Well, I got a not so great surprise when we got hubby's paycheck today. They didn't let him have the vacation day he used the day he got sick last week. I called the secretary to ask why and she told me it was against policy to use vacation days as sick leave and that all vacation days have to be pre-approved. If an emergency does come up, the boss has to approve that usage and all other non-vacation usages. I'm thinking: since when? It's not like hubby just started working there. He's been there for 14 years!
I told her that no one had mentioned this to hubby and she said, yes, they had--yesterday! Okay, so over a week after the fact (he's paid a week behind the actual work week) they say they told him? So I asked hubby what was going on with that, he said that his supervisor did tell him yesterday they might not approve his sick day. I wish he had told me that when it happened, but in any case, are they serious?
So, his paycheck is short in addition to being short. Haha (I know that makes a lot of sense)! But, we are not rock bottom. Yes, our finances are a mess right now. Yes, we are experiencing hard times and things are stressful. But, we still have some income, aren't homeless, have food in our cupboards and more importantly, we have each other.
I'll admit that I did leave a message for the boss, explaining our circumstances, reminding him that hubby rarely calls in sick (we're talking once every few years) and asking him if he would please approve the vacation day. I then called hubby so he wouldn't be surprised if he heard anything from his boss today. I don't know if I did the right thing, but I can't just sit and watch things get worse and not do anything about it. It probably would've been better coming from my husband, face-to-face with his boss, but he rarely gets the chance for that to happen.
Anyway, this situation has left things tight for Easter, as you can imagine. I'm thinking we'll go more creative this year. We'll continue the tradition of coloring eggs (the kids love to do that--and the dollar coloring kits work just fine for us), we'll have an Easter egg hunt in our back yard, and perhaps get some treats to hide, too (I have several coupons for bagged candy, so I can save money there). I think I'll go to the dollar store for baskets or buckets. I'll also be searching the internet for some other inexpensive ideas to make this Easter fun for the kids.
I really think the most important thing for them to know when it comes to Easter is why we celebrate it in the first place. It's not because some giant bunny wearing clothes hops into their house while they're sleeping to leave them little presents in their baskets. It's because our Savior was crucified and was risen. He lives. That is the most important gift.
So, no, we're not rock bottom. Yes, we are going through some really tough times right now. But I do believe, without a doubt, that we will get through them--maybe not in the way we would prefer, but in the right way--in His way.
If your family is going through a tough time too: stay strong, have faith--everything will be okay:)
Showing posts with label save money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label save money. Show all posts
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Saving on Garden Needs
I can't believe how much money we're saving doing our garden this year. As I told you over a week ago, we decided to start our own seeds (and they're growing beautifully under the florescent lights we bought from Walmart). We decided we needed to condition our soil before planting this year. We have clay dirt here and while the fruit trees don't seem to mind it, the garden didn't do as well as we'd hoped it would last year, and didn't produce enough for us to do any canning.
We knew from all the calling we did last year that compost wasn't cheap if you buy it from companies that specialize in it. It runs over $100 for a truck load (and sometimes closer to $200). That's just not financially feasible for us this year with hubby's pay cut. Here are a few options we've looked into instead:
To lessen the amount we'd need, we started our own compost pile. Not only is this a money saver, but it's a great way to reduce your waste. We bought a bin from Sam's Club for about $40 and started putting our table scraps and grass clippings in it. We have such a large garden area though that the one little bin isn't going to create enough right now to cover the whole area we're planting. It's a good start though, and we're going to keep it up. For more information on doing your own composting, go to the article I found on Earth911.
Some of our neighbors got some compost from the local sewer district. Yeah, I know what many of you are thinking, I've been thinking it too. Poop dirt? Haha! Well, it's really cheap (about $7 a cubic yard) and the plants love it. It's really stinky though from what I hear and I'd make sure you wore gloves while working in it (as you should anyway whenever working in any kind of soil).
Many landfills offer compost too. It's suppose to be high quality and very cheap. We priced out two landfills in our area. The first one, Wasatch Integrated Waste Management, offers it at $25 per 1 1/2 yards. The second was Bountiful Landfill, who offers it at $30 per ton. The research I did says that a ton is about one cubic yard. So they're pretty close in price (though not as cheap as the sewer district).
If you're looking to get your compost for less money where you live, just do a search for landfills or sewer districts in your town or county and then go to their websites. Most will tell you on their sites if they sell compost. You can even call them and find out.
We've already spent far less this year in our garden supplies than we did last year, and we'll be planting so much more than we did before. If you want to learn more about what we're doing to become more self-sufficient and save money, go to my article on gardening here. You dont have to have a large space to do this.
We won't be planting until after Mother's Day (that's the rule of thumb here), but we're doing all we can to be ready before then. It's so easy and you can do it, too. It's not too late. So go ahead, save money, eat better and be one step closer to being self-sufficient, too!
We knew from all the calling we did last year that compost wasn't cheap if you buy it from companies that specialize in it. It runs over $100 for a truck load (and sometimes closer to $200). That's just not financially feasible for us this year with hubby's pay cut. Here are a few options we've looked into instead:
To lessen the amount we'd need, we started our own compost pile. Not only is this a money saver, but it's a great way to reduce your waste. We bought a bin from Sam's Club for about $40 and started putting our table scraps and grass clippings in it. We have such a large garden area though that the one little bin isn't going to create enough right now to cover the whole area we're planting. It's a good start though, and we're going to keep it up. For more information on doing your own composting, go to the article I found on Earth911.
Some of our neighbors got some compost from the local sewer district. Yeah, I know what many of you are thinking, I've been thinking it too. Poop dirt? Haha! Well, it's really cheap (about $7 a cubic yard) and the plants love it. It's really stinky though from what I hear and I'd make sure you wore gloves while working in it (as you should anyway whenever working in any kind of soil).
Many landfills offer compost too. It's suppose to be high quality and very cheap. We priced out two landfills in our area. The first one, Wasatch Integrated Waste Management, offers it at $25 per 1 1/2 yards. The second was Bountiful Landfill, who offers it at $30 per ton. The research I did says that a ton is about one cubic yard. So they're pretty close in price (though not as cheap as the sewer district).
If you're looking to get your compost for less money where you live, just do a search for landfills or sewer districts in your town or county and then go to their websites. Most will tell you on their sites if they sell compost. You can even call them and find out.
We've already spent far less this year in our garden supplies than we did last year, and we'll be planting so much more than we did before. If you want to learn more about what we're doing to become more self-sufficient and save money, go to my article on gardening here. You dont have to have a large space to do this.
We won't be planting until after Mother's Day (that's the rule of thumb here), but we're doing all we can to be ready before then. It's so easy and you can do it, too. It's not too late. So go ahead, save money, eat better and be one step closer to being self-sufficient, too!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Go for those Samples
Sorry for the delay in posts these few days. My family has a stomach bug working its way through our house. It started with the baby, then with me, and is currently working on my poor hubby. So, of course, he has no hope of trying to get his 40 hours in this week, since he already has mandatory Mondays off and had to take today off. Thank heavens we haven't touched his vacation days yet (he only has seven to begin with, now we're down to six). Fun times! I'm really hoping it will stop with him, and spare our other three children. We can hope, right?
Anyway, to the point of today's tip: how to get free samples. Today I went to check the mail and to my delight I found that General Mills had sent me a whole box of FiberOne Granola Bars. I didn't pay a cent for it, nor the bunch of coupons for $1.35 off one box. I'm to give these coupons to family and friends (no problem) and try the product for myself. The best kind of new product to try is a free one, in my opinion. It just so happens, too, that I'm already familiar with FiberOne and buy those products for our household anyway.
I am also likely to receive more products/coupons like this in the future, too. How did I get this deal? It was easy, and didn't cost a cent. I joined Pssst. This is a word of mouth networking program designed to get the word out there for new products. I'm more than willing to do that if it means I get some perks. I'm always up for some freebies, and also another way to save money on my food budget.
If you're interested in joining you can go to their website. It's entirely free and all you have to do is answer a few questions. I assume this is so they have a better idea of what kind of products you use, and how you can help them get the word out. Anyway, I say it's entirely worth my time, especially since it requires so little.
If you're interested in looking for other freebies you can go to Freebies4mom, Freeflys and Sweeties Swag. Who says you can't get something for nothing? Check it out for yourself!
