Happy Thanksgiving!

Read more about the types of questions  you should ask yourself for a big purchase.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/questions-to-ask-before-a-big-purchase_us_582dd926e4b099512f81395e

Great article to save money on holiday presents.

This takes the cake

Random tip:

If you are having a birthday party...

And want a delicious high quality cake...

Order your cake from Costco.

Seriously their buttercream frosting tastes like a refined fluffy buttercream.

For $18.

Seriously the only thing cheaper would be making the cake yourself!

Enjoy and Happy birthday!

Groceries, Part III

Happy Sunday!

That means tomorrow it's Monday. Time to pack school lunches...time to make dinner...time to hopefully pack a lunch for me and the hubs.

In between birthday parties and soccer games and just hanging out with friends and enjoying our weekend...is there anything you can do that isn't a three hour meal prep for the week...

Here are my meal prep suggestions that help save you money and maximize your time....sorry if you're vegan or have specific dietary needs probably won't apply.

1) Hard boil a dozen eggs in the morning.  Takes about twelve minutes.  Place in bowl in fridge. Assuming your children don't ask for six "Eggs without the ball" you have a guaranteed high protein snack or salad or well...lots o'stuff...all week.

2) If you have a fridge at work - Pack up cold cuts, sliced cheese, some hearty fruit - like apples or oranges - some baby carrots and ranch dressing - to take with you to and leave in the fridge at work. This way you don't have to pack something every day.  You can also bring hard boiled eggs, but you also probably want to keep your job. And those eggs be a stinkin!

3) Defrost protein sources - place frozen chicken or fish in the fridge so it will defrost by the following day.

4) Set a menu for the week.  My mom (an amazing woman, may she rest in peace BH) taught me a long time ago to plan the same menu every week.

For example...totally making this up...but...

Monday -- Chicken with rice
Tuesday -- Pasta with salad
Wednesday -- Meatballs with pasta or rice leftover from previous nights
Thursday -- Oven roasted fish and potatoes
Friday -- Leftovers or grilled cheese

--you get the idea - fill in your favorite 16 minute meals or 30 minute meals - or you could plan the same few restaurants every day of the week..

The point is - you do the same thing every week.

Pick stuff your kids like too and try to make one meal for everyone.  I know it's boring. I know you'll get sick of it...but...you know exactly what you need every week - your grocery list never changes - and your kids will end up eating better because they are able to predict what will happen. Not to mention...both husband and wife know what to make when someone gets home earlier...so it makes it easier for the family to eat dinner on time.

You take the stress out of the what to eat...and you end up saving money, spending more time with family, and just happier.

When my mom shared this tip with me...it changed my life.  So I'm sharing it with you now.

Hope it helps.

Xo,
Penny

Cloudy with a chance of COFFEE

True confession...I drink a lot of coffee.

I have a Keurig at work and a nespresso machine at home.  Plus I have instant coffee and a french press.

I probably drink about four cups a day.

For me, coffee is more than just about waking up. It's a tiny break filled with memories. It connects me to my family - since they also adore coffee.  Needless to say, not only to I enjoy a good cup of coffee...it is also my way to honor my family.

But...I'm spoiled and the weak coffee that is 'free' at work isn't my preference. Now...because I'm a penny pincher...I'll drink it if I have to...but...I really like my dark coffee.

And...I really like Starbucks...but that's really expensive.

So...any viable alternatives to saving a little bit on my daily (FOUR TIMES DAILY) coffee pod habit?

First, let's examine current spending...so, I spend almost $3 per DAY on coffee...that's slightly higher than a single starbucks cup...but still...add to my lunches out...whoa that's a lot of spending!

	Cost per Cup	Current State	Current Cost
KCUP	$0.66	2	$1.32
NESPRESSO	$0.70	2	$1.40
STARBUCKS BREW	$2.10	0	$0.00
Total			$2.72

How to reduce cost:
1) Okay so...one obvious idea is to reduce my coffees to 3 instead of 4 and I'd save money and probably have better health. :)

2) Nespresso pods are pretty fixed prices and you can recycle them!...but perhaps I could get cheaper kcups?

Getting cheaper k-cups...so...if it isn't obvious there are several cheaper alternatives...

Costco sells them for about $.55/cup...
Amazon and Bed Bath and Beyond also have special deals...

So if I can get it down to $.44/cup it's not a bad idea to keep drinking...coffee...

Refined mom also has some tips on getting discounted kcups including a subscription service...

Happy savings and cheers to your next cup of coffee!

Making a few extra bucks

How do you make a few extra bucks?

