Monthly Archives: January 2009

4 Ways to Save on Renovations

January 30, 2009
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I have to say that I wasn’t shocked to read on Unbeige today that Home Depot was closing all of its Home Depot Expo Design Centers. I’d heard earlier in the week that Home Depot was cutting jobs but I didn’t realize that so many of the cuts would come from these upscale design centers. According to one news source, Home Depot Expo never really took off since opening in the past 10 years.

I can’t say that I’m not surprised. When my husband and I were renovating the kitchen in our old house, we decided to check out what the Home Depot Expo nearest to us had to offer in terms of cabinets, kitchen sinks and countertops. Having explored regular Home Depot and Lowe’s locations to look at Krafstmaid and other well-known cabinet brands, we were blown away with the products at Home Depot Expo. Not because they were so amazing but because they were so much more expensive than what you could find in a regular store. I’m talking three and four times more expensive than the highest-end Kraftsmaid cabinets, which is what we ended up buying from a local home design center.

FYI, news reports say shoppers can expect there to be liquidation sales on products in Home Depot Expo stores starting immediately. But be forewarned: as I wrote in my thrift-store shopping post, it’s important to know the real price of items and not to let liquidation sales suck you in to buying things you don’t need or can’t really afford. At Home Depot Expo, liquidation sale discounts start at 10%. That’s hardly earth shattering.

Not-so-great liquidation sales aside, what are some of the right ways to save on any renovations you may be considering? Here are some ideas to consider.

  1. Don’t buy new if you don’t have to. We are having our second design meeting with our builder today for a renovation for our new house that will take care of many of the issues we knew this house had when we bought it nearly two years ago. One of the ways that we’re going to avoid buying new is when building a much-needed pantry. You see, we’re going to take the current 10 X 10 kitchen space, close it off and turn it into the pantry. This means that we’ll be able to reuse all of the cabinetry that exists in the kitchen. So not only will this save money, but it will save the earth, too–reusing cabinetry is like green rule number one when it comes to renovations.
  2. Build the most for the least amount of materials. This is a tip that my mom shared with me after she did a recent renovation on her home. She discovered that if she could keep the dimensions of her building project within the specs of regular building supplies, she would save money. How? Well, if the builder was laying plywood in a space that required him to cut the wood and toss the scraps, then she was paying for materials that would end up going to waste. However, since most plywood comes in 4 foot X 8 foot sheets, if she could keep her project dimensions of multiples of 4 or multiples of 8, she would literally get the most bang for her materials’ buck. (You can apply the same line of thinking to 2X4s, 2X6s and the rest of the lumber you might need for a project.)
  3. Find a way to get materials at wholesale cost if possible. In our last kitchen renovation, we ended up spending most of our money on countertops. That’s because we relied on our local home improvement store to take care of everything having to do with our countertops–from measuring the template to ordering the materials–and they marked up the price on all of this significantly. We’ve since learned that there are countertop wholesalers that, if you bring your builder along–or a letter from a builder you know–you can get all of that custom craftsmanship done at a wholesale price. Lesson learned, won’t make that mistake again when we build our new kitchen this spring.
  4. Ask how much your elbow grease can save on the job. Once we decided on a builder for our renovation, we were upfront with him on what our budget was. And we also said that we were willing to roll up our sleeves and get dirty during the renovations if it would help to save us money. I’m glad we said this because this is what we found out: if we had the builder get our interior to just taping and spackling–and left the detail work to us–he could chop off a massive amount of our renovation bill. True, this will mean that when the renovation is done, our work has just started. But in order to save five figures on my project? I’m willing to make that sacrifice.

Let me know if you have additional ideas to share on how you’ve saved on renovations, too.

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Lost Mitten Replacements

January 29, 2009
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Even though we got a ton of snow and ice yesterday, I decided to take the dog out for a good walk this morning. It had been too long since he’d had a long walk.

So I bundled up and was getting ready to head out the door when I realized something: I had only one of my green gloves. Then I looked for my black gloves to wear instead–and found only one.

With my snow boots already on, I trudged up the stairs to the dresser in the hallway where we store all of our winter accessories. I found three left-handed Thinsulate mittens in one drawer and a right-handed maroon LL Bean mitten in another. Eventually, I found my candy cane-striped mittens (both of them–yeah!) and the hat that matches with the silly pom-pom on top. I put them on and took the dog out for a walk.(By the way, on really cold days it’s better to wear mittens than gloves, because your fingers all together keep your hands warmer.)

When I got back I found it somewhat fortuitious that I got this email from Lands’ End about the “lost mitten club.” Like socks that lose their mate in the dryer, it seems that lots of people find themselves like I did this morning–with one mitten only. And unless you’re Captain Hook, you really do need two mittens or gloves if you’re heading out in the cold.