Anyway, to the point of today's tip: how to get free samples. Today I went to check the mail and to my delight I found that General Mills had sent me a whole box of FiberOne Granola Bars. I didn't pay a cent for it, nor the bunch of coupons for $1.35 off one box. I'm to give these coupons to family and friends (no problem) and try the product for myself. The best kind of new product to try is a free one, in my opinion. It just so happens, too, that I'm already familiar with FiberOne and buy those products for our household anyway.
I am also likely to receive more products/coupons like this in the future, too. How did I get this deal? It was easy, and didn't cost a cent. I joined Pssst. This is a word of mouth networking program designed to get the word out there for new products. I'm more than willing to do that if it means I get some perks. I'm always up for some freebies, and also another way to save money on my food budget.
If you're interested in joining you can go to their website. It's entirely free and all you have to do is answer a few questions. I assume this is so they have a better idea of what kind of products you use, and how you can help them get the word out. Anyway, I say it's entirely worth my time, especially since it requires so little.
If you're interested in looking for other freebies you can go to Freebies4mom, Freeflys and Sweeties Swag. Who says you can't get something for nothing? Check it out for yourself!
Friday, March 20, 2009
I Saved Money!
In my mission to cut the bottom line of my budget by lowering my bills, I'd say: Mission Accomplished! My budget plan for my gas bill came and they lowered my payment by $14 a month. I honestly think it will end up going even lower, but I'm happy to see it go down at all.
I also called my motor club company to cancel my benefits and they said if I kept it they would cut my payment 35%, so that was a win, too. They told me if I registered on their website, they even had discount offers for companies I'm already using, so I plan to look further into that to save more money. By the way, I use Allstate Motorclub, and have been with them for six years. I've successfully used the benefits they offer on a few occasions (flat tire once and my car broke down at the grocery store the other time--both times hubby was out of town!).
I already told you that I cut my phone and internet bill by switching to Comcast. I wasn't too happy with my first week of service because they kept having outages (I'm told that's rare). So I called in after the third one in a week and complained (nicely) and they credited my account for my first week of service! It can really pay to let companies know you're unsatisfied.
On that note, when I called to cancel my service with Qwest, they offered to give me six free months of internet if I stayed with them. I chose not to, but they said if I changed my mind at a later date they would offer me some good promotions. We shall see how Comcast does with my service for now, but it's good to know that I can get a good deal if it doesn't work out. See? Playing your company against their competition can save you money, too!
So, all-in-all I'd say I've had a successful time cutting down our spending. I'm not done yet, but I thought I'd let you know my progress and encourage you to do the same. We can make it through this hard economy!
If you're looking for ways to cut down on your grocery bill, you can read my article on Ehow. You can also check out the links I have on this page (toward the bottom) that will take you to coupon and freebie sites.
I wish you all the best of luck on lowering your bottom line. Now go save some money!
I also called my motor club company to cancel my benefits and they said if I kept it they would cut my payment 35%, so that was a win, too. They told me if I registered on their website, they even had discount offers for companies I'm already using, so I plan to look further into that to save more money. By the way, I use Allstate Motorclub, and have been with them for six years. I've successfully used the benefits they offer on a few occasions (flat tire once and my car broke down at the grocery store the other time--both times hubby was out of town!).
I already told you that I cut my phone and internet bill by switching to Comcast. I wasn't too happy with my first week of service because they kept having outages (I'm told that's rare). So I called in after the third one in a week and complained (nicely) and they credited my account for my first week of service! It can really pay to let companies know you're unsatisfied.
On that note, when I called to cancel my service with Qwest, they offered to give me six free months of internet if I stayed with them. I chose not to, but they said if I changed my mind at a later date they would offer me some good promotions. We shall see how Comcast does with my service for now, but it's good to know that I can get a good deal if it doesn't work out. See? Playing your company against their competition can save you money, too!
So, all-in-all I'd say I've had a successful time cutting down our spending. I'm not done yet, but I thought I'd let you know my progress and encourage you to do the same. We can make it through this hard economy!
If you're looking for ways to cut down on your grocery bill, you can read my article on Ehow. You can also check out the links I have on this page (toward the bottom) that will take you to coupon and freebie sites.
I wish you all the best of luck on lowering your bottom line. Now go save some money!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Be More Self-Sufficient
Let's face it, if you don't have something you need, the easiest thing to do is to get it from someone who has it. When it comes to food, most of us get what we need by buying it from the grocery store. There are definitely times when that is unavoidable, and it's one of the biggest expenses here at our house. Okay, so we can't stop going to the store for a lot of our needs, but we can cut a big chunk out of what we spend there by having to buy less. How do we do that? No, we're not planning on booting out any of our kids--haha. But we are planning a garden.
Even if you think space is an issue that would exclude your from this option, keep reading, there is usually a way around this.
In our area, the general rule of thumb is to not plant anything until after Mother's Day--about the middle of May. We use to go and buy all of our tomatoes, squash, watermelon, pumpkin, cucumbers, cantaloupe, peppers and everything else at the garden centers. They were already started for us, and we just took those leafy greens out of their pots and transplanted them in our prepared soil.
We'd tried the seeds before, but the birds got them all, and we never got so much as a baby carrot. Instead of putting our thinking caps on, we gave up on them and would drop about $80 or so on the starters.
This year, we're planning ahead. My hubby got the idea to start our seeds inside. We didn't even come close to spending $80--It was $20 at the most, and with the seeds in each pack, we'll have so many more starters to transplant than our previous seasons that it's laughable.
We've done our homework. We're going to start them next weekend, giving them close to two months before we plant them outside (lessening the risk of freezing). We've saved up our cardboard egg cartons, have potting soil, are getting some florescent light bulbs and setting up shop on a big work table in our garage. For information on lights for your seedlings, you can go here. From what we've read, windowsill light is not always enough.
We've been enriching our soil with grass clippings and manure (fun stuff). And will also be picking up any extra soil or compost we need at the local landfill (saving quite a bit).
Another way to save with coupons, receiving email and postal mail offers, and also get gardening tips is to sign up for Home Depot's Garden Club, or Lowe's Learn2Grow Garden Club. You can even sign up for both and get double the offers and tips. We also have signed up at our local nurseries for offers and email tips. Look in your area to take advantage of those avenues.
We've already planted strawberry, raspberry and boysenberry bushes last year--along with several fruit trees. While the fruit trees won't produce much this year, the fruit bushes should do pretty well.
Not everyone has a lot of space for gardening, and in those cases you can look into container gardening, or even a garden box in your yard. It's a lot of fun, tastes so much better than store bought and gives you sense of accomplishment you can't get by going to the grocer's produce department.
So if you haven't considered doing this before now, you're not too late. If I can do it, anyone can. I didn't grow up doing this, but I wish I had! If you end up growing more than you can possibly use, then you can move on the the next step for self-sufficiency and start canning your harvest!
Happy Growing!
*The links in this post are not advertising, but will take you to more information on the topics that are highlighted.
Even if you think space is an issue that would exclude your from this option, keep reading, there is usually a way around this.
In our area, the general rule of thumb is to not plant anything until after Mother's Day--about the middle of May. We use to go and buy all of our tomatoes, squash, watermelon, pumpkin, cucumbers, cantaloupe, peppers and everything else at the garden centers. They were already started for us, and we just took those leafy greens out of their pots and transplanted them in our prepared soil.
We'd tried the seeds before, but the birds got them all, and we never got so much as a baby carrot. Instead of putting our thinking caps on, we gave up on them and would drop about $80 or so on the starters.
This year, we're planning ahead. My hubby got the idea to start our seeds inside. We didn't even come close to spending $80--It was $20 at the most, and with the seeds in each pack, we'll have so many more starters to transplant than our previous seasons that it's laughable.
We've done our homework. We're going to start them next weekend, giving them close to two months before we plant them outside (lessening the risk of freezing). We've saved up our cardboard egg cartons, have potting soil, are getting some florescent light bulbs and setting up shop on a big work table in our garage. For information on lights for your seedlings, you can go here. From what we've read, windowsill light is not always enough.
We've been enriching our soil with grass clippings and manure (fun stuff). And will also be picking up any extra soil or compost we need at the local landfill (saving quite a bit).
