The Cheap Diva

Multasking is Overrated

I once heard the act of multitasking referred to as doing two things badly instead of doing one thing well.  I relate to all those multitaskers out there who fall prey to the idea that they are somehow being more efficient if they try to tackle mor than task at once, but speaking from my own experience, if you want to succeed financially you need to learn how to focus. 

Take my blog for example.  In addition to all the little details of running a business, there are three big demands on my attention related to The Cheap Diva.  The biggest is creating content.  Writing articles has to get done or there is no business.  Because I try to write articles with some sort of substance, not just babbling on about nothing, I spend hours researching the web, reading books and trying out products to review.  The second demand on my time is marketing the blog.  As much as I enjoy writing I enjoy it even more if people actually read my blog.  It can take hours of marketing to generate any noticeable increase in traffic and it has to be done on a regular basis.  Emails are another area that requires constant attention. 

My old approach was to come home from work and spend a few hours researching the web, writing articles, checking emails, and doing some marketing if I was caught up on everything else.  This approach of skipping around and trying to get a little of everything done every night left me frustrated and behind on my work.  My new approach is to do the creative part of the blog, writing the articles, mostly on weekends when I am fresher and haven't been already put in a full days work.  The less creative parts of the blog, research for articles, marketing, and responding to emails I am reserving for regular weeknights when I am not at my creative best but I still want to get some work done.  I assign one task per night to avoid skipping around and loosing focus.  One night is for research, one for marketing, one for responding to emails, another night for more research and organizing my thoughts for articles etc.  This new approach saves time because I am not sitting staring at the computer feeling frazzled about all the things that are competing for my attention.  It also helps business because now I have set aside a specific time to marketing instead of treating it like an afterthought.

For bloggers or anyone for that matter, I suggest you try a similar approach with your financial matters.  Prioritize your financial tasks and set aside specific times to address those tasks.  Doing one thing at a time beats well sure beats doing two things at a time badly!

Get Smart About Online Shopping

Savvy shoppers have been taking advantage of the selection and convenience of online shopping for quite a while now, but there are still a few lingering myths even savvy shoppers fall prey to.  One myth is that everything you can get in a store you can get online.  I had my eye on a pair of shoes once that cost more than I wanted to spend.  My thinking was that if I didn't catch them on sale before my size was gone, I would just buy them online.  I checked the shopping web site of the store that carried this brand exclusively and they were nowhere to be seen.  I made a point of checking the brick and mortar store frequently after that and was fortunate to nab the last pair in my size at 40% off!

Another myth is that everything is cheaper online.  I saw a different pair of shoes once (really I don't have a shoe fetish, I just like shopping a lot) at a store for a price I was less than thrilled with.  I was even less thrilled when I found the exact same pair online from a different retailer for $10.00 more!  That did not take into account shipping and handling fees.  I didn't buy the shoes from either sellers, I was just curious to see how  an online seller would differ from a brick and mortar one.  Sometimes a product, like a piece of furniture, may be cheaper in a store because someone returned it and the retailer doesn't want extra merchandise taking up space. 

What you see is not always what you get when ordering online.  Every computer screen shows color differently so a red sweater might look very bright on one screen while looking much more subdued on a different computer screen.  The online photograph might show one version of something but it is only available in a different size or color than the one pictured.  Always read the details before you buy.  One final step before declaring yourself an online shopping diva, print a receipt out for the goods you bought on your home printer!

Hot Summer Deals

If you are shopping for summer stuff, July is the time to get great deals.  Retailers are trying to get rid of summer stock to make room for all the fall stuff that will start arriving in August.  What should you shop for?  Anything seasonal.  Clothing, sunglasses, picnic related stuff, dishes with a summer theme etc.  When should you start shopping?  Now!  The Fourth of July sales may not start until next weekend, but cute stuff disappears quickly, so for lower priced items, like acrylic cocktail glasses, that are marked down, snap them up now.  If you are holding out for the Fourth of July sales, hold out for more expensive items like clothing.  For some reason a lot of merchandise that is featured in the brick and mortar stores, like Target, does not show up on their web sites so don't limit your bargain hunting to web sites.

Bill Paying Strategies

There are two ways to approach a stack of bills.  With a sense of dread or a sense of strategy.  Guess which one pays off better?  Approaching bills with a sense of strategy requires three things.  A stack of bills, (that should be easy enough to find) a notepad and pen.  

Instead of rushing through the bill paying process like a car speeding through a yellow traffic light, take the time to examine each bill.  Look for anything that looks off about the bill.  Like services that you shouldn't be paying for.  One example would be if you have canceled a service and it still shows up on your credit card.  I subscribe to several magazines.  In a few instances I have received a subscription bill for a magazine that I never subscribed to!  I suspect the companies who pull this stunt are hoping that I will get confused and automatically pay the bill thinking I had agreed to buy the magazine.  If I never signed up to pay for something I don't pay for it

Another less obvious trap to be aware of are suspicious fees and rate increases that came with no prior warning.  If your bank, credit card company or another business slaps you with a questionable fee call them and ask them to explain it.  If there doesn't seem to be a legitimate reason for the fee or the fee seems horribly inflated, start looking for somewhere else to take your business.  Feel free to tell the company throwing questionable fees at you that you are prepared to take your business elsewhere.

Look out for duplication of services among bills.  One example would be if you belong to an automobile club like AAA that covers towing it might not be necessary to have a towing service included with your regular car insurance.  If you subscribe to a DVD rental service or pay to download movies then paying for premium movie channels is redundant.  Take a closer look at the things you are paying for and see if you can lower some bills by eliminating duplication.

Some bills are consistent and inflexible in their pricing.  Pay those bills first so you can set them aside and focus your attention on the bills that you have more influence over.  With other bill such as utilities, the amount of the bill varies depending on what resources you used that month.  As you are paying these bills take a moment to stop and think about what small changes you can make to an lower that bill.  Now take your pen and notepad and make a list of things you can do in your daily life to reduce energy costs for example.  For lots of great ideas on saving energy visit consumerenergycenter.org.  Apply this strategy to other bills and soon you will have consistently lower bills. 

