Well I have to start by saying Thank Goodness for Health Insurance!
As was 2008, February 2009 is the month of plague in our house. And I'm a big fan of Lysol spray and Clorox wipes, so it has to come from somewhere else - plus they rarely get the same things... Lily had flu "b" ~ then Maggie had strep ~ and now Lily has a GI bug that supposedly lasts 24 - 48 hours. Since I've spent so much on copays and drugs lately, I tried a tip from a good friend and it WORKED! To counter the cost of the copay for the visit, I asked for a sample of one of the meds the pediatrician suggested. So next time you go to your doctor, consider asking for a sample, too.
Also along this vein is the flexible spending account that many employers offer. Don't worry you won't use it -or lose it because many programs offer a calculator to help you add up your out of pocket costs over a calendar year. And every year we use it, we run out well in advance. We save on taxes as well as with the employer contribution. Also, at places like Walgreen's, they bill our Flexible Spending Account directly so I don't even see the cost of prescriptions, which helps with cash flow... that you could use to buy your kids a movie or two or three since they are stuck on the couch or in bed!
Thanks for the great tip, Ness! It helped me and I hope it helps you too!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Coupons, Coupons and More Coupons
OK here's some neat information for you. Did you know that Michael's Arts & Crafts accepts all competitor coupons? Did you know that restaurants often accept expired coupons? And so does Bed, Bath & Beyond - and they take up to TWO coupons for one transaction!! Did you know that Lowe's and Home Depot honor each other's prices with an additional 10% savings of the difference? And have you heard about restaurant.com?
1. I am a crafter. And I never ever go into Michael's without a JoAnn's coupon. First, I don't always buy the paper and when I do there isn't always a Michael's flier in there. But when you walk in the store and go to customer service, there is a sign posted that reads something to the effect that we honor competitors coupons. So go to JoAnn.com and sign up for the online newsletter and coupons! Print those suckers out and leave them in your car for the next time you need a birthday gift or a craft item. You'll be surprised at how much you save.
2. I like Valpack coupons and the Reach magazine has good ones too. Some local restaurants honor their expired Valpack or Reach coupons. All you have to do is ask! I did!
3. Bed Bath and Beyond has two kinds of coupons - $10 off $30 purchase and 20% off one item. You can use them both at the same time. AND you can use expired coupons - so don't throw these away either! Save them for the next time you need something, anything - Yankee Candle, some kitchen-y or bath item you might get at Target or Kohls is now cheaper at BB&B.
4. When we were building shelving for our garage last year, Wes bought a bunch of lumber at Lowe's. We went the next weekend to Home Depot for the kids' event (I think the girls built a sailboat) and I was pricing the lumber behind me while they worked on the boat. Well wouldn't you know the wood was cheaper. So Wes bought it all again at Home Depot and since I had the Lowe's receipt with me, we could prove the prices at Lowe's so they we got the discounted price PLUS an additional 10 percent off the discount. Another instance where it pays to know the cost of things.
5. Restaurant.com is a website that offers prepaid coupons/gift cards online to local restaurants (no chains that I can see). This past week they ran a special where the coupons were $5 for $25 gift certificate. And we bought 6, 3 to a restaurant we love and 3 to new ones we wanted to try; we spent $30 to save $150. Now you must be warned that some of these coupons have a minimal spending of $35 and one coupon per family per night (just read the fine print). For my family of 4 it isn't hard to spend $35 on a meal, even without drinks. So the $35 meal will cost us $15 out of pocket plus the tip we would have had to pay anyway.
I LOVE COUPONS! Take the time to cut them out or print them out. Then organize them. Then use them! (Just don't use a coupon to get something you didn't need just because you have a coupon.) This help me save a little bit for the new Lilly Pulitzer dress I have my eye on, and I hope it helps you save enough to get your expensive treat, too!
1. I am a crafter. And I never ever go into Michael's without a JoAnn's coupon. First, I don't always buy the paper and when I do there isn't always a Michael's flier in there. But when you walk in the store and go to customer service, there is a sign posted that reads something to the effect that we honor competitors coupons. So go to JoAnn.com and sign up for the online newsletter and coupons! Print those suckers out and leave them in your car for the next time you need a birthday gift or a craft item. You'll be surprised at how much you save.
2. I like Valpack coupons and the Reach magazine has good ones too. Some local restaurants honor their expired Valpack or Reach coupons. All you have to do is ask! I did!
3. Bed Bath and Beyond has two kinds of coupons - $10 off $30 purchase and 20% off one item. You can use them both at the same time. AND you can use expired coupons - so don't throw these away either! Save them for the next time you need something, anything - Yankee Candle, some kitchen-y or bath item you might get at Target or Kohls is now cheaper at BB&B.