Another way to save with coupons, receiving email and postal mail offers, and also get gardening tips is to sign up for Home Depot's Garden Club, or Lowe's Learn2Grow Garden Club. You can even sign up for both and get double the offers and tips. We also have signed up at our local nurseries for offers and email tips. Look in your area to take advantage of those avenues.
We've already planted strawberry, raspberry and boysenberry bushes last year--along with several fruit trees. While the fruit trees won't produce much this year, the fruit bushes should do pretty well.
Not everyone has a lot of space for gardening, and in those cases you can look into container gardening, or even a garden box in your yard. It's a lot of fun, tastes so much better than store bought and gives you sense of accomplishment you can't get by going to the grocer's produce department.
So if you haven't considered doing this before now, you're not too late. If I can do it, anyone can. I didn't grow up doing this, but I wish I had! If you end up growing more than you can possibly use, then you can move on the the next step for self-sufficiency and start canning your harvest!
Happy Growing!
*The links in this post are not advertising, but will take you to more information on the topics that are highlighted.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Free Samples and Advertising
So I found out about a really cool program last night. This program is beneficial for both those just looking for ways to save and make money and get stuff for free, and also for you blog/website owners looking to generate more income. I put all the ads down below here so you wouldn't have to search for them.
First, about the free stuff. You just follow the links to the sponsors and they will give you free samples of their products:
There were so many offers to choose from, I couldn't possibly list them all here. If you have any in particular deals you are looking for, let me know and I'll be happy to check for you.
Now for the money-making opportunities:
Now you site owners are probably all wondering where I got all these, and there were many to choose from. I got them all from Logical Media. I was approved as an affiliate for them and now have access to more offers for my readers and also more revenue for me! They also pay for referrals, if you sign up with them.
So get busy saving and making money!
First, about the free stuff. You just follow the links to the sponsors and they will give you free samples of their products:
There were so many offers to choose from, I couldn't possibly list them all here. If you have any in particular deals you are looking for, let me know and I'll be happy to check for you.
Now for the money-making opportunities:
Now you site owners are probably all wondering where I got all these, and there were many to choose from. I got them all from Logical Media. I was approved as an affiliate for them and now have access to more offers for my readers and also more revenue for me! They also pay for referrals, if you sign up with them.
So get busy saving and making money!
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Let's Talk Video Games
Whoa! I can't believe how expensive these things are when you buy them new! My sister bought my son a $50 video game and within a week it was toast. My daughter, two at the time, thought it looked pretty tasty and tested her new chompers out on it. My son was devastated and I vowed I would tell everyone to only get used games from then on out (we were already doing this ourselves).
The cool thing about the used video game market is that most of the video game stores will give you cash or credit for the old games you're tired of playing. They also offer membership cards which will give you more credit on each item traded in, and also gives you a lower price on the used gaming products you buy in their stores. We've taken full advantage of this and saved mega bucks. Our kids don't care if the games they're getting once belonged to someone else, so long as they're getting one and it works--and all games are guaranteed by the stores.
Our favorite places to go when we have a little cash to burn, or if we want to unload our old games, are Game Crazy and Game Stop. They each offer a one year subscription (with membership) to a gaming magazine (different ones), so your kids--or even you--can see what's new and sometimes even get coupon offers inside them.
One nice thing that Game Crazy does is fix your scratched video games. If the scratches don't go too deep, they have a pretty good success rate. We've saved many a game this way, and we got it done for free with the membership. If you don't have a membership, last I checked it was only a dollar for them to fix each disc for you. They also will do CDs and DVDs, so that's pretty cool.
If you're not into trading for games, or you don't care about memberships, you can also find games for good prices on Video Games
by clicking that link for Amazon. Ebay is also a great place to either sell your old games or buy some new-to-you games.
Don't forget that you can also save or make money on your video games or equipment by going to the pawn shop, too. If you go this route, don't necessarily take the first offer they give you. It doesn't hurt to ask for a better deal. What's the worst they can tell you? "No"?
Anyway, these are my tips on cheap video game entertainment. Make a buck or save a buck. Do with them what you will.
The cool thing about the used video game market is that most of the video game stores will give you cash or credit for the old games you're tired of playing. They also offer membership cards which will give you more credit on each item traded in, and also gives you a lower price on the used gaming products you buy in their stores. We've taken full advantage of this and saved mega bucks. Our kids don't care if the games they're getting once belonged to someone else, so long as they're getting one and it works--and all games are guaranteed by the stores.
Our favorite places to go when we have a little cash to burn, or if we want to unload our old games, are Game Crazy and Game Stop. They each offer a one year subscription (with membership) to a gaming magazine (different ones), so your kids--or even you--can see what's new and sometimes even get coupon offers inside them.
One nice thing that Game Crazy does is fix your scratched video games. If the scratches don't go too deep, they have a pretty good success rate. We've saved many a game this way, and we got it done for free with the membership. If you don't have a membership, last I checked it was only a dollar for them to fix each disc for you. They also will do CDs and DVDs, so that's pretty cool.
If you're not into trading for games, or you don't care about memberships, you can also find games for good prices on Video Games
by clicking that link for Amazon. Ebay is also a great place to either sell your old games or buy some new-to-you games.Don't forget that you can also save or make money on your video games or equipment by going to the pawn shop, too. If you go this route, don't necessarily take the first offer they give you. It doesn't hurt to ask for a better deal. What's the worst they can tell you? "No"?
Anyway, these are my tips on cheap video game entertainment. Make a buck or save a buck. Do with them what you will.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Blogging Shmogging
I have to say that I do enjoy writing here. However, there is a not so fun side--and that's working to get my blog on the radar--but it's not too tedious. I've spent a lot of time promoting my blog on Link Referral and I've signed up with Traffic Swarm, Technorati, Easy Hits4U, Traffic Splash, I Love Hits, Dragon Surf, Blog Top List, Blog Catalog, and Ongsono. I've also been promoting myself on eHow when it's relevant, and posting my link in my article resources there when my article has to do with something I've discussed here.
I found a new site for website/blog owners called The Website Owner Zone, where you can make connections with others and promote your blog. It looks interesting and I'm trying all I can to get the word out there, since I am hoping to eventually make money doing this.
My husband is talking about looking for a second job until his first one's hours pick back up. I really hate this idea, since it would mean we wouldn't see him much. My family is so important to me, they're all I have that really matters. When you grow up the way I did, you never take that for granted. They're what I've always wished for, and I still can't believe how lucky I am to have them.
But anyway, off the mushy stuff. I was just really hoping I could help him, and others too, by starting up my writing again and making a profit off the advertising and affiliate programs. I'm using Google Adsense, AdBrite, and Amazon. I've also applied for the Ebay affiliate program. I hesitated, but figured it couldn't hurt to put a paypal donate button here too. These are all places I found while researching how to get a blog off the ground.
I also found a useful website called Self Promotion. On there, the site owner gives you lots of useful tips, including a way to find out if you're listed yet with the big search engines. I found that I was with most of them, but not with Open Directory, so I submitted my site for approval there, too.
I also learned that I could submit my eHow articles to the search engines and to Pingomatic for driving traffic there, too. So I think I've been accomplishing quite a lot, and I'm happy to share these tips with all of you so that you don't have to do all the digging:)
One downside of all of this work is that I feel like I'm dropping those juggling balls when it comes to the homemaker side of things. I've told my family that I know I'm not quite as available as I was before, but once I've got this up and running, it will be mostly about maintaining. I hope that's right. I'm wondering how long it takes to get it up in the air though.
I'm enjoying writing again though. It's such a great release and even if this doesn't all go the way I'm hoping it will, I won't regret it. Plus, if I help anyone with what I'm doing here, that's payment in itself. If I can make money from home doing what I love that is a bonus!
I did have a company call me, I believe they said they were "Orange Soda." The guy was really nice and offered his company's services to promote my blog, though he said it would be easier to do with a website. When I asked him how much the services would cost though, there was no way I could do that. I'll just have to try this all on my own. So far, everything I've done here hasn't cost me a penny, and I like it that way! Saving money is definitely a plus!
Well, good luck to all you bloggers and siteowners who are working to promote your sites! I hope this has been helpful for you. I'll be looking for more ways to help us out here. Until then.....
I found a new site for website/blog owners called The Website Owner Zone, where you can make connections with others and promote your blog. It looks interesting and I'm trying all I can to get the word out there, since I am hoping to eventually make money doing this.
