family

Trips and tricks for saving money on your next car purchase…

Abby H.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWe had to replace Mr. C’s 14 year old Pontiac last year.  It was time. Recently, I’ve been seeing a lot of friends talking about replacing their older cars that aren’t as fuel efficient or that are starting to need some pretty costly repairs.

We knew the time to replace the old, creaky Pontiac was coming, so to prepare for the new car I did the following step

  • We made a list of cars that met our qualifications: price, specific gas mileage, features (safety & comfort). With a price range in mind, we could make sure that we had enough saved for a down payment.
  • We made sure that we had room in our budget for a car payment. We paid my car off last year (an entire year early!! I rounded up payments each month to the closest $10 and when we had extra money from rebates or bonuses, I sent a few extra hundred dollars to the finance company- those things really do help!).
  • I had been saving money each paycheck for a down payment.  It wasn’t a lot of money each month, but we’ve known for about a year that the Pontiac was on it’s last legs.
  • We filed our tax returns as soon as we were able- We wanted to use the majority of our refund toward the downpayment.
  • We looked online for vehicles that fit our qualifications, we used connections (that would also provide us discounts) through our credit union, insurance carrier, and through sources like UPromise to find vehicles within our price range.
  • We went into the dealerships pre-approved for a loan through our credit union.
  • We knew what was on our credit reports and our scores (Thanks to using CreditSesame), so we knew that we could leverage that if needed to try and get a better APR.
  • I checked with our insurance carrier prior to purchasing the new car to see what the insurance premiums would look like on several cars on our list.  We needed the premiums to stay pretty much the same.

In the end we purchased a 2011 Prius from Toyota of El Cajon. The process was easy, fast (4 hours, but if you’ve bought a car, you know how long it takes), and our sales consultant, Jason Mongold, was awesome. He and his managers helped us find a car that met our criteria and budget, and they gave us a great amount for our trade-in.

Take your time and make sure you review all of your options when buying a car. Whether you buy new or used, from a dealership or private party, do your research!

Carfax Reports– learn all about the car you are about to buy (accidents, title status). Most dealerships that sell pre-owned cars will show you the CarFax report before you purchase.

KBB.com– Find out the value of your trade-in, and the value of the car you are about to purchase.

Little Man sitting in Daddy's Pontiac one last time!
Little Man sitting in Daddy’s Pontiac one last time!

What are your tips and tricks for purchasing a car?

Mixing up hydration with Soda Stream!

Abby H.

Recently, a friend asked me for some non-soda uses for her Soda Stream machine. Since I use ours at least 2 times a week to whip up liter bottles of fizzy water, I figured I’d share some of my concoctions!

Screen Shot 2015-05-31 at 6.58.19 AMThis is the Soda Stream Machine we have.

Here are a few ways to use your Soda Stream besides adding the Soda Stream syrups.

  1. Fill a fancy pitcher with 2-3 cups of chilled, sliced fruit. I like Apples, oranges, lemons, Kiwi, and berries (not necessarily all together). Pour 1 liter of chilled carbonated water from the Soda Stream. It makes the best fruity fizzy water!
  2. Try Torani Syrups in place of Soda Stream syrup.  It comes in tons of flavors, in both regular and sugar free, including fun fruit flavors!
  3. Instead of adding syrup, why not try ice cubes made of fruit juice?  Fill an ice cube tray with orange juice, pomegranate juice, or whatever you have on hand.  Add ice cubes to your carbonated Soda Stream water and enjoy!
  4. If you are looking for a different taste, try the powdered beverage mixes in your carbonated Soda Stream water.  Mix slowly, and carefully, since some of the powders may cause the water to get a little extra fizzy.  I like Crystal Light sticks, Snapple Sticks, and a few store brands that come in cranberry and cran-pear.
  5. Mio or other concentrated liquid beverage mixes are also great in your your carbonated Soda Stream water, and since you control how little or how much you add, your drink can be different each time!
  6. If you are looking to jazz up your beverages, try an Italian Cream Soda.  It’s a pretty easy recipe:

Italian Cream Soda

Ingredients:

  • Ice,
  • 1 ounce syrup,
  • carbonated Soda Stream water (8-12 oz, depending on your glass size),
  • 1 ounce cream,
  • whipped cream (optional, but everyone loves whipped cream).

