The article shared ways Anthem is working to save you money by helping you stay healthy. Sure, healthier members save Anthem money, but there’s nothing wrong with a little win-win right?!?

I browsed the website was surprised at the free offerings from his insurance provider including free workout plans by Bob Harper from the Biggest Loser, health tips, ways to save on prescriptions, free health assessments, members only discounts on vitamins/eyeglasses/hearing aids/gym memberships/etc., doctor ratings, and lifestyle improvement programs.

I checked into my health insurance provider and they offered tons of freebees as well. Save a little cash and check with your health insurance company. You may very well be paying for something you could get for less!

Healthdeals offers discounts on gym memberships, nutrition bars, beauty products, and more. Today’s deals include: Beautorium, Purefit, Sha ToBu, Fusion Power Band, Funkoos, and Bashful Bump.

I’ve said it before, I’m not a Groupon member and I’m not a Healthdeals member either. But you can browse the offerings without signing up. DON’T BUY STUFF YOU DON’T ALREADY BUY!! But if you need something health related, you may be able to save a little money.

Best of luck!

when they have to pee.

Shoppers feel rushed and spend less time wandering stores, thus, add less to their shopping carts.

Somehow, I just can’t see myself hurriedly downing a couple quarts of water so Target would have a less painful hit on my pocketbook BUT, I know it would work. How? This weekend, I ran a couple errands while my husband watched our sleeping baby at home. I’m nursing the little guy so my window of time away is TINY. I found myself power walking (and admittedly, occasionally RUNNING) through the grocery store, the shoe store, and the library. There wasn’t one item purchased that wasn’t on my list because I simply didn’t have the luxury of time to wander. My husband laughed at my new ability to shop quickly and cheaply.

So, if you aren’t trapped by a nursing infant…

try drinking lots of water.

Apparently I’m WAY out of the loop on the actual cost of a photographer.

Starting price? $600. Top of the range? Prices not listed because if you have to ask… you can’t afford it.

Yes, we have money saved in our baby fund but when it comes down to spending an extra week or two with the baby OR having maternity photos, I choose baby time.

Of course, this made me break down into a giant puddle of tears. There’s nothing worse than a woman who can’t have what she wants… unless it’s a PREGNANT woman who can’t have what she wants.

So. I called for reinforcements.

SNIFFFFFFFFLE. *ring* “Liz? Ican’taffordmaternityphotosbecausewe’rebrokeandI’msosad.Pleasehelpme” I sobbed in a single breath into the phone to my sister.

“Huh?” she said.

I probably should have had my level headed husband call so she could understand at least a few words.

She eventually figured out what I was crying about (…this time…) and offered to take photos for us.

I researched poses and locations while she studied how to adjust the F-stop and ISO on a camera. We spent a couple nights at the beach and the park chasing sunlight and snapping photos. Sure, she isn’t a pro and I’m not a good subject, but you learn to accept you can’t have everything you want while paying off mistakes *cough* I mean, while paying off debt.

I’ll admit. I didn’t expect much. BUT…

I’m so happy with the way the photos turned out. Who knew my sister was a closet photographer?

It’s easy to give up, but don’t. Constantly look for ways to think outside the box. You may be pleasantly surprised.

My mortgage and Costco Wholesale.

I suffered an attack from both yesterday.

My mortgage cleared my account in the morning and even though I’m prepared, even though it’s budgeted, it’s always a little disheartening to feel rich one day and broke the next. It’s like watching a car full of cash leave my checking account each month.

For some reason, I thought yesterday might also be a good time to go to Costco. We ran out of paper towels and we would soon need napkins and toilet paper. This trip SHOULD have cost $45.

I tried to make a straight line down the center of the store, directly to the paper products (conveniently placed in the BACK) but found myself saying, ‘Peaches? OF COURSE I need a huge flat of peaches. Sure, it’s only hubby and me and we’ll have to eat 17 peaches each in the next 5 days, but I CAN’T live without them.’

It’s as if all logical thought and reasoning disappear at those roll-up doors.

I loaded the cart with apples, pre-cooked dinners, dog food, and paper products. My exit cost me…
$191.

I’m tricked into thinking I’m ‘saving money’ by purchasing toilet paper 92 rolls at a time but those rolls are typically accompanied by loads of items I don’t need.

It’s not as if anything I purchased will go to waste, but it will take 10 years for us to use it all. Fortunately, my husband worked a side job a few weekends ago and we had the cash, but that’s $191 that won’t be going into our emergency fund this month.

I think I’m going to have to break up with Costco.

Sigh. It was an awful way to blow a Sunday afternoon.

But, we found a provider we both liked, he got a cell phone that actually works, AND, we’re saving $30 a month. It turns out, we were paying for services he wasn’t using on his old plan and we didn’t register numbers as our top 10 friends and family for free calls. I felt REALLY stupid when the plans were explained and I discovered all the mistakes we had been making.

Rather than simply write a check for your cell phone bill this month, make sure you are on a plan that fits you. You may be flushing $30 a month!

Proud of my savings, I opened my linen closet doors to store my stash and…

discovered there were already 4 sticks of deodorant, 5 tubes of toothpaste, and 2 bottles of store brand mouthwash.

That’s what I get for chastising the TLC Extreme Couponing show. Stupid Karma.

