Nickels-n-Dimes » Summer Savings Blitz

Savings Tip #20 – Unadvertised Sales

Becky Grizovic — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 01:04:05 +0000

Unadvertised sales are GLORIOUS! They take more to find at times and are easy to miss, but when you find them, they only add to the excitement of our deals!

Sales like we have now at Kroger with the Mega Events are always full of hidden deals that you would not know about if you were not looking for them, accidentally stumbling upon them (or of course, unless you are reading great blogs like this).

My very first find of an unadvertised deal was at my beloved Kroger. I noticed that Gillette Shave Gel (priced at the time at $2.09) was on sale for just $1.09. As soon as I saw it, I KNEW I had a $0.55 off coupon. I also knew that coupon would double to $1.00 making this shave gel just $0.09! HELLO! This was a GREAT FIND! I could not wait to share my find as I felt I finally had something to contribute to my Cincymoms friends!

When shopping, keep your eyes peeled! Always watch for these unadvertised gems that are waiting to be discovered. If you notice your stock in a certain item is getting low, continue to check the prices at the stores in the hopes that you might stumble onto one of those great (hidden) deals!

Do you recall your first unadvertised find? Did you share it with the world or keep the find all to yourself?

Savings Tip #19 – Goodwill and Salvation Army

Becky Grizovic — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:54:38 +0000

This tip is a two way winner!

By donating your gently used clothing, household items, toys, etc you can get a tax break at the end of the year when deducting their value if you file long form. (This does not apply to filing an EZ form).

Many years ago, my husband had a Camaro that he purchased from his aunt and uncle for $1,000. Cash paid, no payments – way to go! We were coming to the realization that it was getting on it’s last leg and then found this confirmed when it could not even make it up the big hill leading up to where we lived. We were not sure what to do with it and did not feel it could even be driven anywhere.

What did we do?

We called Goodwill and they said they would gladly take the car. Not only would they take it, they would come and tow it away and mail us a tax receipt. SCORE! We filed our taxes deducting that car and found it to be more profitable for us this way than trying to scrap it and get what little we could that way.

By donating, you get the benefit of a tax deduction. By donating though, you are also possibly putting yourself in a unique situation.

If you take your items to a Goodwill, Salvation Army or other such charity, you can then turn around and look around for any good deals that may be of interest – saving you from paying full price for a new version of what will work in used form. Have a skill? Even better!

My father received a call from someone that found a child’s “park style” bench at Goodwill for just $4. It was in not so great shape, but knowing he could work wonders, they called him. He went down and took a look and decided to take it home. He took this bench home, and took it apart. By adding less than $5 in needed hardware and some pieces of wood from his shop, he was able to replace the wood, buff and paint the metal and came up with this:

As you can see, his trip to Goodwill paid off with a great bench for just $9!! I can tell you with the level of work he does, he could probably turn around and see this for no less than $50. He’s good! (If you have any old wood type things around that you want to get refinished or updated, he’s the guy to call!)

My mom, she hits Goodwill on “senior” days (although I don’t consider her a senior yet), and get 1/2 off. She is slowly building herself a library of DVDs for so little!

Next time you donate, consider driving your donations to the place of choice and taking a moment to look around. You never know what kinds of hidden gems are waiting for you!

Savings Tip #18 – Don’t be tempted

Becky Grizovic — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:24:37 +0000

Temptation is a hard thing to fight sometimes.

An example that MOST of us can relate to…..that ever so awesome dollar spot inside the front doors of Target.

EY! That area is so hard sometimes to steer clear of. It’s right there calling you by name as you walk through that door and select a cart to hold your new $1 finds.

I find $1 rolls of wrapping paper (you know, those perfect sized rolls that are 1/2 the length of a normal roll) and I can’t say no to them. As if it’s not hard enough to say no to those, toss in matching greeting cards and oh my! It’s just too much for this nickel-n-dimer!

While the dollar spot is not always a bad thing as I have picked up great little additions to teacher gifts etc, it is an area that must be entered with caution as it can be (depending on the stock of the day) be hard to turn away from without grabbing a little something.