So here’s the cool part about this offer from Lands’ End: if you’ve purchased a pair of gloves or mittens from Lands’ End and can find one part of the pair only, Land’s End will sell you the missing mitten or glove for half off the pair’s price. It’s a good deal–not a great deal, though. I think giving you a whole new set for half the price would have been better since you’re down a mitten already and have laid out the cash. But at least Lands’ End is offering to ship the replacement mitten or glove for free.

FYI, my favorite green gloves, of which I could only find one this morning, are from Lands’ End. But if I were going to order a replacement glove, I’d probably go ahead and spring for a whole new set. Because wouldn’t you know it? The day the replacment single glove showed up, I’d somehow manage to find the previously missing glove. And then I’d be left with three gloves.

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Free eBooks for Your Reading Pleasure

January 29, 2009
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picture-8It seems that in honor of Harlequin’s 60th anniversary (or birthday), the company is giving away free ebooks for readers to download. I just read about this on the blog Book a Week with Jen. Check out www.harlequincelebrates.com for details.

By the way, if you are stuck for something good to read, I would recommend checking in with this blog. (It’s the same person who writes Down the Shore with Jen, another very smart blog on all things about the South Jersey Shore.) Another great website for getting book recommendations–GoodReads. I’ll usually check this site before heading out to the library to pick up my latest book.

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Be Careful Where You Shop on Credit

January 28, 2009
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When money gets tight, how does it affect people who are trying to live and spend frugally? I believe that consumers behave in one of two ways when they feel their budget getting pinched: either they start using cash for all of their purchases or, if they’re like my husband and me, they start using their credit cards more.

I know that may seem contradictory for our family to use credit more often, but it works for us. Why? We pay off our credit card bills every month, and we download our credit card statement into Quicken so we can track spending. When we pay in cash, we’re not very good about noting what we spent where. But when we’re toting MasterCard or VISA, we can download our spending habits in one fell swoop, and we like that.

I’ve been hearing tons of stories about how certain charge-card companies are reducing customer’s credit lines or cutting them off all together–simply because the bank doesn’t like where these customers are shopping.

Yes, you read that right. This has nothing to do with customers not paying their bills on time. But it has everything to do with customers shopping in stores where other people who have been delinquent about paying their credit card bills also happen to shop. Basically, this is shopper profiling.

So if you’re trying to stretch your dollar further and have begun shopping in discount stores you might not otherwise have visited before–like a dollar store or even Wal-Mart–you might think twice about using plastic to pay for your purchase.

According to this “Good Morning America” segment on financial profiling, some credit card companies are cutting off customers based on where they shop or, even worse, based on the zip code where they live.

FYI, the guy profiled in the GMA story above set up a new website called NewCreditRules.com to help other, unaware consumers stay abreast of the latest news on credit card companies changing the rules of the game.

The only way I’ve been affected so far is a letter I got last week from the bank that issued my MasterCard, letting me know that they were raising the rate on my Mastercard “due to the current economic climate.” I pay my bills in full each month, so their raising my rate from prime + 11.99% to prime + 15.99% and it won’t affect me that much.

But here was the kicker: the letter said that if I wanted to protest this rate increase, I had 21 days to write to the bank and let them know. Would I then have the opportunity to actually fight for my right to keep the lower interest rate? Nope. Should I protest the new rate, they would close my account immediately. That doesn’t sound very fair at all, does it?

Have you found the rules changing with your credit card companies?

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Generation Green Video – CBSNews.com

January 27, 2009
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picture-5 [vodpod id=ExternalVideo.775940&w=425&h=350&fv=link%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww%252Ecbsnews%252Ecom%252Fvideo%252Fwatch%252F%253Fid%253D4758517n%26partner%3Dnews%26vert%3DNews%26autoPlayVid%3Dfalse%26releaseURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Frelease.theplatform.com%2Fcontent.select%3Fpid%3DM8NzqyI_jexDC55P2Bz9CFiNNIaWkqXh%26name%3DcbsPlayer%26allowScriptAccess%3Dalways%26wmode%3D%22transparent%22%26embedded%3Dy%26scale%3Dnoscale%26rv%3Dn%26salign%3Dtl]

more about “Generation Green Video – CBSNews.com“, posted with vodpod

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Set Your Tivo–Leah on TV

January 27, 2009
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I just got word that I’ll be in a segment on green living tonight (1/27/09) on The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. I taped this segment with my daughters back in November.

The post above includes a link to the video.

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A Green Super Bowl Party?

January 27, 2009
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Are you having friends over on Sunday to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Arizona Cardinals in Tampa? If so, you might want to consider these Earth 911 tips on how to have a green super bowl party. A lot of these tips would qualify as frugal as well, such as not ordering in food or overdoing it with your favorite spirits.

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Why Regular "Checkups" Save You Money

January 27, 2009
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My husband and I learned an expensive lesson last week. We woke up one morning to something that smelled like car exhaust pumping through our house. Once we investigated the odor, we realized it was coming from the oil boiler, which my husband immediately turned off.

