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Miserly Moms
Through the use of the tips I share and the other resources recommended, I hope that many people will be able to afford to cut back on working hours or quit altogether in order to spend more time with their family.
 

Save Money On Your Grocery Bill
by: Shannon Jarvies

We've all heard about certain ways to cut your grocery bill like avoiding the grocery store when you're hungry, using coupons on double coupons day, and buying only the items on your list. These are all good tips and we should keep using them. However, I've found a few pointers that might help you save even more on your grocery bill.

The first thing you need to do after you've made your grocery list is to try to figure the total cost of your grocery bill. Make sure you've got everything on the list that you'll need because after you've made an educated guess you're going to go to your purse (or wallet), take out the cash and leave the rest behind. Believe me, this will definitely cut back on the unnecessary extras because you won't have the credit cards to fall back on. And if you're like me, you'd rather be hung upside down by your toe nails than be found short at the check out.

Don't be afraid to look on the day-old bread rack or in the "about to expire" section of the meat department. You have to be careful, but you'll probably be able to tell whether the item is good. Just make sure to use it right away, don't let it sit in your refrigerator for a week. Who knows, it just might "meat" your expectations and save you money in the process!

Another thing to think about is the time of day, time of week and even time of month that you are shopping. I've found that early in the morning and in the middle of the week is when the grocery stores are less busy and you'll be able to get more efficient shopping done. Be careful not to go on the first day or two of the month. Some stores have been known to raise prices because that is the time that social security and welfare checks go out.

Buy in bulk when it makes sense. If you're shopping at Costco or Sam's Club you still need to comparison shop. I've found that some of the items are just as inexpensive at our local grocery store and there have been times when Costco's or Sam's Club prices where higher. So most of the time it makes sense for me to get most of our groceries at my local store because we live two hours away from Sam's Club

Look high and low for savings, literally. The grocery stores purposely place the higher-priced name brand items at eye level. The lower priced generic and store brands are usually higher and lower than the brand name items. Remember that the generic brand or store brand isn't always the less expensive. Some stores I've been to list the cost per ounce, or per item (trash bags) so be sure to compare these prices when shopping.

Last but not least, if you've got kids at home try to find another mom to trade shopping times with. It's a lot easier to shop without kids, you won't be tempted to buy extras just to keep them quiet and you'll have more time to comparison shop. Your chances of having an enjoyable shopping experience will go up as well as their chances for survival!

About The Author

Shannon Jarvies is a work at home mom with five beautiful children and a wonderful husband. Visit her Debt Management Website for debt consolidation, budgeting help and money saving tips and ideas. And join her Money Management Discussion Group

http://consolidationdebtfree.com

Stop Paying Two Phone Bills: Make Your Cell Phone Your Primary Line
by: Syd Johnson

If you find a good service and affordable features, or spend a lot of time away from home, then consider going totally wireless.

Many cell phone customers are now using their cell phone as their primary phone line. As the number of cell phone subscriber continues to rise, the monthly fee for basic cell phone service are falling. If you spend a lot of time away from home or constantly have business phone calls forwarded to your cell phone, you can make your cell phone your primary phone line.

As more Americans go wireless, the wireless industry has responded with more choices and lower prices for basic plans. You can send email, text messages, surf the web, listen to music and even take pictures with your cell phone. You can keep in touch and entertain yourself with your cell phone. Free nights and weekends, free long distance and of course, going from two phone bills to one, make this a very attractive option.

If you are ready to make the leap to wireless only, there are many, many opportunities in the cellular market for you. Before you make the leap, here are the three most common things that you want to consider to minimize your cell phone bill and maximize your usage and enjoyment.

Service

Spend a few more dollars per month if necessary, but get the best service that you can afford. Customers and family members will not tolerate spotty service, dropped calls and interference on a daily basis. Figure out where you spend the majority of your time, indoors, outdoors, rural areas, dense urban areas or away on business trips. Make sure that your cell phone service is compatible with your geography and lifestyle.

Cost

Basic service plans are comparable to the average landline phone bill. However, the major billing sore points for cell phone customers are roaming charges and over the minutes charges. The average customer has really gotten used to 5 cents, 7 cents and 10 cents per minutes charges on their landline long distance bills. Cell phone carriers can charge 35 cents or 45 cents each minute over your anytime allowance. It's always better to have too many cell phone minutes rather than too few. The extra $10 or $20 for a plan with more anytime minutes is a much better option than a $180 cell phone bill at the end of the month.

Also, see if there is a plan available that minimizes roaming charges. Roaming charges in some areas can be as high as 65 cents per minute. You can minimize your roaming charges in one of two ways:

Get a plan with no roaming charges. Another option is to get plan that alerts you when you are roaming and gives you the option to not send or receive calls. If you are Sprint PCS customer, you will receive an alert on your cell phone when you receive a call and you are roaming. Change your plan if needed, but get one that maximizes your usage time and minimizes your extra costs.