Sales racks, clearance spots, a little something for the kiddos while you are out. Whatever your temptation, recognize it. When this adorable little visitor shows it face, call it by name and send it away! If you can resist, you will have just saved yourself some of your hard earned nickels-n-dimes!

I wonder, what are your temptations? Does that dollar spot ever see you coming?

Savings Tip #17 – Price Matching

Becky Grizovic — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 03:06:13 +0000

One of the most overlooked tools is probably one of the best!

Price Matching.

Sometimes this becomes Price Matching PLUS 10%!

One obvious time to use price matching is when there is a great sale and other stores are sold out of the item you have to have.

I use Walmart’s price match policy when there is a crazy deal that I know will be sold out everywhere. Remember those great $2.50 Electrasol coupons? I sometimes did not even bother going back for a second trip to CVS or Meijer and went straight to Walmart to get my product. There was plenty on the shelf and since the coupon was not one I hoped would double, it worked out great!

One “not so” obvious time to us price matching is when you are certain you have found that rock bottom price. Now, take that great price and see if a price matching store has that item. If so, you might get that extra 10% off making your rock bottom price even better!

Some stores that offer this great benefit:

Review these policies and keep them in mind. You never know when these policies just might come in handy!

Do you know of another store that offers a price match policy? Let us know so we can add it to the list!

Tip #16 – Store Promotions

Becky Grizovic — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 02:38:15 +0000

Store promotions should NEVER be underestimated for their ability to save you BIG!

These promotions are there for a special reason. They offer some level of additional savings or offers to get you in the door. These stores are hoping that once in the door, you will not only get the special promotional items, but find other things that you just can’t leave without.

We, however, are trained nickel-n-dimers. We know to not be fooled into getting more than we need, right? Well, ok…ok. Most of the time this is true!

Promotions like Kohl’s ever so popular Kohl’s cash days are of my favs. Spend $50 and you get $10 in Kohl’s cash to use during a specified week in the near future. There are almost always coupons if you are a card holder to get an additional 15-30% off and combine all of this with already great priced sale (or better yet), CLEARANCE items and you can really score BIG! Don’t forget to come back though during the specified days to redeem your Kohl’s cash or you just tossed away a good portion of your savings.

Kroger Mega Events, Meijer’s 10 for $10, get the 11th FREE, Sears Friends and Family events and so many others are all ways that, if shopped right, can bring big savings to items you may already be purchasing!

Need furniture? Buy during times like Memorial Day and Labor Day when furniture stores tend to have tent events or big sales. We purchased a great leather set several years ago this way and saved hundreds.

We needed a grill this year. We waited for that Friends and Family Event….we’ve stocked our pantry with the Mega Events, purchased clothes for an entire season for my son for less than $100 and so much more by taking advantage of these promotions, matching with coupons or promo codes and shopping items that are already reduced in cost.

Do you have a store that offers promotions that you can’t pass up?!! Tell us about the store and the promotion that gets you excited!

Tip #12 – Save on Auto Insurance

Becky Grizovic — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 14:50:27 +0000

Saving money on your auto insurance does not have to be hard and can be brought about in many ways. To save though, you will have to invest some time shopping around. Let’s look at various ways to save!