Directions:

  1.  Scoop ice into glass
  2. Pour your carbonated Soda Stream water over the ice cubes
  3. Pour 1 ounce syrup over the ice and water.  Stir with a stir stick.
  4. Pour 1 ounce of cream over the top- Do not stir.
  5. Top with whipped cream, if desired.

How do you use your Soda Stream Machine?

Scam alert and how to really make money at home…

Abby H.1 Comment

MONEY CASE 8
One of the things I get emails and messages about frequently is, “Have you heard about (Fill in name of scam program here) program? I got an email about it and it says I can make tons of money for only $50!” Or something that sounds equally as fishy.

With the economy being so depressed for an extended period of time, the rise in work at home and get rich quick scams is shocking.  Those who have a hard time finding a new job are perfect pickings for scammers.

I know that this is a savings blog, but I want to share with you some tips, hints, and information about what to look for if you want to work at home and make money online.  I don’t want to see any of you get scammed.

  • One of the most popular scams is the Nigerian Scam.  Basically an important person in an African country is in jail, if you send them money via wire transfer to help them, once they are out of jail, they will reimburse you plus a handsome fee.  Anytime you are emailed by someone who is asking for help and money, run run run.  Especially if they ask you to wire them your hard earned money (it can’t be tracked) or if they send you a check, ask you to cash it and either wire them the money or send them a money order.  That is a SCAM.
  • Work at home scams: If a company asks you to pay them for a list of work at home companies or secret shopper programs, that is most likely a scam. Google the name of the company and the word scam to double check.
  • For that matter, if a company promises an insane amount of money in a short amount of time, It’s a scam.
  •  If a “legit looking” work at home company requests a credit card number or any money at all, It’s a scam.

If you are looking to get rich quick, it’s damn near impossible!

I earn money online doing surveys, clicking links in emails and doing tasks.  If you are looking to make money online, here are a few of my favorites:

  • Earn Cash with Paid View Point. Surveys are short (less than 5 minutes).  Earn cash with each Survey.   You get $1.00 when you sign up! The pay out is $15.00, and it takes about a month to earn $15.00. So far in 2015, I’ve earned about $60.00.
  • Earn Gift cards with Mypoints. I take surveys, click links in emails, and do all of my online shopping through Mypoints. So far in 2015, I’ve earned about $30.00.
  • I also use Swagbucks. I use their search engine toolbar, take a daily poll, watch a video and click a few links each day! So far in 2015, I’ve earned about $60.00. Swagbucks has tons of rewards, you can receive cash via paypal too!
  • I do surveys with Pinecone Research. They aren’t always looking for new participants, but check out their website and see if you fit their open demographics. I make about $20/Month doing short surveys (10 minutes or less).

With all of these survey companies, these are surveys I am pre-qualified for. No spending 10-30 minutes only to learn that you aren’t getting paid and they don’t want your opinions (that’s the #1 reason I do not do Swagbucks surveys and I don’t recommend you waste your time doing them either).

I work on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk to make extra money that I transfer to my Amazon.com account.  I am trying to earn enough to pay for holiday gifts. You sign up and do tasks for small amounts of money, but the money adds up fast.  The tasks are quick and simple (transcription, surveys, flagging inappropriate photos).  I’ve earned over $50 since February.  If you want cold hard cash instead of Amazon.com credit there is an option to have money transferred to a bank account.  Mechanical Turk does ask for your SSN when you sign up- you will receive a 1099- MISC at the end of the year., regardless of which option you select.

Volition has a great list of mystery shopper programs that are free. I do a few of these programs, and I have earned money!

I will by no means become a millionaire, but the extra money each month helps out and allows me to save for holiday gifts, and take the Kiddo to do fun stuff that we normally couldn’t afford.

Screen Shot 2015-05-29 at 3.38.26 PMHere are a few insights that can help you determine if somethings a scam:

  • Does it seem too good to be true?
  • Is there no phone number or address to contact the company?
  • Does the website look “off” or give you a weird feeling (trust your spidery senses)?
  • Google the company name- What comes up?  If it’s not good, run run run!!
  • If a website has photos like the one below- it’s probably a SCAM!

