Watch Out for Those Sneaky Charges!

Today I am at Frugal Homeschooling Family. We are always looking for ways to save money, but sometimes we end up paying just as much, if not more, than we intended to because of sneaky charges. Today I am reminding you, especially as the holiday season approaches, to Watch Out for Those Sneaky Charges!

How to Consign and Why You Should

Are you a family with one income?

Are you looking for ways to make a little extra cash to cover the cost of purchasing clothes and shoes for your children?

Are you tired of paying full price for clothes that your children will out grow in a matter of weeks?

There are many ways for families to save money. One of my favorite ways to do this is by consigning.

Before I continue, I have nothing against donating, passing along to others, etc. Anyone who knows me knows that I do that frequently. However, when a family is on one income (as ours is), we need to find ways to stretch that paycheck, save money, and still provide for our family.

What is consignment?

Consigning is taking your items that you no longer use, your children have outgrown, and are still in good condition to a consignment shop to sell. The shop owner sells your items for you and you split the profits.

• Some pay you up front for your items. 
• Some have you wait until your items sell for a payout. 
• Some allow you to exchange your items for store credit, which typically means you can get more back. 
• Some shops buy large items (high chairs, strollers, cribs, etc.) off of you in order to rent them out.

What are the benefits of consigning?

• You are not having to keep unnecessary items in your home. Personally, if my children have outgrown something, depending on its wear, tear, and origin (items we have blessed with by way of hand-me-downs are handed down to others, not sold), It goes to the consignment shop. I am not one to hold onto things for sentimental reasons.
• You are not using your own home as a "store" or shop for a garage sale.
• You don't have to spend the time planning a garage sale. 
• You do not have to haggle with customers. 
• You can actually get more for your items by selling at a consignment shop than id you sold your items at a garage sale.

What is the quality of the items purchased at a consignment shop?

If your consignment shop owner takes her job seriously, she will have a standard of what she will and will not accept.

Over the six years I have been consigning, I have gotten to know what I can and cannot bring in. The owner of the shop we use is very particular about what she accepts. It cannot be stained, have any type of visible wear, or be broken.

• Toys that appear dirty are not accepted. 
• Stuffed animals are not accepted. (allergy reasons)
• Toys with lots of tiny pieces are not accepted.
• Toys that make excessive noise are not accepted.

Do consignment shops carry seasonal items?

Yes, they do! Right before the change of the season is a great time to bring things in. For us, September is when we bring in our winter things. In February we bring in our spring and summer items. 

Contract

When you decide to consign, your shop owner will have you sign a contract. This contract will tell you what percentage you will receive from the sale of your items, how often you will receive a payout, and what type of payout you will receive based on how much you made.

What are the benefits of purchasing through a consignment shop?


We purchase some of our items at the consignment shop. Children grow so quickly, that it is hard to invest a lot into something that they will grow out of in a season or less. Because our shop owner is very particular about what she accepts, my children have gotten brand new, never before worn or like new clothes and shoes for a fraction of the price. Here a few example of what we have purchased.

• Stride Rite sneakers Like new- no signs of wear- for Ian- $8 (normally $54 at the Stride Rite store)

• Ralph Lauren dress- like new- for Addie- $6.99 (retail is anywhere from $39.50-$45)

• Brand new, tag still on it capris for Addie- $6.99

• Osh Kosh B'Gosh overalls for Ian $4.99- (normally $16)

• Toy kitchen- $15.97 (can run anywhere from $50 dollars or more)

• Brand new, tag still on it Jordache capris for Addie- $6.99 ($11 at Walmart)

Occasionally, there is a special night in Awana that the children are encouraged to wear a particular color. If it is a color that I know Addie is not going to gravitate to after the special night is over, I will go to the consignment shop and pick up a top for her there.

Here in Florida, winter gear is not an investment that is practical to make. We wear sweaters and jackets, but coats are really an occasional item for our winters. The consignment shop is perfect for picking up a great quality coat for a fraction of the normal price.