My husband is talking about looking for a second job until his first one's hours pick back up. I really hate this idea, since it would mean we wouldn't see him much. My family is so important to me, they're all I have that really matters. When you grow up the way I did, you never take that for granted. They're what I've always wished for, and I still can't believe how lucky I am to have them.
But anyway, off the mushy stuff. I was just really hoping I could help him, and others too, by starting up my writing again and making a profit off the advertising and affiliate programs. I'm using Google Adsense, AdBrite, and Amazon. I've also applied for the Ebay affiliate program. I hesitated, but figured it couldn't hurt to put a paypal donate button here too. These are all places I found while researching how to get a blog off the ground.
I also found a useful website called Self Promotion. On there, the site owner gives you lots of useful tips, including a way to find out if you're listed yet with the big search engines. I found that I was with most of them, but not with Open Directory, so I submitted my site for approval there, too.
I also learned that I could submit my eHow articles to the search engines and to Pingomatic for driving traffic there, too. So I think I've been accomplishing quite a lot, and I'm happy to share these tips with all of you so that you don't have to do all the digging:)
One downside of all of this work is that I feel like I'm dropping those juggling balls when it comes to the homemaker side of things. I've told my family that I know I'm not quite as available as I was before, but once I've got this up and running, it will be mostly about maintaining. I hope that's right. I'm wondering how long it takes to get it up in the air though.
I'm enjoying writing again though. It's such a great release and even if this doesn't all go the way I'm hoping it will, I won't regret it. Plus, if I help anyone with what I'm doing here, that's payment in itself. If I can make money from home doing what I love that is a bonus!
I did have a company call me, I believe they said they were "Orange Soda." The guy was really nice and offered his company's services to promote my blog, though he said it would be easier to do with a website. When I asked him how much the services would cost though, there was no way I could do that. I'll just have to try this all on my own. So far, everything I've done here hasn't cost me a penny, and I like it that way! Saving money is definitely a plus!
Well, good luck to all you bloggers and siteowners who are working to promote your sites! I hope this has been helpful for you. I'll be looking for more ways to help us out here. Until then.....
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
New vs Used
Okay, now I know as much as the next person that you can't get everything used, like underwear for example. Haha. I don't care how much you boil it, if it's been on your unmentionables, I don't want it anywhere near my unmentionables;) And I personally prefer my shoes new, unless they're given to me by someone I know (and they don't have really stinky feet), and they're still in good shape. The shape is important because, let's face it, they're only comfortable after we've worn our foot print into them, and unless someone has your same footprint, it's just not likely to work right the second time around. Also, I've got a phobia against foot fungus.
But actually, there are a lot of things I don't mind getting used. I love hand-me-downs for my kids, so long as they're in decent shape (so they don't become targets for the lucky kids who have never even had to think of hand-me-downs). It's pretty cool when my friends have been able to pass things on to me, too and vice versa.
I also like getting good deals on other used things, and I've listed a few places to get great used things for a fraction of what you'd pay new.
You can find just about everything you want, that someone else no longer needs at thrift stores. I've actually found clothing in there with the tags still on--no kidding. But they also carry furniture, electronics, books, games, movies.....you name it. Sometimes you just get lucky and hit the motherload.
A friend of mine got a baby exersaucer in nearly new condition (because really, how long do they actually use it?) along with some other baby goodies for free just because she happened by when someone was waiting in line to drop off some things at a thrift store, and she asked if she could have it. I'm probably not that brave...but I'm sure it would have still been a great deal once it made its way inside the store.
Yard sales and swap meets are other good places to get things, and more often than not, the price is negotiable. I've actually made money doing both of these things, and I have to tell you that I never refused an offer that I felt was good enough, simply because I didn't want to pack those things back up again. I wanted them gone.
If you don't want to go outside looking for your deals, you can find plenty of them online. We got a killer deal on a bunkbed set that had the attached dresser and desk with it. We'd priced the same set new for about $800 and then bought one in great shape from KSL Classifieds for $300. Check out the classifieds for your area, you'll be surprised what people are willing to settle for.
You can also find Used Items on Amazon and Ebay. With Ebay, you can either bid for your deal, or you can find one for a set price. On Amazon, the price you see is the price you get, but you have several vendors competing so the pricing is competitive.
So I'll leave you on this note. New is not always better (unless it involves the unmentionables or old stinky feet). Happy hunting!
But actually, there are a lot of things I don't mind getting used. I love hand-me-downs for my kids, so long as they're in decent shape (so they don't become targets for the lucky kids who have never even had to think of hand-me-downs). It's pretty cool when my friends have been able to pass things on to me, too and vice versa.
I also like getting good deals on other used things, and I've listed a few places to get great used things for a fraction of what you'd pay new.
You can find just about everything you want, that someone else no longer needs at thrift stores. I've actually found clothing in there with the tags still on--no kidding. But they also carry furniture, electronics, books, games, movies.....you name it. Sometimes you just get lucky and hit the motherload.
A friend of mine got a baby exersaucer in nearly new condition (because really, how long do they actually use it?) along with some other baby goodies for free just because she happened by when someone was waiting in line to drop off some things at a thrift store, and she asked if she could have it. I'm probably not that brave...but I'm sure it would have still been a great deal once it made its way inside the store.
Yard sales and swap meets are other good places to get things, and more often than not, the price is negotiable. I've actually made money doing both of these things, and I have to tell you that I never refused an offer that I felt was good enough, simply because I didn't want to pack those things back up again. I wanted them gone.
If you don't want to go outside looking for your deals, you can find plenty of them online. We got a killer deal on a bunkbed set that had the attached dresser and desk with it. We'd priced the same set new for about $800 and then bought one in great shape from KSL Classifieds for $300. Check out the classifieds for your area, you'll be surprised what people are willing to settle for.
You can also find Used Items on Amazon
and Ebay. With Ebay, you can either bid for your deal, or you can find one for a set price. On Amazon, the price you see is the price you get, but you have several vendors competing so the pricing is competitive.So I'll leave you on this note. New is not always better (unless it involves the unmentionables or old stinky feet). Happy hunting!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
List Items You Want to Sell for Free--(Discovered by Accident)
Did you know you can list stuff you want to sell for free? So you get to keep more of the money you make off of an item because you're not paying for an advertisement. I actually got an unplanned lesson in this, though I ended up being grateful for it later. I have to tell you how this all happened:
We have a purebred Black Lab. Her name is Shonie and she's nearing six years old now. When we bought her, we couldn't afford to pay full price for her, so the guy we bought her from made a deal with us. He really liked her bloodlines, so he asked that we let him breed her one time, and he would cut the price in half.
Since he was willing to work with us and seemed like a responsible breeder (he didn't even want to consider breeding her until she was at least two), we went for it. There was no way we could walk away from her after seeing her, so we were hooked. She's beautiful! So, long story short, we never got her spayed. She was pretty good about sticking around, and she's also an alpha female, so even when we did the agreed upon breeding, she had to be held in place since she thought she was supposed to...um...be the one on top--sorry for the visual folks. Haha!
Now, let's fastforward a few years. Since Shonie hadn't been very cooperative with the male, and we kept a pretty close watch on her when she was in heat, we hadn't rushed to get her spayed, mainly for financial reasons.
I admit though, I watched Oprah, and saw that show she did on dogs. So I was thinking maybe I should stop populating the earth with more puppies when there are so many dogs out there needing to be adopted. I had the plan that as soon as we had some extra cash (which wasn't looking like it would be soon with the bad economy starting), I would take her in and get her spayed.
God had other plans. Shonie went into heat again. I wasn't sure at first, but thought I noticed the signs. I let her out one afternoon, and then opened the windows so I could hear her. I sat by the window and started to nurse my baby. A few minutes later, I heard yelping and jumped up quickly, with my poor baby trying to figure out why her meal was interrupted.
I started yelling like a maniac when I saw she was....um....connected.....to another dog. "Why?!" I screamed. Why was this happening? What was I going to do now? I put down the baby, told my preschooler to stay there with her little sister for a moment, and ran outside. I was going to get that dog. I noticed he was wearing a collar and planned on giving his owner a call.
Turns out, the dog traveled three miles to get to our house, went around to our back yard and laid in wait for our dog to come out to greet him. I don't know how I missed him when I let her out. The good news was (yes, there was good news) he was a purebred Chocolate Lab with decent bloodlines.
