Thrift Store Deals! Patio Door Curtain Find!

 Thrift stores are great places to find some great deals. I was so excited to find these curtains! I had just been thinking about getting some curtains. The problem for me was that I have three patio doors that needed matching curtains and the chances of finding that was very slim at a thrift store. I had just started looking and almost forgot to look the second week, when I felt a little internal nudge to go look.

I was so excited to find three sets right away and in colors that look great in my living room and dining room! Each set was $5.99. I also needed three matching rods and I got the rods for $9.99 each at Wal-Mart. So, I was able to decorate with these three sets for under $50.00. I think someone upstairs was looking out for me this day.

There are lots of great deals at thrift stores and thrift sales. My house rarely has anything brand new. Buying the rods new was a bit of a step out for me but I knew I wasn't going to get the look I needed unless I bought the rods new. A single similar curtain at Wal-mart is about $11.00, so the 6 would have cost about $66.00 plus the rods for $30.00 for a total of $96.00 new for a difference of $46.00 in savings.

Happy Savings!

How a Five Day Cruise to the Bahamas for 2 Cost $1018 including Flights, Hotels and Everything Else

 My husband and I just took an amazing trip to the Bahamas on a five day cruise for our 30th wedding anniversary. We've never been on a cruise before so it was very special. In total, the cruise cost us $1018.59. I will break these costs down, so you can see what we paid for what. I also figured that only a couple of slight differences could have cost us about $2300. I used the $2300 figure for comparison purposes.

 First of all, cruise prices pretend to be very cheap. This is actually a masquerade for what really happens. For once, because it was our 30th wedding anniversary, I was willing to cut loose a bit and spend some money for some fun in the sun. Last year, when we went on a vacation where we had to sit through a timeshare presentation, they gave us a "free 4 day cruise" with the package. They didn't have the free cruise available for the dates I wanted and they would not allow me to look myself (I had to use an agent of the company to "guide me"since it was the "free" cruise) so, in all actuality, when I compared to prices online I could have booked myself, I saved $62.00 on the trip because of the "free" part. So, it's a good thing I was ready to actually fork over some cash. The cruise itself cost $208.20 per person, but once they add on the taxes and port fees, it came to a total of $599.10 for the two of us. If I had booked myself, it would have come to $660.50.

They make you give them your credit card number up front and make you pay "gratuities" up front too. Our gratuities cost (which are a surprise at the end of the cruise) came to $113.42. This is because we ordered absolutely no pop or alcohol, which has an automatic 15% gratuity every time you order in addition to the high cost of the drinks. Any iced tea, lemonade or morning beverages, coffee etc is free with the package. I figured a flat $200.00 for the $2300 figure for someone who maybe had a few cans of pop and a couple drinks.

The food was utterly fantastic and I ate more than I have ever eaten in one week in my entire life! All you can eat buffets for any meal and many other offerings. You could also eat specialty meals for an extra fee, which we did not do. A person could easily spend a LOT of money if they were not careful. No cash is used on the boat and you just use your "sign and sail" card they give you and with no cash actually changing hands, and no tally in front of your eyes, it would be real easy to get carried away! I added another $47.39 on for food eaten in specialty shops to come to the possible $2300 figure.

Every day excursions were offered. We didn't take any. There was plenty to do with no excursions taken. I put down the cheapest excursion offered for the possible $2300 trip at $39.95 X 2 for two to go to the beach. But we still got to go to two other beaches for free. You could spend a ton on excursions and other things. You could rent a little house on the beach for the day for $499.99 if you wanted. There was so much entertainment for free, you could not do it all. So, we did all the free stuff. Concerts and comedians and karaoke, movies, fun stuff for kids. All free.

Because we were celebrating our anniversary, we were given one free photo from the cruise ship. This would have cost $11.95.

The gas to and from the airport was, for us, $7.42 because my husband drives a Honda Insight and it gets 70 MPG. I figured in $16.21 for a car that got 32 MPG for the $2300 trip.

We got a free day of airport parking because we had been doing a program with them. We had a card we had been carrying with us there every time for years and finally had enough stamps for a free day! The parking cost us $80.53 vs $92.53 regular price.

I saved a lot on the flights. I got them for free. We have a credit card that I get airlines miles for using and paying off every month. The tickets would have cost $770.38.

I used priceline for a hotel that we stayed at both before and after the trip for one night. The nights were each $67.24. If I had used the hotel website instead of priceline, they would have cost $93.00 a night. I made sure there was a free shuttle to and from the airport to the hotel and a shuttle to and from the hotel to the port, which was $10.00 per way, per person. As it turned out, the shuttle was full and we were going to have to wait to get there so my husband called an Uber driver who was there in 3 minutes. She cost us $16.50, saving us $3.50. We took the shuttle back and when I told the hotel desk person we needed to pay for the trip back, they said don't worry about it. I said "Okay!!" Apparently they only take money for two way trips, saving us another $20.00. This hotel also had a free breakfast in the hotel.

