Penny Pinching Mom

Saving Money on School Supplies

Here in the mountains, school starts much earlier than it does in most places. This year, they started back the first week of August. At the foot of the mountain, they went back last week. And in many places, summer vacation still isn’t over.

Even though Pumpkin had to have all of her stuff weeks ago, I thought I would share a few things I’ve learned about saving money on school supplies in my humble experience. So here goes.

• If you’re in dire financial straits (like a lot of people are right now), you might be able to get some or all of the supplies on your child’s list for free. Many churches and businesses have school supply drives for the needy and distribute them shortly before school starts in the area. Check the local paper or ask around to find out when and where such events are taking place.
• Keep an eye on the sale papers. Discount and office supply stores usually have huge markdowns on school supplies when it’s near time for school to start. But they’re usually for a limited time only, so be sure to check the dates. (These sales often coincide with sales tax holidays, so you can save even more money by not paying taxes on your purchase.)
• If you find an outstanding deal on something that your child will use for several years to come, buy in bulk. Pencils, loose leaf paper and notebooks are just some of the things your child will need throughout his or her school career. But don’t buy things your child won’t need just because they’re cheap – crayons, for example, are only needed for the first few years of school, so there’s no reason to buy ten packs of them (unless of course your child goes through them quickly at home).
• If you’re a college student, you can either buy and later sell textbooks when you no longer need them, or rent them. It’s not always clear which way will save you the most money, though. One thing that can help you decide is the date of publication. If a book is hot off the presses, you will probably be better off to buy it and then sell it at the end of the semester, because its value will still be high. For older books, however, renting could be a better option, because it could be worth little to nothing to next semester’s students.

I hope you’ve found these tips helpful. Here’s to a great school year for students, parents and teachers!

Almost Done With Pumpkin’s Birthday Shopping

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I was trying to get Pumpkin’s birthday shopping done early. Well, I’m happy to report that I’ve already gotten most of it done! I found a great deal on a used PSP on eBay, as well as a couple of used games and a memory stick. I used the Amazon gift certificates that I had saved up to get her some more games. And here’s the kicker: I spent just over $100 out of pocket on it all. Sweet!

Now I’ve just got to keep Hubby from letting it slip. He’s already been dropping hints, just like he always does. Heck, if I were to order her some Bevery Hills flowers today (to be delivered on her birthday), he would probably let the cat out of the bag within a week. So I’m going to have to be super-vigilant about heading him off at the pass when he starts talking about her birthday when she’s around.

I’m hoping to be able to get her a new pair of earrings and a jewelry box to give her on her birthday, then give her the PSP and stuff when we have her party. We’ll see how that goes.

Looking for More Ways to Save Money

For some time now, I’ve been looking for ways to save money. And even though our finances are taking a turn for the better, the quest continues. I’ve sold my truck and we’ve refinanced Hubby’s, so that has cut down significantly on our monthly expenses. Not only do we have one monthly payment gone and another cut by over $100, we’re also saving quite a bit on our auto insurance. But there’s still room for improvement. There always is.

The question is, what else can I do while still keeping the family happy? I’d personally have no problem with getting the satellite cut off, but Hubby and Pumpkin would go into fits. Besides, we’re under contract, and we’d have to pay a hefty fee if we had it disconnected now. So that’s out of the question.

We’re considering getting one of the cell phones cut off and getting a cheaper plan for the other, but the jury is still out on that one. Hubby uses his a lot, and he doesn’t like for me to go out without one in case there’s an emergency. But if we do keep two hooked up, we’re going to have to get a new one, because Hubby’s has just about had it.

And then there are energy conserving measures to consider. I’ve thought about replacing the light bulbs with those compact fluorescent ones, but I’m not sure how much that would help. If I go that route, I’ll probably just replace one at a time as they burn out. We need to fix the temperature knob on the refrigerator, too, because it’s staying way too cold and we can’t turn it down. We could go as far as installing hand dryers in the bathroom and next to the kitchen sink, but I don’t think we will. That actually wouldn’t save us any money, because we dry on hand towels, not paper towels.

If you have any tips for cutting costs (especially in a way that you can see the difference right away), please share in the comments!

Take a Holiday from Sales Tax

Did you know that several states are having a sales tax holiday this weekend (August 6th through 8th)? I’m happy to report that North Carolina is one of them. Unfortunately, you don’t get a break from taxes on all purchases. If you want to buy a car or a couple of steel buildings to put your stuff in, you’ll still have to pay sales tax at the normal rate. But if you’re shopping for clothing and school supplies, you may be in luck.

The exact items covered vary from state to state. Here’s a breakdown of the participating states and the categories included.

• Iowa and Oklahoma: Clothing only
• Virginia: Clothing and school supplies
• Georgia, Missouri, New Mexico, South Carolina and Tennessee: Clothing, school supplies and computers
• Alabama: Clothing, computers, school supplies and books
• North Carolina: Clothing, school supplies, computers and sports equipment

A few other states have sales tax holidays on different dates. Here’s the list.

• Connecticut: 3rd week of August (Clothing only)
• Washington, DC: August and November (exact dates unknown) (Clothing and school supplies)
• Massachusetts: 2nd weekend of August (School supplies, computers, sports equipment, health and beauty aids)
• Texas: 3rd weekend of August (Clothing, diapers, backpacks and school supplies)

School is already in session here in the mountains, so I won’t get to take advantage of the tax break on Pumpkin’s school supplies. But I do plan to finish shopping for her school clothes. To those of you who hit the stores this weekend, happy shopping!

Edit 8/14/10: I’m told that Florida is having a tax-free weekend August 13-15 that includes clothing and school supplies. I’m not sure whether or not it will be a yearly thing. Thanks Mitchsmom!

