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)!

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.

• 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!

• 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!

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!

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”!

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!

• 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!!

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!

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!

Ebates.com: This website is a good tool for those of you who do a lot of online shopping. The trick to Ebates.com is that you have to “shop through” their website, as in, you go to their website first, find the store where you want to make a purchase, click on the link, and shop. The site is useful because you can search for a store or a product, which means if you need a product, but don’t know where to get it, you can search for the item and shop that way. Cash back percentages vary from store to store and the site sends out the rebates to their users quarterly. Some good news is that if you shop at certain online stores, you can get the item shipped to the “bricks and mortar” location and get free shipping! Bigger purchases mean bigger rebates, so consider this site when you need to purchase big ticket items!

Mypoints.com: At Mypoints.com, you can make purchases or take surveys to earn points. They offer several ways to earn extra points. For example, in addition to making purchases and taking surveys to earn points, you can click through emails and subscribe to their elist. After accruing a certain number of points, you can exchange them for gift cards to stores and other locations, or donations to participating charities.

39dollarglasses.com: If you have the prescription for your glasses and want your glasses on the cheap, this is the place for you. Go somewhere you can try on glasses and figure out what kind of frames you like, then get on their website and find similar frames (or the exact same frames, if you can), and buy them, on the cheap. They aren’t the nicest frames (you wouldn’t expect that for the price though, would you?), but they are good for people who wear contacts and just need something occasionally. Bonus? This website is also on Ebates.com, so you can get cash back on them!

I would like to thank my friend Jodi for pointing these websites out, and tell our readers that I hope you find them useful! Happy shopping!

This article is a good look into outlet malls, outlet or “factory” stores and whether or not their discounts are really any good.   The main source sited is Ellen Ruppel Shell and her book  Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture.  One of the best points she makes (there are many) is that because these stores are billed as “designer quality and value price” people swallow their marketing hook, line and sinker.  They don’t question whether or not the prices are a deal, because they see a sale sign that says, for example, “30% off”, and assume that it’s a good deal.  Big mistake. Especially since, according to Shell, some stores (this is refuted by another source) raise the prices in the store so that they can mark them down, which after raising them makes them settle around regular price…wow, real savings.

Another lessen learned from this article, is that, much to my delight, and only slightly to my surprise, stores like Coach sell different products in their outlet stores as opposed to their standard retail stores.  This means that the majority (my opinion) of people who shop at these Coach outlet stores think they’re getting the same quality designer goods as the retail store, but to a trained “fashion eye”, stand out with their outlet items.  So, for a regular designer Coach bag, the price might be good, but since it’s made from lesser materials (not always) for their outlet stores only, the price might be “full price”, and you were just parted from your cash!  Something to keep in mind the next time you buy at an outlet store where the status of their brand is important…since to a trained eye, your item’s status doesn’t measure up.

Another little tip to note:   According to a recent “state of the industry” report by Retail Value News the average discount at the outlet stores is 37%.  We can do better than that on the sale and clearance racks at most retail stores.

The moral of this very interesting story is that it doesn’t matter whether or not the items in these stores are on sale, but whether or not they are a price you are willing to pay for the label and quality.

So, today we’re talking about ways to save money when you go to play or watch sports. Now, I know not all places offer discounts, but maybe there is a way to change what you normally do to save money. Here are a few examples:

