Dumpster diving is not just about saving money on groceries, which is what I thought until I spent an evening with Allison Burtch. This girl is taking personal responsibility for all of the food our country wastes by eating her way through dumpsters. She has been diving for about six months and hasn’t bought groceries since.
faith goble/Flickr
St. Patrick’s day is Wednesday, Mar. 17. If you are planning to celebrate or hosting a party, keep costs down with these tips, courtesy of The Party Goddess.
- Wrap a wreath you already own in clovers.
- Hand out basic limerick guidelines as your guests arrive and hold a limerick contest after people have had a few drinks. Prepare a small prize for the limerick that gets the most cheers – a set of pencils, a bottle of Guinness, or a book of limericks.
- Create a vibrant green runner with sheets of wheat grass, rolls of sod, or vases of clover.
- Spray paint terra cotta pots gold and fill them with shamrock or clover plants.
- Serve a green cocktail. Start with vodka or tequila and add a splash of green juice, Midori, or Absynthe. Pre-make them in pitchers for faster service and garnish with fun green candy. Or make an Irish cocktail.
- Engage kids by having them decorate their own leprechaun hats. Provide plain hats and tools to decorate.
Here is a true or false quiz about St. Patty’s day that you can have guests take.
- A legend regarding St. Patrick is that he rid Ireland of snakes by ringing his bell.
- We celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th because that is when St. Patrick died.
- The holiday got its American start in 1737 in Boston.
- The shamrock was a sacred plant in ancient Ireland because it symbolized the rebirth of spring.
- St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Christian doctrine of the Trinity to the Irish.
- There are more Americans of Irish origin than there are Irish in Ireland.
- Delaware, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire Irish are the leading ancestral group.
- On St. Patrick’s Day, you can bring yourself good luck by finding a four-leaf clover, wearing green and kissing the Blarney stone.
This post is brought to you by CouponCactus.com, a great source of online coupon codes for taxes, groceries, and more.
Woman are better at riding out stock market crashes, while men are more likely to sell during lows, says the Sunday’s New York Times. “There’s been a lot of academic research suggesting that men think they know what they’re doing, even when they really don’t know what they’re doing,” said John Ameriks, a Vanguard exec who co-authored the study. (Kind of like how men hate asking for directions…)
Men’s overconfidence led them to trade stocks nearly 50 percent more often than women. “This added trading drove up the men’s costs and lowered their returns,” the story said.
It is interesting that the story and the researchers interpret men’s propensity for selling in a volatile market as overconfidence and not emotional weakness. I bet many people – men and women – who sold stocks as the market fell last year were motivated by fear. Fear that their investments, their retirement, and their future would be dashed if they didn’t do something about it.
The emotional pressure to survive a falling stock market may have been felt greater by men, who carry a societal burden to be breadwinners. That could be a factor in why men mistakenly sold off stocks more often then women. If there’s one thing I’ve heard about being a good investor, it is that you can’t make financial decisions based on emotions and come out ahead.
Men’s overconfidence, however, also led them to take greater risks than women, which can mean bigger returns. Women feel safer with the slow and steady earnings from bonds, apparently.
Loading ...It’s unclear how significant these differences are, and the reasons behind it. Nature? Nurture? Or…? Researchers are studying how our emotions effect our finances and are looking at ties between testosterone and risk-taking. In the meantime, I’m holding onto what I’ve got.
Dozens of readers commented on two posts asking how much a recipe for lemon chicken pasta costs for a chance to win a free one-year membership to BJ’s, worth $45. I gave one clue – the answer was less than $12. The reader who came closest without going over is the winner.
And the prize goes to…
Elaine, who guessed BJ’s lemon-chicken pasta costs $7.50. The recipe, which serves 4, costs $1.91 per serving, or $7.64. Congrats, Elaine!
If you missed the recipe, get it here. The membership was donated by BJ’s.
If you lost, stay tuned for another contest starting tomorrow to win $500 worth of groceries!
TODAY ONLY! Pinkberry is giving away free mini servings (smaller than pictured) of mango frozen yogurt today, March 12, from 5-9 p.m. only.
Print this Borders coupon for 30% off, good through Monday, March 15, 2010 and you’ll be sittin’ pretty.
Blockbuster express just released a free one-night movie rental code.
Celebrate National Pi Day (3.14.10) with free and steeply discounted pie at Morton’s, Marie Calleder’s, and many other restaurants.
CVS created an exclusive coupon for Walletpop (and BargainBabe.com) readers. It’s for 40% off their new line of lip products.
Jamba Juice smoothies are $1 off with this Jamba coupon.
Newman’s Own and Newman’s Own Organics now release printable coupons directly to shoppers.
Check out all the coupons and deals on my Walletpop blog.
The Olympics were ages ago but I couldn’t help but share this silly chart released by the Canadian water utility, EPCOR, about water usage during the Olympic medal hockey game against the U.S. It shows just how much dedication – and bladder control – hockey fans across our northern border have.
EPCOR
Thanks, Dan!