Fitness on the Cheap

I’ve known for a long time that I was out of shape and needed to do something about it. But seeing how I could barely drag myself out of bed and get a thing or two accomplished each day, it was easier said than done. Now that the dense fog of depression is lifting, I’m hopeful that I can motivate myself to finally get some exercise.

There’s a Curves gym in town, but there’s no way I can afford to join right now. And even if I could, in the shape I’m currently in, I’d be embarrassed to go. So I’ll probably start out with something simple and inexpensive. Like walking.

Still, I could use some good walking shoes. I’d love to have a pair of those MBT shoes. You know, the ones with the rocker soles that are supposed to improve muscle tone and posture. Maybe someday.

I don’t know if I’ll be able to talk myself into walking while it’s still so hot out. Fitness may have to wait until the weather cools off a little. But if I can make myself walk every day or every other day for a week or so, it will become a habit and I won’t find it so hard to get motivated.

Birthday Shopping for Pumpkin

Pumpkin’s birthday is coming up. Actually it’s about two months away, but I’m already thinking about what to get her. She’s at that age where she’s getting rather difficult to shop for. She’s losing interest in toys, or at least the less expensive kinds of toys. She’s been begging for a PSP for some time now, and I’m hoping that we’ll be able to get her one of those.

I’ve been checking prices on them, and I’d love to find a good deal on a used one with some games that she would enjoy. If I can do that, I’d also be able to get her some earrings for her newly-pierced ears, and maybe a jewelry box to keep them in. But if I end up having to buy her a new one, the PSP and a game or two might be all we can get her.

I’m also debating on whether or not to throw her a party this year. Of course we’ll be getting her a cake, but I don’t know if we’ll invite a bunch of her friends or just make it a family affair. Or maybe even let her invite a friend over for a sleepover and take them out to do something special. I’ll have to do some more talking to her and think about it.

Beating the Heat on a Budget

It has been ridiculously hot here in the mountains all summer. Last weekend was the hottest weekend I can remember since I’ve lived here, with temperatures in the 90s. I guess I should consider myself lucky since the mercury was over 100 in the foothills, but that was little consolation when I was sitting in front of the fan and still sweating buckets.

Don’t get me wrong – I love sunshine and warm weather. If it weren’t so oppressively hot, you might have found me sitting outside on one of those nice comfy outdoor chaise lounges (in the shade, since I don’t tan, I just burn). But when it gets as hot as it has been getting, I just want to find a way to beat the heat. And when you don’t have an air conditioner, that means you’ve got to get creative.

When I heard the weather forecast for this past weekend, I immediately decided that I wasn’t going to sit at home and be miserable. So on Saturday morning, before it got really hot, I took a shower and grabbed the truck keys. I invited Hubby and Pumpkin to come along, but Hubby decided to stay home. Pumpkin, for once, decided to go with me, since I promised to take her to the library so she could check out some magic books.

So off we went. I took her to the library first, and told her to take her time and check out as many books as she wanted. Unfortunately, that didn’t take too long. So I had to come up with another idea. I remembered a new thrift shop in town that I had wanted to check out, so we went there and browsed for a while. I ended up getting Pumpkin some like-new clothes for school at great prices.

After that we went to Walmart, looked around a little, and bought her a couple more things for school. When we got done there I was out of money except what I had brought for gas, so we filled up and headed home.

It was still hot when we got home, but at least we got to spend a goodly portion of the day in air conditioned comfort. The lesson here: When it’s unbearably hot out, if you can’t keep cool at home, find something inexpensive to do indoors. The library is of course free, and thrift shops are a wonderful destination for shopping that won’t break the bank. Some other ideas include:

• Going to a museum
• Going out for ice cream
• Hitting the mall (with a definite budget in mind, or even just to look around)
• Having lunch with a friend who has air conditioning

Of course, if you want to enjoy the outdoors, you can always cool off by going swimming.

If you have any other ideas for beating the heat on a budget, please share in the comments!

How to Fix Broken Lipsticks

I promised to post a video about this some time ago, but I never seemed to get around to it. But here it is: How to fix broken lipsticks. This is a really simple method that anybody can do, and it looks like it would work very well. I haven’t tried it myself yet, but if and when I do, I’ll let you know how it goes for me.

I saw another video at some point that showed how to melt lipsticks down and put them into contact lens holders or those watercolor paint containers. That would probably work best for those that are badly broken, as long as you have a good lip brush to apply them with (or don’t mind getting lipstick all over your fingers). Anyway, hope this helps my fellow cosmetic clutzes of the world save some money and preserve their favorite lipstick shades!

I Should Really Set Up a Home Network

Since I’ve only got one computer that I use, I’ve never bothered setting up a network. But lately I’ve been thinking about doing so. We recently got a killer deal on a PS2, and we also got satellite TV, and both of those can be hooked up to the Internet for additional capabilities. Plus I’m hoping to get a laptop one of these years so I won’t be chained to my desk. So I need to look at my networking options.

I’m hoping to go wireless, because it’s so much simpler. But then again, with my tendency to lose stuff, I might be better off if I had to hook my laptop up to a cable to get it online. Then I could just follow the cord when I forgot where I put it. (With my scattered brain, laptop insurance is definitely a must!)

So, does anyone out there have any advice for setting up a network on the cheap? Wireless or wired, I’m open to suggestions.

DVDs for Cheap at Amazon

Do you know what the top rated diet pill is? Me either. But I do know that if you’re looking to expand your DVD collection, Amazon is the place to be right now.

I got an email from them a couple of days ago advertising a “Big DVD Sale”. I was interested, so I clicked the link to see what they had to offer. Turns out they’ve got hundreds of DVDs as low as $6.49. They’ve got tons of movies and full seasons of popular TV shows, and even some Blu-Rays for cheap. If you love movies, be sure to check it out!