The Cheap Diva

Shopping the After Christmas Sales

Any serious shopper knows that the Christmas shopping frenzy doesn't stop Christmas day. After Christmas sales bring out the bargain hunters in droves. Here are some tips for getting the most out of after Christmas sales.

• Know exactly what you want ahead of time and know that shopping for certain items is a waste of time. The best Christmas cards and prettiest wrapping paper was snapped up before Christmas, so don't bother looking for these items at department stores. Although you may have some luck at dollar stores.
• The cutest clothes in the most popular styles probably sold out before Christmas. Your best bet for getting the most attractive pieces at the best price is to hope someone returned that item or that the item you coveted is still available at the retailers online stores.
• It only looks like the entire population is at the mall returning items the day after Christmas. Some people wait days, even weeks to return unwanted gifts. Shop your favorite stores frequently after Christmas to increase your chances of snapping up coveted items that have been returned.
• Certain one size fits all items like scarves and gloves are easy to find in abundance because retailers stock up on them for the holiday season. Think of affordable items that are often bought as gifts, such as gift baskets filled with scented body lotions and beauty products or even food items like candy, and shop for those.
• Pay cash. Those "bargains" can add up fast and leave you with a high credit card bill. Go shopping with a specific amount of cash on hand. When you run out of cash you are done shopping, period.
• The weekend after Christmas is no time to shop if you are in a hurry. Between the hoards of bargain hunters shopping and the hoards of people returning items, time will stand still as you wait in line to get rung up by the cashier. Deal with it. Bring along a book of Sudoku puzzles to work on, charge up your smart phone and go ahead and start on that great American novel you have been meaning to write. Whatever you do, don't complain, be happy about all of the bargains you found!

How to Get a Refund for Online Purchases

Need to get a refund for something you bought online? To reduce your chances of of getting ripped off or stuck with a purchase you don't want just follow these simple guidelines.

• ALWAYS READ AND UNDERSTAND THE RETURN POLICY BEFORE BUYING. Having worked in the returns department for an online retailer that sells women's clothing I can tell you that the number 1 mistake shoppers make is that they don't read the return policy! Certain item such as panties and wigs may be nonreturnable due to health regulations. Some items may be final sale items because they are on clearance or for other reasons. 
• ALWAYS RETURN ITEMS WITHIN A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME. If the return policy says there is a 30 day limit you might get away with returning it on day 31, but retailers often refuse returns when you try to return things weeks or months past their time limit.
• SHOP WITH THE SAME SELLERS CONSISTENTLY. If you have a problem with an item the retailer can look up your  buying history and see that you are a good customer that has repeatedly bought from them without incident and you don't have a suspicious history of repeatedly claiming that you never received your packages or that everything you buy is supposedly defective.
• IF YOU SHIP A PACKAGE TO RETURN AN ITEM TO A COMPANY ALWAYS KEEP YOUR SHIPPING TRACKING NUMBER. If there is a shipping problem and the company does not get the package the shipping tracking number proves that you did send the package to them. If the company has no package and no proof you sent a package to them they probably won't give you your money back.
• ALWAYS USE A CREDIT CARD OR PAYPAL, NOT A DEBIT CARD. I recently ordered some DVDs through eBay and never received them. I contacted eBay and got a full refund. I believe I got a refund partly because I paid through Paypal. The fact that the seller did not provide a tracking number when  asked to verify the package was sent and I have purchased many items on eBay without incident may have also worked in my favor. 
• ALWAYS RETURN ITEMS IN THE CONDITION YOU RECEIVED THEM. Trying on a piece of clothing for a few minutes to check for fit is usually fine as long as you don't leave makeup or deoderant stains on the item (provided it's not a final sale item). The retailer wants items back in a condition that allows them to be resold to another customer. So handle with care when you are checking out your new purchase.

To learn how to live better for less, pick up a copy of  The Cheap Diva's Guide to Frugal and Fabulous Living: How to Shop Smart, Look Your Best, Decorate with Style, and Have Fun for Less Money!  You can buy Kindle version for only $2.99 and start living like a cheap diva today!

Stay Warm and Save Money this Winter

Thanks to unseasonably warm weather, my heating bills are ridiculously low. As good as it feels to get heating bills smaller than a car payment, I am still taking measures to save money on my energy costs this winter. Here are some of my favorite strategies for saving money on heating.

• There is no reason to keep your home toasty warm while you are out at work all day. Turn down the thermostat by 3 to 5 degrees when you are going to be gone for extended periods of time.
• Invest in a decent space heater. If you know you are going to spend a lot of time in one room, say working on the computer in the home office or embracing your inner couch potato with a TV marathon, use the space heater to keep that room a little warmer than the other spaces in your home.
• Block drafts with old worn out towels. Roll up a towel lengthwise and lay it up against doors that connect to the cold outdoors. Do the same for any windows that are so drafty you can feel the cold seeping in where the window meets the bottom window sill.
• Keep your winter coat on indoors. Just kidding! Dress in layers. Leggings under stretchy pants, a turtleneck under a long sleeve shirt etc., will help retain body heat and help you feel warmer.
• Keep blankets and throws near places you like to camp out, like your favorite reading spot. A stylish throw that looks good enough to leave out does double duty as home décor.
• Get moving. Pop an exercise DVD into the player to heat up your body and keep the calories from holiday goodies from going straight to your hips. Simply walking up and down indoor stairs is also a fast and easy form of exercise.

 

 

 

Save Money on Holiday Trimmings

After strategizing to hit the sales to save money on Christmas gifts, it's shocking to get hit with a high credit card bill at the end of the holiday season. What often happens is that in the mad dash to save money on gifts it's easy to overlook all the other expenses that add up over the holiday season, like trimmings and home décor. To avoid sticker shock when the credit card bill comes, it pays to pay close attention to saving money on holiday trimmings. Here are a few tips to save money this holiday season.

• Look for cheap holiday cards at unexpected places like dollar stores and used book stores such as Half Price Books. Dollar stores are also terrific places to shop for gift accessories like gift bags, tissue paper and containers for gifts.
• It's easy to put together a personalized gift basket filled with goodies hand picked for that special someone. What's not always easy is finding budget friendly baskets. A good place to find super cheap baskets and containers is your local thrift store. A thrift store is typically cheaper than your local hobby and craft store. If the thrift store doesn't have what you need, hobby and craft stores a great place to find a variety of containers, just wait for a sale or coupon to bring the price down.
• Discount stores like Gordman's, Home Goods as well as bargain oriented stores like Walmart are great places to shop for holiday home décor, tableware and more.
• If shopping in brick and mortal store appeals to you about as much as drinking expired egg nog, there is always eBay. On eBay you can shop by category and by lowest price. Shopping on eBay is cheap and efficient since the sell everything and anything you could possibly need for the holiday season.

 

 

Black Friday is a Bad Time to Shop

The Saturday before Black Friday I hit the shopping mall with a friend to buy gifts. She needed a specific pair of pants in a certain size and I needed a certain top in a specific size. After scouring the store she ended up with the very last pair of pants in the size she needed and I got the very last top in the size I needed. Had we waited until Black Friday I'm sure both of these items would have been gone. Finding the exact size of gift before it sells out is just one of the reasons I refuse to shop on Black Friday.

Black Friday creates a false sense of urgency, as if the stores will never have a sale again or the items you want will disappear before you have a chance to buy them.  This kind of competitive shopping atmosphere leads to news stories showing shoppers stampeding into stores and trampling innocent bystanders, sometimes to death. I love a great deal but I won't risk my life for one. It's the holiday season people, stores will have nothing but sales going on through New Years!

