Thinking ahead

Now that Christmas is over, I am really starting to think about what to get my sweetie for Valentines day. Yeah, I know I am really thinking ahead on that but it will be here before you know it. I was thinking about maybe getting him something like sports gifts. I mean, a guy won't want a bunch of flowers or a stuffed teddy bear.

Money saving tip for batteries

If you are like our family, if you don't already use rechargeable batteries, you really should start. Not only is it nicer to not be throwing all of those dead batteries in the landfill, you also end up saving money over time. If you have or are going to have a battery operated baby swing this is a big MUST. In fact, 4D rechargeable batteries and a charger would be a great baby shower gift. It might seem odd, but the parents to be would be very appreciative later. Could litterally save them over $100 or much more. We have rechargeable for all of the kids toys and it is very nice to know that we are not "out of batteries". Plus, if you check your paper or watch your CVS/Walgreens sales papers, there are a lot of times coupons for extra savings that are only good for the rechargeables.

More presents

My mother in law sent our kids some more presents for Christmas this comes to a total of 3 that we received. We got the last one today. It was so hard to get into. We had to use a pair of scissors because she taped it so well. I could not find my box cutter to save my life. But we got it open and boy were the boys happy. It was like Christmas all over again...everything including the fighting over who got what. It was cute though.

Internet and phone

My husband called today and got our Internet service and phone service dropped from $100 a month to about $45 a month. And the best part is our Internet will be twice as fast and we can keep our phone number. Before we had unlimited long distance because I had a phone job for a while, but now I don't and can't because of the wild youngins so don't need that. We hardly ever talk on the phone so that was really a waste. We now have unlimited incoming calls, and unlimited local calling out. We just have to pay .10 a minute when calling non local and it is included with our Internet service. If we decide that we need unlimited long distance, we can always get Skype for another $3.00 a month too. So we cut that bill more than half and have better Internet and it is through the same company too. I am so happy. So, if you are trying to cut your bills down, see if there is something like this in your area. Ours was through Windstream but I am sure there are others similar. Let me know if you have done anything like this or are thinking about doing so. I would love to hear about it.

Looking for a briefcase or bag?

I am looking for a nice case for my new laptop. I need to keep it safe from my kids and everything else (but mostly my kids). My oldest one took all the keys off of my last laptoop and lost 4 of them altogethr. So it will have to be something childproof. I do want a Vera Bradley bag but maybe I should look into Zero Halliburton one instead.

Ways to get what you want cheaper

Now is the time to be watching Craigs list and also Ebay for things that people got for Christmas that they just didn't want to keep. A lot of items will be sold at deep discounts since the owner didn't have to spend anything on the items in the first place. So if you are still wanting that CD or Video game or even that sweater that didn't fit the recipient, keep an eye out. You will be surprised at what you will find.

Looking to save?

Are you looking to save money on your monthly bills? Well you might want to check into your car insurance. You could check into raising your deductible or getting rid of your towing package if you already belong to an auto club or just don't drive that much or maybe even getting rid of full coverage on that 10 year old car. Or maybe look into getting another insurance company all together might be a good idea? If you have recently changed your insurance policy due to finances, let me know what you have done?

Buy buy buy!

Well, now is the time to buy things that you didn't get for Christmas. There are so many sales going on right now that it is just crazy. Up to 80% off at some stores. I am not able to make it out right now due to being under the weather and my kids being under the weather as well, but I can shop on line as well. There are a lot of sales on the most popular online stores right now so if there are things you didn't buy for that special someone or for yourself, go now and buy!

Looking for cute shoes?

If you are a woman, you are probably like me and just love shoes. But sometimes it isn't easy to afford what you want. I just found this really cool site calleddani black shoes. They have some of the cutest shoes shoes too. They have everything from boots,platforms, pumps and party shoes too. They are even having a really great sale right now for 40% off. Isn't that great?
The shoe that I found that I really like the most is the Candy pump. It is so cute! I could see wearing it with a nice read dress for Christmas or even a black dress for just going out on the town with my hubby. It looks to be really versatile to me which is what I like. I am also thinking of getting a nice set of boots. Mine are sort of getting old because I have loved them so much over the years. Maybe get the Herbie boots? I think that they would go with a lot of my wardrobe and they are so cute! So check out the site and see what shoes, boots sandals and more you would like to add to your shoe collection too!

During this time

This is a little off topic but I just wanted to bring this point up. During this time of people struggling and people being out of work etc. If you have any spare toys that you are thinking of thinning out of your kids collection because of getting new ones for Christmas, right now is a great time to get rid of them on Craig's List of FreeCycle. If they are like new and you paid a lot for it, I would say try using Craig's list. If it is just small stuff, try FreeCycle. It may make someones Christmas.

Looking to start a business?