My husband gets slightly annoyed when he discovers that I have 8 bottles of shampoo but can’t seem to stock a decent bottle of aspirin – it’s not my fault they don’t offer aspirin at 90% off and I have no motivation to pay full price for anything. I know some women who hide their shopping discretions from their husbands… sadly, I include myself in that group. But it’s no Coach bag or Hermes sweater stuffed in the back of my closet, it’s 4 bottles of discounted body wash. I cringed when I caught my hoarding, *cough*, ‘savings’ mistake and quickly shoved the deodorant behind some sheets. Regardless of the savings, I’d have to have one heck of a sweaty summer to burn through 9 sticks of deodorant.

I learned my lesson. All coupons are going straight to the trash until I run out of deodorant… which should be sometime in 2015.

When booking out of town travel for work, I get to choose where I stay. We have a generous maximum allowance that most employees use fully – even upgrading room choices for nicer suites.

In my crazy mind, I figure the finance department actually monitors the spending and takes note as to who spends the limit, and who saves the company money. I didn’t want to book a budget busting hotel and chose one a little further away in a less expensive area.

I didn’t say it was a bright idea.

I arrived at the hotel and was pleased to discover it wasn’t too bad. The area was nice and the buildings had been renovated sometime in the last 4 decades – a big plus for me. Remember folks, I stayed in hostels in Europe with mold growing up the walls and dirty sheets. My standards are what some would call… shockingly low. Anyway, I liked the place. I wouldn’t say I felt ‘safe’ but I felt I could adequately survive the night.

At around 7pm, a high pitched scream echoed down the hallway. It was followed by more screaming.

A lot of screaming.

Turns out, the occupants in the next room where the proud parents of a 5 year old who took to screaming whenever she didn’t get her way. That particular screaming fit was because mom and dad wouldn’t let her put the key in the door.

Great. Now, in the event someone decided to murder me, my screaming would be overpowered by a 5 year old.

The screamer eventually gave it a rest and I fell asleep around 11. At 2, the hotel alarms were set off by some kids playing pranks. The alarms blared for more than an hour. The hotel staff was quick to apologize, but their apologies didn’t help me focus in the 8 hour training session the following day.

The rest of the week went pretty much the same way. Alarms, screaming children, car horns blaring. You get it.

Lesson learned.

When traveling for work, save money – but spend enough to keep your sanity.

I felt like I had failed all my picket fence dreams.

Several of my friends are having babies and they share their stories of shopping for furniture at pricey stores and picking out themes. Meanwhile, my ‘theme’ is – buy study wood furniture that matches… sort of. Don’t get me wrong, it will look great and I’ll spend 90% less than my friends, but I couldn’t help but feel a little ashamed that I spend my weekends at garage sales and traipsing through people’s homes asking for deals.

Yesterday morning, the head of HR stopped to chat. He and his wife are expecting their third… and ‘very, very, unexpectedly, accidental’ child. They have to start over on purchasing baby goods and he mentioned the ‘killer deal’ he got on a crib from Craigslist.

I choked on my caffeine-free tea. ‘What?!?’ I gasped, trying to take a breath.

Keep in mind, this guy makes well over 100K a year.

“Yeah, it’s great. Why should I take the hit on retail? Let some other sucker pay it” he said with a huge grin. He saw the shock register on my face, grabbed my arm, and said, “Oh my gosh Rebekah. Please don’t tell me you bought something new right? It’s such a rip off!” he said.

“No. The room is furnished thanks to Craigslist and garage sales” I said.

“Thank goodness! I knew you were smarter than that” and he continued to chat away.

Do you even know what a relief it was to hear that – especially from someone who can afford nice things? I was flying high finally thinking I hadn’t failed, I’d simply been smart about my finances… for once.

All the furniture is paid for with cash. I guess I do have a theme…

Financial Responsibility.

A few nights ago, my brother was trying to clear a drain when my husband wasn’t home and he ended up pushing the clog from his bathroom shower drain over to the connecting pipe with our shower drain. When I went to take a shower, it quickly turned into standing water.

Gross.

My husband came home, mumbled something about plumbing work being left to plumbers, and attempted to fix the problem. Realizing the clog was a tough one, he called a co-worker to borrow a drain snake to clear the lines.

Last night, after what sounded like quite the wrestling match, my husband walked into the kitchen and asked me to grab my camera.

‘Why?’ I asked.

‘I figured you could take a photo of our shower and talk about saving money by doing work yourself’ he said proudly.

‘By taking a photo of the shower drain? I can’t really express a clear shower drain in a photo though’ I responded.

‘No hon. Take a photo of the mess I made!’ he said while smiling, walking me to the bathroom.

I walked through the door and gasped as I looked at the black tar mess with stringy hair that covered our shower, the walls, and the floor.

I looked at my husband, who had a black streak of who knows what across his forehead, and smiled.

I love him. I really do. But he doesn’t have a good understanding of the concept that people have VERY different tolerances of plumbing grossness than he does.

Needless to say, I did not take a photo.

But I promised to share the importance of doing work yourself… or…

do what I did and marry a plumber. It’s easier.

I was ready to shop this year.

But, crazy thing happened on Black Friday…

I had to work.

I think I heard the Hallelujah chorus blaring from my wallet the entire morning.

Oh well. There will always be next year.

Did you shop on Black Friday this year? Or did you have a moment of sanity and skip it?

I drove past Taco Bell last night, my ‘go to’ fast food joint, and thought, “I can’t wait to make spicy enchiladas for dinner tonight!!”