DISCOUNTS: Don’t be afraid to tell your agent every affiliation you have or what you do as you never know when it might lead to a discount. When I was younger, I was still being charged the higher rates because of my age. I told my agent that I thought it was nuts that I could handle all of the finances of a company, but could not get a good insurance rate. Obviously my age did not stop me from getting a great job – too bad it’s holding me back on something like this. With that, he said….”you know, there is a young professionals discount I can get for you”. DUH! Of course you should get it! LOL Sometimes teachers, military, etc can find extra perks due to their chosen career path as well. It never hurts to ask. Next time you talk to Mr or Mrs Agent, make sure to keep them on the phone just a bit longer discussing what kinds of discounts are out there!
RISK: I used to have a $250 deductible on my auto. I did not want to be paying out big if something happened, but instead I was paying out big year after year for that low deductible. I finally switched to a $500 (meet in the middle path) and watched my rate drop as a result! The more risk you assume, the more you save on your premiums.
DRIVING HISTORY: No secret here that getting a few tickets or being in an accident will cost you more than that ticket shows. Insurance costs rise when your risk factors rise. Give the impression that you are not a safe driver and get a bigger bill.
PAYMENT SCHEDULE: Did you know that you are charged more to pay monthly? By paying every 6 months or even yearly, you are going to save BIG. I am talking possibly hundreds. Find a way to pay your next bill in full and then each month instead of sending in the check, set it aside for when your next renewal comes about!
CREDIT SCORE: Did you know that your credit score could affect your premiums? Before making our latest switch in providers, I called my agent and let him know that our costs went up but we did not know why. Our cars were getting older and we had nothing that would set off flags for an increase. He told me that it was probably our credit scores dropped and with that, he dropped it. I looked and our scores hadn’t moved a bit so we decided it was time for a change. Not only did we save just over $100 / 6 months, we also got an agent that is ready to work for us (at least for the time being).
TO COMBINE OR NOT COMBINE? You may hear people tell you to combine that house and auto for the best rates by getting multi policy discounts. For us, this has not been true for years. We are with Progressive Drive and get the best rates possible. We save so much on auto with them that even having our house insurance go up a bit it’s still a substantial savings overall. My advice? Always have your agent shop it BOTH ways to see what’s the best deal for you.
SAFETY FEATURES: Did you know that having certain safety features can also help reduce your costs? We had a Dodge Grand Caravan with great safety features. These safety features not only gave us more peace of mind with our son, but also handed over savings. Does your car have a front passenger air bag? If so, can you disable if a child is there? Does your vehicle has a rear camera or back up sensor? Does your vehicle offer additional airbags? How did it do in crash test ratings? All of these things will play a part in what you pay.

Shopping for insurance offers many ways to save. Next time you talk to your agent (maybe you need to now), make sure to discuss these things and see what kinds of responses you get. Does your agent sound informed and able to relay the answers you are comfortable with or do you get the feeling that a change is in order?

Remember, you are not married to that insurance! You can change at any time.

Tip #10 – Set Realistic Goals

Becky Grizovic — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 20:14:08 +0000

As with all things in life, it’s important to set goals. Goals allow you to have something tangible to work towards. Making a blanket statement of “I want to save more” does not allow a specific goal. Stating though that you would like to save an additional $100 this month for your savings account is an actual concrete goal that you can monitor and achieve.

Keeping your goals realistic is equally as important as making them concrete in nature.

Setting a goal of saving an extra $500 each month for your savings account sounds like a great plan, but are you prepared to make the big cuts necessary (assuming that’s that case) to make this happen? Setting the goal of paying off your credit cards by year end sounds great as well, but is that truly feasible?

Know your goal (Say it out loud and visualize it!)
Write it down and keep a log of your progress
Set checkpoints if your goal is a long term goal – for example, if you would like to pay off XYZ credit card by year end, set a monthly checkpoint to make sure you are on track and what you can do to step it up if not.

When it comes to making goals, of course you want to challenge yourself, but don’t make your challenge so stiff that it’s just not attainable. If you are not realistic when planning your goals, you will not only squish your chances of reaching your finish line, but will also squish your excitement and drive to get it done.

Tip #9 – Quit those habits

Becky Grizovic — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 17:21:11 +0000

Tip #9 is a hard one. A very hard one.

If you are a smoker, drinker, or have some fix that you can’t do without, you will know quitting is just not easy.

I had a nasty habit and was a smoker for years. I tried quitting MANY times only to relapse and find myself smoking again. It was so SO hard to quit. Anyone that’s quit (or even tried to quit, knows).

Finally, one month after I got married, I woke up one day and decided that was it. I was not going to smoke anymore. I knew I wanted a family and I did not want cigarettes to be a part of that. For the first time in my life, quitting was easy.

By quitting, I was saving HUGE EVERY month as I was a pack a day smoker and that added up quickly.

My husband was smoking a carton a week. I *believe* that a carton costs about $40 these days and if that is correct, that equates to $2080 a year with a monthly average of $173 every month. That’s huge!

If you drink (as we did socially on the weekends back then), you are adding that much more to the financial mix.