It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that there slightly increasing payments on things like credit card debt doesn't make much of an impact.  If you charge the same amount every month and pay an extra $40.00 on your credit card bill every month, at the end of the year you would have paid an extra $480.00 down on you credit card.  At 12% interest that $480.00 by itself is costing you $57.60 a month.  To figure out where that $40.00 is going to come from look at the previous paragraphs. 

Shopping Strategies for Craft Shows, Flea Markets & Garage Sales

For the serious bargain huntress scouring flea markets, craft shows and garage sales for treasures is serious business requiring both skill and strategy.  For the not so serious bargain huntress it's an excuse to get enjoy some fun in the sun while keeping an eye open for interesting treasures.  Either way, it's important to come prepared. 

First do a little homework so you have a general idea of what to expect.  Check the ad to see details about who is selling what.Is the garage sale a neighborhood garage sale with a mix of merchandise or someone selling a bunch of outdated clothing and appliances?    If it is a craft show or flea market, is it being held in a big outdoor area to accommodate lots of vendors or is it a smaller  craft   show with a handful of vendors?  Ask people you know for ideas about where to go.  Check local newspapers.  Also ask people who operate local antique places if they know of any good flea markets or craft shows or check out festival.net for craft shows and art festivals.

Dress for comfort and protection.  Supportive walking shoes, like these Crocs Malindi Slingback Flats for $30.00, that cover enough of the foot to offer protection against rough terrain and solid concrete are a must.  A wide brim hat like the Croft & Barrow Metallic Straw Floppy Hat $13.20 pictured here, and sunglasses offer protection against the sun and let you discretely check out the merchandise before making your move.   Clothing should be a breathable fabric like cotton.  If the weather is cool you can wear layers, like a light weight sweater, that can be removed if you get hot from all that intense bargain hunting.  Light weight fabrics offer little in the way of sun protection so slather on a layer of heavy duty sun block under your clothes before heading out.  A few things that are great to have on hand are a small notebook and pen, and a phone or other portable device with internet access and a bottle of water to wash down all those energy bars you packed to keep you going.  Carry lots of cash in smaller bills since sellers, like the garage sale guru selling polyester leisure wear, may not by prepared to take credit cards.

Get to your destination early in a vehicle that will accommodate what you are most likely to buy.  If there is any chance of you buying furniture, drive a vehicle that will have enough space to transport it or go with a friend with a more spacious vehicle.  Measure the part of the car you intend to use for transporting your finds and record these measurements in a small notebook so you can compare these measurements against any large piece you are thinking of buying before you try squeezing your fabulous furniture find into a too small vehicle. 

Some craft shows and flea markets are so big it's easy to forget where you saw what.  If you have your eye on something but your are not ready to make a purchase, make a note of the item, the price and the location in your notebook.  If you fall in love with an item but you have a lot more looking to do and don't want to drag it all over the place, ask the seller if they will hold it for you.  If that doesn't work for you just go ahead and pay for it making sure you get a receipt for the item with the understanding that you will pick it up later. 

If you collect a certain kind of item you can do research ahead of time to learn how to judge quality and value.  But with so much stuff for sale there is a good chance you will come across stuff you never knew existed and have no idea what a fair price would be.  When a smooth talking vendor claims you are getting a great deal for his precious wares, call him on it.  Whip out your portable electronic device with an internet access and see what items similar in make and condition to the one you are looking at are selling for.  When I say selling for, I mean the price bidders are willing to pay for the item, not the price the online sellers are trying to get. 

Most importantly, have fun!  Enjoy the great outdoors, enjoy the company of your fellow shopping companions and sellers and enjoy the thrill of the hunt!

Money Management 101

Most money web sites fall into one of two categories.  The frugal squeeze a penny till it begs for mercy kind and the sites aimed at big money readers that offer complicated investment advice on what to do with that outrageously huge pile of cash you are presumed to have laying around.  Luckily there are a few sites that offer easy to understand tools on financial management that are useful no matter what you income level happens to be.  At CNNMoney.com there is a section called Money 101(  http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/money101/) that gives basic advice in plain english on understanding how to best handle your money.  Topics covered included everything from setting priorities to making a budget, to investing, controlling debt and insurance issues.   I found the articles to be informative without making my head spin with more information than I need.  Another site offering a free financial education is  Kiplingers.com.  Their Tools and Calculators (http://www.kiplinger.com/tools/ ) section provides information on budgeting, credit and other common financial concerns in a bit more detail than the CNN Money 101 section.  Sure it takes some time to  gather this financial information and put it into action, but this investment of your time and attention may be the smartest investment you will ever make.

You've Got Mail!

Sometimes junk mail makes me laugh.  Like the time I received a check in the mail from a company for about $5.00.  The catch was that if I cashed the check I would automatically be signed up for fees and services costing about $89.00!  I did not cash the check.  What I did was start thinking about the real costs of junk mail.  It costs valuable time to go through it all, it opens you up to identity theft, credit card offers especially, and a lot of trees are wasted just so cynical consumers like me can roll their eyes at the latest junk mail come on before feeding anything with our name and address on it to the shredder.

To save time and a few trees you can register free online at dmachoice.org to be removed from junk mail lists.  To stop pre approved credit card or insurance offers and reduce your chances of identity theft go to optoutprescreen.com or call 888-567-8688.  If catalogs are a shopping weakness or just a nuisance, contact catalogchoice.org to stop the flow of unwanted catalogs. 

One of the most annoying junk mail promotions I have seen is the fake friend promotion.  Someone send what appears to be a copy of a newspaper article about a product  with a hand written note addressing the recipient by their first name with a personal note about how the sender thought of you when they found out about this product.  What appears to be a photocopied article sent by a caring friend (a friend with a questionable or nonexistant return address) is actually a mass produced brochure sent out by a complete stranger plugging the product in the article.  If you want to keep your money and lose a "friend" contact dmachoice.org today!

Free Ways to Promote Your Blog

Whether you are blogging for money or just for fun,  there is one thing every blogger wants, more readers!  There are plenty of ways to increase traffic to you blog without spending money.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Write an article for a web site or blog that that has a large readership.  Find a web site or blog that focuses on the type of topics that you write about on your own blog.  When you find a good match, look for the advertising page for this web site or blog.  The advertising page should tell you two things, the average number of readers per month, and that they have enough traffic to their web site or blog to make advertisers want to spend their money there.  In other words, this is not a blog read only by the author's mother and a few close friends.  Web sites or blogs that accept articles should have their criteria outlined for the kinds of articles they accept.  Submit articles only after reading their criteria and making sure they provide links to their author's blogs and that you are not giving up all rights to your content.  I had an article published on one web site and the traffic to my blog increased about 800% the day the article came out!

