money

Time to Start Saving For Next Year’s Christmas!

by holly on December 26, 2011

Phew, we made it through another Christmas! My house looks as if it’s been hit by a toy tornado, but we survived! Organizing the toys will be one of my top priorities in the New Year before we drown in Legos, princesses and Star Wars memorabilia. Holidays can be really stressful but there are ways to relieve some of that stress if you prepare in advance. Financial stress is one of the things I don’t worry about when it comes to the holidays because I find creative ways to save for gifts throughout the year and you can too! Here are a few of the methods I personally use with success:

DISNEY MOVIE REWARDS — earn freebies by entering codes from Disney Movies and more. Even if you don’t purchase movies, this program is worth signing up for because there are plenty of ways to earn free points codes. I post them here on Mommies with Cents so be sure to follow me! Just this year I earned enough points to cash in for $20 gift card to The Disney Store (I bought 2 pairs of pajamas, got free shipping and still had a couple of bucks left over!), and a Disney Princess beach towel. I still have quite a few points left that I didn’t spend and will just save for next time.
HUGGIES REWARD POINTS — again, even if you don’t purchase diapers or wipes, this program is worth signing up for even just for the free points which I’ll post here on the blog when availalbe. You can cash them in for toys, gift cards and more!
INBOX DOLLARS — Easily earn $30 or more in a few weeks just by clicking through emails. Check out this post for a more in depth explanation of how Inbox Dollars works.
SWAGBUCKS- use Swagbucks in place of Google or other search engine to earn points good towards prizes, cash via paypal or gift cards. It’s super easy to use, especially if you download the tool bar. There are additional ways to earn Swag Bucks if you’d like to earn them at a faster pace.
EBATES-Using Ebates for year round purchases is also a good way to build up a little holiday shopping fund. They pay out 4 times per year and you can set aside the cash back that you earned as a holiday fund. With thousands of merchants, you should be using Ebates for all of your online shopping- it’s like free money!
EXTRABUX — Sign up for Extrabux and receive $5 just for joining. They offer up to 30% cash back on purchases from over 2,000 online retailers. Refer friends and receive a bonus of $5 for every friend that joins PLUS 5% of their cash back purchases! This is a great way to put a few extra bucks in your pocket while helping friends and family save money too!
PAID SURVEYS- a few of my favorites are MyPoints, Inbox Dollars and Pinecone Research. You’ll find a wide selection of opportunities in our paid survey category.
USE COUPONS- I like to think of using coupons as saving cash to use towards something else. Check out our extensive list of coupon resources.
CASH BACK- Check out this post on how to get the most cash back on all of your online purchases
SHOP YEAR ROUND — Make it a habit to check out the clearance section of stores when you are out shopping for other things. The trick to this is having a place to store the gifts and remembering what you bought, and for who! Make a spreadsheet if you need to!
SHOP YEAR ROUND AT DAILY DEAL SITES — You can score some really sweet deals at sites like Juice in the City, Plum District, Totsy, Eversave, Zulily and Mamapedia, especially if you think ahead. While some deals may not normally catch your eye as something you need or want, if you are thinking ahead for gift purchases you can potentially save a bundle! I got several gifts this way this year. If you are purchasing a voucher to gift directly to the recipient, be careful of the expiration dates — Just make sure to check the fine print. Many of the deals you can use the voucher to purchase a gift and then just save it until you need it. Most of these places also offer a sign up bonus to save $5-$10 off your first purchase

How do you earn extra cash for the holidays throughout the year? We’d love to hear creative ways to earn a little extra income that can be put towards holiday gifts. Share with us by leaving a comment!!

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Earn Money Through Shadow Shopper

by mindy on April 17, 2011

shadow shopper

I have never heard of this site, but it was featured on Good Morning America, so it’s worth a mention knowing it’s not fake. Shadow Shopper allows you to mystery shop! No joke. In essence, you apply for jobs that sound interesting for you and get paid for mystery shopping. I sure could get paid to shop!