What does a case of beer cost? Maybe $16? If you are consuming 2 cases a month, that’s an additional $384. This is if you are drinking at home. Consider the costs of drinking in bars or restaurants. It’s so much more!

While I don’t think you should cut out the things you enjoy doing, I do suggest you calculate just how much you are spending so you can see the true financial impact.

With smoking, the costs go beyond the trip to the store each week. Life insurance is considerably higher and it does not drop the moment you stop smoking. Some policies state you have to be smoke free for 5 years to get a non-smoker rate. FIVE YEARS! Then, consider health insurance. Some policies are starting to charge more if you smoke. The effects have a domino effect that might be enough to convince you it’s a great time to kick that habit if you can.

There are so many tools out there to help these days and the support of those who love you goes a long way. If you find the time has come (as I did over 6 years ago), ask for help and make it happen! I know you can do it!

Your loved ones and your wallet will thank you!

Tip #8 – Stay Home

Becky Grizovic — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:53:36 +0000

Tip #8 comes in the midst of all the summer fun and excitement. There is always something to do during the summer, right?

All of these activities and running around could cost you little by little, adding up to big amounts over time.

Before we moved from our first house, it seemed like we were always doing something. Even when we weren’t out doing anything, we were out doing “something”. I don’t know why we were always away from home, but it seemed as though we always had to be on the go. Sitting home just was not exciting enough for us, I guess.

One day, I vividly recall thinking…we are never home. Our neighbors are all content at home while we are always finding something to do; anything.

In our new home, we have found contentment in being home. We also found savings in being home.

We were spending less on gas. We were spending less on stopping somewhere to grab a bite to eat. The need to stop for a bottled water or soft drink to quench our thirst at the gas station was not there anymore. Most of all though, we were spending less on things that we truly just did not need.

Part of this may have come in the way of higher living expenses with our new home or it may have just come in the fact that we realized before moving from our first home that all that mindless, meaningless running around was costing us big.

Look at your habits. Are you making trips that could be combined into one? Are you bored and needing something to do therefore spending more than you probably should.

Until you look at your life and the things you do, you may not even realize that all that endless “running around” is draining your wallet of your hard earned Nickels-n-Dimes!

To see past posts and the rest of the scheduled series in this Summer Savings Blitz, GO HERE.

Tip #7 – Save that Change!

Becky Grizovic — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 11:00:43 +0000

Tip #7 is an easy tip if you ask me!

We do two things that are little things but add up big over time. We use the feature our bank offers (Round Up) to round up all of our transactions and move that extra amount to our savings account AND we save our change.

Very rarely will you see us pay for something with change. We will almost always pay via debit card (allowing us to use Round Up) or we pay with bills. By paying with bills, we always get change back. This change is then placed in a jar and counted once a year or so. My son gets all pennies and we keep all silver. The pennies are all turned in every so often to the bank and the silver coins are all used for a rainy day type fund. It’s fun to sit on the floor together counting it out to see how much we have accumulated.

Every so often, we toss a few bills into my son’s piggy bank and we were amazed this past time we counted that he was up to almost $25 just in bills that we almost forgot we had tossed in just for the fun of things.

Remember, a penny saved is a penny earned!

To see tips 1-6 and those yet to come in this 10 week Summer Savings Blitz, GO HERE.

Savings Tip #6 – Reduce or Eliminate Interest Fees

Becky Grizovic — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 00:35:45 +0000

Debt is typically not something one can wipe out quickly so making smart decisions for your debt while you have it can make a huge impact until you are able to say your joyful goodbyes.

If you have an auto loan or mortgage that is carrying a high interest rate, you may want to examine ways to refinance and lower those fees. It’s amazing the difference that just ONE PERCENT can make on a home loan. This 1% will not only free up money on your monthly bills, but will bring your overall interest payments down substantially over the life of the loan.

Be willing to look into mortgage brokers as they are able to review various lenders and find the best route for you. Credit unions (as discussed in our Banks post) are also great routes to take to get that lower fee you are needing.

If you have credit cards, make time to call and ask for a lower interest rate. You will be amazed at how quickly you can get your rate lowered and be on a road to saving money.

