Don't Buy That Insurance YET!

A lot of people really believe they need insurance for everything they own, but let's evaluate this.

Obviously you need auto and health insurance. It's even required by law. And, if you own your own home, you definitely want homeowner's insurance.



Now, let's look at a few other types of insurance.

Cell Phone Insurance: Perhaps you're the type of person who drops your phone constantly, or you have young kids, and you definitely need cell phone insurance. Consider paying your cell phone bill with a credit card that offers free coverage just for charging the phone bill to your card every month. (Of course, you'll want to be sure and pay the bill in full each month.)

Renter's Insurance: This one won't be the same for everyone. If you are a lifetime renter, and you have accumulated a lifetime worth of items, you probably will want to purchase renter's insurance. If you just moved out of your parent's home and everything you own is either curbside furniture or hand me downs, you might be just as well saving that money for your first home. Compare the annual cost with the amount you paid for your current assets.

Life Insurance: Obviously, if you are married with children, you will need to provide enough life insurance to not only pay for your funeral, but to provide the lifestyle your family is currently used to living. However, if you are single, you might want to consider planning your funeral and expenses in advance and skipping the monthly payment.

Life Insurance on a child: Put the money into a savings account for the kid instead!

Please consult a trusted financial advisor for assistance in any insurance decisions. I am not a professional in the industry, just someone trying to bring to light ideas to help you save some money and help with an inexpensive way of life!

Save when Cleaning your Oven

A lot of us are just learning that the self-clean feature on ovens can be harmful to the health of our stoves. It seems the self-clean feature runs the oven at such a high temperature that it burns control panels and fuses in the newer model stoves.

Solution: use a 1/2 cup of ammonia.

This will probably be less expensive than the electric of running the self-clean feature on your oven, and definitely better than the aerosol oven cleaners.

Here's the directions, from thekitchn.com:

" First, turn the oven on, let it warm to 150°F (65°C), and then turn it off. Place a small bowl containing 1/2 cup ammonia on the top shelf and a large pan of boiling water on the bottom shelf. Close the oven door, and let it sit overnight. The next morning, remove the dish and pan, and let the oven air out awhile. Then wipe it clean using the ammonia and a few drops of dishwashing liquid diluted in a quart of warm water -- even old burned-on grease should wipe right off. Warning: Do not use this cleaning method with a gas oven unless the pilot lights are out and the main gas lines are shut off."

Fight Inflation with Points

Most stores today offer some type of rewards card.  With the rewards you can earn anything from gift cards to cash off your next purchase. 

AutoZone gives a $5 rewards credit every time you spend $25 or more in their store. You can cash in after you earn $25. Note: the amounts may be different for different AutoZone locations.

Kroger gives you one cent off gas for every dollar you spend in their store. 

Hawaiian Airlines  pays you with miles not only when you fly and use your credit card, but also to do searches using their toolbar!  Wouldn't it be great to earn a free flight to Hawaii!

AARP even has a point program where you earn points by visiting their site daily and performing activities.  You do not have to be 50 years of age to participate.

There are point programs for too many companies to even try to mention.  So, keep your eyes open when you are shopping at your favorite retailers, and search the web for ways to earn points toward cash off your future purchases.

How to Get Rid of Ants

Spring will soon be here, along with those pesky critters.

Ants can often show up where they are least wanted.

Whether they are wondering around your favorite picnic spot in your backyard or if they are in your kitchen you can use these tips to get rid of ants.

Try pouring small piles of cornmeal in spots where you see the ants the most.  They will gobble up the meal and take it back to their colony.  The ants will not be able to digest the cornmeal, and will disappear within a week.

If your ant problem is indoors, and you don't like the idea of having cornmeal spread around, try Turkish Bay Leaves.  You can find the bay leaves in the spice department in your local supermarket.  Place the bay leaves in corners and counters.  The ants will be gone in no time!

Good luck getting rid of ants and other pests using these inexpensive and pet safe ways!

Don't Charge That Phone Overnight!

Here's an idea to help you save a little energy: Don't charge your cell phone overnight!

With today's technology, cell phones are usually fully charged in an hour and a half, or less, depending on how much battery life you have left.

If you are plugging your phone into an outlet before you go to bed, and pulling it off the charger just before you leave for work, you are probably wasting about 6 1/2 hours or more of energy on that phone.

Try plugging your phone into the outlet while you are cooking and eating dinner with your family.  Make this a rule in your household, and see how much more conversation you have during dinner.  You might actually get to enjoy your kids and dinner a bit more.

If that's not enough time, how about charging it while you are having breakfast and in the shower as well?

These three times may not be enough on their own to charge the phone, but the three combined should be well enough to keep your phone charged, and you in charge of your life.....instead of your phone!

Save on Laundry

There are a number of ways you can save money when it comes to laundry.

If you are in the market for a new washer and dryer, think big....The bigger the capacity laundry machines, the less often you have to do laundry.

Try to only do two or three loads of laundry a week.  This will be a little more difficult if you work in an industry where your clothes are completely soiled at the end of the day.  But if you can manage to get two days out of one set of clothes, you've just split your laundry bill in half.

Think about it, you get home from work, whether you work in an office or a factory, you want to get out of those work clothes right away.  So you put on your comfy pair of casual pants or jeans.  You wear them for two or three hours while sitting in your living room, or while having dinner.  Why not wear that same outfit later in the week, instead of tossing them into the laundry right away.

Buy whites, whites and lots of whites!  I'm talking about underclothes.  Sure, you're not going to like folding them.  But, if you only have to wash whites once every three weeks, it's not that big of a deal.  You shouldn't run out of skivvies before you have a full load.  If you do, you're wasting money running that washer and dryer.  So next time you want to splurge on yourself, take an extra ten bucks and buy yourself a pack of new bloomers.

The same with sheets.  You should own at least three sets.  It usually takes two to fill a nice size capacity washer, so why do them ahead of time.

Next, do your laundry at night!  Some people doubt it, but it is true.  Electricity costs less at night, between the hours of 9pm and 7am.  Try it for a month, and see if your power bill doesn't drop.

Finally, watch for sales on laundry detergent.  Not just any sale, because if you look at all of the weekly fliers, you'll find at least one store has laundry detergent on sale every week.  What you want to keep an eye out for is the best deal.  When you get that really good deal, keep that price in mind.  If you paid $10 for 100 ounces.  Refuse to pay more.  That's $5 for 50 ounces, or $15 for 150 ounces.  Just keep that figure in the back of your mind, and when you find that great deal, buy extra so that you're not running out and paying full retail when there's no need!

Open the Blinds! Save on Heating

Open Your Blinds and Save on Your Heat Bill

A lot of people sit in their apartments or houses with the blinds closed for privacy and don't give it a second thought.

First of all, keep in mind, people usually can't see inside during the day.  The reflection of the sun usually blocks their view inside your window.

Second, open the blinds and let the sun shine in!  We shouldn't be surprised that the sun can help us heat our homes in the fall and winter.  It heats the whole planet!

Opening your blinds and letting in the natural heat from the sun, can increase the temperature in your home by 2 to 4 degrees.  That's gonna keep your furnace from working that much harder and also give you some natural light.  Therefore, you're not only saving on your heat bill, but also your 'light bill' as everyone called it when I was a kid.