First things first, start by selling old stuff you aren't using.

In our garage we had the following stored:

• An old kitchen island 
• An old ceiling lamp
• Older ride on toys and wagons that our kids outgrew
• Old bookshelves
• Old changing table 
• Random drawer thingys from IKEA

I honestly thought I would find a place/use for all these items so I should never throw them away. But it's been three years and it just makes our garage look cluttered.

Honestly, it's a ton of work to sell stuff...so...here are my recommendations.

1) Use your local facebook swap and sell sites to sell stuff. It may take more time, but it's a great way to sell to someone who actually exists. You could use craigslist...but...seems more complicated...

2) Take a picture of the object. Ideally clean it before the picture. Try to find decent lighting to make it attractive.

3) Price the item.

4) Sell it.

So far, I've done this with that kitchen island and made a few buckaroos.  Better than having it collect dust in our garage! Obviously, this has a limit...you don't have infinite amount of stuff you can sell.  But it is a good way to get rid of the clutter without having to organize a whole yard sale.  And if you meet in a public place it's way less creepy.

Next up...ceiling lamp...aka chandelier!

Off to sell I go!  Happy penny pinching big living!

<3 Penny

Saving money...with a new baby!

Congratulations!

You're expecting!

This post goes out to all the folks out there who are bringing new life into this world.  And wondering what even makes sense to buy...

Obviously, I'm not a financial planner and I'm not a child life specialist or anything in between...but if you want my $0.02 on what makes sense to have ready before baby comes here you go:

• Infant car seat
• Diapers
• Wipes
• A place to throw away diapers and wipes
• Burp cloths
• Rock'N'play/Bassinet (try to borrow one of these) or a clean bed
• Breast pump (nowadays, you can get this through insurance saving you $237)
• Bottles to store pumped milk or for formula
• Formula
• Baby clothes (try to borrow some)
• Swing (borrow)
• Swaddling blankets
• Baby bath tub
• Towel with a hood
• Baby nail clippers (Long pointy baby nails turn your baby into Wolverine really fast!

I think that's it. There's some other stuff...like a stroller and cute play mats and a high chair...but all that stuff is for later...not when you first get home.

My recommendation is to register pronto.  Even if you only want cash presents...it helps others who want to give you a present.  Because people love babies and everyone wants to give you a present...and they usually have no idea what you'll need. People like registries with multiple price options because then they don't have to guess or feel like they are buying you your twelfth blanket

Also,  when you register for items (for your wedding or your baby), any items not purchased off your registry are eligible for a 10-15% discount?

I know it's odd to borrow stuff for your baby...but recycle that $#!@^. Or buy used off craigslist and then resell.

How to buy used items?
Try craigslist or those facebook swap and sell pages or ebay.

Great success story?
A friend of mine had twins after already having a five year old. She had heard about this supercool infant seat called the mamaroo.  It's about $200 new!  She bought it for $100 used.  She only used it for about four months.  She then turned around and sold it on craigslist for...$100! Aside from the time it takes to do all this, she got her money back and had no clutter!

Congratulations, again!

Groceries, Part II,I forgot something

So what happens when you diligently stick to your shopping list, but you forget something or run out of something midweek.

Normally, what happens in our house, it that we run to the closest supermarket (because Aldi's is really quite out of the way), and buy whatever we need and more and come back spending $50 on groceries.

Well...in all honesty...this only happens when I go...when my SO goes...he comes back with exactly what I asked. Nothing more!

So...it hit me...have him go!  Boom - instant savings.

:)

Birthday Presents

We are so fortunate to have so many amazing friends. I love being able to celebrate birthdays with them. 

But...for every birthday party...there is a gift involved.  

And each $20 gift can get expensive - especially if you have four parties every two weeks!

So, if I was an organized person, I would buy 100 presents during Black Friday for different ages and spend $500 and know it will be less than the amount I would spend if I bough each one individually.  But I'm not that organized...plus my kids would totally find all those toys and open them. 

So here are my suggestions, besides having a public storage locker full of super sale toys.

1) Try target.  The end cap of target often has really cool toys on sale.  So for $12 vs. $25 you can get a really cool toy.

2) See if you can go in with a friend. You can get a better gift for $30.  You won't spend a ton less, but at least you'll get a cooler gift.

3) Consider a gift card for $12. If s/he ends up returning someone else's present, s/he will still get a cool gift. 

4) Consider a gift card to an ice cream shop or some sort of experience.  Personally, I think these are the best presents because your kid gets an experience, and you don't have to deal with the clutter and paper and crap a regular present would leave behind.

