Don’t be pressured by sale purchase amounts: When an item says 10 for $5 you usually don’t half to buy all 10. You can buy 4 or 7 or however many you like and still get the deal.

Ignore customer limits: Along the lines above don’t let stores trick you into thinking an item is rare or in high demand. For example – when people see a sign that says, “Only 8 per customer” they often think OMG I better get all 8! Nope. Stores do this on purpose to create a need, but if you don’t actually need 8 of an item, it’s no bargain.

But my cart’s not full yet!: Carts at grocery stores have steadily grown larger over the years which gives most people a sense of ease because it feels like you’re saving money if your cart is only half full. BUT with larger carts a half full cart is still pretty darn full. Don’t get into a comfort zone.

Don’t be average: Studies show that when offered three items customers will pick the mid-range price. For example, three shampoos priced $12, $7, and $2 – most will pick the $7 shampoo. With this in mind, stores often place mid-priced items at eye level which has also been shown to entice people to buy. However, it may not be the best deal in size or worth (i.e. how well it works). Always research items you buy to make sure it’s the best deal for you.

Look beyond eye level: Correlated with the tip above, always look where you can’t see to gain the best deals. Stores place mid and high priced items at eye level and cheaper versions high, low, and in other odd spaces. Chances are the items you can’t see right away are the best deal.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

In good news a recent study shows that a larger majority of women, not men, control the family budget – but only by a little bit and other research shows that while women do take over the family budget they’re leaving the investing issues i.e. decisions related to mutual fund, stocks and bonds up to men, which is not smart.

All women need to practice smart money management by doing the following…

Practice trust but not at your own risk. Trust in a marriage or partnership is swell, but believe it or not, even if you think your relationship is on solid ground, bad things can happen. Assuming you’ll always be in a two income family and not planning for survival as a one income family is a serious money trap that people fall into. Trust your partner sure, but make sure you have a backup plan in place.

Learn about all aspects of money. If you’re already one of those 62% of women who handle the family day-to-day budget, great. If not you need to learn how to manage and balance the household budget. If you’re investing, keeping up on your retirement fund issues, and your name is signed on as owner of a major item (say a house) then you also need to know how to manage all of those budget issues.Read Your Money or Your Life to get a general overview of money and how it affects your life and also read Make Money, Not Excuses: Wake Up, Take Charge, and Overcome Your Financial Fears Forever which offers easy tips about managing your finances.

Keep tabs on your credit report.

Put yourself first: In this day and age people gasp when women put themselves before their kids, but guess what; there are hundreds of ways to score cash for college and zero retirement loans out there. Your retirement funds comes before your child’s college fund. If you can afford to sock away for both super, but it’s more beneficial for your kids in the long run if you can take care of yourself when you’re old.

Have some money goals: Whether your goal is to make money like a man, save more, buy a house, or pay off your debt it’s healthy to always have a money goal or two going on. Money goals, even small ones allow you to stay focused on finances frequently and keeps you sharp.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Here’s an example of how I have used the “buy ahead principle” for purchasing my daughter’s Christmas gifts.

• bath robe – regularly $20, after Christmas sale in Feb for $5
• two-wheel scooter – regularly $17, Black Friday sale for $5
• Hanna Montana doll set – regularly $28-32?, after Christmas sale in Feb for $7-8
• guitar purse – regularly $8-9, clearance for $2-3
• Barbie Advent calendar – regularly $20, after Christmas sale for $5
• Pet Shop bubble bath – regularly $10, clearance for $2.50
• High School Musical umbrella – regularly $8, clearance for $2
• Pet Shop electronic game – regularly $13, clerance for $3.24

This is approximately $125 in gifts for the bargain price of about $35.  My daughter will have a nice selection of toys under the tree this year, and all things that she likes.

Those of you with older children may find buying ahead more difficult, however, it is not impossible.  Try picking up just a few things that you’ll know they’ll like, even if it’s just stocking stuffers or dvds.  Every little bit saved helps.

Did you shop all year for Christmas?

image (c) Karen Weideman

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

KidsPark centers offer day, evening and weekend care for children ages 2-11 and is open almost each and every day of the year with parent schedule friendly hours – they’re open from 8 am to 10 pm Monday through Thursday and until midnight on Friday and Saturday. KidsPark also offers recession conscience prices (about $7.50 per hour) so most families can afford it. There’s no reservation needed – families register once and they’re in the KidsPark system.