Turns out we’d forgotten to schedule our annual boiler cleaner in 2008 and now we were paying the price. Not only did we not have any heat on one of the coldest days of the year (we have baseboard heaters, with water the oil boiler heats), but we had to pay an emergency fee to get a technician out to our house to fix the problem so we wouldn’t freeze that night. Actually, we ended up paying twice.

First we called our home warranty plan (for which we pay $600 a year) with American Home Shield because HVAC systems are covered on our plan, and paid our standard $55 for the service call. But the guy they sent couldn’t fix our problem. So then I had to call our oil company who sent someone right out who cleaned the oil boiler, replaced the nozzle and only charged us $116.

All is well with our oil boiler now, but it reminded me that there are certain things in life where paying for regular checkups can really save you money in the long run. These things include health-related screenings as well as regular maintenance on items you use daily.

Here’s a partial list of what you should be checking up on regularly:

(Remember: I’m not a doctor and I don’t play one on TV so this is just my generic advice to get your own mind turning on what you need to do. You are responsible for your own health and well-being, and the care and feeding of your personal belongings. You should discuss any questions with professionals you trust and not just rely on advice from a blog as being your be-all-end-all source of information.)

AUTOMOBILE

* Change your car’s oil every 3,000 to 5,000 miles or about every three months. (Macarena Sansone, owner of Sansone’s Service in Henderson, Nevada, says that people who live and drive in extreme weather climates should lean towards oil changes on the 3,000-mile side.)

* Have the mechanic give your car a once-over every time it’s in for an oil change. For example, when I brought my Ford Freestyle in for its last oil change, the mechanic alerted me to the fact that my car was approaching 60,000 miles and so were my tires. Translation? Prepare to buy new tires sometime in the next three months.

COMPUTER

* Back up data nightly if possible

* Run virus software and check for software updates regularly (I have my computer set to do this weekly)

HEALTH

* Visit your dentist twice a year (more if you have dental problems). I still remember a sign in the dentist’s office I visited when I was a kid: “Ignore your teeth and they’ll go away.”

* Get a complete physical/well check for your child once a year

* Keep your tetanus shot up to date to keep your healthy; you need a tetanus shot every 10 years.

HOUSEHOLD

* Have your heating and cooling system cleaned and evaluated each year.

* The Frugal Yankee recommends vacuuming your heating/cooling registers regularly.

* The Frugal Yankee also says you should vacuum the coils on your refrigerator every six months. (Oops, I’m a bit overdue for this one.)

Do you have other regular maintenance that you perform on yourself or your stuff that you believe saves you money in the long run? If so, what do you do and how has it benefited you financially?

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10 Tips for Thrift Store Shopping

January 26, 2009
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Now that we’ve embraced frugal living, I’ve learned to fall in love with thrift-store shopping. It’s a love that I’m passing along to my own daughters, ages 11 and 13, as I wrote about in this back-to-school shopping post. And when I say thrift store, I’m not just talking about a clothing collection in a church basement (though you can find some rare gems there, too). What I’m thinking are consignment shops, resale chains like Plato’s Closet and well-known stores like Goodwill.

Recently, I was reading a piece over at the Simple Mom blog on thrift store shopping tips. This article provided excellent ways to make the most of your thrift store shopping experience, and then many readers posted comments with additional tips of their own.

Using that article as my jumping off point, here are my 10 tips on how you can get the most bang for your buck when shopping at thrift stores.

1. It’s not just about clothes. One of my favorite items to pick up on the cheap at thrift stores are cookie tins. I use them to decorate my kitchen but I’ve also been known to make a batch of cookies, toss them in a tin, and use it as a last-minute hostess or holiday gift. Also, at places like Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore stores, builders donate over-runs on all kinds of construction supplies, like doors, windows and appliances. So if you’re doing a renovation, this could be a cheap place for you get what you would likely find in Home Depot or Lowe’s but for a lot less money. Oh and you’re supporting a good cause, too. Finally, resale stores like Play It Again Sports are great if you’ve got kids who play sports and regularly need new equipment. The last big purchase we made at a Play It Again Sports was actually something for us grown-ups–cross-country skis.

2. But brands do matter. Recently, my husband picked up two brand-new Kohler sinks that we can use when we finish renovating our daughters’ bathroom upstairs. While the sinks were dirt cheap at Restore, we know they’re going to be rock solid because of the brand name. Similarly, when my daughters shop at thrift stores, they look for brands they know. Adults are known to this, too. This way they’re getting clothing brands they’ve likely worn before so they can trust the fit and craftsmanship. And the fact that they’re a lot less expensive than in the name-brand stores doesn’t hurt either.

