Get the Best Deal on a Used Vehicle

Some of you may remember me saying that we bought a truck this summer. We ended up paying over 50% off the dealer price for it. Though it came with some issues that cut into our overall savings, we still came out ahead.

A lot of people have asked me how we did this. I decided to write an article about it to share exactly how we did this. If you or someone you know is thinking of buying a car in the near or even distant future, don't do it until you've read this:

Get the Best Deal on a Used Vehicle

I wrote this article on Hubpages so that it's easier for the general public to find and won't be buried by other blog posts. Also, I've decided to take part in the 30 Hubs in 30 days challenge. Wish me luck!

Check Your Credit For Free! No Catch!

I've already told you about how to get your free credit report from Annualcreditreport.com. But it turns out there's another way to get not only your credit report, but also your credit score, profile and other extras for free. No, I'm not kidding.

I stumbled on this site by accident after my husband won a year of free credit monitoring from Quicken Loans. They're currently doing a sweepstakes, which I found on Freebies4Mom. Anyway, I decided to see who this company was who was doing the credit monitoring. It's called Quizzle.

They do offer other optional upgraded services for a fee (including helping you with a budget and giving you credit improvement tips), but you get quite a bit for free and you don't have to purchase anything or give them your credit card number. You don't even give them your social security number. How then, do they look up your credit report? With your name, address and birthdate.

You can find out more about the company in their FAQ section. Go check it out and stay informed!

Savings for New Moms

As new mom of an 8 week old baby, I know how pricey things can be. If you're able to breastfeed, that's the ideal nutrition for your baby and a real saver on your pocket-book, but it's not always possible.

There are savings out there for moms who use formula, so be sure to take advantage of that if you can. A few websites out there where you can sign up for samples of formulas and coupons are:

Strong Moms (Similac)
Enfamil
Gerber Good Start

You can sign up at any one (or even all if you choose) of these websites for free gifts, coupons and samples. So be sure to take advantage!

Another great program out there to help you save on diapers is Amazon Mom. This is a new program that gives you savings of 30% on diapers. You get 3 free months of Amazon Prime Shipping when you sign up, plus earn an extra month free for every $25 you spend in the baby store.



So what are you waiting for? Go start saving! :)

Summer's upon Us

Well, you can definitely tell that summer is coming. I admit, I've been yearning for it. I feel like I'm in school all over again with all the work that's been coming home with the kids. I thought I'd only have to do that once? Hah! But after tomorrow, I get a break. No more researching on the internet to help dust out those cob webs in my brain when the kids come home with something I just can't remember how to do. I'm pleased though, at how much I did retain from my school years. ;)

I suppose we're not getting much of a break just yet. We've been working like crazy it seems. Our garden is in. We're combating the weed issue we had last year (originating from the field behind us) with some plastic mulch. It's very thin plastic sheeting made especially for gardening purposes and it keeps the the weeds at bay. We bought the black kind so that none of those weeds could survive underneath the sheets. We'll have to cover it with grass clippings or some other barrier as the weather gets hotter though, so that we don't scorch the roots of our plants. Wish us luck!

We had our first serious injury of the season last night, or rather my son did, while doing fun summer-day activities. Poor Tyler fell while rollerblading and broke one of his front teeth. He also knocked it loose--go figure. So we paid an emergency visit to the dentist and he's in for some more dental visits in the future. He's a brave kid and did the first visit without being numbed. I'm not looking forward to seeing that bill, though (think after-hour rates). Yikes! :(

We also finally, for the first time this year, turned our central air unit on last night. We've been opening the windows and using the ceiling fans up til now. We decided, when some neighbors were having some guests over, to close the windows so we could get to bed a bit early after our exhausting day. We got a nasty surprise when the the unit ran continuously for an hour and a half and the temperature stayed the same.

After checking the obvious things, like the fuse box and the breaker on the unit outside, we got out our wallets and called to have it serviced. Unfortunately, $90 later, we found out we need an electrician. Things do get better, right? Haha. Sometimes I'm more optimistic about that than others.

We're still looking for ways to save money, and have managed to cut some of our expenses by selling two of our vehicles and replacing them with one. It's saving us on our insurance, but I have to admit that while we got a good price on it (make sure to do your homework and check out sites like Edmunds before buying anything), it hasn't been trouble free. We got it several thousands below blue book, but have had to put a lot of that back into it for it to get on the road (think tires, ball joints, muffler...). We knew some of the issues going into it, but did have a few unexpected things come up too. But, that's the gamble when you buy whole sale and as-is. Still, we're within the low-book value of it, so I'm trying not to take it too hard.

