Dru Bloomfield/Flickr
I’m taking another luxuriously long weekend to ring in the New Year. Don’t you wish these four-day weekends came around more often?
Next week I’ll be sharing a special download so you can use my 15-minute easy peasy budget to start the year off right. Seriously. Get your finances under control in 15 minutes.
God, I sound like an infomercial. But it’s true!
Also coming up in 2010: expect a week of amazing giveaways to celebrate BargainBabe.com’s one-year anniversary in January. Thanks to all my wonderful readers for helping me come a long way.
See you in 2010!
~ Julia
aka Bargain Babe
I’m sending out the old year with a countdown to my five favorite posts.
5. I never knew a cookbook could inspire so many comments until I wrote about Frugal Foodie Recipes. “What I like best about The Frugal Foodie Cookbook is that to make three different recipes I did not need to buy a single ingredient. Not having to go to the store saved me time and money – plus I got delicious food out of my pantry! The authors’ food philosophy is to keep it simple but not necessarily cheap”…keep reading.
4. Forgive me for indulging myself, but I just can’t believe that my Dad is 63. I’m 31. Guess who’s faster? “I learned how to ride a bike at 3 to keep up with my older sisters. But I really learned how to ride from my Dad, a lifelong cyclist who has covered 300 miles in a day. My Dad’s motto on the bike is “never stop pedaling.” I started riding with him because my public high school offered six classes a day. To squeeze in symphonic band, I skipped P.E. and made up the credits by cycling with him. It wasn’t easy to keep up with him and on most rides I did not. Oh, who am I kidding? I never once kept up with him”…keep reading.
3. Readers jumped on me for going along with the crowd and stiffing a waitress, but in the end I learned my lesson about Money morality: if someone undercharges you…“I was chomping on a tasty BBQ dinner with five friends when – GASP – the waitress undercharged us. The bill was $20 a head – a fab deal for the meaty meal – because she had failed to add another $11 for the booze. The four of us who split the drinks would have owed another $3.50 per, which includes tax and tip on the beer. “Should we tell the waitress?” I asked“…keep reading.
2. I ventured a spending moratorium for the entire month of July, which I stuck to religously. Er, except for the three times I broke my moratorium. “The first time exposed my weakness for coupons. The second time exposed my soft spot for hard-working waitresses. The third time it was the library that did me in.”…keep reading.
1. My absolute favorite post this year was about a reader comment in response to a guest post about saving money in Las Vegas. Not because I like being called a “douche,” but because the comment triggered a heated debate about the difference between being frugal and being cheap. It is a fine line that I strive never to cross. “This week’s reader comment of the week shocked me. When I first read reader Julie’s response to the post, I didn’t understand why she was so upset over a total stranger taking tissues and toilet paper from a hotel room“…keep reading.
Victor Bezrukov/Flickr
I went over my cell phone minutes the past two months and the overage charges bothered me so much they seeped into my sleep. Two nights ago I dreamed that I called AT&T and asked them to bump me up to a more expensive plan and forgive my overages.
And they did!
I woke up refreshed and wondering if I had actually called AT&T. Turns out the dream – and the overage forgiveness – was just that.
Drat.
I decided to call and ask if my new plan was pro-rated, giving me a few more minutes until the beginning of the month when my plan resets. While on the phone with a nice gentleman named Rham I asked if it was possible to forgive my overage charges this month, seeing how I was a loyal AT&T customer who always paid my bill on time.
“Let me see what I can do. Please hold.”
Rham came back on the line. He couldn’t immediately credit my account for the overages but put in an “adjustment request.” I would get a call early January with the adjustment amount. The last time this happened I received an adjustment (read: credit) for $1,214.65 so I expect full or partial credit this time.
“Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“Well, yes. I also went over my texting plan this month. I’d like to bump up to the next texting plan, and, if I do, is it possible to forgive my overage charges for extra texts in December?”
Rham asked me to hold.
Unlike my minutes overages, Rham was able to immediately credit me $20-some dollars for my overage texts. (At $.10 a pop they add up slowly, but apparently I texted like a teenager in December!) And he pro-rated my new texting plan so I don’t have to worry about texting the rest of the month.
“Thank you for the excellent customer service you have provided me with today,” I told Rham before hanging up.
“You’re very welcome.”
I see the call as a win-win for AT&T and myself.
AT&T keeps a longtime customer happy (so much so that I’m blabbing about it to everyone) and they make more money off me to the tune of $30 extra a month. I save money (at $.45/minute extra paying up front is the cheaper route) and I am more loyal to them because of the consideration they showed me.
Proof dreams come true!
Related: My bra dream: proof I need to spend
Start off the New Year with a personalized fitness plan, courtesy of Curves.