A few minutes later as I sat at a red light, it hit me…

I wasn’t tempted to stop and was actually *gasp* excited to make my own meal.

What is happening to my brain!?!?

Some nice perks of the no dining out policy:

Clothes fit VERY nicely and…
I’m UNDER budget!!

YES!!

This was the first week we had to expose our ‘no dining out’ policy to friends. Hmph.

My husband and I joined my brother and his wife while they searched for a new home. After a few hours of driving neighborhoods and meeting with realtors, we were starved. My brother drove down a fast food laden street and said, ‘Where do you guys want to go to lunch?’

My husband gave me ‘the’ look. The look that said, ‘You came up with the no dining out policy, therefore, you should explain it.’

I flubbed out something Yoda-ish, ‘We can’t…uh… 60 days of no dining out… money…tight…save, trying to …err…uh…home, eat at.’

‘OK Captain Crazy’ he replied, paused, then added, ‘We need to save money too since we’re buying the house. Good idea – well, what I could understand of it.’

We’re getting there. A little bit at a time. Sure folks think I’m nuts but since I’m so close to the debt free finish line…

I could care less.

Annoyed, I muttered, ‘Stupid cheap oil change reminder stickers. These things can’t even stay on the glass for longer than…’

OK, so before I finish this sentence, remember, I don’t drive very much since I started using public transit as a way to save money.

The sticker was…

*gulp*

7 months old.

I was so busy paying attention to the mileage, I missed that my last oil change was in early November and perhaps I should change it.

I’m annoyed that I’ve slacked on my car maintenance (other than the maintenance scheduled for later this month) but pleased at the fact that I average 4,500 miles a year! Before I started using public transit, my mileage exceeded 25,000 – 30,000 each year!

It’s not the most pleasant or convenient way to travel, but the savings is amazing.

I understand that public transit simply won’t work in some areas and a lot of people have to drive. How many miles do you put on a year?

I know, I know, leave it to me to figure out how to pay my bills wrong.

I haven’t been requesting my lender for Auto Loan 2 to place all payments toward principle and not advance the payment! I’m left paying a little more interest than I should be paying.

Even in my non-debt reduction days, I always paid a little more on my car payments. I’d let it get a month or two ahead and consider it my rainy day fund. If I couldn’t afford my car payment one month, who cared? I wouldn’t get penalized for not paying. But now that I’m a YEAR ahead in payments, perhaps it’s time to request all payments from here on out go toward the principle.

If you are pushing forward on those car payments (or mortgage payments, or student loan payments), remember to request a principle reduction.

And thanks to my readers for making the catch!!

I love this economy. Suddenly merchants have to work hard for my dollar.

I’ve started shopping at Target rather than Albertsons or Vons since the produce and meat products are significantly cheaper. And, to make things even better, Target has been regularly mailing coupons for beef, eggs, and produce.

I thought life couldn’t get better… until Target upgraded the shopping carts. As I grabbed the new odd looking cart, it soundlessly maneuvered the aisles. The cart turned on a dime without so much as a squeak in protest. The smile quickly melted when…

WHAM

A mother, who had been quickly breezing the aisles, let go of her cart with her child buckled in the seat and it slammed into mine. She wasn’t paying attention when she let go and naturally assumed the cart would stop when she did – just like all the other crummy carts Target used to have. Sadly it did not, and her cart hit my unmoving cart with such force, I’m quite sure her child suffered whiplash. Her cart bounced off mine and, thanks to the amazing maneuverability of the new carts, went back to exactly the same position it was when she let it go. Rather than apologize for her error, she thought I had hit her cart and screamed ‘WATCH WHERE YOU ARE GOING!’ while grabbing for her wailing child.

So…

Dear Target,

I liked the other noisy, crummy, dirty carts better. At least I didn’t get yelled at in the produce aisle with those things.

Bring them back.

Since we used our grocery money last week to fix some electrical work, I made remarkably cheap dinners this week including… Hamburger Helper with turkey.

Ground turkey meat was on sale for $3.50 and Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff was $1. We stretched 3 meals out of that $4.50. Please do me a favor and… don’t tell my mother I used Hamburger Helper.

As I stirred the turkey and read the box, I laughed over the ‘Clint’s Crop Shop’ website information printed on the back. HamburgerHelper.com allows you to upload your photo with a Clint Bowyer photo. I have no idea who Clint Bowyer is – but my nephew is a huge NASCAR fan.

Sure I’m tired and sure the meal selection wasn’t that great this week but we ate for 75 cents a serving AND… I got a good laugh.

Here’s for you Gage. Auntie Bekah is best friends with Clint Bowyer… and apparently Hamburger Helper gloves.

The VERY NEXT DAY, the electrical went out in our garage. My husband said he was more than willing to prolong repairing it but couldn’t because he thought it was ‘potentially life threatening’ blah, blah, blah.

I offered to avoid the garage area, the open electrical box, and the live wires near the light switch but for some reason, he didn’t trust me to remember not to touch the switch while hungrily running to the garage freezer for a pint of Ben and Jerry’s – plus, there was some mention of a ‘potential fire hazard’.

The cost of the repairs? $150.

The amount of cash in our account? $162.

The amount of food in our fridge? None.

Our grocery budget funded the repairs.

It’s times like these, we are supposed to dive into our emergency fund. Electrical/housing/safety problem definitely qualifies as an EMERGENCY but for some reason, I can’t touch that cash without feeling uneasy.