If you want to know how we paid less than half the blue book price for our truck, I wrote an article for it on HubPages here.

On the up-side, the baby is doing great and I'm having a pretty good pregnancy this time around. Something I'm VERY thankful for. Over-all, my family is healthy. I have great kids and a good, hardworking, loving husband. So I should count my blessings and brave the bad stuff! :)

I hope all is going well with all of you! Remember, you have to experience the bad stuff to really appreciate the good. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Want More Money-Saving Tips?

There's another blogging mama out there who's got her system down when it comes to saving money. She's got her own website called The Savings Geek and I promise you that it's one you want to check out. If you do, I promise you'll learn how to save big bucks on things you already buy!

I also highly recommend checking out Swag Bucks. I use them for my search engine (the results are comparable to google) and I earn points for doing what I already do: researching on the internet. I recently acquired enough points to trade in for $25 transferred to my paypal account. Not bad for doing nothing. And that's not all they offer, by any means.

I'm still earning money on Youdata, too. It's not a lot, but it's so easy, and it's totally worth the few moments it takes to do it.

Those are my savings/earnings tips for now. Now go check it out!

Credit Card Reform for Whom?

I've heard quite a bit of talk in the last year, as I'm sure most of you have, about credit card reform. These new laws were supposed to help protect consumers from shady credit card practices with the excessive charging of fees. These laws are set to go into effect next year.

I'm wondering though, who is this really helping? In this last year, my rates on four of my credit cards have jumped, and the credit lines were decreased. Was this because of me being late on my payments, or charging excessively? No. In fact, most of my cards didn't even have a balance, and I've never paid late. I also pay more than is due most of the time (though that overage amount hasn't been much lately because of my husband's hours being cut at work and our income dropping close to $1000 a month).

I know this isn't happening to us alone. I've heard many stories both online and in person of people getting their credit lines cut (even businesses) and their interest rates rising significantly. I empathized, but hadn't really been affected as much as some, since our rates only jumped half a percentage point at first, which was bearable, if annoying. And while our limits were cut, it didn't really hurt anything, except maybe our credit scores (which would recover eventually).

Still, it made me think. Who was this reform really helping? Certainly not those who have been utilizing their credit and making their payments on time. Certainly not people like me in middle America, who have been slammed by the economy, but have still been responsible in the use of credit and meeting payment obligations in whatever way we can.

There is one card we have been using in this last year to help us get by until Tony's hours improved a bit and we were finally approved to do the Making Home Affordable Plan (also known as HAMP or HASP) trial modification. This card had the lowest interest rate to begin with (at 9.99%) and was initially with Washington Mutual. It helped us when we needed two new sets of tires last winter. It helped us when our cat had a veterinary emergency. It payed the bill with the unexpected medical emergencies that came up in our family. You get the idea. It payed for those extras that we just couldn't come up with when the economy tanked and business went down here.

We haven't used it recently, since Tony is now finally up to 40 hours a week (still well below what we've gotten used to over the last 14 years, but much better than 32 hours a week) and we've been making the lower mortgage payment. Finally, we could see a way to catch up.

That is, until I got the notice from Chase (who took over WAMU). They were changing my interest rate. I'd already received a small rate hike of half a percent at the first of this year, which I took in stride. But this new rate was ridiculous. They changed my fixed rate to a variable rate, effective December 1, 2009. What did that mean for me? Well, starting on Dec 1, my rate would be double what I first had. Double! Can you believe that? I would be paying twice the interest every month! It would effectively be the monthly payment I'm currently making, all for just interest.

So I called them today. I asked them what I could do to prevent this. They said I could refuse the new terms. I asked what that meant for the account. They said I would have to close it. I asked if that meant I had to pay the balance in full, because there was no way I could do that right now. They answered no, that I just would be unable to use the account in the future, but would retain the current interest rate on the current balance until it was paid off. I said, "Close the account."

I hope everyone knows that is an option. I hope no one thinks they have to accept these new terms the credit card companies are imposing on them to make up for what they are losing out on when these new laws go into effect.

