Are You A Conscious Spender?

You might be a conscious spender if:

If you always know how much you have charged on your credit card.
If you say no to things you really want because you don’t think you will have the money.
If you always use the things you buy.
If you have money in your checking account and don’t spend it.
If you know how much money you spend in a year on lunches or manicures.
If you get a raise and don’t upgrade your lifestyle.
If you save for retirement.
If you can clearly list what has “value” for you in life.

Stale Crackers?

I am always surprised at how fast crackers turn stale! I refuse to eat stale crackers so instead of throwing them away I throw them in the food processor, add a few herbs, mix and use as a coating for baked chicken, as a topping for casseroles or mix in with meat loaf. Use the same idea for stale bread. Make croutons by cutting it up in cubes, coat it with olive oil, and bake in a 350 oven until they become dry.

Smart Snacks

When your after school activities turn into a marathon driving kids from school to soccer practice to piano lessons and back to the gym for play practice, it’s tempting to go through a fast food drive through for a few snacks. Instead, plan ahead and pack a cooler with healthy snacks and bottles of water. Try vegetables, yogurt, bananas, nuts, cheese and other fresh fruits. This will save you time and $$$ not to mention the health benifits!

Smart Ways To Spend Your Rebate!

Washington is working on an economic stimulus plan. Sooner or later 116 million households are likely to see a check in their mail box. When you receive your check will you stimulate the economy or will you stash your rebate away? If you spend it, will you spend it at Wal-Mart? Remember, Wal-Mart buys most of their items from China, do you want to stimulate China's economy and fatten Wal-Mart’s wallet?
Blow it or keep it? My first impulse would be to blow it of course!! However, once the pragmatic side of "Me" rears its ugly head, the smart thing to do is to be selfish. Yes, put the money where it will do the most good for YOU!

Smart ways to spend your rebate:
Save it! Everyone needs at least$1000.00 in the bank. If you've got nothing between your regular paycheck and the bill collectors, now's the time to take action.
Consider starting a savings account. Online banks pay several percentage points more than most brick-and-mortar operations, check them out.
Do you have a retirement account? Start a 401(k) plan or a 457 account. Most employers will match 50% of your contributions into a retirement account up to a certain point.

Are you carrying a balance on your credit cards? Credit cards are expensive; use this money to pay off your high interest credit cards. Wouldn’t it be nice not to have that minimum payment each month?

Make an extra mortgage payment. $1,000 today on a 30-year, 7% mortgage would save you $4,000 over the life of the loan.

Books, Never Buy Them New!

Are you an avid reader who just can’t wait to get your favorite authors latest book? If you’re on a budget, you might want to rethink your purchases of books. New releases are fun, but at almost $30.00 a book, not practical.

Most books are only read once. If you can wait a couple of weeks to read John Grisham’s latest novel, I will probably be available in your neighborhood second hand book store at an astonishing discount. There are many on line book swaps where all you pay is a small shipping charge to swap for a great title you haven't read.

Your local library will have a copy of the best author’s new releases. Most libraries will allow you to reserve titles online and some will even deliver them to your home.

Don’t forget to check out garage sales! They are great for finding 25 Cent books!!

Learn How To Haggle

Max Edison is the author of How to Haggle. In his research for the book, he learned that 90 percent of customers who haggled on everyday items were successful at least once in reducing the price of the items. Don’t avoid haggling simple because you don’t want to look like a “cheapskate”, bargaining can pay off big-time and save you hundreds of dollars.

Prepare yourself before you go shopping. Research on line the item you are interested in buying. Find out how much the item regularly sells for and how low the sale price usually goes for.

Here are five tips from Edison on how to haggle:

Offer to pay in cash. Many retailers will be willing to knock off between 3% and 4% for cash. Use the statement: “Can you do a little better if I buy today and pay in cash?”

Ask when the item goes on sale and then see if they will sell it to you today for the sale price.

Offer to split the difference. If you are stuck on one price and the manager won’t offer you that price, ask to split the difference.

Look for flaws with the item. Politely point out flaws and as for 20% off.

If the manager won’t budge on the price, ask him/her to throw in a free installation or delivery.

Freecycle.org

Want to save a few bucks and rescue items from landfills?

Check out Freecycle.org. This is a network where members list items they no longer want or need. Things on this site are not for sale, but are listed for FREE! All you have to do is pick the item up. Many great items from beds, pets, craft supplies to desks are listed daily.