If you get a great service, minimize your extra charges and avoid roaming fees, making the switch from a landline to a cellular phone is a great option.

About The Author

Syd Johnson is the Executive Editor of RapidLingo.com, Financial Solutions Website. You can see more articles at http://www.rapidlingo.com.

Reduce Your Heating Bills This Winter - Overlooked Sources of Heat Loss in the Home 

by Mark D. Tyrol, P.E., www.batticdoor.com 


Imagine leaving a window open all winter long – the heat loss, cold drafts, and wasted energy! Well if your home has a folding attic stair, a fireplace, and/or a clothes dryer, that may be just what is occurring in your home!

These often overlooked sources of heat loss and air leakage can cause your heat pour out and the cold outside air pour in – costing you higher heating bills, causing cold drafts, and wasting energy.

Air leaks are the largest source of heating and cooling loss in the home. Air leaks occur through the small cracks around doors, windows, pipes, etc. We apply caulk and weatherstripping to these areas to minimize heat loss and cold drafts. 

But what can you do about the three largest “holes” in your home – the folding attic stair, the fireplace, and the clothes dryer? Here are some tips and techniques that can easily, quickly and inexpensively seal and insulate these holes. 


Attic Stairs: 

Do you have a folding attic stairway in your house? When attic stairs are installed, a large hole (approximately 10 square feet!) is created in your ceiling. The ceiling and insulation that were there have to be removed. And what is installed to cover this opening? A thin, unsealed, un-insulated sheet of plywood!

Did you know that your attic space is ventilated directly to the outdoors? In the winter, the attic space can be very cold, and in the summer it can be very hot. And what is separating your conditioned house from your unconditioned attic? That thin sheet of plywood!

Often a gap can be observed around the perimeter of the door. Try this yourself: at night when it is dark, turn on the attic light and shut the attic stairway door - do you see any light coming through? These are gaps - which add up to a large opening where your heated/cooled air leaks out 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year! This is like leaving a window open all year round!

An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add an attic stair cover. An attic stair cover provides an air seal, reducing the air leaks. Add the desired amount of insulation over the cover to restore the insulation removed from the ceiling. 


Fireplaces: 

Approximately 100 million homes in North America are constructed with wood or gas burning fireplaces. Unfortunately there are negative side effects that the fireplace brings to a home especially during the winter home-heating season. Fireplaces are energy losers!

Researchers have studied this to determine the amount of heat loss through a fireplace, and the results are amazing! One remarkable research study showed that an open damper on an unused fireplace in a well-insulated house can raise overall heating energy consumption by 30%! 

A recent study showed that for many consumers, their heating bills may be more than $500 higher per winter just due to the air leakage and wasted energy caused by fireplaces! 

Why Does a Home With a Fireplace Have Higher Heating Bills? Hot air rises! Your heated air leaks out any exit it can find, and when your warm heated air is drawn out of your home, cold outside air is drawn in to make up for it. The fireplace is like a giant straw - sucking the heated air from your house. This is like leaving a window open all year round!

An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a fireplace draftstopper. A fireplace draftstopper is an inflatable pillow that seals the damper, eliminating any air leaks. The pillow removed whenever the fireplace is used, then reinserted after. 


Clothes Dryer Exhaust Ducts: 

Have you ever noticed that the room containing your clothes dryer is the coldest room in your house? Ever wonder why? Your clothes dryer is connected to an exhaust duct that is open to the outdoors. In the winter, cold air leaks in through the duct, through your dryer and into your house, while your heated air just pours right out!

Dryer vents use a sheet metal flapper to try to reduce this air leakage. This is very primitive technology that does not provide a positive seal to stop the air leakage. Compounding the problem is that over time, lint clogs the flapper valve causing it to stay open. This is like leaving a window open all year round!

An easy, low-cost solution to this problem is to add a dryer vent seal! A dryer vent seal will reduce unwanted air infiltration, and keep out pests, bees and rodents as well. The vent will remain closed unless the dryer is in use. When the dryer is in use, a floating shuttle rises to allow warm air, lint, and moisture to escape. 

If your home has a folding attic stair, a fireplace, and/or a clothes dryer, you can easily, quickly and inexpensively seal and insulate these holes. At Battic Door, we have developed low-cost, green solutions to these and other energy-conservation related issues. For more information please visit our website www.batticdoor.com or send a S.A.S.E. to P.O. Box 15, Mansfield, MA 02048.

Here are some great Frugal Living links for you!

Rangy Lil's Frugality 

Creative Homemaking: Frugal Living

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