But I ask again, are these changes really worth it? I know it hasn't helped me. It's only hurt us. I'm struggling to think of a single person I know who it is going to help. Please, someone enlighten me.

Anyway, if something like this is affecting you or someone you love, please don't be afraid to make that phone call and see what your options are. If you don't understand or agree with the first person you talk to, call back and talk to someone else, or ask to be transferred. Fight for your rights. Take care and God bless!

I'm Inlove with my Bread Machine

No, really! We met about 11 years ago and while I was intimidated by its advanced technical skills at first, after a few years I was hooked. I make Italian Herb Bread, Old Fashioned White bread (the family wasn't impressed with the wheat recipes), roll dough, pizza dough, and now.....bread bowls!

I have a Broccoli Cheddar soup recipe that I've finally got down (though having said that, I do still reserve the right to tinker with it at a later date if I want to). And what goes better with Broccoli Cheddar soup than eating it in a bread bowl? Nothing, I say!

I've only had one problem with that: I can't find any decent bread bowls at any of the stores around here! They're all soft and flaky on the outside, and that doesn't make for the best soup bowl.

So I decided to do something about it. Why couldn't I make my own? I can make just about anything else I've set my mind to. This shouldn't be too difficult, right? So I did a search on the internet (using my swagbucks toolbar--which I love since I get to earn free stuff doing what I already do anyway!). I found this article detailing how to make homemade bread bowls from frozen bread dough. I thought, why can't I just use my French Bread recipe and run it in the dough cycle instead of the bread cycle and then follow the directions from the point of shaping the thawed bread dough. So that's exactly what I'm doing now. So far, so good. Keep your fingers crossed that it works for me! I'll have to update you, but I don't see any reason why it shouldn't work. I know my way around dough;)

I'll share my recipes for tonight's dinner here for those of you who are interested:


Broccoli Cheddar Soup

5 cubes chicken bouillon
1 tsp Worcestershire
1 tsp garlic
4 cups water
2 cups half and half or whipping cream
24 oz chopped broccoli
5 diced potatoes
¼ cup butter/margarine
½ cup onion
¼ cup flour
4 cups cheddar cheese
Season salt (to taste)
Mrs. Dash original seasoning (to taste)

Boil water, bouillon cubes, Worcestershire, cream, garlic, seasoning and potatoes. Cook until potatoes are tender. Add Broccoli.

Melt butter in pan. Add onion and cook until tender. Slowly add flour to make paste. Add mixture to soup slowly, mixing well to avoid clumping. Add cheese and mix well. Do not boil.

French Bread Dough

1¼ cups+3 tbs water (room temperature)
1 tbs butter/margarine
1 tbs olive, vegetable or canola oil
4 cups flour
1 ½ tbs sugar
1 ¾ teaspoon salt
2 tsp active dry yeast

(Use the link to the bread bowl article to finish)

Crash Course in Canning

My hubby came home with four ready-to-burst grocery bags of apricots from his dad. While I love apricots, and some would say we're a good-sized family, I have to say that there was no way we could eat all of those before they started rotting. I set them all on the counter while I contemplated on what to do.

We were leaving for a five day camping trip in four short days and had much preparation to do there, but I couldn't just ignore this bounty bestowed upon us, could I? I was tempted though--that is, until I woke up the next day, moved the bags out of the way so I could make breakfast and saw that they were already beginning to spoil. I got out all my books, gave my good friend and neighbor a call and made a decision. I was going to learn how to can, and I was going to learn FAST!

My friend and I did two double batches of canned jam, 4 batches of freezer jam and two batches of canned apricots in syrup and even some homemade fruit roll-ups. It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be, and thanks to my mother-in-law for giving me lots of jars years ago (in hopes that I would use them, I'm sure) and to my grandma Artheta who gave me her canning bath a few years ago (also in hopes of me learning this great skill) and also to my mom who gave me a dehydrator over a year ago (lots of people wanting me to preserve!) I didn't have much to buy (lids, seals and pectin--I already had tons of sugar in my food storage). Two days of canning later and I have a quite a bit to show for it :)

If you're interested in canning, check out this site to learn the benefits, acquire the know-how and get some recipes. I'll definitely be doing this again! It's a great way to build food storage and to save money!

