229. Keep Your Owner's Manuals

There are a lot of items that come with Owner's Manuals. Keep these manuals. You may be surprised by how much information is included in them. We have had items that we thought were broken, only to review the owner's manual and discover that there is a simple fix to the problem. These can be valuable for you as long as you own the item and they can increase the resale value of items you no longer need. Sometimes a simple and inexpensive fix can restore something that you thought would have to be replaced, saving you the price of replacement.

Happy Saving!

Until Tomorrow!

228. Think Before you Print

I know that I am a culprit of printing unnecessarily, and I can verify that it definitely wastes money. The cost of the ink and the cost of the paper can add up quickly. If you are thinking of printing, make sure that you really need to print. You can also print on the back of paper that you have used previously.  Think before you print!

Happy Not Printing!

Until Tomorrow!

227. School Supplies

I have discovered that school supplies can cost a pretty penny, so we began to find opportunities for savings with them. I started to clean up, repair, and save items that are in pretty good condition from previous years, then I save them in my school supply box. Then, when school begins we search through this box first. Once we have gotten anything usable out of there, we figure out if there is anything else needed. Then, we make a run to the store. There are some things that I know are used a lot that I may purchase multiples of when they are on sale.

Happy Reusing!

Until Tomorrow!

226. Homemade Birthday Cakes

One of the pricier items for a birthday party is the commercially purchased birthday cake. If you are having a children's party, you can most definitely make your own cake, or cup cakes. There are a number of decorating options, if that is what you want. We have done everything from themed cakes to child decorated cup cakes. If you want to save some cash, opt for making your own.

Happy Partying!

Until Tomorrow!

225. Don't get Subscriptions that You Don't Read

I don't know about you, but I certainly don't have time to read a newspaper every day. I do have time occasionally and on those days, I will pick up a paper from the store. The same holds true with magazines. There are some that I like to read and will pick up when I have the time to read them. At one time, I had a subscription to the newspaper every day, I ended up with a stack of papers that I had never read, so I switched to a once a week subscription and that worked pretty well. We do have a couple of magazine subscriptions and those magazines are read and re-read, so they are worth the cost; however, the two that we had that never got read - got cancelled. Think seriously about whether or not you are reading those printed items that are delivered directly to you.

Happy Reading!

Until Tomorrow!

224. Re-use Utensils Pack Your Lunch

Save yourself some money and save the environment by re-using your utensils. We even re-use the plastic ones, they wash up just fine and if it accidentally gets thrown away, it doesn't cost a lot to replace. If you purchase some utensils from a second hand store, you can use those as your lunch utensils!

Happy Packing!

Until Tomorrow!

223. Buying Insurance

You should only buy insurance for specific items that you cannot afford to replace. You should not buy insurance for an item that can easily be replaced. When you pay for insurance on an item monthly, it may not seem as though you are paying a lot; however, that amount adds up quickly. Make sure that you are not paying more to insure the item than the item is worth.

Happy Saving!

Until Tomorrow!

222. Avoid "Gotcha" Fees

Make sure that you pay attention to the small print in any "deal" that you sign up for. There have been many times when some small undisclosed fee is automatically added to a bill. By watching the billing and paying attention to all of the fees charged, I have gotten these removed or corrected. This ends up saving me a little bit a number of times. A lot of these fees are automatically assessed and most people don't even notice them, so they just pay and the company makes money. If you watch your bills and make sure that you are not paying for any of these crazy fees, you can save yourself some cash.

Happy Avoiding!

Until Tomorrow!

221. Do Not Get into the Payday Advance Cycle

One way to truly save money is to never get a payday advance. The interest rate alone could put you in the poor house. Do what you can to avoid these types of loans under all circumstances; once you get into this cycle, it is very difficult to get yourself out.

Happy Budgeting!

Until Tomorrow!

220. Don't Purchase the Store Protection Plan

Make sure that before you purchase the store protection plan, you research thoroughly if the cost is justified. Check the price of the item and the manufacturer's protection policy before you pay the extra for a protection plan that may not actually provide you any service. I have been offered a $5 protection plan on a $15 product. That does not seem to make good financial sense.

Happy Researching!

Until Tomorrow!

219. Reuse

If you can figure out a way to reuse stuff that you already own. Sometimes if you really use your imagination, you can come up with new ways to use your old stuff so that it will work for you again. We have used a twin bed as a couch, a little plant stand as an end table, a chair as an end table, a small dinner tray as a bed side table, a small coffee table as a TV stand, an end table as a printer stand, etc. There are a multitude of methods to reuse items that you already have to fit what you need. Sometimes some paint or a piece of fabric can completely change one item into something completely new.

Happy Reusing!

Until Tomorrow!

218. Find and Use a Cheaper Stylist

One of the things that ends up costing women (in particular) a fortune is getting their hair done at a salon. I have searched for a stylist that I like who happens to be affordable, and this was not easy. I still don't understand why it costs so much more to get the same haircut at different locations. The good news is that there are so many stylists and so many locations, choices are available.

Happy Styling!

Until Tomorrow!

217. Use Cloth Diapers for Baby

When our first child was born, we never even considered cloth diapers. The disposable ones seemed to work just fine, although they cost us a fortune. When our second child was born, she would get an immediate rash from most disposable diapers, so we had to do something. We could either switch to the very expensive, natural disposable diapers, or use cloth. We opted for cloth and discovered that we were saving a small fortune in diapering.

Happy Saving!

Until Tomorrow!

216. Ask for a Discount

Sometimes being up front enough to ask for a discount can save you cash. There are a number of companies that offer discounts for being a member of a variety of groups and there are some companies that do have discounts,  but they are only available when you make the request.

Happy Inquiring!

Until Tomorrow!

215. Ask questions

If you really want to save money, ask questions. By asking questions, you can become better informed and can often save yourself some money and some frustration. By making sure that you understand what you are paying for and what the value is, you can make informed decisions.

Happy Questioning!

Until Tomorrow!

214. Free Exams Through Insurance

Make sure that you take advantage of your free medical, dental, vision, etc exams through your insurance. You (or your employer) are paying for this benefit, make sure that you get the most out of it. These exams can often be an important part of staying healthy. Make sure that you are using your benefits.

Happy Checkup!

Until Tomorrow!

213. Check for reductions in monthly services

Check with your monthly service providers to see if you can reduce your expenses. Sometimes, if you are thinking of cancelling a service, the provider will work with you to see if there is a way to reduce your cost. There could, also, be ways to reduce your usage so that the cost goes down. Get creative!

Happy Reducing!

Until Tomorrow!