5) Consider making a donation in the kid's name.  This is probably right up there with giving a kid books for his or her birthday, but if the child is little enough, the parents might appreciate it. 

Happy birthday to you! 

Affordable Eating Out

I am not the Martha Stewart of my group.

I do like to cook, and there are a few things I make well, but at least two times a week, I feel justified to eat dinner out.  Plus, I like to try new restaurants.

Now, to save money, I could try to avoid eating out.  But, I figure, since I'm going to eat out anyway, I might as well find a way to save money doing it.

The nights we eat out, I feel less stressed, feel like I can actually bond with my cuties. :) 

So, how do you eat out on a budget?

We take advantage of Kids Eat Free Night.  There are so many restaurants where kids eat free.  Usually the portions are so big that you can eat half of your adult entree, and save the rest for lunch tomorrow. So kids eat free one night and you get a free lunch the next night.

I like Chevy's deal, where you get TWO free kids meal with the purchase of an adult meal.

We usually pick one night, say this will be our night for the month, and go from there. If the kids are sick or we miss our night, we don't eat out again until the next time.

Here is a list of restaurants by day.  

Enjoy - bond with your cuties - and save some cashola! Sounds like a winning menu to me.

Keeping elegant hair, without breaking the bank .

I love getting my hair done. My husband loves it when I get my hair done.  People are nicer to me when I get my hair done.  I feel like every woman says these exact words.

The issue with getting your hair did is that...what else would you expect from this blog?  It's expensive.  To get your hair done at a nice place is...expensive.

Jose Eber - probably one of the best salons out there charges a minimum of $125 for a haircut.  Some better salons in the midwest charge between $70 and $95 for an experienced person to cut your hair. 

The thing about a good haircut is, to grow your hair out properly, you need to have it cut properly.  

Salon	Location	Hair Cut Price
Jose Eber	Beverly Hills	$125+
Dominic Michael	St. Louis	$41-$95
Aveda Ethos	St. Louis	$35-$70
Great Clips	St. Louis	$16

So here is my thought.  Invest in a good haircut.  For the touchups, go to Fantastic Sams or Great Clips or one of those other $15-$20 places. 

Let's say you go to the expensive salon every other time for a haircut, substituting the cheap salon. You just saved $241 per year. Enough for a mini-family trip, or a new school wardrobe, or one very expensive night out.  If the cheaper salon messes up, the expensive salon will fix it.

Hair Cut Scenario	Average Haircut Price	# times per year to get a haircut	Cost per year
All High Salon	$           97	6	$                                   580
Half Cheap Salon	$97/$16	3/3	$                             339.00
Two Expensive	$97/$16	2/4	$                             258.00
Savings
Half Cheap Salon			$                                   241
Two Expensive			$                                   322

Another option, raised by a very good friend of mine with hard-to-cut hair, is to get your hair cut half as often as your stylist recommends. :) Thanks, friend, for pointing this out!!

Enjoy your sassy new look! And enjoy that extra money too. :)

Saving money on airline flights

Who knows how airlines figure out prices.

I've tried to research in and out and have only found two decent sources for cheap airline tickets.

1) The ultimate ITA matrix

2) Skiplagged

ITA

With the ITA matrix you can use their calendar to determine the best time to buy your ticket. So let's say you see an advertised ticket of $300 per person for some flight.  You can go to ITA to try to see what the price actually is for which dates and have more data to make a good decision. It also gives you the airline code so you can make sure you will get enough airline miles.

You can make the decision between buying the $300 dollar tickets for half miles or the $400 ticket for full miles. 

Skiplagged

Skiplagged is a really cool tool that basically takes your location out of the equation.  So, if there is a really cheap flight from Chicago to San Diego, with one stop in Los Angeles, most people wouldn't take that flight if they were going to Los Angeles.

If you searched the "normal" way - through kayak for example, to try to find a trip from ORD to LAX...it wouldn't show you the super cheap ORD - San Diego route. With skiplagged, it shows you this option, and many more.

It is usually the best when you have last minute travel.  For example, we wanted to take a trip to Los Angeles, and checked ITA and in two weeks, tickets were about $500 ($2,000!).

Then we checked skiplagged, found that San Diego flight, and the price went down to $1,000.  

The only bad thing is that you can't really check luggage, but for a short trip a few carry on suitcases or a backpack will do. 

If you travel frequently, or even if you don't, you should sign up to be a frequent flier and stick with it.  If you fly enough, you can redeem free airline tickets or other items.

If you are just searching for flights, you only have to two places to go now! Yay for saving money, big living, and not having to search a gazillions sites for affordable tickets.  

