When it comes to saving money on travel, you can save by following a few simple rules. Booking online can help, as can arranging travel in advance, or choosing to travel during the off season. However, it is important not to be blinded by the perception that what you find on travel web sites is always the best deal. There are some sneaky ways that travel web sites make a little bit extra. Consumer Reports Money Adviser shares some information in its January 2011 issue about how you can avoid some of the pitfalls associated with travel web sites:

Look Deeper for Better Bargains

You might not get the lowest price listed first. In some cases, you might have the prices listed by airline or hotel chain. Preferred vendors, who pay for the status, may be listed first, whether you are getting a care rental or looking for some other travel price. In order to find the lowest price on travel, you may have to click on a tab that is labeled “lowest to highest” or something similar.

Pay attention to the way the site lists its results, and make sure that you sort them properly, even if it requires an extra step.

What You See May Not Be What You Get

I’ve seen this myself when booking flights to New York to see my husband’s family. You see a great fare, but from the time you choose the fare until the time you actually complete the transaction, the price jumps — sometimes significantly. This can lead to frustration. The good news is that the travel web sites have to show you the final price before you complete the purchase. This means that you can have a back up in place, just in case your first choice fare jumps.

Cookies Add to Your Costs

In some cases, one of the ways that you can avoid a fare jump is clear your browser cash of cookies. According to Money Adviser, cookies accepted by your Internet browser can allow travel web sites to track what you’ve paid in the past for travel, as well as seeing the prices you have been looking at. In some cases, this can trigger a higher rate at some travel sites. Before you begin looking, disable cookies on your browser, and clear what you have already. Doing this may also help you reset your search parameters if you have experienced a fare jump during your booking attempt.

Make Sure Bundles Really Do Cost Less

When I was booking my trip to Blogworld last October, I was offered a bundle on a travel web site, which included hotel and airfare (I didn’t need a rental car). Before accepting the bundle, which one would think was the best deal, I did some double checking. First of all, I found that the fare offered at the hotel was less when searched for separately from the airfare. The next thing I discovered was that I could get an even better rate by visiting the hotel’s web site.

Sometimes, getting a package really is cheaper. In other cases, though, you can save by going right to the source and booking your travel a la carte. Try a couple of different scenarios to see what is truly the best deal.

This post was featured in the Festival of Frugality.

Sometimes saving money isn’t enough, you have to find ways to make extra money to make ends meet or to be able to pull together an emergency fund. Here are a few ways that everyday people make extra money.

  1. Babysit. You don’t have to be a teenager to babysit. In fact, most parents will pay more for sitters that can provide their own transportation and have many years of experience. To find clients, put an ad on Craiglist or look for a site like Sittercity.com that allows sitters to register, post a profile and be alerted of new jobs.
  2. Petsitter/dog walker. If you’ve more of a pet person than a kid person, pet sitting and dog walking can be a good way to make some extra money and have fun with a furry friend. Again, you can post ads on Craiglist and your local paper. You can also ask veterinarian’s offices if you can leave a stack of flyers or put one up on their bulletin board.
  3. If you have a green thumb, you can offer your services to help businesses and private individuals care for their houseplants and flower beds. You can help them decide which plants will do with their light and soil, plant or pot them, and return regularly for maintenance.
  4. Help seniors or others who are unable to drive run their errands and get to their appointments. This could be a great option for those who don’t work their regular jobs during normal business hours. If you are uncomfortable transporting people or your insurance won’t allow it, you can always stick with running errands on your own.
  5. Minor computer repair and other related tasks. Many people would love to hire somebody who can help them upgrade their operating systems, do a backup and restore or help them archive their photos/music/documents. You can also offer classes on basic computer use for individuals or small groups.
  6. Housecleaning/organizing. You can either offer a weekly housecleaning service or offer to help people withe one-time big jobs such as spring cleaning or organizing a garage or attic or getting a house ready to sell.
  7. Tutor. Depending on your skills and knowledge base, you can do anything from helping kindergartner’s practice their handwriting to helping college students with calculus. In general you can charge more for more advanced subjects.
  8. Personal chef. It’s not just the wealthy who need a personal chef! Depending on your area’s health department regulations, you can either prepare food at home to deliver to your clients home’s or cook a week worth’s of dinners in their own kitchens. If you have experience cooking for special diets like The Zone or to accommodate diabetics or other health needs, be sure to advertise that.
  9. Sewing, embroidery and other skills. People are looking for help with everything from making dresses to curtains to taking in pants to embroidering initials on cloth items. You can also sell your handmade creations on a site like Etsy or local crafts fairs and farmers markets.
  10. Detail cars at people’s homes or workplaces. People will love being able to get their car looking like brand new without having to take time out of their day. Be sure to get business cards printed so that you can hand them out to curious coworkers and neighbors who are interested in your services.

