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Planning & Organizing for Black Friday and other Shopping Trips

November 25, 2008 1 Comment

For the first of week of our little festival, I’ll be focused on planning & preparation. We begin with Christmas shopping. As you all know, Black Friday is this week. There’s a big debate over the merits of Black Friday. It is really worth the trip? Can you really save that much? I’d say the answer is yes and no.

I think there was definitely a time when Black Friday was a little more worth your while. Somehow I think the further commercialization of Christmas, the availability of more & more items to choose from, and the fact that the Christmas shopping season has been expanding to where it no longer starts on Black Friday, but instead starts in October, has deminished the appeal and the excitement of Black Friday.

But you can find good deals on Black Friday. If you do your research, get there early, and are willing to stand in line for that door buster deal, you can definitely save money. Unfortunately some of the great deals you see in the paper are for items of which they only have a limited quantity. Other items you find in the sales aren’t actually on sale at all; someone just paid to have that item advertised. And some items that are “on sale” you will find, aren’t really much cheaper than they would be on any given day.

However, you can find deals. People find them every year. For example, we picked up a vacuum last year, and few years ago I got a great deal on a printer. There are definitely some great deals to be had, you just have to know where to look, and you have to have a plan.

I wrote an article last year on making the most of your Black Friday trip. I published this article on Helium, and it has been ranked number one in the category for the past year. It was even featured on the front page of their website a year ago. The article focuses on strategies that you can use to plan and organize your shopping trip. It lays out a step-by-step process and explains how to look at and sort through the mountain of Black Friday advertisements, how to organize your shopping list and trip, and it also gives you some tips on prioritizing your trip and maneuvering through the chaos at your local stores.

And even if you don’t plan on going shopping for Black Friday, the article is worth checking out because the process and strategies can be applied for any shopping day. And since they’ll be having Christmas sales throughout the month of December, it should come in handy. Here’s the link to the article:

Next up, I’ll have an article on tips to avoid overspending this holiday season, tips for making your shopping list, and other ideas for Christmas planning.

-Jerri


Filed Under: Christmas, organizing, saving money, shopping

Back to College: Beating the Bookstore Again

July 31, 2008 Leave a Comment


Here are a few more tips to help you beat the bookstore:

Refunds – If you buy from the bookstore, make note of the refund policies. For a number of days, you’ll be able to get a full refund on the books you buy (with a receipt of course) but after the deadline passes, you will not be able to get a refund. Instead the clerk will tell you that you have to wait until the buy back period at the end of the semester.

Beware of the Buy Back – Unless you just cannot stand to look a book for another second, and you have no hope of selling it elsewhere, or you desperately need money now, I don’t advise selling your book to the bookstore.

I participated in the Buy Back program a few times when I was in jr. college to sell books that I had absolutely no use for, and as my husband would say, “it’s a big racket.”

Here’s an example of what I mean: First, they only have a demand for a certain number of books, so by the time you go to sell your book, they may have reached their quota, and won’t buy your book at all. But in a way that’s a good thing, because if you sell your book to them, you won’t get much for it. For example, say you bought a new book for $100. The bookstore will probably pay you $40 for that book. (maybe a little more or less, depending on what kind of book it is), but they will then turn around and resell that book for about $75 (more or less). And it goes on from there, when the next person who buys the book for $75 participates in buy back and only gets $30, and then the book is resold again for a greater value. (so they can profit again and again)

Sell the Books on Your Own
If you don’t want to keep your old textbooks, and you don’t feel that the bookstore is willing to pay a fair price for them, then you’re better off to try to sell the book elsewhere.

Ask your friends and classmates if they are interested in the book. They will be happy to buy the book from you rather than buying from the bookstore, and if they don’t need what you have, they probably know someone who does. Or you can make flyers and post them on the bulletin board. Use the college’s online message board if possible to advertise your books or advertise on Facebook to a broader audience.