Blog carnivals are a wonderful marketing tool because they exist for the sole purpose of promoting blogs.  This is how it works.  A web site or blog acts as a host for a blog carnival for a specific date.  Bloggers submit articles on a specific topic or theme dictated by whoever is hosting the carnival.  If the host likes your article they will either feature the whole article on their blog or discuss it briefly,  saying something along the lines of  "Stephanie Ann at thecheapdiva.com has an interesting article on selling stolen office property on ebay".  Either way they will include a link to your blog or the specific article mentioned.  Web sites like blogcarnival.com have a enormous listing of current blog carnivals going on covering just about every topic you can think of. 

Some high traffic blogs post comments from readers for all the world to see.  This can be great free publicity if it is done right.  Another  fashion blog posted an article on creating a successful blog.  I posted a comment to this article identifying and summing up my blog in the first sentence then briefly talking about blog carnivals, which was not mentioned in the article.  There are a few things to remember when taking this approach.  Briefly describe your blog in the first sentence and limit your description to only one sentence.  There must be a legitimate reason to mention your blog in relation to commenting on someone else's post.  In this case I had experience with blog carnivals that was relevant to the topic of the post.  If your comment includes something useful to the reader it's more likely to be published by the blog author because it doesn't sound like an annoying sales pitch for yourself.

In my experience published articles, blog carnivals and commenting on posts by other bloggers creates a quick but temporary spike in traffic to my blog.  Most blogs and a lot of web sites have a list of their favorite blogs.  For small but more consistent traffic try to get added to the favorites list of a high traffic blog or web site.  Be picky about where you ask to be added to since whoever adds your blog to their favorites list probably expects you to return the favor by adding a link to them on your blog.  If it's not a blog you can honestly recommend, then don't ask to be added to their favorites list.

Normally every week I feature a few web sites or blogs that I think my readers would enjoy.  Whenever I mention a blog I always email the author of that blog giving them a brief description of my blog (in one sentence of course), the date that it was mentioned and what it is I loved about their blog that made me want to mention it on mine.  This kind of sincere flattery has gotten me added to the favorites list of other bloggers or at least mentioned on their blog.   

Many blogs have some sort of weekly round up where they mention articles they found on the web with links to those articles.  To get featured in another blogger's weekly round up, take a look at the types of articles they mention then email the blogger, bringing their attention to the fact that you have written an article perfect for their audience then briefly describe the specific article you have written with a link to that article.  Feel free to submit the same articles to mutiple bloggers to increase your chances of getting mentioned.

Tell every man woman & child you know about your blog.  This is not the most efficient marketing technique, but eventually you are bound to come across a catalyst, someone who loves your blog so much they tell others about through their own blog or by word of mouth.  After all, when you are building traffic to your blog every reader counts.

Because readers on the internet generally have the attension span of a two year old on a sugar high, you will need to repeat any marketing techniques that work for you on a regular basis. Repeatedly getting the word out about your blog to reminds exisiting readers to come back and introduces new readers to your blog.

Save Money on Mother's Day

This Mother's Day, give mom what she really wants, a break!  Skip the knick knacks and other gifts that clutter up her home and instead save some cash by volunteering certain services, like helping her organize the basement,  clean up or cook a meal for her that she can freeze and eat later at her convenience.

A budget friendly gift would be a blank scrapbook or photo album.  You could turn it into a mother daughter project by taking that pile of photographs she hasn't touched and helping her create a scrapbook so you can enjoy the pictures and the creative process of creating a scrapbook together.

A smart way to save money is to partner up with mom.  Some business give discounts when you refer someone else to them or bring another person along when you use those services.  Take and eat businesses,  where you prepare a meal at the business location and freeze it for a later time, sometimes have special meal offers like buy one meal and get a discount on the second.  Think about the services you use or want to use and see what kind of deal they can give you.  If this isn't feasible,  you can get her a gift certificate to a beauty school, where she will get more for her money than a fancy salon.  Do mothers mind that you take such a penny pinching approach to gift giving?  Of course not, if you think I know how to stretch a buck, you should meet my mother!

Unloading Unwanted Furniture

Whether you are upgrading from the cheap off the shelf  "some assembly required" to "real" furniture, or just getting rid of something that no longer fits your taste and lifestyle, there is something liberating about getting rid of furniture.  Before kicking that painfully ugly oversized chair you inherited from a relative with less taste than you to the curb, consider your options for making money off the thing.  Ebay is one of the worst places to sell furniture in general due to the high shipping costs involved.  Unless you are selling a highly collectible piece of furniture where the shipping cost is of little concern to the buyer,  skip eBay altogether.    For the kind of almost disposable, particle board, student dorm quality furniture that has seen better days, you can wait for a neighborhood garage sale where neighbors pool their stuff together and sell everything at one person's home instead of having separate garage sales and add your stuff to the mix, or you can donate it to a thrift store.  In general,  the less the piece is worth, the less effort you should put into getting rid of it.  For good quality furniture in good condition,  say a solid wood dresser,  create a blog for free if you don't have one, on blogger and post sharp pictures of the piece from a couple of angles with the price you want to sell the piece for, the type of payment youy accept (cash is best)  and your google email address that is different from your personal address.  After this is done, post an ad on craigslist.com directing readers to your blog page.  Seeing the item before buying it allows the buyer to feel more confident that they know what they are buying.  The buyer can email you to arrange a pick up time and location for the item.  Another option is to sell the item through a furniture consignment store or post notices on college bulletin boards announcing that you have furniture to sell.  May and August are good times to sell furniture, since that's when a lot of people are moving. 

