If you read about Bargain Babe in Laura Berman’s column in today’s Detroit News, welcome!
This blog is all about saving money every day because the little things in life – groceries, meals out, and clothes – really do add up. If you like what you see, join my email list. It’s free and you can unsubscribe at any time. Join by March 23 and you are automatically eligible to win a $25 Starbucks gift card!
Thanks for for checking out Bargain Babe!
Experts recommend having 3-6 months of expenses stashed away in an emergency fund. These days, it is wise to have 6-9 months of expenses stashed away, or more if you are an older worker (it takes longer to find a job).
But what happens when your cash runs out?
If you must take drastic steps, here’s what to cash out, according to USA Today.
Along these same lines, TheStreet.com shares five steps to take if you cannot pay your bills.
If you are facing foreclosure, here is how you can buy some time (video).
If you got your lender to reduce your mortgage debt or already foreclosed, here’s how to deal with that on your taxes.
St. Patrick’s day is Tuesday, Mar. 17. If you are planning 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.
Thanks to reader Ann you pointed out that I forgot to provide the answers to this quiz! They are ALL true.
ZooBorns.com has pictures and videos of baby animals from around the world. When I visited recently I saw pictures of frogmouth chicks, red panda cubs, baby wallabys, and a video of a mom and her two leopard cubs. Cats really do pick up their young with their mouths!
I’m one month into my grand adventure of writing this blog and running my own business. So far I wrestled an $1,214 iPhone bill to the ground, dreamed about bras (but didn’t end up buying any), discovered a really simple budget that dramatically reduces expenses, and became a radio star (in the words of one fan).
It has been a ton of fun, a ton of work, and I don’t plan to give up any time soon. You can catch me on the radio again on Mar. 5 or, if you live in Los Angeles, meet me on April 25 at Borders in Thousand Oaks, where I am scheduled to talk about saving money.
I have five more months before my self-imposed deadline to make a profit and I hope, with your support, to make my dream come true.
You can support me and Bargain Babe by signing up to receive my email updates and by telling everyone you know to sign up! (Plus, if you sign up by Mar. 23 you have a chance to win a $25 Starbucks gift card!) I want to dramatically increase my hits so that advertising revenue becomes a greater part of my income. See those ads on the right? I get money when you click on them.
You can also hire me to speak to your group about saving money. I have spoken to community groups, private clubs, and in college classrooms. My talk is a bargain!
Thank you for your readership and support. I am truly grateful.
Your cheapskate,
Julia
aka Bargain Babe
This list came from BillShrink via FreeMoneyFinance. Some of them are obvious, some of them made me cringe. How many items do you overpay for? Scroll down for my answer.
- Pseudo Health Products – Like the “protein bars” that are presented as “low fat” or “all natural” even though can end up just as unhealthy as candy bars (the sugar!), while costing up to five times as much.
- Brand New Technology – It is well documented that technology prices come down considerably once new products have been on the market for several months to a year. Additionally, waiting allows time for other companies to release competitive technology, presumably leading to better overall products becoming available in the marketplace.
- Bottled Water – This is probably the most overpriced of all regularly consumed products. Over 2/3 of the world is covered in water, and filters to covert ‘tap water’ into filtered water are readily available for under twenty dollars. However, millions of people choose to $1-2 on this convenience item each day.
- Individual Coffee Cups – Individual cups of coffee purchased anywhere, whether from restaurants, gas stations, or coffee shops, are invariably priced high. Especially when compared to what one could buy and prepare coffee for in bulk at home.
- Prepackaged Food – Buying prepackaged food items such as sandwiches… (more…)
The stock market is tankin’ and you don’t want to be bank breakin’…no, I can’t rap but I can suggest seven ways to have fun without spending. Keep reading for three group date ideas.
Play the question game – thought you knew everything about your partner? Play the question game by asking a question that both of you have to answer. For example, what is your favorite book? What is a vacation you would like to take? Who was your first kiss?
Classic movie night – rent two or three old movies, make popcorn and prepare to snuggle.
Take a long walk – is there a nearby neighborhood you’ve wanted to explore? A favorite nature trail that gives you both peace of mind?
