Save Money With Careful Online Shopping
Consumers should always remain cautious when making online purchases during the holidays. This is especially true for those consumers hat are taking care of last minute holiday shopping. As the amount of increases every year on online shopping the amount of scam artists and dishonest retailers also increases.
Consumers should obtain some sort of reference or check up on unfamiliar stores and resellers. Customer reviews online are a good reference as is the Better Business Bureau or consumer complaint sites that list the offenders and the issues with the retailer. It may also be helpful to check the seller’s physical address and phone number before buying.
The Federal Trade Commission advises that consumers pay with a credit card when possible, rather than use a debit card, checks or money orders since the credit card offers the best protection regarding problem purchases and stolen identification.
Save all records regarding the purchase transaction. Keep details for all aspects of the transaction including payment information, shipping charges and purchase order numbers.
Read the fine print that may be associated with any offer to avoid confusion or disputes over misrepresentation. Know the terms of the purchase before consummating the purchase. Check to see if the product returnable and under what terms returns can take place. If the terms are not clear or if you have questions, make the purchase elsewhere.
Beware of any scams to gain unauthorized access to your identity and payment information. Legitimate sellers and retailers will not require you to confirm your email or banking information. If an online source is requesting your bank account number, social security number or driver’s license number, it is time to walk away. Use extra caution if you are making an online purchase and using a public wireless network. Always protect your personal information.
Check your credit card statements often with greater detail during times of increased credit card activity. Check the transactions online if you can to keep tabs on any unauthorized activity or improper charges.
Beware of any deals that may sound too good to be true. Unless the offers can be verified on websites and in unsolicited e-mails may turn out to be less than genuine. Use common sense and if it can’t be verified, take a pass. Some online sites may work hard to advertise their quality, but when they are scrutinized more closely, the products may not meet the quality that is expected. Many illegitimate goods may look genuine, watch out for fakes.
Extra care regarding what you purchase and how you purchase it is always time well spent. Save money by not wasting time with poor quality products and unwanted expenses.
Save Money and Be Nice to your Clothes so they Last Longer
Some aspects of cheap home living require just a little attention and common sense to save time and money. Taking care of your clothes is one of those common sense actions that can save consumers money over time by making clothes last longer.
Constantly washing and drying clothes over time puts a tremendous amount of wear and tear on the garments and shortens their useful life. There are several clothes care techniques that can help extend the life of your clothing and in turn save money and save resources.
A big contributor to clothing damage is the dryer. One easy trick to avoid the damage caused by the dryer is to either limit the use of the dryer or not dry clothes completely through the use of the dryer. Using a clothes line or drying racks to dry clothes can reduce the damage done by the hot dryer. For those consumers that have limited space for drying racks or a clothes line, spreading the clothes out to do the last 10% of the drying will not only help reduce the wear and tear but also reduces static clean. Less dryer use also means less electricity or gas use which saves even more money.
When damage on a garment is spotted, it should be repaired as soon as possible. The longer the clothes are used, the bigger the tear is likely to become and the harder it will be to repair. Patching up the damaged clothes is certainly cheaper than buying new ones. Mending torn or ripped clothes can also turn into a fun process by altering the look or material in the damaged garment. Try repairing ripped jeans with a different fabric, such as fleece or leather, where the tear was.
Turning clothing inside out and washing them in cold water is a good way to avoid fading colors. This process may be especially important with jeans. Hot water is tougher on both the clothes and their colors. Cold water for washing has many benefits including, lengthening the life of garments and lower electric bills. There is some debate that warmer water helps release dirt particles better but the cost appears to make hot water washing unwarranted. The clothes washer consumes over 75% of its energy for heating the water.
Be careful about using fabric softeners. Fabric softeners, contain petrochemicals that can damage clothing. Fabric softeners add a film to the fabric which can spoil the colors as well as leave spots on the clothes. Fabric softeners are also not terribly environmentally friendly.