As Advertised Promotions Mislead Customers

There are two rules I live by as a Cheap Diva.  Always pay attention to numbers and always read the fine print.  With "As Advertised" promotions you have to do both.  I was looking at an  advertisement promoting skin products.  The ad mentioned two specific types of body lotion that were on sale.  Then the ad went on to list other products by the same brand in the same paragraph that featured the sale items.  I went to the store expecting to get a sale price on a body wash that was mentioned in the advertisement.  The product display showed the sale prices for the two lotions mentioned in the ad as being on sale, but all the other products had an "As Advertised" promotional tag next to them with no mention of a discount or sale price.  This made me suspicious.  I look for a sale tag next to the item I wanted and saw only the "As Advertised" tag.  I realized that the only thing "As Advertised"  means is that the item or brand was mentioned in an advertisement.  The fact that the products were  in the same advertisement and the same brand as the sale items mentioned initially gave me the misleading impression that the items I wanted were on sale.  Not feeling particularly motivated to buy this item at regular price, and not feeling particularly motivated to allow myself to be tricked by misleading advertising, I put the item back and didn't buy it.   Remember, just because an item is being promoted does not mean it is on sale.  Look for a sign that states a specific discount off the regular price.  If a sign does not have the words "sale" or "clearance" in them the store could be promoting regularly priced items in a way that gives the impression that they are on sale.

Take Charge of Your Credit Cards

The less attention you pay to your credit card bills, the more you end up paying in the long run.  Here are just a few ways not paying enough attention to your credit card can cost you.

You have always have a certain amount of time to pay off the balance every month, so when the credit card company suddenly goes from giving you 30 days to pay off the balance to 20 days you don't notice and are charged with a hefty late fee.  Always pay attention to the date the card is due and send you money in at least two weeks before the credit card bill is due.

One credit card company I used had an annoying habit of  developing amnesia when it came to dropping certain fees.  I would sign up for a certain services offered by the credit card company that cost less than $5.00 a month, try it for a while, then when I decided I didn't need this service I notified the company to cancel the service.  I made a note of the date the fee was no longer supposed to show up on my card.  Over and over again the credit card company "forgot" to remove these fees by the appropriate date so I called them with the confirmation number and cancellation date that I had been give by their customer service person when I originally canceled the service.  After a few times of going through this process I got smart and stopped signing up for anything offered by my credit card company and eventually canceled the card after it was paid off.  Check your credit card every month for any suspicious fees.

What credit card thieves lack in ethics they more than make up for in resourcefulness.  Thieves who steal your credit card information to make purchases for themselves know that buying $1,800.00 worth of stereo equipment 200 miles from you home address sets off all kinds of alarms with credit card companies not to mention the customer being ripped off.  What the smarter thieves are doing is making smaller charges under $30.00 that are less likely to get noticed by credit card companies or the customer being ripped off.  To prevent these small charges from costing you, keep all of your charge receipts for the month in an envelope or coupon organizer.  When your receive your bill take your stack of credit card receipts and one by one check them off on your credit card bill.  If you have any charges that don't match any receipt and look suspicious, contact your credit card company immediately to find out what your options are for resolving the problem.  Keep in mind that if you don't pay your credit card bill off every month you are not only paying for merchandise  someone else charged illegally, you are also paying interest on their purchase!

Shopaholics of the World Unite!

It's probably obvious from the fact that I write a style blog that I simply love shopping.  Luckily for my bank balance I enjoy window shopping as well as the kind of shopping that involves real money.  So where do I go to get my shopping fix online?  Read on and find out.

Amazon.com is great not only for the sheer volume of merchandise featured, but the fact that you can quickly compare prices from different sellers.  When I look at books I look at the Amazon price and then I look at the prices for the same book from independent sellers.  If the cost of the book plus shipping and handling is cheaper from an independent seller I go with them.  An interesting thing I have noticed on Amazon is that identical items sold from different merchants sell for different prices.  For example, Merchant A sells a clock item for $40.00.   Merchant B sells the same model of  clock by the same manufacturer for $30.00.   Merchant A really needs to pay a little more attention to the competition.

Shopstyle.com lets you shop for indiviual clothing pieces by price.  This is a real time saver for those of us who hate browsing endless items we can't afford just to find the occasional bargain priced gem.  They also act as a sort of online stylist putting  entire looks together for you.  There are sale announcements and you can keep track of things you love but aren't ready to buy with their "my stylebook" feature.  Even if you don't buy anything it's interesting to see what pieces they put togther to create their outfits.

The motto for Shefinds.com is "We shop the web so you don't have to" and this pretty much sums up this blog.  They feature several fashion related articles a day ranging from off the wall finds to the emminently wearable to fashion articles.  Of course there are the obligatory sale updates for us shopaholics who love fashion but not enough to pay full price.

Sign Up to Save Money

I have one simple criteria for giving out personal information to cashiers, retailers, or anyone else requesting personal information.  What's in it for me.  I will gladly give out my address (never my home phone number) to a few select stores like Ulta or Bed Bath & Beyond that frequently send out  advertisements with coupons to customers who have signed up for their mailing list.  I only sign up to be on a mailing list if it's a store I shop at regularly.  Getting sale notices from high priced upscale stores would only be of interest to me if I win the lottery.

Another way to get the inside scoop on sales is signing up with retailers or web sites to be notified by email of current sales.  What I like about email is that you don't have to give out a lot of personal information.  You can create a free email account with Google with very limited information, such as using only your first initial and middle name for example.  Creating an email account  just for promotional emails also prevents sale emails from cluttering up your personal email account. 

There are certain web sites that notify you of only the sales you are interested in.  Sign up for free with Shopittome.com for example, pick items that you are interested in from hundreds of well known brands and Shopittome.com will send you an email notice when those specific items go on sale.  This tailoring of sales notices to your preferences, notifying you only when the exact items you are interested in goes on sale, is a real time saver as well as a money saver.

If you don't want your personal information being given out to third parties by retailers,  look for some sort of box on the sign up form that gives you the option of not disclosing your information to third parties.  For those situations when a cashier asks for home phone or zip code with no real incentive in for me such as coupons, I politely decline simply saying I don't give out that information.  What I don't say is that their request for personal information didn't pass the what's in it for me test.

Improve you Finances While You Wait

In an instant gratification culture, waiting for anything is viewed more of a nuisance that an opportunity.   But standing in line or sitting in a waiting room for an appointment provide the perfect opportunity to take a moment to make some money savvy moves.  Here are a few suggestions for making the most of your wait.

