spending

confessions of a shopaholic

I went to Confessions on Friday evening, a rare treat, right before the flu hit me hard. The movie was really entertaining, and I have a new love for Isla Fisher. She lights up the screen. I definitely think it’s worth a rental when it comes on DVD, it’s probably not one you have to [...]

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cutting the cable

We finally pulled the plug, well mostly. The one holdout on our monthly expenses was the cable “bundle”. We (stupidly) signed a (stupid) contract that had us at $99/month for phone, cable and internet for a year, and then it jumped to $144/month for the second year. We also have a TiVo which I adore [...]

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when it pays to pay

“Before” and “After” shot of the 3 year old’s ‘do above. Sometimes it pays to have someone else provide a service for you. Some services you might consider outsourcing are haircuts, landscaping, basic car maintenance, house cleaning, and babysitting. One service I absolutely can not provide for the family is haircuts. Above is an example [...]

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No Spend Month Update

We’re over halfway through out no spend month, so here’s an update. We have gone over the $600 mark, as of today our total is $897.82. The new goal is to stay under $1,100. (I know we have 2 expenses left for the month, plus gas and anything else that comes up) We have 12 [...]

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mortgage rates hit 37 year low!

As if you don’t know already mortgage rates have hit a record low. Rates on a fixed rate, 30 year mortgage are running about 5%, some as low as 4.25%! The catch is to qualify you have to be either a “well-qualified” buyer, or “well-qualified” homeowner. The frustrating thing is this does not help many [...]

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ask and you shall receive

Want to try the oldest form of saving money? Negotiate the price. It works for homes, cars, and other large purchases, but it also works for small and less expensive items. If you are planning to purchase a home or car, there is a ton of great advice on negotiating price (and I hope to [...]

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it’s the holiday (sales)son

This year it seems more than other holiday I’m getting a ton of emails, mail, and coupons for SALES. I get it, the economy isn’t that great, consumer confidence is down (where’s my portion of that $700+ billion?), and people are spending less. In my not-so-humble opinion that’s a good thing. Most of us were [...]

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how to: frugal birthday party

Welcome to my new feature- the How To. I’ll be sharing what works for me (and my family) to help us save without scrimping on the fun. This edition features an 11 year old’s birthday party. I know not everyone has an 11 year old, but you can also apply the same principles to birthdays, [...]