Instead, I looked around my house for something to sell.

My eyes fell on a lamp, still in the box with a receipt taped to the top, which I purchased 2 weeks ago. The lamp in our living room broke and all we have is a fixture with a bare bulb. I bought a $40 floor lamp from Target to replace it but felt uneasy about spending money so I left it in the box while I debated it.

While I stood in the returns line to get back some cold hard cash for groceries, my sister called. When she asked what I was doing, I told her I was returning a lamp for grocery money.

You know you’ve reached a certain consistent level of crazy when your sister doesn’t hiccup over the above statement and simply says, “Cool. Anyway, are you coming to mom and dad’s today?”

Lesson learned. Next time, I’ll run 1,584 laps in my driveway instead. If I feel like quitting at lap 792, I can simply go inside rather than what I did… which was sit in a 7-11 parking lot and consider asking a stranger for a ride home.

But I dragged my feet a bit and started home. Around mile four, I hit a second wind and ran the remaining two miles. Needless to say, thanks to my curbside pit stop and dragging feet, I didn’t make my goal in less than 70 minutes. Maybe next week.

After my run, I went to get a much needed hair cut. I’ve always been a bit of a thrifty nickel when it comes to my hair. I hardly wash it, and when I do, I use shampoo purchased with coupons. One time I bought atrocious children’s bubble gum scented shampoo because it was on sale – and I wasn’t even working to reduce debt at the time.

Thanks to our debt reduction plan and the accountability of this blog, I tend to get an overwhelming since of guilt when spending money on non-necessity items. This has only exaggerated my aversion to expensive hair care.

It should come to no surprise that I met my current stylist at… Super Cuts. Yup, I am the queen of the $13 hair cut.

Before you tell me that only professional pricey stylists understand hair, maybe you should give cheap haircuts a shot. The stylists are often young, hip, and up with the current styles. Sure, you could run the risk of 10 weeks of bad hair days BUT, if you find a good stylist (and trust me, there are some), you could save hundreds of dollars each year.

How much do I spend on haircuts each year? Including tips… $80.

Try it. You’ll like it…well…maybe.

The Bartering/Jack Hammering post:

The concrete pad was 2’ x 2’ and had three 1 ½” diameter black metal pipes shaped in a triangle poking out. We checked with the city and they had no information on what it could be. After two hours of jack hammering, all we found was more concrete and more piping. A few feet down, the concrete narrowed to an 8” sloppy oval with the pipes still sticking out in a triangle shape. We cut off the tops of the pipes and buried the darn thing again. At least it’s nowhere near the surface and we didn’t find a septic tank, a bomb shelter, or Jimmy Hoffa.

The Wireless Router post:

My brother/roommate grew tired of my “endless” 8 hour search for the best deal and drove straight to Best Buy to purchase a new one. He’s addicted to online gaming for the Xbox system and has the patience of a 5 year old. He got the exact one he wanted – and didn’t ask me for a dime.

The Carpooling Dilemma post:

After the ‘Well, it would be nice if you offered to drive me once in a while’ comment from my co-worker, he simply stopped dropping by the transit stop. He made a few snarky comments like ‘How was the smelly bus this morning?’, which I ignored, and then he gave up completely. He hasn’t made a comment in a few weeks. I enjoy my free public transit and get some peace and quiet now.

I think that covered all the open ended questions. If you think of more, let me know!

Heaven forbid a concrete pad dare to exist two inches under the dirt in our yard.

‘Hey hon, I’d like to rent a jackhammer to take out that pad’ he said over dinner on Sunday. He went on to explain that it would be difficult to always try to remember where it was and it would instantly kill his mechanical gardening tools. All I count think was… we don’t have enough long term disability or life insurance.

‘Sweetheart, it’s not in our budget and it’s not a necessity. Could it wait until next year?’ I asked.

He dejectedly nodded yes as if I had taken his ‘man card’.

If there is one thing I’ve discovered since we made the choice to live without debt, it’s this… you will learn to get creative.

Last evening, my husband showed up with a free borrowed jackhammer. He has become a master at bartering. It seems like each time I say no, he seems to figure out a way to make things happen.

What was your best barter? And has your decision to rid yourself of debt made you barter more?

I’m short and my leg to torso proportion closely resembles a crossbred Welsh corgi and a dachshund. I buy petite short pants… and have them hemmed.

Sure, I could ‘accept my God given shape’, ‘celebrate my uniqueness’, and believe all the other feel good sayings my mother told me OR… I could wear really, really, really tall shoes and live in denial.

Denial is the name of my game.

I never thought tall shoes would save me money until my co-workers started to ask me to accompany them to lunch. With the fantastic food offerings of downtown San Diego, it’s impossible to pass up… unless you can’t walk. It’s easy to say no when walking more than three steps causes me to beg God to take me from this earth and save me from pain.

So, I kick off my shoes, put on my slippers, and toast a sandwich.

Before you insult that lady at work with the ridiculous shoes, remember… she may be saving money… or maybe she’s self-conscious about her tiny legs… or maybe it’s both.

Today at work, I received an e-mail from my husband with a ‘solution’ to our problem.

From: Chris
To: Rebekah
Subject: Dog Food Storage
What do you think of something like this for dog food storage?

Um. I don’t think food containers are even that complicated at the San Diego Zoo. A ‘blast gate’ on the bottom? Was he planning to build a dog food container or a launch pad for NASA?

