Spending Less 101 » _MrWong

Free Glasses

John — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:07:14 +0000

Someone sent this one to me over the weekend. I have not have time to checked out so if you check it out and it’s not true, please let me know.

Target is doing a special promotion for their optical service. It could end any time but will definitely end no later than April 29th..

Children 12 and under can get a free pair of glasses.

They need to bring in a valid prescription for glasses from their doctor and Target will let the child pick from about 40 different frames. They will place their best lenses in the frames which are non-glare and scratch resistant and normally sell for $200.00. There are no income guidelines. Any child 12 or under is eligible.

You can find stores with optical departments at www.target.com to confirm they are participating before making a trip to their store.

Please pass this information on to anyone who can benefit from this promotional offer. If you know someone with lost or broken glasses please share this information with them ASAP, as the promotion could end at any time. They would like families to come in as soon as they can.

It’s Time For Yard Work

John — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 14:41:21 +0000

It’s that time of year again and I am about to spend money to get my yard ready for the spring and summer seasons. Do I have to spend money? Probably not. These days, however, convenience has prevailed over keeping money in my wallet.

If you are ready to get your yard ready, but you feel compelled to do it cheaply…or free, here are some ideas that can get you going in the right direction:

Golf Shoes - Put on a pair of golf shoes and take a stroll around your yard for 15-20 minutes. Make sure you get into the corners and that you follow a pattern so you can hit every part of the yard. In the spring, you should core aerate your yard. If you don’t want to rent an aerator, golf shoes will do an OK job and won’t cost you any money.
Overseeding – I can’t help you with this one, other than to say that you should reduce the size of your yard by setting up a garden. This will reduce the amount of seed you need to purchase. You can also just skip overseeding and let your yard thicken naturally. This will take years, though so be prepared to have some patience while your neighbor spends hundreds of dollars to make you look bad.
Fertilizer – YES, you can make your own fertilizer. Instead of wasting two more sentences talking about something I know nothing about, here are some links where you can find out more:
Catch the Rain - If you want to water your yard and not have to pay a fortune, you can catch the rain water. This is something I am going to try this year. It’s somewhat difficult if you live in an area that has a lot of mosquitos because they breed in water. You can’t have an open-top rain catcher. Here are some links to some ways to make your own rain catcher.

I hope this information helps you save some money and get your yard ready for spring.

Learn How To Stabilize Your Finances

John — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 07:00:10 +0000

If there is one thing that you can be sure of regarding the economy it is this: it will change. Like most other things in life the economy goes through cycles and while you may not be able to predict when things will improve or decline you can bet that they will. As families struggle through the current recession it is important to remember that this is not the first nor the last time that the economy will take a turn for the worse. In knowing this you should also know there are a few simple ways to prepare you finances to ensure you weather the current cycle and remain in a position to benefit when the economy takes it’s next turn; hopefully for the better.

Have multiple streams of income- A few decades ago it was standard procedure to graduate from either high school or college and establish yourself with a company for the long haul. Those times have changes and if you wish to be financially secure it is important to understand the benefit of having multiple streams of income. Even if you have a great job with a great salary in times when the economy falters layoffs and downsizing become a reality many people are simply not prepared for. If you depend on just one source of income and you lose that income your finances can quickly take a turn for the worse. If you are fortunate enough to have a severance package you may be able to live off of that for a period of time, but you will eventually have to find another job and in the interim you may have to dip into your savings to survive.
Diversity is the key- Similar to the first tip, having a diverse portfolio is the best way to protect yourself from losing everything in one fell swoop. The economy is simply not predictable enough at any time to have all of your eggs in one basket. Your age and the age at which you want to retire play a big factor in how risky you want to be in the market, but you should always spread your investments in a way that some money is safely tucked away slowly making more money.
Manage your debt- An import lesson was brought to attention in the last year. Millions of people have learned that their spending and saving habits leave a lot to be desired. If you have debt now is the time to tackle it once and for all. If you can do it on your own by cutting costs and focusing serious energy and efforts toward debt reduction- then by all means go for it. Keep in mind that you will likely have to take a serious look at your lifestyle and make appropriate changes to ensure you do not dig yourself out of debt only to find yourself back in debt from using credit cards or overspending. If you are overwhelmed and your debt is making it impossible to move forward financially it is time to look into the various debt relief options available to you.

