Surviving Black Friday and Cyber Monday

I don’t do Black Friday. I would rather have every hair pulled out of my head individually than fight hundreds of people for the last Nintendo DS on the shelf. But there are people who live for the deals offered by stores on the day after Thanksgiving – and there are some good deals if you’re willing to brave some serious crowds.

Cyber Monday, in my opinion, is retailers’ solution to people like me. They wait until the Monday after the Thanksgiving weekend when people go back to work and offer hundreds of deals exclusively online. No crowds. No lines. No waiting.

Whether you shop one or both of these popular days, take advantage of these tips for finding the deals you really want before they are gone. 

Shop before you can shop

The Internet has revolutionized the way shopper tackle Black Friday. Back in the “old days” as my son calls them, you would stop at a newspaper stand and pick up the Thanksgiving Day special edition, which was full of Black Friday ads. You can still do that, or you can view the ads and a whole lot more on these sites:

BlackFriday.info

BlackFriday.com

Cybermonday.com

Cybermonday.net

In-store, online or both?

Pay close attention to where the sale prices apply. A lot of stores have “in-store only” sales that start in the middle of the night and end before a lot of people normally wake up. Or, they offer online specials that are different than the ones in stores. Know where and when you can take advantage of special pricing.

Keep your expectations realistic

Just because you show up at the store doesn’t mean you will leave with the item(s) you want. At stores like Wal-Mart, people start lining up at 10 p.m. for sales that don’t start until 2 a.m. or later. There are limited quantities of those items that are price too low to be true.

Use Facebook and Twitter to find deals

Liking your favorite stores on Facebook and following them on Twitter could help you find special deals not published anywhere else. It also may save you a trip by indicating when sales are over or merchandise is sold out.

Use store websites and your mobile phone to your advantage

Many store websites will let you shop by location. If the store you are at is out of the item you wanted to buy, use your mobile phone to access to the store’s website and change and search for the item at a different location. If it’s there, see if you can buy the item online and pick it up at the store.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy shopping!

 

Leasing a Vehicle Can Steal Your Financial Freedom

There is a lady at my church who always seems to be driving a new car. One day I asked her if her husband worked at a car dealership. The answer was no. She was actually leasing these vehicles. She said she loved her lease because she was able to drive a new car more frequently than she would by buying them.

This is exactly what car dealerships and vehicle manufacturers want you to think. The truth is that leasing a vehicle can be a dangerous cycle for anyone trying to get out of debt or achieve some level of financial freedom.

Leasing a vehicle is essentially renting it. You make monthly payments, but you never really own the car. At the end of the lease – usually two or three years – you either buy the car for what you still owe on it, or you turn it in. If you’re like the lady at my church, you start the process all over again with a new vehicle.

Think about this. When you purchase a vehicle – new or used – you pay on the car for the length of your loan and then it’s yours. Once the loan is paid off, you readjust your budget, because you now have several hundred dollars you’re not spending on a car loan.

When you lease a vehicle and continue to lease new vehicles, you never lose that car payment. Most people are attracted to leasing because the monthly payments can be so low, but then they get sucked in to the rush of driving a new car every few years. Before they know it, they have spent thousands of dollars over time and don’t even own a vehicle.

If they buy the car for what is still owed on it at the end of the lease, they often end up going upside down on their loan. That means they are paying more on their loan than the vehicle is worth. Should they total the vehicle before that loan is paid off, they won’t get enough money from the insurance company to pay off the loan. That means they’ll be paying on a loan for a car they can’t even drive.

Here’s a more ideal scenario. Buy a used vehicle, maybe a year or two old, with very few miles on it. If you have to finance the loan, get a low interest loan for as few years as possible. Once the loan is paid in full, continue making those payments to a savings account that you never touch, with the exception of an emergency. When you are ready to purchase another new vehicle, you’ll be able to do it with cash. That’s what financial freedom is all about.

Leasing a vehicle seems attractive because of the low monthly payments, but it can be really dangerous to your long-term financial picture.