Be careful when hanging and separating your clothes in the closet or in a drawer. Poor handling causes wrinkles and wrinkles leads to having to iron the garments. Sweaters and delicates should be folded on a shelf to avoid using hangers, which can damage delicate knits. Wire hangers should also be avoided since they can harm shirts and blouses.
Careful clothing care can preserve the clothing longer while saving money and energy use.
Where to Find Store Coupons
There are an abundance of coupons available for consumers to use to save money on everyday purchases. As more stores and manufacturers try to build loyalty with consumers, it seems like the number of coupons available has increased. Once you start looking for coupons you begin to realize that they appear to be everywhere.
The key to saving the most amount of money with coupons is to know where to find the coupons that offer the greatest savings and then maximize their use.
Buying a product without using a coupon is akin to paying a premium for that product. Better to use a coupon to buy the products or products and if you don’t want the savings donate the difference to a local charity but there is no point in nit using coupons and letting the manufacturer fattening the bank accounts in the executive suite.
The first place to look for store coupons is in the stores weekly advertisement. Many stores regularly send out advertising circulars that promote their products and will often have coupons in the advertisement. Some store advertisements may be found at the store, some may be found in weekly newspapers and some are found through direct mail.
While locating store advertisement in the newspapers, check the newspaper to see if your store places a regular ad with their coupons in Sunday paper or in the food section during specific days of the week.
Look for coupons online. Many stores provide printable grocery coupons on their sites. Some stores have sections of their web site for their own coupons. Store websites are one source for coupons online as are websites that work as coupon finders and aggregators. There are several web sites designed exclusively for shoppers looking for printable grocery coupons as well as other store coupons.
Check with the manufacturer for coupons. Manufacturer websites will sometimes display printable coupons and other promotional information that can be mailed by request.
An easy spot to look for store coupons is in the store. Look for special fliers and coupon holders at the store. Store coupons may offer discounts on items that are local or in store products. Most grocery stores keep copies of the stores specials near the entrance of the store. Sometimes the ads may contain coupons along with all the current specials.
For stores that offer free store magazines and coupons by email, sign up. You can pick up a free copy at your store if they have one. Some store magazines may feature coupons that will be delivered by mail or email. The email coupons can offer significant discounts. And don’t forget to sign up for your stores loyalty cards or other promotional membership programs.
Magazines can be a good source of coupons. Some manufacturer’s product coupons that are targeted to specific groups that can be found magazines that appeal or are marketed to that target audience.
Lastly, don’t ignore the preprinted register receipts with coupons on the back to use at local stores or the store you obtaining the receipt from.
Cheap Home Living with a Home Energy Audit
A home energy audit is a process that assesses how much energy a home consumes and evaluates what measures can be implemented to make the home more energy efficient. In an ideal situation, the home energy audit will find ways to improve energy efficiency, lower utility bills, and increase the comfort within the home. A home energy audit is one resource to help save money and reduce waste over a long period of time.
Some utility companies and local municipalities offer free or discounted home energy audits to help determine how much energy your home uses and how that energy can be better deployed. A professional energy auditor may also be hired to evaluate home energy use and they may use a variety of techniques and equipment to determine the energy efficiency of the home. Of course, the goal is to determine the appropriate cause of action to improve energy conservation.
A homeowner can also easily conduct their own do-it-yourself home energy assessment or home energy audit. With a good survey of your own home combined with information on what to look for, a homeowner can spot many of the areas in a home that need attention to maximize efficiency.
A professional energy auditor will generally use equipment that is not readily available to consumers to determine the energy efficiency of a home. Some professional energy audit services will employ tools such as infrared cameras, blowers and gas and electric meters to assist in the audit. Most of the tools are used to reveal hard to detect areas of air access and inadequate insulation to obtain a more precise assessment.
Professional energy audits will also generally go into detail about energy use and potential means to reduce consumption. The energy auditor should do a thorough examination of the home and current utility costs. The auditor should measure and evaluate the factors that affect energy use in the home including factors such as the size of the home, efficiency of appliances, insulation, air flow, and efficiency of heating and cooling systems.