Saving money on airline flights

Who knows how airlines figure out prices.

I've tried to research in and out and have only found two decent sources for cheap airline tickets.

1) The ultimate ITA matrix

2) Skiplagged

ITA

With the ITA matrix you can use their calendar to determine the best time to buy your ticket. So let's say you see an advertised ticket of $300 per person for some flight.  You can go to ITA to try to see what the price actually is for which dates and have more data to make a good decision. It also gives you the airline code so you can make sure you will get enough airline miles.

You can make the decision between buying the $300 dollar tickets for half miles or the $400 ticket for full miles. 

Skiplagged

Skiplagged is a really cool tool that basically takes your location out of the equation.  So, if there is a really cheap flight from Chicago to San Diego, with one stop in Los Angeles, most people wouldn't take that flight if they were going to Los Angeles.

If you searched the "normal" way - through kayak for example, to try to find a trip from ORD to LAX...it wouldn't show you the super cheap ORD - San Diego route. With skiplagged, it shows you this option, and many more.

It is usually the best when you have last minute travel.  For example, we wanted to take a trip to Los Angeles, and checked ITA and in two weeks, tickets were about $500 ($2,000!).

Then we checked skiplagged, found that San Diego flight, and the price went down to $1,000.  

The only bad thing is that you can't really check luggage, but for a short trip a few carry on suitcases or a backpack will do. 

If you travel frequently, or even if you don't, you should sign up to be a frequent flier and stick with it.  If you fly enough, you can redeem free airline tickets or other items.

If you are just searching for flights, you only have to two places to go now! Yay for saving money, big living, and not having to search a gazillions sites for affordable tickets.  

Shopping for backpacks

The new scholastic year.

I can't believe the summer is over.

It has gone by so fast!

Both kids trashed their backpacks this summer. I've vowed to have them keep their backpacks and not purchase a new one every year, but the zippers are so cheaply made, they no longer zip up and there are holes in the sides.  I've been holding off buying a new backpack until summer is over.  They will need a new backpack once school starts. You know, so pencils and homework don't fall out.

Every year I debate - should I use a 20% off coupon and shell out $40 for a high quality pottery barn backpack?  Or should I spend about $20 on a Target backpack that might lose a zipper half way through?

I've given it quite a bit of thought and decided it makes more sense to go the Target/Walmart route because...either way they will trash their backpack.

Initially, I was going to wait until my state's tax-free weekend (find your tax free weekend here ) to purchase, but Target has 10% of backpacks through July 30th, so I'm going to take advantage!

I've also seen pretty inexpensive backpacks on Zulily but I am often frustrated by the length of time it takes to receive purchases.

If you decide to purchase a new backpack online, don't forget to go to dealnews and other sites to look for coupons.  See my previous post on Coupon Tricks for additional tips to save as much as possible!

Dave and Busters

We usually do a family outing once a quarter to Dave and Busters - the ultimate family video gaming.

Usually it's just the kids playing for about thirty minutes and us hightailing it out of there.

Why do we subject ourselves to this casino-esque environment?  Our kids love it.

The thing about Dave and Busters is it's expensive. Very expensive.

Here are some tips to save money:

1) Go on Wednesday where all games are half priced.   You can get out of there spending $20 for $40...you get the idea.

2) Don't eat there.

3) Sign up for Dave and Busters Rewards - I signed up and essentially got a free $20 to use with a new card.  This felt like a Wednesday deal any day of the week.

4) Save a few "chips" to play those ticket producing games so you can walk away with something decent at the prize shop.  It's super silly junk, but makes kids happy EVERY TIME. When the card runs out, you go to the prize shop and leave.

Refinancing - when does it make sense?

Refinancing

Have you checked your current interest rate recently?

Interest rates are really low. Like all-time record low.  Like if you bought your house two years ago, you would save some serious buckaroos by refinancing.  Check out these average average monthly mortgage rates.  

http://www.freddiemac.com/pmms/pmms30.htm   

If you bought your house and locked an interest rate in 2014, your interest rate rate was probably something around 4.14%.  In the month of June 2016 the average interest rate was 3.57%.    

Many factors will dictate whether refinancing will actually save you money...I'm not a financial planner or anything like that...but...here are some tips I've picked up over the years:

Some Factors:
Current and Future Interest rate

Fees charged

Whether or not you will be charged points (e.g., if you put less than 20% down)

How much you owe on your house

Below are some different monthly payments based on interest rates (don't forget to add your homeowners insurance and taxes to your mortgage amount) to give you a starting point for your research.  Also, FYI if you use bankrate or one of those other  lenders...expect to get high pressure style sales calls from mortgage brokers. Be careful and read the fine print!