Tonight is our pizza and movie night. We make our own pizzas to save on money and rent a movie from Redbox. Just in time to save us money, Inside Redbox sent out some working codes for today. I tried the one they said was working for all locations (for now) at Walgreens and it went through with no troubles. I'm saving the one they gave for McDonald's (set to be good until June 30--hopefully) for next week.

If you haven't done so already, you should check out Inside Redbox and subscribe. You've got nothing to lose and plenty of free movie rentals to gain!

I did do a no-no when I couldn't find a known family friendly movie we all wanted to see and just picked a movie off the full listing that I hoped wouldn't be too bad. I went to PluggedIn Online (where I can get a detailed breakdown of what's in a movie to help decide whether or not it's okay for kids) and found that the one I randomly picked was not one that I'd even want my almost 12 year old son to watch. So we'll have to find something else for them to watch tonight. Haha! That'll teach me!

If ever you have a question about a movie's content, definitely check that site out (for DVDs or movies in theatre). It gives a very comprehensive breakdown for even the most discerning of parents/viewers. Keep in mind though that you will be reading spoilers for whatever movie you're looking up.

Anyway, I wish you all a great weekend!

Busy is an Understatement!

I know it's been a while here. Between my yard work (I can officially call them flower beds instead of weed beds-Yay!) and sick kids (one sick four-year-old most of last week, and a sick one-year-old for a solid week now), I've had time for nothing else.

Oh! And it's a good thing hubby fixed the dryer (a loose screw on one of the agitators), because I've been doing laundry nonstop for over a week now--not that we don't generate a lot already in a household of six people without adding a nasty stomach virus to the equation!

The plus side is that so far it's only gotten hold of the two youngest members of our family. I'm hoping it doesn't go any further, as it seems to be long-winded. I feel bad for my baby though. Poor thing :(

I really feel that we do have some divine help on our side though, as I know we've accomplished a lot--despite the sick kids--in the last couple of weeks. A very, very good friend (perhaps an angel in disguise?) spent two of her days off working with us on those radioactive weeds (I swear some of them had to have been exposed and mutated!) I'll never underestimate the value of such a good friend. I'll have to try to return the favor.

Our yard is actually looking pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. We got our garden planted too, and so far, so good. Most of the seedlings we grew indoors have made it through the transplant, and the seeds we sowed in the ground are sprouting too. I'm so excited!

If you haven't got your gardens in yet, it's not too late. There's nothing like eating the food you grew yourself. It's cheaper, tastes great and is even better for you (no losing nutrients in storage and shipment). No space? That's okay, container gardening works well, too! Read my garden articles here for more info.

We've been listening to a lot of music during all that yard work. Some of it we got for free (no kidding) from iTunes. They have a freebie section that is updated regularly for you to check out and choose what you want to download. You have to have the itunes application on your computer to take advantage of this deal. So if you have an ipod and didn't know about this cool feature, check it out!

Well, that's all I have time for today. I accomplished this much with a baby on my lap! Are you impressed? Haha! Take care!

A Little of Everything!

I haven't called this The Juggling Homemaker for nothing! It's always a juggling act here, trying to keep so many different things going at the same time. My mom is out of the hospital, but still having some struggles, so I've been trying to do what I can there, though it's not as much as she (or I, for that matter) would like. It's hard when you have your own family to take care of to do much of anything else.

We're still working on our yard and went and got more compost from Wasatch Integrated Waste Management at $25/truckload--not too shabby! :) We also got some of their medium sized bark at $10/truckload for our flower beds (okay, I'll be honest and call them weed beds--but we're working on it). We're going to whack the weeds down, put down another layer of weed barrier (better stuff, this time) and throw the bark down on top of that. Take that weeds!!! Haha! It was back-breaking labor to unload those loads from the back of the pick-up. Believe me, I'm feeling it today!

We could have saved on the back pain and had someone else come out and deliver that stuff for us, but financially that just wasn't feasible. We had to cut some things out of our budget to do it the way we did. But in reality, it will help if we end up having to sell, since it will add some curb appeal to not have massive weed jungles on all sides. It's impossible for me to keep up with it all! Hopefully it won't come to that, though. And to be honest, it probably wouldn't sell for what we'd need anyway....ah well...moving on!

We had optimistically got a movie from Redbox to watch last night. We didn't get to watch it because the work took longer than we thought. We didn't even get to staining the playset! So I'll more than likely have to pay for another night.