My frugal friends at Savings.com shared these coupons.
Get $20 off $100 or more at HP. Expires April 30, 2010.
Get 20% off entire order at The Limited. Expires July 21, 2010.
Get 20% off $50 or more at Harry & David. Expires April 5, 2010.
Get 10% off at Modcloth. Unknown expiration date.
Get $5 off at TOMS Shoes. Unknown expiration date.
Phillip/Flickr
This post is brought to you by Mint.com, a destination for budgeting software.
I’m slogging through my taxes and found these tax tips from CPA Steven Meyerson of JustAnswer.com to be super useful. Steven apparently gets a lot of the same questions year in year out because folks like you and me forget the most basic rules of tax preparation and filing. His tips:
Dealing with kids and marriages: If you’re married or divorced be sure that you and your spouse’s last names match all social security records, because your return will be rejected if they don’t. Also, if you’re divorced with children, be sure you know who’s claiming the kids. The rule is that whoever files first will get the right to claim them, so it’s something you NEED to work out beforehand.
E-filing is the way to go: If you’re doing your taxes yourself, you should save yourself some time and money by e-filing using the IRS’s Free File program. The online form populates the numbers for you so you don’t have to worry about calculating the math. The other upside is that once you submit your return, you will receive your check earlier than if you had submitted it manually.
Use the correct forms: Make sure you use your W2 forms and not a recent pay stub – there is a huge difference.
Need an extension? Make sure you file it by April 15, unless you are living out of the country in which case you have until June 15 to file your return or file for an extension. Remember, extensions should include an approximation of the amount you owe, whether remitted or not. Failure to properly estimate your liability could lead to a rejection of your extension request and could result in late filing penalties.
Please Don’t Procrastinate: If you want your money earlier, you need to file your return earlier. The closer you file your return to the due date, the longer it will take for you to get it back.
And Don’t Pay Extra: Paying to get your return earlier is never worth it. Avoid anticipation loans or quick refunds because the cost isn’t worth having the funds a few day’s early.
Additionally, I found this IRS tax calculator to help you out over the next month. The post office has free hard copies of basic tax forms or you can get them online through the IRS.
I got a forwarded email from a reader about figuring out what country a product was made in by looking at the bar code. This email has been circulating the web since 2008 so it might be familiar. Clearly, a lot of folks are still worried about recalls and contaminated products from abroad. Others are trying to buy closer to home to reduce their carbon footprint. The email says:
If you want to know where the food and pet products you are looking at in the stores are coming from, make sure you read labels at the grocery store. Many products no longer show where they were made, only give where the distributor is located. It is important for consumers to read the bar code to track the origin of the product.
How to Read Bar Codes
If the first 3 digits of the bar code are 690, 691 or 692, the product is made in China.
If the first 3 digits of the bar code are 471, the product is made in Taiwan.
If the first digits are 00-09 – it’s made in USA & Canada.
If the first digits are 30-37 – it’s made in France.
If the first digits are 49- it’s made in Japan.
If the first digits are 40-44 – it’s made in Germany.
If the first digits are 50 – it’s made in UK.
But as it turns out, the email is only partly true.
A lot of emails contain kernels of truth that have been exaggerated or glossed over until they become a mix of true and false information, which is what happened with this email about bar codes, according to the myth-busting site Snopes.com.
“The UPC-A bar code and its cousin, the European Article Number (EAN) bar code, incorporate two- or three-digit country codes, but what those country codes indicate is the country or economic region where a particular bar code was assigned, not necessarily the country where the product identified by that bar code originated,” Snopes says.
A product could be manufactured in one country but carry a country of origin code of the company’s headquarters in a different country. So food can be grown in one country (Guatemala, for instance) but because the company importing the food may be located in another country (perhaps Mexico), the UPC code would indicate the product was from Mexico.
Your best bet is look for the “Made in [country name]” label on the food or product packaging.
Thanks, Marie!
If you saw heard me on Martha Stewart Living radio on Sirius this morning, welcome to BargainBabe.com! We share tips and strategies to save money on everyday expenses like groceries, gasoline, and household bills – because the little things add up.
If you like what you see, sign up for my daily or weekly email list here. Next week I’m giving away $500 worth of groceries so it’s a good idea to stick around!
If you’d like to learn about more coupon clipping techniques, strategies, and helpful websites, check out my coupon tips.
Looking for an easy way to budget? I must have tried a dozen different budgeting systems before I discovered one that worked for me. It’s simple, practical, and really helps trim your credit card bill. I shaved $2,000 off mine the first month I used it!
A reader asked me how I keep my weekly grocery bill to $27 and I laid out all my grocery tips for her.
Win a $45 membership to BJ’s warehouse club if you guess how much it costs to make their lemon-chicken bowtie pasta recipe. Contest ends Monday night!
Thanks for visiting BargainBabe.com!
Here are the best Los Angeles deals this week from BargainBabeLA.com.
Disneyland tickets are discounted for SoCal residents who take advantage of the 2fer ticket on sale for a limited time.