I showed my co-worker the sketch from my overachieving Mr. Fix it and she laughed… then offered to give me a dog food bin from her dog who passed away 6 months ago. She wasn’t planning on getting a new dog and was throwing the bin away.

In the end, my husband came through, just not in the way we expected. We were able to return cheap bin. Woo Hoo for returns! More grocery money!

Um, this is what it looked like. Please don’t tell my mother.

I didn’t realize this disorganization was costing me money until I decided to spend $20 on little clear boxes from Walmart and organize the closet over the three day weekend.

I found, among many other things, two thermometers (last time I checked, I only need one), 6 boxes of daytime cold medicine (4 expired), 4 boxes of Benadryl (3 expired), 3 bottles of pain reliever (1 expired).

My disorganization has made many pharmaceutical companies very happy. Last time I checked, I need the money far more than they do.

No more. Here’s the closet now.

Please make me feel better. Misery loves company. Tell me you have a messy, wasteful closet too.

Today, tomorrow, and Saturday, Ride Aid is offering all cosmetics for 25% off. This offer is also accompanied by their Risk Free Beauty Guarantee. If you don’t like it, take it back!

They have a few restrictions – no coupons, no restocking, no rain checks.

So if you’re running low on your Maybelline or Cover Girl, don’t wait until Saturday but do me a favor – don’t spend $5 on cosmetics and $57 on Chia pets, valentine’s candy, slankets, and topsy turvys.

Amazon.com has reduced their price by 25% (to 44.99)
Costco has a $10 off coupon until Jan. 24th (to $39.99)

If you find a better deal (on any software), share! I think we could all use a break this year.

Your free credit report can only be obtained through www.annualcreditreport.com

If you are interested in obtaining your credit score, use the www.annualcreditreport.com site as well. Credit scores on this site run about $6 – $9.

If you use the direct website for the credit reporting agency, the cost of your score will be more than twice as much.

For the most part, this isn’t a problem. If we run out of food, we invite ourselves over to dinner at our parents…er.. um… I mean, we visit our parents because we love them and the free food is just an added benefit.

This week presented a new problem…

We ran out of toothpaste and mouthwash.

Determined to stay on our budget, I robbed my luggage of two travel size tubes of toothpaste. We’re running low but we have enough to last until Friday when our new budget begins.

I dug through our closets but failed to find any mouthwash – travel size or otherwise. I went into the kitchen to see if I could find anything there. Soap? Comet? Dishwashing liquid? And then I stumbled upon a bottle of vodka.

“Sweetie?” I called to my husband in the living room “Do you think I could use vodka as a mouthwash? They’re both essentially alcohol right? Either way, the results will be positive. It will work or it won’t and I won’t care that we don’t have mouthwash anymore.”

My husband laughed as if I were making a joke.

I wasn’t.

I put the vodka back in the cabinet and figured that regular brushing and flossing will have to do until tomorrow.

But this morning, I searched my hypothesis and…

http://www.ehow.com/how_4524768_use-vodka-as-antibacterial-agent.html

So if you ever run out of mouthwash, you can make your own – and yes, you use vodka.

And just in case my mother reads this, let me clarify – you don’t actually have to drink the vodka.

I made the mistake of saying I’d rather be sick this weekend than pour concrete. Not only am I miserably sick, they cancelled pouring concrete because it’s raining.

I’ve been in bed since Thursday afternoon and it’s incredibly painful to speak. I can’t even moan in pain because that hurts too.

My husband has been on his knees praying for the last two days. At first I thought he was being sweet but based on his hidden snickers, I don’t think he’s praying for my recovery… I think he’s thanking God for the silence.

As an added bonus to him, I couldn’t go out on Black Friday – the deadliest financial holiday of the year. The store I buy my work clothes from had everything marked at 50% off.

I’m miserable but my husband is happy.

These are the times when I hate the fact that I’m finally living below my means – even though it’s good for me.

But, that didn’t stop us from booking a great place just steps from the Pacific Ocean. The gentle sea breeze and the sounds of the ocean will caress us as we drift off to sleep.

How did we fit this into our budget?

Hello beach camping.

Sure I’ll have sand in my ears and hair for a week straight but… I’ll be soaking up the sunshine, grilling 97 cent chicken while spending $90 for the weeklong campsite.

As San Diegans/Californians, we are fortunate to have beach camping sites within a few hours of home. With very careful planning (6 months in advance through ReserveAmerica.com), a great California vacation can be very inexpensive. Didn’t reserve 6 months in advance? A lot of these campsites have last minute cancelations. Sometimes you can get an unclaimed campsite for the same day.

I know California isn’t the only place with good, inexpensive campsites.

Name your state and share the best cheap vacation spot. America is a BEAUTIFUL place. Let me know what your neighborhood has to offer. I want to know where to go next year!

Looking for a good California beach site? You can’t go wrong with Carlsbad State Beach, San Clemente State Beach, and Doheny State Beach. All three will put you steps from the ocean and run about $35 a night. You can put multiple tents on each site and can split the cost like we did. You can (and need to) book the sites 6 months in advance. Sign on to the Reserve America website at 7:55 am on the 1st day of the month. Example: We booked a site for a week in July on February 1st a 7:55 am. Happy camping!

In short? A lot!