If you are like a lot of people during this downturn in the economy, you may have been laid off or just tired of working for someone else. Maybe you are thinking about starting your own business? From what I have been reading lately, now is actually a pretty good time to start one as long as it is in the right field. One of the hardest things though with starting a business is to just get your name known. That is one reason for possibly getting a franchise instead of starting from scratch. I just found this site that has some really great Franchise Information too. And they offer their expertise to franchise buyers absolutely free to save the buyer both time and money. Isn't that great? So nothing to loose and nothing up front either. Which I really love.I think that if I was going to start a business right now, I would definately look into a franchise. So check them out. I mean, I feel that it is a lot safer right now and easier too. Have any of you ever owned a franchise? I would love to hear from you and find out about your experiences.

Make Money getting a prescripton?

Yes you read right! Getting a prescription does not always have to cost you a lot. We do have insurance though. Our prescriptions cost anywhere from $10-$40 depending on what it is and if there is a generic out for it. If you have coverage like we do, make sure to watch the newspaper and even the store flyers for $10-$30 free gift card offers which Rx purchase. They have these for Rite Aid, CVS, Walgreens and Kmart among others. Some of these will even take the competitor's coupons as well so that you can get the gift card at the place you want one for. If you don't have insurance though, don't forget about Walmart offering $3 Rx for many of their drugs and also Publix has a list of free ones.
In this case, it really pays to look around a bit.

Looking for a great watch at a great price?

I just found this really great site to buy name brand Quartz Watches at a really signifigant discount. I picked out the watch above for my husband it's the Aston model and it is 59% off right now. Talk about a slick deal! I would love to get it for my husband for Christmas or maybe even a nice annivrsary present. At the watchery, they have so many watches to choose from too. Wheather you are looking for a man's or woman's watch, you will find one that you like.

Right now, they are having a site wide sale of up to 80% off luxury watches. That is a deep discount. They are also offering free shipping which I just love! They are also having a deal of the day where you can save even more. And right now, thy are even saying that they can have your gift to you before the holidays. How great is that?

So if you have procrastinated and still need to get that one special gift, go ahead and check them out I am sure you will find something special for that special someone of you list. I hope my husband is reading this as well. I would just love a new watch!

Paying bills on time

I know the heading of this post doesn't really sound like something that is slick. But it is. I had to pay my son's PreK fees today. Yes I hated paying the $101 right before Christmas, but their policy is that they charge $5 if you pay after the last day of the month. They actually count today the last day of the month though because it was the last day of school until January. Well, if you think about it, if you pay on time, then you save the $5 which is almost 5%. Remember that old saying? "A penny saved is a penny earned". I feel this way as well. So just think about that next time you think about putting of that bill that could wait until later.

Free software to encrypt or zip documents

I just found out about this really cool free software (personal use only)that you can get from www.securezip.com. It is free software that you can use to download and encrypt documents for safe delivery through the Internet. I love this idea. I have found myself having to email my social security number and other very personal information and not feeling safe about it. Now I can use this instead and really feel safe about it. How cool is that?
Also, if you go to www.DecryptandDrive.com where right now, PKWARE is giving away really cool prizes including a Honda scooter, Wii games, bicycles, gas cards and more!

Save money when going out.

We live about 20 minutes from the nearest real shopping area. So that means that most likely we will have to get something to eat while out with the kids. Someone is bound to get hungry. As well as if you go into say the Walmart Super Center with a full belly or at least not starving, you come out not buying up the whole place. Today, while Ethan was at school, my brother, my 2 year old and I decided to go finish up with our Christmas shopping. We loaded up and I realized that we hadn't eaten yet. So I ran back inside and grabbed a box drink for my son and a Mountain Dew for my brother and I to share. You will think I am so cheap for doing this but...We went to Burger King and spent less than $4 for all of us. Jacob got a plain Whopper Jr. (to go with his box drink), my brother and I each got a Whopper Jr as well but had it all the way (to go with our Mountain Dew). And I asked for two ice waters. We poured out the water and poured in the Mountain Dew and there we go. A $4 meal for 3 people:) Of course we could have just taken the time to eat at home but we just didn't have it as we had to come back and get Ethan from school. It also gave us just enough of a treat to say we did it and we didn't buy out Walmart either:)
Do you have a cheap trick or slick idea that you do when you go out? Tell me about it I would love to hear it.

Buy products online?

Are you one of those people that likes to research items before you buy them online? Well I sure am. I love to read reviews on products and see what other people think about things before I spend my hard earned money on something that may not be the way I expect it to be. Well I have now found this really cool review site that I can go to to find out information from anything from home and garden guides to fitness plans to learning to how to play the piano. Isn't that awesome? I sure think it is. It will same me so much time trying to find a good place to go to find out information on products. There are over 5,000 Hot product reviewed too. So they are bound to have whatever you are looking for.
So if you are like me and you are tired of being disappointed when buying some things online, check out this site. It will save you time and money. So you will know exactly what you are buying online and aren't disappointed in the quality. So go ahead and check them out I am sure that you won't be disappointed.

Save your clothes!