We were also given a $50.00 gift card for use at the spa, but when I saw the prices, I opted for the usual massage...the one where my husband gives me one and I give him one. So, we still each got a massage and saved a lot of money. !

We did need to eat in the airport and one meal at a restaurant after we left the ship. We walked to the restaurant, saving us a taxi. It was a 15 minute walk and we needed the exercise anyway. These meals cost about $56.00 total. I charged the same for these meals as for the $2300 trip but someone could have easily chosen a taxi and cost more.

I bought a T shirt and a magnet, which were $11.00 total. I put $30.00 into the $2300 figure.

Of course, anyone could have spent any amount on this cruise. I chose $2300 because it was a reasonable number that anyone could have spent and it wasn't using outrageous numbers. The difference between the two, nearly exact same trips is $1282! I don't think it took me any more time to take the $1018 trip than it would have to take the $2300 trip and I don't think I would have had any more fun!! No matter which trip I took, I was still going to have to do all the work of booking the flights and cruises etc. Someone may prefer not to worry about money on a trip like this, especially for a 30th wedding anniversary. For me, I would rather spend the extra tiny bit of effort, and know I saved a chuck load of change to the tune of $1282!! Most people might not remember those few extra sodas or drinks they had or that extra T-shirt or dinner but I'll remember that I saved $1282!!. That's enough for a full other cruise. I'll need to think about booking that. :)

In the meantime, here is a breakdown for the typical average cruise: http://www.cruisemarketwatch.com/home/financial-breakdown-of-typical-cruiser/

Happy Savings! ~

Tuition Free Accredited College Degree?

This is something I just saw online today for the first time. I don't know anything about it except that it says that it is tuition free and accredited. There are a few programs available. It's worth checking out! It's called University of the People. Here is the website: http://www.uopeople.edu/

Here is an article by the New York Times showing that they have received accreditation. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/14/education/free-online-university-receives-accreditation-in-time-for-graduating-class-of-7.html It is worth researching to see how employers are viewing the degree and if it is worth your time to go. This might be a great opportunity for some who could not otherwise go to college. 

Happy Savings! 

Save Your Christmas Ham-bone to Make Bean Soup!

Many of you will be having ham for Christmas. There will no doubt be leftover ham for sandwiches and the like but a very easy and inexpensive bean soup meal can be made using the ham-bone. 

 This is a photo of 16 bean soup mix. There are different bean soups that can be made with a ham-bone like split-pea soup or lentil soup or just plain old Boston Baked Beans. Beans are very inexpensive and go a long way for a good hearty meal. First, I soaked the above beans in water for an hour or so before adding them to the pot with the ham-bone to cook down for a few hours. (This can also be made in a crock pot if you have to work and/or are out of the house.)

 Here is a recipe for 16 bean soup: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/sixteen-bean-soup After cooking down and adding a few other ingredients like onion, celery and garlic, voila! Lovely 16 bean soup. It tastes even better the next day.

This tastes great with some homemade bread or corn muffins on the side and should last for a couple  meals for a family of four. Happy Savings! 

Thanksgiving Dinner for 8 for Under $20.00 including Turkey and Duck!

I had Thanksgiving at my house this year and spent under $20.00. We had turkey, duck, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, two kinds of cranberries, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. My guests brought a couple of things and this added key lime pie, lemon meringue pie, a salad and some rolls. You may remember when I blogged about finding some great deals on turkey and duck a few months back. I put them in the deep freeze and they were perfect for this meal! 

The turkey was on sale for $6.33! This was marked down from $25.77 (13 lbs.). The only thing wrong with it was a broken handle on the package. If you are having Christmas at your house, keep your eyes out for deals like this right after Thanksgiving this year and, if you have a deep freeze, all year long for deals like this. You can save a bundle when you have guests over.

 I was able to have both turkey and duck for this Thanksgiving meal as a special treat. The duck was only $2.88, marked down from $16.36. It came with a special orange sauce which tasted fantastic!

I knew my guests were bringing pie and I didn't need to have any but I saw this pie on the mark down table. It was marked down from $5.98 to $2.99. The only reason for this is you can see on the right side, it got slightly overcooked. Other than that, it was perfect! 

 I made a dish called Green Bean Casserole. It has only green beans, mixed with Cream of Mushroom soup, topped with French's Crispy Fried Onions and baked. The green beans were bought on sale for .49 each and so was the Cream of Mushroom soup. The French's I bought on clearance a while back and saved for a special occasion such as this. It had a coupon with it, making this box only $1.00.

 Every year, we go out to some local potato fields and get tubs of free potatoes left over after the farmers get what they are going to get. So, these were free and made into mashed potatoes.

 The cranberry sauce was .49 on sale and the fresh cranberries were bought with ad match at Wal-Mart for .99. I added some water and sugar and boiled them.