If you can’t wait for the baseball season to open, get $11 Dodgers tickets to their spring training.
In Encino, reader Franki recommends the newly opened One Dollar Bookstore.
The Long Beach Aquarium is free for teachers in the month of March. Wahoo!
Sign up to sell your kids gently used clothes, toys, and gear and make some serious cash.
Hi folks,
The server that hosts BargainBabe.com is having some troubles. I’m working on figuring out what is going on and hope to have it resolved soon. If a page does not come up, please try again in an hour or so. In the meantime, thank you for your patience.
~Julia
aka Bargain Babe
UPDATE: This contest is over. Thanks for participating!
Readers are placing their bets for how much the BJ’s recipe below for lemon-chicken bowtie pasta costs. I’ve shared one clue – it’s less than $12.
Whoever comes closest to guessing without going over (like the Price is Right) wins a one-year membership to BJs, a warehouse club with 187 locations in 15 states. Membership to BJ’s costs $45. If multiple readers guess correctly the prize goes to whoever answered first.
So far readers have guessed as low as $2.73 and as high as $9.73. Your guess should be for the cost of the entire recipe, which makes four servings, not the price per serving.
The contest ends Monday at 11:59 p.m. PST and the winner will be announced Tuesday. Leave your answer as a comment on this post, on my Facebook page, or on Twitter. One guess per email, please.
Lemon-Chicken Bowtie Pasta, serves 4 at ??? price
8 oz. Barilla® Farfalle
4 Perdue® Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (1¼ lb.)
5 Green Onions, sliced
1 clove Garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. Wesson® Canola Oil
1/ 8 tsp. McCormick® Cayenne Pepper
1½ cups Progresso® Chicken Broth
2 tsp. Grey Poupon® Dijon Mustard
¼ cup fresh Lemon Juice
White Sauce (see below)
1. Cook pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside. 2. Cut chicken into ¾” pieces. Set aside. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Add green onions and garlic and sauté one minute. 3. Add chicken and sauté, turning chicken occasionally until cooked through, about 12 to 15 minutes. 4. Add pasta, toss and set aside. 5. Adapt Basic White Sauce recipe (see previous page): mix cayenne pepper into flour before adding. Reduce milk by 1½ cups, substituting same amount of chicken broth. Add chicken broth-milk mix to fl our mix per recipe instructions. 6. While sauce is still hot, whisk in mustard and lemon juice, then immediately pour over chicken-pasta mixture; lightly toss to mix. 7. Garnish with sliced lemon and serve immediately.
BASIC WHITE SAUCE Makes 2 cups. Your microwave’s cooking times may vary. Please watch carefully.
4 Tbsp. Land O’Lakes® Sweet Butter
4 Tbsp. Gold Medal® All-Purpose Flour
2 cups Milk
Salt and Black Pepper to taste
1. Melt butter on high in 1-qt., microwave-safe
bowl, about 20 to 30 seconds. 2. Stir in flour, using spoon to break up lumps, until smoothly blended. 3. Add milk, salt and pepper and stir until completely blended. 4. Microwave on high, pausing to stir every 30 seconds or so, until sauce is thick and bubbly, about 1 to 2 minutes. Variation: Add 2 cups of shredded Cracker Barrel® Sharp Cheddar Cheese and toss with cooked elbow macaroni for mac and cheese.
Art Comments/Flickr
I’m waking up at 3:45 a.m. tomorrow, March 12, to share coupon secrets on the Martha Stewart Living radio show starting at 4 a.m. PST/7 a.m. EST. (I’m going back to bed as soon as it’s done.) You can hear the show on Sirius satellite radio channel 112.
The show is live and there is no podcast. If you miss it the segment will re-air Friday night at 11 p.m. PST/2 a.m. EST. Another option (for all you die-hard fans and stalkers) is to sign up for a free Sirius radio seven-day trial.
If you sleep in, you can catch me most Fridays at about 8:30 a.m. PST on the David Magee show. I talk to David for a few minutes about the hottest deals on BargainBabe.com.
David Berkoqitz/Flickr
I try to be open minded about how people spend their money. It’s not mine, after all. But after reading a story in yesterday’s newspaper about Panasonic and Samsung to begin selling 3D TVs this week, I am so $(#*@! frustrated.
Why does anyone need to watch TV in 3D?
It costs $500 more than a comparable set. There’s almost nothing to watch in 3D right now. (Sports will be some of the first 3D programming.) And you have to wear bulky glasses that require batteries. Batteries! If you don’t have on the special glasses, everything looks fuzzy.
America, this is not what you need to be spending your money on right now. How about paying off credit card debt? Or even – gasp – contributing to your 401k?
I’ve seen movies in 3D and it’s awesome. But I’m content to experience 3D at the movie theater. Not that I am the target consumer for 3D TVs. I watch about 17 minutes of TV a week and see roughly four movies a year. But even if you are a huge TV and movie buff, is having a 3D TV really going to improve your life? Make you happy? Dissolve all your woes?
No.
Regular TV is good enough for me. Who’s with me?