Instead of getting up at the crack of dawn and joining the shopping stampede on Friday, shop from the comfort on home on your computer. By avoiding the high pressure environment of a retail store you can take your time with your purchases and seriously consider which ones are worth buying.

Hitting the shopping malls on Black Friday can lead to buying too many boring assembly line gifts. Instead of buying the same items everyone else is buying, consider shopping at small independent stores that carry hand crafted merchandise, like Ten Thousand Villages. Instead of hitting the mall, hit the kitchen and bake up some goodies to put in jars or cookie tins to give away. Or find a grocery store with a good bakery section and stock up on goodies to give. For the person who has everything and then some, you could donate some money to one of their favorite charities or buy them tickets to an event you know they would enjoy.

The best way to handle Black Friday is to sleep in, develop a personalized shopping strategy that fits your schedule and your budget so you can relax and focus on having fun this holiday season.

 

 

Spend Smarter and Avoid Debt this Holiday Season

When I drive by a local shopping mall I can tell the chaos of the holiday shopping season has started before the famous "Black Friday" sales. Between credit cards allowing you to spend far more than is in your band and stores constantly bombarding shoppers with fresh sales it's too easy to go broke or worse, get into the kind debt that lasts long after all the holiday season is over. You can enjoy the holiday season without going broke if you follow these simple money saving strategies.

Spend cash. If you have to put something on a credit card because you don't have the money you can't afford it. If money is tight look for areas to cut your spending. For example, if you entertain over the holidays, have a cookie exchange or some other type of potluck occassion that encourages guest to provide food so all you have to provide is beverages.  

Pay attention to how much you are buying when you shop. One of my greatest shopping weaknesses is Walmart. I go into Walmart looking for specific items, like a cheap throw blanket and suddenly I am buying sweat pants and other items that I didn't intend to buy. The good news is that because I am paying cash I don't buy all the stuff I am tempted to buy, only the stuff I have the money for.

Because every dollar counts, it makes sense to visit dollar stores for gift related items like Christmas cards, gift bags and tissue paper. You can also find holiday cards in unexpected places like discount stores such as Half Price Books.

Use what you have. Create holiday decorations out of items around your home.  Make holiday displays using the holiday cards you receive,  fill a clear bowl with ball shaped tree ornaments, and fill large clear jars with candy. If you have any baking skill you can bake up batches of home made cookies, put them in cheap containers like cookie tins to give out as gifts.

For more money saving ideas check out The Cheap Diva's Guide to Frugal and Fabulous Living: How to Shop Smart, Look Your Best, Decorate with Style, and Have Fun for Less Money! 

Shop, Save and Snack at Holiday Open Houses

Avoid the insanity of the shopping mall and opt for a more civilized and entertaining was to shop this holiday season with your local Holiday Open House events, A traditional Holiday Open House event at local retail stores often feature festive holiday decorating, sales and specials, yummy snacks and sometimes drawings and other promotions. Sometimes the event is limited to an independent store and sometimes entire groups of stores in the same location get in on the act.

My favorite Holiday Open House is the one held every year at Mission Road Antique Mall. The entrance is decorated beautifully in all kind of wonderful sparkly holiday decorations, holiday music plays in the background, and several vendors set out plates of free cookies and candies. There are probably some sales and specials going on but I'm usually too busy scoping out the snacks and taking in the inspiring decorations to notice.

At Brookside's Holiday Season Opener participating stores get create their own unique brand of specials and holiday themed promotions. Not to be outdone, Park Place has their own holiday themed event complete with horse drawn carriages and carolers November 14. Many open house events are happening this weekend, so don't delay, get into the holiday shopping spirit today!

Go on a Treasure Hunt to Find Clutter Worth Some Cash

Finding cash generating clutter hidden inside the dark recesses of your home can be as easy as going on a treasure hunt!  I recently went on a treasure hunt and was surprised by the sellable items hidden away in boxes and in the back of my closets. Once I dug out various items from closets and drawers worth selling I started strategizing about the smartest ways to cash in on my new found "treasures".

Simply decluttering your home often means just getting rid of stuff through selling it, donating it or throwing it out or putting it away. The difference between a treasure hunt and plain old decluttering is that you are only looking for items to sell for money. The first step in going on a treasure hunt is to separate the trash from the treasure. A treasure hunt through your closet for example, would mean ignoring the Walmart brand polyester blend clothing and searching for vintage pieces, designer clothing and accessories or at the very least well made pieces in great shape that don't look dated or scream "fashion victim". 

The thrill of a treasure hunt is the joy of finding long forgotten items that may have been hidden away for years that have the potential to generate cold hard cash today. After some serious digging through boxes tucked away in closets and cabinets I was lucky enough to unearth a beautiful crystal vase that has been packed away and not seen the light of day for years. As lovely as it looks, if I put it on display in my home it would be just another thing to dust. Housework is not a favorite pastime so I am selling it through a consignment store that sells home décor items.

Part of the fun of a treasure hunt is discovering unexpected items that the right buyer would value. While hunting through the far corners of a closet I stumbled across a naked female mannequin mooning me!  I bought it long ago with the intention of using it for home décor to displaying clothing on it in but realized the effect of the dressed mannequin was more fashion victim than fabulous home décor. I am betting some clothing consignment store will be happy to buy a perfectly good mannequin and I will be happy to free up some closet space for stuff I actually use.

At the end of my treasure hunt I ended up with two categories of items, home décor and fashion. My next step is to find one consignment store for clothing and a different store for home décor. Before driving all over town with treasures bouncing around in your trunk check out the web sites for the consignment stores you intend to sell to for information on items they accept and their selling process. If you have any questions it's a good idea to call ahead of time and save yourself a trip. Reading business reviews on yelp.com to see if there are complaints about not getting a fair price for items sold or if the store is getting good feedback is also helpful.

Save More Money at Target and Other Stores

Attention shoppers, Elle Décor magazine's web site recently featured an article called 13 Tricks That Can Help You Save Money At Target! The list includes everything from obvious tricks like asking for a rain check if a sale item is out of stock to unexpected tricks like combining a Target coupon with a manufacturers coupon. This article is a must read for all of us who love shopping at target. Threshold Flannel Sheet Set pictured.         

Here are a few of my own shopping tips for saving money at any store.

• Shop the day after Halloween for candy and Halloween décor. The candy can go in the freezer to be saved for another time and the décor can be saved for next year.
• Just because that clearance item is out stock in your size in store does not mean it's out of stock online. Take note of the brand and size of the item you need and look for that clearance item online if you can't find it in store.
• Visit the store's web site or sign up for a mailing list to stay current on new specials and deals.
• Shop your favorite stores often. The more familiar you become with their merchandise and how often they do markdowns the greater chance you will score deals on things you want.
• Pay attention to coupons attached to the packaging. Some items, such as food items, may have coupons attached that you can use in store right away.
• Learn the location of clearance items. For some stores clearance items are located on end caps at the end of the aisles. For other stores clearance is hidden in the far corners of the store turning shopping into a real treasure hunt.

Be Money Savvy with Women and Money Workshops

When I saw the flier for the Women & Money workshop at my local library my first thought was "What's the catch?".  Many financial presentations and "workshops" are nothing more than thinly veiled sales pitches for financial services. To separate the financial hype from helpful seminars and workshops you need to be a bit of a detective and ask a the important questions.

The first question I ask is how long is the event? I once attended an free financial workshop that lasted over 4 hours and where the speaker loved to tell personal anecdotes that offered nothing in the way of useful advice. After the event I estimated that if the speaker had eliminated all those lengthy personal stories the event could easily have been cut down to 2 hours! Ever since that endless financial presentation I refuse to attend any financial workshop over 2 hours.