I realize that thrift stores have even lower prices than consignment shops do. Yet, I haven't paid out of pocket for anything I have purchased at the shop in 3 years. Keeping a running credit based on the sales I have made, allows me to walk in pick up what I need and leave without ever opening up my wallet.

Look into consigning as a way to financially bless your family. You will be amazed at how much you can save!

I'm linking up at Family Fun Friday, Made to Mother , Thrifty T's Treasures, Prudent Wisdom, Frugal Homeschool Family, Mrs. AOK, Creative K Kids,

How to Cruise Without Spending A Lot

Brian and I went on a cruise in April to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. By this point, you all know that we were married in July, so how could this be our anniversary cruise? As you will see, many of the choices we made were financially based so we could have the time of our lives but not break the bank.

Acquire Help

Do you know of an great travel agent? Someone who can you help you navigate the scary ropes of booking a relaxing getaway? We have a great travel agent who was able to help us book our cruise and found information that was necessary for us to get discounts and make our booking easy. I would highly recommend her. She is a traveler herself, so she is definitely well acquainted with the little details that many of us would over look and can give recommendations on what you need to see and what to skip. (Her button is also located in the sidebar. I am receiving nothing for this endorsement.)

Time of Year

When you go and how long you go for has a lot to do with how much you will pay.  Our anniversary is in July, but that is peak season for vacationers. Peak season means peak prices. We chose a 5 night cruise in April at $299 a piece. In July our only option of cruises was a 7 night cruise (starting at $698 per person- prices taken from priceline.com). Being that this was our first time leaving the kids with family for an extended period of time, we opted for a 5 night.

Parking

There are options for parking other than parking at the port parking lot for $15 a day. We found a "Park by the Ports" parking lot for $5 a day. We paid a total of $30 for our use of the parking lot, the shuttle to take us and our luggage to the port, and the return trip back to our vehicle. We chose to tip the driver of the van for his services.

Keeping On-Boat Costs Down

Once you are on the boat it is easy to lose track of spending because commerce on board is done by swiping your room key, which has been electronically attached to your credit card. It is very easy to become unaware of how much you are spending if you go into "financial vacation mode." Here are some ways we did not spend extra money on our cruise.

• Drinks- Water (from the dining rooms and cafeterias NOT your room), coffee, tea, and (for breakfast) orange juice are completely free, so if you are thirsty take full advantage of these beverages. Specialty coffees, sparkling water, alcoholic beverages, slushies, and sodas are all charged much more than you would normally pay for a beverage of the boat.

• Casino- I almost laughed out loud when I saw a commercial on our room's TV for the now "easy way" to play at the casino- cash free! Just use your room key! That is one area we choose not to go in to, but once evening hits, it is a very busy place. Save your money and your regret when the final bill hits. Remember, since you are using your room key, you can easily lose track of how much you have spent.

• Your Room- Another frugal choice when cruising is your choice of stateroom. Considering that you are probably not likely to spend the majority of your time in your room, is it necessary to have a window or balcony? Interior rooms cost much less. When we wanted to sit out on a balcony, we went to the deck that had the wrap around deck, brought a book, sat back, and relaxed.

• Pack Thoroughly- Forgetting something at home can end up costing more than you bargained for. Make your list before packing and check it two or three times before leaving.

• Dining- Cruise lines offer amazing dining experiences as part of your package. From the breakfast and lunch buffets to the nightly four course dinner, you will never be hungry. However, there are usually a couple of restaurants on board your ship as well. On our cruise, for $25, you could have dinner at one of these restaurants. We heard from others that had tried these, that the food was not at all better than the dining room food. Why pay an extra $50 per couple to eat at an on board restaurant when your food has already been paid for?

