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.

Don't Shop the Clearance Rack

Ok, I'm not going to say don't shop the clearance aisle or rack, at all.  But you should certainly stay away from that rack if you don't need something, especially if you are the type who can't resist a good deal.

Usually, when you buy something on clearance, it isn't something you need.  Think about it, how many items do you have sitting in a corner, or hanging in your closet with the tags still intact.  You got a good deal on it, but it's money you would not have spent on an item you didn't  need. 

Say it's the end of summer and you completely wore out your summer sandals or were short on summer apparel this year, then, of course it's not only acceptable, but a smart choice to hit that clearance rack.  Find those much needed shorts and get a great deal on sandals for next year.

However, if you are looking at the rack just to see what kind of good bargains they have.  Skip the rack. 

You won't get the good deal on something you don't need, but the money will remain in your pocket!  And that's an even better deal!

Quit Living Week to Week!

Follow these steps, and you'll see how easy it is to quit living week to week.

Stock Up While It's On Sale

All of us have certain items that we use on a regular basis, from your favorite soda or your favorite cereal, to your favorite laundry detergent.  These are items that are always in the house, or we need to pick up if we run out.

If you watch the ads close enough, you will find certain items go on sale at certain times of the year.

For example, my favorite soda is Mountain Dew.  It goes on sale frequently enough, but it's usually at it's lowest price for about two weeks before each holiday.

If I buy a case of Mountain Dew when it's on sale for $5 instead of the regular price of $7, I save $2 a case.  Considering I go through a case about every other week, that's a savings of $52 dollars a year!

If you do this with everything you buy, these savings add up!

Another example, canned vegetables usually go on sale in the fall, just before Thanksgiving.  It's September and I still have enough vegetables in my cupboard from last Thanksgiving, to do me until November. 

It may seem like a lot of money to put out, at first, but after a while it will be less than your normal grocery bill. 

Next you'll find yourself only going to the store to buy necessity items, unless there is a good sale. 

Do this with your meats, too.  Keep your freezer stocked so that you aren't running to the store two or three times a week to pick up something for dinner 'tonight'!

You'll find you are not only no longer living week to week, but you also have free time to spend with your kids.  Or you'll have the extra cash to go out for dinner and a movie without worrying about next month's rent!