Another good question to ask before attending any type of financial workshop or class is does the workshop take a realistic approach to addressing financial issues or are they promising some sort of instant solution  to financial challenges such as magically growing your money overnight or instantly make debt disappear? The only way I know to dramatically grow my money overnight and eliminate major debt is to win the lottery. A workshop focused on realistic and actionable advice is sure to pay off better than workshops filled with over hyped promises of instant solutions every time.

What specific topics are included in the workshop? If you are not interested in taking out a loan any time soon then a presentation on mortgages and borrowing is a waist of your valuable time. On the other hand if you are determined to solve the mystery of why all your money magically disappears between paychecks in spite of frugal spending habits, the workshop on budgeting and financial goals may be for you.

Is the workshop or presentation associated with an organization you trust and respect? The Women & Money workshop is being held at my local library. I love my local library and I trust that they host events like this as a public service and would not want to be associated with questionable financial gurus offering miracle cures for financial ills.

I visited the Women &  Money web site with these tough questions in mind and was so impressed by what I saw I decided to attend one of their workshops. The Women & Money event is sponsored by Housing and Credit Counseling Inc. so obviously they know a thing or two about money. There are different workshops focusing on different topics ranging from credit reports to budgeting, investing and life planning. This gives you the option of attending only the free workshops that address your specific financial needs.  For financial workshops in your area check out your local library, local business magazines or organizations that you know and trust.

Be More Adventurous on a Budget

Media images of dare devils skydiving out of airplanes, adrenalin junkies risking serious injury in extreme sports or action heroes dodging bullets are so common it's easy to get brainwashed into believing that unless you are risking life and limb you are the world's most boring human with no sense of adventure. The good news it that you can be a little more adventurous and break out of a boring rut with breaking a bone. My definition of adventure is trying new things and being open to new discoveries and the possibility of embracing an experience that is unfamiliar. Approaching adventure as simply something different from you normal routine opens up a world of  possibilities. Here are a few suggestion for being more adventurous without going broke.

• Take the path less traveled, literally. I recently went to the park and noticed a walking trail along the edge of the park hidden by trees. I can't remember when I had ever taken this trail instead of my usual route. On impulse I decided to walk the unfamiliar route just to see where it leads. It eventually lead back to the park of course, but it was fun to take a fresh approach to visiting my favorite park. Mix up your walking or driving route once in a while and see something new.
• Embrace other cultures, especially if food is involved! Local festivals are a frugal way to explore the sights and sounds of other cultures (like India Fest 2015 pictured here). Cultural festivals offer a multisensory experience allowing you to discover the colors and patterns associated with various cultures, listening to native music, tasting authentic food and touching the products that are for sale.
• Meet new people for the purpose of learning and engaging in activities you find interesting. Let a popular website like meetup.com introduce you to a wide variety of  activities and people. If you feel stuck in a rut, getting together with interesting people and sharing ideas and experiences can help you learn how to take a fresh approach to both personal and professional interests.
• Get off the couch and plan a trip close to home. A short staycation or day trip focused on destinations within reasonable driving distances are a fun and cheap way to rediscover some of the great attractions in your own back yard. Check tourist and travel web sites for inspiration or imagine if you had guests visiting from out of town. Where would you take them to have fun?

Stop Package Pirates with Smart Shipping Strategies

One of the problems with buying things online is the all too common threat of "porch pirates" stealing  packages right off your entryway before you have a chance to pick up your package. You can call these thieves "porch pirates" or "package pirates", I just call them greedy and heartless. Luckily there are strategies that can prevent package pirates from stealing your delivered packages.

• Have the package delivered to an address where theft is not likely to be an issue. If your boss doesn't mind, you can have packages delivered to your place of work. I wouldn't recommend this if the package contains something potentially embarrassing like trashy lingerie or a book on dealing with difficult bosses and coworkers.
• Rent a mailbox at a business like Mailboxes and More. If you ship and receive lots of packages consider renting a mailbox from a business other than the Post Office. The Post Office is direct competition for other mailing services, so some of those services may refuse to ship to a Post Office box.
• When you purchase an item online choose the shipping option that requires a signature.  Chances are your neighborhood porch pirate does not want your package badly enough to sign for it and have the driver being able to identify them to the police if you file a report for your stolen package.
• If most of your parcels are small and your really want to piss of the infamous porch pirates, invest in a theft resistant mailbox that includes a locked compartment especially designed for small packages like this Mail Boss 7506 Mail Manager Locking Security Mailbox, Black.

How To Make Money Work In A Marriage

Money issues can wreak havoc on a marriage, according to Dr. Malec, author of the book “Marriage in Modern Life: Why  It Works, When It Works” (www.drannemalec.com). She offers the constructive  solutions for marital money stressors that are featured here.

The No. 1 predictor of divorce is money, according to a study from Kansas State University. More specifically, researchers say that arguing about money,  especially early in a relationship, is the best predictor of divorce – despite a  couple’s economic bracket.

“As with sex, for example, arguments about money are  probably connected to deeper, underlying issues, such as trust, self-esteem,  identity, etc.,” says Dr. Anne Brennan Malec, a clinical psychologist and  marriage and family therapist with a background in accounting and  business.

“Like most other areas of conflict, frequent communication  and formulating a plan for how to address the financial situation allows many,  if not most, issues to be adequately and respectfully resolved.”

•  Be partners in your common cause.   When one partner carries most of the financial burden, it can thrust that   partner into an almost parental role over the other. This is a form   of asymmetry that can affect other areas of the relationship and erode a   marriage, creating resentment by each partner for different reasons. Whether   or not you make roughly the same amount of money as your spouse – or none at   all because you’re a stay-at-home parent – stay involved in the   goings on of your household’s finances. Understand what you can and cannot   afford as a family. Communication is crucial. Discuss your feelings about   money and how both of you contribute to the overall well-being of your family. 

•  Avoid financial infidelity. Every   couple has to determine how their joint and individual expenses will be   shared. Account for the necessities, from rent or mortgage to groceries and   more. Account for all of your typical expenses, which may include date night   and individual interests or hobbies. Respect individual interests – whether or   not they are reasonable expenses, understand that they are important to your   partner and may help the relationship. If one shops too much or spends too   much on cars, find a way to compromise. Having an agreed-upon monthly budget   helps minimize financial tension, and to spend more requires a good   explanation. 

•  Be open to money issues beyond the   marriage. Most adults have some degree of debt because of a college   loan, child support, a medical history or a host of other reasons. Ideally,   you will have discussed and come to terms with a spouse’s debt before   marriage. Also, consider the potential upsides to having a prenuptial   agreement, especially when one or both of you come to the marriage with   significant assets or debts, or when children are involved. 

•  Have annual discussions about a spouse’s   stay-at-home status. There are many good reasons for a mother or a   father to stay home and raise children, but you should revisit this decision   once a year to determine if it still works for the family. The spouse who   chooses to stay at home should make him or herself fully aware of the   potential risk of doing so. Can you afford a one-income household? Will the   stay-at-home spouse be able to re-enter the workforce? Will you be fulfilled   at home? These are valid questions to seriously consider each  year. 

Dr. Anne Brennan Malec (www.drannemalec.com) is the founder and  managing partner of Symmetry Counseling (www.symmetrycounseling.com), a group  counseling, coaching and psychotherapy practice in Chicago.  

 

 

 

 

3 Great Reasons to Keep Your Receipts

I am such a fan of hanging on to my receipts for clothing and household goods that I keep my receipts organized in a small file folder arranged alphabetically by retailer. I can think of 3 great reasons to hang onto your receipts.