 

 

There is still time!! Save $75 off summer camps at Digital Media Academy!

Abby H.

If you are still looking for a fun summer camp for your teen this summer, Migital Media Academy is still offering their sweet deal! Founded at Stanford University, Digital Media Academy is ranked as one of the ten best summer camps in the world.

Save $75 off summer camps at Digital Media Academy with code TECHSUMMER at www.DigitalMediaAcademy.org. Sign up for multiple weeks and save big! Campers save $125 for each additional course they register for. Register by June 30th to #CreateTheNext best-selling app this summer!

Kids and teens learn computer programming, app development, 3D modeling, robotics, graphic design, filmmaking, and much more. DMA summer camps are one or multiple week experiences taught by industry experts and tech professionals. Campers get hands-on experience creating projects using the latest hardware and software from Apple, Canon, Adobe, and more.

Digital Media Academy is also proud to introduce Made by Girls, a new program dedicated to empowering girls and closing the gender gap in the tech industry.

Give your teen a pre-collegiate experience or build a child’s confidence through project-based learning. Learn at some of the most prestigous colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and Canada.

 

Save $75 off summer camps at Digital Media Academy with code TECHSUMMER at http://www.DigitalMediaAcademy.org. Sign up for multiple weeks and save big! Campers save $125 for each additional course they register for. Register by June 30th to #CreateTheNext best-selling app this summer!

Questions? Call 1(866)656-3342 to speak with a Guest Service Representative or email info@digitalmediaacademy.org and mention the US Family Guide Special OfferQ

#CreateTheNext this summer at Digital Media Academy!

Shopping for real food on a budget!

Abby H.

IMG_3236As you can see from the photo, we buy a lot of fruit.

I bought this fruit late last week, and within 3 days, the raspberries and cantaloupe were GONE.

So why am I sharing this photo of my fruit purchases? To illustrate that you can eat healthy on a budget.

I visited Our local Ralphs, armed with 8 $1/1 Driscoll Coupons (Internet printable coupons from their surveys), a $5/$15 Produce E-coupon on my Ralphs card (like them on Facebook here and you’ll be notified when new produce coupons are added- usually once a month), and a free Muller Yogurt E-coupon (Free Friday Download).

For $4.19 Out of Pocket, I brought home:

8 containers of driscoll’s raspberries
2 bananas
1 mango
1 personal sized watermelon
1 cantaloupe
1 muller yogurt
1 carton coolwhip

The raspberries are $1.28/carton, so after $1/1 Q they are a paltry .28/carton. SCORE. I saved over $50 with my coupons and ralphs club card. UGH. I can’t imagine paying full price for anything.

The only not so “real food” purchase was the whipped topping. I made the Cool whip into Bachelor Mousse (1 small box instant chocolate pudding, 1 1/2 cups milk, whole carton of cool whip, beat together and serve with fruit) and we had it for dessert a few times. It’s quick, easy, and the boys LOVE IT.

So you can do it- keep your eyes open for sales on produce, meat, whole grains, and other stuff your family likes to eat. Don’t forget to take advantage of printable coupons and rebate/money saving apps!

Sears Shop Your Way Rewards: Buy Shoes, Earn Points!

Abby H.

searsshoes1Shop Your Way Rewards Members, check your emails for details on this new program! For every $50 you spend on shoes at Sears, you can begin to unlock special shoe points!*
(Those points can be redeemed exclusively on—you guessed it—more shoes!)
With the next $50 you spend on shoes, you’ll be rewarded with $5 in shoe points
( 5,000 points). Get started today!  But it gets better.

sears shoes2

If you’ve got kids, you know that you go through a lot shoes: feet grow, shoes get trashed, special occasions, and sometimes a shoe goes missing!

With all of the great sales and deals Sears has going on, it’s my go-to store for Lil’ Man’s shoes and clothes. Now I’ll earn even more for my usual shopping!

Frugal Cooking: Italian Sausage Casserole!

Abby H.
Tomato Sauce MGD©
Homemade Sauce- Yum!

This is a family favorite, even little man loves it!

You can make as much of it from scratch as you’d like, or if you’re in a hurry, you can use pre-made sausage and sauce.

This recipe is also great because you can make it vegetarian with soy crumbles, or even vegan if you use alt. cheese. Use Gluten Free Pasta and this dish Gluten Free!