• Wi-Fi- We chose to disconnect while on board. The purpose of this trip was to connect with each other- not the rest of the world. The ship did have it's own Wi-fi for a fee, but we chose not to use it. Instead, when I wanted a quick update on the kids, we found a coffee shop when we landed at Grand Cayman (the half way point of our cruise) and, for the cost of two small iced coffees, we were able to text my Aunt Elsa (who had Ian) and Facetime with my sister Faye (who had Addie).

Excursions- Depending on where you go and what type of experience you want to have, there are a wide variety of excursions (field trips that you pay for when you get off the boat at your stops) and prices to match. If you are going to spend any money, this is where I would recommend you do it. Some ports do not offer anything in themselves, and the only way to get anything out of your visit is to take an excursion.

When we stopped at Grand Cayman, we chose not to book an excursion. The only excursion that we liked was one we had already done, and we wanted to have a new experience. The prices for the other excursions did not seem worth the cost to us. We chose to wing it (not recommended by cruise lines for safety reasons). We got on a local bus for $2.50 a piece and asked to be taken to Seven Mile Beach. We were dropped off and walked along the beach (about 3 1/2 miles) back to our ship. A purchased excursion to Seven Mile Beach cost about $50 per person.

When we went to Mexico, we chose to purchase an excursion to the Mayan Ruins of Tulum (a once in a lifetime, check it off your bucket list kind of thing). It was definitely worth the price ($85 per person). The excursion itself was 8 hours long, included a round trip ferry ride, round trip bus ride, plus a 3 hour visit to the ruins.

As with anything, cruises can be either as expensive or cost effective as you choose to make them. What other type of vacation can offer you for one price your lodging, transportation, all the food you care to eat, entertainment, a break from everything, and a chance to travel the world at the same time? Just keep an eye on that room key of yours, and don't let it get carried away.

Journey to the Kitchen

 The journey to the kitchen for the food we purchase is a well planned, well thought out event.  I do not always shop at one store. Many times, I will shop at three or more.  And the event begins on Sunday afternoon.

After picking up the paper (we are actually ordering a Sunday subscription to the paper this week) and putting Addie down for a nap, I click over to coupon mom punch in my stores of preference and click on the deals I want to take advantage of. 

After going through all of the stores, I print out a list from each store which includes which coupons I am going to need.  I sit with all of the coupon flyers that I have, look for what I need, cut them out, paper clip them to the list they apply to, and put them in the order that I plan on visiting each store. 

Now I am ready for shopping day.

Shopping day is not always the same.  On this particular week, it happened to be a Monday.  I love my receipts from shopping this way.  I have learned over the last few years not to purchase things just because I have a coupon or because the deal is too good to pass up. Otherwise, I spend too much on things I don't even need.

Meals are planned around my groceries and sales to stretch my saving even more.  I also try to plan my cooking, when possible, to make dinner prep easier on other days. 

For example, for dinner, yesterday, I cooked 4 cups of rice and baked an enitre package (about 4 pounds) of chicken drumstricks.  Tomorrow's meal will be an oriental stir fry dish served over rice.  The rice is already cooked and ready, it just needs to be warmed up.  Later this week, we are having a cheesy chicken casserole which uses precooked chicken.  After dinner tonight, I pulled apart the remaining chicken and put it in a plastic container for our dinner on that night. 

It didn't take me any more time to cook the extra food tonight than it would have if I had just cooked the amount we would have eaten, but it would have taken more time for me to cook the rice and chicken on the days that I needed it. 

Hooray for coupons!  Hooray for food shopping!  Hooray for cooking! Hooray for planning! I hope you have a Hooray! kind of day!

Money Savers

Brian and I have been looking for ways to cut some costs and bring up the savings lately. Two things have really brought the bills down.