If you have missed payments (or were late) in the past 12 months, the odds of being turned down are increased. While you probably won’t get the decrease if you fall into this category, don’t let that stop you from asking. If turned down, don’t be shy. Ask the representative what steps you need to take to get this reduction in the future and when you can call back to request the decrease again.

Lenders these days know that they need to be proactive in working with their customers.

Tip #5 – Reduce your debt

Becky Grizovic — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 12:54:09 +0000

This step might seem like a no-brainer. Of course you don’t want debt and of course you would want to reduce it, right?

If you have more than a little, figuring out where to start and how to get there can be a road that you might not want to face. It might seems overwhelming and like too big of a task to tackle, so you continue to make those minimum payments and continue to live as you always have to this point.

The problem here is that you have not tackled Tip #1 if this is the case – Changing Your Mindset. Once you change your mindset, you know that this debt has to go and you know that you have to make a plan to do so. Afterall, isn’t that what Tip #2 was about – Budgets!? By taking on Tips 1 and 2, you are now prepared to tackle tip #5 and get rid of this debt. You now have a plan in place that will tell your money where to go. At this point, you just need to stick to that plan.

Where exactly do you start though? Pay off that larger interest rate first or tackle those smaller balances?

This question is truly up to you.

Will you feel more accomplished and empowered by wiping out those smaller balances and showing them as victories when you see that statement with a big ol’ $0.00 due? If that is going to empower you to keep going and shows you accomplishment, then yes, take this route. That sense of “I DID IT” can be HUGE in moving forward!

If you are ready to take this head on and having those smaller victories under your belt won’t matter, you might want to go straight for the horns of this beast and get those HIGH interest balances wiped out first. The higher that rate is, the more interest you are paying on that money owed.

Once you pay off one debt, take the Dave Ramsey method of snowballing and take what you were paying on that debt and now redirect that money to your next debt. Once that one is cleared, take all of that and do the same to your next. As you move forward, the power within to get this job done is truly building and you will be feeling great when you know that you are on the road to being debt free! (If you are new to Dave Ramsey, you may want to check out his $10 Summer Blast).

Without debt, you have more money to put into savings. You have more security in life when the job market gets a little unstable and more security when tragedies happen in this world. You will no longer be throwing money out the window on those dreaded interest charges.

Our family has debt and our family has made the decision to tackle our debt and to be done with it once and for all. Because this is not an overnight success story, it is a decision you simply have to make, stick to and take head on. Place those credit cards in the safe at home if necessary and remember, it all starts with CHANGING YOUR MINDSET!

While I don’t expect all of the information in these posts to be totally new, eye opening information, I do hope it gives you power. I hope that it instills thought and places excitement into the reality that you can do this! You can save, you can be debt free and you can do this with the help of others around you! I hope you have enjoyed this first week of our Summer Savings Blitz. If you would like to see the others posts already published and those yet to come over the course of the next NINE weeks, please GO HERE.

Tip #4 – Evaluate your bank account

Becky Grizovic — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 11:00:04 +0000

To get a bank account and hold onto it until death do you part does not make sense in a day of such competition. Bank accounts are not always one size fits all and once you know this, you are prepared to find out what accounts might fit your needs.

SERVICE CHARGES
Does your account charge a monthly service charge? Find out if there are ways to avoid this charge. Is there a minimum balance needed to avoid this? If you sign up for direct deposit will that remove the charge? Does your employer also bank with this institution allowing them to extend benefits to you because of this relationship? If they can’t remove the charges on your current account type, maybe they can switch you to a new line or product that we eliminate the need for fees.

If you can’t find a way to avoid such charges, it may be time to look around. Service charges simply equate to taking that money out of your wallet each month and placing it in the trash with last night’s dinner. No person in their right mind would do this, so when you equate it in this way, you see why you need to do away with these needless charges.

REWARDS CARDS
Some banks offer rewards DEBIT cards. While we do not have this nice feature, I know others that do and they get points for using these. I don’t know about you, but we use our debit card for just about everything. We seldom carry cash. If the accounts needed for this type of card come with a service charge, you will want to make sure to weigh the good and bad with this. Will you earn more with the card than you will pay with the service fees?