You can also use ebay, amazon, or some of the other websites that I listed in the previous post to sell your books. A few weeks ago I also found out about this website where you enter in the ISBN for your books, and the site makes you an offer for the books & even pays the postage for you to send them the books. It’s called Cash4books. I’m not sure how much they’ll offer you. It may not be as much as the bookstore offers, or it may be more. I suggest getting an appraisal on this site, and then going to the bookstore to find out how much they offer, and then you can go from there.

In truth, if you’re being offered $20 for sure, then you may not want to hold out for $35 potential dollars on ebay. It’s up to you, but as for me, when I pay money for a book, I’d rather keep it, than just give it away for practically nothing, and allow the bookstore to profit from it again…but that’s just me. =)


Filed Under: personal finances, saving money, School/College

Back to College: Beating the Bookstore

July 30, 2008 2 Comments

After being in school for 2 or 3 years, I finally decided to check online about buying some used books, and I was very surprised to find that I could get used book for about half the cost of the used books at my school, and used books that were about 1/4 the cost of a new book at my school. Obviously this adds up to huge savings when you take a book that’s $50 new and $30 used at the bookstore, and you can find it for $15 or $20 online, or when you find a $100 book for $35 or $40

Here are some tips & strategies that will help you to save money on textbooks (and all books for that matter.)

1. Buy used.

2. Buy an older edition of the book. – Often they put out a new edition of a book, and there are no used copies. You may just have to grit your tooth and shell out the dough for the new book, but you may also consider locating an older edition online. You should check with the professor to find out if it’s okay to get an older edition first. Sometimes it is absolutely necessary to buy the new book, as the newer book may contain important passages that the old book did not. (lit books & math books can’t really be substituted b/c they make changes) But in some cases, (such as with history books & some social studies books) there really is not much change in the content of the book, and the teacher may allow you to use an older version if it is available to you. The very first day I attended classes, my history professor put this way: “We have a new book this semester. If you know someone who has the older edition, feel free to use it instead. The new book offers no new information that you’ll need. Basically every couple of years, they decided to add one or two new photos, rearrange a couple of chapter, jack the price up $10, and then you get screwed.” This sentiment surprised me, as I didn’t expect the professor to feel that way, let alone say it, but I’ve found it to be true nonetheless. So if the teacher allows, find an older edition of the book.

3. Buy at the off campus bookstore. If you go to the college bookstore, and they are out of used books, then go off campus. Off campus bookstores generally have a good selection of new & used books, and they are generally a good bit cheaper. But just as with the college store, used books will be the first to go at the off campus store as well, so you need to shop there early.

4. Buy from fellow students. If you look around campus, you’ll find flyers on bulletin boards, where people are trying to sell their old books. They are selling them b/c either the bookstore met its buy back quota and would not buy their book back, or because they didn’t like the price that the bookstore wanted to pay them for the book. Either way, they want to get rid of that book, and they will be willing to sell to you at a lower price than what the bookstore offers.

5. Facebook. I’ve been told that a lot of students are now advertising the sell of their old books through facebook.

6. School’s Online Messageboard – Same concept. Some school’s now have an online email or message board system that allows students to post up books that they are selling (or books they are looking to buy.)

7. Library – A lot of the textbooks needed for various classes should be available at the school library. You’ll need to go early if have any hopes of checking them out, and there may be a limit on how long you can borrow them for, but it’s definitely something to look into.

8. Book Swap/Trade/Borrow – Talk with friends about the classes that you (and they) are taking or have taken. You may be able to work out a trade, or do some book borrowing. For instance, my husband loaned out a lot of books to friends who took classes that he had already taken. And I had a friend who needed a math book that I had, so I gave him the math book, and he gave me a psych book.