• Safe Gaurd- Because we do not get insurance coverage through Brian's employer (Addie is covered through the Florida KidCare program for health, dental, and vision- a total blessing! Wish I had known about that program sooner.), we have found the most affordable health coverage we could find. However, dental is not covered. Not to worry. There is a dental supplement called Safe Gaurd. For $20 a month, Brian and I can have dental work done at a fraction of the cost. We get a free cleaning and x-rays every year and the cost of some dental work is drastically cut. For example, Brian broke two teeth a couple of weeks ago. He went for a free estimation at a local dentist (before we signed up for Safe Gaurd). They were going to charge him $2,233.00 to put crowns on two of his molars. We decided to look for a better price elsewhere. My dad told us about SafeGaurd. After looking up the information, we found that a crown would cost $250! So for $500 Brian can have his two molars taken care of. The program does have a specific list of doctors that work in cooperation with it, so for those who are partial to their doctor, this plan may not work. Click here for more information.


• Changing our phone, cable and internet services- Although this was the most time consuming job that we have done, it was my favorite because we really worked on this one as a team. On Saturday, while I was off scrapbooking with my dear friends Cathy and Kenberly, Brian was looking up prices and comparing them to see what deals and packages there were. When I came home, he had a little piece of paper all scratched up with his notes. On Monday he made phone calls, cancelled services, and gave me times when I could expect service people at the house to take away and bring the hardware. I also found other deals and prices, checked them against what he had, made some phone calls, called him back to keep him abreast of what was going on, and set up our accounts online. After it was all said and done, our phone, internet, and cable bill went from $142.00 originally to about $80.00. We stripped away all of the extras, and kept all of the plans simple and basic.

And just to let you know, everything is going to be changing today, so there may or may not be a post tomorrow. But you can always check in to see. Have a great, money-saving Tuesday!

So Happy For You!

Yesterday, as many of us were celebrating Valentine's Day, a most wonderful thing happened. Jim took my sister out for the day, got down on one knee, and asked Faye to marry him! We are so happy and excited for them both. The ring is absolutely gorgeous and is the perfect ring for her hand. Excellent choice of both the girl and the ring, Jim! To see the beautiful SmileBox slideshow that my sister made, click here.

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Tomorrow, I will be posting The Prayer of Jabez. This news was just too exciting to put off until Tuesday!

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While going through the paper on Sunday, I found several websites I wanted to share with you.

Recipes:
http://www.countrycrock.com/
http://peanutbutter.com/
http://www.dannonkitchen.com/
http://starkist.com/
http://marthawhite.com/
http://pacefoods.com/
http://daisybrand.com/

Freebie:
http://www.trycovermate.com/

Sweepstakes:

Win a free flight! Join their e-club for a chance to win a roundtrip flight to anywhere in the US and receive special offers. http://cicispizza.com/ Can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

Have a chance to win Footlong sandwhiches from Subway for a year. Go to http://subwayfreshbuzz.com/

Announcing....

A dear friend of mine from way back in high school youth group (FaceBook has been great for finding dear friends from long ago), began a money saving blog. Her name is Terry and she is a walking encyclopedia of money saving tips, coupons fiinds, and free samples deals. I have literally spent hours chasing down all of the links she posts on FaceBook and them sit back and wait for my samples to come in the mail. Her blog is called In the Mind and Wallet of a Family Tree Mom.

Also, my dear friend/cousin/encourager Victoria also started a blog called The Joys of Sports: Got To Love It! Her dream one day is to be an announcer for ESPN (come on people, you have to hire her!). She really knows her sports and has very valid opinions on what is going on in the world of sports. If your husband is into sports the way mine is, then you really need to read her blog to know what is going on. I love reading her blog, then when Brian talks about the latest news in sports, I can talk with him about what I learned (and because of her clear and concise way of explaining things, I can talk somewhat intelligently about sports with Mr. Knows-everything-there-is-to-know-about-sports).

Most Affordable Sporting Event

Two Saturdays ago, we had the opportunity to attend a Rays game (probably our last for the season). The Rays games have been named the Most Affordable Sporting Event. Why? Because the owners realize that people want to see a great team made up of great personalities each with an amazing story without losing an arm or a leg in the process.