3. Shopping thrift doesn’t always mean used. Take my aforementioned Kohler sinks. They are brand-new, still in the box. Last summer my daughter found a brand new Aeropostale skort on sale for $5 at Goodwill. The skort still had the tags on them. A few years ago, I picked up a sherbet green wool pea coat from the Gap but at a church thrift store. It, too, still had the tags on and still had that new-clothing smell. Instead of spending $50, which is what it had retailed for a the Gap, I got it for $.50 (I’m not kidding). And, like I said, it was brand new.

4. Even thrift stores have sales. I’ve learned that on each day of the week, Goodwill puts certain items on sale. You’ll know what those items are based on the color of the plastic tag on the garment. So one day it could be everything with an orange plastic tag is 20% off whereas the next day items with a blue plastic tag are 20% off. Saving extra money on already affordable items is a definite in my book.

5. You can find outlet stores for thrift stores. Everyone knows that you can often snag great deals at outlet stores for name-brand retailers, such as I wrote about in this outlet store-shopping post. But what I’ve just discovered is that the Goodwills of the world have thrift store outlets. One commenter on the Simple Mom post mentioned above says that at her local Goodwill outlet store, you can buy items by the pound instead of per article. If you’re a seamstress or knitter looking for fabric or sweaters that you can use in your crafts, this would seem to be the best deal out there!

6. Damaged goods can lead to discounts. If I’m shopping in a regular store and I find something wrong with a garment–and there aren’t any other garments like it left to choose–I have no problem bringing that garment to the register, pointing out the damage and then asking “So what can you do for me?” Usually, I can get 10% or 20% knocked off the price of an item. Turns out that you can use the same techniques at thrift stores, too. True, you’re probably already getting something for a good price. But it doesn’t hurt to point out if a button is missing or there’s lipstick on a shirt–if you know that you can replace the button or clean off the lipstick no problem when you get home–and see if you can’t get a little more money off of your purchase.

7. Thrift store shopping can help you think outside the box for special events. As I wrote in this post on frugal wedding planning tips, a bride on a budget could have a field day shopping for her wedding at a thrift store. On any given day she might find a wedding gown, bridesmaid dresses, items to use as centerpieces, even linens, flatware and dishes (albeit mismatched) that she can use at her reception so she doesn’t have to rent them.

8. Dress the part for thrift shopping. The one downside of thrift stores is that they don’t always have generous dressing rooms–if any dressing rooms at all. That’s why whenever I decide to go shopping for clothes at a thrift store, I make sure I wear fitted clothing that will allow me to try other things on over it. Granted, in the winter this isn’t always easy on the bottom half–like shorts in summer are–but even just stripping down to a long-sleeved crew neck shirt should make it easy for you to try things on while still standing in the aisles. (I learned this trick when I used to shop at New York City sample sales.)

9. Know the real price of things before buying. It’s easy to get tricked into thinking that you’re always getting a great deal at a thrift store. It’s like stores that are going out of business and start having liquidation sales. You think that you’re going to find great prices on every item in the store. But as frustrated shoppers at Circuit City are discovering, liquidation doesn’t always equal super cheap. The same can happen at thrift stores as I found out after Christmas when I went shopping for cookie tins. I found a bunch that were a buck or two apiece, which seemed like a total score. Then I headed over to Target to see their after-Christmas sales and found tins for about $.50 each. I would have spent more in gas returning the items to the thrift store, if that was even an option, so I just lived with my mistake.

10. Speaking of returns don’t expect great return policies at thrift stores. One of the ways that thrift stores keep prices low and make money for the good causes they support is keeping their overhead low. And they do that by not having elaborate return policies. Most sales are final sales, which means you really need to think hard about buying something if you know you can’t return it. It’s kind of like going to a garage sale. You have to ask yourself will you have buyer’s remorse the minute you get in the car? If so, then don’t get whatever it is you’re holding. Also, don’t take too long actually holding on to an item and agonizing over its purchase: a recent study showed that consumers were more likely to pay more for a worthless item they didn’t actually want or need when they held it in their hands longer.

Have you come up with other strategies and tips for thrift store shopping? If so, let us know what they are.

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Moving Without the Boxes

January 25, 2009
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moving-box-rentalsBack in December I wrote about a way that U-Haul was tying into Boxing Day with its “take a box/leave a box” program. The idea was to let people recycle moving boxes and keep them out of the waste stream.

I’ve also written about how I’d given away my own moving boxes on Freecycle. I liked the idea of someone else being able to use the boxes and my not having to throw them out. (I can only hope that the people who took my boxes then passed them along to someone else.)

Now I’ve discovered that there is a burgeoning business out there of rentable plastic bins that people can use when moving. These flip-top bins, made from recycled plastic, are the kind you might see supermarkets using if you’ve ever had your groceries delivered to your home.

The idea behind the bins is to take the place of cardboard boxes. Plus, the bins are resuable many times over, which gives a moving company that rents them a “green” edge. The rental prices for bins are comparable to purchase prices for moving boxes so even those moving on a budget could consider using them.

Do you know anyone that has rented bins to move rather than getting boxes?