SAVING TOOLS
Some banks will offer ways to help you increase your savings. Our bank offers a product called Round Up. This product takes every debit card purchase we make and rounds it up to the next full dollar amount. Whether the total is $1.02 or $1.97, it will round up to $2 and that additional amount is automatically put into our savings account each day. I can’t tell you how every little bit adds up and we truly don’t even notice the difference. For us, this equates to about an additional (and unnoticed) $40 each month in savings.

CREDIT UNIONS
Credit Unions are known for their ever so low loan rates. Purchasing a new car or buying a new house can be done with much less interest when obtaining your loan via a credit union. Sometimes family members can join a credit union if their family is an employee of that company. There are also times that you don’t have to have anything to do with that company, but they will allow you to become a member and obtain the same great loan rates.

PRODUCTS FOR KIDS
Some banks offer products simply for kids. Remember those fun little coin cards we used to have as kids? Some banks still offer those and allow kids to collect coins to later be deposited into their bank accounts. Our credit union (our “other” bank) offers a service for kids that allows them to come in and grab a handful of change on their birthday. Whatever is grabbed is then placed into their account. It’s not only fun for the kids, but it adds to the value of their account. WIN/WIN! They also offer perks for receiving good grades in school.

BANK FEES
Look into bank fees. It is possible to try and avoid as many fees as possible, but it’s always good to have your finger on the cost of an overdraft or other similar type of fee. You just never know when something might happen and you are facing hefty fees.

I once had a co-worked that was supposed to have their direct deposit broke down to have $X placed in savings and $Y placed in checking each pay period. Two weeks of these breakdowns were reversed by accident and one mortgage payment and lots of miscellaneous bills later she had a mess of bounced checks and fees. While she was able to get this all worked out with the payroll company and the bank, imagine if she couldn’t. Those fees add up quickly!

NEW ACCOUNT BONUS
If you feel that it is a good time to move banks, make sure to ask about new account bonus incentives. These can vary in amount and are a one time perk, but sometimes exceed $100! Make sure you know and follow the rules so that you don’t have to pay back any of the bonus. You many need to keep that particular account open for 3 months or have direct deposits as examples.

CUSTOMER SERVICE
Sometimes getting a good deal could include getting great customer service. If you know you can probably get a bit better of a deal elsewhere, always make sure you take into account your current level of service. Sometimes getting a better “$$” deal might mean giving up some great customer service and that friendly face you have grown accustomed to. This certainly needs to be added into the equation as you would hate to make such a big move only to find that you are pulling your hair out each time you need to deal with a human regarding your account.

FRIENDS and FAMILY
Always ask for recommendations. While this person may have had a run in with Banker’s Bank, everyone else could be singing their praises. If you find a bank that seems to get nothing but negative comments, it might be best to heed this advice and steer clear.

When dealing with bank accounts, always keep in mind that you are not married to them. As with any other service or product, you need to go where you get the best deal (AND the best customer service) and this can be quite a delicate dance.

Does your bank offer a feature or service that you find to be outstanding and worth a shout out!? Do you have a bank that you truly love? Tell us your experiences!

Savings Tip #3 – Coupons and Stockpiles

Becky Grizovic — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 03:25:08 +0000

Surely you did not think I would get too far into this series without discussing my passion and love – COUPONS and STOCKPILES.

It was the discovery of coupons and the knowledge of a stockpile that forever changed my mindset about the bulk of our family’s shopping. Note, I say the BULK of my shopping. Of course I hit the store sometimes without a plan and (EEEKK!) sometimes without a coupon.

Learning to coupon and building a stockpile to sustain your family are huge in saving on your family’s everyday needs.

“BUT THERE ARE NEVER COUPONS FOR WHAT WE EAT”
Seriously? Do you bathe? Do you clean? Do you have a pet or dine out? Don’t give the excuse that there are never coupons for things you eat. While coupons for certain things may be limited in their availability, you will always find ways to save. Even if you never shop for one single food item, you can save HUGE on your household cleaners, personal care items and such.