Yesterday was the last free weekly Monday they're doing, too. Yeah, I know, it sucks. I wish they would continue doing it weekly, as I only recently started taking advantage of it, but they're not giving us as good a deal anymore. However, they are going to start doing free monthly Monday starting next month, for over the summer. We'll be taking advantage of that. For more information you can go to Inside Redbox.

As for our HASP application, we're still waiting to hear. The waiting period keeps getting longer, as more people are learning about (good!) the program and applying for it. They said it could be anywhere from now to another three weeks before we hear. So far we're still scraping by.

I've learned this will all come down what they call the Net Present Value Analysis. That's where, after reviewing all the information they have for your application, the market, and your property, they decide if the mortgage investor would make more money on a loan modification or a foreclosure. They also weigh the risks of your situation in their decision. Hopefully, between the down market and the incentives the government is offering them, our situation will look more profitable for a modification. I found an online explanation that explains this better, if you're interested.

Anyway, we're plugging along. Overall, I'd say I have more to be thankful for than to complain about. I just have to remember that on the bad days ;)

Free Chicken Dinner From KFC

Here's yet another reason to love Oprah. She's got a coupon for a free meal at Kentucky Fried Chicken on her website! It's for the two piece grilled chicken, two individual sides and a biscuit. Not too shabby, eh?

This is a limited time download and is only available from 9 a.m. CDT on May 5, 2009, to 9:59 p.m. CDT on May 6, 2009. So hurry! The good thing is that you don't have to rush quite as fast to redeem the coupon once you've got it. The coupon is redeemable at participating KFC® locations in the United States from May 5, 2009 to May 19, 2009. The only catch for this time period is that it's not redeemable on Mother's Day, May 10, 2009. It's one offer per person and can be found by visiting Oprah's site here.

I've already printed out mine! Yummy!

Want Some Freebies?

While doing some of my internet research, I found out about a way to get free stuff than I didn't know before. See? You really do learn something new all the time! Did you know that Walmart has their very own free samples, trials and savings site? They do, though the good ones go fast, and their offerings are constantly changing, so you might want to bookmark it and check back frequently.

I went there today and ordered the Crest Whitestrips Sample. Who doesn't want a brighter smile? ;) Currently, they also have dog treats, Good Nights, hair care stuff and Cottonelle (plus even more). So if you don't have anything better to do and want to get something for nothing, go have a look.

If you're into finding these kinds of deals, I have them all over my site. Feel free to have a look. Happy deal hunting!

Family Night

In our house, on Monday we do what we call "Family Home Evening" or in other words, Family Night. This is a great opportunity to spend time together as a family, talk, play games, roast marshmallows outside on the fire, or even just watch a movie. We also eat dinner together.

Experts say that this is the best way to raise happy, healthy and well-adjusted kids. They also say your kids are less likely to give in to peer pressure if they're getting quality time with you. I'm all for that!

To make things easy for you if you're wanting to watch a video together, I'm giving you the link for today's free Redbox code. If you're new to this, the way it works is you go to that site, become a free member and get access to the free promo codes. Also, once you're ready to redeem your code, make sure to push the button that says "rent with a promo code" then choose your DVD.

The first time I did it, I hit "rent DVD" and so I ended up paying for it, even though I had a promo code. To fix it, I just came home with two DVDs instead of one. Haha! Only the first day is free with the promo, then you have to return the movie by 9:00pm the next day. If you don't, you'll be charged $1 per day. Not too shabby!

We won't be taking advantage of the free code today though. To our children's chagrin, it's TV turn off week at school. No TV, video games or computer (unless it's for homework) until next Monday. We do this every year. It makes us get more creative and active together as a family.

If the kids go the whole week, they get rewarded by the school with a free meal at Hungry Bear Pizza (a pizza buffet place by where we live--the kids love it).

Anyway, unless you're feeling ambitious and doing TV turnoff in your house, go for that free DVD rental. We're doing Navajo tacos and eating outside on the patio. We'll probably play a game with the kids, too. I think it's about time they learned Yahtzee! Have fun!

Saving with Knowledge and Waste Less

Are there days when you go through your kitchen cabinets and refrigerator and just shake your head at all the food you're throwing out? What a waste! You're not alone. There is, however, something you can do about it, all by changing the way you store your foods.

