watch your friend's reaction when you tell them you are saving for a car).
  


• Open a Savings Account.
  You can open a savings account online or at a local bank. You will earn a higher interest rate with an online savings account. Either way, you will need to have your parents open the account for you if you are under 18. If you want to be the only one who can access your cash, then save it in your room somewhere. Just make a commitment to save, and don't touch that money until you've reached your savings goal.
  


• Spend your money with a Plan.
  Take a minute to write down what you want to buy and how much it costs, before you go to the store. At the top of a piece of paper, write how much money you have. Subtract the cost of what you want to buy. Is there enough left for your 5% Savings (leave 5% at home so you can't spend it)? Do you have enough for the tax? It only takes a minute to write it down, but it keeps you on track once you get to the store.
  


• Go online to find the Best Price.
  Always compare prices at different stores to find the best price for what you want to buy. You will be surprised how much you can save just by shopping at a different store. Try Froogle.com or pricegrabber.com for online shopping, or go to local store web sites like Walmart.com or Sears.com to find local prices. You don't have to buy it online, you are just checking prices.
  


• Think of what you buy as an Investment.
  An investment is something you spend money on that you expect to last for a while. So, ask yourself how long this thing (that you are buying) is going to last. If it isn't going to last very long, like a pizza, don't spend much money for it. If it will give you value for a long time, like a CD player, then it is a good investment and spending more money on it is a good idea.
  


• Don't Borrow Money without a Plan to Pay it back.
  Avoiding debt (owing someone money) is best, but if you do borrow have a plan to pay it back. Write it out on paper (writing always helps to focus your brain to work on your plan, even when you aren't consciously thinking about it). Can you work it off? Can you earn extra money recycling aluminum, cutting grass, doing laundry for someone? If you can't come up with a plan, don't borrow money.


• Save all your Receipts.
  You just never know when something you bought is going to break, stop working, or just not work right. If you have the receipt, it's easy to take it back (most stores will give you your money back on defective merchandise for up to 30 days after you buy it). And, receipts are your record of what you spent your money on. With a record of your spending habits, you can go back and see if you are making good investments or bad ones.

#1 Money Tip for Teens

You've got your own money now. How cool is that! So, what are you gonna do with it? Do you spend it all on that 6 CD changer stereo that is "off the chain," or on the newest, slimmest flip cell phone, so you can impress your friends?

Between the two, the stereo is the best investment. Why? Because a cell phone is a financial commitment; that means that you have to keep paying for it. The stereo is a done deal. It's paid for and you can use it over and over again without spending any more money.

You want to avoid financial commitments if you can. Once you are committed, like when you sign a contract for a cell phone plan, you have to keep paying a set amount of money every month.

So, what happens when you don't have any money next month (cause you spent it all on pizza for your friends, and a new CD)? You lose the cell phone service, and the money you spent to get the phone is wasted.

Well sure, you still have the phone but you can't call anyone with it, so what's the use? (Those games get boring after you've played them 300 times.)

So, the #1 tip for spending your money is to think of what you buy as an investment.

I know, I know, investment is a boring word. You're probably thinking that "investment" is some old-person word, and you aren't even listening, right? Well, that makes sense. But, bear with me.

Using the word "investment" in this sense just means that you expect what you buy to last for some period of time. You wouldn't buy a stereo or CD player and only expect it to last long enough to play one CD, or one song from the radio, would you? Of course not.

So, when you think of that 6 CD changer as an investment, you're just saying that you expect it to entertain you with music for years and years.

The good investments are the ones that you don't have to spend any more money on; they will work even if you don't spend one more penny on them.

An example of a good investment is that CD player you are thinking about buying. You might want to buy new CDs to listen to on the CD player, but you don't have to buy any more CDs for the CD player to work, right?

What about the cell phone? Will it work even if you don't spend any more money on it? Well the games will work, but you can't call anyone with it if you don't pay your bill month after month after month.

See what I mean? A cell phone is a bad investment, because it just keeps costing you money. And if you don't have the money one month, they turn off your service, and the phone is useless.