“OUR MONEY IS NOT TIGHT SO WE DON’T NEED TO COUPON”
Don’t tell me that money is not tight, therefore coupons are not necessary for your family. (I heard this once from a friend). You say that, I say nothing – but I will certainly chuckle as I leave the grocery saving HUGE over your total. Saying that your money is not tight, therefore coupons are not needed it craziness to me. Why would you EVER pay more for an item than you have to? Is a little work not worth the huge savings?

If you were looking to purchase a new car tomorrow night and I told you that if you went to XYZ.com to print a coupon and save $2000, wouldn’t you do it? Sure you would!

I am now telling you where to go for the deals and even laying out how get the deals. Why would you not? Is it because that $2000 is not immediate? Use coupons wisely and regularly and you will save MORE than that $2000 in a year!

“I DON’T NEED TOOTHPASTE THIS WEEK”
Guess what? I don’t either, but something tells me that it makes sense to get it now while it’s FREE than to wait 2 weeks and pay $3 a tube. Not only will I get it now at the cost of NOTHING, but I will get enough to sustain our family for a year so I don’t ever have to pay $3 for one single tube. My entire year of toothpaste will cost less than your ONE tube.

USE COUPONS
Using coupons can bring about huge savings. Do you really think there would be so many frugal blogs if this was not true? Do you think the nightly news would do story after story of coupons and those that use them if this was not true? I did not put this post at the #3 spot to teach you coupons, but to encourage you to break your thinking that coupons are for the financially strapped, for those that eat junk, and for those that simply have a current need. Remember, tip #1 was to change your mindset!!!

BUILD A STOCKPILE
By stockpiling, you are building up a reserve for your family. You will now be shopping at the price you wish to pay – not what the retailers want you to pay. You WILL buy that toothpaste when it’s free and you will quickly “get it”. Not only will you save money, but you will also find that it’s super convenient to be able to head to your stockpile when you run out of something. No more running to the store for a simple need.

Below you will find some tips from past posts that might offer help if you are new to this adventure! Always feel free to search in the sidebar for other tips and tricks to coupons. Also visit the STORES page to get a 101 on each store.

I hope you find helpful tips included here and throughout the site. Please feel free to leave comments anytime you have a question!

Have you run into someone fitting one of the above profiles? Are you that person? Tell us about it!!!

Feature YOURSELF on Nickels-n-Dimes!

Becky Grizovic — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 02:09:44 +0000

At some point, we all want to be under the big lights with the red carpet and the flashing cameras with waves of adoring fans shouting our name “Becky!”, “Becky!”, “Beeeeccckkkkyyyyyyy!”…..

Okay, maybe not, but here’s your chance to possibly get yourself in the spotlight on Nickels-n-Dimes.com!

I am calling all readers – anyone! You do not have to be a blogger to participate.

As you know, I am hosting a series for the summer – 2010 SUMMER SAVINGS BLITZ! This will be a 10 week series containing 50 tips on ways to save in your life.

What do I ask of you?

I ask for you to send me a story of you! I want your story of saving. What are you doing in your life to save and make a difference for your families bottom line.

Get creative and make it good because I would like to feature one of you each week from WEEKS 3-10 and put your post up as the guest post of the week.

Interested? Get to work. We have 1.5 weeks before week 3 gets under way!

Once your post is complete (I reserve the rights for basic editing needs), EMAIL IT TO ME!

I will email you once received and if your post is selected to be under the big lights of Nickels-n-Dimes fame, I will email again to let you know the date it will be published!

Savings Tip #2 – Budgets

Becky Grizovic — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 11:00:03 +0000

Creating a budget is a great way to get yourself focused and to have a plan to stick to each month. Budgets give your money direction.

I once had a professor in college that made a blanket statement that budgets are for those with financial issues. I could not disagree with that more. I told him that I felt so differently. I felt that it was a plan, a bridge to your financial goals.

I was married with a newborn at home. We were working to make our bills while adjusting to the costs of a new baby and the huge expense of childcare. We owned a home and wanted to move. We knew that the best way to meet our goals was to do so with a plan; a budget.

With this, we spent one month tracking every dime. When hubs stopped for a soda or we grabbed a sandwich for lunch, it was tracked. If we stopped by the store for a loaf of bread (paying full price back then), we tracked it.