Managing your finances does not have to be a game of chance, by using common sense and paying attention to where your money is coming from and going you should be able to stabilize your finances without much difficulty.

Trisha L. Wagner is a writer for Debt Free Destiny, where she writes regularly about debt consolidation, debt management, and saving money.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Trisha_L._Wagner

Digest for 02/02/09

John — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:07:48 +0000

Free Food

John — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 03:22:58 +0000

Tuesday from 6am to 2pm, Free Grand Slams for EVERYONE…at Denny’s.

Digest for 01/26/09

John — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 09:07:16 +0000

Digest for 01/19/09

John — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 09:06:51 +0000

Digest for 01/12/09

John — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 09:07:16 +0000

Does insulating your garage save you money?

John — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 14:38:39 +0000

Common sense does lead you in the direction of insulating your garage because keeping the cold out (or the warm out) is obviously a good thing. Is it really?

Think about what the builder did when they built your house. If you have ever purchased a brand new house that you barely had enough money to afford, you will notice that the builder only drywalled the garage walls that connect directly to the living quarters. They left the rest of the wall surface exposed. They did this to minimize cost.

Do you think, however, the builder would deliver a house to your that you could not keep cool in the summer and warm in the winter? They did what was necessary to keep the inside and outside air in their respective places.

Think about it this way. If you took the garage off of your house, what more would have to be done to the walls that already had drywall to finish that area. Siding or brick, right?

In actuality, it would take a long period of time to recover the money (some estimates indicate $1000) that it would take to insulate and drywall the outside walls of your garage, in utility savings.

Here are some posts that make the same claim:

A better approach to saving money on the energy loss from the garage would be to make sure the walls between the garage and the living space are insulated, then make sure you have a storm door between the two spaces and good weather stripping on the bottom of the door to the house and the bottom of the garage door.

New Years Resolutions Don’t Work

John — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 21:39:21 +0000

I have heard a lot of people talk about their New Years Resolution. Either they are going to lose weight, stop smoking, or increase their income. Some other people are planning to be making a certain amount of monye by the end of the year. They don’t work.

One reason why resolutions don’t work is that most people don’t set specific goals as part of their resolution. Lose weight is a wish. So is make more money. These things have no defined finish line, therefore, you cannot guage whether or not you are on the right track.

Another reason resolutions don’t work is because people try to draw a line in the sand. The change is too sudden. It’s like the frog in the pot. If you drop a frog into a pot of boiling water, he will jump right out. The change is too sudden. If you put a frog into a pot of cold water and gradually increase the tempurature, the frog will stay in the pot and end up as dinner.

The point is to set goals (not resolutions). One example of a good goal would be “I will have $5k in the bank by the end of the year from saving $x per pay period and from selling widgets online.”

Don’t set yourself up for failure.

Is your cell phone bill too high?

John — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 18:44:29 +0000

My cell phone bill runs about $60.00 per month. I think that is too high. Is your cell bill high? Has it been high in the past, but you were able to get the cost down without losing too much functionality? I need ideas because I am not going to continue with the high bill. I will either get the cost reduced, or I’ll go without a cell phone. If you have any ideas, please let me know.

I am going to be evaluating all of the following bills and will be taking drastic actions, if necessary, to get the costs reduced:

Sat TV
Home Phone
DSL

End Of Year Message

John — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 04:59:44 +0000

Since it is the last day of the year, I just wanted to thank all of my readers for following my blog faithfully for the past year. At times, I have gotten to the place where I did not know what to say or I did not want to say anything…but you continued to follow me.