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Don’t Fall into The “It’s Only a $1″ Trap

by holly on April 4, 2011

My husband and I headed to the outlet mall on Saturday for a little shopping. I had a 30% off coupon for the Gap and wanted to see if I could find some good deals on new clothes for the kids. We are probably one of a very small number of people who can shop for two hours and not buy a thing. As we were headed back to the car I jokingly said to my husband “This whole shopping trip is only going to cost you a buck” He asked why and I said “Because I’m thirsty and want a $1 Coke from McDonalads on the way out”. As we were approaching the drive through I told him to make sure to order a large because those are the ones for a buck. He said “Are you sure they are still only $1?” And I told him that I had just gotten one two days ago so I was sure they were still only $1. Turns out I was wrong. This “special price” had ended awhile ago at this particular location and it cost $2.16. Hubs was irritated and then I was irritated that he was. “What’s the big deal? It’s a DOLLAR!” It WAS double the price but in my mind, it wasn’t worth even bickering over. But when I think about it, this really is a bad habit to fall into. Ever been to the Dollar Store and wondered how you ended up spending $50? I’m sure lots of unnecessary items fall into your cart with the same mentality I had. “It’s only a buck”. Over the course of a year, or even a couple of months those dollars can really add up! So whether it’s a dollar or a couple of bucks, try to remember that these items add up rather than trying to justify the small purchase. This is your hard earned money- make smart choices!

One trick I like to try to use is calculating an items worth by how many hours I had to work to buy it. For example, let’s say I make $10 an hour and want to buy a DVD player for $100. Is 10 hours worth of work worth it to me to buy the DVD Player? Sometimes this strategy will make me reconsider the purchase.

What tips do you have for saving or spending your hard earned money?

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Ways To Get Out of Debt and Live a Debt Free Life (Part 3)

by mindy on March 24, 2011

Admitting you have a problem is the first step to getting out of debt and then you must develop a plan of action. Once you have what goal you would like accomplished, be true to all of your debts and get motivated. Create a list of all of your debts, excluding your house with the smallest balance first.

For example, my husband and I have an automobile loan and my MBA loan. Both of these have similar payoffs, so I would list my MBA loan first since it has a higher interest rate (crazy, huh). Work to wipe some of your debt off in order to stay motivated. Once my school loan is paid off, we will begin working on paying off my car. Living a debt free life then allows us to save more for our retirement and eventually paying off our house.

Find all of the steps to living a debt free life in our money section.

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Money Mama & The Three Little Pigs + Allowance Chart Review

by holly on March 18, 2011

Money management is a topic I feel very strongly about. As parents, it’s our job to prepare our children for the future. No matter what the topic though, setting a good example is the number one way to instill the best in our children. Having tools to help you along the way is always helpful.

One of the most important lessons you can teach your child to prepare them for the future is how to responsibly handle money. Prosperity 4 Kids has a series of products that can be useful tools to instill good work ethic and values in our children. Utilizing one or all of these items is a step in the right direction in putting our children on the right path towards financial success:

Money Mama & The Three Little Pigs- This book, an iParenting Media award winner, introduces children to the basics of money management with simple terms and descriptive illustrations. The four lessons covered are giving, investing, saving, and spending wisely. The book comes with a read-a-long CD.
It’s Only a Dollar…Until You Add to It Allowance Chart- A spiral bound notebook sized chart pairs nicely with the book to put newly learned skills in action. It comes with a dry erase pen and 4 static cling sheets so it can be used over and over again. It includes a page for each day of the week plus a “goals, dreams, and desires” page.
Money Mama Piggy Bank- This cute little bank has separate sections for each of the savings goals: giving, investing, saving, and spending wisely.

Start early and make sure your children have the skills necessary to be successful money managers.

My oldest will be turning 4 in a few weeks and over the past couple of months we have been discussing saving up for the things we want. The Money Mama book reminded me that there are many more lessons to be taught when it comes to money and the book covers them all in way that is easily understandable to children.

The allowance chart is great. It also demonstrates one of the smaller topics- the importance of utilizing our purchases and caring for them. Rather than buying a chart that is a one-time use, the It’s Only a Dollar..Until You Add to It chart is reuseable with it’s static cling incentive stickers and write on/wipe off surface. We just started using this and it’s proving to be a great motivator as well as a great teaching tool.

How do you teach your children to be smart money-wise? We’d love to hear your ideas!

A complimentary product/service was provided for this review, however, all opinions expressed are our own. We were not compensated in any other way. See Mommies With Cents disclosure policy for more details.

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How to Throw a Birthday Party on a Budget

by mindy on March 6, 2011

It is my son’s 1st birthday this week. Crazy! We threw a party for him this weekend, but parties can get very expensive, so here are some ways to throw a birthday party on a budget.

1. Keep the birthday bash small. This isn’t always possible as we have a large family, but since it is my son’s 1st birthday next month and was my daughter’s 3rd birthday, we opted to have a small party for my daughter.

2. Bake your own cake. I LOVE making children’s cakes. I decorate them with the theme of their birthdays (such as Mickey Mouse or ladybugs like we’ve had). I feel that it gives a special touch and something they will look forward to every year.