We were able to sell every puppy without paying a cent in advertising. I did a search on free online classifieds. The popular one in my area that sold better for me is KSL Classifieds, but I also got calls from listings I made on: Go County, Kaango, Kijiji, Superads and Domestic Sale.
You can use these links I've given you, or you can do a search for free online classifieds in your area by typing in "free online classifieds" and your state. We sold all our pups in less than two weeks from the time we listed. We also made some much needed cash at a time when we definitely needed it. See? Even if we don't always understand God's plans for us, He knows what He's doing:)
So, the point of this post is: if you're looking to make some money from selling something you have at home, don't pay for that ad, list it for free!
Stay strong and have faith!
*I do have to add one caution and that's to watch out for scammers. There are some people who lurk in these sites and will tell you they're from out of state, working in some profession or other that will make you think they're honorable, and they'll offer you a deal that's too good to be true--because it is. They'll offer to give you more than your asking price, ask that you keep some for your trouble and ask you to send the rest back to them. It's a scam and you won't be making anything. In fact, you'll be losing whatever you send them, plus whatever the fees are for the bad check. So be leery of email-only inquiries, or Relay calls.
We have a purebred Black Lab. Her name is Shonie and she's nearing six years old now. When we bought her, we couldn't afford to pay full price for her, so the guy we bought her from made a deal with us. He really liked her bloodlines, so he asked that we let him breed her one time, and he would cut the price in half.
Since he was willing to work with us and seemed like a responsible breeder (he didn't even want to consider breeding her until she was at least two), we went for it. There was no way we could walk away from her after seeing her, so we were hooked. She's beautiful! So, long story short, we never got her spayed. She was pretty good about sticking around, and she's also an alpha female, so even when we did the agreed upon breeding, she had to be held in place since she thought she was supposed to...um...be the one on top--sorry for the visual folks. Haha!
Now, let's fastforward a few years. Since Shonie hadn't been very cooperative with the male, and we kept a pretty close watch on her when she was in heat, we hadn't rushed to get her spayed, mainly for financial reasons.
I admit though, I watched Oprah, and saw that show she did on dogs. So I was thinking maybe I should stop populating the earth with more puppies when there are so many dogs out there needing to be adopted. I had the plan that as soon as we had some extra cash (which wasn't looking like it would be soon with the bad economy starting), I would take her in and get her spayed.
God had other plans. Shonie went into heat again. I wasn't sure at first, but thought I noticed the signs. I let her out one afternoon, and then opened the windows so I could hear her. I sat by the window and started to nurse my baby. A few minutes later, I heard yelping and jumped up quickly, with my poor baby trying to figure out why her meal was interrupted.
I started yelling like a maniac when I saw she was....um....connected.....to another dog. "Why?!" I screamed. Why was this happening? What was I going to do now? I put down the baby, told my preschooler to stay there with her little sister for a moment, and ran outside. I was going to get that dog. I noticed he was wearing a collar and planned on giving his owner a call.
Turns out, the dog traveled three miles to get to our house, went around to our back yard and laid in wait for our dog to come out to greet him. I don't know how I missed him when I let her out. The good news was (yes, there was good news) he was a purebred Chocolate Lab with decent bloodlines.
We were able to sell every puppy without paying a cent in advertising. I did a search on free online classifieds. The popular one in my area that sold better for me is KSL Classifieds, but I also got calls from listings I made on: Go County, Kaango, Kijiji, Superads and Domestic Sale.
You can use these links I've given you, or you can do a search for free online classifieds in your area by typing in "free online classifieds" and your state. We sold all our pups in less than two weeks from the time we listed. We also made some much needed cash at a time when we definitely needed it. See? Even if we don't always understand God's plans for us, He knows what He's doing:)
So, the point of this post is: if you're looking to make some money from selling something you have at home, don't pay for that ad, list it for free!
Stay strong and have faith!
*I do have to add one caution and that's to watch out for scammers. There are some people who lurk in these sites and will tell you they're from out of state, working in some profession or other that will make you think they're honorable, and they'll offer you a deal that's too good to be true--because it is. They'll offer to give you more than your asking price, ask that you keep some for your trouble and ask you to send the rest back to them. It's a scam and you won't be making anything. In fact, you'll be losing whatever you send them, plus whatever the fees are for the bad check. So be leery of email-only inquiries, or Relay calls.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Find out about Your Credit for Free
This is such an important subject, and one that is too often overlooked by so many people. Do you know what's on your credit report? There was a time, I'm ashamed to admit, that I could actually say no to that question. Once I set out to change that (when we were interested in buying a house), I had a crash course in credit bureaus, credit scores and credit repair.
You can go to www.annualcreditreport.com and get all three of your credit reports for free, without having to get out your credit card or subscribe to a service. This site takes you to Equifax, Transunion and Experian. You can do it all in one visit, or you can spread it out over the year. Since it takes you directly to the credit bureaus' sites, you can also take action immediately if you find errors on your credit report. You can use this site to gain access to your reports once a year for each credit bureau.
You might not think that there would be errors on your credit report, but you could very well be wrong. We found out, by doing this very check-up, that there was another man, living in our state, who shares my husband's exact name. I only wish I were kidding. We found hospital bills, cell phone bills and judgments against this other man on my husband's credit report. It was easy enough to fix once we found it, since the social security numbers and birthdays didn't match up, but if we hadn't fixed it, it could have prevented us from getting any credit.
Errors do matter and they can affect whether or not you get a job, how much you pay for insurance, whether or not you're approved for a loan and even whether or not a landlord will approve your application for renting a place.
If you find an error in your report, you don't have to hire anyone to fix it. It's so easy to fix it yourself. You dispute the item online (which can be done at the credit bureau's website), or even over the phone if you prefer. You will also want to call the company that is involved in the item you're disputing to make the updated report go through faster (and in your favor).
We had so many errors in our report, that by the time I was finished disputing and making phone calls, our credit rating went up about 100 points. This dramatically lowered the interest rates we qualified for, and our home and auto insurance rates were dropped quite a bit as well.
Also know that if you have been turned down for credit, refused insurance or lost out on a job because of your credit, this automatically entitles you to a free credit report. So don't be afraid to get yours ASAP!
Here are the credit bureaus websites. You cannot access your free yearly credit reports by using these though. For that, use the link I gave you at the beginning of this blog.
www.experian.com
www.transunion.com
www.equifax.com
For more information on credit issues, check out this site I found:
http://www.completecreditservices.com
You can go to www.annualcreditreport.com and get all three of your credit reports for free, without having to get out your credit card or subscribe to a service. This site takes you to Equifax, Transunion and Experian. You can do it all in one visit, or you can spread it out over the year. Since it takes you directly to the credit bureaus' sites, you can also take action immediately if you find errors on your credit report. You can use this site to gain access to your reports once a year for each credit bureau.
You might not think that there would be errors on your credit report, but you could very well be wrong. We found out, by doing this very check-up, that there was another man, living in our state, who shares my husband's exact name. I only wish I were kidding. We found hospital bills, cell phone bills and judgments against this other man on my husband's credit report. It was easy enough to fix once we found it, since the social security numbers and birthdays didn't match up, but if we hadn't fixed it, it could have prevented us from getting any credit.
Errors do matter and they can affect whether or not you get a job, how much you pay for insurance, whether or not you're approved for a loan and even whether or not a landlord will approve your application for renting a place.
If you find an error in your report, you don't have to hire anyone to fix it. It's so easy to fix it yourself. You dispute the item online (which can be done at the credit bureau's website), or even over the phone if you prefer. You will also want to call the company that is involved in the item you're disputing to make the updated report go through faster (and in your favor).
We had so many errors in our report, that by the time I was finished disputing and making phone calls, our credit rating went up about 100 points. This dramatically lowered the interest rates we qualified for, and our home and auto insurance rates were dropped quite a bit as well.
Also know that if you have been turned down for credit, refused insurance or lost out on a job because of your credit, this automatically entitles you to a free credit report. So don't be afraid to get yours ASAP!