Don’t be limited by this list, think about your unique skills and talents and how they could help other people while giving you a source of income. For more ideas, you can read 15 Ways to Earn Extra Money on MoneyNing.

A new year represents an opportunity to make a fresh start in many aspects of our lives, including our finances. In honor of our new decade, I offer 11 frugal resolutions to help you begin 2011 on a strong financial footing:

  1. Save before spending: Rather than spending every dollar you don’t need to pay bills, make saving a priority. Establish a savings routine and ‘pay’ into it like any other bill. The savings will add up and before you know it you’ll have a nice buffer for emergencies or a nest egg without much effort. Additionally, be certain to take advantage of any employee benefits you have available such as 401k matching and ‘cafeteria accounts’ (where you can use pre-tax dollars for such things as health and child care) — it’s like free money!
  2. Use credit sparingly: Credit is great to have, especially for unplanned expenses. To reign in your credit card expenditures, try in the new year to live as if you don’t have the option of putting purchases ‘on the card’ and see how your spending habits realign. Basically, if you don’t have the money in the bank, tell yourself you can’t afford it.
  3. Eat at home two times more per week: It is no secret that eating out is considerably more expensive than dining at home. Cook just two more meals each week in your own kitchen and you’ll be surprised at how much disposable income is freed up.
  4. Make a budget: The only way to know if you’re living within your means is go through your set expenses and allocate what’s left over for the extras. This can be an eye-opening exercise to get you financially on track.
  5. Examine your shopping/spending habits: Consider where and when you spend money. Could you shop at more economical stores, plan shopping more carefully to avoid convenience stores or pump up your coupon usage?
  6. Cut out the fat: Examine your expenses carefully — are you paying more for Internet service, insurance or cable television than you should? Eliminate extra or duplicate services you could easily do without.
  7. Make an effort to save resources like electricity, gas and water: While these are necessities, utility usage is largely under our control. Turn it off, turn it down and use less to realize significant savings.
  8. Use financial software for easier reporting, tracking and planning: Use the reports you can generate from the information tracked in your financial program to take control of your finances. Discover where your money goes and what expenses are coming up with ease.
  9. Organize your bill paying and filing process: Don’t sweat over a complicated system — it can be as simple as a box labeled with the month and year — but do keep track of your paid bills and invoices for easy reference when needed.
  10. Spend money on proactive maintenance rather than costly repairs: It’s the old ‘a stitch in time saves nine’ adage. Take care of what you have so it doesn’t break from negligence and need to be replaced.
  11. Pick a bill or debt and make it disappear: In addition to saving some of your discretionary money, choose one bill in particular that you’d like to pay up by 2012. Divide the total of that bill into payments that you can add to your budget throughout the year. You’ll be one bill closer to financial freedom in a year’s time and feel empowered by the victory over debt!

Rather than being a victim of your finances, making these small changes can help you exercise greater control over your financial destiny in the New Year.

One of the cornerstones of a frugal lifestyle is learning to do some things yourself so that you are more self-sufficient — and so that you don’t always have to pay someone else to do it for you. Of course, there are some things that you might not have the equipment or knowledge to handle on your own, but you might be surprised at the things you can do yourself. And the things you should do yourself. Here are some of the things I learned about do it yourself when my basement flooded:

You Can Make Your Own Appointments

We called a cleaning and restoration company to help us suck the water out of our downstairs and begin cleaning things up. We knew we would need to have a pump installed downstairs (plumbing is something that the uninitiated shouldn’t mess with, in my opinion), as well as having the carpet pad replaced and re-laid. We also needed industrial fans and a de-humidifier to dry everything out, and a carpet cleaner would need to come.

