• Bikes
• Computers
• Gas grills
• Small consumer electronics
• Toys
• TVs
• Last minute travel deals

Do you have any secret tips for December deals?[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

In one of the field tests, students were given the opportunity to buy discounted items from the researchers as compensation for their participation. Some students initially were offered a light bulb, while others were offered a better and more relevant item, an educational CD. The folks offered the light bulb were way less likely to buy it compared to those who were offered the CD. THEN each of the students was a chance to purchase a second item––a keychain.

Those were offered the CD were much more likely also to buy the keychain. One study head noted, “That was the case even though the second item was completely unrelated to the first… it’s not like we offered chips followed by soda, which would naturally go together.”

Results of the study showed that shopping is a two-stage process. “In the first stage, people deliberate about a purchase, weighing cost and benefits, the degree to which they need the item, and so forth. But once the deliberation phase ends and the buying phase takes over, a subtle psychological mechanism comes into play. People in this transition go from thinking from their mind to thinking from their cart. The cart takes over. Once that happens, a roller coaster of shopping can begin.”

Thus the purchase of an initial item creates “shopping momentum.”

How you can use this info:

In some case studies the researchers gave some participants two separate envelopes with money for different purchases and those folks were less likely to make a second purchase. The researchers figure that this is because opening one’s wallet (or envelope) a second time created another deliberation point. So people had to think twice about buying which then stopped all purchasing in its tracks. Additionally the more the first item was perceived to be a luxury buy the less likely people were to make a second purchase.

So to use this info to your advantage, try the following…

• Buy that one indulgent item for yourself first to curb major shopping frenzy.
• Break up holiday gift money into envelopes labeled per person so that you have to stop and consider an item before you buy.
• Go to a department store where each area has their own check-out point. For example, if you have to pay for items in home goods, you’ll also have to stop and think again when you get to the shoe department. Along the same lines, go shopping in a city area, in many small shops vs. one large discount store with just one check stand.

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Post from: Thrifty Mommy

TOYS: Many of the mass market retailers put stuff on sale now, not in December as you might expect so that they can one, see how much interest there is in a specific popular toy, and two, clear the shelves for last minute holiday toy stocking.

HEALTH INSURANCE: Health insurance is usually hitting open enrollment during November. If you don’t have a plan, now is a good time to shop for one. If you do have a plan now is the perfect time to fine tune your plan’s features, change options, or make other changes.

THANKSGIVING EVERYTHING: In early November all the best Thanksgiving gear (dishes, canned foods, textiles, and decor) goes on sale.

PRE-HOLIDAY EVERYTHING: Thanksgiving is not the only holiday to launch off in a big way in November. Start looking for stocking stuffers, gift wrap, and all your other winter holiday goods now.

BAKING SUPPLIES: Don’t go nuts with the baking goods if baking is just a plan you might follow through with, but for you real bakers out there, pie filling, flour, spices, chocolate chips, condensed milk, and much more will go on sale in November at most markets.

TURKEY: Wait for it… right after Thanksgiving (those few days before December) turkeys can be had at some seriously discounted prices. If you’ve got a freezer, stock up on birds now for late winter sandwiches and soups.

Consumer Reports notes that November is also an excellent time to purchase baby products, bikes, computers, and gas grills for less.

Do you have any November money saving ideas?

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Post from: Thrifty Mommy

1. Set aside $20-$40 each month for small eco-friendly home changes. Each month buy some new green gear that will add up to more savings in the long run, like, new CFL light bulbs, reusable water bottles (over plastic disposable water), a water heater wrap, a water efficient shower head, some waterless car wash, and so on. Over time you’ll cut energy and water bills.
2. Buy larger sizes of food items for kids (huge box of crackers, large block of cheese) instead of snack pack sizes, then break them into smaller snack sized baggies and containers.
3. Keep an updated list of restaurants (on a calender) that offer buy one get one free item days and kids eat free nights.
4. Before using a brand name product coupon, check and see if you’d save more by buying the store brand of the same item without the name brand coupon – often you will.
5. Quit sending paper cards. Not only is this an eco-friendly tactic, you’ll save tons. Cards can cost anywhere from about a $1 to $4+ nowadays. If you didn’t buy one card this year, how much money would you save? If you still want to send a greeting send an e-card.

What are some no fuss ways that you save money?

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Post from: Thrifty Mommy

• College grades
• Weight loss
• Buying a home
• Exercising more
• Eating better
• AND yes, of course saving money and more

For example:

Get support – no matter what you’re doing, having a baby, learning to in-line skate, creating a workable family budget to save up for a car, you can’t (or shouldn’t) do it alone. If your family is not on board with saving it’ll be harder. Just like if you’re trying to eat better and people keep bring ice cream into the house.

Make a list: Clearing your head works wonders for just about any goal. Once you write it down it’s there, it’s real, it’s not keeping you up at night. Making a list is also the perfect way to clarify your goals – i.e. steps to buying a home include… or my study plan for algebra should consist of…

Don’t cheat or take short cuts: You can’t cheat in school and learn anything of value. You can’t reply to some make a million $ scam and expect to get rich quick. You can’t grow a great garden in a week with some crazy ‘miracle’ garden product. Real money saving, real goals, take time and effort.

