Whenever I take advantage of a store instant savings promo- I always have the clerk total my order before handing over coupons.  This allows me to be sure that all the discounts I should get come off.

Once the cashier hits total if the discounts or instant savings didn’t come off we can rectify the situation before my coupons muddle up the totals.  It only takes them a second to hit total and watch the total drop.

This is also helpful with Harris Teeter EVIC (Zvar) coupons= when the order is totaled it allows you to see all the discounts come off.

I am in the redecorating mood- just need some new colors and accents and I want to do it on a budget so look for some ideas to breathe new life into rooms with just a little bit of money!

My kitchen colors are yellow and grey and I couldn’t find hardly any kitchen accents in yellow.

I just happened to be in my Dollar Tree and saw this super cute hand soap dispenser.  I don’t know about you but as much as I love my free dish soap- their dispensers leave something to be desired!  So I picked up the hand soap dispenser and am using it for dish soap!  I LOVE it.

It’s also great because it portions the soap for my kids (2 squirts guys!) and 1/2  a bottle doesn’t disappear for just a few plates!

 

It’s one of the times that it’s inevitable that we will pay more than we should have to- the unplanned grocery store trip.

For some of us they happen often and others it’s a rarity- but they happen.  That Sunday evening when you realize there is nothing that the kids can really take for lunch (cold Beefaroni anyone?), the produce drawer is empty and the milk in the freezer is too frozen for cereal.

No time to print coupons- we have 10 minutes until bed time and we’re going to have to just wing it.

My family tries to limit these types of trips- because they are pricey!  We can easily spend our entire grocery budget on half a cart of stuff without a single good deal in it!

Taking an unexpected (i.e unplanned ) trip can be expensive.

Here are a few tips to avoid overspending & overpaying on these unplanned trips:

If possible, go alone. When offered an apple at home- my kids are fine with red or green.  In fact, they don’t even have a preference but for some reason when shown the different varieties in a store- suddenly only the ones NOT on sale are good enough.  Whenever I have to make these “emergency runs” I do my best to leave them at home (or in the car with Daddy!)

Have a list. It might not be the type of list I recommend with items, prices, coupons, total out of pocket cost- but it will be better than nothing! It will keep you on track to get only what you NEED and not just what looks or smells good!

Add up your cart as you go.  The #1 tip for not overpaying or overspending is to know your total before you get to the register.  It saves so much frustration when you are walking to the car to realize that you were charged for two packages of strawberries but only got one.  Use your cell phone calculator to add as items are put into your basket. You might be less likely to put that pricey package of fancy crackers in the cart if you realize you already have $47 in your cart!

Look up, down, all around.  Manufacturers pay a price for premium shelf space- and that often means that the more expensive ones are right at eye level.  So if you are looking for graham crackers- look up and down and around the ones right in your face.  You might see that the store brand is less expensive or there is a hidden Buy One Get One Free Sale.

Run the numbers: Bigger isn’t always better and small things don’t always come in the most cost effective package.  Check the unit prices of any items you are planning to buy. All the different sizes and prices can get confusing so get a common denominator with the price per ounce or pound or item.

Look for coupons in the store: Look for rebate forms that can help you get a little money back, look for digital coupons ( like Savingstar or Ibotta  or Checkout51 ) and in-store tear pads, hang tags and peelies.  Even if it is only 50¢- that’s savings you were not expecting! Be sure to calculate these savings into the final price when comparing different brands.  Coupons don’t always make the best deal!

Do you have any tips for saving on these unplanned trips?

 

Coupon Math is not the math you learned in school where 1 + 1 = 2.  In terms of coupon deals, an item is “free” when you pay $10 at the register and earn $10 in rewards.  For deals like this I try very hard to say “Free after rewards” but I am sure sometimes in my haste to bring you a deal I will fail & for that I apologize.

Here is an example of a coupon deal I saw posted in a braggers lounge (where couponers post their deals):

Transaction #1: 
Bought Product X
Used a Coupon
Used $5 store rewards from last week
Paid $5 OOP
Got $5 store rewards= FREE

Transaction #2:
Bought Product Y
Used a Coupon
Used $5 Store rewards from previous transaction
Paid $5 OOP
Got $5 Store rewards= FREE

I got BOTH products FREE!

That math just doesn’t add up! 

Cash paid out: $10
Rewards received: $5
Even in coupon math they still “spent” $5 after rewards.

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I’ve been using online tax services to do my own taxes for years.   Even as our taxes have become more complicated I’ve always felt that I can do it myself with these amazing programs that walk me through it step by step.

Then I saw this report on the television today:

In a governmental accountability study- paid tax preparers made MORE mistakes on returns than people who did them on their own. 

In most states, tax preparers are unregulated.  Only Oregon, Maryland, California and New York actually regulate paid tax preparers.   (Paid Tax Preparers are not always CPA, Accountants, etc..there are different classes but most in the kisoks and seasonal locations are not licensed accountants, etc).  

In this GAO study estimated that 60% of taxes prepared by paid services included mistakes.  50% of Self-prepared returns had errors.

55% of American taxpayers paid someone to do their taxes last year.  You can read the entire report here.

If you still haven’t filed your taxes try one of the online services (I personally have used TurboTax for many years but have used TaxAct too.)

Already filed through a paid tax preparer?  These services are free until you file- why not plug in your numbers and see what happens?  You might find a mistake that cost you money.