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Encouraging Retailers to Give a Bag Credit

January 22, 2009
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I’m working on reaching out to national retailers to find out why they do or do not offer a credit when a customer brings a reusable bag. As soon as I’ve got more information on that, I’ll write a new post and hopefully come up with a comprehensive list of stores that do rewards shoppers who bring their own bags.

In the meantime I found this form letter on Reusablebags.com you can use to send to your favorite retailer to encourage them to give customers a bag credit.

According to this post, Costco gives a bag credit, something I did not know.

So, let me get this straight–at Costco you can pack your groceries in their boxes for free but if you bring bags, you save money? Wish BJs did that! (That’s where I’m a member.)

Stay tuned.

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Suddenly Frugal Seal of Approval: Microfiber Cloths

January 22, 2009
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Recently, I sent my husband out to get some cleaning products for the house, and he came home with something unexpected–microfiber cloths. While we have quite a stash of rags from old t-shirts, sheets and cloth napkins, my husband thought it would be wise for us to invest in microfiber cloths, even though the rags we already own are free. After using these microfiber cloths for quite sometime, though, I have to say that my husband is a frugal genius.

One of the great things about microfiber cloths is that they can be washed and used repeatedly. Here are some uses we’ve discovered for them:

* Clean Mac/Apple electonics screens. When I had to take my MacBook in for a checkup last week, I asked the Mac Genius I was working with about the best way to clean my laptop’s screen. She told me no Windex or alcohol, but water and a microfiber cloth would do the trick. (She also suggested the iKlear spray but they were sold out.) While the microfiber cloths do a better job than my recycled paper towels (that is paper towels made from 100% post-consumer content paper), I can still see some of the fingerprints on the screen. But it’s way better than it was. I understand that you can use these microfiber cloths on other smooth-screen Apple electronics. (I wish the MacBooks still had the matte finish screen–those never showed fingerprints.) I’ll probably try the microfiber cloths on our flat-screen TVs, too.

* Replace Swiffer-like dusting cloths. When I was selling my house and had to keep my home “show ready” 24/7, my Swiffer Sweeper dry-dusting mop was my best friend. It was a great way to do a quick touch-up on my floors without hauling out my vacuum cleaner or getting down and dirty with the broom. But as you know Swiffer cloths are disposable, which means that you have to pay to replace them. If you’re like me and trying to not only cut down on costs but also to cut down on your trash, then you should consider trying microfiber cloths with your Swiffer mop. (I use a pencil’s point to push the cloth in to the mop’s head.) This is a tip I picked up from the author of Clean Your Home Healthy. You can also read an “ode to microfiber cloths” in this Mother Load blog posting.

Here’s an entire blog devoted to microfiber cloths. Granted, it’s linked to a company that sells these cloths, but it does have some clever ideas on it.

Given the resourcefulness of microfiber cloths, I’m giving them this week’s Suddenly Frugal Seal of Approval.

If you’ve discovered additional uses for microfiber cloths, please let me know by posting a comment.

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Stores That Reward You For Bringing Your Own Bags

January 21, 2009
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When I go food shopping these days, bringing my own bags has turned into a kind of game. Based on how long my shopping list is, I try to judge how many reusable bags I need to bring. The idea is to avoid using any paper or plastic bags from the supermarket.

I must be getting really good at this “game” because I always seem to have just enough bags or come home with some of the bags still empty. What would make this “game” even more worth my while was if my grocery store, Giant, would reward me for using my own bags. SuperFresh around the corner gives me $.05 for each bag I bring in, but SuperFresh is way more expensive to shop at, as is Shop Rite, which offers $.03 for reusing a Shop Rite bag and $.05 for bringing your own reusable bag.

If you’re wondering what stores will reward you (financially) for bringing your own bags with you when you go grocery shopping, this Frugal Hacks blog posting asks readers to list the stores that give a discount for bringing your own bags. Some of the stores that readers have listed that do reward you include:

  • Whole Foods
  • Kroger
  • Trader Joes
  • Albertson’s
  • Safeway

Someone mentioned getting a bag credit at Target. Has anyone tried that out? Do you have other stores to add to this list?

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Buy Less Stuff Revisited

January 21, 2009
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When you’ve got three women in a family with thick hair, you’re doing to go through a lot of hair conditioner. Which is why I’m not surprised that I finally had to go out and buy conditioner at the store today.

You’ll recall from my late December post called “Buy Less Stuff” that I’d spent an afternoon (with my mom, actually) organizing all of the toiletries that we’d be stockpiling under our sink. I wanted to store them all together in easy-to-reach containers so that I had a real sense of my inventory and I wouldn’t end up buying more shampoo, conditioner, lotion or soap simply because I couldn’t “see” what I had. By the end of our organizing, we had containers each filled with shampoos, lotion, hair conditioner and soap–much of it little bottles we’d accumulating over time from staying in hotels on business trips.