Here are the credit bureaus websites. You cannot access your free yearly credit reports by using these though. For that, use the link I gave you at the beginning of this blog.
www.experian.com
www.transunion.com
www.equifax.com
For more information on credit issues, check out this site I found:
http://www.completecreditservices.com
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Free Magazines for Parents of Babies and Toddlers
This little tidbit is especially for expectant parents, or parents of babies and toddlers. I know that when I learned I was going to be a parent for the first time (and also every time after that), I wanted to gobble up all the information there was out there. The easiest and most available source seemed to be parenting magazines. But since we also had much to buy in preparation of our little bundle of joy, we couldn't spend a lot subscribing to all those baby magazines out there (though I probably would've if I could). It was very refreshing to learn I could catch up on the latest parenting and baby news without emptying my pockets.
Luckily, it's pretty easy to get all that information, and it doesn't cost a thing. You can get American Baby magazine (http://www.americanbaby.com/) and Baby Talk (http://www.babytalk.com/) for free. All you have to do is go to their websites, find the link to subscribe, enter your information, and they'll give you your free subscriptions. You can also do this for a friend.
You can also read a lot of other magazines' content online for free. My favories were http://www.parents.com/ and http://www.parenting.com/ (who also puts out Baby Talk). The free magazines have great websites too. There's even some tools on there to help you keep track of things.
In this same line, if you're familiar with the What to Expect...books, you'll know they have a lot of valuable information in each of their books. As it turns out, they also have a wealth of information online too (http://www.whattoexpect.com/). They also have some great forums (as do the other sites I've mentioned here.
So if you're feeling overwhelmed with the idea of spending a lot of money to help you become a better parent--don't. You can spend the money you have on more important things, without losing out on the parenting tips.
Luckily, it's pretty easy to get all that information, and it doesn't cost a thing. You can get American Baby magazine (http://www.americanbaby.com/) and Baby Talk (http://www.babytalk.com/) for free. All you have to do is go to their websites, find the link to subscribe, enter your information, and they'll give you your free subscriptions. You can also do this for a friend.
You can also read a lot of other magazines' content online for free. My favories were http://www.parents.com/ and http://www.parenting.com/ (who also puts out Baby Talk). The free magazines have great websites too. There's even some tools on there to help you keep track of things.
In this same line, if you're familiar with the What to Expect...books, you'll know they have a lot of valuable information in each of their books. As it turns out, they also have a wealth of information online too (http://www.whattoexpect.com/). They also have some great forums (as do the other sites I've mentioned here.
So if you're feeling overwhelmed with the idea of spending a lot of money to help you become a better parent--don't. You can spend the money you have on more important things, without losing out on the parenting tips.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Let's cut some more dollars out of that budget
It seems I've constantly got money on the brain: or at least how to spend less of it. I've found ways to cut my groceries (http://www.ehow.com/how_4800520_save-money-groceries.html), a way to cut my satellite bill (http://www.ehow.com/how_4804929_lower-rate-satellite-bill.html) and I even cut my phone and internet bill (http://jugglinghomemaker.blogspot.com/2009/02/lower-your-monthy-bills-without-losing.html). I then canceled our dairy service (some would say we should've done that first, but I really loved their milk--which is saying something since I'm not a big milk drinker to begin with), and I now spend half as much for our milk at the store.
Since my husband's hours aren't looking like they're picking up anytime soon, I'm looking for more ways to cut our spending. We just knocked our thermostat down to 66 degrees for our heating. We were at 68, which was already saving us money over last year's gas bill, even with the rate hike Questar was granted.
You won't catch me without my long sleeves, even in the house. Haha! But really, it hasn't been too bad. It's not a real noticeable difference, and when I cook (which I do a lot of to save money), that warms up things a bit. We also turned our water heater down, which means we're using less gas to heat our water. Now we just add less cold water while filling the bath or sink. That's going surprisingly well for us (even with a family of six).
We're also on the budget plan, so we pay the same amount monthly, but I see that we have a good amount still left in the reserve they set for us, so that amount should be going down shortly with our lessened usage. I'm excited to see how much it will go down when they do our review!
If you haven't signed up for the budget plan (also known as the equal payment plan) for your utilities, I recommend doing so. It makes it sting less in the times you use more, though that also means you pay more in the times you use less. The companies that offer this feature generally review your account periodically to make sure you're not being over or under charged. Having this feature makes it easier to make up your household budget too, since you know what you're going to be billed each month.
Anyway, we've also switched out more of our light bulbs for the energy efficient ones. Of course, we're also making sure that we're all turning off the lights when we're not using a room, or opening the shades on a bright day to help us to cut our electric costs too. While the initial cost for the bulbs is more than the standard ones, they last much longer and cost less to use. They also have the added bonus of being the more environmentally friendly choice. We've actually been switching them out gradually (as our old bulbs burn out), so that we don't pay so much to switch them all out at once.
Once the weather gets warmer, we're going to make sure we don't crank up the central air too much, resulting in a high bill. We plan to open our windows in the morning when it's cool, and in the evening. During the day, when it's hot, we'll have our windows closed, and the ceiling fans going. With this, I think we'll be able to keep our air set at 80-83 degrees without feeling too much of the heat. I'll also keep the ice water handy.
I've made my loads of laundry larger, using less energy to run fewer loads. I've also made sure to not run the dishwasher unless it's full. I'm finding I'm also using less detergent, fabric softener and rinse aid by doing this. This also means I'm running up and down the stairs less, since I'm doing laundry less frequently. I still have to do laundry daily though, living in a house with four kids!
All of these money saving ideas also happen to be green, so that's a plus. For more ideas on going green in your home and saving money, check out this article by ethoslogos: http://www.ehow.com/about_4807537_green-home.html. I think it's great that his ideas are not only good for the environment, but they're also good for your pocket book.
Well, I wish you all well in your endeavors to save money. Please feel free to share any of your tips here as well.
Since my husband's hours aren't looking like they're picking up anytime soon, I'm looking for more ways to cut our spending. We just knocked our thermostat down to 66 degrees for our heating. We were at 68, which was already saving us money over last year's gas bill, even with the rate hike Questar was granted.
You won't catch me without my long sleeves, even in the house. Haha! But really, it hasn't been too bad. It's not a real noticeable difference, and when I cook (which I do a lot of to save money), that warms up things a bit. We also turned our water heater down, which means we're using less gas to heat our water. Now we just add less cold water while filling the bath or sink. That's going surprisingly well for us (even with a family of six).
We're also on the budget plan, so we pay the same amount monthly, but I see that we have a good amount still left in the reserve they set for us, so that amount should be going down shortly with our lessened usage. I'm excited to see how much it will go down when they do our review!
If you haven't signed up for the budget plan (also known as the equal payment plan) for your utilities, I recommend doing so. It makes it sting less in the times you use more, though that also means you pay more in the times you use less. The companies that offer this feature generally review your account periodically to make sure you're not being over or under charged. Having this feature makes it easier to make up your household budget too, since you know what you're going to be billed each month.
Anyway, we've also switched out more of our light bulbs for the energy efficient ones. Of course, we're also making sure that we're all turning off the lights when we're not using a room, or opening the shades on a bright day to help us to cut our electric costs too. While the initial cost for the bulbs is more than the standard ones, they last much longer and cost less to use. They also have the added bonus of being the more environmentally friendly choice. We've actually been switching them out gradually (as our old bulbs burn out), so that we don't pay so much to switch them all out at once.
Once the weather gets warmer, we're going to make sure we don't crank up the central air too much, resulting in a high bill. We plan to open our windows in the morning when it's cool, and in the evening. During the day, when it's hot, we'll have our windows closed, and the ceiling fans going. With this, I think we'll be able to keep our air set at 80-83 degrees without feeling too much of the heat. I'll also keep the ice water handy.
I've made my loads of laundry larger, using less energy to run fewer loads. I've also made sure to not run the dishwasher unless it's full. I'm finding I'm also using less detergent, fabric softener and rinse aid by doing this. This also means I'm running up and down the stairs less, since I'm doing laundry less frequently. I still have to do laundry daily though, living in a house with four kids!
All of these money saving ideas also happen to be green, so that's a plus. For more ideas on going green in your home and saving money, check out this article by ethoslogos: http://www.ehow.com/about_4807537_green-home.html. I think it's great that his ideas are not only good for the environment, but they're also good for your pocket book.
Well, I wish you all well in your endeavors to save money. Please feel free to share any of your tips here as well.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Are Medical Bills Dragging You Down?
