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flexible spending account can save you money on braces

Flexible Spending Account

posted in Save Money

  3 ways my Flexible Spending Account saved me $1K for braces! So I’m writing this blog post from the orthodontist office waiting area having just dropped $4,009 for braces for one of my kids. And that amount was after the $1,000 insurance adjustment and a $361 discount for paying in full in advance. Luckily I knew this was coming and maxed out my flexible savings account (FSA)or section 125 account ($3,500 for my employer). So the total amount of up front cash I really had to shell out was $509. That’s a much more tolerable amount than the full ...

Vinegar

Why you should buy some Vinegar

posted in Save Money

Vinegar has to be one of the most versatile products you can buy. Not only is it a food ingredient, but you can also use it to clean, do laundry, and to garden. Vinegar is also extremely inexpensive; you can buy 2 liters for less than one dollar! Talk about a steal. Did you know Vinegar can remove rust? So if you have any rusty knives, you can clean them by soaking them in vinegar for a few hours. Then all you need to do is wipe away the rust. There is no need for fancy rust removers; vinegar can ...

valentine's day gift ideas

Frugal yet Creative Valentine Day Gifts

posted in Save Money

Like I said in my previous post you don’t need to spend a lot of money to make a great gift for Valentine’s day. In fact, I feel that self created gifts are often times more creative than gifts that you buy. Here are examples of what I found on Reddit.com for V-day gift ideas.   The supplies for these gifts don’t cost a lot. But you definitely need to spend some time to create them. For me, I probably could not do that origami flower, but I think I could manage making those lego heart necklaces. Still want to ...

free boxes

How to get Free Boxes

posted in Save Money

If you plan on moving you are going to need some boxes. You could buy some nice cardboard boxes in stores with the exact dimensions you need. Or you can go to the grocery store and get them for free. How? What do you think happens to the boxes that produce and other grocery store products come in? Grocery stores usually recycle those boxes or throw them away. You can get your hands on those boxes if you come at the right time, or call the store and have somebody hold them for you. Most stores, like Walmart, will usually ...

frugal

Definition of Frugal

posted in Save Money

Everybody has their own understanding of what Frugal means. Some people practice an extreme degree of Frugality; they never go out, barely buy any clothes, and perhaps even dumpster dive. Although I am not that Frugal, I respect those who are. Frugality is not a clear cut definition, but rather an ideology; as long as one understands the value of saving money and strives to achieve that in some way they are practicing being Frugal. Let me tell you what I do. I am the type of person that loves deals. I don’t necessarily buy the cheapest product, but I ...

Valentines day roses

Ideas for a Frugal Valentine’s Day

posted in Save Money

February 14th is Valentine’s Day. If you have another person in your life, how do you plan on celebrating it? Going out to eat? Buying flowers? Whatever you do, just realize that you don’t need to spend a lot of money to show affection towards your significant other.  Buying flowers the week of Valentine’s Day might not be such a smart decision. Retailers love Valentine’s Day because of how much markup they can add on the price of their products; it is not unrealistic to see the price of roses get a 50%+ markup. Also, the quality of the flowers ...

lottery tickets

You win a dollar every time you don’t play the lottery.

posted in Save Money

I came across on very controversial post about how you win a dollar every time you don’t play the lottery. I do not agree with that author’s point of view.  And I do not appreciate the fact that he is shining a negative light on something fun. Especially, when there is no correlation with earning money and not playing the lottery. Just a disclaimer, I am not addicted to lottery tickets and I rarely play. But I do like to defend things that I believe are not in the wrong. First, lottery tickets can be a very cheap source of ...

notary cost

How to get Free Notaries

posted in Save Money

One of the ways you can be frugal is to save on document notaries. I know some places, like UPS, charge for their notaries. Although there is a maximum fee, based on state law, let me tell you how you can get them for free. First you need to either have a bank account or a bank sponsored credit card. If you have a bank account, with a major Bank e.g. Chase, they will always have someone available to notarize your document. All you will need is your account number and your driver’s license for verification purposes. If you do ...

frugal eatting out

Is Eating out is Cheaper than Cooking?

posted in Save Money

Recently, MSN money published an article about how eating out is cheaper than cooking. Eating out and frugal should not be in the same sentence; restaurants are in the business of making money. If they are saving you money, how are they making any? Obviously I have a few issues with this claim. But first, here is an example from their site. Outback Steakhouse Meal: 10oz rib-eye dinner (includes soup, salad and asparagus) Total price: $17.99 Grocery store: rib-eye, $9.55; soup, $2.99; bag salad, $3.99; asparagus, $3.99 a bunch Total: $20.52 Winner: Outback   First, the calculations they are using ...

frugal tent

Frugal or just Plain stupid?

posted in Save Money

I am a big fan of Reddit.com and specifically the frugal section. For those of you who do not know, Reddit is just an online forum where people can discuss various things – such as being frugal. I recently stumbled upon a post about this guy who wanted to share how frugal he really was. In my opinion he went extremely beyond Frugal and ventured into the stupid territory.  Here are some pictures of how he is living “frugally”.     “I pay $150/month to live in this backyard and share the kitchen, bathroom and living room with my house ...