Five Reasons to Shop Halloween Clearance Racks

In my house, November 1 is like Black Friday. I drop my son at school and immediately head to Wal-Mart to see what Halloween costumes I can buy for 50 percent off. My son loves to dress up in costume, and it’s always fun to see him get excited when he opens new ones on Christmas morning. That’s not the only reason I shop Halloween clearance, though. Here are five good reasons we all can do it.

1. Affordable Gifts

Kids love costumes any time of the year – not just on Halloween. They make great gifts for birthdays and Christmas, as well as for toy drives at Christmas time. At 50 percent off, you can afford to giver more to needy children and still tuck away a few in your gift closet for when you need a last-minute birthday gift.

2. School Activities and Costume Parties

The mascot at my son’s school is a cowboy. Every year, the PTA hosts Western Day. The kids and teachers are encouraged to dress up as cowboys/cowgirls. My Wal-Mart had a lot of cowboy/girl costumes for both kids and adults, and the one I bought should get him through at least another year or two. They may have your mascot, too.

3.  Party Supplies and Fundraising

Candy doesn’t go bad very quickly, and a lot of the Halloween candy you buy will be in neutral packaging. Buy now for Valentines Day and Easter. Think about organizations you belong to that may solicit candy donations during the year or may need the candy for fundraising purposes. Now is the time to stock up.

4.  Shop for Next year

Why spend $30 next year on the same thing you can get for $15 this year? Save yourself money every year by purchasing your Halloween costumes and décor a year ahead of schedule.

5.  Halloween is More Than Costumes and Candy

There are lots of things on Halloween Clearance that are not costumes and candy. Think about artificial pumpkins, floral arrangements, lights, yard art, socks and hair bows in Fall colors and more. You can even find Halloween cake mixes and Kraft Macaroni and Cheese in jack-o-lantern shapes on clearance. Again, why pay full price for anything you can get on sale?

Take advantage of these deals this week. If you wait much longer, you will be out of luck. Stores are anxious to replace Halloween with Christmas.

 

Do Refurbished Electronics Really Save You Money?

A few years ago, my brother-in-law needed a Blackberry, but he and my sister just couldn’t afford it. That year for Christmas, she decided to surprise him by finding one reasonably priced on Ebay. It quit working after two months. When he took it to get repaired, he found out it was not new like the seller had promised. It was refurbished. By the time they paid the repair costs, it would have been cheaper to buy one brand new.

My sister would not have purchased that phone had she known it was refurbished. That doesn’t mean all refurbished gadgets are junk. It just means you have to be careful – especially on auction sites where you’re not always sure you’re getting what is advertised.

Refurbished electronics typically are items that are purchased brand new, returned with defects, fixed to factory specifications and re-sold to someone else. They often sell for half the price or less of that same item when it’s sold brand new. That’s an attractive offer to someone in the market for something like a phone, a computer, a tablet, an mp3 player, etc. Personally, I stay away from refurbished electronics. If the price is too good for you to pass up, keep these tips in mind:

Check to see if the item you want to buy comes with a warranty. Often, the manufacturer will offer a warranty on refurbished items. Sometimes the retailer has one, as well. Consider that your insurance policy if something goes wrong.

Check to see what the seller’s return policy is. If the item is sold “as is”, it means you are on your own if something goes wrong. Don’t by something you can’t return unless it’s so cheap that you really wouldn’t consider it a loss if it broke.

Look for items that are “recertified”. Newegg.com uses this term to describe items that have been retested to ensure compliance with original manufacturer specifications. Other retailers may use this term, as well.

Buy from a reputable seller. If you do buy something on an auction site like Ebay, make sure it’s a store, and not just a person selling their used cell phone or other gadget. Also, pay with PayPal, which has protections in place for buyers who have problems with the merchandise they purchase.

There are definite risks associated with refurbished items, but if you’re smart about the way you buy something, you could end up saving a ton of money. Just be careful.

 

Don’t Pay for Debit Card, Checking Accounts, Etc.

I am absolutely amazed at how many people are willing to pay for things that should be free. Several big banks around the country have announced recently that they will start charging a monthly fee for people to use their debit cards. That’s not okay, and as consumers, we should let them know that’s not okay by taking our business to a place like a credit union, where people matter more than profit.