Be positive: I had an ex who thought life would be perfect ONE DAY if he had enough money in the bank. He was wasting his current life though, while waiting for that some day. The more positive you are the better your goals will go. So what if you only lost 2 lbs this month – it’s SO much better than not trying at all right? Did you ruin your budget by buying shoes? Well, fix it. Don’t splurge again – but coming down on yourself and focusing on the negatives makes you one, less likely to succeed, and two an annoying person to be around. Know that goals take effort, but that you’re doing fine!

What other simple life rules do you follow?

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Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Figure out your spending habits: The first thing you’ll need to do is sit down and figure out how much you NEED per month for necessities, and secondly how much your family spends over that amount on a monthly basis. Come up with a final monthly figure you’re comfortable with. Some people are great about spending only what they have on only what they need. Other families sometimes spend more even when they shouldn’t. Be honest when choosing a final figure or you may run short.

Figure out a time-frame: Most experts recommend saving 3-6 months worth of savings in your emergency fund, but aim for the high end. You’ll be more comfortable and with the job market lately, aiming to save more is just smarter.

Track your cash better: If you don’t have any cash left over at the end of the month that can be earmarked for an emergency fund, you’ll need to super track where your cash goes – to the penny if possible. Almost every family has an area that can be cut more in their budget.

Where to put your savings: According to H&R Block, “Financial experts agree that for liquidity, safety and yield, the best options once your emergency fund grows to a three- to six-months size is a bank money market account and a high-yield savings account, both of which are FDIC-insured up to $250,000 per account (effective through December 31, 2009 when it will revert back to $100,000 per account), or a money-market mutual fund.” Although you can just use a savings account too, but keep in mind that your money won’t grow as quickly.

Do you have an emergency fund saved up… where are you keeping it?

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Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Skip restaurant extras: If you eat out often, skip one or more of the following; beverages (except water), appetizers, desserts. All of these are usually ramped up price wise. While your meal may be a decent deal, it’s the extras that add up.

Buy off label everything, whenever possible: Easy to do. Sometimes people just need a nudge.

Reclaim your rebates: I’m really bad about this. If I do get a rebate I tend to forget about it OR I forget to check up on it. Case in point, I was supposed to get a cell phone rebate like a year ago. Do I know where it is? NO. That’s just lazy.

Plan your grocery shopping trips with weekly specials: You can save a lot, by taking an extra 30 mins to check those weekly fliers.

Stop and think: Before you buy just about anything, you really do need to stop and ponder the purchase. This might seem like a big and hard, not easy step, but in reality, if you do it enough, it becomes second nature, and takes no time at all.

What are some other easy things you do to save money?

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

I hope everyone had a safe and calm New Year’s Eve. Now it’s time to think about saving money in the upcoming year; starting of course, with January…

Winter textile and fashion goods – think items like winter coats, sweaters, electric blankets, and long johns. Not that I think you’re all rushing out to buy long johns, but you get the idea. End of winter goods are going on sale right now to pave the way for spring fashion and textiles.

Furniture – Most of the big time money research guides note that January is the best time ever to purchase furniture. Post-winter holiday season is the slowest furniture buying time, so stores, especially small chains and local furniture stores are likely to offer discounts and even haggle with you.

Christmas clearance – Holiday clearance in stores used to be a good deal in January, but I think over the years, item supply has gone faster and faster. Here, we were totally snowed in for the week before, and a couple of days after Christmas. Almost no one could get to the shops. In fact, I hadn’t even finished getting stocking stuffers for my son. When I got out finally (three days after X-mas) the stores were really void of excess holiday clearance. The news isn’t all bad though. Online shops do have great clearance sales. Since they don’t need to clear their shelves (virtual items take up no space) they tend to have good deals for a while on holiday wrap, ornaments, candles, and so on.

Consumer Reports notes that the following are great January buys:

• CDs and DVDs
• Cookware
• Houses and condos
• Swimwear
• Toys
• Treadmills
• TVs

Got any January saving tips to share?

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Happy December thrifty people. December is an oddball month for savings. You’ve got the first half of the month, where everything is seemingly inflated. Then about a week before Christmas retailers get nutty and jittery and lower prices on everything.

So, refrain early in the month from many purchases then around the 15th – buy pre post-holiday anything (almost). But, since I’m hoping you don’t go spend happy, here are some extra good December deals…

Cashmere and leather - while I don’t personally think buying leather is very ethical, it is usually on sale in early December, so if leather is your deal, shop before the holidays.

The week before Christmas stock up on Christmas goods: Wrapping paper, bows, and stocking stuffers all go on sale. This will also be true in January.

Consumer Reports notes that the following are stellar December buys:

• Bikes
• Computers
• Gas grills
• Small consumer electronics
• Toys
• TVs

I’m actually done – normally I like to try and list more items for our monthly what-to-buy posts, but I’m the worst about December. I hate going to the stores when they’re so commercial and overcrowded, and thus don’t really notice deals.

Do you have any good suggestions for December deals? 

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

I read once that on average, the typical person gathers about $400 in change each year. That’s if the person spends only cash and then puts all their coins into a jar. With the prevalent use of debt and check cards, cash seems to be out of style. However, what you can do with this information is use it to your advantage.

IF the average person can save up $400 in change, and you consider yourself an average indiviual, than you can afford to put $400 away each year into something.

Each year use $400 to….

• Pay off some credit.
• Add to a college fund.
• Add to your retirement.
• Fix up your house a little and improve it’s value.
• And more.

Sometimes it’s hard to put cash away, especially when we don’t see actual cash as often. If you think about this average change savings per year, maybe it’ll make more sense to you, to save this amount and put it to good use.

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Post from: Thrifty Mommy