Safety - KidsPark exceeds state licensing requirements with an average teacher-child ratio of 1:8. At all times, no matter the number of children present there are two staff on site. If a child needs one-on-one attention, another teacher is available to the group.

All KidsPark staff is:

• Certified in First Aid and CPR
• Screened by the Department of Justice
• Trained in Early Childhood Education and Recreation
• Required to attend staff development and skill building workshops

KidsPark offers lots of hands-on projects, art projects, games and a pretty slick calendar of seasonal special events. Additionally, various areas for different activities are designated at each center. Such as…

• Creation Station – for art, cooking, hands-on-science and more.
• Activity Area – where kids can play individually or in group with toys, play pretend in the playhouse or investigate the book nook.
• Mountain of Energy – an active minded structure that kids can pretend is a mountain, space ship and more.
• Theater – an areaused for story times, music, G-rated movies, games and guest performers.
• Sport Court – perfect for kids tired of being inside all winter, kids can kick goals, shoot baskets, play 4-square or just enjoy a game of catch.
• Blue Crew – a school-age area that encourages interaction with peers. Older kids can learn more detailed art projects, play age appropriate games and non-violent video games or do homework.

The only downside I see to KidsPark is that there are not nearly enough of them. Current locations include Arlington/Texas, Jacksonville/FL, Scottsdale/AZ, Olathe/Kansas and in California – Chico, Northridge, Corona, Fresno, Rocklin, Sacramento, and their pilot centers in San Jose, CA. That said there are also three additional locations opening in the first half of 2010.

If you live in one of the areas with a KidsPark you may want to check them out for holiday care this year while they’re out of school or while you need to holiday shop OR set up a date night with your partner.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

When I was growing up, my mom’s friend would bring over a platter of homemade treats at Christmas.  I fondly remember the lemon bars and gooey chocolate bars.  She only spent money on ingredients for the sweets, but her time and delicious gift were well appreciated.

Here are a list of ideas to use as family gifts:

• dvds
• board games
• movie passes
• homemade goodies
• gift certificate to a favorite restaurant or ice cream shop
• tickets to a show, zoo, museum, etc.
• theme basket such as snack items or ice cream toppings

This year, I went shopping on Black Friday and found some great dvds and board games at fantastic prices and I thought these would make nice family gifts.  This money saving idea would would work for extended family too.  You might want to check with the person first to make sure this idea is ok with them.  Don’t wait until the last minute though because they may have already purchased gifts for your family and you don’t want to cause hard feelings.

Do you have any ideas for family gifts?

image sxc.hu

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Christmas will be here before we know it.  Rather than buying bows for packages, try this idea for making bows from magazine pages.  These bows save money, repurpose your magazines, and avoid more products being throw away.  I think I will have to try these this year.

Times are tough and many of us have had to tighten our budgets.  We all have a service to offer.   This information on how to barter online is helpful. 

Custom made aprons seem to be the new rave.  Rather than paying $45-75 for a handmade apron, consider making one yourself.  Here are 52 free apron patterns to get you on your way.  These would make great Christmas gifts too!

My favorite coffee beverage is a caramel macchiato.  I’ve been wondering how many calories are in the macchiato and I found this coffee calorie guide today.  These calorie amounts are enough to keep you away from your coffee fix.  Thankfully, I’ve learned how to make my own caramel macchiatos at home.  I’ve been using skim milk and Smuckers sugar free caramel syrup.  I’m hoping the next time I make my own vanilla syrup that I can use less sugar and a little Splenda.

In our house, we prefer homemade playdough.  The texture is better, is lasts longer, and it’s really inexpensive to make.  Children sometimes learn easier when several of their senses are stimulated so I was pleased to see a recipe for pumpkin pie scented playdough. 

What interesting articles have you found this week?

image sxc.hu

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Prepare the foods yourself.  Don’t go out to the ham store and order a precooked ham or turkey.  I’ve heard of some people paying $30-40 for a precooked ham.  Yikes!

Shop the pre-Thanksgiving sales.  Some stores offer tremendous weekly specials to lure you in.  Look for buy 1 get 1 free specials on vegetables, potatoes, stuffing, and frozen pies.  When the turkey and sweet potatoes hit rock bottom prices, go ahead and buy those too.  Make sure you freeze the turkey and follow these safety tips to avoid food-related illness.