This is a great dish to take to potlucks!

Italian Sausage Casserole

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

  • 1 box of pasta, your choice, cooked al dente and drained
  • 1 jar of your fav pasta sauce, or 4 cups home made sauce
  • 1 lb bulk Italian sausage, crumbled, cooked and drained (or 1 package soy crumbles) You can use ground beef if you prefer.
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded (or 1 cup vegan cheese)

Directions

  1. In a large baking dish, mix the pasta, sauce, and sausage.
  2. Top with cheese.
  3. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until cheese is bubbly and melty.
  4. Serve hot with crusty bread and a green salad.

 

Big Sale Weekend!

Abby H.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Memorial Day is the 25th (this upcoming Monday), and that means there are going to be all kinds of really great deals and sales.

I try not to post a lot of sales and deals, but this week I’ll be posting 1-2 per day when I find some really great deals that I personally think are worth taking advantage of.

These companies are all ones that I shop at regularly, and really like.

So hold on to your hats, It’s about to get crazy and frugal.

 

Vacations on the Cheap, Part 1 (The budget)

Abby H.
Screen Shot 2015-05-13 at 9.15.38 AM
A shot of us at D-land in September of 2013!

I was cleaning out some files yesterday and I came across some notes from when we planned our family vacation to Disneyland 2 years ago. I know with Summer vacation coming up, a lot of you will be planning trips to The House of Mouse and other locales. Here are a few tips to help you save on your summer fun!

The first part of planning a trip is budget. Where you’ll go, how long you’ll stay, what you’ll do while you’re there, those things are all (sadly) dictated by budget.

When we plan a trip, in order to keep our costs down, I’ve formulate a budget that takes into consideration a few things:

  1. We’re getting a m/hotel room with a kitchenette. That way we can eat some meals in room and save money. The average price per person per meal in most tourist areas is $10.00 plus tax and tip, so just by eating in our room three times we’re saving $90.00 plus tax and tip. The difference in price between a m/hotel room without a kitchen is about $10/day. For us, it’s worth it.
  2. I’ll be using high value and free item coupons for some of the menu items we’ll be eating. I trade coupons online on site like HotCouponWorld, and of course, my local coupon club. (For more info on coupon clubs and online forums, check out this post)
  3. I use as many deals and savings programs to earn gift cards and cash to defray costs. I’m save Swagbucks for a Paypal payout, I save Mypoints points for a gift certificate or a Paypal payout,  And if we happen to eat out, we’ll try to eat at Mogl restaurants to earn a little green back!
  4. I save various gift cards as well to be used on the trip (like the $20 pre-paid Visa Gift Cards I earn from SBKC)

So with our budget in mind, I set to finding a m/hotel that fits our budget and has the amenities we are looking for: swimming pool, complimentary continental breakfast, and free parking.

 

 

Save $75 off summer camps at Digital Media Academy!

Abby H.

I posted about Digital Media Academy a few weeks ago, but I wanted to remind you that there is still time to sign your tween/teen up and save $75!

Founded at Stanford University, Digital Media Academy is ranked as one of the ten best summer camps in the world.

Save $75 off summer camps at Digital Media Academy with code TECHSUMMER at www.DigitalMediaAcademy.org. Sign up for multiple weeks and save big! Campers save $125 for each additional course they register for. Register by May 31 to #CreateTheNext best-selling app this summer!

Kids and teens learn computer programming, app development, 3D modeling, robotics, graphic design, filmmaking, and much more. DMA summer camps are one or multiple week experiences taught by industry experts and tech professionals. Campers get hands-on experience creating projects using the latest hardware and software from Apple, Canon, Adobe, and more.

Digital Media Academy is also proud to introduce Made by Girls, a new program dedicated to empowering girls and closing the gender gap in the tech industry.

The DMA Experience from Digital Media Academy on Vimeo.

Give your teen a pre-collegiate experience or build a child’s confidence through project-based learning. Learn at some of the most prestigous colleges and universities throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Questions? Call 1(866)656-3342 to speak with a Guest Service Representative or email info@digitalmediaacademy.org and mention the US Family Guide Special Offer.

#CreateTheNext this summer at Digital Media Academy!