Make a special dessert for your sweetie – pick one that is not very labor intensive, like chocolate lava cake, then serve warm with fresh raspberries.
Reminisce – drag out pictures, letters, and other mementos from when you dated. Take turns telling the story of how you met and fell in love.
Game night – play backgammon, cribbage, cards, boggle, scrabble, or another fun game for two. Don’t keep score so you can focus on having fun.
See a drive-in movie – a special treat that you can enjoy with homemade popcorn. Find drive-in theaters by state at DriveInMovie.com.
For groups:
Throw a sushi party – split the cost by asking each person to bring $5 to $10 worth of fish. You provide the seaweed sheets, sushi rice, toppings like avocado, sesame seeds, cucumber and scallions. Beer and sake are optional. Each person gets to make their own roll, then serve it to guests.
Game night – does Pictionary ever get old? Other great group party games include Uno, Mexican trains, or BS.
Ugly night out – plan a night on the town but tell everyone the theme is ugly night out. I guarantee it will spark great conversation and reveal new things about your friends.
Fore more date/party ideas visit CoolestDate.com.
Americans are eating more chocolate because it is an “affordable” luxury. Also moving up because of the recession are mutts and 99-cent music downloads. On the way out are restaurant meals, purebred dogs and theater tickets.
Nordstrom plans to open 13 stores this year, and 10 of them will belong to the discounted Rack chain.
More sample sales are being run online. The Budget Babe reviews three such sites.
More people are shopping at dollar stores, which contributed to Dollar Tree’s 11% rise in profits last quarter.
To lower the cost of higher education more colleges are offering three year degrees.
What other spending trends are you seeing?
President Obama talked about how he plans to get us out of the recession last night. One thing that caught my ear was a Web site he set up to explain how he is spending the $800 billion bailout (aka the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or ARRA).
The site is called Recovery.gov and it has a chart, above, that divides the massive spending bill into eight categories. Tax relief gets the biggest chunk, at $288 billion.
The site will soon have information about how the money is being allotted by state, congressional district, and federal contractor. You can share your recovery story as an individual or business owner. Or read FAQs about the site. The site’s goal is to be so transparent with how our tax dollars are being spent that citizens get involved and feel confident their money is being well spent.
Does Recovery.gov make you feel better about the $800 bailout? It assuages my fears, if only a little.
I noticed some rock bottom prices in the Tuesday grocery circulars, which made me wonder if grocery prices are falling. Vons advertised chicken breasts for $.97/lb, a 10-lb bag of potatoes for $1.97, 24-ounce boxes of Raisin Bran for $.99, and butter for $.99 a pack. Wow!
Plus, the circular had a $10 off coupon for a purchase of $50 or more. Guess where I am grocery shopping this week?
Have you noticed that grocery prices are falling in your neighborhood? A recent news story from the Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C., says food prices will level out this year. But a story from WalletPop says a drought in California could bump up prices, which already rose 5.5% last year. I care about grocery prices and I know you do because food spending fell 2.4% in the last quarter of 2008.
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CityMommy owner Dayna recently interviewed me about why I’m addicted to blogging, what I do in my spare time, and how I make money off Bargain Babe. Check it out!
CityMommy is a family-focused site where you can ask questions, share info, and chat with other moms. They have more than two dozen sites for cities in AL, CA, FL, GA, IL, KS, ME, MS, NH, NJ, NY, OR, PA, TX and UT. I love to read CityMommy even though I don’t have kids!
Dozens of companies no longer contribute to employee 401 (k) retirement plans, but that does not mean you should stop chipping into your retirement account.
If you are tempted to cutback, read these six things to keep in mind, from TheStreet.com . I won’t give it all away, other than to say keep your eyes on the prize and don’t forget the tax benefits.
Get two free tacos today, Feb. 24, 2009, from Jack in the Box with this printable coupon. Participating locations only.
Quiznos is giving away one million free subs. Register here then get a link with a coupon emailed to you.
Get a buy one get one free coupon from TGI Friday’s that is good until Mar. 1, 2009. Some caveats. Print the coupon from this page.