In the moment, we just asked the cleaning and restoration company to arrange it all. But we began thinking about it later. Having someone else make all these arrangements meant that a premium would be added to the price. While there was nothing we could about the plumber — it was too late — we could take care of making appointments for the other items. The result was that we actually got people here faster (without going through a middle man) and we are paying less for some services. (This also worked when I called around to rental places to get a better deal on fan and de-humidifier rentals.)

Some Things Can Be Done Yourself

The cleaning and restoration company said that it would pull of baseboards to help dry out the walls, and to test the insulation for wetness (apparently wet insulation means Mold). We thought about it, and realized that it really wouldn’t be hard to carefully remove the baseboards and test ourselves, since my husband’s cousin has construction experience. He showed us how to do it, and explained how we can replace the baseboards. He will have to come back and help us replace some of the drywall that was damaged, but it will cost less than paying a “professional” to do it, and we can help while learning a worthwhile do it yourself skill.

Time vs. Money

Of course, do it yourself really only works if you have the time. When our basement flooded, it happened just before Christmas, so my husband didn’t have school, and we had time to clean out the mess and haul the ruined items to the dump — rather than having someone else do it. We also have the time to replace the baseboards and repair the cosmetic damage to the downstairs bathroom. It may take us a few weeks to get it all done, but we have all the essential items completed, so we can leave with an ugly bathroom for some time.

If you don’t have the time, though, do it yourself is not a viable option. Additionally, if you can’t get the equipment or know-how to do something properly, you could end up making matters worse. In those cases, it could be better to pay someone else to do it.

Warehouse stores like Costco, Sam’s Club and BJs aren’t a guaranteed way to save money. In fact, many people find that they spend much more than they would otherwise because they get reeled in by all of the good buys and way overshoot their budget.

It takes discipline and planning to save money at a warehouse store and make the annual fee worth your while. You don’t have to be feeding an army to save buying in bulk, though, and there are plenty of savings to be had even for small families and individuals. The trick is to go in with a budget and resist the temptation to buy things you don’t need.

Where the Deals Are

You’ll find that the best deals in warehouse stores are for staple goods like rice, baking supplies, some dairy items and plain frozen produce. You can find good deals on some convenience foods, but often, you would be able to beat the price at a regular grocery store by combining coupons with sales.

You won’t find the lowest possible prices on meat, poultry and fish, however the quality is usually better than what you can find at most supermarkets. You can also save big by buying large cuts of meat and breaking them down at home. For example, Costco sells a whole pork loin at a reasonable price per pound that includes directions on the package for breaking it down into two good sized roasts and several pork chops.

Many parents find that they can save money buying diapers, wipes and formula at warehouse stores. Most only carry one or two brands however, so you are out of luck if your baby only tolerates other brands of diapers, wipes and formula. If that is the only reason you are considering a warehouse membership, check to see if you can get similar prices at a big box store such as Target or Walmart or buy ordering online from Amazon.

You can find good savings on household goods, electronics and other items, but keep in mind that it’s easy to impulse buy. If you don’t need it at the time and it’s not in your budget, you aren’t really saving anything.

If you live or work near a warehouse store with a gas station, you can save a lot of money by filling up there but check to see if any local grocery stores offer rewards programs that can lower the price of gas even more. I shop at a local chain that offers 5 cents off per gallon for every $25 I spent. Since I have a large family, I routinely save 80 cents a gallon and as a bonus the gas station is much more convenient.

Will I Benefit from a Warehouse Membership?

The only way to determine this is by visiting one and taking notes on how much you can save on items you routinely buy. All warehouse stores will give you a guest pass to look around and see what’s on offer.

If there are only a few items you’ll buy a few times a year, you might be better off asking a friend or family member that has a membership if you can go shopping with them every now and then rather than pay for a full year’s membership. You can also sometimes get a 1 day buying pass that will allow you to shop in the store while paying a small up-charge.

Warehouse stores often have very good deal on higher end grocery items such as imported cheese, prime cuts of meat and prepared foods. If you tend to buy a lot of these kinds of items, warehouse stores can be a great savings to you.