Though a professional energy audit is more detailed and precise, a homeowner can easily conduct a home energy audit by their self. Ultimately, an energy audit will measure the efficiency of the home’s heating and cooling systems and show ways to conserve hot water, heating and electricity.
By reducing energy usage, consumers not only save money but help save the environment by contributing fewer energy creating byproducts and waste. By making your home more energy efficient, you are not only living on the cheap but you are making a contribution to reduce greenhouse emissions. Saving money and saving the environment.
It’s Summer Time, Save Money and Don’t Use That Dryer
The common clothes dryer is an energy hog and frequently damages clothing which in turn shortens their life expectancy. By limiting the use of the clothes dryer, consumers can conserve energy and save money. The money savings come from two fronts, less energy use and fewer clothes purchases with longer lasting clothing.
Clothes dryers along with refrigerators and the clothes washers are the biggest energy using appliances in a home according to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. Technology options such as more efficient appliances combined with a change in behavior can save money each and every month.
Savings from leaving the dryer dormant comes from the energy savings and longer lasting clothing. Clothes dryer damage can come from a variety of different forces caused by the tumbling and heat. The movement and heat often causes the clothes fibers to be rubbed thin. The heat from the dryer also shrinks clothes and cause stains that were not removed in the washer to be become much more difficult to remove.
By avoiding the use of the dryer for all washing, consumers can conserve energy to help save money and reduce the impact on the environment as well as save money over the long term by having the clothes last longer without the wear and tear brought on by frequent dryer use.
For many dryer users, the primary reasons they don’t use a line dry method for their clothes are that they think it is too inconvenient, they are not sure about the alternatives and they are often not aware of the total costs created by using the standard clothes dryer.
The first solution to end excessive dryer use is to start using a clothesline. If you have no clothesline, perhaps because you live in an apartment or your homeowners association won’t allow clotheslines, a drying rack or a clothes rod will work just as well.
Don’t exclude using a clothesline if space is tight, consider a clothesline in the basement or attic or an outdoor retractable line. There are a variety of have many ingenious items along the lines of retractable clotheslines that may be fond at the local hardware store or homes good store that can be used in tight spaces or used outside without drawing a lot of attention.
Drying racks are handy because they can be moved to speed up the drying process. A drying rack can be placed outside on a sunny day for quick drying and fresh smelling clothes. Inside the house, try putting them over a vent and the heat or air conditioner will dry them faster.
Hanging clothes on a clothes rod can save money and is a very versatile alternative. With a clothes rod, clothes can be draped over the rod or individual hangers can be used. Hangers are efficient because less space is used. Be sure not to put the hangers too close together or the clothes will not dry.
Not using the clothes dryer all the time may sound complicated at first, once you get familiar with the practice times it becomes fast and easy and certainly helps the environment and the bottom line. Air drying clothes uses the best renewable energy sources, wind and sunshine, in the simplest manner. Less energy used means less money spent which appeals to those who like cheap home living but less energy also yields fewer carbon emissions. Cheap living to save money and save the environment.
Cheap Home Living Tip for those Who Don’t Need It
This week’s top cheap home living tip for consumer that don’t cheap living tips, involves conserving left over champagne. There are certainly those times in our lives or in some of the lives of the hoittie toittie, when the Friday night get together comes to an end and you realize that you have an open bottle of Dom Perignon or Cristal sitting around. Now, nobody wants to waste some Dom or Cristal.
Instead of wasting the remainder of the bottle, which generally cost in excess of $100.00, the leftover champagne can be used to make a nice beurre blanc for an elegant dinner the day after the bubbly was busted open. There is no need to let the unfinished bottle go to waste, live it up – you can afford the Champagne so you should live a little.
A beurre blanc is a classic French white wine and butter sauce that is used as frequently with seafood dishes. A beurre blanc can be used for fish, chicken or even vegetables. To make a basic beurre blanc sauce, the main ingredients are wine, shallots and butter or similar ingredients close to these.
Here is a simple beurre blanc recipe that can utilize the excess the Champagne, courtesy of Marthastewart.com.