In 2009, I have decided to make my online presence larger. My ultimate goal is to work 100% online and not have to go to an employer’s location 9-5 M-F. I feel that I am on the right path towards this goal, and with your help, I can make it.

With the economy the way it is, these words may be worthless, but I hope you had a great 2008 and I hope your 2009 is even better. If you ask my opinion, I think the economy has reached the bottom of the curve and things are turning around.

If you want to follow me even more, my exploits and spoutings can be found on Twitter, by email, on Facebook, or on LinkedIn. I can also be found on digg and can be reached by paper cup and string.

Happy New Year

Now that the holidays are over…

John — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 22:41:42 +0000

Make sure you lock your doors and windows, leave a radio on low volume when you leave the house unoccupied, and report any strange activity in your neighborhood. The thieves will be out in force because the things you bought for Christmas are no longer safe in a secure warehouse or locked and alarmed department store. Those things are now in your mostly-unsecured homes.

===

The economy is in the midst of her death throes. Violence and crime are projected to escalate as people begin to lose their jobs. The waning days of the credit frenzy is causing many to realize there life has had no real meaning. The consumer based economy is over and people are beginning to panic. The criminals are salivating at the realization that people’s distrust of banks are causing them to store their money at home.

Burglary is the act of entering a building with the intention of committing theft. These crimes may escalate as the economy collapses further. While insidious, burglaries are often crimes of opportunity and are not usually planned in advance. Because of this, you can often thwart burglars with very simple precautions. I have included six basic steps to prevent your home from being broken into.

1. Present your home as if it is occupied at all times. Burglars will often bypass occupied homes for vacant ones.

2. Use automatic timers on lights when you will not be at home. Try to arrange the lights so that they come on and off based on the normal pattern you usually follow when you are home.

3. Always use your garage when parking cars. Make sure all windows have curtains drawn at all times so that a potential burglar cannot look into your garage window and determine if you are home or not.

4. Do not create patterns. If you open a certain curtain only when your home you could be signaling a person who is staking you out that you are not home.

5. Place radios on automatic timers and turn the volume up so that they can be heard outside.

6. Lower the ringer of your phone and voicemail machine so that no one can hear it from outside your window. A constantly ringing phone or a voicemail message will signal that no one is home.

7. Never leave notes on your door letting people know when you will be back.

8. If you are going to be away for a few days suspend all newspaper and mail deliveries. Nothing says ‘vacant house’ louder than a pile of unread newspaper in your driveway.

By following these simple 8 steps you will be better prepared to survive the worst attack a burglar can throw at you.

Robert Padgett is the author of a blog called, Survive the Worst. This site is dedicated to surviving the worst conditions imaginable. From man-made disasters such as war, terrorism, civil unrest,industrial accidents and power failures to Natural disasters such as Storms, Blizzards, Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Earthquakes, Floods, and Fires we will offer insight into how to prepare for any situation.

http://survivetheworst.blogspot.com/2008/12/survival-panic-expected-to-spur-crime.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Padgett

9 Recession Survival Tips

John — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 18:19:31 +0000

As the economy continues to slow here are 9 tips to survive and thrive through the recession.

1. Value Not Price.

When you go to the store don’t assume the lowest priced product is the “cheapest.” You have to look at a number of factors when choosing what is the best use of your money. Factors including: lifespan, quality of result, and ongoing operating costs. Many times the more expensive product will be a much better value and save you money in the long term.

2. Buy Store Brands.

Selecting store brands over name brands often results in savings of 15-50% for the same quality of product. Most grocery stores have the price broken down to price per a smaller unit to be able to quickly compare the cost across a range of sizes.

3. Adjust the Thermostat.

On a monthly basis the electric bill is one of the largest monthly family expenses. According to Nevada Power setting the thermostat to 78* in the summer and 68* in the winter will save 10-25% a month. To make a room feel cooler use fans to improve air circulation when you are there.

