One luxury that we continue to splurge on is Direct TV. Both my husband and I are huge sports fans – unfortunately for us, our favorite teams aren’t local ones. Every year, we save up and budget for both NFL Sunday ticket and NBA League Pass. We really like NBA League Pass – there is always a game on that we’re interested in watching every night (after the kid is in bed). NFL Sunday ticket is a little bit of a different story. Basically, we can only watch 2 games each weekend, but that’s a pretty big investment of...
Personal Finance
Get $10 from Amazon with free month of Amazon Prime
I was on Slickdeals.net this weekend, and came across this offer. Basically, through 7/28, if you have never signed up for Amazon Prime before, you can use this link to get $10 off your next Amazon order when you sign up for a free one month trial of Amazon Prime. Amazon Prime allows for unlimited two-day free shipping and no minimum order size. This is a good deal because you can use your $10 credit and still get free shipping (usually you need $25 to qualify for free super-saver shipping). Cancelling Amazon Prime before the free month is up...
My Coupon Conundrum
These days, I know that many people are trying to do everything that they can to save money (myself included). Clipping coupons from the Sunday paper is one popular method of pinching pennies, but I am beginning to wonder if it is the best for me. When I go to the grocery store, I usually pick up veggies and fruits, grains (rice, pasta, bread) and dairy. I allocate $5 for junk food (cookies, chips, ice cream), and $25 for stocking up on items that are on sale (oatmeal, canned goods, etc). I’ve stocked up on a lot of the...
A fun and frugal weekend
After traveling last weekend, everyone was ready to take it easy. We wanted to get out and enjoy nature this weekend, and were thinking about taking a short trip (less than 2 hours) to a state park. However, on Friday evening, we pulled out our atlas, and found a nature center that was only 15 miles away! We decided to head over there on Saturday morning, and had a lot of fun. If it hadn’t been for the humidity, we would have stayed longer (our bassett hound is a trooper, but she doesn’t do well in high heat combined...
Sunday Paper Coupon Insert Schedule
If you’re like me, you buy the Sunday paper to clip some coupons and hopefully get a couple of good deals (or at least make up the cost of buying the Sunday paper). I am always trying to make sure that I got all of the coupon inserts for the Sunday paper; in our area, the RedPlum insert is only in the larger (and more expensive) paper. I just found this link from Slickdeals.net, and thought that I would share it. It’s the 2008 coupon insert schedule, and it just made my life easier. Hope that this can help...
I started my Christmas shopping today
We’ve been putting aside $25 a month for Christmas. I know that this doesn’t sound like a lot, but keep the following things in mind: 1. My husband and I don’t buy each other gifts for Christmas. Seriously. If one of us wants or needs something, we discuss it and then plan appropriately. Besides, with the birth of our son, we both get more joy watching him open presents. 2. We don’t spend a lot on family. In the past few years, we have sent framed pictures or photo books as gifts using gift certificates and other discounts. I...
Watch Bonnaroo live
For those of you that are wondering, Bonnaroo is a live music festival that features a variety of bands. If you want to go, it’s a little late, since it’s occuring this weekend. However, you can still watch certain acts live (for free) thanks to the AT&T blue room. We watched the Raconteurs earlier today, and are currently watching Les Claypool. Metallica is playing tonight, and there are other bands performing over the weekend (Ben Folds, Robert Randolph’s Revival, and Yonder Mountain String Band are just a few). Have a great weekend everyone! Watch some music!
Craft stores make great discount toy stores
Until I had a kid of my own, I never realized what a great resource craft stores could be for toys. Not only do they have some great hands-on gifts and crafts for kids, but most of the larger craft store chains will print coupons in the Sunday paper for 40%-50% off of a single regular priced item. Here are just a couple of things I have found: 1. Christmas gifts for my niece: She is creative, and always loves the things we send – I have been able to purchase the large art kits (with pens, markers, crayons,...
Free books for kids from Dolly Parton
We are regular visitors to our local library. A month or so ago, I was a little surprised to see Dolly Parton’s smiling face on a brochure at the children’s desk. After a moment of wondering how Dolly manages to look exactly the same as she did 25 years ago, curiosity got the best of me and I picked up the brochure. Dolly, bless her soul, has started a program called the Imagination Library. This program partners with local communities to provide free books (1 per month) for any child under the age of 5 who signs up. Here...
WaMu Visa card sucks
OK, I am a sucker. I wanted free access to my credit score, and when I got the offer from WaMu for a card that had free access to FICO scores, I signed up. There were no balance transfer fees, so I did a small balance transfer from a higher interest (3.99%) credit card. I planned to pay it off in full before incurring any interest charges. I would get free access to my credit score, and everyone would be happy. After a couple of weeks, I had not gotten my card, but the balance transfer had occurred (I...