While our shampoo and soap containers are still going strong, we’ve just finished up all of the conditioner. I was to the point where I was filling each bottle of barely-anything-in-it conditioner with water, shaking it up and dumping it over my head, just to get some conditioner on my hair. When the water was coming out clear, I knew it was time to bite the bullet and buy conditioner. We’d lasted almost a month using up our supplies. I guess that’s good.

I purchased a gargantuan bottle of conditioner when I went grocery shopping today. We’ll see how long it lasts.

P.S. If you’re not interested in stockpiling those little bottles of toiletries, you can always donate them to your local shelter.

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Suddenly Frugal on MommaSaid.net

January 20, 2009
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I contribute to this cool website called MommaSaid.net.

If you haven’t gotten enough of my money-saving heating tips, you can read them again on this site.

Check out the rest of the site while you’re there.

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Cool New Obama Hope-Like Picture

January 20, 2009
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Don’t know if you’re off watching the inauguration–I’m about to be–but thought I’d share with you this website I discovered. It lets you upload a picture of yourself and create an Obama Hope-like picture from the campaign, in the styling of artist Shepard Fairey. I got one of his “hope” t-shirts from Urban Outfitters.

Here’s how my corporate headshot turned out when I uploaded it to “Obamicon.Me:.

I changed my Facebook profile picture to this one in honor of 1/20/09. Let me know what you think.

words

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Free Trident Gum for Everyone Today!

January 20, 2009
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tGrowing up the only gum I was allowed to chew was Trident–mostly because it was sugar free. (Psst, Mom, sometimes I snuck out and got sugar-filled Bazooka!) I was the most popular girl in my 6th grade class because I brought in packs of Trident gum to give to my classmates every day. Yeah, I know, they were just using me but I’m OK with that.

These days I make sure that my daughters chew sugar-free gum as well, though now that they both have braces, they’re off gum for awhile. Mwah-ha-ah, more gum for me!

Given my love of gum chewing (though not gum cracking–hate that noise), I couldn’t wait to sign up for my free pack of Trident gum, an opportunity I found out about from a press release that just popped into my inbox. Here’s what it said:

On January 20, Trident® gum will celebrate the world’s most famous teeth, referred to by some as “little baby angels,” by giving a pack of gum to any American that uploads their grin to joebidensteeth.com.

“We thought the inauguration would be the perfect time to get behind something we believe in—Joebidensteeth.com, and we couldn’t resist being part of a website that’s all about great teeth, even better great smiles.  Trident has delivered smiles for more than 40 years and is thrilled to work with a partner that’s as passionate about delivering smiles as we are,” said Josette Barenholtz, Trident Marketing Director.

In addition to uploading their smile and registering to get a pack of Trident gum, visitors can view other smiles through an interactive map. The creators of the site will also post inauguration-relevant content chronicling the history of Joe Biden’s enamel.

“We’re excited for the next evolution of the site and to work with Trident to give Americans another reason to smile next week. We believe the health of your teeth reflects the level of your patriotism and in our opinion, Americans are poised to show it,” said John Ostler creator of joebidensteeth.com.  Getting gum, while supplies last, will be simple.

If you’re interested in getting your free pack of gum, here’s what you need to do:

  1. Visit www.joebidensteeth.com today, January 20th
  2. Upload a picture of yourself
  3. Enter your mailing address
  4. Sit back and wait for your free pack of gum to arrive in the mail in the next 6-8 weeks

How cool is that?

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5 More Ways to Stay Warm & Lower Heating Bills: Renters' Edition

January 19, 2009
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I got a ton of great feedback to Friday’s post on ways to stay warm this winter but not spend more doing so. I’m glad that so many people found the advice helpful.

At the same time that homeowners found these tips useful, many renters wanted to know what they could do to stay warm and not pay more for utilities when they don’t have control over the furnace or access to a programmable thermostat. So I touched base with some folks I know who do rent–and who have found ways to stay warm without paying more.

With that in mind, here are five more ways to stay warm and lower your heating bills this winter–the renters’ edition:

1. Put plastic over the windows. I’ve seen tons of consumer pieces on the news about plastic window kits and how they’re supposed to cut down on drafts and whatnot in the winter. Many people I spoke with confirmed that these actually work. 3M makes an “indoor window insulator” kit that I found online at Ace Hardware, but I’ll bet you can get them at Target or Home Depot, too. I’ve been tempted in the past to try these on windows in rentals but in one instance my lease specifically prohibited me from attaching anything to the windows like this, and in another situation, I felt it was a fire hazard not being able to open my windows because the kit was attached.

2. Plug up air leaks around doors. Some people I spoke to use “draft dodgers” against the base of doors leading to the outside. These are usually long, fabric “snakes” that you can push up against the base of the door to keep drafts out. (I got a pine needle-filled one of these from LL Bean a few years ago.) They’re great if leaks are coming in via the bottom of the door only. If they’re coming in from all around, then investing in some weatherstripping can help, too. Just clear it with your landlord before sticking this stuff up.