Today is free pancake day at IHOP. Get a free short stack of three pancakes from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at participating locations. They ask that you make a donation to a children’s hospital in lieu of the bill.
Get a free roastburger from Arby’s with any regular drink purchase and this coupon. Expires Mar. 9, 2009.
Los Angeles: The Stand hot dog joint is extending their dollar dog nights to every night of the week. It used to be Mondays starting at 5 p.m., but now it is every day of the week from 3 to 5 p.m. During dollar dog nights Stand Dogs are $1 and loaded Stand Dogs are $2.50. Sounds like you could have an early dinner with a beer for a Lincoln! Caveats: all toppings must go on the hot dogs. The eatery is also starting table service after 5 p.m. Locations in Encino, Century City, Woodland Hills, and Westwood Village.
Bargain Babe turns one month old on Thursday! I am celebrating the 1,451 subscribers who signed up by setting a goal of helping twice as many people save money next month. Please help me find my next 1,451 readers!
How: tell your friends to sign up for free Bargain Babe Email updates at http://www.bargainbabe.com/email-updates-and-rss/
Why: because you think my tips are fabulous
Also: because you want to pay me back for all the money I have saved you (if I haven’t you are excused now)
And: because I am giving out two $25 Starbucks gift cards, one to an existing reader and one to a reader who signs up in the next four weeks! The two readers will be selected at random among the emails subscribed in four weeks.
Here is a sample email you can send:
Hi —friend name—,
A blog I read called BargainBabe.com is giving away $25 Starbucks gift cards to readers who sign up to receive emails about the latest deals. It’s free and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Bargain Babe has saved me money and is fun to read. By signing up you are automatically entered to win a $25 Starbucks gift certificate. Sign up at http://www.bargainbabe.com/email-updates-and-rss/
Thanks!
Your friend
It may not be wedding season, but it is wedding planning season. So I am following up my recent post about trimming wedding costs with more resources for saying “I Do” without breaking the bank.
Attend bridal shows: get quotes and gather information at a show near you. Later you can use the information to help you negotiate a deal. Here is a list of bridal expos by state.
Haggle with vendors: nearly every vendor you are going to hire for your wedding is fair game, including the band, DJ, caterer, florist, photographer, videographer, musicians, printers (for programs), owner of the reception space. You can even negotiate with the officiant!
Here’s how to approach the subject. Before you book the vendor ask them for a quote. Get quotes from two other vendors for that same service. Go back to the vendor you like best and tell them how much you like them and want to hire them. If you got a lower quote elsewhere, tell your favorite vendor what the lower quote is (assuming it is a price you are willing to pay. If it is still too high keep looking until you get a lower quote.) After sharing the lower quote say, “I’d really like to work with you. Is there anything we can do?” Keep your mouth shut until they respond. Silence can be uncomfortable but it is necessary when negotiating.
If they won’t budge try another approach. Say they will do the job for $500, but you want to pay $450. Say “I would like to hire you but you are a bit above my budget. Do you have any wiggle room?” Wait for their response. If they do not come down enough, say “Unfortunately my budget is $450. If you can work for that much I can sign a contract today.”
While negotiating use any of the following factors that apply to persuade them:
- Your wedding is off-season or at an odd time when they will not otherwise be working.
- You pay in cash.
- Many guests attending your wedding are engaged and will be looking for vendors like them.
- You can provide them a written testimonial afterward (assuming they were fabulous).
- You have a family or social connection to them.
Read more of my haggling tips.
Throw a budget bachelorette party: start with cocktail hour at the host’s house to reduce your bar tab. If you are going to force the lucky gal into wear a veil, make it yourself by purchasing a cheap headband and attaching fabric you bought at JoAnn’s or Michael’s. Ask each guest to bring one silly toy or gag gift for entertainment. If there is a story to go along with it, even better! If you are really on a budget, have the whole party at home and play bachelorette party games, like Rate the Men or Suck for a Buck. Instead of going out to dinner, have a potluck. If you do go out on the town, work the bachelorette angle to get free admission to clubs and discounted drinks.
More resources:
Thanks, Connie!