A few benefits of exercising (tip of the iceburg)?
Reduced blood pressure
Reduced feelings of depression and anxiety
Helps to control weight
Helps to build and maintain healthy joints, muscles, and bones
Reduced risk of diabetes

What do these have to do with finances?
Have you had to pay for doctors and medication recently?!? Ouch!! Also, exercise helps you sleep, puts you in a better mood, helps your self confidence, and gives you energy – all very important things in the work world where your paycheck comes from! Plus, people with a BMI of less than 22 get sick less often and miss less work.

I’ve been fortunate to have been physically active and healthy for most of my life. Running a marathon is just another way to push myself and stay active. Sure my sore legged walk makes Frankenstein look like a graceful ballerina but it’s important to encourage you to gain control in your finances AND in your health – they are closely connected.

Tomorrow is Saturday, take a walk with your dog, play with your kids, or ride your bike. Take a break from staring at that checkbook and balancing numbers to get some fresh air.

It’s good for you.

Some free sites to help you out?

www.Mapmyride.com
I use this site to calculate mileage and read elevation changes on my bike rides/runs.

www.Mypyramid.gov
This free site helps to guide you on better eating habits.

I’m warning you… these sites can be ADDICTIVE!!

What is your favorite FREE health related site?

I excitedly went to our local nursery and realized the 15 bucks I budgeted for landscaping each month would allow me to complete my dream backyard sometime in 2037.

Um. Someone forgot to tell me how expensive plants are.

Disappointed, I went to work and lamented to a co-worker about my landscaping situation. She sweetly offered me some cuttings of her plants – several of which were on the list from the landscape architect. While we were talking, another one of my co-workers walked by and joined the conversation. He suggested I contact local garden clubs including water saving cactus clubs. He happened to be moving and offered to bring in several of his plants that matched my list. Let’s just not tell these generous co-workers about my history of plant killing OK?

Inspired, I can home and did some research and thought I’d share it with you.

I found several garden clubs – some of which offer spring plant sales.

Our local college offers a degree program in Ornamental Horticulture. Students grow plants and sell them for less than half of what they retail for at nurseries.

Our local dump (should I be politically correct and call it a ‘Solid Waste Disposal Site’?) offers high quality mulch in several different colors and sizes. If you are willing to load it yourself, you can save a fortune.

And perhaps the most odd place to find plants… our local 99 cent store!

Any ideas I missed? Where do you get your plants?

I don’t have enough pics on here, so I decided to show you how I am resourceful. Prepare yourself – I love using duct tape!!

First of all, the problem that needed to be solved…

We are fortunate to have cherry trees in our yard. We were also fortunate to have been left a decent ladder by those we purchased our house from. With that ladder, we can pick a lot of cherries. The problem lies with the last 1/4 of the tree. We cannot get to those cherries. The birds eat some, but as soon as the cherries get dark purple, they seem to stop by less often and if we don’t pick them they go bad.

The dark ones are the real juicy and sweet ones. It’s hard to see them go to waste. Sure, we could buy a higher ladder or a fancy gadget that could help us pick the high ones. We could even buy a cherry picker truck (which would thrill our son), but there’s no way we should be spending money right now. Money is tight.

What’s left? Making something new from things we already have.

I sat down the other night and started brainstorming ideas of how to make our very own cherry picker. While I won’t be rushing to patent this idea (it definitely has its flaws), it is working as I had hoped and my son cannot quit talking about how neat it is. He wants to use it every chance he can get.

Here it is (you can click on the smaller pics to see the full picture).

Here’s what I used to make it:

• The handle from a Swiffer Sweeper (which can be put back after cherry season)
• Cardboard to make the box
• One rubber band
• Two shoelaces (which also can be put back after cherry season)
• And the best thing of all…duct tape

How does it work?

The rubber band on the back of the cherry picker keeps the lid semi-open. I find a cherry, get it inside the box, then pull the shoelace to close the lid. Pulling on the entire picker causes the cherry to come off the stem and stay in the box. The box is lowered to an anxious hand and a lovely cherry rolls out.

I totally impressed my son, we didn’t spend any money, I stretched my imagination a little and we have more cherries to eat this year. It may not be the prettiest cherry picker, but it works

There is always room for improvement, but for the most part we are frugal people

Here are my top frugal posts of 2006:

Ways I Save Money – Skip the Professional Haircuts – I’m gettting so good at cutting mine that my husband didn’t even need to straighten it for me the last time I cut it

Twelve Frugal Wedding Tips from my Wedding – In all, our wedding cost $2,000 with $1,000 going towards my dress and ring.

The Best Things in Life are on the Side of the Road with a “Free” Sign – Another person’s trash is another person’s treasure. We ended up getting a couch that we definitely could use.

A Few Cheap Ideas to Spruce up the Look of an Old Home – Our home was stuck in the 50s in terms of the decor. We didn’t have much money when we moved in, but we did a few cheap things that made a HUGE difference.

Saving Gas and It’s Good For You Too – We purchased a reel mower and we love it!

Tips for Finding Clearanced Items – I love getting things I need on clearance. Here’s what I’ve learned.

A Frugal Tip for Broken Eyeglasses – My glasses broke, but the replacement didn’t cost much money at all.

Six Money Saving Tips for the Grocery Store – I used to work at a grocery store, so here’s some insider tips on how to save money while shopping.

There are more frugal related posts in my archives, but these are ones that I thought were more helpful. I hope you enjoy!