Grab a free sample of NicoDerm to help you kick your smoking habit!
For a limited time, get two boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios free from Walgreens when you buy a gallon of milk.
Check out the load of kids stuff on sale at Sur la Table.
Yes, I shop at Anthropologie. No, I do not pay full price. Here’s how.
Check out all the deals on my WalletPop blog.
Elise Cooke, author of Strategic Eating, is a like-minded soul. In 19 quick and fun chapters, Elise spells out how to be the “weird shopper” who snags all the grocery deals, how to substitute ingredients to save, and helpful websites that have low-budget recipes.
She learned the tips and strategies she shares in her book by necessity. Now, she just has a very “lucrative (food) hobby.” I love it!
Elise is focused on eating right. “There’s more to this food finesse thing than saving money,” she writes. “Shoot, you could eat dirt and save bucks of money. The challenge is to eat nutritiously; otherwise, what’s the point?” My thoughts exactly!
In the 109-page book Elise shares:
- Common grocery store practices that trick you into paying too much, and how you can avoid them
- 3 ways to get food for free
- Why coupons may end up costing you more
- 4 easy methods of making perfectly portable meals, for families on-the-go
- Time savers that can let you put food on the table faster than ordering take-out
Leave a comment about why you should win my review copy by Sunday night. The winner will be announced Monday. Can’t wait? Buy it from Amazon now for $13.25.
TrinityCreditServices/Flickr
If you haven’t already gotten your free annual credit report, now is the time. Each person gets one free report per year thanks to the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act. Snag yours on AnnualCreditReport.com. (Note, this is the only site where you can truly get a free credit report.) You can also call 877-322-8228 to request a free report.
Don’t expect a free credit score, however. The three major credit tracking bureaus, Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian, will try to upsell you on that. Stick to the report for now because it will tell you plenty about whether there are any mistakes.
Before you call or request your report through the above website, make sure you have your social security number handy. They will also ask you for a few past address and may ask a question that only you know the answer to, such as how much a particular bill was.
If you request your report over the phone, expect to receive it in about 15 days.
Once you get your report, watch this video about how to interpret it. I watched the 3:54-minute video and it is helpful and straightforward.
Thanks, Bargain Hubby!
Restaurant.com is 80 percent off through Dec. 31!
Doing any post-Christmas shopping? Amazon has some amazing year-end deals.
Check out all my deals on my WalletPop blog.
How many unwanted presents did you get this Christmas or Hanukkah? I got a pair of jeans that don’t fit and a sweater that isn’t quite warm enough for my needs. I plan to exchange both.
Most people don’t do anything! Three in five consumers hold onto gifts they don’t want, according to a survey from Kijiji.com, a free online classifieds site. The top reasons are:
- they don’t want to hurt the feelings of the giver (60 percent)
- they think they will eventually use the gift (51 percent)
- it’s too much effort to return them to the store (33 percent)
If you can get past these hesitations, here are five things to do with unwanted, ill-fitting holiday presents.
Use an unwanted gift card to buy a gift for someone else. Think ahead to any birthdays, parties, or celebrations coming up in the next six months. Anybody retiring? Getting married? Having a baby?
Re-gift! Sometimes you’ll come across an appropriate recipient a few days later at another holiday function, but more likely you’ll stash an unwanted gift in your gift closet (a designated area at home for evergreen gifts). Make sure you remove anything that would indicate the item was re-gifted and do not mention you are re-gifting to the recipient, which is extremely rude. Some people feel re-gifting is tacky, but I say it’s better to re-gift than let a present go to waste!
Sell gift cards you’re not going to use, especially if you think the store has a chance of closing. Here is the low-down on the best sites to sell gift cards.
Exchange the gifts for something you want. If you don’t have a receipt, head to the store ASAP. Without a receipt, you’ll only get credit for the current selling price. Macy’s is one of the few stores that embeds the sale price in a bar code sticker so you can get credit for exactly what the giver paid. A lot of retailers softened their return policies to make it easier on us consumers and some are giving as much as a month after the holiday to return and/or exchange.
Sell presents online. Craigslist, Kijiji, eBay, Amazon. The Internet is your oyster.
What was the worst gift you received this Christmas?
Big Lots recently started a loyalty program that rewards shoppers who make 10 purchases of $20 or more. That’s $200 of random crap. I mean, great deals!
But it got me thinking. What makes a good loyalty program? What makes you roll your eyes and shop somewhere else?
For instance, I think Barnes & Noble’s $25 membership is ridiculous. Whoever heard of paying to get a discount on books that are available for free at the L-I-B-R-A-R-Y?
Other factors that make for poor loyalty programs: buy-in fees, expiring rewards, blackout dates, fees to use rewards, and extra hoops to jump through to earn or redeem rewards.
