Save Money by Visiting the Store Less Often

In the past two weeks, have you made an “emergency” trip to the store because you were out of something you need, like toothpaste, paper towels or shampoo?
When visiting, did you only purchase the item you ran out of?
On Thursday, I made a Target run for Q-Tips (which I’ve been out of for a few [...]

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I Finally Got My Cheap Haircut

Back in February, I wrote about dumping my high-priced hair salon.
Well, the problem with not going to a fancy place is that you no longer have hair “appointments,” so until tonight, I hadn’t gotten a haircut in about 14 weeks. Yikes!
I finally went to Snip ‘N Clip and got my hair cut for $14 plus [...]

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A Guilt-Free Way to Reduce the Gift Budget and Snowflake the Difference

Tell me if this sounds familiar:
You’re planning on giving your sister a $20 birthday present – probably a DVD that she’s been wanting. You get to the store, and the DVD is on sale for $9.99. “Great,” you think, “Now I can buy her the DVD and a CD.”
Stop right there.
If you want to get [...]

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Reminder: Time to Shop for Easter ‘09

Shopping at the end of the season can save you big money. Many stores cut prices on holiday merchandise by 50% on the day after the holiday, and keep cutting throughout the week. However, most items are gone within a few days.
With that in mind, it’s time to start thinking about what you’re [...]

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Snowflaking: 100 Ways to Come Up With More Money for Your Debt Snowball

Yes, you are already doing some of these things.
But are you doing them all?

Utilities

Set your utility bills to level pay – Pay the same amount every month so there are no surprises to your budget.

Ask for a discount – Call your gas and/or electric company and ask about discounts you might qualify for. I [...]

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When I’m Debt-Free, I’m Buying the Expensive Toilet Paper!

Before our Rock Band party this weekend, we were down to our last two rolls of toilet paper. My husband went out to get some and came back with (cue angel choir:) Cottonelle Ultra!
I used to buy that kind all the time until we got intense about trying to get out of debt. And boy, [...]

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I Finally Left My Overpriced Hair Salon!

When I get my hair cut, it comes to $31 and I tip $6. I usually get it cut every seven weeks or so. Now, this might not seem like much to some of you, but I live in the midwest where haircuts are relatively cheap.
I used to go to Snip ‘N Clip, but then [...]

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Yes, We’re Going to Paint Our House Ourselves (Gasp!)

Our house is almost 10 years old, and as far as we can tell, has never been repainted. I did some touch-up work in the fall, but paint is peeling and things are getting ugly!Now, I’m not sure how much it would cost to hire someone to paint the house, but I’m guessing about a [...]

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Broke on Valentine’s Day

Whether you’re in a relationship or not, being broke on Valentine’s Day is no fun. But that’s been my situation for the last five years or so.
It used to be because my and my husband’s birthdays are both within five days of Valentine’s Day, and my stepson’s birthday is in early March. So, we decided [...]

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10 (Possibly Strange) Ways I Save Money

Since I’m trying to get out of debt (and am a tad cheap), here are some ways I save money:

I hardly ever wash my car. Which is black. I’ve been seriously tempted to use the little windshield cleaning stations at QuikTrip on my entire car though.
The only lattes you’ll ever see me drinking are the [...]

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