May 12, 2008 | Everyday Wisdom

So, we replaced our grill. The new one is just a wee big larger, and by that I mean that we could prepare an entire cow on it at once, which is great, because you just never know when you’re going to need 36 burgers ready simultaneously.

Here’s the interesting part—right now Lowe’s is running a Spring Savings Event through May 18th, 2008, wherein registered users earn gift cards back based upon the money spent there. You can earn $50 in Lowe’s gift cards for every $500 spent, so it’s no chump change if you’re already spending, is my point. Anyway, I knew about the promotion because I read about it online, but my local store isn’t promoting it for some reason.

It turns out that you can get a card number (needed for online registration) over the phone. And you can register your purchases retroactively. So if you’ve spent some big money at Lowe’s since March 10th, 2008, I encourage you to check out the site and then—if your local store doesn’t appear to be promoting this—start calling around. I was able to get a number from a store a couple of towns over. Then we registered for the Spring Event and now we have $50 coming our way.

Which I’m sure my husband will spend on exciting things like downspouts and pine straw. Woo!

May 6, 2008 | Everyday Wisdom, Groceries, Mindful Money

I have a confession to make.

Prior to the current financial situation in this country (you know, the whole “we’re not saying the ‘r-word’ therefore it’s not actually that thing that rhymes with concession!”), even as frugal as I generally am, I struggled to avoid falling into one of two extremely un-thrifty habits.

It seemed like I had two modes of operation: Either I went to the grocery store nearly every day, or—if I managed to keep my shopping to just once a week—I was constantly throwing away food that had gone bad before I had a chance to use it up.

Here’s another confession: I’m still struggling to figure out how to avoid doing this, and I do mean struggling. (more…)

March 20, 2008 | Everyday Wisdom

Some of you may remember that a while ago, I posted a deal on a cast iron cooking set at Amazon which should’ve been the “Cast Iron Cooking for Dummies” book and some accompanying cookware.

Most of you had your orders canceled, but a few did not. Since that time, Amazon has started to ship just the book to some folks who ordered, and I’ve gotten a couple of emails about this.

Let me be perfectly clear, here: I am never going to suggest that you dupe or bully a business. You placed an order for something, it was clearly listed in error, it would be really lovely if Amazon chose to honor the orders anyway, but it’s logical if they have to say “Whoops, our bad. Nevermind.” Right? I am not an advocate for the “wah wah wah give me what I ordered you awful people!” school of Shopping Entitlement. At all.

On the other hand, Amazon’s handling of this particular issue was a little bit sneaky. No one was given the option to review the modified order contents before receiving their books. And that—in a word—stunk. And I’ll hasten to add that it’s atypical of Amazon, too. They should’ve just canceled all of the orders.

Those of you who received books did not receive what you ordered. My suggestion is that you contact Amazon customer service to explain that hey, this is not what you ordered, it is not your fault that they shipped you something else, and so you would like to return it and be refunded. Furthermore, you would like them to pay the shipping, because this was their error, not yours.

Don’t be obnoxious. Don’t demand. Be reasonable, but firm. My experience is that usually that’s the best approach to take, both because you’re retaining your manners and because it usually works.

March 10, 2008 | Everyday Wisdom, Questions Answered, Groceries

The very lovely Courtney writes:

I know you have been posting things relating to good financial decisions, but not necessarily internet deals lately and was wondering if you wouldn’t mind giving your take on wholesale clubs.

I found it interesting that I am both a member of Costco and BJ’s and some of the MAJOR differences between these two particularly. The biggest thing that affects me is baby items (I have a 23 month old and a 6 month old which means two in diapers and one on formula). I was amazed at the limited selection at Costco not to mention their prices!! BJ’s is not only MUCH cheaper on their diapers and wipes, but they have a huge variety to choose from - Luvs, Pampers, Huggies and their own brand where Costco only carries Huggies and their brand (at least the one that I use). Not only does BJ’s carry a variety of brands, but they also carry a variety of sizes - at least in the wipes department. Anyways, I find myself wondering if people realize that they aren’t always getting the best deal at one wholesale club over another or that not all are the same. Another example is that Costco sells my contact lenses for almost $5 a box cheaper than BJ’s.

Not sure if this issue would be worth posting a blog about, but it is just a thought. I know BJ’s is not as nationally known as Costco or Sam’s Club, but I have to say, I have been nothing but pleased with being a member there. Plus, they don’t seem to be nearly as busy AND they accept coupons!

So… what do I think? Are warehouse clubs worth it? Yes. No. Sometimes! (more…)

March 4, 2008 | Everyday Wisdom, Groceries

Every now and then I sit down and think about two of my pet topics simultaneously: Feeding my family, and saving money.

And then my head explodes.

If you’re a fellow penny-pincher, you—like me—need to hear it again and again: Food is not the place to go frugal. It just isn’t. It has taken me a long time to come around to the place where saving money on other things allows me to spend the money on food that I should be spending, without guilt.