Factors that make for valuable loyalty programs: free membership, choices for rewards, the option to receive occasional emails about rewards, easy redemption process, toll-free phone number for questions about rewards, website with info about the program.
I’m starting a list of stores with great loyalty programs. Please add your faves and ones you avoid.
REI: Buy a lifetime membership for $20 and get 10 percent off all full-price purchases. Plus, their return policy is as generous as it gets. If you aren’t satisfied with an item, bring it back. If you cited your membership number when you bought it, their system will remember exactly how much you paid for it.
Walgreens: You don’t even have to JOIN their loyalty program to get the benefits, called Register Rewards. Every month you can earn RR on certain items. A piece of paper will print out at the end of your transaction that you can apply toward a future purchase. Watch out! RR expire about 2-3 weeks after you receive them and you have to buy as many items as you have RR. I.e., if you are using three RR, you have to buy three items, so it makes sense to tack on extremely low-priced items to a purchase so you can use all your RR.
Safeway: Your loyalty card is tied to your phone number and using it can shed 30-40 percent off your tab.
Macys: The best way to get Macy’s coupons is to open a Macy’s charge account. Even if you only use your card once a year Macys will send you an un-ending stream of coupons, many of them good only when you pay with your Macys card. I frequently receive 20 percent off coupons and coupons for $10 off a purchase of $25.
Get a two-year subscription to Parenting mag for just $3. No joke!
Here’s a coupon code for 20 percent off at Athleta, a sporty clothing store for women.
Breakfast is free at IKEA though Jan. 3.
CVS has some amazing deals this week. I highlighted some of the best sale + coupon offers.
My Mom's Christmas tree
I’m taking off until next week to enjoy the holidays with my family and friends. Have a wonderful Christmas and I’ll see you next week!
~Julia
aka Bargain Babe
1. A magazine subscription. Amazon has a bunch for $5 for a year
2. A gift certificate to the recipients favorite restaurant (if you are not local have the eatery put it in the mail and explain what is coming in a card)
3. A CD or book. Borders has a 30 percent off coupon good through Dec. 24. If you are looking for holiday music, check out Duke Ellington’s Three Suites for a swinging version of The Nutcracker.
4. Framed children’s art.
5. A family object from past generations. Last year my Aunt Mary gave me a beautiful quilt made by my great-grandmother. It was the most touching gift I received.
6. A stainless steel mug filled with candy, a letter, or another treat. Walgreens has a set of three mugs for just $10!
7. Tickets to a concert, ballet, opera, or show. You can let the recipient chose from a variety of performances.
8. If you want a gadget, consider a Flip Camera or GPS. If money is not an issue, pick up a netbook or iPhone.
9. A neat homemade gift is Que Bella Body Scrub, above. Five ingredients. Two hours. $40 bucks. More than a dozen gifts.
10. What’s your best last minute Christmas gift idea?
My frugal friend Donna Freedman, who blogs for MSN’s Smart Spending, talked to a handful of shopping mavens (includings yours truly) and wrote up a post about how to make the most of post-holiday sales.
“Two excellent reasons to hit the after-Christmas sales,” Donna writes. “You can find some screamin’ deals. You got gift cards or money for Christmas, so you can afford to shop!”
A few of her tips:
Keep reading for more post-holiday shopping tips.
Subway is giving out free cookies to everyone who buys a $10 gift card.
Get a Black Angus $10 gift card free when you spend $50.
Check out my Q&A with master coupon organizer Erin Gifford of Coupon Cravings. She shared her secrets on how she organizers her coupons in one minute, how long she keeps coupons around, and where you can use expired coupons.
Consumer World has a great post up about which retailers are softening their return policies to accomodate people who want to return gifts. Here are the changes in return policies from six major retailers.
Best Buy lengthened its holiday return period for most items by one to three weeks until January 31, but computers still only have their standard 14-day return period. That means it is already too late to return any PC bought on Black Friday.
Target now allows gifts to be exchanged without a receipt, as long as the total of such unreceipted returns does not exceed $70 in a year. Merchandise can also be exchanged without a receipt for something else in the same department of equal or greater value.
Wal-mart added an extended holiday return period for items normally subject to its shorter 15/30/45 day return period, such as computers and cameras. Now those return periods first begin to run on December 26, rather than from the purchase date (November 15 or after).
Sears doubled its holiday return period for electronics, software and mattresses to 60 days.
Office Depot added a formal extended holiday return period until January 19.
The post also covers quirky return policies and lays out the return policies of 15 retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, Buy.com, Costco, Kohls, Macy’s, Marshalls, Office Depot, Overstock.com, Sears, Staples, TJ Maxx, Target, Toys R Us, and Walmart. Keep reading on Consumer World to get those details.
