My Old Man: Frugal, Cheap, or Just Strange?

August 31, 2007 · Filed Under , · 22 Comments 

My Dad The Great Golfer!I have to preface this by saying my Dad grew up on a farm in Nebraska with no running water. I think they did have electricity when he got a bit older.  Here are some of his conservation techniques:

  • He puts a brick in the back of the toilet tank so he does not waste water when flushing.
  • He puts a five gallon bucket in the shower and when it gets filled he uses the water in the bucket to water his garden. (I am not kidding!!!)
  • He gets in the shower and then turns the water on. Once he is wet, he turns the water off, soaps up, then turns the water back on to rinse off. I don’t think he has had a warm shower since 1986.
  • As a kid, I can remember him constantly going around the house turning off light switches that were not being used by anyone. Funny thing is, I find myself doing this now when my kids leave the lights on.
  • He has a wood burning stove and the furnace is NEVER to be turned on. He will sit in his living room and read the paper with a heavy sweatshirt on during the winter. When my sister and I would say “it is cold in here”, his response never changed, “Cold? Are you really cold? I think it is nice in here”.
  • He will not throw food away. I have seen him cut mold off cheese then slice some for his sandwich. He is a human garbage disposal and claims that “everything always tastes great”.
  • We had some pigs on a small farm that I grew up on, and my Dad would get old bread from a local bakery to feed the hogs. Without fail, at least one of the loaves of bread would end up in our pantry. I could tell because the packaging always had a big black line drawn through it.

So what do you think? Frugal, cheap, strange, or perhaps a man whose vision has yet to be fully recognized? Looking forward to your comments.

Today’s Top Online Coupons

August 30, 2007 · Filed Under · Comment 

Today's CouponsHere are some great money saving coupons that I wanted to pass along:

JCPenney.com
Free Shipping on your $49 or more order for Labor Day Weekend
Coupon Code: WPFS4LD
Expiration: 9/05/07

Eddie Bauer.com
Save $20 Off your $100 or more order
Coupon Code: AFHO7
Expiration: 9/03/07

Finishline.com
Get 15% Taken Off your $60 or more order
Coupon Code: 140387
Expiration: 9/30/07

Shutterfly.com
Get 15% Taken Off your Photo Prints order
Coupon Code: 29AF-PT08
Expiration: 9/12/07

I have a ton of coupons expiring tomorrow night (8/31) and will be replacing them over the weekend with new offers. Early next week I will have a post with some new great coupons for September.

Blog Post Review Day, Vol. I

August 29, 2007 · Filed Under · 4 Comments 

dollarsign.jpgHere is some great reading, mainly because it focuses on posts that were not written by me, but rather by some very talented bloggers. :-) This is a new section dedicated to blogs and blog posts that I discovered this week and found to be either creative or interesting, Most have to do with money saving tips and frugality. (2 of my favorite topics!) Drum roll please……

1- Are You Falling Into These 4 Frugality Traps? posted at Personal Finance Blog – This is a great post on the value of thinking of frugality in terms of the future. Example, is it better to spend more on a product now if it will last you longer. My wife and I always have this conversation when it come to things like which washing machine to buy or what we should spend on clothing for the kids.

2- Going Green and Frugal posted at Unclaimed Money – Nice concise article on the words “going green” and their connotation is much more popular than the term “frugal”. Truth is both words should mean practically the same thing.

3- Cheap clothes aren’t always a value posted at Clever Dude – Good post on the benefits of not skimping on clothing. I have noticed this as well. When I spend a little more my clothes wear a lot longer. But I agree with Clever Dude, use Outlets and coupons so you can get better quality but not have to pay full retail price.

4- Don’t Break Your Budget Buying Baby Stuff posted at Raising4Boys.com – written by Dad, this post is well written and explores the idea of not paying top dollar for new baby clothes, toys and gear, but rather using flea markets and garage sales to pick up gently used stuff. I agree with him that this is smart, especially because babies are not typically to hard on their stuff. (That changes as they get older!)

5- Having A Second Child? Seven Frugal Tips For Getting Ready posted at The Simple Dollar – boy, I wish I had read this post a couple years ago before our second child was born. Great advice and tips on how to get you and your house ready for the big addition to the family. Preparing lots of food in advance is the tip I would really recommend!