• The obvious reason for keeping receipts is in case you decide to return the item and you need a receipt to get your money back. If you don't have a receipt showing exactly what you paid you might get a refund or store credit for the current selling price which may be less than what you paid for it.
• Sometimes the items you buy get left at the store. This has happened to me more than once at the grocery store. In one situation the cashier didn't bag an item and in another situation the cashier left a small bag of items at the register instead of putting it in my shopping cart. In both situations I returned to the grocery store and was able to collect my items from the customer service desk. In the case of bag of items left at the store I didn't remember all the items I had bought, but because I had my receipt I was able to retrieve all of the items I had paid for.
• Receipts can be an effective budgeting tool. If you wonder where your money goes every month you can collect your receipts for all of your bills at the end of the month and identify exactly where your money is going and exactly which areas you could spend less so you have more money to put in the bank.

Shop Smart and Stop Buying Magazines

I was shocked and disappointed when I got a notice in the mail that one of my favorite magazines, Shop Smart, is being discontinued. The parent company of Shop Smart magazine will substitute copies of Consumer Reports for the remainder of my subscription. I hate when publishing companies drop one magazine then instead of giving me a refund for the remainder of my subscription they substitute a magazine I never had any interest in subscribing to for the discontinued magazine. This isn't the first time I have had a beloved magazine go belly up on me.

So what do you do when you love magazines but you are reluctant to pay good money for a magazine that may not be around next month? For starters you can cut down the number of magazines you subscribe to, focusing on your absolute favorites and cancelling the rest. In recent years I have cancelled several magazine subscriptions and now I only subscribe to a handful of favorite magazines. Buying fewer magazines not only saves me money it saves me the hassle of trying to get a refund when a magazine I subscribe to goes under.

Never buy a magazine subscription for more than a year. No matter how good of a deal it is to buy a two or three year subscription, at the rate magazines go under, one year is the maximum subscription length I am willing to pay for. If you are on the fence about subscribing for even a year, instead of buying a magazine subscription, buy one issue at a time from a mass retailer when you are out shopping. When I did this I realized that I didn't care enough about the content of the magazine I had subscribed to buy the magazine one at a time or at all for than matter. I was renewing my subscription more out of habit than any real interest in the content.

There are plenty of ways to read your favorite type of content for free. If you love the feeling of a "real" printed on paper magazine, you can always read magazines at your local library. Many magazines make their pictures and articles available online for free so check out their web site. Much of the basic information you find in your favorite magazines can be found online in one form or another. In the case of Shop Smart, I can use a search engine to find product reviews of items I am thinking of buying by simply typing in the name of the product and the word "review". I love print magazines and I hope they are around forever, I've just gotten smarter about how I enjoy my magazines.

 

Pay Down Credit Card Debt the Smart Way

If I had a dollar for every "debt erasing" offer I get from credit card companies I could pay all my bills and have money left over. I hate these deceptive credit card come ons because they create the illusion that the credit card company is helping you pay off debt when in reality you are just shuffling your debt from one credit card to another. If you want to pay off debt without the hassle of shuffling it from one place to another try these tips.

• If you have multiple credit card debts, pay them off one at a time starting with the smallest one. When I was hit with a series of unexpected expenses that left me with debt on multiple credit cards I paid off one card at a time. I made payments on all of my credit cards, but I made the biggest payments to the credit card with the smallest balance. After that credit card was paid off I started making larger payments to the another credit card until it was paid off and repeated this process until everything was completely paid off.
• Stop paying for things with a credit card when you could pay with cash. Once I started paying with cash I noticed that I started paying more attention to my money. It was easy to lose track of my spending when paying with a credit card, but when I pay with cash I know exactly how much I am spending a month and I don't get sticker shock when the credit card bill arrives. 
• Always pay more than the minimum required by your credit card company. The credit card companies love it when you pay the minimum balance because at that rate you will be in debt forever.
• Have realistic goals. If paying an extra $100.00 on a card every month isn't realistic, consider paying an extra $25.00 a month on that high interest card. That extra $25.00 a month adds up to $300.00 a year, dramatically reducing your debt and the amount of interest you are paying.
• The best way to get rid of that nagging feeling that you will always be in debt is to create deadlines for paying off credit card debts completely and know exactly how much you have to pay on a credit card every month to reach that deadline. Knowing that you can  pay off at least one credit card within a certain number of months gives you the feeling that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and you are making progress towards your financial goals of being debt free.
• Free up some money by cutting down on monthly expenses. Look at your monthly health insurance or phone/internet/cable bill to see if you could get a better deal by changing the type of service or changing your service provider.
• Have fun! Giving up cute clothes, entertainment or other indulgences while you pay off your cards is like going on an extreme diet. Eventually the deprivation gets to you and you suddenly find yourself stuffing your face with scoops of double chocolate ice cream. Find creative ways to have the fun things you want like selling items at a consignment stores to raise cash for stuff you want, asking for gift cards for your favorite places to shop when your birthday or a gift giving holiday rolls around, or using the cash back rewards from the credit cards you have completely paid off towards your fun and fabulous purchases.

Five Below Makes it Fun to Shop at Dollar Stores

Five Below isn't the biggest dollar store out there, but it is definitely one of the most delightful. The name Five Below refers to the fact that everything in the store costs under 5 dollars.

This festive dollar store is packed with the kind of colorful goodies that are perfect for families on a budget. When I walked into my local Five Below store it was packed with pool toys, regular toys, summer accessories like sunglasses, plenty of party supplies and a smattering of impulse buys like eye catching phone cases as well as some practical household goods.

Five Below is a great place to shop for fun stuff.  For boring stuff like plastic containers and other common household goods feel free to skip Five Below and visit just about any dollar or discount store.

Get Out of Line, Escaping the Customers from Hell!

Nothing ruins a perfectly good shopping experience faster than getting stuck behind the customer from hell at the check out line. The customer from hell is a person that takes the simple transaction of paying for goods and turns it into a major ordeal that lasts longer than the superbowl. If you get stuck in line behind this person time will stand still and the cute clothes you are trying to buy will be out of fashion by the time you get to pay for them. Here are my best shopping strategies for identifying customers from hell in the check out line so you can avoid them.

Problem customers fall into a few basic categories. There is the confrontational customer. The confrontational customer will argue at length and continue complaining even if they get what they want. I got stuck behind a confrontational customer at a local retail store who accused the (perfectly polite) cashier of throwing her credit card at her instead of handing it to her. The manager was standing next to the cashier and she was explaining to the customer that she had addressed the customers concerns about her transaction. I stayed in line at that cash register because I could tell by the tone of the manager and her words that she was wrapping things up and was not going to spend all day arguing with this drama queen customer. If the incident was at the beginning stages, when the customer is making ridiculous accusations or demands and they are speaking with a cashier, not a manager, I would have gone to another cash register.

I try to be patient when standing in line, but I don't have patience for customers who turn the simple transaction of buying items into an insanely complicated ordeal. You can always spot the "complicated" problem customer by the number of transactions they are trying to accomplish all at once. This customer has a lot going on, from multiple receipts for multiple returns eventually followed by a purchase or exchange, assuming there is no problem with the returns. This ridiculously complicated series of transactions may involve the cashier performing a variety of transactions on the register, multiple forms of payment and possibly performing advanced calculus to be sure all the math comes out right in the end. If you get behind a complicated customer, immediately start looking for another register to pay for your stuff because trust me, this customer is going to take a while.

