Curbing Consumerism

Getting consumerism under control, that is purchasing and spending what is not needed, is the quickest way to save money and affect your budget in the positive. But, what is consumerism? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, consumerism is: 1: the promotion of the consumer’s interests 2: the theory that an increasing consumption of goods is economically desirable; also : a preoccupation with and an inclination toward the buying of consumer goods. It is that last bit we are concerned about. Having a preoccupation toward buying a lot is never good, and it can lead to some serious financial repercussions. Our … Continue reading →

Make Your Bargain Hunting Work for You

I love getting bargains and good deals, but I don’t love the clutter that those bargains often bring to my house. I know I am not alone after a conversation I had with a friend yesterday, She is in the process of downsizing to a smaller home and is overwhelmed with the amount of stuff that she must deal with in her current home. She confessed, “It is hard for me to pass up a bargain! When you find something fabulous for just a couple of dollars, how can you not buy it?” Well, I am not going to get … Continue reading →

Secret Online Shopping Discount

Want to take advantage of a secret online shopping discount? You could save $10, $20, $30 or a heft percentage off of your final check out bill if you take advantage of it. Not all retailers participate in this unadvertised discount, but those who do will practically pay you to shop. Here is what you do. Sign up with the shopping website or store. You will need to make sure that you register with a valid email address. This is because once you try this trick, the store may send you a discount code or incentive through email, and you … Continue reading →

Pitfalls of Yard Sale Shopping

Yard sales, garage sales, tag sales, whatever you call them, they are in full swing during the early summer and a lot of fun to shop. Through yard sales, you can pick up some great deals, and since you never know what you are going to find, yard sale shopping can be a real treasure hunt. You do have to be careful when shopping at yard sales. There is buyer’s remorse, of course, when you pay too much for an item or get home and realize it isn’t what you wanted. There really is no return policy. If you aren’t … Continue reading →

Take Inventory Before You Shop

Before you shop, stop! Try this quick trick that will save you money now and in the long run. To save money, do a quick inventory of what you already have before you go shopping. This will help save money in so many ways. From duplicate purchases to avoiding the pitfalls of shopping for bargains that you don’t need, a quick assessment each time you are ready to shop can make a difference. DVDs I’m ashamed to admit that we have two copies of a certain new Disney princess DVD movie. We simply forgot that we had the movie and … Continue reading →

Don’t Make These Garage Sale Mistakes

Will your garage sale be a success or a flop. Sometimes it depends on avoiding the common garage sale mistakes. If you are planning a garage sale, make sure that you don’t get caught up in any of the following. Pricing Too High Sure, you may be able to get $5 a piece for clothing at an outgrown sale or $30 for that great toy on eBay, but garage sale shoppers are looking for a bargain. They won’t pay book prices, ever. Price your items low and make up the difference in volume. Many times we price items high because … Continue reading →

Where to Sell Your Stuff

You’ve gone through the house and decluttered the lot. You are living more simply and more organized, and you finally have space to breath. Or maybe you just want to clear out some things that have been taking over your home. Whatever the reason you have taken the step to clear the clutter, you can profit beyond having a neater place to live. Sell your excess stuff and get the cash. There are many places where you can sell your stuff and make some money. It all depends on what you have, how much time you are willing to spend … Continue reading →

Take It Back, Use It Up, or Pass It On

Chances are that your closets and maybe even other parts of your home have items that are new with the tags on or still in their original bags and packaging. These are items that were purchased (or gifted) but are not being used. In other words, they are a waste of money. Purge these reminders of spending from your life in one of the following three ways. This is Part One in a three-part series. Take It Back Many stores are quite generous with taking new items back fro a full refund or for store credit. It helps if you … Continue reading →

Earn Money at a Farmer’s Market

Farmer’s markets are just getting started now, and you can take advantage of their popularity to earn some income! Here is how. First, locate several farmer’s markets near your home, do some research and ask some questions. Do they charge a fee to sell, or can anyone just set up a table with no overhead? Are there rules or regulations of which you should be aware? What types of things are sold at these farmer’s markets: produce only, crafts, anything goes? Find out all you can, so you can make a good decision about which farmer’s market is right for … Continue reading →

How I Saved $200 on a New Appliance

Some people kill plants, I kill bread machines. It is inevitable that whatever bread machine wanders into my house will wander back out into the trash. It isn’t that I am tossing the bread machines out the window or making bread in the rain, it is just that I haven’t found an appliance that will hold up to frequent use, an average of two to three times per week. We are serious about our homemade bread. Our last bread machine did pretty well, lasting almost seven years! It was a higher-end model, and we spent about $160 for it new. … Continue reading →