Subscribe to our newsletter!

Posts Tagged ‘Discount’

« Older Entries

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)!

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

AAA is more than just for flat tires…

Monday, June 7th, 2010

Today I wanted to talk about the advantages of a AAA membership.  The cost of the “Classic” membership, AKA the cheapest membership runs between $65 and $85 a year (for the first person, with additional members costing a small additional fee), and comes with many more advantages than just flat tire repair. 

Along with the companies distressed driver services (roadside breakdown, flat tire, a dead battery and car keys locked in the car, to name a few), they also offer features like Triptik, their online travel planner (which my mom has used for years and loves it) maps and apps for your GPS and your iPhone, and tour books!  On top of all this, some local AAA offices are affiliated with your local DMV and can allow member drivers to take care of vehicle registration, lost license plates and car stickers and transfer out of state vehicles (a serious pain in the neck, if you’ve never had to do it)!  Another benefit?  They have recently added identity theft monitoring with specialized people in their fraud relosultion support department, which is a free program included in your membership…all you have to do is sign up!

The other great benefit to a AAA membership?  All the discounts!  Discounts can range from 10%-30%, depending on the location, and can include locations like hotels, rental cars, gym memberships, restaurants, sporting events, prescription medicines etc.

With all of these benefits, a Classic AAA membership seems like a great deal, and, if you have your budget on track (i.e. no debt except the house), this should be a great way for you to save some money!  Now, if your lifestyle dictates that you’re on the road a lot (salesman, for example), then you should consider this service, out of debt or not!

On a personal note, your favorite southern couple is fast approaching the due date of their first child, and therefore, will likely miss a post or 2 in the upcoming weeks.  If, you, our wonderful readers, visit the site and find no post for the day, please be assured that we will be back soon, and will post pictures of the newest addition to our clan as soon as we get the chance.

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

Something sweet? How about free doughnuts TODAY!

Friday, June 4th, 2010

Today’s article is about National Doughnut Day, which is today, June 4, 2010!  The article, Honor history and eat a (free) doughnut, by Teresa Mears, tells the history of the doughnut (who knew that National Doughnut Day started in 1938 as a fund-raiser for the Salvation Army??) with regard to the U.S.  and all kinds of other fun facts for the reader.  I loved all the trivia!  What did I love more?  The info about free doughnuts, since as most of our readers know, we’re love deals and freebies!  So, where can you get free doughnuts?  Read on:

  • Krispy Kreme – 1 free doughnut per customer, no purchase necessary!
  • Dunkin’ Donuts – free doughnut WITH the purchase of a beverage!
  • LaMar’s – 1 free Ray’s Original Glazed Doughnut, no purchase necessary!
  • Shipley Do-Nuts – Free glazed doughnut WITH purchase UNTIL noon!

Don’t have one of these shops near your house?  Check with local mom and pop shops to see if they’re celebrating the day!  If not, explain the day and see if you can get a freebie (or freebie with purchase).  Hey, it never hurts to ask!  Have a great National Doughnut Day and happy eating! 


A special thanks goes out to Amy for bringing such a yummy article to our attention!

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Friday's Financial News! | Comments Off

Trimming home insurance costs…

Monday, May 17th, 2010

It’s time for spring cleaning, and in our opinion, that should include cleaning up your budget and bills.  Given that information, today I wanted to offer a few tips on cutting the cost of your homeowners insurance.  Here are a few ideas:

  • Raise your deductible to $1,000 – Let’s face it…if you ‘have to use your insurance for your home, you’re likely to have to spend WELL OVER$1,000 on whatever the repair might be , and you could save up to 25% off your yearly premium!  It’s a good choice!  Plus, if you have an emergency fund, like we suggest, of at least $1,000, then you would have the money to cover the deductible.
  • Use the same company for both your auto insurance AND your homeowners insurance – This is a no brainer!  Most insurance companies offer discounts when you have multiple accounts with them, which could amount to 10% off your premium.  No sense paying an extra 10% just to be able to use 2 different companies.  Find the company with the best rate for both policies and go with them!
  • Check with your insurer to see if they offer loyalty discounts – Not all of them do, but the insurance companies that do will give discounts up to 10%.  It’s worth looking into, although you might have to have been with them for several years (at least 5).
  • Install dead bolts and/or a security system – Not only is it a safety issue, but it’s a good way to save an extra 5% on the homeowners policy.  Check with your insurance company to see if other safety features can be added to your home to increase the discount even more!

