1x half gallon Smart Balance milk
6x Balance nutrition bars
1x Farm Rich Mozarella sticks
1x Farm Rich Philly Cheese Steak snackers
1x El Monterry Taquitos
2x Jose Ole Chicken and Cheese Taquitos
2x Kraft grated parmesan cheese
1x Sorrento Riccota cheese
6x Yoplait yogurt single cups
3x 4pack YoCrunch yogurt
10x Yoplait Greek yogurt
3x 4pack Activia yogurt
2x half gallon 8th Continent soy milk
8lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3x navel oranges
3x Trident gum
1x Smart Balance peanut butter
4x 2lb bag turkey meatballs
1x Dawn dish detergent
1x Skintimate shave gel
1x Pert Plus shampoo&conditioner
4x Degree deodorant
1x Jimmy Dean breakfast bowl
1x Ocean spray fruit shapes
4x Fiber One snack bars
2x Nature Valley granola bars
1x Snackwell snack bars
1x Totinos Pizza stuffers
2x Lunchables
3x Ragu pasta sauce
1x Mt. olive relish
1x Dole Fruit crisp
2x Peanut M&Ms
2x Mentos gum
1x Zone nutrition bar
2x MetRx protein bars
1x frozen mixed vegetables
2x Listerine
1x J&J baby powder
1x Peanut butter Cheerios
1x Crest toothpaste
1x Planter's nutrition bars
3x Hormel complete meals
2x Swanson premium chicken breast
1x banana chips
1x Dole fruit cups
1x Snuggle fabric softener
$287.64 of groceries......$139.34 out of pocket (52% savings)
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Friday, February 3, 2012
You can bargain just about anything
Times have most certainly changed. Before the economy took a nose dive, it was common practice to only negotiate on large items (house, car, or tv). Then things changed. As the economy is struggling to get back on its feet, I have found that EVERYTHING can be negotiated. All you have to do is ask. If an item isn’t on sale, then you need to speak up and negotiate the price. You shouldn't feel embarrased to ask the salesperson “Can you do better on the price?” These little seven words can mean the difference between paying full price and getting a nice discount. The worst thing you will hear as a reply is “no” but more often then not negotiation will begin. Remember, the seller wants your business and will in most circumstances make "changes" to ensure he has your business. You have absolutely nothing to lose by asking and the potential to gain a good deal.
Today, I put that belief into practice. While scanning through my credit card bills, I noticed my internet bill had gone up. I immediately called the internet provider and asked to speak with someone for customer retention of my account. The salesperson on the phone was happy to assist me. I informed her that I noticed my bill had increased from previous months and was curious as to why the change had occured. Turns out I was set up under a promotion that had expired. No matter. I then told her that I had received offers from competing companies offering the same service for a cheaper price, but I have been with this company for quite a while. "Can you do better on the price?" Immediately, she replied, "That's what I needed to hear. Let's see what we can do." By the end of the transaction, I was set up on another promotion. My phone call to the company and those seven little words saved me 30% on my internet bill each month.
So don't hesitate to ask for a better price. If the business really wants your business, then they will make accomadations. Seven simple words that cost you nothing but breath and initiative can present BIG savings. All you have to do is ask!
Today, I put that belief into practice. While scanning through my credit card bills, I noticed my internet bill had gone up. I immediately called the internet provider and asked to speak with someone for customer retention of my account. The salesperson on the phone was happy to assist me. I informed her that I noticed my bill had increased from previous months and was curious as to why the change had occured. Turns out I was set up under a promotion that had expired. No matter. I then told her that I had received offers from competing companies offering the same service for a cheaper price, but I have been with this company for quite a while. "Can you do better on the price?" Immediately, she replied, "That's what I needed to hear. Let's see what we can do." By the end of the transaction, I was set up on another promotion. My phone call to the company and those seven little words saved me 30% on my internet bill each month.
So don't hesitate to ask for a better price. If the business really wants your business, then they will make accomadations. Seven simple words that cost you nothing but breath and initiative can present BIG savings. All you have to do is ask!