Affordable? How, you ask? If you have four or more people in your vehicle, then parking in any of the stadium parking lots is free. You are permitted to bring in water bottles (must be new, unopened) and snacks (unopened) for no extra charge. We have gotten seats as low as $8.oo (3rd teir, but there isn't a bad seat in the building).

If you arrive at the stadium early there is a multitude of things to do from games to play (small charge...we chose to watch other people spend their money), museum to tour (free...I tried getting Brian to stand next to the picture of Pena, but he wanted me to be in the picture instead. Yes, dear.), and sting rays to pet (free unless you want to feed them. My man is not afraid of anything!). The day we went, as a gift to the fans, each person was given a Matt Garza figurine (Brian has three figurines in his collection now). It was a great evening spent with family and each other. We are looking forward to taking Addie to few games next season, even though I think she'll miss her time with Titi Elsie. But I think she'll love it.

Some Great Deals

You have learned that I love Casting Crowns. Well, my dear friend Victoria let me know that Lifeway Christian Stores is having a prepurchase deal for Casting Crowns' newest release. You can purchase the CD for $9.99 plus tax and you get two $5.oo gift cards to LifeWay, one to be used now and one to be used at a later date. So when you think about it, you are getting the CD for free! This was too good not to share.

Also, for any of you that may be interested in a weightloss program, Curves is offering a free weightloss program for members and nonmembers. Call your local Curves to find out if they are participating. I already called and registered with my local Curves.

Left Over Night

If you are like me, you save your leftovers from dinner intending to feed them to the family at another point in the next week, but that never happens. The leftovers build up and then when it is time to clean out the fridge for garbage day, much of the left over food ends up in the trash. About a month ago, my mom-in-law and I came up with an idea to get rid of our left overs. When we have enough leftovers, we have left over dinner. She brings her leftovers to our home, and we all pick and choose what we want to eat. I usually make or pick up a little something to supplement the meal. The left overs get eaten, and we have a chance to spend some extra time together- ahem...Addie gets to spend some extra time with Grandma and Grandpops.

Chik-Fil-A Sandwich Give Away

On Labor Day, September 7, Chik-Fil-A is giving away original chicken sandwiches to those who come in wearing shirts with their pro sports team logos. Click on the title of today's post to go to the Chik-Fil-A site to find out the detils and to be entered into their drawing which will give a lucky winner a $50.00 gift card to Chik-Fil-A.

A big thank you to my friend Terry for informing me of this offer. I hope you all can participate, and enjoy your free sandwich.

Free Museum Day

A friend of mine alerted me to this great deal. On September 26, participating museums across the country will be offering free admission. Check out this site by clicking on today's title and the scroll down to the highlighted area on the righ hand side of the page to see which museums in your state and area are participating and to see what the exact requirements for the deal are.

Family Time

I'll be taking a few days off from blogging as we have a lot of family happenings planned. My cousin and his daughter have been in town for a few days, so we have had the opportunity to take a day trip with them and our other cousins who live in the area. We visited Petland, which a really neat pet shop. You go into a cubicle, tell the worker which of the doggies in the window you want to play with, and they bring you the sweetest little puppies. It is a really inexpensive, fun way to spend time with your little one...as long as you don't fall in love with the puppies.

Today, Miss Addie and I went to Faye's school to see her classroom before the kids come to school next week. After that, we went to Toys R Us to pick up a front facing car seat for the Addie Girl (ooooh, she looks like a big girl!) and then to my cousin's house to go swimming. I could so take a nap right now! Later, we will be meeting them for dinner.

Beginning tomorrow, my husband is taking a few days off of work to spend with us and to prepare for Saturday's Fantasy Football draft (he is the commissioner of his league). He has been gearing up for this for a few months now, so he is really excited. I have been "drafted" to fill in the roster chart and keep track of everyone's spending (not real money). Sunday is church, and Monday is a "whatever" day. Whatever we feel like doing, we will do, Lord willing. So with that I bid you a sweet farewell until Tuesday. Have a great (long) weekend.