30 Year Mortgage
Loan Amount
$300,000
Note:	0 Points
Interest Rate	4.43%	4.17%	3.50%
Monthly Payment	$  1,508	$ 1,462	$ 1,347

Remember it only makes sense to do all of this stuff, if it will save you money!

Last Minute Shopping Coupon Tricks

"Last Minute" Shopping Coupon Tricks

So, today, little one needed a new pair of jeans. He must have had a growth spurt overnight because all of his jeans suddenly made him look like a wrapped sausage.  I thought we'd be okay...since it's summer...but the weather is actually unseasonably cold. Sometimes you don't have time to wait for awesome sales...so you just have to do what you can do. Given that: is there any way to save some extra money?

There are three ways to save money shopping online for clothes.

1) Email Offers - special triggers in your email to get you to go to the sites...either you sign up as a new customer and get ten percent off. Or you've already signed up and the company keeps emailing you.

2) Code clearinghouses like retail me not (https://www.retailmenot.com/), deal news (http://dealnews.com/) or Ben's bargains (http://bensbargains.com/)

3) Browser extensions that automatically scroll through your "check out" page to see if there are coupon codes like Honey (https://www.joinhoney.com/insider/stores)

So, knowing I wanted to find a sale on jeans, I went to deal news and noticed Gap was having a pretty good sale. 

I searched for jeans, and found a pair for him for only $19 (using code July4). Then I searched my email to see if I could find a discount code (no luck) then I activated my honey browser extension during checkout and learned if I paid with my gap card I got free shipping.

Okay, so not the total steal I would have liked, just proof that even if you are in a pinch you can still save money by just opening your mind to a few discount codes.

Aldi vs. Schnucks - some data

Aldi's vs. Schnucks 

My husband and I work full-time. We have two kids and a very busy life. And expenses. Our goal is to find easy ways to save money every month - without feeling like we have a whole new penny pinching job!

I have forever been trying to save money on our grocery bill.  Sometimes our food be can be about $1,000 per month! I have tried couponing (worked for about a month...then I gave up). I have tried shopping at Costco/Sam's. I have even tried only going to the grocery store once a week.  But honestly, with two children in the house I often ended up making quick runs to the market and spending $20-$30 for one thing! Ha!

Today, I finally decided to try something new.  Friends and Facebookers have forever been talking about Aldi's.  Tonight, I decided to try it to see if it really is worth all the hype.  

I bought most of my groceries at Aldi's and then went to Schnuks to write down the price of the closest product on my receipt. Line item by line item. LOL it took some time.

I saved about $30.  I didn't have to clip any coupons.

Here are my actual groceries! And the price today at Schnucks for the same products. 

I can totally shop at Aldi's and make a dent in my grocery budget but not waste a ton of time. 

I am so excited to share this with you!!  Just remember to bring a quarter for the grocery cart and bags to bag your groceries. :) 

Item	Aldi's	Schnucks	Difference
yellow tomato	$1.49	$4.00	$2.51
Asparagus Fresh	$1.79	$4.00	$2.21
grape tomatoes	$1.89	$4.00	$2.11
organic ff milk	$2.95	$5.00	$2.05
bluberries	$0.99	$3.00	$2.01
chocolate milk	$1.29	$3.19	$1.90
Baby carrot	$1.19	$3.00	$1.81
cheese stick	$2.69	$4.49	$1.80
tropical juice	$1.29	$3.00	$1.71
strawberries	$1.29	$3.00	$1.71
string cheese	$2.79	$4.49	$1.70
Bananas	$0.96	$2.19	$1.23
Blackberries	$1.79	$3.00	$1.21
Red onion 2 lbs	$1.79	$3.00	$1.21
Moo tube (gogurt	$1.79	$3.00	$1.21
yellow onion	$1.79	$3.00	$1.21
Mayo light	$1.89	$3.00	$1.11
Orange Juice	$1.99	$3.00	$1.01
pure olive oil	$3.19	$4.00	$0.81
mini sweet peppers	$2.79	$3.00	$0.21
pringles	$1.45	$1.50	$0.05
Gold potato	$3.50	$3.50	$0.00
rainier cherrier	$4.00	$4.00	$0.00
peas	$1.00	$1.00	$0.00
sqaush	$1.69	$1.40	($0.29)
Flavored kernels	$1.99	$1.59	($0.40)
Total	$51.26	$81.35	$30.09