Check out your local warehouse store, but don’t assume that it will necessarily be a huge source of savings for you. Many people find that shopping at a regular grocery store and using coupons gives them much better savings.

I’m not always the poster child for frugality. Indeed, I have plenty of vices that cost more money than perhaps they should. Which is why 2011 is a great year for improving my frugality. Here are some of my money goals for 2011:

Throw Away Less

Sometimes I’m inclined to throw stuff out, just to not have to deal with it. However, this isn’t always the best way of doing things. I can make my items last longer with proper care. And, before I throw something out, I can see if someone else needs it, or if it is in good enough condition to donate to the local thrift store. An essential part of a frugal lifestyle is wasting less.

Think More About Purchases Before Making Them

I’ve vastly improved in my efforts related to conscious spending, but there is room for improvement. After my home flooded, and we went through all of the ruined items and threw them out, it occurred to me that I still buy stuff that just ends up in the basement — waiting to be ruined (or never looked at again). In 2011, I will work harder to justify my purchases. Maybe instituting a waiting period before I buy anything is in order.

Have a Better Plan for My Credit Cards

I really think that, used properly, credit cards can be part of a frugal lifestyle. I do have a plan for my credit cards, but I don’t always stick with it, and I realize that I may not be using my cards as efficiently as possible. So I will evaluate my current credit card spending plan, and see where improvements can be made. Then I will create a plan that can help me maximize my money.

Clip More Coupons

I am not the most diligent coupon clipper out there. I know that coupon use has been on the rise since the recession began, but I haven’t participated much. I am still a casual coupon clipper. I get a few coupons here and there, but they don’t amount to much, and I know I could be saving more. In 2011, I will work on creating a plan to improve the way I clip coupons, possibly setting aside some time each week to do coupons. This should help me save a little more money.

Get Rid of Subscriptions

Hopefully, 2011 will be the year that I get rid of a great many subscriptions. The cost of subscriptions can add up, and often I don’t need what I am getting. I will review the publications I receive, as well as my TV subscription, and even my Netflix subscription. With straming becoming more popular with Netflix, the type of subscription I have there might be more than I need.

Learn to Make More Meals from Scratch

Even though we eat most of our meals at home, some of them are created from pre-packaged foods. I cook basic foods, and I make my own soup from scratch, but there are a number of dishes I could learn how to prepare. By improving my cooking knowledge, I can plan meals that are less expensive — and healthier.

Do you have some frugal goals for 2011?

Frugality comes in many forms and can be found in many places. I recently experienced frugality in my own kitchen: me, a chicken and some creativity. Here’s how I got five meals out of one 5.5-pound chicken.

When I look at a chicken, I see more than a meal — I see opportunities. A chicken represents a chance for me to put on my “creative cook” hat and cook up a storm. Whole chickens (roasters) go on sale pretty often for around $1.50 (or less) per pound. Right there you have a frugal deal — but wait — it gets better! For an average investment of $8.00 (roasters are usually 5 to 6 pounds) you have all that meat to work with! While I personally like to get a raw bird and cook it from scratch, many grocery stores and warehouse clubs offer pre-cooked whole chickens which are a bit smaller for $5-$6. Regardless of whether you cook it yourself or let the store do the initial roasting, there is a lot that can be done with that chicken! Once you have roast chicken, you have the protein component for several meals all cooked and ready to turn into new and different culinary creations. Here’s my top five meals starring one $8.00 chicken:

Meal #1 – Roast chicken, stuffing and oven roasted vegetables

I take advantage of the fact that the oven is already on to bake the stuffing and vegetables. My husband and I enjoy the white meat and wings this first meal, so we split one breast and each take a wing.

While I have the cutting board and knife out, I take the opportunity to dissect the uneaten part of the bird for easier future meals. I take the meat off the second breast, thighs and drumsticks and cube it up for use in upcoming recipes. The yield is several cups of chicken meat. Everything else: bones, cartilage, andskin goes into a storage bag for soup-making (coming up in another meal).

Meal #2 – Chicken pot pies

I always make extra gravy so I’ll be able to add it with some of the chicken, diced potatoes, peas and carrots to individual pie crusts.

