Week of 8/15/2007

Back-To-School Blues

It's that time of year again. In only a few weeks the kids will be heading off to school. This time of the year can be a real budget buster, especially when Christmas seems not-so-far away. If you're like most parents, you want to outfit your children with new, or at least different, clothing. School supplies aren't optional; they're a necessity. Here are a few saving ideas to use this year and every year.

Leave the kids at home.Unless you absolutely have to try every piece of clothing on your child or you haven't a clue what size he/se wears, taking your children with you to shop for all the back-to-school stuff is hard on your wallet, hard on you and hard on the kids. They always want things that cost more than you want to pay. They want the newest things advertised on TV, even if the fad only lasts 3 months. They always want more than they need.  And it's hard not to give into their demands, especially if they're tantrum prone. Do yourself a favor and leave them at home if at all possible. Use your good common sense to purchase stylish but practical items.  If you have to take the kids with you to shop, make a contract with them: You will purchase only those items that BOTH of you agree on.

Shop kids consignment stores.Much of the stuff in a kids consignment shop still has a lot of life left in it, enough that if taken care of, you can turn around an consign it right back when your child outgrows it. Sometimes these shops are hard to locate.  AtKids Consignment Sales, you may be able to locate these shops in your area. Or try these online consignment shops: OnceWornNotForLong.com , WornButNotForgotten.com , GentlyLovedClothing.com .

Get more bang for your buck.For school supplies, lunchbox snacks and a lot of other things, your local "dollar stores" are a treasure trove of incredible value. You can usually walk out of these stores with bags of stuff for less than $20.00. And don't forget K-Mart and Wal-Mart for some great bargains as well.

Buy used textbooks.Books can last for a very long time if well cared for. Why buy new textbooks if a used one will do. You might want to try Book Byteto see if you can find used textbooks for your child's curriculum.

You can also shop for many more back-to-school bargains on Ebayor Craigs List.

Week of 8/22-8/29/2007

Free College

No, you're not seeing things. Yes, we said FREE COLLEGE. We're talking about HUGE savings here. Some universities offer cooperative undergraduate and graduate programs in which students switch between classroom and workplace to earn college credit. They are either in school or at work all year. There are no summers off, but they are paid for their work. The result is that some students graduate with NO DEBT, 60% are hired by their co-op employers; and 95% find jobs immediately upon graduation.

This concept started at the University of Cincinnati in 1906 and is now available at 500 colleges nationwide. This concept is even growing internationally. Some schools offer it only for specific majors while a few require it of all students.

If you have college-age children or are thinking of going back to college yourself, this is certainly something you want to check out. Go to www.co-op.edu for more information. The Director of College Cooperative Education Programs at www.greenwood.com can also be of help.

 
Week of 9/19/2007

Energy Saving Tips For Fall

Fall is just around the corner and winter will be upon us before we know it. It's time to think about how we can save money on energy use. A typical household spends about $1300 per year on utilities -- 44% on heating and cooling, 33% on lighting and cooking, 14% on water heating and 9% on refrigeration. Here are several steps you can take to save on energy costs this fall.

Week of 9/26/2007

Pay Bills Online

More and more it is becoming clear that paying your bills online is becoming the wave of the future. And it will cost you money if you don't. Companies that have to send out paper statements are beginning to charge for the extra effort. Blue Cross of California charges $2 a month to mail their bill. MCI charges $0.99 a month for paper bills, and Internet service provider Earthlink charges $1.

The best way to avoid these charges -- and those that might be assessed in the future by many companies -- is to use your bank's bill-pay service. This avoids having to go to individual billers' Web sites and remember a host of usernames and passwords. With your bank, you only have one username and password to concern yourself with. Many banks have lowered or completely done away with fees associated with bill-pay to wean customers off of paper checks.

The best reason to pay your bills online is quite simply because it's safer. Most financial fraud occur when checks, credit cards and account statements are stolen from mailboxes. Online financial transactions are encrypted to help reduce the possibility of identity theft. Plus, if you use your bank as your bill-payer, you avoid sharing your account information with multiple billers, which helps to secure your data against hackers. 

Week of 10/17/2007

Halloween Savings

Did you know that a Halloween costume will cost the average American family around $60? Wow, that's enough to blow the light out in the pumpkin. If you have a few kids to dress up, you could end up spending a bundle. What's the answer? Voila! A costume exchange. We wrote about this last year and thought the idea warranted another look this year -- and maybe every year.

PreSchoolRock.com  oringinated the online version and is celebrating their second year offering a FREE costume exchange (does not include shipping). This year it's bigger and better than ever. You'll find a good selection of costumes and accessories.

If you're creative, what's wrong with making your own costumes. We found a funky site with wierd musicthat might drive you crazy but some great ideas for homemade costumes. Here are more inexpensive costume ideas.

Organize your own costume exchange, similar to a garage sale but instead you'd be exchanging costumes. Just invite friends and neighbors over on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon to an exchange party. Tell them to bring all their old Halloween costumes that are too small. Surely others at the exchange could wear them. 

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