Lunchmeat costs more than steak!

Monday, September 29th, 2008

Now that school is back in session, days have become more scheduled and lunches need to be packed.  We all know and have experienced the cost of food going up, but has anyone taken a look at lunch meat lately? At the least expensive grocery store in our area, the Boar’s Head brand deli meats have cracked $8.50/lb.!  Yes, I know Boar’s Head is top of the line, but I use it as a gauge, since the pricing tends to stay rather consistent!

 To save on costs, try instead buying one of the unsliced chunks of ham, usually found near the bacon, hot dogs, etc.  You can then take it to the deli and ask them to slice it and they will usually do it for free.  Now, my Boar’s Head ham that would cost $8.50/lb. is now $5.99/lb.!  And I didn’t have to compromise on quality. 

Also, grocery stores do have a special section for “end cuts” as many of you probably know.  It’s the end of the deli meat that’s too short to cut without losing any fingers.  Personally, I find this works well for getting good cheeses at a bargain that can be used for pizzas, pastas, etc. 

In other news, Nicolas turned 1-year old yesterday…how time does fly! 

Copyright 2008-2009 Kristin Delfau, author of Turbo-Mom's Guide to Saving Money Without Wasting Time a womens' personal finance book, and Aji Publishing.

Posted in Turbo-Mom's Guide to Saving Money Without Wasting Time | No Comments »

Dealing with heating oil

Monday, September 22nd, 2008

Now that we are back from a late summer vacation, it’s oil pricing time.  If you haven’t done so already, it’s time to decide what to do about heating oil for the winter.  Do you lock in? Do you bet that the price will go down during the heating oil season? Do you go with a cap?  And will you be able to afford any of it?

When we first moved to Connecticut in 2002, we locked in at $1.08 a gallon.  I suspect those days are long gone for a long time.  Then, the next year it was up to $1.44/gallon.  Wow, what a jump, we thought.  A a couple of years later, we decided to take the daily rate, which meant that we were subject to market fluctuations.  This worked in our favor until last year.

Last year, toward the end of a rough season filled with high prices, our last fill-up was $4.67/gallon.  I almost had a heart attack. 

This year, with all of the oil price volatility, we’ve locked in at $3.74/gallon.  Not great, but at least it’s a “known pain” rather than an unknown one.  It’s the same reason my tax practice bills on a “flat fee” basis.  You know what it is going to cost–no suprises.

 However, prices aside, there’s always room for negotiation.  If you really like your oil supplier, take 10 minutes to call around and find out what other companies are offering as “new customer rates”.  Then call your current supplier and tell them and ask what they can do to keep you as a customer.  Sometimes, they’ll match their competitors’ rates.  Sometimes they’ll give you a discount.  And sometimes, they will do nothing at all.

 In our case, I went with the company offering the lowest rates.  I then asked for a “new customer discount”.  I promptly received $20 off the service contract (yes, they are worth it) and a $50 credit toward the oil.  Not stellar, but better than nothing!

In more personal news, my son has started to walk!  It seemed like only a week ago he was starting to wobble around; now we are almost at the running stage!!!  They grow so fast.

Copyright 2008-2009 Kristin Delfau, author of Turbo-Mom's Guide to Saving Money Without Wasting Time a womens' personal finance book, and Aji Publishing.

Tags: asking for a discount, heating oil
Posted in Turbo-Mom's Guide to Saving Money Without Wasting Time | No Comments »

Questions? Answers!

Monday, September 8th, 2008

Since I am constantly receiving questions about saving money–particularly in this economy–I have shifted the style of the blog.  If you have a particular question on saving money without wasting time, be sure to submit it through www.turbo-mom.com.  You’ll see your answer posted on this blog!

How can I save money with online coupons without wasting a lot of time?  You could spend hours looking for ones that work!

Use coupon code sites that are regularly refreshed and with limited advertisements.  If you can’t find a discount code or rebate on www.ebates.com (see my earlier posting all about E-Bates), you can always search for information on the web.  This can be tricky because a lot of coupon code websites have become advertising fronts for the companies they write about.  When you click on a link, you think you are going for a code but you end up in a sea of ads.  Ten minutes later, you are nowhere near a “true” coupon code!

Here are some of the better and consistent coupon code websites:

www.edealinfo.com
www.retailmenot.com
www.couponshare.com 

Try a quick Google search of the site you are shopping.  For example: Shoebuy + “coupon code”.  Usually, when all else fails, this will turn up some sort of a helpful discount code.  

Sometimes, there just isn’t a coupon code for your store.  If you come up with nothing after a maximum of 10 minutes, it’s time to let the coupon code hunt go.  You’ve gotten the best deal you can find—it’s time to make your purchase!

Copyright 2008-2009 Kristin Delfau, author of Turbo-Mom's Guide to Saving Money Without Wasting Time a womens' personal finance book, and Aji Publishing.

Tags: questions, saving online, top 10
Posted in Turbo-Mom's Guide to Saving Money Without Wasting Time | No Comments »