I know first hand how medical debt can put a strangle-hold on you. In our family we've experienced: 3 appendix surgeries, 1 gall bladder surgery, 1 surgery to repair a hernia, 1 laparoscopy, 2 ear tube surgeries (the second was a replacement one with adenoid removal) and 1 foot surgery on two feet. Add to that having 4 babies, emergency room visits and the normal doctor and dental care, and you've got a lot of medical debt, even with insurance.
At first, I thought that I just had to pay the bill in full, without question. Then it became apparent, as things racked up, that it just wasn't possible for us to do that. That's when I started making calls. The first ones were for the bills my insurance was refusing to cover. In one case, they'd refused to cover an emergency apendectomy performed by a doctor out of their network. This is what I told them, "I went to a covered hospital in severe pain and feeling extremely sick. I figured I was safe since they were listed in your network. I'm sorry that I didn't think to ask them when they told me I was having emergency surgery if the doctor performing it was covered by my insurance. My appendix was about to burst." They paid the bill.
As for the bills that weren't covered by insurace, I called the doctor's billing office myself and asked if they would discount my bill, since my insurance wasn't going to cover any of it. All of them did--some of them by as much as 50%!
Another thing I was able to do was set up payment arrangements for the bills I couldn't afford to pay all at once. If they suggested an amount that I couldn't afford, I told them a lower number that I could manage. If they hesitated, I would tell them that I would love to pay more, but I had a long list of other bills, all of which I'm having to make payments on, and that was the best I could do. They all accepted that.
Also know, that as long as they are accepting your monthly payments, they aren't supposed to send you to collections because you are showing a good effort in repaying your debt. If you are sent to collections by mistake (which happened to me once) call them and tell them. If you are patient, but insistent, chances are they'll take the account back out of collections (Yes, this is possible).
One thing that helped us was that several of our bills were for the same company (Intermountain Healthcare), and when I called them about all of my bills (I had six with them at the time) they combined them all in one, with just one affordable monthly payment that was much lower than the six payments I had been making. So if you notice that any of your bills are for the same provider, or medical institution, see if they will do that same thing for you.
Another thing that some of them are able to do, but they don't advertise, is write your bill off. If you are having a rough time financially, and unable to pay your bill, explain your situation and ask them if they are able to write any of it off. Some of them are allowed to do that with a certain number of accounts each year, and it doesn't hurt your credit. Many of them also have programs for low-income families, which will help you to take care of your bills. It doesn't hurt to ask.
Make them an offer. If you do have most of the money you need to pay for a certain bill, ask if they will accept that lower amount. A lot of them will! I did this last year when I got my tax return. I called my dentist's office and asked if they would discount the bill if I would make the lowered payment in full and they did! I saved over one hundred dollars that time.
The bottom line is that most of your providers will be willing to work with you. Also, don't necessarily take the first answer from your health insurance if you think something should've been covered. Appeal it. Lots of people get their way when they do this.
I wish you all luck in lowering your medical debt this year! Let me know if this works for you, or if you have any other tips to help.
At first, I thought that I just had to pay the bill in full, without question. Then it became apparent, as things racked up, that it just wasn't possible for us to do that. That's when I started making calls. The first ones were for the bills my insurance was refusing to cover. In one case, they'd refused to cover an emergency apendectomy performed by a doctor out of their network. This is what I told them, "I went to a covered hospital in severe pain and feeling extremely sick. I figured I was safe since they were listed in your network. I'm sorry that I didn't think to ask them when they told me I was having emergency surgery if the doctor performing it was covered by my insurance. My appendix was about to burst." They paid the bill.
As for the bills that weren't covered by insurace, I called the doctor's billing office myself and asked if they would discount my bill, since my insurance wasn't going to cover any of it. All of them did--some of them by as much as 50%!
Another thing I was able to do was set up payment arrangements for the bills I couldn't afford to pay all at once. If they suggested an amount that I couldn't afford, I told them a lower number that I could manage. If they hesitated, I would tell them that I would love to pay more, but I had a long list of other bills, all of which I'm having to make payments on, and that was the best I could do. They all accepted that.
Also know, that as long as they are accepting your monthly payments, they aren't supposed to send you to collections because you are showing a good effort in repaying your debt. If you are sent to collections by mistake (which happened to me once) call them and tell them. If you are patient, but insistent, chances are they'll take the account back out of collections (Yes, this is possible).
One thing that helped us was that several of our bills were for the same company (Intermountain Healthcare), and when I called them about all of my bills (I had six with them at the time) they combined them all in one, with just one affordable monthly payment that was much lower than the six payments I had been making. So if you notice that any of your bills are for the same provider, or medical institution, see if they will do that same thing for you.
Another thing that some of them are able to do, but they don't advertise, is write your bill off. If you are having a rough time financially, and unable to pay your bill, explain your situation and ask them if they are able to write any of it off. Some of them are allowed to do that with a certain number of accounts each year, and it doesn't hurt your credit. Many of them also have programs for low-income families, which will help you to take care of your bills. It doesn't hurt to ask.
Make them an offer. If you do have most of the money you need to pay for a certain bill, ask if they will accept that lower amount. A lot of them will! I did this last year when I got my tax return. I called my dentist's office and asked if they would discount the bill if I would make the lowered payment in full and they did! I saved over one hundred dollars that time.
The bottom line is that most of your providers will be willing to work with you. Also, don't necessarily take the first answer from your health insurance if you think something should've been covered. Appeal it. Lots of people get their way when they do this.
I wish you all luck in lowering your medical debt this year! Let me know if this works for you, or if you have any other tips to help.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Give Gifts without Going Broke
Times are tough now for everyone, making it more difficult to give to those you love. The days when my mom would buy a gift for my friends' birthdays are long gone. Now I get to be the mom doing the buying, and believe me when I say that there's definitely not a lack of opportunities here.
Being the mother of four children who have more than their fair share of friends, and also being someone's sister, daughter, friend.....yeah, you get the point--I've been in the position numerous times where I needed a gift for someone. I don't have the benefit of limitless funds, but I don't want to come across as being a scrooge or a cheapskate either. So what are my options?
Surprisingly, there are several, and they are just as appreciated as their more expensive counterparts:
Find out what books they want to read. Try The Children's Book of the Month Club (http://www.cbomc.com/), or Double Day Book Club (http://www.doubledaybookclub.com/), or The Literary Guild (http://www.literaryguild.com/). You can get good deals on books at all of these sites. They're always offering specials, which makes them convenient to use at any time. If you're just signing up, you get a great deal on enrollment. If you give them your email address you get better offers than by snail mail. You do have to buy a few books (not necessarily at regular price) over the course of two years. Once you do that, you can cancel your membership so you don't have to respond to the featured selections. If you did end up cancelling you could even re-enroll at a later date and get the enrollment deal all over again.
How about a movie? With Columbia House (http://www.columbiahouse.com/) you can get a great deal upon enrollment too. They also give the best deals (such as Buy One, Get One Free) if you give them your email address, and sometimes you even get free shipping on top of that. They also have a certain number of DVDs you have to purchase over the course of two years.
Clothing? For children I prefer The Children's Place (http://www.childrensplace.com/). You can get quality clothes without breaking the bank. They always have what they call "Monster Sales" where you can get deeply discounted clothing for kids of all ages (up to size 12). Sign up with your email address and mailing addresses and you get an additional discount when they send out their coupons (about 3-4 times a year). You can also enter your children's birthdays and receive an email with up to 20% off all their merchandise during the month of your child's birthday. They also offer a Place Perks Card which gives you additional deals. Add to that the paltry $5 flat fee shipping rate, and you can walk out of there with a lot, paying very little.
You can also get good deals at JC Penney (http://www.jcpenney.com/), Kohls (http://www.kohls.com/), Old Navy (http://www.oldnavy.com/) and the Gap (http://www.gap.com/) by signing up for email with them. They also have clearance sections and send out coupon codes to their customers. So you don't have to skimp on quality just because your wallet is money-handicapped.
You can also go the creative route, if you're handy with the crafts. You can make a baby blanket fairly easy with minimal sewing skills (if I can do it, anyone can). You can create a scrap book for someone dear to you. You can put together a special photo frame collage. The possibilities are endless, and you can also get great deals on the web for the products you're looking for. Try Hobby Lobby (http://www.hobbylobby.com/), Hancock Fabrics (http://www.hancockfabrics.com/), Michaels (http://www.michaels.com/) to get you started. They also send out specials and coupons to their customers.