 

Update on Mocha Monday

We, as in Addie and I, will be taking advantage of the Mocha Monday thru August 3rd. We went out today so Mommy could get her yummy iced mocha, and what a treat it was. It was 7 oz. of pure happiness and sugar. I opted for the fat free milk so I would at least have some "good" in this treat. However, apparently not all McDonald's are participating. After finally talking Brian into stopping on his drive home to get his mocha, he stopped at one of the McDonald's (not in our area, thankfully) that is not participating in this deal. My poor husband. I doubt I'll ever be able to talk him into trying any free deals again. Anyway, I hope you were able to enjoy a free Monday Mocha today.

Free Mochas

My dear friends, this is too good and just has to be shared with you. McDonalds is having Free Mocha Monday. Every Monday thru August 3rd, pick up a free iced or hot mocha (might be a sample size) from your participating McDonalds anytime between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. We will definitely be picking ours up today.

Some Blog Housekeeping

Every once in a while you may see a title with only a link below it. There is a reason for that. There is a company called BzzAgent that enlists regular everyday people to try new products, look at new and old websites, and then Buzz about it (give our opinion). We are called BzzAgents, and we do not receive any kind of financial gain from this. We do receive coupons to pass out to others for campaigns that we are assigned (waiting for a shipment to come for an upcoming campaign), and then we are responsible to report back what the general opinion of the product was. Complete honesty whether good or bad is wanted (a reason for us not receiving financial gain from this). The more we buzz (pass information along to family and friends and share our opinions), the more campaigns we will be invited to participate in, and the more our voices are heard by the companies producing the products we use on a daily basis.

The UPromise link that was featured a few days ago was placed there because I had gone to the site, evaluated it, and then chose to spread the word about this site to those of you who read my blog in case you are interested in checking it out for your own family. Please be advised that I am merely voicing an opinion, and any actions that you may take on these sites are done by your own choice. We have registered Addie for the UPromise program so that we can start saving money towards her college tuition in the future (it seems like a long way away, but I'm sure that will fly by as quickly as her first year has).

As I mentioned, any site that I place on here are sites that I have visited and thought noteworthy. I will only knowingly put sites up here that abide by the standards that I hold and do not compromise them in any way. I hope you find these sites helpful as you care for your precious families and homes.

Saving Money Is So Much Fun!

I know we talk about saving money and shopping sales, but let me tell you, it really works. This morning, Addie and I ventured out to Publix, Walgreens, and CVS armed with the sales fliers and coupons. My total saving for all three stores was $95.79 in addition to the $12.50 in extra in-store money that I earned. It does take some time to figure out what is needed (we don't want to buy unnecessary items) and how to best stretch your dollars, but it is well worth the time, effort, and travel. When I took my purchases to the cashier at CVS he said, "Your husband must make good money for you to buy all of these things." I told him that I only shop sales and coupons. When he finished registering my purchases, I heard him say, "Wow, your husband doesn't have to worry when you go shopping." My savings for CVS alone were $53.20 plus $7.00 in store extra bucks. I only spent $39.

I also recommend that you try http://www.couponmom.com/ . They do all of the hard work for you by taking the coupons from the newspaper, matching them to the sales prices at a variety of different stores, and telling you where you can get the best deal from. They also offer a free 10 page ebook that also offers tips and suggestions for saving the most at the store. On Sunday afternoons while Addie is napping and Brian and I are just hanging out, I will go online to the Coupon Mom website and figure out our shopping plan for the week (if it is even necessary). Our pantry is comfortably filled, meals are set for another two weeks, and because of the coupons and sales, we will be trying some things that I would never have bought otherwise.

Hope your week is off to a great start!