Public Libraries: A great way to save money and time

Monday, November 3rd, 2008

I don’t know how many of you utilize your local libraries, but they can be a real time and money saver.

I admit, ever since I was 7 or 8, I’ve loved libraries.  I almost always took out the maximum amount of books—10—and loved going through them.  Even at that time, I loved the fact that you could have lots of books for free—as long as you returned them on time.

Nowadays, libraries have significantly evolved and they are a great place for free stuff.  Consider this: according to the American Library Association, almost 100% of libraries now have public internet access! 

Many libraries also have free adult education programs on everything from learning Microsoft Excel to how to sell your items on eBay.  I attended a talk on the latter and saved myself numerous hours trying to figure out the process myself.  And I actually managed to sell a few items lingering in my closet!

Here are a few other things that libraries are good for:

1. Saving you money on home decoration/renovation projects.  When we are getting ready for a home renovation, it can be our impulse to go to the book store and buy every book and magazine about decks or basements or kitchens.  Instead, why not go to the library, check out every book on the subject for free, and then go buy the book or two that ends up being your main inspiration?  Much cheaper.  Then you can put the money you saved on books and magazines toward your improvement.

2. Job search materials.  Of course, there is a usual selection of job search books in the stacks, but did you know that the librarians can help you research local companies that hire in your field?  Or, if you are starting your own business, to get you in touch with the proper state offices to get yourself registered correctly? Save time by learning what they already know. 

3. Movie rentals. Many libraries have movie rentals—which can save you a bunch in Netflix or Blockbuster fees.  Our library allows 5 movies for up to one week for free.  Also, your library may not only have the latest released blockbusters but also independent or foreign films that didn’t have the ad budget of a big studio but are nonetheless interesting.

So if you haven’t been in awhile, check out your local library and reap the savings!

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: free stuff, libraries
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Innovative decorating without spending money

Monday, October 27th, 2008

In these rough economic times, much of our extraneous spending goes out the window as we concentrate on getting food on the table, keeping the heat on, and the roof paid for.  Usually home decorating (or re-decorating!) is one of the first things to go.

 But what if you still want to revamp a room or two but you don’t have the budget?  Try the following resource: Use What You Have Decorating by Lauri Ward (her website is www.redecorate.com).  It is an excellent way to learn how to go around your house and reuse furniture from different rooms to make an entirely different look–without spending any extra cash!  For me, it gave me a different way to look at furniture–and saved us from buying items we didn’t ultimately need.

For those of you who have an eye for style and are looking for a new line of work, you can also learn how to become a “Use What You Have” design consultant.  Part of the course also teaches you “staging”, which is a technique used by real estate agents to make a home more appealing and hopefully a quicker sell.

Have a great week and happy shopping around your house!

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: careers, home decorating, lauri ward
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Saving lots of time and money on software

Monday, October 20th, 2008

For those of you who have been reading for awhile, you probably have some vague recollection of my praise for top 10 honoree www.download.com.  It’s that great place to find spyware free software downloads where you can truly “try before you buy”.

 However, here’s another way to save both time and money on software for those of you using Microsoft Office that you may not know about.

 Did you ever have to write a letter, build a spreadsheet or (ack!) a database and didn’t know where to start?  That blank “new document” staring you in the face can be quite daunting.  Instead, try www.office.microsoft.com and click on their “Templates” list at the top of the page.  Here you can find a template for just about anything–from building a personal budget to tracking a kitchen remodel to spreadsheets on “activity based depreciation” and project proposals. 

The best part is that they are all free and if you already know your way a little bit around the Office software suite, there’s no need to learn a whole new program.  No building painful spreadsheets with long formulas just to find that one line is wrong. No staring at a blank page when you need to write a business letter–get a head start. That saves a HUGE amount of time and free is a very good price!

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: microsoft office, software, top 10
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Tacking this winter’s energy costs

Monday, October 13th, 2008

With the economy as lousy as it is these days, the cost of heating our homes for the winter is on the forefront on a lot of people’s minds.  I touched upon locking in heating oil rates in an earlier post, but now I am getting into energy savings that you may not of heard of in regular publications.

Everyone is encouraging you to buy weather stripping to put around your doors, fluorescent light bulbs instead of the incandescent varieties, caulking around windows, insulating everything, etc.  Personally, I find the repetition of suggestions a bit exhausting.  And honestly, I know it is useful, but I hate weatherstripping.  It eventually falls apart after a couple of years and I am lousy at sticking it on straight.  So then sometimes I have to buy more because it doesn’t stick properly.

When it comes to energy efficiency, though, it’s important to be aware of some of the less-discussed “phantom air leaks” around your house. 

One of the best websites I have found with the most helpful staff is http://www.batticdoor.com/.  They have a whole selection of insulating and energy efficient products at reasonable prices for areas that you wouldn’t think of as problematic, such as attic stairs, clothes dryer vents, attic & whole house fans, and fireplaces. And many of their items are easy to install even for novice handy-ladies.

A big energy loss can be your fireplace and chimney, if you have them.  We also have a wood-burning stove left by the prior owners that is not ducted correctly; thus, we are afraid to use it.  We are finally getting around to installing a chimney cap to discourage the local wildlife, limit heat loss in the winter, and protect the opening from rain and snow. 

However, we also found out that the damper at the base of the chimney isn’t really doing its job at all.  Okay, so we kind of knew this because sometimes we’d hear raindrops in the fireplace.  But we figured the damper was stopping most of the problem. 