4. Start a Home Business.

Home business owners have many advantages over their non-business owning neighbors. The two biggest reasons are additional income and preferential tax status.

Robert Kiyosaki the author of rich dad poor dad advocates participation in network marketing. Network marketing allows an individual to open a business for very little money down and a small ongoing operating cost. The real power of networking is the ability to create leverage. That is you get paid on your retail sales and you receive an override on sales made by those you recruit into the business. The overrides while a fraction of the personal sales commission can create an ongoing residual income that can last for years.

Finding the right company can be difficult. There are a large variety of products, services and compensation plans to make the decision confusing and difficult.

I recommend a company called Financial Destination Inc. The company provides a variety of financial solutions that are in great demand and will be needed for years to come. All of the services are provided by experts. Independent representatives are only responsible for recruiting members and helping others who wish to participate in the business opportunity.

Go to www.FDIAMERICA.com to learn more.

Owning your own home business also opens up a world of tax deductions that can save you hundreds or thousands of dollars every April 15th.

5. Plan Your Errands & Route.

Before you start driving around town write down all the places you have to go and plan your route. By planning ahead you can often do all your errands in less time and drive fewer miles saving on gas.

6. Don’t Neglect Regular Scheduled Car Maintenance.

Your mechanic will tell you it is cheaper to maintain the health of your car than fix it after it breaks.

Having a clean air filter keeps your car breathing easy. Properly inflated tires are safer and more efficient. While not a major difference over the long haul it will save you money on fuel and the tires will last the expected lifetime.

If you have full synthetic oil in your car it is likely that you should be changing your oil every 4,500 – 6,000 instead of every 3,000. This saves you 1 or 2 oil changes a year that can be $40-100 a year.

7. Discount Card Programs.

There are discount cards for just about everything. Prescriptions, vision, dental, restaurants and retail shopping. These discount programs can help you save 10-50% on many of the things you already purchase on a regular basis.

8. Downgrade Your Cable or Satellite.

999 channels and nothings on. Look at what premium channels you watch on a regular basis and what channels you only have for one show. Most of the most popular shows on TV you can buy individually and through the internet. Instead of spending $20 a month for Showtime to watch 15 episodes of Weeds you can buy the entire third season from iTunes for $29. A savings of $211 a year.

9. Go on a Diet.

Portion sizes have increased dramatically in the last 50 years, so have peoples pants sizes. You can save money and your health by cutting down on the size of meals you cook and eat. If you are not big on cooking in the weekly grocery store mailers you will find Lean Cuisine or Healthy Choice meals are almost always on sale at one of the major grocery store chains.

While times are tough it is often the small things that you can change easily and still maintain your comfortable lifestyle.

Bob Firestone
bobfirestone.us

Bob specializes in building home businesses that create residual passive streams of income. Visit his website http://www.bobfirestone.us for more information on available business opportunities.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_B_Firestone

Digest for 12/29/08

John — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 09:07:07 +0000

Saving Money At Christmas

Digest for 12/22/08

John — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 09:09:29 +0000

Digest for 12/15/08

John — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 09:11:47 +0000

Digest for 12/08/08

John — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 09:07:55 +0000

Krispy Kreme Does It Again

John — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:29:38 +0000

No need for me to say anything. Check it out…

Buy 12 donuts and get 12 free (1 for each of the people you are giving gifts to).

Sam’s Club Pricing Secret

John — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:27:15 +0000

I was surfing along when I came across a post about Sam’s Club pricing. The person said that is the last digit of the price was a 1 (one), the item had been marked down and was being sold below cost. I did a little digging and I was able to find several other posts talking about the same thing.

I thought I would pass this along. We can all benefit from every angle in this tough economy. By the way, if you have knowledge of this, please leave a comment and let us know about it.