I found this great site that gives information on what foods should be stored where. Some of this stuff I already knew, but I did learn a few things I didn't know, like the fact that potatoes give off a gas that ripen onions faster. And did you know that honey is one of the only foods that doesn't go bad? I knew it had a long shelf life, and that I could heat it when it starts to crystallize to get it running smooth again, but I had no idea I never have to throw it out. Cool! Where did I get this information? I found it in the article How to Keep Foods Fresh Longer. Be sure to check it out and learn how you can keep your food longer and waste less.

On another note, we've learned a lesson about our gardening. We found that the fluorescent light we bought, coupled with our warm closet where we ended up growing our garden seeds, worked very well--in fact, a little too well. I think we really should've held off planting some of the seeds until this weekend. Here's what I've learned:

Tomatoes and bell peppers should be started early, so the end of March or Early April, when you're planning on doing your outside planting in Mid-May is a good time to start those seeds.

Cucumbers, carrots, watermelon and Cantaloupe can all be started the end of March too, but they grow faster, so can even be done in mid-to-late April for mid-to-late May planting.

Peas grow fast! They are cold hardy and so can be planted directly in the ground as soon the soil is workable. Lettuce is also in this category. Because of this you can plant them directly in the ground, or if you're wanting to do starters, don't start them too early. A few weeks is plenty of time for the peas especially.

Corn, I've read, doesn't much like to be transplanted. We've done some starters for them (before we did all the research) and they did very well at first. But they're growing so fast that the roots are going outside of the containers. Also, they don't much like their roots to be wet, and it will cause them to rot, so you don't want to over water. It's best to just plant corn directly in the ground after the danger of frost has passed--which is mid-May here.

We've learned a lot in our first experience starting seeds. We'll do even better next year, I'm sure. I'm happy with what we've got so far though, and am excited to get our little plants out in the garden.

As for the compost, if you remember, I told you we were considering two landfills and the local sewer district. I did my homework before making the choice, and though the sewer district was much cheaper, I wasn't convinced of the safeness of using it in our vegetable garden. Expert opinions on this is mixed, but one common consensus I found was that vegetable plants where the roots are eaten (like carrots, radishes and potatoes for example) should not be planted in biosolids. Makes sense to me! If you're needing compost for your ornamentals though, you may want to consider biosolid compost as a less expensive option.

So we got our compost from the Bountiful Landfill for $30/truck load. It looks great! I'm impressed with the quality of it and have high hopes for our garden this year. I know I'll be grinning when I bypass the produce department at the grocery store! Haha!

Anyway, read up on your perishables and lessen your waste. And if you haven't already, think about doing your own garden this year. It's the perfect time to get things started. For tips and resources, go to my other garden articles.

A Check Came in Today!

I don't know if you remember or not, but I took part in an hour long panel for SurveySpot about a month ago. I had some trouble with the links, but finally got it to go through. All I had to do was shop at a smaller Walmart, rather than the larger one I usually go to. The payout? $50--and the check came today!

That's the most money I've made from a survey site so far, since I started checking them out last August, and it was pretty easy. They don't offer a referral program, like some of the others, but they are backed by the Better Business Bureau. I don't see the higher paying opportunities from them all that often, but I've received invites for a few of them. This was the first time I decided to do it though. The downside of SurveySpot is that you can end up wasting your time if you start a paying survey and then are found ineligible a few minutes into it. When this happens, all you get for your time is a sweepstakes entry.

I've also been earning money with Youdata weekly. It's not a lot, but it's consistent and literally only takes seconds of my time. I've earned about $10 each for Inbox Dollars and Send Earnings, which isn't a lot, but I haven't done much with them, to be honest. So those were for minimal effort. Cash out is $30 for those, so I've got a ways to go, haha! Anyway, these survey companies are not a get rich quick avenue by any means, but they can be good for some extra spending money.

In other news, I tried out the free redbox promo code for today and it worked! If you haven't checked this out for free DVD rentals, do it now! The code is good until midnight tonight and the DVD has to be returned to Redbox by 9:00 p.m. tomorrow or the charge is $1 per day.

I just thought I'd share these tidbits with you! I'm still looking for legitimate ways to make money from home, and of course, how to save it. Best of luck to you all!

My Very Own Domain

I played around with the idea for the past two months, but wasn't quite convinced that I needed to drop the "blogspot" from my web address. Finally, with some prompting and convincing information from my new friend and website owner: Mom on the Random, I did it!