9. Buy Online – This is a sure way to get a good deal of 50-75%, but it does take time to do the research to find all the books you need and make sure you’re getting a good deal, so you have to get started early. Here are a few sites to consider:
Ebay – I bought most of my books on ebay and saved a ton.
Amazon – I haven’t bought as many books here, but I did buy a couple here when they weren’t available on ebay.
paperbackswap.com – I haven’t used this site, but apparently you list books here that you are willing to swap for others. I’m not sure if there’s an option to buy a book without swapping or not, but I did read that you get 2 free books, whenever you list a book for the first time.
buyusedtextbooks.com – buy/sell books on this site
abebooks – buy/sell books

You can find more by simply searching “Buy textbooks” on your internet search engine.


Filed Under: saving money, School/College

Back to College: Financial Aid, Part 1

July 16, 2008 Leave a Comment

Money is often the deciding factor when it comes to what school we choose to attend or if we choose to attend at all, and long after the diploma is in hand, the financial burden is still felt.

While I’m not an expert of student loans and financing, I have learned a few lessons about student loans and aid, and as I am currently paying back a student loan myself (and will begin to start paying my husband’s very soon as well), I can tell you that I wish I knew then what I know now about student loans.

So here are a few tips and basic info I’ve come up with:

  • If possible, begin saving for your child’s tuition as soon as you can. Find a pre-paid college tuition program. (In which you put back a certain amount of money each month.) Or invest a little money in bonds or cds early on in your child’s life, or at the very least start your child a savings account. (small deposits can add up)
  • Every college student is required to fill out financial aid application. (aka FAFSA)
  • Shortly after filling out your application, you’ll get a “reward letter.” If you receive a grant, you should definitely accept it, as this means that you will not have to pay the money back. But before you accept a loan, you should review how much money you actually need for tuition, room/board, books, transportation, etc. More than likely you will be “rewarded” more money than you actually need. If you don’t need all the money they want to loan you, don’t accept the loan. Instead except a reduced amount. (though if you are on a fixed income, the extra money may be of great help to you, so just use your best judgement.)
  • A few months before your first semester you need to talk to the people in charge of financial aid at your school to find out what the procedure is for paying tuition. Where I went to school, you had to pay tuition out of pocket, and the financial aid would later be disbursed to you. However, at the school where my husband currently goes, his tuition is subtracted from his financial aid total, which means he doesn’t have to have the money ahead of time. (very valuable information to have)
  • Also, when you receive you’re reward letter, don’t forget to turn it in to your school’s financial aid department, and make certain that the person you give it to does something with it. If you’re reward letter is not signed, turned in, and processed you will not get your aid money on time (if at all). I ran in to this problem myself when the person I handed my reward letter to failed to deliver it to the proper person for processing.
  • If you mail in tuition money and/or reward letters, it is a good idea to call about a week later to confirm that it was received and processed into their system. If for some reason there is a glitch or an oversight, and you don’t take care of it before the start of semester, then you will have a big headache on your first day.
  • And this is important tip: If possible, avoid getting the loan through the government & the school at all! Instead shop around for a private loan with a competitive interest rate. And when you get your school’s reward letter, just decline the loan. More on this, on the next post.
  • Adding to my last point which I will expound upon in the next post, I advise you to be especially careful if your school uses companies like Sallie Mae to process loans. If you have bad credit, and can’t get a loan from a bank, than these loans will obviously have to suffice, however, they carry a very high interest rate, and if you ever miss payments or want to stop/postpone payments, you have to pay penalties which can cost you a lot of money.
  • While in school, you will be getting notices about paying interest early. If you are able to do this, I’d advise paying. But you don’t have to. And before deciding on whether to pay or not, you need to look over your loan documents to make sure that the interest will not be compounded at the end of the year.
  • After graduation, if you’re on a fixed income or don’t yet have a well paying job to help you make the payments, postpone your payments for as long as you can. Once you start making the payments, it’s hard to stop. However, be aware that the interest on your loan will continue to accumulate, and at the very least you should try to pay this every quarter.

Next time, more on the positives and negatives of getting a loan through your school


Filed Under: personal finances, saving money, School/College

Energy Independence Day

July 3, 2008 Leave a Comment


If you’re like me, you love the idea of having alternative energy sources. However, you realize that even though these alternatives may be available in the near future, there will still be a huge demand for oil. And even though alternatives may be readily available in the next few years, there are a lot of people who will not be able to afford such alternatives and will have to continue driving cars that run on gasoline.