Whether you implement all or just one of these tips, you will see the difference on your bill, and that money can be used as savings, debt payment or additional funds for another under-funded budget category.  “Trimming the fat” out of each bill is a key way to making your budget work for you!

Tags: , ,
Posted in Mucho Moolah, Monday's Money Saving Tips! | 1 Comment »

Baby clothes cheap!

Monday, April 5th, 2010

If you are already a parent, this tip will probably not come as a shock to you, but if, however you are pregnant or a first time parent, this tip could save you a lot of money: Shop consignment baby stores!

Your favorite southern couple has a little announcement to make: We are about to become your favorite southern family! We are expecting our first child early this June!  Because of this, I have been doing a lot of catch up on finding ways to save money for new babies!  Consignment shops like Once Upon a Child or Kid to Kid offer a great way to save some money on baby clothes (and some toys), and pay you for your gently used or unworn baby/toddler clothing that you don’t need anymore.   Some good news?   They don’t just accept any clothing…it has to be in very good condition. 

Although I haven’t even given birth yet, I’ve already checked out some local consignment shops, and was very impressed!  I found 2 little every day rompers that still had the tags on them from the original stores, both originally around $10 a piece, now marked down to $1.50 and $2.50!  What a steal!  The selection was INCREDIBLE, and the merchandise ranged from low end store wares all the way to the designer brands found at high end stores.  Every item was clearly priced and sized on their tags, and the staff was helpful. 

Here’s a shocker: Children and babies are messy.  There are mud pies and markers and dirty diapers and spit up.  Their clothing (for the most part) should be bought to reflect their messy lifestyle, i.e. semi-disposable, which means that spending a ton of money on their regular, everyday clothes is silly.  Take my advice and check out the consignment stores, even if it’s normally not a place you would go, it’s worth the trip, since you are almost guaranteed to save some money!

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Mucho Moolah, Monday's Money Saving Tips! | 4 Comments »

Great tip for those unused gift cards!

Monday, March 29th, 2010

Whether it is our birthday, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or some other occasion, at some point we all have received a gift card to a store, restaurant etc. that we’d rather not have received.  Most of us upon seeing it probably all think the same thing,  ”What am I going to do with this???”. 

In the past, our only solution was to go to the store and try to find something that we would want or just forget about the gift card altogether.  These days, we have another alternative: plasticjungle.com.  Plastic Jungle is a website that allows you to sell your unwanted gift cards for up to 85% of the value or swap the card for another card from a store you would actually shop at of the same value!  It’s incredible!  We don’t ever have to be stuck with a crappy gift card again!  Now we can trade for gift cards we like or get cash for the ones we don’t.

Another idea?  It’s a great place to get discounted gift cards for friends and family!  This way you can give them a gift you want to give them and save some money in the process! 

This website offers many options in a world where there weren’t many just a few short years ago.  With gift cards becoming the top choice gift for many people, it’s nice to know that unlike the Scottish terrier sweater your grandmother gives you for Christmas, you can exchange the Bass Pro gift card for something a little more “you”!

Tags: ,
Posted in Mucho Moolah, Monday's Money Saving Tips! | 4 Comments »

Get your audiobooks for free!

Monday, March 8th, 2010

I know that some of you don’t do audiobooks, but for those of you that do, you know that newer release books cost quite a bit to download/purchase.  Well, this weekend, while trying to find the best price on an audiobook that Jerrill and I wanted to listen to, we stumbled across a great way to listen to them for free!

Our local library (and hopefully yours as well) offers audiobooks to be downloaded on their website for free!  Our local library connects us to NetLibrary, an eBook and eAudiobook content distributor.  They have a huge selection for their members to choose from, and offer the content FOR FREE for a set time.  The audiobook we wanted to listen to was available, and with an access code, we downloaded it for free for 20 days, which is more than enough time to listen to an audiobook!