Another customer from hell is the high maintenance customer. Signs of a high maintenance customer include trying to get a better deal than they are entitled to and/or demanding lots of undivided attention from the store sales people. I got behind a woman at a clothing store who was buying a dress. The cashier had to explain to the customer multiple times that the sale price for the cocktail dress she wanted was $65.00 for one dress, not 2 dresses for $65.00, then she had to explain to the customer why one of the dresses was more expensive than the other. When the cashier left the register to help the customer find a dress to fit her size and her (unrealistic) budget, I left too. I walked over to the shoe department, where there was no line, and paid for my clothes, which were not shoes by the way.

The second I realize I am stuck behind the customer from hell I start plotting my escape. My favorite tactic for escaping problem customers in large department stores is to look for a specialty department with a sales person at the cash register. Many people assume you have to pay for goods at the main checkout registers, but I can often get checked out faster in the electronics department of a big box store or the costume jewelry department or shoe department of a department store than if I had stood in line at one of the main registers. Even when I have to wait in line at the checkout I am always polite to the cashier because after dealing with problem customers all day they deserve to be treated nicely. Heaven knows the cashiers don't need to deal with another customer from hell!

 

Tips to Save Money this Summer

Even a Cheap Diva like yours truly can find it hard to save money after the bills are paid. To make it easier to save money I decided to accomplish at least 1 money saving task a week this summer until I run out of money saving ideas or am ridiculously rich. Saving a few bucks here and there may not sound like a worthwhile goal, but by the end of the summer all those money smart strategies could add up to some serious cash. Here are some of the money saving ideas I plan on doing this summer.

• I will eliminate a dead weight expense such as magazines subscriptions for mags I spent about 10 seconds browsing  before tossing in the trash by cancelling my subscription. I will also buy fresh food in smaller quantities so it doesn't spoil before I have a chance to eat it.
• I will look for ways to eliminate any reoccurring fees - late fees, bank fees. I have already closed close out bank account that charged a monthly fee and it felt great!
• I will spend less on mail/shipping gifts for Fathers Day, birthdays etc. Lots of gifts can be mailed inside a card like a gift certificate to the recipients favorite store or restaurant, tickets to events and more.
• I will apply credit card points to pay for "fun" purchases. When I have points/cash deducted from my balance that covers the cost of a budget friendly indulgence like a DVD or book, it's like getting stuff for free!
• I will request library order books and movies I am interested in so I can enjoy them without buying them.
• I will make AAA/car insurance save me money on travel by looking into discounts, when renting a car or reserving hotel room.
• Here is the most important strategy. Have a purpose for saving money. By assigning a specific goal to the saved money such as paying down credit card debt, building up a savings account, or treating yourself to a "fun" purchase without going for broke you know where the money is going and it's less likely to disappear on mindless spending. 

Thrifty Travel Tips

When traveling it's easy to get so focused on the big  expenses like plane tickets and hotels that you overlook the small expenses, that is until the credit card bill comes.

One vacation my travel companions and I agreed that when we reserved a rental car we would pay extra for a car with a GPS system.  This additional cost was about $10.00 a day, but we thought the GPS system would ease the stress of driving in a strange city by preventing us from getting lost.  None of us use a GPS system in our own cars, but the device is designed to simplify getting around right?  How hard could it be?  A lot harder than we anticipated.  We tried to locate our destination using our hotel address as a starting point.  The GPS system insisted on having just the name of the street first.  When I typed in King Street it brought up several local King Streets preceded by north, south east or wests as in East King Street or West King Street.  The problem was that our hotel was simply on King Street.  Not north, south, east or west King Street, just King Street.  After trying other features on the GPS system that might generate some sort of useful directions we gave up and reverted back to the printed map we had.  We eventually figured out where we were going and vowed to never pay for a GPS system again.   

Food is a big expense while traveling.  If a free breakfast is included with your hotel stay and it consists of  something more appetizing than a stale donut and cheap coffee, then by all means take advantage of it.  For lunch and dinner you will probably have your choice of everything from sandwich shops to nicer restaurants.  Frequent the nicer restaurants during lunchtime when their menu will be cheaper and save the bargain sandwich shops for dinner meals.

Some tourist friendly travel destinations provide local buses, trolleys or even boats for getting around.  One way or another transportation is probably going to cost you money.  To save cash on transportation, cluster your activities around the same areas.  If you are interested in one attraction across town look into other attractions and restaurants in the same general vicinity so you can hit them all at once and not have to pay for multiple rides going in opposite directions.

All that sightseeing can work up an appetite, but anything that comes out of a hotel vending machine can be ridiciously overpriced.  Ask the hotel desk clerk for the location of the nearest drug store or supermarket and stock up on your soda pop and snacks there.  If you want to be a truly thrifty traveler, bring your own energy snack bars such as Luna Bars and carry an empty water bottle with you that you can fill up whenever you come across a drinking fountain.

The desire to see new places, new faces and having experiences you simply can't get at home is so strong it's easy to get swept up in the adventure of travel and lose sight of the real cost involved,  but by planning ahead you can reduce the financial stress of traveling and focus on having fun! 

Get More Organized and Save More Money

After misplacing a credit card bill under a pile of paperwork and being hit with a hefty late fee, I realized that when it comes to saving money it would pay to be more organized. I have created a variety of strategies to stay organized that have paid off in both big and small ways. I now keep all my bills in one place until they are paid. The bills are kept in a box that also includes my checkbook and a book of stamps, everything I need to pay my bills is in the same spot.

No matter how small, late fees are a waste of money. I love checking out materials from the local library and I hate late fees. When I check out my books at the self checkout machine at the library it prints out a receipt. I use the library receipt as a bookmark for whatever book I am reading so I can see at a glance if I need to start speed reading to get the book back to the library on time.

Another money saving strategy I like is keeping all of my receipts in a coupon organizer. The organizer has dividers labeled with lettered tabs so I can file my receipts according to store names, receipts for Target are filed under T, receipts for Walmart are filed under W etc. Having all of my store receipts in one place makes it easy to find the right one when I need a certain receipt to return something to the store.  

Many household items from electronics to home furnishings come with some kind of warranty. If your device suddenly died on you would you be able to find that warranty in a flash or would you have to launch a scavenger hunt and dig through piles of clutter to find that precious paperwork? To find those warranties faster, file them together in an easy to remember and easily accessible file folder labeled "Warranties".

 

8 Smart Ways to Spend Your Tax Refund

Getting a generous tax refund makes all the hassle of doing taxes worth it, but if you are not careful your refund money can disappear faster than a cute pair of shoes at a clearance sale. Make the most of your tax refund with these tips from consumer and money-saving expert for Kinoli Inc.  Andrea Woroch.

1. Adjust Your Withholdings
If you consistently receive a large refund, it's a sign that you're withholding too much from your paycheck.The money you get in one lump sum every April could be saved, invested or used to pay down debt throughout the year, so update your W4 and strive to "break even" with the IRS. Use the IRS Withholding Calculator to help you determine how much to withhold.

2. Pay Down Debt
Paying down existing debt like student loans or credit card balances may not seem like much fun now, but doing so will lead you to guilt-free fun in the future. In addition to improving your credit score, you'll have more money each month once minimum payments are behind you instead of throwing away money on interest rates.

3. Invest in Your Home
Now is the time to tackle those home improvement projects you've been putting off. Such improvements will ultimately lead to an increase in your home's value so it's a wiser investment. Extend the value of your refund by purchasing discount gift cards to Home Depot from sites like GiftCardGranny.com, where you can save an average of 15 percent instantly.

4. Donate to Charity
Remember, what goes around comes around. That's why I recommend donating part or all of your tax refund. It is actually a tax write-off, so you can deduct your donation for next year's taxes. Find a list of eligible organizations within the IRS Publication 78 and be sure to itemize your deductions.