Turns out, not so much.  Playing detective revealed that not only were some raindrops coming down the chimney, a good amount of hot air from the house was going out during the winter.  And, from the top of the chimney, you can see the light coming from the room below! That damper is definitely not doing its job–and that $3.75/gallon heating oil is sure keeping the roof warm.

 Thus, we are going to install a chase cover in addition to the chimney cover.  You can get chase covers with or without holes (with a hole if you plan to use your chimney) so that we can add a layer of protection to the lousy damper.  Some good sites to try for both chimney caps and chase covers are http://www.chimneydepotsupply.com/ and http://www.fireplace-chimneystore.com. 

 So I am off to dealing with weatherstripping…which hopefully Nicolas won’t decide to chew on first!

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: energy efficiency, heating, weatherstripping
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Kids outgrowing their shoes!

Wednesday, October 8th, 2008

Now that my son is walking and it is October, I have had to break down and buy him some shoes instead of letting him toddle around barefoot.  After a visit to Stride-Rite with a friend, I received a quick reminder lesson on how expensive children’s shoes can be.  $55 for a pair of basic shoes that he will outgrow in 2 months!

So after talking with some of my favorite thrifty mom friends, here’s what I learned:

 Target is a great place for kids’ shoes.  A wide variety, decent selection, and reasonable quality.  However, I must say that their girls’ shoes outnumber the boys’ selection about 3-to-1. 

If you are looking for brand name kids’ shoes at low prices, by all means try Marshalls. Marshalls (and their sister store, TJ Maxx) you probably know pretty well for their discount clothing, housewares, etc.  But if it’s been awhile since you have been in a Marshalls, go visit again.  The chain has been revamping its footwear section so that they now have it arranged according to style rather than size.  This means that they have the shoes in boxes below the style–as you would find in a regular shoe store. 

It was at Marshalls that we scored a pair of hi-top Ecco boots for my son, which set us back $17.  Much better than the $55 at Stride-Rite and a great brand as well!

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: discounts, kids, shoes
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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.

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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
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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
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Back to School Eyeglasses

Monday, August 25th, 2008

Back to school doesn’t only mean new notebooks, rulers, and Cheetah Girls backpacks…it also means medical expenses.  Doctor’s visits, dentist visits and new glasses to name a few.  Wearing glasses since I was 8, every year was a new problem–I hated having glasses and the choices for kids were lousy.  And no doubt my parents hated the expense, and well, kids are rough on glasses.

 If you are in this glasses scenario (for yourself or your kids), visit your eye care professional as usual for an exam and a refraction, but don’t buy those glasses just yet.  Instead, try http://www.39dollarglasses.com/. Choice is decent; you will get a quality pair of frames and lenses for a fraction of the cost!  They also include UV protection and scratch-resistant coating to every pair, which is included in the price.  I tried these out myself, not wanting to drop $300 on my own glasses, particularly since I wear contact lenses most of the time.  What a great quality frame and lenses!  It was so much better than what I had previously spent a lot more money on at the eyeglass store.  I was thrilled.

But how can you tell what looks good on you or your kids?  www.39dollarglasses.com has a face-shape set-up so that you can try the frames on people with a similar face shape.  Or, you can cut out a template and try the glasses on in a paper version.

If you are looking for glasses for yourself, also be sure to consider http://www.eyebuydirect.com. This site actually has you upload your face onto their site and you can try the glasses right on your own head!  Also, they have a money-back guarantee in case you don’t like your glasses on your actual face.  What a great service!

Just be sure to request your Pupillary Distance (PD) from your eye care provider when you have your eye exam.  This is how the eyeglass maker knows where to center the lens so you (or your child) can see properly.

Now when little Johnny breaks his frames during recess again, you won’t have to figure out where that extra $200 is going to come from to pay for the replacement.

(Side note: For those of you caring for elderly family members or friends, this is also a great, inexpensive way to update their prescriptions as well!)

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: eyeglasses, medical
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Laptop Mishaps

Monday, August 18th, 2008

Last week, my 18-month old Acer laptop started up for the last time, apparently due to a fried motherboard.  I’m not sure what exactly a motherboard is or does, but all I know is that fixing it is as expensive as buying a new computer.  Thus, this post is being written on a new Toshiba.  Hopefully, it will last longer than the Acer did.

 So my Toshiba has come with lots of “pre-loaded trial software”, some of which perhaps could be useful.  However, there are some great but FREE basic programs that everyone should have on their computer, laptop or desktop.  All recommended programs below can easily be found on www.download.com.

1. Anti-virus: you hear this all the time, but if you are like me, you hate having to pay anywhere from $40 to $80 per year for virus protection that seems to take up a lot of computer memory and run rather slowly.

Instead, try the free home edition created by Avast.  The protection is stellar, comprehensive and FREE.  Oh, it won’t slow down your computer like Norton or McAfee either.

2. Anti-Spyware: Spyware comes attached to websites you visit or certain programs or files you may download.  Spyware tracks what you do and where you go online.  It also can make your computer run slowly.  To get rid of Spyware, try Ad-Aware 2008.  Another easy to download and easy to run free program that’s definitely worth it.  You’ll see your computer running faster in no time!

2. Malware: Malware programs are lousy viruses, trojans, worms, and other sorts of nasties that can infect your computer.  To safely get rid of them, try Malwarebytes Anti-Malware software.  It’s comprehensive library finds and dismantles the worst of these programs that can attack and infect your computer.  And it’s free!

 Again, all of these programs can be safely downloaded from www.download.com. 

 Now get that computer protected!

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: computers, top 10
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