I like to use my dad as an example. He’s worked in a plant of his life, and he’s never made a lot of money. Much of his income goes toward bills, and after that there’s little to spare for extra stuff. A lot of people’s answer to the gasoline consumption “crisis” is to use less. But my dad couldn’t possibly use less. He drives to work 5 or 6 days a week and does a few general errands around town. Everywhere he goes is within a ten or fifteen minute drive from his house, except for his church which is a little farther out in the country. In short, he couldn’t possibly consume less.

I know there are a lot of people out there that are just like my dad, in that they live in a small town or a rural area that does not have public transportation, and their job is too far away for them to walk. And in many cases, due to health problems or because they have to send kids to college, or whatever reason, they are on a tight budget. These are the kinds of people that need the relief most, and yet these are the very people who can’t afford Hybrids or other new technologies that may become available in the future.

In fact, my dad has never had a brand new car since I’ve been alive. The car he drives now is a mid 90s model car that has about 200K miles on it. He’s thinking of getting something with a little less mileage on it soon, but I can tell you right now, it will not be brand new, and it won’t be a Hybrid. And whenever other energy sources do become available, I doubt that he’ll be able to afford that either.

They say that if the bill to drill for oil had not been vetoed in the 90s, we’d already be reaping the benefits of these valuable resources now. Prices would be lower, and we would be less dependent on resources from foreign countries. It’s tragic that the bill was not signed into law, but it’s not to late to correct the mistake. I think this is a time when we should put all politics aside and do what’s right for American families, for workers and for consumers. Unfortunately there are many who don’t agree.

American Solutions is a non-partisan organization thats goal is to get beyond the partisan gridlock and have cooperation to come up with solutions to Americas problems. They focus on a variety of issues from education to Social Security, and many more. Currently they are working on a campaign to secure America’s energy future. They advocate a variety of new energy alternatives and tax credits to companies that come up with ways to utilize these alternatives. They’ve also said that it will take an effort of massive proportions to have energy independence.

And one key component to energy indendence is the ability to use our own oil resources. This 4th of July I’d like to invite everyone to join the movement. Sign the “Drill Now” petition, and find out what else you can do help us achieve energy independence.

Thanks for Reading and Have a Happy 4th of July!
-Jerri


Filed Under: Causes/Charities, saving money

Help Control The Pet Population, Have Your Pet Spayed or Neutered

July 2, 2008 1 Comment

On Monday we took our kittens to have them fixed and to get their first round of shots. Before going to the vet we called to find out how much the spayed/neutered procedures would cost, and they told us it would be $99 for the female and $59 for the male. In addition to this, it is recommended that the female have pain medication which is $12.50. As for the shots, they have to have 1 rabies vaccine ($19.50 each), 2 Leukemia Boosters (18.50 ea) & 3 Distemper boosters (18.50 ea). This would be a lot with just one cat, but when you factor in that we have 2, it gets pretty pricey. Plus, it costs $33.50 to have them tested for leukemia.

So the grand total to get the cats fixed and get them tested and get their shots (6 ea) comes to about $428. Additionally we inquired about the Revolution medication, which is the monthly medication to prevent fleas, heart worms, etc. And that will be $14 a month per cat.
I’m more than happy to pay for all of this because I think if you’re going to have pet, you might as well do everything in your power to keep them healthy, and when you add it all up, though the price is kind of high, it’s not enough to break the bank. However, I think if a family is on a fixed budget, they may have problems affording all of this, and they would either have to not have the cats fixed, or postpone the shots, or not get the shots at all.