 This gluten free stuffing was on sale and had a coupon so I ended up spending .50 on them plus .49 for the chicken broth on sale.

 My mother-in-law gave us some elderberry wine last year for Christmas so I served that with the meal.

 Last but not least, I never pay full price for decorations! The best time to buy is a week or so after the holiday when prices are not 50% off, but 90% off! The centerpiece in the first photo was bought at Goodwill for $1.99 and I bought some gourds on clearance for .20 a bag to fill it with. The tags you see below are tags from other Thanksgiving decorations.

 The only things I needed to buy specially for this meal was the pie and the cranberries. Everything else I already had in my pantry and bought when it was on sale. If I had purchased everything for this meal at regular price (food only), it would have cost me $68.35 to serve this meal. It cost me less than $20.00 (about $18.00). This is a difference of $50.35!! And I didn't even need to buy the pumpkin pie or serve the duck and this still would have been a nicely rounded meal, so, if I were really wanting to skip those two items, I could have served the meal for about $12.00!!

The key to saving money is to buy when things are on clearance. Doing this regularly saves a lot of money and you don't have to skimp on quality.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Savings!

Pennies Pennies Everywhere: Reuse Freezer and Storage Bags

A good way to save some money is to re-use your plastic freezer and storage baggies. I usually manage to re-use mine a few times before throwing them away. I suds them up well using some dish soap and hot water and wash them out well. I then turn them upside down to dry on whatever I have available. Usually that is on top of cups or a faucet handle or a bottle of some kind. There is often a little moisture left in them so I dry them out before putting them away. Depending on how many baggies you use per year, you can save a fair amount of money. If you normally use 100 bags per year, for example, and you buy 20 and re-use them over and over, and you normally pay 99 cents per 20 (which is what I get them for on sale), you can save about $4.00. That might not seem like a lot of money but remember when you save pennies on a little of everything all year long, and do it year after year, it can amount to a lot.

If saving a few dollars isn't a good enough incentive for you, you may want to consider washing baggies out for environmental reasons. According to Ecowatch, "Enough plastic is thrown away each year to circle the earth four times. We currently recover only five percent of the plastics we produce. The average American throws away approximately 185 pounds of plastic per year.Apr 7, 2014"  There is so much plastic thrown away, it really is quite tragic. A great thing about frugality is that is usually has further reaching effects than just your personal purse-strings. This is one reason why frugality is such a great concept.

Here is an article from Mother Jones on washing out sandwich baggies: http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2010/06/washing-out-sandwich-baggies-waste-time

I re-use plastic baggies over and over and have not had a problem. I just make sure they are clean. However, there comes a point when I do throw them away. It is not recommended to re-use discolored baggies or baggies that had meat or oil in them for food use. Use common sense when re-using baggies.

Here is an article about re-using plastic baggies in ways other than putting food into them: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/06/reusing-plastic-bags-tips_n_1859303.html?slideshow=true#gallery/248738/0

Happy Savings!

Change your Think into a Thunk: The Big Middle Class Squeeze

I recently found out that our health insurance premiums are going up by $400.00 per month this year to keep the same coverage. Many people I have talked to are having their coverage go up by $200.00, $300.00, $400.00....even $1000.00 a month! 

I thought it might be helpful to talk a little bit about the economic state of the middle class today BEFORE this huge rate hike in insurance premiums for middle class Americans. A lot of people don't know much about economics. (I developed a personal interest about 10 years ago and have read a lot on the economy plus taken a class for good measure). The middle class has been slowly gutted. Liberals like to blame this on corporations and Conservatives like to blame it on big government. It's my personal opinion they are in bed with each other. Many people move from Wall Street positions into government positions and vice versa. It's my opinion that the government and corporations use the idea of community and compassion to continue to gut us out. Americans saw their wealth plummet by **40%** from 2007 to 2010. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/fed-americans-wealth-dropped-40-percent/2012/06/11/gJQAlIsCVV_story.html 

Much of this was in housing equity so it didn't all affect the monthly bottom line. These losses had to get mopped up somewhere. Companies scrambled to make up losses by putting more and more work on less and less people. There is a consistent squeeze on the middle class like frogs in a pot. 50% of Americans don't have $500 to cover a car repair. 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-americans-with-no-emergency-savings-0108-biz-20160107-story.html

 Americans who save have a median retirement savings of less than $60,000. 

http://www.fool.com/retirement/general/2015/01/10/the-typical-american-has-this-much-in-retirement-s.aspx 

The average student loan debt for 2016 is $37,172. 

https://studentloanhero.com/student-loan-debt-statistics/ 

So, you take the fact that people have lost equity in their homes, many don't have $500 at their disposal, the median retirement savings is $60,000 and the average student loan debt for 2016 is $37,172, jacking up health care costs for all those middle class people on top of everything else is disastrous. The picture is not rosy. We need to stop relying on the government to save us and start getting smart with our own money. We need to change our think into a thunk.