3. Keep rooms toasty by hanging sheets or curtains, or closing doors. The idea here is to drape a piece of cloth in between rooms so that you can keep the heat in the room you use the most and the cold out. Granted, this may leave your apartment looking like a tenement, but it should get the trick done. You can simply use a tension rod expanded in a doorway to hold the sheet or curtain. Obviously, if you’ve got doors between the rooms, you should close them to keep heat in/cold air out. But the idea is not to let cold air and drafts have free reign throughout your home.

4. Use space heaters. I’m a little leery of space heaters, because I’ve heard about too many fires that space heaters started. So please read this Consumer Products Safety Commission booklet on space heaters before you consider using them as a tool to keep warm and cutting down on your utility bills. Truthfully, if you’re trying to save energy, I’m not sure a plugged-in heater is saving much since it’s using juice, too. It may use less juice than the furnace but it is hardly free. And please do not use kerosene or other kind of liquid fuel space heaters. They are just too risky.

5. Get carpet remnants. Hardwood floors are pretty and all, but in the winter they can be pretty chilly. If you can put down any kind of carpet, that will warm your room right up–or at least your feet since they won’t be on the bare floor anymore. Lots of carpeting stores sell remnant pieces for not a lot of money so check that out as an option.

Do you have additional suggestions for ways that renters can stay warm and keep their utility bills in check?

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7 Ways to Stay Warm and Cool Your Heating Bills

January 16, 2009
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freezing-thermometerWe got the shock of our life the other day when the heating oil bill arrived. No, the price hadn’t skyrocketed to a point that we were feeling faint. Instead, we had a $600 credit because oil prices had dropped so much.

You see our oil company has a monthly payment plan that, last year, barely covered our oil bills. By the end of the heating season, we still owed $1,000. This year, though, it’s like opposite day with our already having money left over in our account, and in we’re in January only.

I guess this change shouldn’t surprise me since I filled up my car for $1.85 a gallon earlier this week. And just yesterday we got a new oil delivery. The price per gallon was $2.49. This time last year, it was more than double that.

Even though we’re paying less to keep our home warm this winter, I’m not giving up on our money-saving ways that continue to keep our energy bills low. You shouldn’t either.

With that in mind, here are 7 ways you can stay warm inside this winter and keep your heating bills on the cool side:

1. Turn down the heat. OK, so this is an obvious one, but how many of you actually do this? And what temperature do you turn it down to? Did you know that for every degree you lower (or raise in the summer) your thermostat, you save anywhere from five to 10 percent on your heating (or cooling) bills? You’re not gonna freeze in a home kept at 68 degrees.

2. Get thee a digital thermostat. In my old house we had one of those thermostats with the wand that you pushed from left to right or right to left to raise or lower the heat. When I nudged the heat close to 70 degrees, I could have actually pushed the heat to 72 degrees or I might not have even reach 70 degrees and then wondered why I was still chilly. I was guesstimating what I’d pushed the heat to because there were no real numbers telling me the degree. Therefore, I never had a true sense of how much energy I might be wasting from unnecessary heating. With a digital thermostat the numbers are right there in black and white–or silver and black as the case may be.

3. Make your digital thermostat a programmable one. Here’s what a programmable thermostat can do for you. You can program it so that when everyone leaves for work and school, the heat goes down to, say, 65 degrees. No one is home so why keep heating your house? Then, about 30 minutes before everyone comes home, you can program the thermostat to get your heat back up to 68 or 70 or whatever temperature you define as toasty. You can do similar programming for when you go to sleep at night. Again, if everyone is snuggly warm in their beds, why have the heat up?

4. Keep your heating system clean. If your boiler should be serviced every year, get it done so that you know that your system is running at 100%. If you have forced air and use filters, change them on the recommended schedule. In my old house the filters said they could last for three months, but I found that the airflow output decreased significantly after one month, because of all the gunk that the filter had trapped. Therefore, I changed our filters (usually the Filtrete kind from 3M) monthly.

5. Find ways to stay warm that don’t involve turning up the heat. Now, get your mind out of the gutter–this is a G-rated blog. No, what I’m talking about are things like dressing for the weather, which is just as important when you’re indoors as when you’re out. So today, for example, it’s in the single digits outside. I’m not walking around in a t-shirt and shorts. I’ve got on an undershirt, long-sleeved crew neck shirt and a cashmere sweater. I’m wearing corduroy pants, and socks and shoes–in the house. Additionally, I warmed up this morning with hot coffee, and I’m having hot cocoa now. Later, if I’m cold and want to watch TV, I’ll watch TV while walking on the treadmill. (We have wireless headphones so I don’t have to blast the volume.) Walking for an hour while watching “The Biggest Loser” or another show I have on Tivo keeps me warm and fit. And if after that I’m still cold, I’ll grab one of the dozen or so blankets I have folded up in the living room that we can throw around our shoulders when we’re sitting around and happen to feel chilly.

