Money Savers Posts

• Never shop when you are hungry. This leads to impulsive buys which are usually high priced convenience items.
• Shop from a list and stick to the list.
• Avoid shopping when tired because this leads to purchases of food with high sugar content and lots of carbohydrates.
• Foods that are more expensive tend to be at eye/chest level. Look higher or lower on the shelves for the best deal.
• Compare the price per unit (oz, lb, fl.oz) instead of the overall price.
• For meat, compare the price per serving instead of the price per pound.
• When you see the sign that says 5 for $5 do you have to buy all five items to get the discount or is each item priced at just $1? If there is a minimum purchase it will usually say. Many stores advertise this way to get you to buy more. If you don't really need 5 of that item then you can save money just by buying 1 or 2.
• Some grocery stores will price match. Wal-Mart is great at this. If you take in the ad from another store they will honor the lower price.
• Shop at larger stores because you will be able to get a better price than say a convenience store.

These are just a few ideas and I'm sure there are many more. How do you save money at the grocery store?

Do you find yourself every Halloween spending oodles of money on your child’s costume or on the goodies to hand out to the trick or treaters? I don't know about you but it really irks me to spend $15 or more (I'm really cheap when it comes to buying something that will only be used for one night or maybe a couple of dress up times) on a costume just to have the price slashed the day after Halloween to 75% off. So, every year I vow to buy the costumes for the next year the day after Halloween. You will also notice the price of the candy slashed the day after Halloween. Candy has so much sugar and preservatives in it that if you buy it when it is on clearance and put it in a cool/dry location it will last until next Halloween.  Doing this you can cut your costs by at least half.

Some other ideas for saving money on Halloween:

• Do a costume swap with friends and neighbors. Trade your previously warn costumes for someone else’s costume.
• Find costumes or items to create costumes at thrift stores. My cousin used a table cloth to sew a costume for her child. The cost of the table cloth as 50 cents compared to the fabric at $2 or more per yard.
• Buy decorations the day after Halloween for the next year. If you buy a little bit at a time, eventually you will have collected quite the display.

What are some ways you save money on Halloween?

• Light bulbs- Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL's). CFL's last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs and can save up to $60 in electricity per light over their lifetime.
• Unplug- Appliances and electronics that have a clock, operate by remote controls, and chargers are vampires sucking energy even when they are turned off. 40% of energy is consumed from these items when they are turned off. Unplug them when they are not in use, like when you are sleeping, or get a Smart Power Strip.
• Water Heater- Insulate your water heater if it was built before 2004. Wrap it in a Thermwell blanket and you'll save 10% annually on your water heating bill.
• Furnace- Service the furnace every 2 years and you'll save 10% on heating bills.
• Turn Down the Heat- According to the Alliance to Save Energy, every degree you turn down the heat in the winter you take 5% off of your bill. Get an Energy Star programmable thermostat (~$70) and it will save more than twice its price in a year by adjusting the temperature automatically for when you are gone or in bed.
• Washer/Dryer- Save 50% of the energy you use on heating water by setting your washing machine to cold. Set your dryer to moisture sensor and cut energy use by 15%.
• Stop Drafts- Don't heat the outside world. Block drafts with weather stripping and save $30 per year.
• Lower water Temperature- Set water heater at 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Before you do this though make sure your dishwasher has a heat boost because the water needs to be 140 degrees to clean properly.
• Timer Lights- Install timer lights or motion lights for exterior lighting and in rooms you use occasionally.
• Full Loads- Make sure to fill your washing machine and dishwasher up before you run them. It takes the same amount of energy to run the wash whether it is full or not. Airdry your dishes and clothes too.

Individually these things might not be a lot of savings but if you do them all the savings really can add up. What are some of the ways your family tries to save on energy?

 http://www.eversave.com/

At this website you can print grocery coupons, department store coupons, and get coupon codes for discounts at online stores. 

 www.bettycrocker.com

This is a great sight that offers coupons for groceries as well as recipes and how to lessons.

 www.memolink.com

Memolink has tons of codes for great savings when you shop online. Memolink members earn points for visiting Websites, sampling products, playing trivia, completing marketing research surveys and making online purchases. Points can be exchanged for cash or gift cards, or donated to a charitable organization. It is free to join.

 www.couponcabin.com

CouponCabin has printable coupons for non grocery stores like JCPenney, Toys R Us, and Baskin Robbins just to name a few. They also have lots of code for discounts in online shopping.

 If there is a particular grocery store you like to shop at most have a place where you can view their current ads and sign up to have them sent to your email address.

These are a few of my favorites. There are so many out there, please share with us the ones you have found.