So, you decide. Do you want a good investment (something that lasts without spending more on it), or a bad investment (something that keeps holding its hand out for mo' money and mo' money and mo' money)?

Brand Names I'll pay Extra for

Most of us Frugal Aficionados praise generics, and attempt to prod you into trying the no-brand equivalent of the items you buy. And, in most cases, buying a generic will not only save you money, it will do the job just as well as a higher-priced Brand Name. However, there some generics that just won't do the job or fill the need as well as Brand Name products.

Now, I can squeeze a penny till Lincoln squeals, and I enjoy doing it. But, saving money is just not satisfying when the product you bought doesn't fill the need. And, it doesn't save you money if you end up buying it twice (once for the generic, and then a second time to buy the brand that fills the need or does the job right).

So, here is a list (HA you knew it was going to be a list, didn't you) of Brand Name items that, in my opinion, are worth the extra money.

• Colgate Total toothpaste.
  For the last few years, I've noticed that my teeth seem to be shifting. Once this became obvious and I realized it wasn't my imagination, I did some research and discovered that more than 75% of Americans over 35 have gingivitis or periodontal disease (which can cause loosening or shifting of the teeth). Colgate Total is the only toothpaste approved by the FDA for helping to prevent gingivitis. It also contains triclosan, a mild antimicrobial that has been clinically proven to reduce plaque and gingivitis. I've been using Colgate Total for about a year now and my teeth have stopped shifting.


• Crest Pro-Health Oral Rinse.
  This mouthwash effectively kills the bacteria that causes gingivitis and periodontal disease (and bad breath). Because it contains no alcohol (alcohol containing mouthwash can actually make bad breath worse), it is much easier to keep in your mouth for 30-60 seconds as recommended.
  


• Pantene or Tresemme shampoo.
  If you've read Frugal Extremes you know that I prefer these products because they do a better job with my fine, limp hair than the generic shampoos. And, because these products are thicker, you use less so it ends up costing about the same as a generic.


• Caress bath soap.
  Generic (and many brand name) bath soaps dry my skin out. That means that when I use a generic soap, I must also buy a moisturizing lotion. Caress ends up costing about the same as a generic soap + lotion, so I skip the extra step and just buy the Caress.


• Swiffer Sweep and Vac.
I know, I know, a broom is wayyy cheaper. But, a broom also sends the dirt and dog hair flying all over the room, and I end up having to sweep again and again and ... (well you get the idea). I can't stand it when I mop - after using a broom to sweep - and find dried dog hair stuck all over the floor. The Swiffer sweep and vac simply works better and saves me time and frustration. (I don't buy the Swiffer cloths, I make my own).




• Dawn dishwashing liquid.
  It takes less to do a better job. It's also a great stain lifter in the laundry.


• Awesome or Greased Lightening cleaners.
  I don't know if these are big brands any more, but they both still work very well. When you have a really grungy cleaning job, they do the job.


• Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.
  I don't buy this product often, maybe once a year. But nothing works better on textured surfaces (like the refrigerator), or to get out stains that would otherwise need such hard scrubbing that you risk damaging the surface.
  
  
• Hunts or Del Monte ketchup.
  I don't really care which brand I buy as long as it's a name brand. Generic ketchup does not taste very good to me, and I do like my ketchup.


• Dukes mayonnaise.
  Another food that I am picky about is mayonnaise. It has to be tangy and it has to taste rich, and Dukes is both. My family will just not eat the generic.


• Prego, Hunts, or Del Monte spaghetti sauce.
  Like with ketchup, I will eat several brands, but I won't eat generic pasta sauce. I just don't like the taste. (With the can sauces I have to add a teaspoon of sugar, I like my pasta sauce a touch sweet).
  


• Purina dog and cat food.
  Now, I know that Purina is not one of the top brands of pet foods, but it is one of the lower priced brands that is actually good for your animals. I had a vet tell me that Purina foods are just fine for your pets, and they cost significantly less than the fancier brand names. The generic pet foods are so full of fillers that to give your animals the needed nutrients you have to feed them much more food (that's not saving money), and they make your pets poop more often.