Meal #3 – Chicken soup

I boil down all the bones with onions, garlic, carrots, celery and spices for a couple hours until all the meat that was left on the bones falls off and the bones have released their collagen (the gelatinous protein) and voila! homemade chicken stock. I strain it, pick out the chunks of chicken, add more ingredients like noodles or rice and new vegetables and we’ve got a pot of chicken whatever soup.

Meal #4 – Chicken Tetrazinni

This is a simple dish to prepare by stirring cubed chunks of chicken into cooked spaghetti noodles with a Parmesan cheese sauce.

Meal #5 – Chicken quesadillas

Mix shredded chicken with a bit of salsa, spread over tortillas and sprinkle with Cheddar cheese. Fold over and heat on a griddle until the cheese melts.

There you have it: one chicken, five meals! It’s frugal in terms of money — $8 for the meat for five meals! It’s also frugal in terms of time. I cooked one “big” meal which gave me the ability to make four additional meals more easily than if I’d had to cook more chicken each time. By varying the types of dishes, it seems less like “leftovers” and more like a different meal each time. These are just some of my ideas for making the most of an abundance of chicken.

What can you do with one chicken?

One of the best ways to save money is to shop after Christmas sales. These sales offer some great discounts on a number of items, from crafts to wrapping paper to candy and nuts. If you are looking for a good way to stock up on various items, after Christmas sales are the way to go. Here are some things to keep in mind as you shop after Christmas sales:

What Occasions are Coming Up?

You don’t have to shop for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day later in the year. Likewise, you don’t need to wait until a few days before someone’s birthday to purchase his or her gift. Think about what is coming up, and how what you get can be used again. Remember: Christmas colors like red and green can be used later on for Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day. Holiday gift baskets can be bought at deep discounts, and then taken apart and repackaged to fit another holiday or a birthday.

Additionally, some stores have discounts on toys and electronics that didn’t sell as expected. You can pick these things up as gifts for children and others and give them for birthdays throughout the year.

Get Ready for Christmas Next Year

After Christmas sales are the perfect time to prepare for next Christmas. Indeed, this is when my husband and I purchase our ribbon, wrapping paper and Christmas tree ornaments. That roll of ribbon that costs $2.99 before Christmas sudden costs $0.50 once the holiday is over. We often get thick wrapping paper rolls for $0.75, rather than paying $4.99 or $5.99. And a box of beautiful glass ornaments can be had for 75% or 85% off when you wait until after Christmas. We purchased our LED colored tree lights last year for 50% and are enjoying this year — along with a lower power bill.

Plan ahead, and you can get what you need for next year — from gift wrap to Christmas decorations — without having to pay full price.

Coupons

You can always increase your savings with the use of coupons. Many craft stores periodically offer 30% and 40% off coupons that can be used during after Christmas sales to turn good deals into even better deals. Go online to look for manufacturer’s coupons and other coupons that can help you compound your savings.

Food

Many food products, from nuts to candy to chips to cereal, are packaged for Christmas. Once Christmas passes, these items are discounted quickly. However, the food inside usually hasn’t expired; it’s still good. So why should you care if your pantry has Christmas packaged treats and food? You shouldn’t! We often get discounted candy that lasts us months later, and nuts can be frozen for later use. Cereal also lasts a while. We have been known to pull out a Christmas box of cereal in March. This is also a good time to stock up on food storage items.

Paper Items

Napkins, paper plates and plastic cups in sold Christmas colors like red and green are often discounted after the holiday. You can get these items, and they can be used throughout the year. Red is especially useful, since these items can be used for Valentine’s, Fourth of July and even Thanksgiving. Green can be used any time you want to add a festive touch to a picnic or family reunion.

Careful planning a little creativity can go a long way if you want to

Don’t despair if you can’t afford to buy everyone on your list something fancy and expensive, there are plenty of things that you can do that cost next to nothing that will put a smile on your recipients face. After all, most gifts are just tangible ways to express to somebody that they mean something to you and that’s what matters most of all.

Here are a few gift ideas to get your creativity going.

For a single parent friend: Offer to babysit so that they can get some last minute holiday details taken care of or just to unwind. While you are watching their kids, help them to make a really special card or craft for their parent. Your friend will love it and their children will, too.