But other people always say it so much better than I do: Check out The Cleaner Plate Club for a stark visual on what is happening to the food chain in our country, and then, if you find yourself depressed by that (I did), go read Alanna Kelloggs’ kick-butt post on the right way to save money on groceries. And then? Buy real food.

February 21, 2008 | Everyday Wisdom, Bragging on a deal

[But first: What happened with posting this week? Haven’t things seemed a little… well… thin? Why yes, thanks for noticing and not complaining. Sorry about the last few days being a bit light—it’s been one of those chicken-with-my-head-cut-off kinds of weeks, and I hope to return us to our regular programming next week.]

This past weekend I got a few hours to myself with nothing pressing to attend to, so I went over to TJ Maxx hoping to find a bargain. I started out looking for a purse (which is a story in and of itself, for another time), but by sheer luck came across an amazing dress. It was gorgeous. It was the only one left, and it happened to be my size. Original price (as evidenced by the manufacturer’s price tag): $265. TJ Maxx price: $29.99.

I tried it on, and the security tag was attached in such a way that I couldn’t tell if the dress lay properly. But for $29.99 I was willing to risk it. I bought it, brought it home, and immediately went and tried it on again to see if it fit better now that the tag was out. And… it didn’t.

For a minute I considered keeping it, anyway. What a steal! Maybe it was close enough! But there’s no amount of money (or savings) that make an ill-fitting garment a good deal, so back to the store it goes. Alas.

January 8, 2008 | Everyday Wisdom, Mindful Money

Most Americans live paycheck to paycheck, and when you start talking about saving money they get that deer-in-the-headlights stare going on. “I can’t possibly put any money in the bank,” they say. “I’m barely making ends meet as it is.”

If it’s that difficult to make your ends meet, it’s time to start considering different ends.

How you plan your spending and reduce your expenditures is a whole ‘nother topic, of course, and one that deserves its own post (and may get one, at some point, but not right now). What I want to talk about right now is the money that’s going into your savings account on a regular basis. If you don’t have a regular savings plan, you need one. If you think you can’t afford one, you really need one.

Here’s the thing: Don’t tell me you can’t possible afford to save any money if you have a place to live and any income and a means to get to a computer and read this site. If you’re here, you can afford it. Period. (more…)

December 18, 2007 | Everyday Wisdom, Questions Answered

This is the time of year when most of us like to express appreciation to those folks in our lives who’ve made our lives a little easier. It’s a kind and altruistic motivation that quickly turns into a big ball of stress because it can be really difficult to pick out things that say “thank you” and will be truly appreciated by the recipient and don’t cost too much. This is made all the more complicated by the fact that often we’re giving to people we don’t know that well outside of school/work/daycare.

Do not panic! I promise we can get you through it. In fact, I’ll just be lazy and refer you back to the post I wrote last year on this very topic.

But I also got an email on this topic, so let’s talk about it some more; I know Danielle can’t be the only one who’s struggling with this or a similar issue. (more…)

December 17, 2007 | Hot Hot Hot!, Everyday Wisdom

I get questions about what GPS unit to buy more than I get questions about just about anything else. While I would love to believe this is because I appear to be omniscient, I think it has more to do with the fact that 1) I rave about my GPS constantly, and 2) GPS units have finally come down in price enough that most people can afford them if they want one.

The answer I emailed to someone this morning is really the only answer I have: Read the reviews. I find it difficult to tell someone “You want feature XYZ” when XYZ may be important to me but meaningless to you. And I don’t know about you, but there are lots of things I’m sure I’d love if my GPS did, but I certainly wouldn’t have paid extra for them. A lot of it is personal preference, is my point. Do your research and decide what’s important to you, and then start pricing them out.

That said, the Magellan Maestro 3100 is on sale today at Amazon for $129.99. That’s $20 cheaper than Target’s sale price (plus free shipping) and from the reviews it looks like a solid choice. Is it the latest and greatest? No. Will it get the job done? Probably. Have a look if you’re in the market for one, and take the time to go over the features and read what people have to say. I know we tell our kids not to do things “just because everyone else is doing it,” but checking out the opinion of the masses isn’t always a bad thing.

(When you think about it, the greatest thing that online shopping has given us is not the ability to buy gifts in our jammies, but the ability to tap into so much consumer feedback in such an easy way. Even when I’m not making my actual purchase at Amazon, I always hop over there to read reviews.)

December 13, 2007 | Everyday Wisdom, Questions Answered

Call me sexist if you must, but I think that quite often, men are really difficult to buy presents for. Women tend to be pickier, but the men I know are much quicker to spend money on themselves, leaving the rest of us stumped when a birthday or holiday rolls around.

Heidi knows all about this; she writes:

I’ve been married for 13 years, love my husband, but NEVER know what to buy him. If he wants something he buys it. I usually do the stand by gift like a shirt or slippers. Any suggestions?

It’s the “if he wants something he buys it” bit that gets many of us. There are only two ways around it: Either you have to buy something he wanted but didn’t think was affordable (and that means finding a killer deal), or you have to buy something he didn’t know he wanted. (more…)