Find useful articles on the web about money saving ideas or finances in general and print out those articles for later when you inevitably find yourself in a waiting situation.  Check out stretcher.com or bankrate.com for articles.  Keep a few articles in your purse handy so you can skip the outdated magazines in the waiting rooms of you dentist's office the next time you visit.  If you have a bunch of receipts floating around in your purse, gather them together and organize them by type, gas for example, or retailer, Walmart for example.  Now organize them by date.  When you get home put the receipts in a coupon organizer or separate envelopes.  If you need to return something it will now be easier to match the receipt to the item.

At the beginning of a movie on DVD, do the previews for other movies take as long as the movie itself or does it just seem that way?  Commercial breaks on TV are almost as bad. If you are watching TV alone and it's not a social occasion, break out those unpaid bills and start writing checks during commercials.  By the time the movie starts or TV commercial breaks finish, you should be caught up on your bills.  If you have any kind of wireless device with an internet connection, like a laptop, go online to do a little comparison shopping for rates on credit cards, checking or savings accounts.  Or check your own credit rating online.

While waiting in line at the grocery store see how many coupons in your purse match the items in your shopping cart.  Check and see that the coupons aren't expired.  You might find out a coupon is expired and decide against the item after all.  This also saves you the hassle of digging through a bunch of coupons when you are ready to pay and possibly missing one that you could have used.  When waiting in line to check out, pick a register that has a magazine rack next to it.  Skim the magazines while waiting to see if they have any article of interest.  If they do, write down the name and month of that issue so you can later look up the article online without having to buy the magazine.  Not all magazines have both print and online articles, but it's worth checking out online to save a few bucks.  A lot of magazines will pay for tips readers send in or recipes.  While you're skimming magazines, look for ones that pay for good ideas and make a note of the their web site if you would rather get the information off of the web than pay for a magazine.  The next time you find yourself in a waiting you can write down all those great tips you have so you can send them into the magazines for money.

Money is valuable, but not nearly as valuable as your time.  The next time you find yourself in a waiting situation, ask yourself, "How can I use this wait time to my advantage?"

Life in the Express Lane

As a former retail sales person I like to think of myself as something of a shopping expert. When I am in line at the checkout lane behind the inevitable “problem” customer who has managed to hold up the line and make time stand still I just think about how I would never be that shopper holding up the line. This feeling of smug superiority last just until the mortifying moment something happens to make me the much loathed clog in the machinery of the checkout express lane.

The last time this happened the cashier was ringing up a bag of apples and the barcode on the bag was not registering in the computer. The cashier flipped the bag of apples on one side then the other. The bag landed with such a hard thunking sound every time she flipped the bag I was starting to get concerned that I was about to have a bag of applesauce on my hands. I finally noticed the small plastic tie at the top of the bag had a small barcode about half the size of the barcode printed on the bag. I pointed this out to the cashier and she was able to ring the apples up before flipping them into a pulp.

So here are a few tips for the sake of your produce and your sanity to get through the checkout lane faster. Check the item for some sort of barcode. If the item does not have a tag with a barcode find an identical item or one that is as close to the item you are buying as possible with a barcode and bring it up to the register with you. Explain to the cashier that you just want to buy item A but it didn’t have a tag so you brought item B to the register so it could be rung up. One cashier was so impressed when I did this she happily pointed out my resourcefulness to her coworker. I think that’s what they mean when they refer to customer appreciation. They appreciate you making their job easier.

Know the price of the items you are buying. Sometimes a sale sign on a rack will look like it applies to the item you are buying but read the sign carefully to be sure the item described in the sale sign matches the exact item you are buying. Sometimes signs or merchandise mysteriously ends up in the wrong place. It’s never pleasant to get up to the register to find out the item you had your heart set on is not in fact 75% off.

If the item you are buying is featured in an advertisement have that advertisement with you when you get to the cash register. Watch the screen on the cash register to be sure you are paying the price you should be paying. If the price rings up incorrectly you can show the cashier the advertisement and save him or her the trouble of doing a price check.

Have coupons ready to hand the cashier before the items have been totaled out. Better yet, have your money ready to pay for your merchandise before it’s totaled up. Nothing is more annoying to people standing in line than the customer with the bewildered look on her face digging around in her purse as if it never occurred to her that she would actually have to pay for all of this stuff.

Now that you have paid for your items and gotten a receipt move on! This is not the time to balance your checkbook or rearrange your purse in a more pleasing Feng Shui manner. Step aside to take care of these personal tasks and give someone else a chance to be the clog in the machine.

The Sunny Side of Savings

Solar power can save you money in a variety of ways.  For starters, using electronic devices that draw their power from solar batteries instead of drawing power from an electric wall socket cuts down on your home's electric bill.  One of the most resourceful uses of solar power I've heard of was a homeowner who bought hanging outdoor solar lights which can be found at hardware stores or the lawn and garden section of mass retailer.  He then hung the solar powered lights in his windows during the day while he was at work.  At night when he came home he put the solar lights in frequently used rooms, never bothering to turn his house lights on.  He repeated the process of putting solar lights in the window to charge every day and dramatically reduced his electric bill.

Aspen Solar Accent Light $89.99

Solar chargers that charge batteries, mobile phones, digital cameras cut down your electric bill and/or extend the life of your batteries. Certain  types solar chargers have the added advantage of being portable enough to take along long road trips.  A fully charged MP3 player comes be a sanity saver when you are out of range of your favorite music station. 

Freeloader Portable Solar Charger $59.95

Solar powered flash lights and calculators are just two examples of solar powered electronic devices that save money by eliminating the need to buy and replace batteries all together.  Solar powered calculators can be found at office supply stores or mass retailers while hardware stores or stores that sell camping equipment are good bets for finding solar powered flash lights. 

Canon LS-85H Portable Display Calculator $13.95

The kind of money saving solar power I am interested in is the budget friendly kind that doesn't require me to  strap surfboard size sheets of metal to the side of my home.  Thanks to solar powered devices that work in my home instead of being strapped to my home, I now have a sunny disposition toward solar power.

Weekly Web Round Up

I'm tired of financial advisers giving examples of how much more money I would have if I had started setting aside more money in a interest bearing account 20 years ago.  Until I find a time machine that lets me go back and correct this problem this financial advice is useless.  For financial advice that doesn't require time travel, Real Simple magazine has a great  article Your Biggest Money Worries Solved.  They tackle common problems like overspending and debt with specific solutions and realistic advice.

