Saving: 10 Tips From Mom

In honor of Mother's Day this weekend, we decided to focus our posts today on the wonderful ways our mothers were able to save and still take care of all of us!

1) TUNA:  There is always a fresh container of tuna salad in the fridge.  Mom buys tuna in bulk when it's on sale.  Always solid, never chunk "because you get more".  Last week she called to tell me she was able to get 8 cans for $6 at Wegman's.   For cents per sandwich she keeps lunch on the budget low.

2) FARM & FLEA MARKETS: From the time I was little, Saturdays meant farm markets.  We would drive into

Trenton, go to Halo Farm to get milk (like 20 cartons that she would freeze and pull out as needed) and then head over to the farm market and pick up fruits and veggies by the bushel.  We were so well behaved because we wanted the ultimate treat - fresh German bologna with fresh rolls that we would tear into and make sandwiches in the car on the way home.  Early Saturday morning we would bundle up and head to Columbus Market or Englishtown.  Here we would buy more produce, spices, our slap and charm bracelets, pogs, and trolls.  

3) REPAIR:  repair repair repair.  Shoes are taken to a cobbler, clothes are mended or altered, furniture reupholstered, crazy glue is well used, and some items are taken apart for parts.  Anything with any use left will be brought back to life or repurposed.

4) FRESH BREAD:  If mom could live off of bread and butter she would.  Sundays meant a fresh loaf of white bread that we devoured with our meal.  When we were old enough to ask for a recipe, we found out the secret -- frozen dough from the grocery store.  We still go crazy for it.

5) WOOD BURNING STOVE:  Mom's rundown of the day always includes gathering, splitting, or bringing in wood.  The house has two wood burning stoves that she keeps going in the winter to reduce their heating costs. Living in a wooded area means that the wood is free for those willing to put in the work, which she does every day.  

6) KNOW PRICES:  Mom knows the regular price of items she buys often at 4 different stores.  When there's a sale, she stocks up.  The cellar is a mini grocery store holding every sale she came upon.  There's always backup "downstairs".

7) GAS: She applies the same method to petrol.  She knows which station has the best prices on what days and will plan her trips to be in those areas when she's running low.

8) DOLLAR STORE: Mom makes good use of the Dollar Store by our house.  She tells them which products she's excited they have, and she makes sure she can't get it less anywhere else.  

9) CARDS:  Mom is very good at making sure cards are sent out for birthdays and other occasions.  She plans ahead and gets the cards when the pharmacy is having a sale or even the dollar store.  With 22+ grandchildren every holiday and birthday adds up quickly.

10) GRATITUDE:  My mother's biggest saving tip is gratitude.  Everything she has she treasures.  Every flower in the garden is cared for, every fresh tomato from the garden savored, every gift is treasured, and every penny shined.  Her enthusiasm for the small beauties of the world are contagious.  She gives wherever she can.  We joke that she talks about the weather so much, but every ray of sunshine is like gold to her, and every rain is a gift to do something other than watering.  

Extreme Saving - Gift Cards

My sister in Chicago called me, excited about our new blog.  She started telling me different stories she watched on Extreme Cheapskates.  As she talked about reusable toilet paper, dumpster divers, and ovenless apartments, I begged her to stop me if I ever get "that far."  After discussing the notable environmental impacts and the thrill of "the game" it was  a little less scary.

And then I needed tape.

In a 2011 Wall Street Journal Blog Post, they estimated that from 2005-2011 $41 Billion in gift cards went unspent because they were lost or never used.  In my wallet alone (and there are more in a drawer) I have the following low balance cards:

$3.07 on a visa card
$10.00 on two $5 Starbucks gift cards
$15.00 to World Market
$16.04 to Best Buy from a return I made late

I decided to play a little game and see if I could get my tape and knock out the visa gift card.  I knew there was a dollar store in the strip mall down the street, I thought the dollar store would have the modest amount of tape I was looking for.

Unfortunately they did not.

I walked next door to the bargain grocery store to see if they had a roll to spare.  They had plenty in stock at $8.50 a roll.  I passed (I could have gotten a 6 pack at Costco pack for that) I decided to walk in the other direction and hit up the Big Lots on the end.  

They had the same large roll from the grocery store listed for $3.50.  A big "savings" but really not a great deal as $3.50 is an average price for a roll of packing tape.  On the lower shelves, far below eye level there were smaller rolls of the same Scotch brand packing tape for $1.25.  One was not going to be enough, but with two, (which totalled more yardage than the larger roll) I got more tape for $1.00 less. 

Normally when I walk into a store I "feel silly" JUST getting one item, so I'll spend on average 15-20 minutes roaming the isles for stuff I MIGHT use.  But, with new resolve I took my two lonely rolls of tape straight to the counter and checked out for $2.67 which will tape 40 moving boxes!

What's even better, I accomplished my goal and was able to get more of a balance off of that gift card!  And since I had only to park once, there was no petrol lost by shopping around.  And best part?  I put the $1 I saved by shopping around directly into my savings account.

I was so excited.  I quickly realized why people get so deep in the game of saving.  I hope, however, that someone will pull me back if I start to use reusable toilet paper!  We all have our limits!

Got a gift card that you will not use ever ever ever?  Try selling it on sites like eBay or giftcardgranny.com.  These sites are where buyers go to find discounted gift cards.  So plan on selling them for 2-5% less than the face value.  Also, did you know that if you have a store gift card with a balance under $10, you can ask for the balance in cash and they have to give it to you?  Even more incentive to spend under that card limit!

TIP:  Don't let money on gift cards get lost or go unused! In the process, do not accept a bad offer!  Know the average market price and aim to find a better deal.  Finally, when you save on something actually move that savings into your savings account so that those savings can grow, no matter how small.

The Freedom to...TRAVEL

Recently, I went on a weekend getaway for my birthday - we headed to a new area in Las Vegas, called Lake Las Vegas (I HIGHLY recommend it) - it is AMAZING!! Anyways, the price for a 4-star hotel was around $200/night - we were trying to stay under $600 for the 4-day trip. So here is one of my favorite saving tips (which I have been an advocate of for years). PRICELINE...

Westin Lake Las Vegas

4-Star for $65/night

Priceline is a site that I refuse to travel without. In fact, I should be paid for the kind of advertising I give to them - from telling co-workers during lunch, people standing in front of me in long grocery lines, random runners on the treadmill next to me at the gym...the WORD has to be spread!! You can get a 4-star hotel room in NYC or Las Vegas or even Cheyenne, WY (do they have 4-stars? Haha!) for a fraction of the cost that you would spend on a lower-star, much less impressive hotel. Priceline gives you the freedom to travel!! I'm constantly skipping town (and work...just kidding...well maybe not) to take a random road trip or to fly to the beach and the only way that I can do that...while still being on a monthly budget is to forgo the extra shopping trip that month...AND...use Priceline to book my hotels!

TIP: Make sure you know where you would like to stay (approximate vicinity) and ALWAYS use the "Name Your Own Price" tab. This gives you the option to bid for a hotel room, based on star rating and location - you can get up to 60% off any hotel. The one trick is that you won't know which hotel you're getting, but let's be honest a 4-star is going to nice regardless if it's a Marriott or a Westin. Also, it doesn't matter if you bid a month out or the day of - I've gotten great deals doing either one. 

Bottom line, is that even though you're traveling and spending extra money, you can always be smart about it and save money for other things while on your trip. Let Freedom Ring!!