At the end of the month, we were somewhat embarrassed to see how much we were spending on this or on that. That stop for a soda that my hubs was known for turned out to be HUGE! Who knew?

Without tracking, you really just don’t know.

Once you track your expenses for a month, you are ready for the meat and bones of the budget. If you are unsure of how to set one up, check the templates in Excel or search (via Swagbucks of course) for budgeting tools.

Some expenses to consider including in your budget:

Mortgage / rent
Mortgage insurance (if not escrowed)
Mortgage taxes (if not escrowed)
Gas / Electric
Phone
Water
Sewage
Cable / Satellite
Security
Credit cards
Student Loans
Personal Loans
Auto payments
Auto insurance
Gas
Oil Changes
Auto upkeep (estimate)
Bus / Taxi Fares
Insurance – Health, Life
Groceries
Dining out
Clothing
Child care
Tuition
Lunch money
School / sports fees
Pet food
Vet Visits
Dry Cleaning
Health Clubs
Entertainment
Taxes
Investing / Saving
Donations
Gifts
Legal expenses
Child Support
Alimony

Now, figure in the income:

Your income
Your mate’s income (if applicable)
Child support
Alimony
Social security

Once all of this is figured and planned out, you will then see where you stand at the end of the month. Hopefully, your final number is still BLACK. If not or if you number is not where you’d like for it be, you can make the necessary adjustments. Whether you decided to find a way for additional income or you decide that you need to make cuts, there is good news. It’s all laid out in an easy to follow and read format at this point!

Give your new budget a few months of use. Is it working for you? If not, great news! You can make changes.

Budgets are not set in concrete. You can tweak, adjust, and tweak some more.

Keep in mind that expenses fluctuate, families grow and goals change. You will find that you need to revisit and rework your budget from time to time. This is normal and expected but should be easy once the initial set up is in place.

What are your thoughts about budgets? Do you agree with my professor who thought that budgets were for those with financial issues?

Do you have a budget? Does it work for you or does it seem like a piece of paper that got pushed aside?

I would love to hear your thoughts and how a budget has / has not worked for you in your life!

Make sure to GO HERE to check out the full list of past and present tips!

Summer Savings Tip #1

Becky Grizovic — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:42:17 +0000

This could be a tough one for most. This is not something that happens overnight and is not something that will not happen without constant upkeep and reminders as to why your old way of thinking was just not working out.

This is a step that we are working on in our household to get rid of our consumer debt (EY! yep, we have it) and to be on the road to financial peace.

Changing your mindset is probably one of the biggest obstacles to tackle if you want to get away from your old habits and start that road to a better financial standing.

Do you REALLY need that insanely cute purse? Of course it’s on clearance, but do you REALLY need it?

Can you REALLY afford it if you are paying for it with your charge?

Does it REALLY make sense to say…”well, I expect a big check in two weeks, so…OK”?

Once you set your mind to something, it becomes easier to face it. Once you ACKNOWLEDGE a problem, you now possess the power to FIX that problem. If you are struggling each month to make ends meet or find that nasty credit card bill in the mailbox each month, it won’t matter how many coupons you use or how many deals you find. You are not going to change the overall picture until your mindset is where it needs to be.

What “questions” do you need to ask yourself? Will you have the courage and strength to answer these questions honestly and CHANGE YOUR MINDSET to do something about them?

Make sure to GO HERE to check out the full list of past and present tips!

2010 Summer Savings Blitz!

Becky Grizovic — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:09:32 +0000

I am so excited to announce the 2010 Summer Savings Blitz!

Over the next 10 weeks, you will find a new post each day, Monday through Friday with a tip to help you in your journey to saving your hard earned Nickels-n-Dimes! I have these posts broke down into themes for each week.

Weeks 1 & 2: General Savings Tips

Week 3: Saving on the Go

Week 4: Saving Around the House

Week 5: Saving on Food

Week 6: Saving Online

Week 7: Saving with Coupons

Week 8: Saving on Kids

Week 9: Saving in the Stores

Week 10: Saving for the Family

I will give YOU a chance to be a part of this with the possibility for a guest post. Details to be announced soon!