When banks first announced these fees, someone who gives financial advice on the Internet was actually recommending that people give up their debit cards completely and only use credit cards. That’s terrible advice. Credit unions still have free debit cards, checking accounts and other services you shouldn’t have to pay for.

Take our checking accounts for example. Some banks are charging a monthly fee for those, as well. We have some accounts that are not only free. They also give rewards, like cash and free iTunes downloads. We don’t charge a fee for our debit card, either. Use it as often as you want. It’s still free.

We also give you access to thousands of ATMs around the country that don’t charge you money to use their machines. Use more than 50,000 ATMs in places where you already are, like Target, Walgreens, gas stations, grocery stores and more. As long as they are part of our partnering networks, they won’t charge you a fee. If they do, we’ll refund it. Look on our ATM page for more information.

You’ve heard the saying that nothing in life is free. That may be true if you do business with a bank, but at Neighborhood Credit Union, we’ve got your back (and your budget).

 

Save Money by Making Your Own Condiments

I was making a recipe recently that called for pickle relish. It’s something I rarely use, but I haven’t made this dish in a long time, and the pickle relish really adds to the flavor. About two days after I spent close to $3 on a small bottle of pickle relish, it dawned on me that I could have made it myself.

There are so many things we can make ourselves, with ingredients we have on hand, that are not only cheaper, but faster than driving to the store and healthier than many store bought products. Here are few for you to try.

Pickle Relish

Chop a few slices of your favorite pickles with a kitchen chopper. It’s that easy, and it lasts as long as your pickles do in the refrigerator.

Fresh Salsa

Four romas tomatoes, quartered

Half of an onion, quartered

Half a bunch of cilantro

One ore more jalapeno peppers

One teaspoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar

Salt to taste

This is my absolute favorite salsa. I rarely even follow a recipe. I just throw some stuff into a food processor, turn it on, then poor in the lemon juice (or vinegar) and sea salt while everything is mixing. It lasts for weeks in my refrigerator and takes less than five minutes to make.

Yellow Mustard

Mix four parts mustard powder, two parts water, one part white wine vinegar and one part white vinegar with a whisk until well mixed. Let sit about 15 minutes. You can also get creative by adding bolder spices and flavors.

Basic Mayonnaise

Place two large egg yolks and three tablespoons of lemon juice in a food processor. While the food processor is running, drizzle about a cup of oil (olive, sunflower, canola or vegetable) into food processor until everything is thoroughly mixed. Add salt to taste. There are some alternate recipes that call for a little bit of Dijon mustard, as well. If you have it on hand, you may want to try it. If you want the mayonnaise to be white instead of yellow, use egg whites, instead – about two whites for every one yolk. For specialty flavors now sold in stores, add extra flavors like basil, horseradish and other herbs.

Thousand Island Dressing

Mix together ketchup and mayonnaise.

Homemade Italian Dressing (taken from copykat.com)

1 C. vegetable oil
1/2 C. cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. crushed chili pepper
1/2 tsp. minced garlic

Mix all ingredients together well. Store in an airtight bottle or jar.  Chill several hours before serving. Shake well before serving.

What condiments do you like to make at home. Please share the recipes here and continue the conversation.

 

Texas State Fair Discounts

The Texas State Fair open this weekend? Is your budget ready? The State Fair is a lot of fun but can also be quite pricey. Take advantage of the special deals below, and stack them whenever possible, to get the most savings possible.

By using my son’s free ticket from school and bringing a Dr. Pepper can on Tuesday, I will save $29. Plus, he will ride more rides with my $20 ride limit, because most rides are five coupons on Tuesdays.

Free Admission

Most school age children receive a free ticket from their school before their assigned fair day. Check with the school if you don’t receive yours.

Bring a Cinemark movie ticket stub for free admission on Thursdays.

Get free admission when you wear any Dickies logo clothing item on Thursday, Oct. 20 only. This is not Dickey’s barbecue. It’s the Dickies clothing line.

Senior citizens get free admission every Thursday.

Canned Food Discount Admission

Pay only $2 for admission any Wednesday when you bring 3 canned goods to be donated to area food banks.