Charlene sent me a message yesterday.  She went to purchase some 2 liters of Sunkist and use a $1.50/2 coupon that was posted recently.

The cashier told her it was a counterfeit coupon and tore her coupon up!  

I was livid for Charlene.  To me, coupons are cash and for a store employee to destroy my coupon is no different than if they had destroyed my cash!

So I started doing research on this coupon because I know I had printed this coupon myself and I am VERY cautious about where I print coupons from.

I did find a reference to a counterfeit Sunkist coupon.  It is below

That coupon is QUITE different than the $1.50/1 printable coupon that is available to print here.

So while not having been a witness to the events that took place but knowing that the $1.50/2 is NOT a fake coupon I’m going on the assumption that the cashier was incorrect and destroyed a perfectly valid coupon in error.

I wanted to share Charlene’s Story so I could share the steps I would take if a store/cashier was telling me my coupon was fake.

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We have two checking accounts in our household.  One for household expenses like the mortgage, powerbill, etc.  And another my husband uses exclusively for his gas since he expenses it every month (a major part of his job is driving).

Our local Credit Union offered to set it up on a Rainy Day Fund- where at the end of the day all the “change” (i.e. everything to the right of the decimal point) is pulled out of the checking account and put into a savings account.

We started this in November and have nearly $30 saved up!  Now that may not seem like a lot but that’s $30 we wouldn’t have saved up otherwise.  Plus it’s in the bank not attached to his debit card so it’s truly just sitting there earning interest. (Maybe not a lot but pennies add up!)

I’d strongly suggest asking your bank if they have a similar program.  Some roundup every charge and put the extra into a savings account, others like mine, transfer the change each day.  Either way you won’t usually feel those pennies daily but check the account at the end of the month and you should have hundreds (thousands?) of pennies waiting there!

If you are wanting to save more money check out a few of these posts:

Painless Ways to Add to your Savings Account

Our family’s debt diet

Buying Coffee out versus Making it at Home

 

 

Today’s guest post is Michael Ryden of  Leonard Ryden Burr Real Estate.

The local real estate market is definitely improving, with both the number of sales and home values increasing each month. If you’re entertaining the idea of selling your home in 2014, but worried about the expense of doing so, take heart: There are inexpensive ways that you can make your home appealing to buyers.

We’ve all seen the TV shows where the Smith family is having a difficult time selling their home. Then, to the rescue, a professional “stager” pulls up to the house with a truck full of brand new furniture (conveniently donated or loaned by large furniture companies to promote their brand) to make all the rooms look fabulous.

Of course, in real life stagers charge $50-$150 an hour, and furniture must be bought or rented, so this may not be a realistic solution for you. Fortunately, there are some low- and even no-cost tips you can borrow from the pros.

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Many times with super hot deals I buy 10,20, 30 of a product.  One thing that helps get the product into my cart, and then into the car and then the house- is the displays at the store.

When I buy multiple taco seasonings ,for example- I ask the store if I can have the cardboard box they are displayed on the shelf in.   Of course, I only take it if the ones I am buying are the last ones in that container and I aim to never clear a shelf.  But many times there are 2 or more of these on the shelf and often some behind those!

When I stocked up on canned goods during the Food Lion Sale a few weeks ago – I asked the store to bring me ones that were still wrapped in the cardboard boxes.  This way I had the boxes that allowed them to stack nicely.   It also kept them from having to restock the shelf.

I wouldn’t remove items just to take the display or leave items strewn about- but I plan to buy a lot of Powerade next week- so I will be asking them to allow me to buy the ones still wrapped together.  This allows me to transport them easier as well as to store them more orderly!

I’d love to hear your thrifty organizational tips!

Having 4 kids I know that maternity clothes are expensive.  And we wear them for such a short period of time so here are some of my favorite tips to spending less on maternity clothes!

• Look for non-maternity: My favorite outfit during my last pregnancy was a pair of stretchy track pants that were not maternity.  The stretchy material bounced back and I could still wear them after the baby even started taking her first steps! Look for t-shirts that can stretch with your baby bump and spring back once that baby is in your arms. In the summer time Maxi dresses and loose tops can see you through your entire pregnancy and beyond.

 

• Avoid the Hype: Most women will wear maternity clothes for just a few short months.  Spending hundreds of dollars on clothes that you will wear so little isn’t necessary.  Stores like Motherhood Maternity have adorable outfits but do you really want to spend that much?  To me, pregnancy has been attacked by marketers.

They tell you it’s “Maternity Clothing” and make you think you HAVE to buy clothing that is labeled that way to ensure your baby is born healthy.  Not true.  Buy clothes that will fit WITH you.  Some of the maternity clothes I did have were not as comfortable as my elastic waist pants from the non-maternity parts of the store.  You really don’t need any special underwear or pajamas.   Getting inexpensive ones in a size larger usually works well and is a lot less expensive.

• Look for Hand-Me-Downs:  Why not take advantage of a deal because someone else fell into the Hype of Maternity clothes?  Many soon-to-be Mom’s will buy lots and lots of maternity clothes, wear them a few times, and then sell them via Cragislist.  Facebook groups/Marketplace or consignment stores are another treasure trove.  You can often pick them up for as low as $3-$5 a piece !   I’ve passed all my maternity clothes on to my sisters – we now have a maternity clothes box that will go to whomever is expecting the next baby (NOT ME!).  That person will store it when they are done until the next one needs it. Any stained or too old clothes are removed and any new pieces are added once the baby is born.

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