3. Print a banner on your computer and let your child color it. Use it as a guestbook for when people arrive.

4. Make goodie bags. Buy things at the dollar or bargain store. Go for the party packets and toys where you get more than one item. Look for such items as stickers, cars, candy, etc. Better yet, are goodie bags really necessary? They aren’t in our family, but I believe it depends on the occasion.

5. Have family pitch in on food. Maybe family members could bring a side dish so that way you are not having to foot the bill (and time) for all of the food. Otherwise, schedule the party during a time where you do not need any food other than cake and ice cream.

6. Host the party in a location that is free such as your house, backyard or park.

7. If you are having a themed party, buy the party plates in themes, but make balloons, table cloths, etc… in solid colors.

I hope you can use some of these ideas. I love hosting parties and feel that my kids have such great times during their birthdays, but I know first hand how expensive they can definitely be. What are some of your ideas for saving money on parties?

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Ways to Get Out of Debt and Live a Debt Free Life (Part Two)

by mindy on March 3, 2011

I discussed last week that admitting you have a problem is the first step to getting out of debt. The second step is to develop a plan of action. You want to get out of debt, but you have no idea where to begin. Determine how much debt you really have as well as your assets. Check your expenditures as well.

Don’t be ashamed to seek professional help. There are a lot of resources available to accomplish your goal. Dave Ramsey is one of my favorite individuals that is very effective to let you lead a debt free life. He provides all of the necessary tools through his book The Total Money Makeover and, if used properly, will get you completely debt free. There are also debt consolidation programs. Start with your local bank and discuss this with a financial advisor.

Find all of the steps to living a debt free life in our money section.

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Ways to Get Out of Debt and Live a Debt Free Life

by mindy on February 24, 2011

Maybe you have racked up some credit over the holidays or even over the years. Maybe you have student loans you need to pay off. Whatever the reason being, you have debt. It is tax season. What better time to start getting your finances on track than starting with tax returns? This series will discuss steps on ways to lead a debt free life.

The first aspect is to admit that you are in debt and you have a problem. Spending money is a high for some individuals like drugs are to a junkie. You may be late making minimum payments, if paying at all. You have debt collectors contacting you often. You find it hard to stop using your credit cards. Getting out of debt requires you to admit that you have a problem first.

By admitting you are in debt mode, you have completed the first step in getting out of debt. Stay tuned for the next post that discusses how to get help and ways to say “no” to debt and “yes” to a debt free life.

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Yard Sale vs. Donation: Which is Best?

by mindy on February 23, 2011

My husband and I are in the process of spring cleaning. Yes, I know it’s not spring yet, but since he has some time off, we figured we better utilize it wisely. We are taking it room by room and ridding our lives of the unnecessary items. It is amazing how much stuff is accumulated by our children. Since we only have one daughter, we have a lot of clothes she can’t fit into and that we will no longer need. The baby is almost 1, so we are weeding some of the toys that are no longer played with as well. I keep finding myself pondering the question about whether it’s best to put the unwanted items into a yard sale or donate them to Goodwill. So, I have weighed my pros and cons about both.

A yard sale can be a daunting task. They are time-consuming and are physically tiring. Certain items are needed such as tables, hanging racks, and stickers for pricing. In order to get buyers to the yard sale, there must be some sort of advertising usually on the internet or through the paper.

The benefit of a yard sale is having the cash on hand afterwards. It is available immediately, if needed, but what do you do with all of the items that don’t sell? They usually end up at Goodwill anyways.

It is usually easiest to take the unwanted items and mounds of kid’s clothing and toys to Goodwill so another family can enjoy them. The mess is gone and not stored elsewhere in the house and the IRS will give a nice tax write-off. This write-off usually beats what is made at a yard sale.

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Start Your New Year Right Managing Your Money with Mint- It’s FREE!

by mindy on January 8, 2011

Are you looking to manage your money better in 2011? Look no further than Mint! I have used this and it’s really a great program. It’s absolutely free as well!

Mint is fresh, free, and intelligent online money management software. Over 1 million people already use Mint’s online money management and budgeting software today, and they’re adding over 3,000 users every day.

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Get Paid for Purchasing Gas

January 5, 2011

Time to Save Workshops let us know about a great BP deal! If you buy your fuel from BP, they have a program going right now that allows you to earn BP Gift Cards when you purchase 8 gallons. All you have to do is simply take your receipt into the store and ask for a Loyalty [...]

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