But fortunately, we called the Humane Society last week because we had found a kitten not far from our apartment, and we wanted to find out where we could take it. And upon calling, we found out that the Humane Society has a discount spayed & neuter program. The woman told us that the programs vary from county to county (and state to state), but around here all they ask is that you bring a copy of your income tax returns so that can keep a copy for their records. You then pay them a “discounted” rate for the spay/neuter, and they give you a voucher to take to the vet, stating that you’ve already paid the Humane Society for the spay/neuter, which means you pay nothing to vet. The only catch is that the vet you choose must be on the Humane Society’s list of partners, This wasn’t a problem for us because the vet’s office that we had intended to go to was on the list. But anyway, around here, under this program anyone who made under $30K last year can have their pet fixed for $10, and everyone else who made over $30K can have their pet fixed for $25.

So if you do the math, depending on your income we’re talking as little as $50 or even $20 to get a boy and girl cat fixed, versus $160 that the vet was going to charge us. This discount alone is a big help toward paying for the cats’ shots.

So if you plan on getting your pet fixed, I totally recommend calling your local Humane Society to find out if they have a discount spayed & neuter program.

Filed Under: Pets, saving money

Tips & Strategies for Vacation Savings, Part 2

June 23, 2008 Leave a Comment

Here’s the second half of my list of tips for saving money on your vacations this summer. If you have any tips or suggestions of your own that you’d like to share, I’d love to hear them,

  • Check your hotel lobby for brochures and coupons. You should be able to find coupons for local attractions and activities, as well as food coupons for resturants that are close to your hotel. You can check the rest stops and welcome centers for these as well.
  • Eat out at less expensive restuarants. (perhaps fast food for lunch and something a little nicer for dinner) Or go to a nice place for lunch, since lunch menus are generally less expensive.
  • Stay at a hotel that includes a complimentary breakfast.
  • Pick a hotel that’s close shopping and food establishments so that you can walk. (in some cases this conflicts with the idea of staying at a hotel that is away from popular attractions, but in some cases you should be able to stay outside the “major” center and still be close resturants, etc.)
  • Before going on your trip find out if they have any of the following: walking tours, bus tours, or metro station.
  • Drive at night to avoid heavy (even stand still) traffic and save on gas.
  • Carry snacks & drinks in a cooler in the car, to avoid having to spend money at a gas station or rest stop. (this will also come in handy when your in the hotel room)
  • Spend less on souvenirs. Don’t spend all your money on items that you could buy just as easily at home (unless it’s cheaper at your vacation destination). And avoid over-priced gift shops and boutiques. (you know, the ones with normal every day stuff that you could find anywhere, yet they cost 2 or 3 times as much.)
  • Set a budget ahead of time for eating out, buying souvenirs. It’s very easy to get carried away with spending when your on vacation. While it’s okay to splurge a little, try to set a spending limit ahead of time and be more selective about what you spend your money on.

Filed Under: saving money

Tips & Strategies for Vacation Savings, Part 1

June 21, 2008 Leave a Comment

Nearly everyone is looking for ways to save money on their family vacations this year. And since I’m always looking to save money myself, I put together a list of money saving tips for vacations. Here’s the first half of the list. Look for the 2nd half in the next day or two. Hope you’re all having a great weekend!
  1. Plan, plan, plan. Check the internet to learn all about the place your going for vacation, or get the information mailed to you. If you know about all the attractions ahead of time, and how much each activity costs, you can plan a more organized itenirary and it’s easier for you to create and stick to a budget.
  2. Don’t go out of town for major holidays.
  3. Travel to a destination that’s closer to home to save on gas.
  4. For better hotel rates, take trips in the middle of the week rather than going on the weekend.
  5. Don’t stay at hotels that are within big cities and close to major tourist attractions. Last year we visited Gettysburg, and we stayed outside of the town, around 15 to 20 minutes away, and we paid 25-50% less than what we would have paid to stay in town.
  6. If you plan to fly, book your flights at least several weeks (if not months) in advance.
  7. If you don’t have school kids, then plan your vacation for another time of year besides summer. The idea of taking a vacation in January may not sound too pleasing, but there are plenty of destinations that have perfect weather in January, whether you like the snow or the beach, and fairs and hotel rates will be cheaper during this time.
  8. Before booking flights and hotels, check several leading travel websites to compare prices, and also consider calling the hotel you’re considering for further information and perhaps a better price.
  9. Beware of sites that offer a free gas card for booking your hotel with them. Often certain restrictions apply, (ie – you have to stay on a particular weekend when the hotel price is higher…therefore, you don’t actually save anything)
  10. Rather than opting for a big expensive vacation, do some research to find a less expensive destination. There are plenty of fun and interesting places to see that don’t cost an arm and a leg.