4. When we were building shelving for our garage last year, Wes bought a bunch of lumber at Lowe's. We went the next weekend to Home Depot for the kids' event (I think the girls built a sailboat) and I was pricing the lumber behind me while they worked on the boat. Well wouldn't you know the wood was cheaper. So Wes bought it all again at Home Depot and since I had the Lowe's receipt with me, we could prove the prices at Lowe's so they we got the discounted price PLUS an additional 10 percent off the discount. Another instance where it pays to know the cost of things.
5. Restaurant.com is a website that offers prepaid coupons/gift cards online to local restaurants (no chains that I can see). This past week they ran a special where the coupons were $5 for $25 gift certificate. And we bought 6, 3 to a restaurant we love and 3 to new ones we wanted to try; we spent $30 to save $150. Now you must be warned that some of these coupons have a minimal spending of $35 and one coupon per family per night (just read the fine print). For my family of 4 it isn't hard to spend $35 on a meal, even without drinks. So the $35 meal will cost us $15 out of pocket plus the tip we would have had to pay anyway.
I LOVE COUPONS! Take the time to cut them out or print them out. Then organize them. Then use them! (Just don't use a coupon to get something you didn't need just because you have a coupon.) This help me save a little bit for the new Lilly Pulitzer dress I have my eye on, and I hope it helps you save enough to get your expensive treat, too!
Pictures & Photos
Since my parents have the girls this weekend, I've had a little time to do some scrapbooking. But since I hadn't done it in a while, it was time to organize my photos and then get them printed so I can scrap. Of course, one key to saving money is staying organized, whether grocery shopping with a list, scrapbooking with preselected photos, or researching product costs.
The cheapest place I can find to print photos is SNAPFISH. You buy a prepaid plan, which is good for two years and get 250 photos at 8 cents each.
Option one is to take your camera card to a store and get immediate prints - most expensive.
Option two is to take your camera card to the store and get one-hour prints - next expensive.
Option three is to upload selected photos to a store site and pick them up later - getting better.
Option four is to upload selected photos to a website and have them mailed to you - even better.
Option five is to wait for a free shipping sale at Snapfish and print your photos - cheapest!!
(Just to share my research, Shutterfly has prepaid packages as low as 10 cents each but you have to buy a huge number - and without a plan, the prints are 15 cents each, almost twice as much as Snapfish. The advantage is that you upload online and you can have them printed at Target - but you cannot use the prepaid prints for that, as they tell you in teeny, tiny print. And since you know what a CostCo junkie I am, they charge 13 cents each to print out and pick up in the store - still not as good as Snapfish. And gas to the store and back probably equals the few-dollar shipping charges online sites use.)
As I said above, you have to stay organized. One advantage with a prepaid plan is that you have to take the time to upload your photos, so you don't just hit select~ALL and print all your photos, thereby wasting SO many pictures that don't go into an album or scrapbook. The other advantage to the prepaid plan is the cost - the pictures from Snapfish are just about 1/2 the cost of other places and in some instances 1/3 the cost! Now if you need pictures in a hurry, CostCo or SAMS is probably the way to go. But again, if you are organized and just print here and there, you will have your photos printed and ready to scrap (or file) next time your girlfriends call.
Since I like to scrap, I know this bit of research has helped me - I hope it helps you as well!!
The cheapest place I can find to print photos is SNAPFISH. You buy a prepaid plan, which is good for two years and get 250 photos at 8 cents each.
Option one is to take your camera card to a store and get immediate prints - most expensive.
Option two is to take your camera card to the store and get one-hour prints - next expensive.
Option three is to upload selected photos to a store site and pick them up later - getting better.
Option four is to upload selected photos to a website and have them mailed to you - even better.
Option five is to wait for a free shipping sale at Snapfish and print your photos - cheapest!!
(Just to share my research, Shutterfly has prepaid packages as low as 10 cents each but you have to buy a huge number - and without a plan, the prints are 15 cents each, almost twice as much as Snapfish. The advantage is that you upload online and you can have them printed at Target - but you cannot use the prepaid prints for that, as they tell you in teeny, tiny print. And since you know what a CostCo junkie I am, they charge 13 cents each to print out and pick up in the store - still not as good as Snapfish. And gas to the store and back probably equals the few-dollar shipping charges online sites use.)
As I said above, you have to stay organized. One advantage with a prepaid plan is that you have to take the time to upload your photos, so you don't just hit select~ALL and print all your photos, thereby wasting SO many pictures that don't go into an album or scrapbook. The other advantage to the prepaid plan is the cost - the pictures from Snapfish are just about 1/2 the cost of other places and in some instances 1/3 the cost! Now if you need pictures in a hurry, CostCo or SAMS is probably the way to go. But again, if you are organized and just print here and there, you will have your photos printed and ready to scrap (or file) next time your girlfriends call.
Since I like to scrap, I know this bit of research has helped me - I hope it helps you as well!!
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