Just another "Slick Tip" to keep your clothing looking newer longer. My 5 year old loves the tshirts with designs on them. They do not last long if you wash and dry them like all of the other clothes. I make sure to wash them in cold water only. I try to put them into a short wash instead of normal wash. I also make sure to turn them inside out. The number one thing though that I do is I make sure to hand them to dry instead of putting them into the dryer. He still has shirts that we bought when school started and they still look brand new from doing this:) My brother commented just yesterday about a Spider man shirt that Ethan was wearing. He asked where he got it from? And I told him "Walmart when school started". He thought it was brand new:P

Lipovox the super food?

I just read about a super food called Lipovox. It is supposed to help get rid of acne, wrinkles and help you loose weight. Hey where do I sign up? I mean could you imagine how many doctors and surgeons could be put out of business by this stuff? I think I am going to look into it a little more thoroughly and see what more I can learn. I am really fascinated by it now.

Cheap phone service

Well, we have finally found a way to cut down on our phone service. At one time, we were paying $100 a month just for 2 cell phones for emergencies/to get in touch with each other. We have gotten that down to $20 every 3 months, because we only need one phone, and we have gone to a prepaid phone through Virgin Mobile. It is really all that we need. There is also a way to get free minutes every month watching commercials. Each one is supposed to be a minute long (some much shorter) and for watching and rating it, you get a free minute. You can do up to 5 per day. We have never gone over our amount and each month our number of minutes roll over so we have more.
When we first moved into our house (3 years ago), we were not able to just have DSL without phone service in our area. I just checked again and now we are. We are going to get our Internet/phone bill down to $45 from $100. So if you had the same situation as us, you might want to check into it again and see if it is available. We are going to use Skype out which is only $3 a month to make calls out so that we don't use our minutes up on our cell phone. But we will be able to get important calls and see who has called by our caller ID on the cell.

Performance parts?

When I finally pay my car off next year, I would love to get some cool performance parts for it. I mean it is a red Chevy Cobalt and it already has a cute little spoiler on it so it looks fast right? I might as well make it that way. Although, the only time that I will be able to drive it fast is when the kids are in school, but it will give me something to look forward to when I am home and lonely because everyone is at school.

Save money on baby food

One great way to save money if you are a new mom is to make your own baby food. My 6 month old has been exclusively breast fed so that has saved us a lot of money. Now it is time for him to move onto better things. I got one of those self feeders (the kid that has the little mesh screen that the baby chews on to get the food out). I bought this for putting bananas in instead of banana baby food. I just take the tip off of a banana that I am going to give to my 2 year old and put it into the mesh thing. Seth loves it too. He is a chewer but does not have any teeth yet. The feeder was $3.99 at CVS (probably cheaper other places). The baby food for 2 containers of banana was $1.39. So you see how quickly you will save money. The only drawback is that the mesh fabric is that it is sort of hard to clean but worth it because it is saving money and it is better for the baby. I have been siting him in his swing with it while we eat dinner and it makes him feel like he is doing what the rest of us are doing which is nice.

Want to loose weight?

There are so many different ways to loose weight now that there really is not an excuse to be overweight (other than a medical issue).I mean there are gyms that you can join, special drinks, groups to join and even fat burners. I mean the options are really endless. The choice is yours to make. And if for some reason those options don't work, there is always gastric bypass or liposuction right?

Baby clothing suggestion

Being a mom of three boys, I have bought my share of kids clothes. One slick mom suggestion that I have for moms to be or new moms, is to buy clothes a size too large. No of course you would have a few outfits for going out to the store or to visit friends and family that do fit right. But at my house, I nor my kids care if their clothes fit. Especially the baby. I never by the cute little newborn clothes that my 2nd son never would have fit in anyway. I don't even by 0-3 month size. I start out with size 3-6 months. I mean if you are low on cash like we are, your family should understand that the baby is in clothes a little too big right? If they don't, then maybe they will buy you some. In a family like ours that has lots of different sizes, this really helps cut down on the clutter as well. So don't go wasting your money on clothes that will only fit for a couple of weeks. Oh and try to shop at consignment shops for nice quality clothes that will last a while as well. Hope this helps someone out there. Let me know some of your kid clothes money saving tips as well.

Looking for some good games?

One thing that I have been trying to do to save our family money is trying to stay home more. But of course it can get boring if you don't have things to do. There is this really cool site where they have some of the most popular free online games. So you don't even have to go out and buy the games. It is totally free. They even have my favorite one which is Tetris. So if you are into playing games or have friends or family that are, check out this site. I am sure that you will really enjoy it.

Great deal on toys

Right now Amazon.com is having great deals on toys. If you haven't used this site before, you really do need to check it out. For most items, if your order totals over $25, then you would qualify for free shipping. So, if you haven't already finished your Christmas shopping, go ahead and check them out and see what they have at a really good price.

What's cheaper than a tummy tuck?

I just watched something on the History Channel about the history of the corset. I am glad that things have changed so much and they aren't made from wale bones anymore. In fact, there are some really nice sexy ones that I have been looking into for the slimming effect since having 3 babies has left me with a little extra in the tummy area. Sure sounds better than having any sort of surgery and a lot cheaper too.