Take it from me when I say that this is a great way to read or listen to books!  Not only is it free like your local library, but you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your own home!  What a great way to save some money!

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

Saving on auto insurance!

Monday, February 15th, 2010

Premium prices on auto insurance are a killer.  Nobody enjoys paying more than they need to for insurance, so here are some ideas on ways to save some cash. 

  • Raising your deductible can save you plenty of money, if you are able to cover said deductible when and if you are in an accident.
  • Skip the collision insurance if your car is worth less than 10 times what you’d pay in a year for the collision insurance.  Need to know what your car is worth?  Got to kbb.com to find out!
  • Check into other discounts that your auto insurance offers, like good driver discounts and good grades for teens.  Another option to check into?  Combining home owners insurance and auto insurance at the same company can save you money too!
  • Check around and compare prices at insweb.com.  You might be able to lower your rates by up to $300 less than what you’re paying now!  

Good luck!  If you have any other ideas that could help lower auto insurance, feel free to share them in the comments section!!

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

Other places to shop…

Monday, January 18th, 2010

You know, it always amazes me how many people shop “in a box”, and won’t step out of it for anything.  There are, much to the surprise or dismay of some, lots of places to shop other than the mall, outlet malls, strip malls and “boutiques”.    Consignment stores and the retail stores of charitable organizations like the Salvation Army and the Goodwill are great places to find a deal.

Consignment stores are retail locations where people take their gently used clothing and accessories are sell them at a fraction of what they paid.  The consignment store then turns around and sells the items at a discount.  This means a great savings on things for you.  A small disclosure…you DO have to scour the racks for the gems, and you DO have to scour the items for defects and you should ALWAYS wash the item before using/wearing it.  Also, I personally wouldn’t buy undergarments, swimsuits or shoes secondhand, unless your options are completely limited.  The discounts at some consignment stores can be up to 75% off the retail price, and there are consignment stores that are targeted to a specific audience, such as young teen/college age and professional women and maternity.  Check your local community for the options available to you.

As far as charitable retail sites like Goodwill and the Salvation Army, the same rules apply.  You have to look through things carefully before choosing to buy from them, and some things might “need a little work” before they can be useful to you, but these are not bad places to find a deal.  Not everything there is “crap”.  A lot of the time, things are merely discarded items that people no longer want…that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth anything.  As a matter of fact, Goodwill has an auction website, similar to Ebay, called shopgoodwill.com.  You can find antiques, collectibles and luxury goods that have been donated to Goodwill to bid on at this site! 

No matter what your thoughts on these places are, you shouldn’t judge them unless you’ve been there at least once.  If, after going to a consignment store, you don’t like what you see, simply don’t go back.  If however, you find it a worthwhile place to shop, then you are likely to save quite a bit of money over the years!

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

Save money over time…you hate that printer anyway, don’t you?

Monday, November 30th, 2009

Like many of you, I am not a fan of the printer industry.  They charge us for their printers, and then, like pouring salt in the wound, they charge us ridiculous amounts of money for the ink to make them work!  Personally, I have switched to a laser printer, which was reasonably priced, even if the toner cartridge is pricey.  The difference?  Laser printers can print a few THOUSAND pages, where an ink jet printer can only print 300-800 pages, and some really cheap printers will only cover 50-100 sheets of paper.  So, how do you keep from getting ripped off with ink jet printer cartridges?  Buy ink, not cartridges!  It can save you roughly $11 a month, but the real satisfaction comes in not paying those ridiculous prices for the cartridges!

So, where do you get ink?  Well, some local drug stores and shopping malls offer a place to buy ink, and if you can’t find a place locally, check out Staples.com.  They have a section on their website, Ink and Toner finder that might just be a great way for you to find the ink you need. 

Let’s face it.  You don’t buy a new car when you run out of gas, so why would you buy a new cartridge (or printer) when you run out of ink?  Enjoy your savings, and the satisfaction of not being taken by the current system!

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

« Older Entries