I just found a great article on eHow by kaseysviewblog that can give you plenty of ideas too: http://www.ehow.com/how_4808520_save-money-gift-giving-part.html?fid=4808520
These are just a few tips to get you thinking. I hope you'll find these tips useful.
Being the mother of four children who have more than their fair share of friends, and also being someone's sister, daughter, friend.....yeah, you get the point--I've been in the position numerous times where I needed a gift for someone. I don't have the benefit of limitless funds, but I don't want to come across as being a scrooge or a cheapskate either. So what are my options?
Surprisingly, there are several, and they are just as appreciated as their more expensive counterparts:
Find out what books they want to read. Try The Children's Book of the Month Club (http://www.cbomc.com/), or Double Day Book Club (http://www.doubledaybookclub.com/), or The Literary Guild (http://www.literaryguild.com/). You can get good deals on books at all of these sites. They're always offering specials, which makes them convenient to use at any time. If you're just signing up, you get a great deal on enrollment. If you give them your email address you get better offers than by snail mail. You do have to buy a few books (not necessarily at regular price) over the course of two years. Once you do that, you can cancel your membership so you don't have to respond to the featured selections. If you did end up cancelling you could even re-enroll at a later date and get the enrollment deal all over again.
How about a movie? With Columbia House (http://www.columbiahouse.com/) you can get a great deal upon enrollment too. They also give the best deals (such as Buy One, Get One Free) if you give them your email address, and sometimes you even get free shipping on top of that. They also have a certain number of DVDs you have to purchase over the course of two years.
Clothing? For children I prefer The Children's Place (http://www.childrensplace.com/). You can get quality clothes without breaking the bank. They always have what they call "Monster Sales" where you can get deeply discounted clothing for kids of all ages (up to size 12). Sign up with your email address and mailing addresses and you get an additional discount when they send out their coupons (about 3-4 times a year). You can also enter your children's birthdays and receive an email with up to 20% off all their merchandise during the month of your child's birthday. They also offer a Place Perks Card which gives you additional deals. Add to that the paltry $5 flat fee shipping rate, and you can walk out of there with a lot, paying very little.
You can also get good deals at JC Penney (http://www.jcpenney.com/), Kohls (http://www.kohls.com/), Old Navy (http://www.oldnavy.com/) and the Gap (http://www.gap.com/) by signing up for email with them. They also have clearance sections and send out coupon codes to their customers. So you don't have to skimp on quality just because your wallet is money-handicapped.
You can also go the creative route, if you're handy with the crafts. You can make a baby blanket fairly easy with minimal sewing skills (if I can do it, anyone can). You can create a scrap book for someone dear to you. You can put together a special photo frame collage. The possibilities are endless, and you can also get great deals on the web for the products you're looking for. Try Hobby Lobby (http://www.hobbylobby.com/), Hancock Fabrics (http://www.hancockfabrics.com/), Michaels (http://www.michaels.com/) to get you started. They also send out specials and coupons to their customers.
I just found a great article on eHow by kaseysviewblog that can give you plenty of ideas too: http://www.ehow.com/how_4808520_save-money-gift-giving-part.html?fid=4808520
These are just a few tips to get you thinking. I hope you'll find these tips useful.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Lower Your Monthly Bills without Losing a Thing!
I've decided that today I'm going to share a few tips on how I lowered our monthly bills with very little time and effort. The best part of this is that it doesn't hurt your credit, you get more for your money, and just about anyone can do it.
When my husband's hours got cut at work, one of the first things I did was sit down at my computer to go over my budget. Yes, I have a budget, and I've found it very useful in keeping our finances in line over the years.
What could I cut? We were already eating all our meals at home. I was packing breakfast and lunch for my husband, and making good, but inexpensive dinners. Our entertainment fund was already severely cut and I was maximizing my grocery savings (see how I did this at http://www.ehow.com/how_4800520_save-money-groceries.html). What else was there?
Medical bills are one of the easiest creditors to negotiate a lower rate with. In my case, I called and asked that my $50 a month payments be dropped to $25. I explained our situation and they were more than happy to work with me. They also charge me no interest as long as I make my payment every month.
I called our satellite company. We've been with Dish Network for almost eight years now. We found them to be cheaper with more channels than our local cable company and we've had very few problems with reception. Before I called them, I looked at what they were offering new customers. I also compared them to the competition (Here it is DirectTV--who also happens to bundle with my phone company, so I knew I could get a discounted rate with them).
I knew what I wanted and called them to see if they would give it to me. Once I let them know that I was a longstanding customer, was aware of their promotions and that I was tempted by their competition, they were more than happy to work with me. They gave me a $10 credit per month on my bill for five months, free Dish Home Protection Plan on my equipment for nine months. Free Premium HD Programming for three months, Free HBO, Showtime and Starz for three months, and 12 months of Cinemax for a penny.
I called my phone company (Qwest, who also provides my DSL) to see if they would do the same type of thing. They were less willing to work with me even though I've been a good customer for nearly four years. So I called their competition (Comcast). I asked what their current promotions were for phone and internet.
I found that I could get faster internet than what I currently have (test your internet speed here: http://www.speedtest.net/index.php), unlimited long distance (which I have now), and more phone features for nearly $40 less than I'm currently paying. There is a small catch to this in that my rate would go up after six months, but I can downgrade for free with no problems.
Also, even once I downgrade I would be getting the same speed of internet that I currently have and still have the bonus phone features for $35 less a month than what I pay now. I also get to keep my current phone number, so I can't lose! When I asked them if they were still offering deals on installation charges (which regularly run $100 for the two services together), they asked what special I was looking for. I turned the question back on them and asked what was the best one they could offer me. I got it for $25 total!
So you can definitely get what you want for less if you know how to do it, and I've just told you how. Just be informed, know what's available, let them know that you have less income, but want to keep your services with them, but will go to their competition if necessary.
If you have any more ideas on how to save money, I'd be glad to hear them!
When my husband's hours got cut at work, one of the first things I did was sit down at my computer to go over my budget. Yes, I have a budget, and I've found it very useful in keeping our finances in line over the years.
What could I cut? We were already eating all our meals at home. I was packing breakfast and lunch for my husband, and making good, but inexpensive dinners. Our entertainment fund was already severely cut and I was maximizing my grocery savings (see how I did this at http://www.ehow.com/how_4800520_save-money-groceries.html). What else was there?
Medical bills are one of the easiest creditors to negotiate a lower rate with. In my case, I called and asked that my $50 a month payments be dropped to $25. I explained our situation and they were more than happy to work with me. They also charge me no interest as long as I make my payment every month.
I called our satellite company. We've been with Dish Network for almost eight years now. We found them to be cheaper with more channels than our local cable company and we've had very few problems with reception. Before I called them, I looked at what they were offering new customers. I also compared them to the competition (Here it is DirectTV--who also happens to bundle with my phone company, so I knew I could get a discounted rate with them).
I knew what I wanted and called them to see if they would give it to me. Once I let them know that I was a longstanding customer, was aware of their promotions and that I was tempted by their competition, they were more than happy to work with me. They gave me a $10 credit per month on my bill for five months, free Dish Home Protection Plan on my equipment for nine months. Free Premium HD Programming for three months, Free HBO, Showtime and Starz for three months, and 12 months of Cinemax for a penny.
I called my phone company (Qwest, who also provides my DSL) to see if they would do the same type of thing. They were less willing to work with me even though I've been a good customer for nearly four years. So I called their competition (Comcast). I asked what their current promotions were for phone and internet.
I found that I could get faster internet than what I currently have (test your internet speed here: http://www.speedtest.net/index.php), unlimited long distance (which I have now), and more phone features for nearly $40 less than I'm currently paying. There is a small catch to this in that my rate would go up after six months, but I can downgrade for free with no problems.
Also, even once I downgrade I would be getting the same speed of internet that I currently have and still have the bonus phone features for $35 less a month than what I pay now. I also get to keep my current phone number, so I can't lose! When I asked them if they were still offering deals on installation charges (which regularly run $100 for the two services together), they asked what special I was looking for. I turned the question back on them and asked what was the best one they could offer me. I got it for $25 total!
So you can definitely get what you want for less if you know how to do it, and I've just told you how. Just be informed, know what's available, let them know that you have less income, but want to keep your services with them, but will go to their competition if necessary.
If you have any more ideas on how to save money, I'd be glad to hear them!
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