6- Things to use in a pinch when travelling posted at Fabulously Broke In The City – Very clever advice on things you can take advantage of that will save you money on your next trip or vacation. Also has some great advice on what to use in case you forget things like shampoo, toothpaste, etc. Good stuff!

7- Save $$ – Grocery Shopping Tactics posted at What Works For Us – 15 quick tips on how to save money at the grocery store. I have found #15, never shop hungry, to be really true. If I shop when I am hungry I tend to come home with Fruity Pebbles cereal and a bunch of Butterfinger bars. (No Joke!)

8- 17 Cheap Ways To Keep Cool And Survive A Heat Wave posted at The Digerati Life – It has been over 100 degrees here in Redding, California so a few of these 17 tips I have used already. Crazy picture of a dude hanging out of his high-rise apartment to install a window A/C as well!

Chuck E. Cheese Coupons For The Family

August 29, 2007 · Filed Under · Comment 

Chuck E. Cheese LogoLast week I took my 5 year old son and 2 year old daughter to our local Chuck E. Cheese and we really had a great time. It is a new location and still quite clean, the old one in our town was pretty nasty and everything you touched seem to stick to your hand! So my wife was hosting Bunco at our house and I had been planning this outing for a while. In anticipation I tried to find some Chuck E. Cheese coupons to help us save some money and found some, yeah! The coupon I used gave us a large pizza, 3 drinks and 30 tokens for $19.99, a pretty reasonable expense for a fun outing. Here are a couple links I used to get our Chuck E. Cheese coupon. Just print them out and you are good to go.

Coupon #1

and

Coupon #2

Go early if you can, dinner at around 5 pm seems to be about right. We were a little later than that and there was a birthday party going on as well as a baseball team party, it was a little crowded. Say hi to Chuck for me.

7 Ways To Reduce Monthly Costs Right NOW!

August 27, 2007 · Filed Under · 6 Comments 
  1. Vending MachineLower your Cable or Satellite subscription package. I have done this in the past and it can easily reduce your bill by $10 to $15 a month. Do you really need Hallmark Channel and Discovery Channel Kids?
  2. Vending Machines. Don’t use them. Habit of a drink and snack at work everyday from the vending machine can cost you up to $2.50 a day or $50 a month. Instead, buy what you like at Costco and bring some in every week and leave them in your desk for your snack.
  3. Memberships. Do you have a gym membership or DVD membership that you don’t use regularly. If so, analyze them to determine if you are getting your money’s worth, if not, give them the axe.
  4. Coffee. Do you drive through your local Starbucks or Dutch Bros. every morning or your way to work to grab a Non-Fat Vanilla Venti Latte, with a sprinkle of nutmeg? At about $3.50 a drink, that will cost you around $70 per month. Instead, brew your own and use a stainless steel travelers mug to take it with you. But make sure to treat yourself to Starbucks on occasion!
  5. Eat In. Eating meals out either for lunch while at work or for dinner are significantly more expensive than cooking your own dinner or brown bagging it to work. Consider only eating out once or twice a week and see if you notice a difference on your credit card statement or bank balance.
  6. Don’t Grocery Shop Hungry. Your stomach can talk you into buying a bunch of food you don’t need. Be careful!
  7. Ask For a Lower Credit Card Interest Rate. If you have no late payments and a steady payment record many credit card companies will lower your interest rate if you call and ask them. They have done this for me on several different occasions. The worst thing that can happen is they say no. Try it!

Top 10 Frugal Living Blogs

August 27, 2007 · Filed Under , · 13 Comments 

Frugal Blogs - Save MoneyMy wife is a stay-at-home mom and we have 3 children ranging from 5 years old to 3 months, so I have a little experience with living on a tight budget! Over the past year or so I have found some frugal living blogs that have some great advice and I have taken a lot of information from them and used it in my own life. I thought it was about time I sat down and put pen to paper (or fingers to keys) and talked about my ten favorite frugal living blogs that I visit often. Please let me know if you have any other great blogs that belong on this list and I will add another section. So here we go……

1- A Frugal Living Blog by a Frugal Guy - This guy’s blog is a no-nonsense approach to the benefits of living a frugal life. I have taken a lot of advice from him. I like the fact that he preaches the advantages of living a frugal life by choice and thus being able to pursue your financial goals much more aggressively. He has a great sense of humor as well, one of my favorite posts had to do with this huge pork shoulder that he bought and was trying to figure what to do with it. Good stuff!