A few days after Christmas, I go to the local department store. They always have holiday items at half off. I browse what they have left, and take a good look at what’s there. I may purchase a few things that I feel may sell out, like cute teacher ornaments. But for the most part, I’m just scoping out their inventory.

I go back every few days and watch and wait. I know they will be marking the holiday inventory to 75% soon. When they do, I purchase more things. I wait, though, to purchase anything that they have a lot of because it gets better.

A little while later, they mark things to 90% off. BINGO! That’s my cue to start buying like crazy. Sure, these are things that may have been less desired this year, but who knows? They could be in high demand next year

When I get home, I put everything in a box and put it in a safe and dry spot. It sits there till next Christmas.

I spent $40 last year for at least $120 worth of items. I was able to make 6 gift bags (which I bought those on clearance too) filled with ornaments, stuffed animals and candles. Just a nice gift that doesn’t break the bank.

The main theme of MacGyver, if you are unfamiliar with it, is that the main character, MacGyver, is very resourceful. He is out battling bad guys and he can make almost anything using the things around him. As kids, we would actually play a game called MacGyver where we would have a pile of odds-and-ends and try to make something useful from it. Sure, our creations weren’t that pretty but for the most part they did somewhat work.

As an adult, I do find myself trying to think like MacGyver when there is something that I need or want but I don’t want to go out and buy it already made. This past summer, my son really wanted a swing.

We found some rope in our garage and then used an old floor mat from our car for the seat. The end result was something he has had a lot of fun with. Oh yeah, I can’t forget that duct tape was an ingredient as well There are a million uses for duct tape LOL.

I find that when I create things like that, I feel good about it. I like to be resourceful and making new things out of old things. It’s fun, and it saves us money.

Let me explain…

I am a bargain shopper. If I see a good deal, I am temporarily blinded the fact that maybe I do not need that item. Perhaps I think I can use it – but really it’s probably going to sit around the house and never be used. Bargains only really work if you need to purchase something regardless.

When I have “bargain blindness” at the department store, I can return things. At a garage sale, if I have buyer’s remorse when I get home I am stuck with an item unless I try to sell it myself.

I think overall I went to about three garage sales and one estate sale this year. The estate sale was one that I just went to last month, so I will talk about it because it’s still fresh in my memory. Many things there caught my eyes. An endtable here ($10.00), old records there ($make an offer), books all over the place ($0.25 each for the bigger ones), pretty pictures on the wall ($5.00)…but I just said no. I didn’t really NEED any of those things.

I did walk out with one thing, though. It was a little clipboard that has a compartment underneath it where you can store extra paper and supplies. I bought it for a quarter and my son absolutely loves it.

I think going to that estate sale helped show that I am getting better with things. I am not being so blinded by bargains. I can walk away, knowing that even though it may be a great bargain, I do not necessarily need it.

I’ve said it a few times before, but I’ll mention it again. Even though my main journey is to eliminate debt – there are many little “side-journeys” I have to work on as well. I’m glad to see changes in myself, because I know they will be beneficial long after the debt is gone.

Basically, if it’s something that I would like to get but it isn’t something that we absolutely need, I wait about three months. After that time, if I still want it and think it could be useful I will buy it.

The wait may seem like a long time and it can be in the retail world. A few things can happen to that item in the meantime…

1.) The item goes on clearance, and you end up saving money on the purchase (a super-bonus!).

2.) The item is no longer available (I usually shrug and say it wasn’t meant to be).

3.) The item is there and still at the regular price.

4.) You no longer want the item.

EDIT: 5.) You completely forget about the item (thanks Jen )

You don’t really save money with #3, but at least hopefully using the time to make sure you want it will result in a good purchase.

There was a time that I really wanted one of those rubber squeegee mop/broom combinations that I saw on TV, and was later available at a local department store. I thought that thing was so neat and I almost bought it when I saw it in the store, but I didn’t. A few weeks later, it didn’t seem as neat anymore and I ended up saving on that purchase. Once the “neatness” factor wears off you often view things differently.

I believe there are similar rules out there that have a 30-day waiting period, but for us, 90 days gives a little more time and has been working well to reduce our purchases.

But all that plastic does cost money (we use the window size shrinking plastic sheets).

What I do is buy ahead for the next year. Usually around March the weatherproofing materials are on clearance at Walmart. That’s when I purchase our plastic. If I happen to catch them when they are really cheap I even buy more for another winter.

Right now, we are set for the next two winters for plastic. And the cost was $5.00.

Just keep an eye out and watch to see if those prices get marked down

For me, I’m not sure what is realistic for the visit frequency for a female, but I’ll guess once every three months. Total savings from me – $72.00/year.

Grand total possibly saved = $288/year

We bought a good pair of hair cutting scissors for $7.00. I cut my husband’s hair and he helps cut mine. For my hair, I start it by cutting it to the length that I want. Then, my husband comes in and evens out my cut. I’m getting better at making it even first try so eventually he may not even have to help. I should note that we both have straight hair and receive straight cuts. Nothing fancy with our haircuts.

As for my son, he’s never had a professional cut. His hair is cut by mommy. I have no idea what the going rate is for a child’s haircut so I didn’t factor that into the savings. I’m sure it would put us at saving over $300/year.

I also have been my natural hair color for some time now.  I used to dye it blonde but it really wasn’t worth it to upkeep the color.  Plus, after abusing my hair for a while I’ve come to appreciate it’s natural state (it has blonde, light brown and red in it).  So I guess that would put the savings up a little bit more

When I say “Be Proactive,” I am meaning that one should try to anticipate expenses that can be prevented and take steps to prevent the events occuring that would create those expenses. Hmm, I think I confused myself with that explanation – LOL.