All the same content is here, and I'll continue to work to make it better. Only the address has changed. I've discovered that I love doing this and plan to do it for a long time to come. So it was definitely worth the paltry $7.69 I paid GoDaddy for one year. It was going to cost $10.19 total, but I used my new Swag Bucks search tool for GoDaddy promo codes and saved over $2 (I also earned some Swag Bucks for doing the search).

It took some time to get the domain working here (I'm not very technically advanced--haha), but I did find some good instructions on this website. I hear it's much faster, though a few dollars more, to buy your domain directly from Blogger--and they'll even set it up for you automatically. I didn't know about this until after the fact, but I figured out how to do it anyway and saved money, so it's all good :)

In other news, I also found a link that tells me supposedly how much my blog is worth. According to this site it's worth $495. I'm not sure how accurate that is, but it was sure cool to see it. Haha! It just takes a moment, if you want to check out your own website on there for fun, too.

I also joined the NetworkedBlogs on Facebook to help promote my site. If you're on Facebook, feel free to follow me there:)

So, all in all, I've had a pretty productive couple of days. Maybe things are looking up? Stay strong and take care of yourselves! Happy Good Friday!

Have Fun with Your Family

Times are tough out there, and it's hurting most everyone's entertainment fund. But that doesn't mean that you have to sit idle, twiddling your thumbs. There are lots of fun things you can still do as a family, and many are free or cost very little.

Do you like movies? One option we've done is to buy the movies we wanted when they first came out and then watch them on movie night. If we bought them the first week they were out, they would cost $4-$5 less on sale. This is much less than it would cost for the six of us to go out to the movies.

No money in your budget for that DVD? I feel your pain. A cheaper--and sometimes free option is Redbox. You've probably seen these movie rental machines outside the grocery store, or even McDonalds. The rate is $1 per night, but I have it on good authority that you can rent free with a code on some nights--notably Monday and Wednesday. You can go to Inside Redbox and create a free account. Visit it to get the current promo code for your free movie rental. You do have to return it after the free day, or be charged $1 per day after that.

Now that the weather is warming up....well one day soon anyway (today it's pouring outside, but it's got to get sunny outside soon, right?)...It's a good idea to take your family outdoors. I found a great site today all about family fishing. Our kids love to go and don't even care if we come home empty handed because they've got their minds full of memories. The site is called Fish with your Kids and has some great information on how to make your trip fun and memorable. The cool thing about fishing is that in most states kids up to a certain age (14 in Utah) can do it for free.

I've also written an article on e-How on this topic and it gives more ideas on things you can do for fun with your family without breaking the bank. Kids don't need to go to expensive theme parks or arcades to have fun. There's so much you can do together that will strengthen your relationship, build life-long memories and entertain you all that doesn't cost much or even anything at all.

Saving with Your Newspaper Subscription

Today's blog was inspired by this morning's events. I received the renewal notice for one of our newspaper subscriptions, and cringed when I realized I have another check to write--small though it may be. Some may ask why I don't just let the newspaper subscription go, especially considering I have two of them. I'll tell you why, it's because those two subscriptions (both with the Sunday papers) save me a lot of money on groceries, and consequently, more than pay for themselves.

I'm guessing, with my Sunday and groceries clues, you know how I save money with these papers: I clip the coupons. I save money on toilet paper, granola bars, cereal, diapers, wipes, toiletries, pet food, produce, etc. I have even, on several occasions, gotten coupons for free items (ranging from salad dressing, gum, cough drops, frozen shrimp--you get the idea).

Because of this, I can justify the expense of both subscriptions, but with hubby's pay cut, money is very tight. I decided to call my subscription service (MediaOne of Utah) to test what I'd heard about most companies being willing to give existing customers the promotional rate if they call in and ask for it. Turns out, it was no myth. I got one year for the price of six months, all because I asked if they could offer me a better deal! So now my newspaper is even more valuable to me.

My green readers may be wondering what I do with all those papers after I'm done reading and clipping out of them. No worries! I take them to my children's school, put them in the recycling dumpster and they get money for the school! So it's a win-win.

So if you haven't done this already, I suggest you do. If you currently have a subscription, call to see if you can get a better rate. If you don't currently have one, get one! If you aren't clipping coupons for items you're already buying, that's the same thing as throwing away your money.