For your grandparents: Make a coupon promising to take down and store all of their holiday decorations for them. Or rake their yard or paint their shed. Anything that you can think of that can help them out and let you spend the day with them.

For your parents: Scan in all of your family’s photos and make a dvd that they can view whenever they want.

Children: Your attention is much more valuable to the children in your life than any toy. Think of ways that you can spend time with the children in your life and make a coupon for them to redeem. For example, if you bake, you can wrap up a cookie cutter and a coupon good for one afternoon of making  cookies.

For your spouse or significant other: What is their most hated chore? Could you do it for a month? Is there any big project that they’ve been putting off that you could do? Maybe you could clean out their closet or iron all of their clothes or detail clean their car.

For a friend: If you have a photo of the two of you, frame it in an inexpensive frame and write a heart felt letter describing your favorite memories together and why you are so glad to be their friend. If that is a bit too touchy feely, you can always agree to go out for a beer or coffee together in lieu of giving gifts.

Here are a few things to ask yourself when coming up with inexpensive gift ideas from the heart:

  • Do you have any special skills? If you are good at building websites, you could make a friend their own blog hosted on their own domain. If you are an excellent cook, you could spend an afternoon at their place helping them to make food to freeze.
  • How can I make this person feel special? How can I give them the gift of my time? What would make my recipient’s life easier? How could I ease their burdens?
  • How would I feel if I got this gift?

The holidays don’t have to be about expensive material goods. The most important gift that you can give your loved ones is something that represents how much you care for them. That is more precious than any radio alarm clock or heated slippers could ever be.

What’s in a Receipt?

by Gina Blitstein · 0 comments

This time of year it seems like we spend more time inside stores than inside our homes. There are presents and holiday specialties to buy but the regular shopping for groceries and household necessities continues, unhindered. While the holiday hubbub often distracts us from our regular routines, it’s especially important to keep track of the receipts generated from all that shopping. Even though your purse and pockets may be overflowing with receipts for all your purchases – holiday and day-to-day as well, take some time to check them over to insure you are being charged accurately. After all, they’re only bargains if you actually paid a bargain price, so make sure reality matches what you believe you paid.

The Value of Checking Receipts

  • Check that you were charged accurately. Look at the price of each item, make sure you were charged for the number of items you actually purchased and that you weren’t charged for items you didn’t purchase. Also make sure any discounts and coupons were deducted from your total. If you do find a mistake on a receipt, contact the store’s service department as soon as possible. With the receipt in hand, you have the power to request a price correction.
  • Additional offers. Often receipts are bonuses in and of themselves. Some stores print coupons right on the front and/or back of their receipts. You wouldn’t want to miss a savings opportunity that was right in your hand, would you? In addition, some receipts provide information about participation in a survey about your shopping experience. These surveys provide marketing feedback for the stores and in return offer you a coupon or enter you into a drawing for a prize.

It’s easy to get carried away while shopping and lose track of your receipts. In the hustle and bustle, you stash them everywhere — sometimes in the bag, sometimes in your purse or pocket — without much thought. You just want to get home out of the commotion, put your feet up and have a sip or two of eggnog before you tackle putting away groceries and wrapping gifts. That’s where the receipts get lost in the shuffle: somewhere between shopping superhero and shopped-out zombie.

Tips for managing that mountain of receipts:

  • Have a regular receipt destination. Decide on the place that’s most convenient for you to store receipts while shopping and get into the habit of always putting them there. This will help prevent the inevitable panic of wondering where they all are and the time of searching in multiple locations. You can’t check them if you can’t find them.
  • Go through your receipts as soon as you get home. Time is a receipt’s worst enemy — the longer you delay going over your receipts, the more likely it is that you’ll have forgotten the correct prices. Take this opportunity to do more than check accuracy: add up your total savings from sales and discounts to mentally reward yourself for shopping frugally.
  • Store receipts at home for convenient returns. Even if your receipts are accurate, there are some you may want to keep for a while in case the item proves unsatisfactory and needs to be returned. Receipts for items other than groceries should be kept for several months. Grocery receipts should be kept a couple weeks — if something spoils before its expiration date, you can request a replacement or refund.

Receipts are more than annoying little pieces of paper. They provide proof of what you paid for and it’s smart to make sure that the stores where you shop are charging you appropriately.