Discount Tickets at Kroger

Save $1.50 on general admission tickets (you pay $14.40) and $10 on season passes (you pay $29.95) when you purchase them at any DFW Kroger location. A season pass includes unlimited admission to the fair in 2011, one buddy pass to be used any time Monday through Friday and one free Cinemark theatre ticket valid Sunday through Thursday only from Sept. 1 to Oct. 31, 2011. Not good for pass-restricted films or IMAX. Kroger also sells a DART combo ticket for $17, which covers general admission to the fair and round trip transportation on DART.

Discount Tickets Online

Save a $1.05 on children and senior citizen tickets, and save $2.05 on general admission by purchasing advance tickets online. Save $9 by purchasing the Garden Getaway ticket online. This special package gets you one general admission ticket to the State Fair and one general admission ticket to the Dallas Arboretum.

Dr. Pepper Discounts

$4 Tuesdays – Pay only $4 for admission when you bring an empty Dr. Pepper can, and be sure it’s empty. They will make you get out of the line and empty it before you can proceed to the admission booth. Also on Tuesdays, most rides are five coupons – a discount of 40 percent to 50 percent per ride.

$5 after 5 p.m. – Pay only $5 after 5 p.m., any night of the week when you bring an empty Dr. Pepper can.

Coke Discounts

On opening day, pay only $5 for admission when you bring an unopened bottle of Dasani water or any Coca-Cola product for donation to a local food bank.

Pay only $5 general admission on Thursdays when you bring an empty 20 oz. bottle of a Coca-Cola product. Be sure it is completely empty, or you will be asked to leave the line, empty it and go to the end of the line.

I am told McDonald’s also has discount offers on its tray liners but have no confirmed that information.

Happy friend food fest! Oh, and by the way, Texas State Fair Coupons NEVER expire. Hold on to your leftovers for next year.

 

How To Buy A Car With Ease

Fall is the best time of the year to buy a new vehicle. By October, most dealerships are making room on their lots and in their showrooms for the next year’s new models. That usually means they are willing to sell what is already on their lots for a lot less money. Take advantage of that savings. If you are willing to shop around, you may drive away with a 2011 vehicle at a 2010 price.

Many people often give up a good deal, because they don’t like to haggle for a good price. They consider buying a car a hassle. If you arm yourself with the right information, you can be in control of the car buying process.

First, get pre-approved for an auto loan. At most credit unions, this is as easy as applying for an auto loan, but not applying for a specific dollar amount. Your credit union will tell you how much you qualify to borrow. Use this as a bargaining tool. It’s pretty hard for a salesperson to haggle with you when you have a limit on what you can spend. It also gives you a price range so you can start shopping.

Second, do your homework. Shop online. Decide what size vehicle you need and what features are appealing to you. Narrow down your vehicle picks to two or three, then read reviews on all of them and see which, if any, received high safety ratings and other industry recognitions. When you know exactly what you want, it’s hard for a salesperson to sell you something different.

Third, get a price quote online. Many dealerships offer this service, and it gives you the control of letting dealerships compete for your business. If they call you with a quote that isn’t favorable, let them know another dealership quoted a lower price and ask them to make a counter offer. You can shop multiple dealerships without leaving your home or office.

Fourth, do the math before you accept special dealer offers, like $199 a month to lease a vehicle, zero percent financing or cash rebates. Leasing a vehicle may be a good deal. Just know there’s a balloon payment at the end of that note, which will need to be paid in full or refinanced, leaving you to pay even more interest.

When dealers offer low-rate financing, there often are conditions attached. The low rate usually applies to specific models, or for specific terms – usually 36 months or less. If you’re in the market for that specific model, or you can afford to pay off the loan in three years, this could be a good option for you.

Cash back incentives can either stand on their own, or they can be tied to a condition like purchasing a specific model or financing with the dealer. Ask before you get your heart set on a different model.

If you have the choice between cash back or dealer financing, think about taking the cash rebate and financing your vehicle at a credit union. That puts money back in your pocket and gives you an option for affordable financing. Neighborhood’s rate is only 2.99 % APR right now for loan terms up to 72 months.

Finally, use a credit union to shop and finance a car. Many credit unions, including Neighborhood Credit Union, have relationships with dealers who offer members-only deals. Plus, you’re borrowing money from a trusted source. That, alone, is peace of mind you just can’t buy anywhere.