If you're not in my area, then you can find your local newspaper, or whichever paper you're looking to subscribe to online. I found a site that offers discounted newspaper subscriptions, and it's backed by the Better Business Bureau. It's called Discounted Newspapers.com.

None of these things take much time. Calling to lower your rate is easy, subscribing is even easier. Clipping coupons isn't much work either. You can get a coupon organizer for cheap, or you can even keep them in an envelope or sandwich bag (I did this for years). And Newspaper recycling sites are everywhere. You can usually find them on school grounds or even in some store parking lots. If you don't know where one is, check out Earth911.

Do what you have to and lower that budget. Saving money is always a good thing, especially in this hard economy.

Don't Be Afraid to Ask for What You Want

Have you ever gone to the store, had your hands full at the register and not noticed until you got home and went over your receipt that you were overcharged? Have you ever purchased an item or a service, only to find out it wasn't all it was promised to be or it broke with normal use? Most of us, if not all of us, have had some bad experiences as customers. The good news is that there is something you can do about it.

Often, you can get what you want over the phone. If you've got decent verbal skills, this can be an effective way to resolve your problem and get what you want. The key is persistence and patience. When we bought our house nearly four years ago, we upgraded the appliances. We thought if we went with the higher brand name that they would last longer and work better.

In our case, we were mistaken. The first year we had to call on our freezer twice (the ice maker was having issues), our microwave once (it started sparking when we used it), our dishwasher (the silverware tray hinges broke), and we had to trip the breaker on our electrical to get the self cleaning oven to turn off (thankfully that never happened again). We couldn't believe it! But thankfully everything was covered under warranty, and so we didn't have to pay for anything.

I can't believe, considering all the trouble we had, that I didn't get around to extending the warranties. Blame it on being busy with the little ones and working on getting all our landscaping done. In any case, we didn't extend our coverage. Six months after our coverage expired, all of our lights and the digital display in the refrigerator when out. I called, hoping that it was one of the few parts that was covered under the longer warranty. It wasn't, and it was going to cost several hundred dollars to replace.

I was furious, but I kept my cool when I called the company to see if they would pay for it anyway. They told me no. I asked to be transferred higher, that person told me no, I asked to be transferred even higher, that person told me no. I told them I wasn't getting off the phone until they told me yes. I told them how we had bought all of our appliances from them, and they were supposed to be top of the line. I told them how many times we had to call on said appliances, and how we were less than satisfied with their performances. I told them how I would tell anyone and everyone who would listen about my experience with said appliances and their manufacturer if they didn't do the right thing and cover the part. I basically let them know that I wasn't going away. Finally, over an hour later, they said "okay, we'll pay for the part if you'll cover the labor." I took it. The labor was only $60 and so I was satisfied with that deal.

Never once did I raise my voice, curse (though believe me, there were times I wanted to--haha!), or act offensive to them. I let each person know that I realized that they weren't actually the ones who made my appliances, and that this was just their job, but I wasn't going to let this go. They listened.

Another customer service issue: If I've been overcharged at the grocery store by a few cents, or even a dollar, I'll usually let that go. But there was actually a time that I was overcharged over five dollars. That was when gas prices were much higher, and I would've spent about that much to go back to the store and get my money back. That didn't appeal, so I wrote a letter to their corporate office, letting them know my experience, how I was overcharged and how it made me feel as their customer to know that if I took my eyes off the scanner for a moment, I would lose money. They sent me a $10 gift card and a letter of apology.

I've received refunds on items, replacement products and other things, all as a result of being able to keep my cool over the phone or in a letter. This can be a great way to get your money back, or to get something replaced. Sometimes they'll even send valuable coupons with your replacement (usually food manufacturers do this).

If phone calls, or letter writing doesn't get you anywhere, you can always file a claim with the Better Business Bureau. I did this with AT&T once. They charged me $3 for a collect call I refused. It wasn't the amount of money I was upset about, it was the principle of it, and the way they treated me when I asked them to remove the charge. Their representative really should've considered their words when they told me that it was basically too bad, I had to pay it and there was nothing I could do about it. That was a challenge to me, and I accepted it. I went to the BBB's website, filed a report, and what do you know? My account was credited! Hah!

I thought I'd share this information with those who haven't tried this. You don't have to settle for less. Get more for your money, or at the very least, what you paid for. Go get what you paid for!