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!