6. Want to lower your bills? Lower your hot water temperature. Turn the temperature on your hot water heater to 120 degrees, the temperature at which the Consumer Products Safety Commission says that most people won’t be scalded by the water–great if you’ve got little kids in the house who might turn on the hot water by themselves by accident. But it’s still  hot enough for an enjoyable shower. Speaking of showers you can save on your hot water energy by taking shorter showers at cooler temperatures, and washing your laundry in cold water only. Ethan Ewing, president of free online consumer portal Bills.com says that most people can save up to 10 percent just from changing how they heat their water.

7. Insulate your home where necessary. If your hot water heater is situated in a cool area of the home and seems to be radiating heat, you may want to wrap it in insulation. This will prevent it from losing the temperature of the water and having to turn on and heat the water more–all of which uses more energy. Additionally, see if your attic could use some more insulation. According to Energy Star, a good rule of thumb is this: if you can see the floor joists in your attic, then you don’t have enough insulation. You’ll want to add another layer.

What are some of the other ways you’ve found you can keep warm without spending more on your heating bills?

P.S. For a giggle, check out “thermostat” cat on I Can Has Cheezburger.

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National Clean Off Your Desk Day

January 15, 2009
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messydeskI totally missed National Clean Off Your Desk Day this past Monday, a holiday I didn’t know existed until today. Then again, I didn’t know that National Regifting Day existed until last month either. Anyway, I was doing some research for future blog postings, and came to discover that the second Monday is January is this desk-cleaning holiday. As one who is constantly battling clutter on her desktop, I try to make every day clean-off-my-desk day, but that doesn’t always happen. (Don’t worry, that’s not me in the picture above. I’m not that bad.)

However, when my MacBook got sick last week, I needed to find space on my desk to set up a temporary desktop computer with a monitor. And that meant that I needed to clean off a good portion of my desk. In order to keep my desk neat and tidy (which I’ve managed to do for the past week), I needed to have some tools available that would prevent the clutter from accumulating in the first place.

For starters I needed a recycling bin. Crazy as it sounds I haven’t had a recycling bin in my office for at least a year. That’s because about a year ago I started bringing my own bags with me when I grocery shopped, meaning I no longer brought home brown paper bags from the store. And those brown paper bags were my go-to recycling bin.

Brown paper bags were so easy to use for collecting paper recycling. I just kept one under my desk and dropped paper into it as necessary. Then when a brown bag got full, I’d walk it outside to the recycling bin we keep outdoors, then come back in, grab another brown paper bag and start the process all over again.

I’d been putting off recycling mounds and mounds of paper on my desk, because–duh–I had no place to put the paper. Sure, I could have walked it outside like I did with those full brown paper bags, but that just didn’t happen. So an easy fix to the recyclable clutter on my desktop was to find a makeshift recycling bin I could use. I grabbed a milk carton from the basement, slid it in under my desk next to the trash can, and within about an hour, nearly all of the paper on my desk that could be recycled was recycled.

The other tool I needed near my desk to help clear it off was my shredder. Since I tended to open the mail while sitting at my desk, I would always put aside credit-card offers or any other papers that could potentially contribute to identity theft, with the notion that I should shred them. Well, instead of waiting for that one day when I would feel inspired to go on a shredding binge–and in the meantime watched my “to be shredded” pile grow taller and taller, I placed a shredder under my desk near the recycling bin. Then, I started shredding like a skateboarder looking to do some damage on the pavement.

Once I had those two tools in place, it was easy to keep a lot of the clutter off my desk. As soon as I opened the mail, I shredded anything sensitive and recycled whatever couldn’t be reused. Here are additional ways to keep clutter off your desk from Ask An Organizer.

Which brings me to another point when it comes to cleaning off your desk. As you go through stuff, it’s great to be able to recycle items, but it’s even better to keep them out of the waste stream–and save yourself some bucks from having to buy new–by reusing whatever you can.

So when I came across manila envelopes that the school had used to send home communications, I stacked them in my filing cabinet drawer where I keep office supplies, with the idea I would reuse them the next time I needed to mail something. (Of course, I would cover up the original return address, postage and whatnot. Hey, that’s what peel-off blank mailing labels are for.)

I’m already pretty good at taking paper that I’ve used to print something out on, turning it over and putting it back in the printer so I can reuse the other side. But these days I’ll do the same with printed material that comes home from school or handouts I might get at an event. If it’s got a clean side of paper, into the printer it goes.

Here are some additional tips on how to reduce, reuse and recycle paper from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. These tips are designed for National Clean Off Your Desk Day but they’re really applicable for any day of the year.

How do you keep your desktop neat and tidy and/or reduce, reuse and recycle when cleaning off your desk?

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