2- Wise Bread - Their motto is “Living Large On A Small Budget” and they have great posts and advice on not only frugal living but also financial advice and career advice. The post on ‘Frugal Things My Mom Does’ made me laugh out loud. Never pay for ketchup again baby!

3- Frugal For Live - ”Experience Life, By Living a Simple, Frugal Life”. Dawn has created an excellent frugal living resource. I particularly enjoy her writing style and her recent post “Many Uses For Towels” is hilarious, I had no idea a towel could be used for so much, although I use old towels in the garage for MANY, MANY things. Well done Dawn.

4- Frugal Simplicity- Cindy at Frugal Simplicity writes about frugal living ideas, money saving tips, and budgeting tips. She always writes in a way that just makes sense and she really has a knack when it comes to getting her point across. For example, she recently did a post on ‘How To Conserve Water and Save Money‘ where she clearly explains the costs associated with a leaky toilet and recommends ways to avoid this stinky situation. (Sorry I could not resist)

5- SavingAdvice.com Blog - The folks at SavingAdvice.com have put together a blog of with a ton of useful frugal living articles and content. I visit them often because they have a couple writers that write for them all the time and then they have guest contributors that do excellent work as well. A post that I bookmarked and I know that my wife and I will use is called ‘Ten Ways to Save on Birthday Parties‘ by Shannon Christman. The article gives great advice like choosing a free location like a park to host the party as well as having the party mid-afternoon so you only have to serve cake and not a meal. I like that one!

6- Money, Matters, and More Musings - This blog delves deeply into the topic of frugality as well as other stuff and always has posts that capture my attention and keep me reading! For example, the post titled Motivation For Frugality – It Is Not Always About The Money talks about the idea of being frugal when we are not really intending to be. Like when we walk because driving is such a hassle and would actually take more time. Interesting points and things I had not thought about before.

7- Pat Veretto’s Frugal Living Blog- Pat says that “living frugally is a daily, hands-on affair”. Boy ain’t that the truth Pat! This blog is full of really good frugality advice. Pat really has some excellent advice on how to save money in the kitchen and with household chores and cleaning. Good common sense stuff.

8- Thrifty Mommy - With a name like Thrifty Mommy it immediately captured my attention when I found this blog a while back. I visit often for the coupons as well as the ‘list’ post which include things like Frugal Challenge Saturday – 30 Great tips to get out of debt and Top 10 Ways to Keep the Kids Busy While You’re Working. This blog is written by the talented writers Kelly Saunders and Karen Weideman. Well done.

9- Frugal Underground- Written by a lady named Sarah Lewis, Frugal Underground is chalked full of frugal living tips and money saving advice. Recent posts that I thought were well done include her Frugal Wedding Tips and the advantages of Buying In Bulk. (I love Costco, but remember to only buy what you came for!)  But what I like best about her blog is her personal writing style and you can tell she really has a passion for what she is writing about. I also found it refreshing that she actually asked her readers what frugal topics interested them.

10- I’ve Paid For This Twice Already - Great blog name, it goes back to the idea that anything you bought with your credit card you have probably paid for already due to those outrageous interest charges. Very clever. The lady who writes this blog is a married mom with 2 kids and she blogs about frugality, credit cards, and budgeting to name a few categories. I find the blog to be very informative because she really is an advocate to the idea of being a much happier, healthier person if you get your finances in order and try to get out of debt, particularly credit card debt. The key being not spending more than we earn each month. Easier said then done, but this blog gives you a lot of practical advice on how to make that a reality.

Love Your Pets, Just Not At Full Price!

August 24, 2007 · Filed Under · Comment 

Our Basset Hound named Bo BiceMy wife and three kids own a couple dogs, a 2 year old Basset Hound named Bo (this picture is of Bo!) and a 4 year old Golden Retriever named Annie. Annie has grown into a great family dog and is great with the kids, even our 3 month old little girl. Bo, who was named by my son after Bo Bice from American Idol, is still going through some puppy stuff but improving. Mr. Bice from AI had long hair and our Bo has long ears, so my son thought that was a very appropriate name! Suffice to say the name stuck and I still call him Bo Bice on occasion, I just make sure our neighbors can’t hear me. ;-) Keeping dogs fed and healthy can get pricey, especially if you use a premium dog food. We use Iams Large Breed dog food and the best price I have found is at our local Costco.