5. Open a Roth IRA
Roth IRAs are all the rage these days, and for good reason. In addition to being more flexible than other retirement plans relative to investments, Roth IRAs grant tax breaks when money is withdrawn during retirement and won't penalize you for withdrawing early either. Not convinced? Read this article from Kiplinger on why it's a smart investment plan.

6. Improve Yourself
Whether you brush up on your networking skills or learn the basics of social media, continuing education is the key to better job prospects. Look for courses at your community college or find out when and where the next regional conference in your industry is happening.

7. Fund Your Emergency Fund
If the contents of your savings account is comparable to that of your childhood piggy bank, consider using your refund to raise it to a more adult-worthy level. Travel snafus, car accidents and medical emergencies are inherently unpredictable, and having the peace of mind to pay for the unexpected expense during such stressful situations is priceless. For more information, check out "Why You Absolutely Need an Emergency Fund" from Investopedia.

8. Stretch Your Spending
If you've been saving up for a big purchase or simply looking to use the tax return to supplement your income in the short term, consider how to stretch those dollars. Purchase discount gift cards for various stores to reduce everyday costs and use coupons to trim expenses whenever possible.

For tips and strategies for making the most of your money year round read The Cheap Diva's Guide to Frugal and Fabulous Living: How to Shop Smart, Look Your Best, Decorate with Style, and Have Fun for Less Money! available on amazon.com as a Kindle book for under $5.00 and as a paperback as well.

 

 

Top 10 Reasons to Shop at the Mall

My commute often takes me past a major shopping mall and it's clear from the mall's frequently packed parking lot that shopping online has not replaced the joys of shopping at brick and mortar shopping malls.  In spite of the endless variety of products you can buy with the click of a mouse from the convenience of your home, many smart shoppers continue to shop at brick and mortar stores. I love shopping at the mall so much I compiled a list of the top 10 benefits of shopping at a real shopping malls over shopping online.

1. At the mall you can sample a variety of products  in a way that engages the senses the way a computer just can't. Wandering from store to store it's possible to taste food from specialty food shop, get a whiff of fragrances from beauty department at department stores, apply body lotions from shops like Bath and Body Works to experience the thickness of the texture and see how fast it is absorbs, and get free makeup makeovers at the various beauty departments.
2. At a local mall it's easy to try products before you buy. A computer can alter the color of products so they look different on the computer screen than they do in real life and it's hard to tell how a garment is going to fit. Shopping at brick and mortar stores allows you to try clothes on to see the fit, feel and true color of the product.  
3. It's easy to make any product look like a million bucks online but do those product stand up to an up close and personal inspection? It's easier to identify quality of products when you examine them in person and   spot cheaply made goods like perfume that disappears 5 minutes after you put it on, or clothing made of flimsy materials with the texture of sandpaper. It's also hard to tell how thick garment fabrics are shopping online. For example, if you are buying clothes for work, you don't want to buy a blouse that looks opaque online but looks semi sheer in front of your boss!
4. The internet is synonymous with information overload. If you are looking for the latest fashions, the latest book releases on a specific topic etc. you will find them clumped together with millions of older products online making it hard to separate the freshest fashions and releases from yesterday's news. Stores at the shopping mall have to edit their selection to the latest goods because they simply don't have space to stock a lot of items that are out of season, out of style or old book and music titles.
5. Online products are often photographed individually leaving it to your imagination how that home décor piece or fabulous fashion item would look as part of an ensemble. In many brick and mortar stores  products are often displayed with related products. At a home décor store a table may be set with dishes, napkins and a centerpiece, clothing is displayed on mannequins as complete outfits with accessories. Seeing products displayed this way provides plenty of stylish inspiration.
6. Many deals and discounts shop up in stores that don't show up online. Retailers that sell both online and at brick and mortar stores might sell products directly from their warehouse and when the warehouse runs out of that item they stop selling it online. But those same clearance items that aren't in the warehouse from that retailer may still be available in the physical store. For some retailers liquidating out of season goods is faster and easier their brick and mortar stores than selling those items online.
7. Credit card debt and identity theft are just a click away online, but paying cash avoids these problems. It's easy to pay cash at the mall. Paying cash makes it harder for identity thieves to steal your identify because you aren't sharing any personal information. Paying with cash makes it easy to save money If you only spend the cash you have on hand you won't rack up credit card debt.
8. Shopping at a brick and mortar store offers instant gratification and the peace of mind of holding them items you paid for in your hand and having them in your possession. Buying products in person means there are no shipping costs or other issues to deal with. Even if your package is delivered there is still the very real possibility of porch pirates stealing your packages. 
9. Even if you aren't shopping for anything in particular, if you feel like you are in a rut a trip to the mall can be worth a trip for it's entertainment value alone. Between checking out new products, people watching, and indulging in the abundance of junk food available, the shopping mall provides a fresh change of scenery that breaks up the monotony of work, errands and hanging out at home.
10. Sometimes you will see mall walkers in tacky jogging suits purposefully strutting the length of the mall in tacky jogging suits. Their fashion choices may be wrong, but they do have the right idea when it comes to walking for exercise. You are certain to burn more calories walking around a good size mall than you will clicking the "Buy" button on your computer.

 

How to Spot a Phone Scam

When some stranger left a threatening message on my voicemail saying I was in serious trouble with the I.R.S. and I needed to contact her right away to resolve the issue I didn't freak out. First of all I hire a reputable C.P.A to handle my taxe returns, and second of all this threatening voice mail had all the characteristics of a phone scam.

The caller repeatedly mentioned her name (probably fake) but never identified me by my name. If she had really been with the I.R.S she should have all kinds of identifying information on me, but the in the phone message she never mentioned my name. For all I know that message could be on some sort of recorded message sent out to countless people across the nation.  

One dead giveaway of a phone scam is lack of documentation. I have not received any paperwork from the I.R.S regarding this so called "issue". The I.R.S has my current address so their is no reason for them to call me instead of sending me an official letter. The fact that I haven't received an official letter with my name, address or other identifying information confirms my suspicions that the call was a scam.

Another warning sign of a phone scam are high pressure tactics. The tone of the caller was threatening, implying in no uncertain terms that if I don't resolve this issue right away by paying them money there will be serious consequences. Of course what they don't mention is that these serious consequences involve them not getting rich if you don't buy into their scam. The con artist is hoping I will panic and react by paying them off instead of investigating to see if they are legitimate, or worse, writing an article on how to spot a phone scam.

To encourage you to contact them a con artist might leave a message with their phone number on your answering machine or voice mail. If you someone leaves a threatening message on your voicemail an easy way to verify if it's legitimate is to do a reverse phone number look up through the Yellow Pages at http://www.yellowpages.com/. If the caller is legitimate their number should appear under the organization or business they claim to be working for. If the phone number is hard to trace it's probably a scam.

Phone scams aren't limited to phony I.R.S. agents. At my workplace I once overheard a customer service person talking to someone claiming to be from the utility company. This took place at a large company where administrative tasks like billing and customer service tasks are handled by separate departments. So the fact that this person called customer service department instead of contacting the right department was a huge red flag. The customer service person handled the call well, asking the caller for the name of the person and company listed on the utility account and the company account number. She pointed out that customer service doesn't handle billing and she would need the name of the person on the account and their contact information in order to transfer the call to the right department. The phone scammer kept trying to threaten the customer service person with discontinuing service for nonpayment, but the customer service person kept responding by asking for the appropriate information. After the phone scammer finally gave up and hung up, the customer service person enjoyed a good laugh over this transparent attempt to rip off the company. The utilities were never turned off by the way.

