Tip Of The Day

Tired Of Having Your Bread Mold Days After You Buy It?

I almost always buy the fresh bread in the bakery with no preservatives or make my own. During the summer months when it is so warm my bread was molding before the loaf was half gone. Well I tried everything, freezing (which bread never seems to be the same after freezing it)  I put it in the fridge and still mold.  Anyway I had bought some of those green plastic bags that are supposed to keep your vegetables fresher longer, well I put a loaf of french bread in one and put it in the fridge and its been over a week and a half and its still fresh and no mold!

I found some of the green bags at the $ store. That's cheaper than Walmart!

A Five Minute Call Can Save U $$$

This month I made a couple of phone calls approx 5 minutes each and saved us $550.00 a year. First I called our satelite company (dish) and asked why our bill had went up $10.00 a month when I made no changes. So they looked and said well we do have a special going right now and we can reduce your monthly charge $10.00. So there was a $120.00 a year savings in less than 5 minutes.

I also called our auto insurance.  In our recent bill there was a letter "Notice To Policy Holders" We have introduced a new plan for pricing auto insurance.and you may qualify under this plan. They stated the new plan was was more complex and more accurate formula  to determine premiums. They said if you were interested to call. So I did and 10 minutes later I had saved us $430.00 a year!

So there is a savings of $550.00 a year in less than 15 minutes! Usually I don't read all the paper work when our insurance policy comes due.  I usually just check the premium due. It pays to read all the paper work enclosed!

If you have been a long time customer with a company and you think your interest rate or monthly bill is too much call them,.  Companies now days want to keep good paying long term customers. happy.  In the past and even today you will see ads and specials to lure in new customers, but I think companies are learning that they really need those loyal customers who pay on time.

So give it a try you have nothing to lose and lots to gain!!

 

Great Way To Curtail Spending And Save More!

A few months ago we decided that we were spending too much and not saving as much as we would like. This also works if you have a very tight budget and just need to make your pay check last till the next one.

Anyway what we did was budget on how much we usually spent on groceries, gas, eating out, miscellaneous.  So in separate envelopes we put; $350.00 for groceries, $100.00 for gas, $125.00 for miscellaneous and $250.00 for eating out. We are retired so our budget is a little different than for someone who is working and driving everyday. You just need to calculate about how much you spend or how much you want to allow yourself to spend and put that into separate envelopes.

As you go through the month you can keep track of what you are spending in each category and where you need to cut back or eat a cheaper place, share a meal or shop the sales. We found this to be very helpful in not over spending. When you just have a debit card and not cash you tend to just keep on spending and not even realize how much you really do spend.

We were able to stick to this very easily and the first month we were able to save even more than we thought we would. When we got towards the end of the month our eating out money was getting a little low so we went out a couple of times less and shared a meal here and there (so many places serve too much food for one person anyway)

This really keeps you in  check of how much you spend and not to over spend and be broke before the next paycheck. When you see that you only have $50.00 left for groceries you become a better savvy shopper!

For whatever reason you use this 'Envelope Budget' you will quickly see just how much you really spend. Also when you use cash (the old fashion way to pay) you tend to be more thrifty. We found this so true. When we use our debit card for everything you really lose track of your spending.

If you want to save or just budget give this a try! Come post your results with us!!