Saturday, January 21, 2012
I should have done better
Not sure where exactly I went wrong, but thought I had adjusted my tax being withheld so that I would only get a $100 (+/- 50) for a refund. However, that is not the case. I overpaid a whopping $1100. That's a large amount of $$$ to just for all intensive purposes "stick under a mattress." At first I thought I could attribute the oversight to all the stuff that I donated this past year when my girlfriend and I combined into one house and had to get rid of a LOT of stuff. Obviously it would be hard for me to plan for that when setting up my tax papers, but that only accounts for about $300 of my refund. So what exactly was different from last year that caused an $800 difference? The only thing I did differently is make MORE money.....which in turn means I should owe MORE money. Now don't get me wrong. I'm definitely not complaining about an $1100 "windfall." It's just I'd rather have that windfall throughout the year so that I can at least earn interest on it (more than likely, I would just accelerate my debt payment that much faster). Oh well, this year should be more stable and give me an actual idea of where my numbers need to be.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Say goodbye to debt
Today I have decided to make my debt free future sooner. I already max out a ROTH IRA every year and put in 15% of my income to my ROTH 401(k). I have about 6 months "emergency" money available and another 2-3 months available if all else fails. That being said, today was pay day. After setting aside all monthly expenses, I still had a good amount left over. So I decided to give my mortgage a little boost and applied all the extra (minus about $200) to my principal. It feels good to know that by the age of 31 (maybe even 30) I will be COMPLETELY debt free.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
How does $25/month in Amazon bucks sound?
http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/eternalpaw
Sign up for swagbucks using the above link. It's absolutely free. You earn swagbucks by doing things you already do online. The first thing I would suggest doing is changing your homepage to www.swagbucks.com and using that page as your search engine. You can win swagbucks by doing searches, daily poll, NOSO, downloading and using the toolbar, doing offers, answering surveys, and watching swagtv.
So you may be thinking that this sounds like too much work, but believe me it is REALLY easy. Every day, I make it a habit to check the daily poll (1 swagbuck), skip through the NOSO (2 swagbucks), logon to the toolbar (1 swagbuck), and watch SwagTv (a max of 150 swagbucks *limited time*). For the SwagTv, I found
http://sbbot.blogspot.com/ to be a marvelous tool. It will reload the videos for you until the meter reaches 100% at which point you will need to put in a CAPTCHA. About every 5-6 minutes you will earn 3 swagbucks. If you search through the swagstore you will see a great number of items that you can exchange your swagbucks for. Personally, I think all of the prizes do not compare to the $5 Amazon gift card. However, you are only allowed to buy 5 a month. Even if you just did the swagtv daily, you would have enough swagbucks by the end of the month to get $25 in amazon gift cards. I have actually made over $500 so far. As for what to do with the "extra" swagbucks, I have chosen to bank my bucks until I have enough for the $100 paypal giftcard. I've never won a swagstakes and do not know anyone who has so I do not participate often.
This is a great way to make a little extra money without having to do much work at all. Just get started and see for yourself how easy it is to get just about anything you want (as long as you can buy it on Amazon) for all intensive purposes FREE.
Sign up for swagbucks using the above link. It's absolutely free. You earn swagbucks by doing things you already do online. The first thing I would suggest doing is changing your homepage to www.swagbucks.com and using that page as your search engine. You can win swagbucks by doing searches, daily poll, NOSO, downloading and using the toolbar, doing offers, answering surveys, and watching swagtv.
So you may be thinking that this sounds like too much work, but believe me it is REALLY easy. Every day, I make it a habit to check the daily poll (1 swagbuck), skip through the NOSO (2 swagbucks), logon to the toolbar (1 swagbuck), and watch SwagTv (a max of 150 swagbucks *limited time*). For the SwagTv, I found
http://sbbot.blogspot.com/ to be a marvelous tool. It will reload the videos for you until the meter reaches 100% at which point you will need to put in a CAPTCHA. About every 5-6 minutes you will earn 3 swagbucks. If you search through the swagstore you will see a great number of items that you can exchange your swagbucks for. Personally, I think all of the prizes do not compare to the $5 Amazon gift card. However, you are only allowed to buy 5 a month. Even if you just did the swagtv daily, you would have enough swagbucks by the end of the month to get $25 in amazon gift cards. I have actually made over $500 so far. As for what to do with the "extra" swagbucks, I have chosen to bank my bucks until I have enough for the $100 paypal giftcard. I've never won a swagstakes and do not know anyone who has so I do not participate often.
This is a great way to make a little extra money without having to do much work at all. Just get started and see for yourself how easy it is to get just about anything you want (as long as you can buy it on Amazon) for all intensive purposes FREE.
Failures and Accomplishments
Be prepared to follow me on my journey to becoming a millionare. You will get to experience all the successes and exciting times of the journey. You will also get to experience the darker side. Join on the ride and maybe you can take some of my successful paths and learn from those not so enhancing moments. Also feel free to offer tips and suggestions. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the journey!
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