• Golf – Golf is a great sport to save money. Firstly, don’t get a cart! Let’s face it, you do get a workout in your upper body from swinging the clubs, but maybe a little cardio wouldn’t hurt your waistline, now would it…and you save big bucks, because they charge ridiculous amounts to rent them! Also, some golf courses will offer a discounted playing fee if you go in the evening! They know you can’t play the whole course, so they give you a price break! Check it out sometime when you need to save a little cash!
• Tennis and Basketball – Both of these sports are high intensity and lots of fun, but renting the courts to play them on can be ridiculous, especially if no one else chips in! So, I say you should check out your local Parks and Recreation website/office. Parks and Rec usually have several places in your city/county that offer free tennis/basketball courts, among a whole lot of other wonderful amenities, some free, some pay, but ALL reasonable…check them out!
• Watching Sports (either at the game, or at a sports bar) – 1 chilidog, 2 chilidog, 3 chilidog…floor! Let’s face it, when it comes to watching sports, we get so distracted we have no IDEA how much food or alcohol/soda we consume. Now, I wouldn’t dream of telling our readers to completely stop going out to a game or buying food and drink there, but I would ask you to cut back! The tickets are expensive, so maybe you go to 3 of the 5 games you would have went to this year. And skip some of the food. This time, only get 2 chilidogs versus 3 (and all the chips and other stuff you would get) and 2-3 beers instead of 4-5 and save yourself tons of cash. Only watch the game at your favorite sprots bar? That’s cool…you’re already saving on the cost of admission (i.e. free)! Now, look at the menu…whatever food you were going to order, either order half, or order items that were half the price of your usual food! You’ve already saved! Now, the same goes for the beer! Drink a little slower, and drink half as much as you normally would! You could be surprised at how much you save!

That’s it! A few good ways to save cash when playing or watching sports! I encourage our readers to try these tips and see how much they can save!

Think about it…buy 1 get 1 50% (or half) off, is the same thing as 25% off of each item. That is NOT a significant discount! That is a relatively standard discount something at a retail store receives when it goes on sale, which means they have a lot more margin in the item than 25%! The same thing goes for appliance/electronic stores, that offer $50 off when you spend $500 or $100 when you spend $750…that works out to be 10% and 7.5% respectively. That means the discount actually goes DOWN when you spend more!

Another fun part of the “Buy 1 get 1 50% off” is that they have made you spend more money then you would have when you went to the store in the first place. Know why? Because they have made you buy 2 of something, where you might have only bought 1. That’s right…it’s BUY 1, GET 1 50% off, so they have made you buy 2 of them! So, let’s say that you are looking at a $40 skirt (men, substitute a tool). It’s buy 1 get 1 50% off, but you only need the 1 color (tool). You say, well, i might as well go ahead and get the discount…now, instead of buying 1 $40 skirt (tool) that you need, you are buying 2 for $60! The retail store got $20 more dollars from your wallet, and still did not have to give a very big discount!

Now, if the retail store has a percentage off sale, where you are not forced to buy more than one item to get a discount, go for it, if you NEED the item and if the discount is worth it. I usually don’t think a discount is good until it hits 40-50% off per item. Also, don’t forget that an item you truly NEED does not HAVE to be discounted for you to purchase it. I should also tell you that I do not have a problem with a grocery store “buy 1 get 1 50% off”, if it is on something you would have bought anyway, like frozen veggies, and are absolutely sure you will use both items. So, the moral of the story, is to be the savvy shopper that I know we all have inside of us. Remember back to when you were a child, and had to make your money last. Since you didn’t have a job, you couldn’t guarantee that once you spent what you had, you would be able to get more in the near future. Be a smart shopper and don’t fall for gimick sales that just want to make you spend more money.

Gas stations are apparently desperate to stop paying this fee, because the Shell gas station closest to my house has a new “feature” on it’s automated pump. The pump now asks “is this a debit card?” and lets you answer “yes or no”. Their reasonong is simple…if it’s a debit card, then the bank pays the credit card company fee, not the store. This sounds OK, except that some banks, like mine, charge their CUSTOMER to use their debit card AS A debit card! We get charged $1.00 per use as a debit card, so if I was distracted while at the pump, I would be charged $1.00 for using my card as a debit card. Isn’t that fun? No discount AND get charged extra! This is why I say that it pays to carry cash! And, although I know this will mean that we all have to go into the store to pay, I think we’ll be fine. After all, a little exercise never hurt anyone, right?

So, to sum up, pay for your gas with cash, and don’t declare your card to be a debit card, even if it is, when buying gasoline. Make sure you pay attention to what you are doing at the pump, because even though it is automated and very easy to buy gas nowadays, it is also easy to be distracted and pay more then you should for your gas!