For computer savvy crafty chics, designspongeonline.com has plenty of D.I.Y projects including an easy to make laptop cozy made out of felt.  For computer savvy chics who aren't crafty, there are plenty of home decor related articles including before and after pictures and city guides for checking out the design scene in your neighborhood.

You don't have to be a perfume addict to enjoy the perfume reviews at Nowsmellthis.blogharbor.com but it helps to understand the reviews a little better if you are familiar with the different notes in a perfume.  Not being a perfume addict myself, I still found the reviews and articles on perfume, scents for the home, body scents, and articles on scents from unexpected topics like environmentally friendly dish soap, fascinating.  The abundance of well written articles covering a variety of scent related topics is in part due to the fact that there are several contributors to the blog instead of just one. 

Would You Take Tax Advice from a Guy in a Dress?

News flash, the Statue of Liberty is now sporting a beard and a beer belly larger than her torch!  OK maybe it's not the real Statue of Liberty, it's actually a guy in front of a strip mall wearing a fake pointy crown with a matching aqua colored tunic over his street clothes holding a sign promoting the services of a local accounting office during tax season.  Luckily for me I already had an accountant that I was happy with so I didn't have to ponder the pros and cons of using a service that uses a guy dressed up in a Halloween costume as an advertising ploy.  I was referred to my current accountant by a friend who had so many factors, like operating a part time business in addition to her full time job, had extremely complicated taxes.  If this accountant could handle all the tax issues my friend had, I knew she could handle my taxes which aren't nearly as complicated. 

There were several things about working with my accountant that gave me confidence in her skills and willingness to go the extra mile to make sure I was going to get the maximum tax rebate possible without claiming houseplants and other people's children as dependents.  There are her years of experience to consider.  She told me that at some of the big accounting companies with several branches the people doing your taxes have only one week of training!  To paraphrase my accountant, you can't become an expert at anything in a week.  If you getting you taxes done by a large company or anyone for that matter, find out how long the individual who is actually doing your taxes has been at it.  Just because the company has been doing taxes for years doesn't mean the person doing your taxes has years of experience. 

As a home based business most of my business related travel involves fervently pacing back and forth on the carpet waiting for inspiration to strike.  In spite of this, my accountant pointed out that mileage involved in traveling to some business related classes I took would be tax deductible. My accountant also had me listing things like my electric and water bills since a portion of those might be deductible for my home based business.   In order to figure out what percentage of my home is work space verses personal space, my accountant and I measured every room with a tape measure to give her the numbers she needed.  While I admire her initiative, her suggestion to measure every room had me seriously regretting not doing a more thorough cleaning job.  I thought we were just going to sit at the kitchen table and figure out how to make me look even poorer than I am to the I.R.S.

What impressed me the most about my accountant was when she asked for a copy of my taxes done the previous year.  She wanted to see if there were any deductions I overlooked from the previous tax season.  Looking at tax records for two years for deductions makes me doubly glad I didn't hire a guy in a dress to do my taxes.   

Treasure Hunting in Thrift Stores

Thrift stores are best appreciated by shoppers who enjoy the treasure hunt aspect of the whole experience.  The key is to be able to separate the trash from the treasure.  Here are some savvy shopping tips for thrift store shopping.

Check for smells and stains.  There is no guarantee you will be able to get rid of either one of these, so it's better to hold out for clean looking odor free items.

Look for excessive amount of pills on the fabric.  This indicates the item has been worn frequently.

Look for fabrics that aren't ripped, puckered at the seams or extremely limp.  Faded or extremely limp clothing has probably been washed and worn frequently so it's better to ignore these pieces and focus on finding lesser worn items.   

Look at the care label.  If the care instructions are printed, not embroidered on the label and the label is crisp with sharp printing that shows no signs of fading this suggest that the item has probably hardly if ever been washed and worn.

The whole ick factor of wearing used shoes shouldn't prevent you from at least looking at the shoe rack.  Some shoes are donated without ever being worn.  Check for shoes that have no odor.  Also see if their shape is distorted in any way from being worn or if they look like they just came out of a shoe box.  It's a good sign if there are no signs of wear on the bottom of the shoe at all.

When looking at handbags check inside lining for tears, check the outside for scratches and rips in thematerial.  Set the bag on something flat, like a shelf or table an see the shape of the bag has been  distorted through use.

Be sure you are able to try on clothes without a dressing room.  in the summertime wear a long dress or skirt to try onl pants or skirt on under long skirt.  Or you can wear something fitted to try on things over your clothing.

Not all thrift stores accept credit cards so be prepared to pay in cash.  Happy hunting!

Save Some Dough when You Do It Yourself

When I hear the phrase Do It Yourself it conjures up images of low budget home makeover shows attacking a room with gallons of paint, a squad of carpenters and a designer with over the top made for TV taste.  I am currently taking an introductory class in interior design and what I have learned is that there are many ways to express yourself by Doing It Yourself that don't involve a power saw or perky TV  host.  If you want to turn your walls into a work of art for example, local paint store sometimes offer faux painting classes for free or for very little to their customers.  It's the same deal with hardware stores.  Check into all of the classes offered by your local hardware store and see if they offer classes for the type of projects you would like to tackle in your own home.  I should note that a lot of professional handymen and carpenters love Do It Yourselfers because a lot of their business comes from fixing the projects the Do It Yourselfers seriously messed up.  By starting off with simpler almost fool proof projects you will save yourself the cost and embarrassment of having to explain to a handyman exactly how your project turned into such a disaster.   

Because craft and fabric stores are basically ware house sized shrines for Do It Yourselfers, they often make a point of having classes geared toward decorating projects.  My personal take is that two of the most useful decorating skills you can learn are painting and sewing.  Paint, whether it's a gold stencil that adds a touch of glamour to a piece or an all over paint job, easily elevates mundane objects into something fresh and interesting.  For anyone who has gasped at the price of a $50.00 pillow or checked out the price of decent curtains, a sewing class geared toward home decor is a better investment than that $50.00 pillow.  The biggest benefit of learning a skill is that you have a much better chance of getting exactly what you want than if you tried to find something that works for you style and budget.  Whatever Do It Yourself projects you decide to tackle, I promise you that the sense of satisfaction from a job well done is even more satisfying than the money you save.