Ask others to contribute. Cooking Thanksgiving dinner by yourself is a big undertaking and it’s costly too.  Most people will ask what they can bring.  I recommend suggesting something easy like a pie and green bean casserole.  If you can’t think of anything at the moment, tell them you’ll get back to them in a few days.  If the person doesn’t offer to bring anything, you can say, “Is there a special dish you like that you’d like to bring?”. 

Borrow or use natural decorations.  Avoid spending money or new decorations.  See if someone has something you can borrow.  If not, go outside and gather pretty fall colored leaves, pinecones, acorns, etc.  If you’re looking to save money on new decorations, try stores like Michael’s and A.C. Moore.  Many of them offer 50% off sales before the holiday.  Sometimes The Dollar Tree has some good finds.

You might also want to read Tips for Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner.

What ways can you save on Thanksgiving dinner?

image sxc.hu

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Finding a place for everything is definitely a challenge.  Another challenge we have faced is affording the organization supplies that we need. Here are some tips for saving.

1)  Plan out your purchases.  This month we bought closet organizers.  Next month, I’m hoping to purchase some shelving for one of the closets.  An extra $30 doesn’t hit as hard as the $150 you’d like to spend.

2)  Improvise until you can afford what you want.  The first month in our home, we knew that we couldn’t spare the extra money for closet organizers.  Our master bedroom closet is pretty large and had nothing in it.  For the first six weeks, we put our clothes in the hall closet and only unpacked essential clothing items.  Now we have two closet organizing systems in our closet and can utilize our hall closet for other things.

3)  Plan before you buy.  So many times we see a cool gadget or organizer in the store and we impulsively purchase it.  Instead of doing this, think about your needs and what you have to store.  Take measurements for the space you have.  Be sure you’re not stuck with an expensive gizmo that is useless to you.

4)  Get a second opinion.  Sometimes it’s best to tell or show your friends your storage problems.  They might be able to suggest something you hadn’t thought about or better yet, they might have something to give you that they no longer need.

5)  Search yard sales, Craigslist, and Freecycle.  These are free and inexpensive ways to get the things you need.  Place a wanted ad on Freecycle and Craigslist or search the ads already there.

What tips do you have to save money on organization?

image sxc.hu

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

Last night we went to the community fall festival.  There were games, vendors, inflatables, candy, horse rides, face painting, and all kinds of fun stuff.  It was all free! 

Last night Alligator Girl wanted to be a ballerina.  She already had the outfit.  Her cousin had recently outgrown it and passed it down.  Alligator Girl was excited to wear it out in public.

Cuddlebug was a baseball player.  We had the hat and shirt and he got the baseball bat last year for Christmas.

Tonight, Alligator Girl was a chef and Cuddlebug was a knight.  I had bought the chef outfit earlier this year from a clearance sale for only $4.  I was going to save it for her for Christmas, but she wanted to be something unique for Halloween, so I went ahead and gave it to her.  She definitely was the only chef around.  I got Cuddlebug’s knight parts at Dollar Tree for $1 each.  I wasn’t sure if he was going to use them for Halloween, but at $3, I couldn’t pass it up.  I knew they’d make cool dress-up clothes.

J’s not legally adopted yet, so I can’t show you pics of him.  The first night he wanted to be a ninja.  I was so thankful that Linette posted these homemade costume ideas because one of them was for a ninja.  Tonight J was a baseball player.

The kids (and adults) had a great time and very little money was spent.  I hope this encourages you know that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to have fun.

Was your Halloween thrifty?

images (c) Karen Weideman

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

My hubby and I dropped by the local antique/furniture/junk store this week.  We just never know what we’ll find.  I have been dropping in there frequently lately because I was looking for something for my tv to sit on.  I found a beautiful big dresser but it was $350.  Ouch.  I even considered it.  After all, it would be a lifelong beautiful piece.  Thankfully, we went back a few days later and found this entertainment center.  We paid only $45 for it!  I’m so excited!

The cabinet also has room underneath for our dvds and such.  We plan to keep that television for only another year or two, so it’s best that we didn’t pay much for a tv cabinet.  After we get a flatscreen for the wall, we can move this entertainment center to our bedroom to use as an armoire (since it has doors) or to one of the kid’s rooms.

What deals have you found lately?

image (c) Karen Weideman

Post from: Thrifty Mommy