But perhaps the biggest expense is in pet health with flea/tick products like Frontline or Adnantix along with heart worm preventive products like HeartGuard and Iverhart. I have been using 1-800-PetMeds.com for about a year and can get Frontline and Heartguard for about 25% less than what my Veterinarian charges when I use one of their coupons. Here is a list of some popular pet store coupons on Rather-Be-Shopping.com right now:

Petsmart.com
Save $10 Off your $70 or more purchase
Coupon Code: SAVEAUG
Expiration: 9/01/07

1-800-PetMeds.com
Get 10% Off your order PLUS Free Shipping on $39 or more
Coupon Code: ratherbeshopping
Expiration: 9/30/07

Petco.com
Save 10% Off your Entire purchase
Coupon Code: affreg
Expiration: 9/14/07

Have any funny dog name stories? I’d love to hear them, please drop me a comment.

Beware…Bargain Tip Headed Your Way

August 23, 2007 · Filed Under · Comment 

RBS Dollar LogoWatch out for falling dollars and confused salespeople. Well, falling dollars at least. One of the best tips that I’ve been using for a few years now is to just ask for a better price. Sometimes All You Gotta Do Is Ask. Now this probably won’t work at the grocery store if you ask for a gallon of milk for $2.50 when it is listed for $3.29 but it sure can work at other stores. In particular your big box stores like Home Depot, Best Buy, Lowes and Circuit City. These type of stores often will sell higher end products at below sticker price because they are going after customer retention. In other words, they want to make you happy and keep you coming back and to tell your friends about the great deal you got. Case in point, Best Buy, 2005, there I stood, comparing home theater systems and DVD players and trying to figure out what I wanted, salesman approaches and I say “I want this Yamaha Home Theater system, but I also want this Yamaha DVD player, will you give me a deal if I get both?” He goes and talks to his manager and low-and-behold he knocks 50% off the DVD player, and I save $75 bucks! Just had to ask. This tip also works well if you know of another store that has the same product at a better price. Another Tip: Don’t ask for a price match but ask “Can you beat their price?” In my experience, 75% off the time they will match the price and 25% off the time they will BEAT it.

Silver 2GB Apple iPod Nano for $99

August 23, 2007 · Filed Under , · Comment 

2GB iPod Nano in SilverWhile supplies last: Apple Store.com is selling a refurbished 2 GB Silver iPod Nano for only $99 + FREE Shipping. It comes with the same cool stuff: earphones, USB Cable, Dock Adapter. The Nano only weights 1.41 ounces and holds up to 500 songs and goes through Apple’s renowned refurbishment process prior to sale. They back it up with a 1 year warranty as well. The reason this caught my eye as such a good deal is because I currently have the 80GB iPod and it can be a bit cumbersome when jogging and working out and so I was looking into buying the smaller Nano but the $150 price tag was holding me back. If you want more song storage you can also get the refurbished 4GB Nano for $149 or the 8GB for $199, both with free shipping as well.

Bread, Milk, Bon-Bons, Go To Bank, and Print

August 23, 2007 · Filed Under , · Comment 

Smart Shopper ImageNow here is a cool product called the SmartShopper that lets you make your shopping or errand list without ever having to write something down. The Smart Shopper has voice recognition so you just say the item and presto it is added to the LCD screen and your list. Once you finish your list just hit print and the thermal printer prints you a nice list organized by grocery departments like “meats”, “frozen foods”, or “bakery”. Being a gadget guy I really liked the fact that the thermal printer never needs to have ink cartridges replaced. You can also say things like Bank or Post Office and it will list your errands as well. Priced at $149.99 it is a little pricey but I thought it was a great product idea to make shopping a little easier and could save you a lot of time. That price also includes 3 paper rolls, wall mounting kit, and item booklet.

Note: I am not big on plugging products for the heck of it, but from time to time I stumble across something that I think is really cool and I want to share it.

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