Sites that Save You Money

After a certain number of hours spent perusing the web for inspiration for The Cheap Diva blog, the web starts to look like one big virtual shopping mall to me.  With advertisements popping up all over the place and an profusion of of web sites and blogs so geared to shopping they border on being one big advertisement, it's nice to know there are places in cyberspace to go that are willing to show you how to save money instead of spending it.

The Dollar Stretcher contains countless articles submitted by readers offering advice on frugal living.  The articles cover a wide range of topics that relate to frugal living in general.  The web site doesn't feature pictures of stuff to buy, the emphasis is on a good common sense (or should I say cents?)  tips and articles.   

Bankrate.com is the perfect web site to go to when you are ready to tackle the most tedious aspects of personal finance.  When I say tedious I mean thing like understanding what a CD is, learning about refinancing a mortgage and comparing interest rates from banks.  After getting a better handle how to manage your money you can tackle the more fun aspects of personal finance, like getting a great deal on cute shoes.

Savingadvice.com is a personal finance web site designed to show you how to save money.  Because the emphasis is on one part of money savvy living, saving money, it's not as overwhelming as a web site that covers a dizzying number of topics.  Sometimes having less information to click through and search for is a time saving blessing. 

Credit Cards offer a Rewarding Experience

The only thing better than getting a good deal on a purchase is being rewarded for getting that good deal.  Many credit cards offer some sort of rewards program.  A rewards program with no fees attached to it can be a sweet deal for credit card holders who pay off their bill every month.  Rewards may come in the form of travel points for airline tickets, discounts and special promotions with select business affiliated with the credit card company or a cash back credit that is deducted from your bill.  Cash back or credit on your credit card bill are the best rewards. Who couldn’t use a little cash?

Credit card companies partner up with various business to offer special discounts to their credit card customers.  A list of current promotions might be included with your monthly credit card bill so read you paperwork before tossing anything out that looks like junk mail.  These promotions are constantly changing so pay attention to expiratation dates for any promotional offer.  My most satisfying rewards purchase ever was a desk that I got 5% back on by buying through a certain retailer.  When the 5% was credited to my account I applied my cash back rewards towards the price of the desk to cover the cost.  In other words I got 5% back off of the regular retail price of a desk that I essentially got for free because of the cash back credit paid for the entire cost of the desk.

Certain promotions are good for specific types of purchases like gas.  These promotions don't limit you to purchasing from a specific company, as long as the purchase falls under a certain category.  The offer might be something along the lines of  getting 5% cash back instead of the usual 1% for a limited period of time. If keeping track of what credit card is offering the best deal on gas this month sounds like a hassle, simply attach a small post it note, that can be removed when swiping the card, to the credit card with a note that reads “Gas” and the date the promotional offer expires.

As far as I'm concerned, airline miles offered by credit cards are a one way ticket to stress city   A well traveled friend of mine went to cash in her airline miles for a plane ticket.  First she read all the micro print from the credit card company about restrictions, then when she called the airlines she got the run around from their voice mail systen and after finally making contact with an actual human, was informed that she couldn't use the airline miles.  She called again and talked to someone else who gave her different information and she was able to apply her airline miles.  She was lucky, imagine what would have happened if the airline associated with the credit card goes out of business before you get to take a trip or if the credit card company cancelled the airline miles rewards program?

Credit card companies like to play a numbers game on customers with reward points instead of cash amounts to impress customers into thinking they are reaping tremendous benefits.   The company will offer the new credit card customer a high number like a thousand points for signing up for a new card with them. If 100 points equals one dollar then 1,000 points translates into $10.00 cash back. Ten bucks doesn’t sound nearly as impressive as 1,000 points does it?

Whatever rewards program you take advantage of just be sure to take advantage of it in a timely manner.  Rewards programs can change terms at any time so don’t wait forever.   The only time to avoid taking advantage of rewards programs and pay with a check or cash instead is if using a credit card involves a processing fee.  For example, if paying for utilities, car registration etc. is going to cost me $4.00 in handling fees and I my cash back rewards for that expense would have been 25 cents then I will pay with a check and save my credit card for more rewarding opportunities.

eBay University Offers Lessons in Commerce

For anyone looking to demystify the whole process of selling on eBay, skip the classes and books that promise to show you how to make a million on eBay with your garage sale rejects, and instead take advantage of the free tutorials offered by eBay and their eBay University program.  On the eBay homepage in the upper right hand corner click on the button that says SELL.  When the drop down menu comes up, click on the Getting Started title.  At this point an entire page listing various topics related to selling on eBay pops up.  I found the How to Sell Tour brief and informative for novice eBayers, offering useful tips without hype.  There are plenty of video tutorials accompanied by a narrator ranging in length from a few minutes to an hour.  In addition to the tutorials on the basics of selling I strongly suggest taking the tutorials on using photographs with eBay.  Many times I have refused to bid on an item I was interested in because the grainy or poorly lit pictures made it impossible to tell if there were flaws that weren't showing up in the picture.   For collectors condition and rarity are the driving factors behind how much we are willing to spend.  Even if you only sell occassionally on eBay, this free education on the phenomenon that is eBay is worth the time.

The Benefits of Multiple Credit Cards

Using multiple credit cards does more than make it easy to spend your money, they also make it easy to get a clearer picture of where your money is going.  To keep track of your spending, use two or three widely recognized credit cards like Visa, Mastercard or Discover and assign different expenses to different credit cards.  For example, putting only media related expenses like magazine subscriptions, DVD's, cable, internet, music downloads etc. on one credit card shows you how much of your income is going towards entertainment.   

If someone steals your credit card information to make purchases, assigning different credit cards to different expenses helps to dentify where the problem probably occurred. If the credit card that was used illegally was one you used only in restaurants for example, you will know after reporting the incident to your credit card company to start eating at a different restaurants or pay cash if dining at a place that probably stole your credit card information is far less painful than doing your own cooking.  Another way to assign different categories to different credit cards would be to use one credit  card for online purchases and a separate credit card for brick and mortal stores

If you have a part time business such as a Mary Kay franchise, don't combine business related expenses such as the costs of buying products, promotional materials postage etc. with your personal expenses.  Have one credit card strictly for business.  To get an idea of how much money you are really making from your business, add up your sales for the month then deduct your monthly credit card charges from your sales.  If a part time business earns enough income to be reported for taxes, then having one credit card used solely for business expenses makes it easier to identify and report those expenses when doing your taxes.   