Step 1. Heat 1/3 cup of minced shallot and 1/4 cup Champagne over medium heat until reduced to about 2 tablespoons.
Step 2. Whisk in 2 sticks of chilled butter by slicing into small cubes first. Whisk in several pieces at a time until all the butter is completely incorporated before moving to the next step, but do not let the sauce simmer.
Step 3. Pour sauce through a fine sieve into a bowl: discard the remaining solids in the sieve. Stir in 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and finally add some salt to suit your taste.
Viola! Incredible beurre blanc using left over $100.00 bottles of Champagne. A lifestyle of cheap home living can save money and save resources for everyone even those in higher income brackets.
Common Reasons Why People Fail to Save
There are always a number of reasons why people fail to save money. The causes will be as varied as the different financial position people will be in at any point in time, but some of the reasons for failure have a common component for a number of consumers.
The most common reason for failure to save is the inability to establish a plan and work on savings goals. Just to be aware of the need to save is hardly going to put a dent in a savings plan. Awareness is a first step, but success in saving money and resources requires attention to detail to some degree. For some consumers, attention to detail may be quite refined while for others it may entail a budget with a range of options. In either case, the lack of a plan almost always results in failure to execute a behavioral change that leads to savings.
Along with the clear lack of a savings plan, procrastination and the lack of follow through fall close behind. The longer someone waits, the less time they have to take advantage of debt reduction opportunities, savings on expenses and compounding returns on financial savings. Follow through also involves developing a winning attitude. The foresight to see that a plan in motion is established to save will work and accomplish a goal is a key element to success.
A third recurring theme in failure to save is the unwise use of credit. Poor use of credit will often lead to high interest charges and costs and can also frequently lead to unnecessary consumption. Managing credit properly is a pillar in saving for financial rewards.
Inadequate emergency preparedness for the unexpected is on the list of barriers to savings. Without the steps towards acquiring adequate reserves, any savings action plan can become severely constrained and can get sidetracked resulting in even greater money troubles.
A final problem with maintaining a savings plan and goal is the inability to fully understand the value of money. Without a full appreciation of the value in compound savings and the rate of return from the accumulation of frequent small savings, it’s difficult to find the right motivation to save and reap the rewards that come with a good savings plan.
Trying to save without a clear plan and assistance makes it a difficult and arduous choir. Savings money and resources doesn’t have to be arduous and to make it easy, consumers should not try and do it alone. The first step is to get involved and become educated regarding the resources that are available to help save and enjoy what is available whether your net worth is way up on top or just struggling to stay positive.
Savings involves financial rewards and psychological rewards. Psychological benefits may entail living a better life with less conspicuous consumption or saving by reducing the impact on the environment. Whatever the objective, obtaining and developing a plan is a good start.
Composting Saves Money and Resources
Composting is a great way to save some money while helping the environment. The biggest savings with composting is the saving it does for the environment, but composting also helps save on fertilizer costs for outdoor gardening and indoor plants as well as saves on the cost of removal or disposal of organic waste. By reducing food waste that is carted off to the local landfill, consumers can to help the environment and save money.
Composting is an effective way to reduce waste and recycle organic matter. Creating compost involves the natural process of decomposing plant remains and other once living or organic material. Compost is simply an assortment of organic matter that is commonly used for fertilizer since it very high in nutrients needed for plant growth. Decomposition occurs naturally anywhere plants grow but is not terribly efficient or effective in landfills with organic waste created by us.
Composting is a natural form of recycling. Compost is produced by a process in which microbes decompose the organic matter such as food scraps and plants into an organic fertilizer. Naturally occurring microbes are the primary agents for degradation of organic material that results in compost whether the compost is happening naturally on the forest floor on in a backyard compost bin. The compost can be used to enrich soil, provide plant nutrients, or help with natural erosion similar to mulch use.
By creating compost at home, consumers are making their own natural fertilizer and mulch and help alleviate the stuffed landfills. Yard trimmings along with some residual food waste can be thrown into a compost bin and this very same material accounts for roughly 25 percent of the solid waste we dispose of.