So if you get someone on the line that you think is trying to scam you, just do what this customer service person did. Insist the caller provide you valid information, such as the account number and name of the person or company on the bill. Refuse to give out any personal or company information that the caller should already have in their records, including the customer name, address and banking information. If you are in a chatty mood you can always ask them questions a legitimate caller should know the answers to, like what is the address of their company, and when can you expect an official notice of nonpayment in the mail? Nothing gets a con artist off the phone faster that having a smart person ask smart questions.

For more money saving ideas check out The Cheap Diva's Guide to Frugal and Fabulous Living: How to Shop Smart, Look Your Best, Decorate with Style, and Have Fun for Less Money! 

Increase Your Cash Flow in the New Year

 One of my New Year's resolutions is to increase my cash flow. Notice I didn't say I want to increase my income, although increasing my income would help me increase my cash flow. Cash flow is the money I have left over after all my bills are paid. If I get a raise at work and the money disappears because my bills increase, I am no better off than before I got that raise. Here are a few strategies I plan on using to increase my cash flow in the upcoming year.

• Focus on one financial goal at a time. Taking on a bunch of different financial goals at the same time is overwhelming and unrealistic. If I focus on achieving just 1 financial goal a month I have a much better chance of succeeding. Writing those goals down further increases my chances of success.
• Lower my insurance and other bills. When I was recently notified that my health insurance is going up I decided to check into my options for new plans and I have already identified some plans that would be cheaper than what I am currently paying but still offer the coverage I need.
• Pay myself first. The problem with waiting until I have "enough" money in the bank to add to my savings account is that unexpected expenses are a part of life. If I don't set aside part of my income every month into a savings account it's not going to happen. Having my bank automatically transfer a set amount from my checking to savings account when I get my paycheck every month guarantees that my savings will continue to grow consistently. Even a small amount adds up over time.
• Pay off my credit card. Due to some large unexpected expenses I have lingering credit card debt that I am aggresively paying down. By increasing my credit card payments to $50.00 more than what I am currently paying I can get it paid off a few months earlier and save big on interest.
• Spend money on fun stuff. I am not talking about going on a shopping spree. Living like a miser is depressing. If I make fincially smart decisions I should have enough money left over for budget friendly indulgences, like getting a cheap facial from a local beauty school or buying a stylish fashion accessory on sale.  

Showcasing for Shopping Savings

The practice of window shopping for items in a brick and mortar store then buying those same items online for a cheaper price, often from a different retailer, is so popular there is name for it, showcasing. The practice of showcasing is especially popular with books where it's easy to identify product by title and author, so there is no question that what you buy online is exactly what you saw in the store. Showcasing can save you money in a number of ways.

Showcasing can provide some important reality checks. Once you factor the cost of shipping an item into your purchase you may find that buying an item at a brick and mortar store is actually cheaper or equal to the cost of buying it online. You may also find that those cute pair of shoes at the department store are not available online at all! When that happened to me I saved money the old fashioned way. I visited the store often until the pricey designer shoes went on sale, then I snapped them up at a deeply discounted price.

Popular price comparison web sites may come in handy for a pricing a wide variety of items, but their price comparisons usually include major retailers and ignore independent sellers. For example, let's say you were comparison pricing a book you were interested in buying. A price comparison web site might give you the price that Amazon is selling the book for but often their are independent sellers on Amazon selling the book for less than the regular price Amazon is selling it for. These independent sellers on Amazon and people selling through eBay often don't show up on price comparison web sites. Before you buy anything it pays to shop around on different web sites to be sure you are getting the best deal.

Showcasing can apply to all kinds of products, not just books. For example you can buy popular fragrances online through web sites that sell perfume at discounted prices. It's easy to preview new fragrances by visiting your local department stores and spritzing a sample of perfume on you. Later you can decide if that fragrance smells so divine you want to buy a bottle of perfume online at a discounted price.

The practice of window shopping for items in person then shopping for those same items online can seem time consuming, but it actually simplifies the shopping process. In a physical retail store they have buyers on staff that decide which products the store will stock. These buyers act as an editor that filter out the merchandise that may be the wrong style or price for a specific audience. With a limited selection of the latest book titles, affordable fashions etc., physical retail stores don't bombarded you with the kind of overwhelming selection available online. By identifying a few brick and mortar stores that carry the type of goods you like at prices you can afford you save time by not wasting hours online searching through a sea of countless irrelevant products looking to find that perfect item at the perfect price. 

For more money saving ideas check out The Cheap Diva's Guide to Frugal and Fabulous Living: How to Shop Smart, Look Your Best, Decorate with Style, and Have Fun for Less Money! 

 

Pros and Cons of Gift Cards

The chaos of holiday shopping is about to explode, but many people would rather buy a gift card than spend hours shopping for the perfect gift. Gift cards are appealing partly because of the assumption that they are foolproof. The person receiving the card eventually picks out their own gift and they know what they want better than anyone so what’s not to love about gift cards? Gift cards may be the only gift where the giver is happy to see the gift being returned to the store. As happy as the person giving the gift card may be, they aren’t nearly as delighted by the whole gift card thing as retailers are.

For starters, the recipient of the gift card often puts the card toward a more expensive purchase, using a $40.00 to buy something for $60.00 for example. The gift card acts more like a big deposit for something the recipient wants than a gift in itself. This assumes the recipient finds something they like to use the gift card for. As an employee I once received a gift card for $5.00 towards a local sandwich restaurant from my supervisor. It was a nice gesture that may have been appreciated by other employees who received the card, but since I didn’t like the food at that particular restaurant, the gesture was wasted, and so was the gift card, I eventually lost track of the gift card and it never got used. You should always be familiar with the places the person you are giving the gift card to frequents before giving them a gift card. Billions, yes that’s billions with a B, of gift cards go unspent every year.

If the gift card isn’t used within a specific time frame certain type of companies like banks, credit-card companies and most malls who issued the gift card can apply monthly maintenance charges that reduce the value of the gift card. This means the value of the gift card will be worth less than what the purchaser originally paid for the card. These monthly charges can potentially wipe out a card’s value if the card is not use by a specific date. Some companies that issue gift cards charge a fee for replacing gift cards that are lost or stolen. On the other hand, most retailers will not replace lost or stolen gift cards. If the retailer happens to go out of business before the card gets used the card becomes worthless. Gift cards sold by retailers usually don’t have fee to them, but they do have expiration dates and restrictions on where the card can be used. Always check the fine print that comes with a gift card and include this information with the gift card when giving the card to the recipient.

If the gift card in question doesn’t have a lot of strings attached, then there are times when a gift card can be both appropriate and personal. For the person who sees shopping as more of a calling than a chore, shopping for their own gift at one of their favorite stores may be more of a treat for them than it would be for you. For the person who is so strapped for cash they are more concerned about the grocery bill than buying cute shoes, a gift card to a superstore like Target or Walmart allows everyone to save face. You can deliver the superstore gift card along with some sort of comment that you simply didn’t know what to get them and you are sure they will be able to find something they like at that store. Don’t ask later what they spent the card on, they might not want to discuss how they spent you generous gift on toilet paper and food staples.

For the house proud do it yourselfer a gift certificate to a hardware store shows them that you support their efforts. For the budget conscious recipient who’s sensible spending practically guarantees a cash gift will be spent on something boring like socks, a gift certificate for something they wouldn’t splurge on themselves, like a visit to a local beauty salon or something lacey from Victoria’s Secret, encourages them to indulge a little. For someone who you have shared special experience with, a gift certificate that refers to that happy memory is both sentimental and practical. If the happy memories involve watching movies together for example, a gift card to movie retailer says thanks for the memories, I look forward to creating new ones.