For all those financial advisers who insist everyone keep one credit card for emergencies and put the rest through the shredder, I would like to point out that no one credit card is accepted everywhere so having different major cards increase chances that one of them will be accepted.

Understanding the True Cost of Things

Sometimes sticker shock sets in after a purchase is made when the price tag doesn't reflect the true cost of an item.  What initially looks like a bargain might ultimately turn into an expensive mistake.  To spare yourself from post purchase sticker shock ask yourself a few key questions before making that purchase.

What are the immediate costs for the item?  Are there shipping or handling fees involved or tax to consider?  Free shipping may be available only on certain items.  Amazon.com for example, offers free shipping for many orders over $25.00 but this offer does not necessarily include items sold by third party merchants who are selling their wares through amazon.com. Also be aware that online merchants charge tax just like brick and mortar stores do.

Does it come with everything you need?  A frugal friend of mine thought she was getting a great deal on a laptop only to find out after she bought it that it didn't include commonly used programs like Word that are already programed into more expensive computers.  Buying  these programs brought her total cost up to the price of basic "non-bargain" laptop.  Electronic items are notorious for needing batteries and an assortment of accessories.  Do some research before whipping out your wallet.

What is the cost of maintaining the item?  Is it a piece of equipment that will require routine maintenance and replacement of parts?  Can the item be cleaned and maintained or will it have to be completly replaced once it is damaged or wears out?  I once saw a care label in an evening dress that said "Do not hand wash, machine wash or dry clean".  This dress was essentially designed to be worn only once then disposed of which is obviously a lot more expensive than the cost of a dress than has to be dry cleaned but can be worn again. 

What is the total cost of the item after it is completely paid for?  When you think of credit card debt in the abstract sense  and don't think in terms of exactly how much individual items are really costing it's easier to delude yourself into thinking that you are getting a better deal than you really are.  For example, if  a $30.00 sale priced blouse is put on a credit card that charges 14% interest monthly and the charge for that one blouse stays on that credit card and doesn't get paid off for a year, after a year of paying 14% interest the actual cost for that blouse is $50.40. 

Buying smart means paying attention to the real cost of things so you don't end up paying more than you should.

Make an Appointment to Make the Most of Your Money

Ann Taintor 2008 Wall Calendar for $10.36

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Want to make the most of your money?  Make an appointment.  Write down money savvy strategies in your calendar and the specific date those strategies will be put into action.  It's easy and unlike other appointments you are actually getting paid for your time.

Some appointments will blend in seemlessly with your errands.  For example, If you stock up at Walmart a certain day each week, make a note in your calendar or day planner to buy energy efficient light bulbs or power strips that lower your energy bill while your there. 
Another errand friendly appointment would be to look at your errands and see if any of them are near an ATM machine owned by your bank and make a point of stopping by your bank ATM instead of an ATM machine that charges a fee.

For certain task like looking into higher interest checking accounts or retirement options, it's better to block out a chunk of time, at least an hour, and note the date and time for that task on your calendar just like you would any other appointment.  Bankrate.com is a wonderful time saving resource for comparing online banks.

Cleaning out cluttered rooms for the purpose of selling or donating items for a tax deduction can be save for a weekend project or broken down into short chunks of time noted on your calendar.  Whatever your financial goals are, setting aside specific times to work on money savvy strategies increase the odds of reaching those goals.

Buying Mutiples Saves Money on Gifts

Sure it's supposed to be the thought that counts, but when it comes to gifts why not put as much thought into getting the best deal as you do for the gift itself? Buying in multiples is one way to save money on gift giving.

This Sephora Brand Metallic Bronze Bag Collection $20.00, can easily be broken up to give up to four glamour gals on your gift list their own bag.  At $5.00 a bag you have enough money left over to fill each one with beauty bargains chosen especially for the lucky gals on your list.

Keep an eye open for sets that can easily be broken up.  Yankee candle often has collections of three scented jar candles that are a better deal than if you would have bought the candles individually.  Sets of clear or plain white glass or ceramic bowls with lids that can be used in the microwave, oven, and are also freezer safe can be separated/divided and filled with different kinds of nonperishable food for different recipients.  Chips and gourmet dip could fill a large bowl for one person, spiced nuts or other snacks for smaller bowls for other people on your gift list.  These multitasking bowls filled with food also make perfect housewarming gifts.

Buying in quantity is another way to get a better deal on gifts.  I once took advantage of the quantity discount a retailer offered when I was buying several votive candles.  I selected candles that smelled like cookies and other yummy baked goods then I put the candles in a cookie tin to carry out the sweet treats theme. 

Small quantities can offer great deals to.  I like to fill little gift bags for friends with a variety of goodies bought on the cheap.  One of my best deals was a buy one get one free offers for body lotions from Bath and Body Works.  I knew my friend loved their lotions so I bought one bottle of her and got a free one for myself .  When you get better deals it suddenly becomes possible to add yourself to your gift list.

Making Money from Magazines

Figuring out the answer to questions like how can I do everyday tasks faster, cheaper or with less effort requires a kind of resourcefulness that becomes second nature to anyone without access to a personal assistant.  This kind of everyday problem solving is usually accomplished without any thought about getting paid for it.  But with a little time and research you can cash in on your ingenuity.

Magazines such as some women’s magazines, will pay for your helpful hints and problem solving ideas. To find out which magazine pay good money for good ideas, visit a local library with a large magazine selection. Start browsing through various magazines to see if they have a tips page. Take note of the kind of tips featured in the magazine and the guidelines for sending tips in. Some magazines that feature tips from readers don’t pay money for them so be sure that they do pay for any featured tips before sending any in.

When you get home prioritize the list of magazines that pay for tips based on how much they pay. Now write down your best time saving and money saving ideas in brief paragraphs. Pick what you feel are you strongest tips and send in the top five tips to the magazine that pays the most. Send another set of five tips to the second magazine on your list and repeat this process for three to five magazines. Keep track of which tips got sent to which magazines. If one magazine doesn’t use you tip you can always send it to another one.

If you have a talent for creating recipes that your family and friends devour like they’ve never eaten before, cong