 

Five Tips for Saving Money at the Grocery Store Without Coupons

I am not a coupon clipper. I never have been. My dad used to clip coupons for me and mail them to me, but even then, I rarely used them. It just seemed like things I bought never had coupons.

That’s not to say coupons don’t save you money. I have watched many friends save hundreds of dollars on groceries with them. Here’s how I save.

I only buy meat when it’s on sale. The Alberston’s store around the corner has great sales on meat. I buy chicken breast at $1.49 a pound, and I buy steak when it’s buy one get two free. I buy a lot of meat on sale and freeze it. This, alone, save hundreds of dollars over time.

I do the math. If there are two sizes of something, like peanut butter for example, I divide the number of ounces into the price. That tells me how much the jar of peanut butter is per ounce. If a 14 oz. jar of peanut butter is $3.18, it’s costing me $.22 center per ounce. If the bigger jar is 32 oz. for $5, it’s costing me $.15 cents an ounce. Bigger is often cheaper, but not always. Do the math.

I look at ingredients. A few months ago, I was shopping for salad dressing, because it was on sale. I noticed that some flavors had two different bottles on two different shelves. One said “made with olive oil.” The other did not. The one with olive oil was the same price, but it was several ounces smaller. Out of curiosity, I read the ingredients on both bottles. They were exactly the same. Both were made with olive oil. The manufacturer had found a way to sell less salad dressing for more money and still make it appear to consumers that they had two different options. Don’t fall for that.

I buy in cycles. Everything in the grocery store has a price cycle. Just about everything will be on sale within a month to six weeks. That’s when I buy my non-perishable items like toilet paper, snacks for my kid, pastas, sauces, soft drinks, etc. I’m not like those people you see on TV who use their showers as storage areas. I buy as much as will fit in the normal spaces of my home.

I don’t buy what I can make at home. Individually packaged items like applesauce are a lot of money. I can make my own apple sauce with two apples, add no sugar, and package it individually so my son can have it in his lunch box. The same goes for things like pudding, jello, sauces, etc. If it doesn’t take that long to make – and applesauce is super quick – I don’t need to spend the extra money at the store.

What are some other ways you save money on groceries? Leave a comment hear and let’s continue the discussion.

Saving Money on Cable and Phone May Be as Easy as Asking

As hard as this may be to believe, my family has never had cable TV, satellite or the like. We had rabbit ears on our television before analog TV went away, and ever since then, we’ve had a digital antenna in our attic. I am not a big TV watcher and just didn’t want to pay the money for something that didn’t add much value to our lives.

As I was paying my Verizon bill this weekend, however, I came across a deal that would let me add FIOS TV to my existing phone and Internet bundle and actually lower my monthly bill. I added the DVR option for an additional fee that brings my bill to exactly the amount I’m already paying. As much as I didn’t want the extra 190 channels, why would I not get something for free that my husband and son both will use?

A similar thing happened two weeks ago when we finally gave in and got new smart phones. I had been putting this off for a year, because I didn’t want the added cost of a data plan. When our phones were just too old to use anymore, I walked into the T-mobile store and told the lady I didn’t want anything that would increase my monthly bill. She looked up our usage, gave me more minutes than we already have, hooked us up with two smart phones and saved us $7 a month.

All these years, I’ve been putting off upgrading our technology because I didn’t want to pay more money. I completely forgot the golden rule of saving money – sometimes you just have to ask. Often, it really is that easy – especially if tell your cable or phone company that you can’t afford your current service and may have to cancel it to make ends meet. Cell phone companies and cable companies have a lot of competition, and keeping your business at a lower price is often more important to them than giving it away to another company. In fact, my friend sent me this e-mail just this morning:

“After your contract is up the price goes higher. But, if you call them they lower your rate for another year. I have been doing this the past five years. I got my DVR free for an extra year because they sent out mailers offering it for new customers. I called and told them that my DVR trial was over and I wanted to ship it back, and that I thought it was not good business to offer the free year to new customers when I had been a loyal customer for so long. So, they offered it to me for another year for FREE”

If you want to save money on TV and phone bills, call them and ask. If possible, show up and talk to them in person. You may be surprised at what they can save you.