Here’s a few examples….

A heavy thunderstorm is moving towards our area. The news reports are claiming that there has been damaging hail with the storm. Meanwhile, our car is parked in the yard and not in the garage. I want to move the car in the garage – just in case. My husband is more along the lines of leaving it out there because we have insurance. Yes, we have insurance, but there is still a deductible to pay. My way of thinking is that a few minutes now can save money later.

Here’s another one (which makes my husband moan EVERY time I do it but I STILL do it EVERY time ). It’s lightening out, and I go around the house and unplug every major appliance except for the fridge, stove and freezer. That means no computers and no TV during a lightning storm. Why risk having lightning fry our electronics? Again, my husband says that insurance will cover it. My thought is just unplug everything so we wouldn’t have to worry about it.

Lastly, I keep my car doors locked all the time even though we live in a very safe neighborhood. Why even give someone the “go ahead” to get in our car and root around? My husband is amazed at my zealousness with making sure the doors are locked. He would keep them unlocked if it was up to him.

As I read what I wrote, my husband sounds pretty bad. But really he isn’t. I sound pretty bad as well, perhaps a little neurotic when it comes to protecting material posessions. But I think we end up balancing each other out so it works for us.

I just think being a little proactive protects the things you have already spent money on, and can save you from having to spend money to replace them.

My husband needs to keep his computer up to speed and needs to upgrade to a newer and faster computer every so often. One way that we have helped curb this expense is to purchase refurbished computers through Apple. They have a strict process that they go through to ensure all refurbished products are in great running condition. We haven’t been disappointed with the quality yet.

The last time we purchased a computer we saved about $400. Before that it was around $200. That’s a significant amount and sometimes the savings are even higher if they happen to have a lot of refurbished in stock. I think they must have a lot in stock so that’s why they are having a great sale now (shh…don’t tell my husband LOL).

Right now the savings are running $500 for a refurbished PowerBook and they have a refurbished 512MB iPod shuffle w/ armband for 51% off. You can see that refurbished are a great deal over buying new. But remember, saving money with these deals only really works if you were going to buy one anyways. I have to keep reminding my husband of that

Note: We weren’t aware of this fact when we bought our first refurbished computer, so I thought I would mention this. You can still purchase their AppleCare Protection Plan to extend the one-year limited warranty that already comes with each machine. That means three years of coverage is available.

As a sidenote, I gave my old Performa to my niece and nephew for them to use. Unfortunately, during a thunderstorm it was zapped by lightning and met it’s demise. Thanks to my mom who can smell a bargain a mile away, she found the exact model and now I have it for my son to use

1.) We only need one car. Even before I began working from home, one car was all that we needed with our alternating schedule.

2.) Because the working spouse has the car, the other spouse stays at home. Most days are “no spend” days because of this.

3.) No daycare costs because one of us is always home to watch our son. An added benefit is that we have been able to watch him grow up and at least one of us was home to witness the major milestones.

It is rough having a schedule like this, and only recently we both have obtained weekends off together. We just make sure we try to do at least one fun thing on the weekend like go to the Lake or sometimes go for a hike. Things that are inexpensive, but things that we enjoy doing as a family.

At some point, perhaps when our son is in school full-time we will be able to work the same shifts but who knows? Maybe then we will have another child. That is something that is still being decided upon

If you think about it, it makes sense that brand names are more expensive. They advertise more! That’s why you can see a logo and be able to tell what brand it is associated with. The swirls of Coke…the swish of Nike. We see tons of ads a day and that costs A LOT of money. So brand name products cost more to recoup the company’s advertising costs.

Whereas, the generic “no-name” brands do not advertise. They do not spend thousands (sometimes millions) of dollars perfecting the graphics on their packaging. They basically put out a product as inexpensively as they can and they pass the savings onto you.

Okay, there are sometimes differences with the taste of generic versus name brand. One thing I can think of is store brand mac & cheese versus Kraft mac & cheese. The Kraft version generally does taste “cheesier.” Personally, though, I like the more muted taste of the generic when made with the right amount of milk and margarine. So sometimes it is personal preference that needs to “rule” when deciding what product to purchase.

All things considered, we are largely a generic household. The only real exception would be when the brand-named items are on sale and they cost less than the generic. But overall, we are pretty happy with the bland packaging but not so bland taste of generic items. In fact, sometimes I think they taste better.

If you are willing, give generics a try and see if they work for you.

I also head straight to the meat department for marked down ground beef. Our store calls it “yesterday’s beef” and I have found it as low as $1.69/pound. That is a great deal for where I live. I buy up to 12 packages if they have them and freeze them immediately when I get home. That lasts us quite a few weeks.

It’s also good to shop in the morning because the department managers are usually working. They are the ones with the authority to mark down products. If you happen to find a poor looking (but still good) head of lettuce among better looking ones, you can probably negotiate a lower price if you ask.

While trying to think of things, I realized that many of them are second nature. So, between my husband and I we are going to try to document everything that we do to try to make the most of our money.

I decided to make a series out of them and place them in a new category called, “Ways I Save Money” which can be found on the right side under the categories. Each “tip” will be a separate post, so they can easily be looked through.

I will be posting the first post in the series in a little bit.