Composting can takes many different forms, from simple and inexpensive backyard composting methods to more expensive and high tech methods of composting. All organic material will eventually decompose. The speed at which it decomposes can depend on the temperature, moisture content, oxygen content, surface area and the mix of carbon and nitrogen in the material. Composting can vary in its complexity on how the material is manged and controlled as well as in the range of organic materials that can be recovered.
Here is a simple list of some of the items that can be placed in a compost bin:
Yard trimmings, wood chips, tea bags, leaves, houseplants, hair and fur, fruits and vegetables, coffee grounds and filters, eggshells, nut shells, sawdust, grass clippings, fireplace ashes, shredded newspaper, cotton rags, hay and straw.
Here is a list of some of the items that should not be placed in a compost bin:
Pet wastes, dairy products, fats, grease, lard, or oils, meat or fish bones and scraps ( mostly because they attract pests ), yard waste that is treated with chemical pesticides, diseased or insect-ridden plants.
There are a number of options for making and containing compost. Some people go with a simple binless compost pile on the ground, some people build compost bins from lumber or barrels and more and more consumers are buying commercial compost bins because of their ascetics and added features.
Finished compost can be applied to lawns and gardens to help condition the soil and replenish nutrients. Depending on the contents of the compost, the compost may or may not be used as potting soil for houseplants because of the possible presence of weed and grass seeds.
There are several different reasons why composting is a great, cheap environmentally friendly activity. Yard and food wastes contribute to the waste stream in landfills. The waste that is sent to landfills cost money to transport and dispose of can often be useful and environmentally beneficial compost instead. Composting therefor offers the benefits of resource efficiency as well as creating a useful product from organic waste that would otherwise have been wasted and is absolutely free to create. Cheap home living that saves money and helps the environment, another win – win.
The Best Coupon Web Sites
More and more people are hearing about using coupons to cut expenses and save money. There is little debate that coupon clipping in whatever form is a big money saver. Contrary to what the frugal shopper may think, coupon redemptions are used by only a very small segment of the population. That’s right, though we may read about how to save money with coupons, the number of consumers that actually do is surprisingly low.
Although the use of coupons has been around for years and more media attention appears to focus on the value of coupon use, in recent years the number of coupons redeemed has declined by a significant amount. Coupons that are obtained online are easy to use and find and seem like an easy tool to save more money, yet these coupons account for less than 5% of all coupons offered nationwide. Online coupon clippers are increasing in numbers with statistics indicating redemptions climbing but not near the figures one would expect based on the value they present.
While more people, recently are discovering how much they can save on a wide variety of items by using coupons many are not aware of just how much they can save and how easy it can be to find coupons on the Internet. There is a slew of web sites offering coupons as well as online money saving promotions. Unfortunately, it can be a little confusing to separate the good deals from the lemons and those that just waste your time with deals of limited value.
Numerous web sites have popped up that list coupon codes and produce printable coupons. Some of the coupon websites contain different types of coupons from a range of retailers and the coupons can be printed from the website to be used directly at the store check out. Coupon sites include both store coupons and manufacturer’s coupons. The best money savings deals often involve using both the manufacturer’s coupon and a store coupon on the same item and double your savings. Most stores will accept manufacturers’ coupons along with nay store coupon because the company printing the coupons will reimburse them for the discount.
Coupon codes that are displayed on some of these sites should also be considered. The coupon codes or discount codes are more frequently used for larger purchase amounts. These coupon codes are used mostly for online purchases and can be for a single item or based on the total purchase amount. Coupon codes often have more restrictions and therefore should be read carefully before they are used.
Here is a list of some of the best coupon sites on the Internet for the frugal shopper.
Savings.com
Coupons.com
Smartsource.com
Coolsavings
Save.com
Couponcabin.com
Most all of these sites listed, provide effective and efficient means to obtain online coupons and discounts and have well presented information. There are certainly more coupon sites to search but many have limited information or are difficult to navigate. Some of the sites display only grocery store coupons and other sites have coupons and savings for a variety of categories.