Filed Under: saving money

Find Fun Right Around the Corner and Save (on gas and money)

June 17, 2008 2 Comments

On Saturday my husband and I went down a Resident Appreciation Luau at our apartment complex. In addition to getting a free lunch of grilled chicken & hot dogs, my husband was one of the lucky winners of a door prize. He won a $25 gas car….not exactly a gold mine, considering it cost $40 to fill up my car this morning, but it is 25 dollars more than what we had when we went down there, and that’s something to cheer about.

If you’re like us, you’re probably saving money on gas by simply not going anywhere. Luckily, my husband is doing 2 directed study classes this summer, which means that he does his assignments and meets with this professors one on one, on his own schedule. So he’s only having to drive over there once every two weeks. And he’s actually in the process of finding a job that’s closer to our home, as his delivery business has become less profitable as gas prices have gone up and the delivery rates of the company have works for have stayed the same.

So we basically we drive when we have to do, to go to the store and run errands; otherwise, we’ve been staying home. We’re eating out less and spending less on extra clothes and entertainment that are not neccessities. But we don’t like to let gas prices keep us from having fun either, so what to do? Well, the beach is about 30 minutes away from our home, and it’s totally free, so we’ve gone down there a few times for a little r&r. We also enjoy playing disc golf, so we sometimes go down to the park and do that for free.

So while we may not be able to directly control gas prices (& my husband and I couldn’t possibly consume less), we’ve been able to find fun activities that are either free or cost very little, to sort of make up for the high fuel costs.

I think a lot of times we live in an area for so long that we forget what’s right in our back yard, and we miss out on a lot of fun activities. Think of what you have in your own area: Perhaps there’s a museum you can take your kids to, or you could take the kids to the local pool or skating rink or have a picnic in the park. When I was a kid, we had a park in our area where you could feed the fish & ducks, and they had a little train to ride, putt putt golf, and other activities for kids. I took my neice and nephew there last summer, and they loved it. Or go to annual festivals that are held in your area or free concerts in the park.

You can also check out your local library. They feature summer reading programs for kids, and they often have puppet shows and other activities scheduled for kids during the summer. Local civic centers may also have activities that you can sign your kids up for, for a modest fee.

Check the internet and ask around, and I’m sure you’ll find a whole wide world of activities right in your own back yard.

Filed Under: saving money

Send & Recieve Money for Free, Get a $25 Bonus, & Help Me at the Same Time

April 16, 2008 Leave a Comment
Hey Everyone. Near the top of my blog on the right hand sign, you’ll find a green graphic that says, “Sign Up Now & Get $25.” I don’t usually talk much about affiliate programs that I link up to on my site, but this is a pretty good program, so I wanted to mention it.

I just signed up for Revolution Moneyexchange. It is a program that is very similar to paypal. Basically you sign up and your account is linked to a bank account, and you send and recieve money for free. (use it to make purchases online, request money from online customers, or send and recieve money from a friend or family member without making a trip to the bank)

When you sign up, you automatically receive $25 in your account. Plus they currently have a refer-a-friend program. For every person that you refer by email or via your blog or website, you’ll recieve $10. (not too shabby)

I don’t know about you, but I can always use a little extra cash, and it also doesn’t hurt to have an alternative to paypal either. So please click on the graphic near the top, right hand side of my blog and sign up. It takes less than 5 minutes, and we’ll both get paid!

Filed Under: announcements, personal finances, saving money
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