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Archive for July, 2010

A better way to win those eBay auctions…

Monday, July 19th, 2010

I love looking on eBay,  They have so much stuff!  Used or new, you can find all kinds of interesting things on there.  Frankly, however, it can be a pain in the butt!  It irritates me that they overcharge on the shipping, and, if you really want something, you have to use the “buy it now” option, since it’s almost impossible to win an auction these days…until now!

Bidnip.com is an auction sniper site that will swoop in at the last minute on an auction, and, for a very small fee (generally less than a quarter), snag the item for you!  If you don’t win, you get your change back!  This will help you save up to 50% on your item, which will make you feel a little better about the ridiculous shipping costs that the sellers charge!  Also, if you’re not sure you want to sign up with them, they let you have a free trial, just to be sure.  No obligation, no worries.

Happy shopping!  Save some money.

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Posted in Mucho Moolah, Monday's Money Saving Tips! | Comments Off

Sanity and working together…

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

There are many differences between good strong relationships and relationships that struggle.  We have discussed some of them in the past, but another characteristic of a strong relationship is working together.  When you work together as a couple, it keeps you sane, especially when you have a burden on your relationship. 

In our case, a new baby in the house is definitely a strain on our sanity as first time parents.  There are bottles to be made and diapers to be changed, all while the baby is crying.  It’s a lot on the nerves.  The only way to make it through, that I can see anyway, is to work together.  When you share the responsibilities you are not only showing respect to your partner, but you are directly impacting their stress level in a positive way.  This keeps the blood pressure low and, if your lucky, keeps the sleep deprivation to a minimum, haha. 

Identify the stressers in your relationship.  Sit down and discuss them together, and see if you can agree on a method to work together and remove the stress.  Show each other the love and respect that you felt for each other when you got married.  That is how love and respect grow throughout the years.  I love and respect Jerrill more everyday.  And the love and respect I show him, he shows to me as well, and that, people, helps you keep your sanity when you have a million things to do and no time to do it in.

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Why generics are awesome…

Monday, July 12th, 2010

I have said many times before, that buying generic will save you lots of money, but today I have a very good example  of how a couple of little things can save you lots of money.

As our regular readers are aware, your favorite southern couple now has a daughter.  At around a month old, her requirements are mainly food, diaper changes and sleep (and the pacifier, haha).  Another requirement, we have learned, is that of gas relief drops, like Mylicon.  The stuff is like liquid gold.  We go through an ounce a week, for crying out loud, and at about $13 an ounce, buying that stuff at the grocery, frankly, hurts.  The good news is that while at another local grocery store, we found their generic brand drops for only $4 an ounce!  That’s a savings of $9 a week, or $468 a year!  For those of you looking for a good start on your vacation fund, saving on generics like this is a fast track to making it a reality. 

Review your weekly expenditures and try and find the name brand things that can be swapped for generic.  It doesn’t have to be all of your weekly expenses, but $10-$15 a week adds up, and will be a nice boost to your savings, or a good start on a vacation (or at least a nice long weekend)!

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What a teen should do with their job earnings…

Friday, July 9th, 2010

Today’s article  is from CNNMoney.com, titled Teach you teen paycheck savvy, and gives good tips for ways to steer your teenager toward a financially sound future.  What tips does it offer?  Read on:

  • Taxes – Gross versus Net, FICA versus income taxes…it’s all confusing to a teenager.  Actually, it’s confusing to a lot of adults as well (unfortunately), so if you don’t understand the difference, look it up, then sit down with your child when they get their first check and explain the differences to them.  It’s important for them to know what they make versus what they bring home, and where what they’re not bringing home is going.
  • Bank accounts – Help your teen open up both a savings and a checking account.  It’s not only important for your teen to learn how to use a checking account, including balancing a checkbook (which you should teach them…again, learn how to if you don’t know, because you want your child to have a good financial start, don’t you??), but it’s also important for them to learn how to save money, like starting their own emergency fund, car fund or iPhone or iPad fund etc.  Delayed gratification is a very good lesson for a teen to learn, in a world of “My super sweet 16″ TV shows and teens who expect to be bought $200 blue jeans.
  • Micromanaging – The above stated, let them mess up with the first paycheck.  New fancy shoes or video games might be awesome to have right then and there, but when they have no more money because they blew it all, don’t give in and give them money from your own wallet.  Let them see what it’s like to be broke.  It needs to hurt a little. 

This is a great article, so check it out!  Don’t let the opportunity to impart good financial lessons to your teenager pass you by!!!

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Posted in Friday's Financial News! | Comments Off

Happy 4th of July weekend.

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

Due to a very fussy baby, there will be no post today.  We apologize, and hope that all of our readers have a fun and safe holiday weekend.  Happy Independence day!

Posted in Friday's Financial News! | Comments Off