Gift cards are one of the easiest most convenient gifts to buy. Gift cards can be purchased online at any time and you don’t have to worry about them not having a certain size or style in available. When ordering a gift card online, print out your receipt for the purchase just like you would do for any other purchase. Like any other gift, it’s the thought that counts. When you match the right gift card to the right recipient everyone is happy.

For more money saving ideas check out The Cheap Diva's Guide to Frugal and Fabulous Living: How to Shop Smart, Look Your Best, Decorate with Style, and Have Fun for Less Money! 

Save Money by Multitasking Your Beauty Products

One of my favorite money saving strategies is to get one beauty product to perform multiple tasks instead of buying multiple products. For example, when I recently ran out of liquid hand soap I decided I didn't want to buy more hand soap. I happened to have a large bottle of Dr. Bronners liquid castile bathing soap on hand so I simply filled the empty hand soap dispenser with the soap I normally use for bathing. If you look at all the potential uses listed the label on a bottle of Dr. Bronners's castile soap you soon discover just what a multitasker this soap can be.

There are lots of beauty products that with a little creativity can multitask and be put to use for a new task. Take the common toothbrush. There are products you can buy spicifically to exfoliate dry lips. Instead of wasting money on these products for dry lips, you can gently exfoliate them by gently brushing them with a soft bristled toothbrush.

A shower cap can not only keep your hair dry in the shower, it can keep wet hair dye contained to your head. If you dye your hair at home wearing a cheap shower cap while the dye is setting can prevent the dye from dripping all over your home. When you travel, be sure to pick up some free shower caps at the hotels you stay at to save for those at home hair dye jobs.

The most versatile beauty product I own is dark brown eye shadow combo (H.I.P. by L'Oreal). Depending on the type of beauty brush I use, I can apply my brown eye shadow as an eye liner, an eye shadow or to fill in my eyebrows. These are just a few examples of how being resourceful can save you money. If you think in terms of multitasking and imagine products you already serving a new purpose you can save money while patting yourself on the back for being such a resourceful Diva!

Upgrade Your Style without Going Broke

If your home or you wardrobe is looking more shabby than chic, but you don't have the cash for a major makeover, a few changes here and there can give your home or your wardrobe a new and updated look. Whether freshening up your home or your wardrobe goal is the same, to spend cheap without the end result looking cheap. First start with an idea of how you want your home or wardrobe to look then identify what exactly it is that is cheapening the your look.

Pieces that don't relate to each other can make you and your home or wardrobe look cheap. For example in the bathroom a random hodge podge of mismatched towels that don't coordinate with each other or your shower curtain looks cheap. Like you bought whatever was on clearance and you bought it a long time ago. If your bath furnishing look worn and tired it's time to check out local white sales or hold out for a coupon deal like I did. I just bought two lush Turkish cotton towels at Kohls for only $3.00 each! I got a great deal because I received two $10.00 off coupons in the mail from Kohls and the towel was on sale to begin with. A new towel is a big upgrade from my old faded towels that were literally falling apart. As I come across more sales I will buy more coordinating towels in other sizes so eventually all of my bath towels will be the same brand and color.

I'm not a big fan of anything "distressed" whether it's furniture or fashion. I think any piece that looks like it was hit by a bus looks cheap whether we are talking about a wood table or designer jeans. If something is old, faded and falling apart and it's not a vintage piece, replace it with something that looks new because it is new. All you have to do is replace one piece at a time as your budget and bargain hunting skills allow and eventually you will have a much improved wardrobe or home decor. For example, replacing one pair of shredded and faded jeans with a new pair of flattering pants in a neutral color instantly transforms your look from slob to style setter.

The key to building a better wardrobe or decorating your home one piece at a time is to have a specific vision of what you want the end result to be. If I know that I want my bathroom to be a calming spa like oasis this influences the choices I make when I shop. I may buy towels in soothing colors like blue and buy a shower curtain in a soft neutral color that virtually disappears in the space. By keeping that specific vision in mind I will only buy pieces that harmonize with each other and the end result will be a bathroom that looks well coordinated and thought out. Even if I bought different pieces at different times they will end up working together to achieve the overall effect I was going for.

With my wardrobe my goal may be to aim for a casual chic look and transition out any pieces that make me look and feel frumpy. One way to get a more polished and pulled together look is to pay attention to silhouette.  Shapeless silhouettes look sloppy. A loose fitting fleece sweatshirt says "I am a couch potato that doesn't care about my appearance. A waist length fleece jacket with just enough tailoring to fit properly and accentuate the lines of your body looks infinitely more flattering and stylish and it's just as comfortable as the sloppy sweat shirt.

To learn how to live better for less, pick up a copy of  The Cheap Diva's Guide to Frugal and Fabulous Living: How to Shop Smart, Look Your Best, Decorate with Style, and Have Fun for Less Money!  You can buy Kindle version for only $2.99 and start living like a Cheap Diva today!

5 Easy Ways to Save and ‘S.C.O.R.E. at the Store’

Just when I thought I heard every money saving strategy around, someone emails me fresh money saving ideas, like these strategies from Danielle Barbieri.

With all the technology of our day, including driverless cars and robotic surgery, why is it that we have to search multiple weekly ads to know if our shampoo is on sale somewhere? Or why is it so difficult to find a coupon for our favorite razor?

These are just a couple of life’s big questions we set out to answer and help solve with the creation of Pirc.com, the world’s first personalized circular. Now we can all get a “Pircular” delivered via email every week including all the sales and coupons we actually want.  

But how about an easy way to remember all the other savings tips out there?   We put together a little mnemonic to capture some of the biggest and best savings tips, called “S.C.O.R.E. at the Store”.  Following this method should not only save you money and time, but is hopefully easy to remember too. Here are some details:

S – SALES.  If there is one thing to remember for smarter shopping: buy what you need when it is on sale. Plan your meals around the weekly sales if you can and stock up on items you use all the time when on special. Sales on many items occur every 6-8 weeks, so plan accordingly and don’t forget to get a raincheck if the store is out of stock.

C – COUPONS.  The best time to use a coupon is when you are buying that same item – on sale (see above). Savings can tally anywhere from 40-100% when you combine a sale and a coupon. Coupons are all around us, but the key is finding the ones you actually want. Pirc.com focuses on finding sales, and then matching them with coupons so you don’t have to. 

O- OPEN.  While it is good to head to the store with a list, be open to trying similar items that may be on sale. Also, keep your eyes open around the store for any unadvertised sales or last minute manager specials.

R – RETAILER BRANDS.  Try the store brands. They can be up to 50% cheaper than the national brands and often contain the same ingredients. AND you don’t need any coupons. You can also return if it doesn’t meet your expectations. Just be sure to check the ingredient label, especially on drugstore-type items to compare any “active” ingredients.

E – EXPIRATION.  Be sure to check expiration dates on everything, even toothpaste. Sometimes a looming expiration date is the reason an item is on sale. Buying an item you will soon have to trash is no bargain at all.

If this still sounds too complicated, just track sales on the high-value items you buy all the time (i.e., laundry detergent, moisturizers, allergy medication, etc) versus trying to get a deal on every item on your list. For example, when my contact lens solution is on sale and I have a coupon, I save $5. I use one of those a month; so multiply $5 by 12 months, and I save $60/year on that one item alone.

Danielle Barbieri is the Founder and CEO of Pirc.com and wants to make it easier to get the best value on everyday items. Give Pirc.com and S.C.O.R.E. a try, save money and time, and let’s get on with life’s other big questions. Questions, suggestions and deal tips always welcome - [email protected].