Monthly Archives:

January 2015

How To Save Money Using Facebook!

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Hello again, savvy savers! If you are anything like me, you spend an ordainment amount of time on social media sites, especially Facebook. When I first joined Facebook I couldn’t make heads or tails of what was going on. But after several years of participation, I have a different outlook and actually enjoy my Facebook habit. Why you may ask? Because there’s money to be saved—and made—by spending time on Facebook. So, for this weeks Saving To Go, With A Cup of Joe, I want to share five fun ways to save and earn on Facebook!

1) Host a virtual yard sale.

In every city, town, or community, Facebook has (or can have) Buy-Sell-Trade Groups. These moderated groups allow users to:

  • Take high-quality photos of the items you want to sell or barter away.
  • Set a price for each item.
  • Create a Facebook event for your yard sale.
  • Describe the event and post the pics with prices.
  • Be on hand during the event to answer questions.
  • Arrange for shipping or local hand-offs when items are sold.
  • For those looking to host actual yard sales, Facebook sites such as the above, are a good way to increase, or double, traffic to your sale.

2. Sell your creativity.

Whether you like to paint, bead, photography, or are a musician, Facebook is a great way to build a network of enthusiastic fans-turned-customers.

  • You can create an event page for seasonal sales events.
  • You can also create a company page for your work and start building a fan base.
  • You can direct people who “like” your page to your website so they can purchase your work.
  • You can offer incentives to people who invite their networks to “like” your page to expand your reach.
  • For current Etsy sellers, you can create a fan page, which will not only highlight your goods, but allow you to cast a wider net for potential sales. 

3. Snag freebies, deals and coupons.

Facebook is one of my favorite places to find online coupons, deals, and sweepstakes. Every big name company, and many up-and-coming natural, fair trade companies also list coupons deals, and contest on their perspective pages; this is one of my favorite ways to use the site over the past few years. 

To get started:

  • Select a business or product.
  • Visit: https://www.facebook.com/…. and add the name of the company or product.
  • Scroll to see past coupons and sales notices.
  • Look on their tag bar for features such as “contests, sweeps, or special savings.”
  • You can “like” the page to be notified of future page posts so you can snag coupons and take advantage of sales pricing.

4. Barter, borrow and trade.

If you have things you want to rent or sell, or things you want buy, or things you need to borrow,  Facebook is the place to do so at!

What to do:

  • Let’s say you need a ladder.
  • So you post on your Facebook wall asking if anyone in your local network has a ladder they can lend or rent you.
  • You can do this with any item where it doesn’t make sense to buy (or sell) it, but you can loan it out, rent it, or borrow it from a friend for short-term use.

5. Earn extra referral and bonus points using Facebook apps.

I am a huge fans of apps that help us save and earn. As it turns out, our favorite apps also offer rewards when we use Facebook!

What to look for:

  • Use Swagbucks as an example.
  • Visit: https://www.facebook.com/swagbucks
  • “Like” the page to get alerts when new earning opportunities are posted.
  • You can also visit the page to find out about Double Swag Bucks Days and other earning events.
  • You can do this for any app or business you like and snag coupons, deals, discounts and earning opportunities just by “liking” their Facebook page.

So I hope these fun tips can help you further save the next time you are on Facebook!

Here’s to saving,

Birthday_Cake22

Weekly Reflections & Goals For The Week Ahead!

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Hello again, savvy savers! I wanted to end my weekly posts by bring the week to a close with a post about the reflections on this past week.

Reflections From This Week:

This week found my home very messy, but very productive! I have been cleaning out my coupon stockpile, to both winterize my stash as well as setting up boxes to donate to my local women’s shelter. Beyond this, I’ve been picking out wall paint, working on my yoga, and have found time to not only be ahead of schedule for work assignments, but I’ve found time to start painting again. What I didn’t find time for this week, my new cleaning schedule. I’ve been looking into a new cleaning app, and will speak more about this in the week to come! Sometime learning to accept a little dust here and there, is a chore itself. All of this has been coupled with a life-plateau, I’ve been suffering from GERD as of late, and sometimes daily activities can trigger symptoms, and so I’ve been working on getting symptoms under control. This past week, I’ve learned to work on accepting my home for what its worth, to me! 

Goals For The Coming Week:

  • Walk 1/2 mile daily.
  • Finish my Chore Planner daily.
  • Read for 1 hour.
  • Enjoy my 32nd birthday Tuesday.
  • Prepare three recipes and a freezer cooking session for the blog one day this week.
  • Finish an upcycled projects to post to the blog.
  • Finish all of my work-related projects by 6 pm daily.
  • Get dressed and wear makeup daily, even when not working.
  • Clean out my coupon binder, and start moving to my new method for organizing coupons and blog/videotape my progress for the blog.
  • Sleep seven hours a night.
  • TTC; take vitamins, continue with yoga, etc.

So what are you all up to this week? I’d love to hear about it!

Here’s to the week ahead,

Birthday_Cake22

 

Non-Food Items I Freeze To Save Money!

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Hello again, savvy savers! If your anything like me, you are always on the lookout for new ways to save! Today finds us with a new list of things I am currently freezing, all non-food items, to save money in 2015:

  1. Pantyhose: Frozen pantyhose are less likely to develop runs as you are putting them on. The fibers are constricted by the cold and more resistant to handling, which is how many runs occur. Store your hose in the freezer until right before you need to wear a pair, and save $3-$10 a pair, by prolonging the life of your hose!
  2. Batteries:  All batteries can be helped by being placed in the freezer, especially rechargeable batteries, as their nickel-metal hydride can expect to see a life expectancy extension of 90% or greater! So be sure to store your batteries in the freezer until you need to use them. 
  3. Seeds:  Seeds stay fresher in a frozen state and often will germinate more effectively after being frozen; please click here to see my seed store post!
  4. Candles: Candles actually burn better, and for longer, if they are lit after being frozen, especially soy and beeswax candles. Store your candles in the freezer until you want to use them. If you will not use them for some time after a special occasion, place them back in the freezer until the next use. The thicker the candle width, the more freezing will extend burning life.
  5. Moisturizers: Keep eye, face, and neck creams and moisturizers in the freezer. Remove them to get what you need, then place them back inside. Your creams and moisturizers last longer and work more effectively, for up to five years.
  6. Dust Mites:  If you or someone in your family has a dust mite allergy, put pillows, curtains, small rugs, pillowslips, stuffed animals, linens and other small mite-infested items into sealed plastic bags and then into the freezer for at least 24 hours, will kill those pesky little buggers. If your child has lice, you can put no-wash items in the freezer to kill the lice. 
  7. Denim: Don’t wash your raw, dark rinse denim pants, and instead freeze them for twenty-four hours to kill any bacteria or mites just as well as washing them can.
  8. Hard Drives: If you experience a hard drive crash, place the hard drive into a sealed plastic bag, then place it in the freezer for 5 hours. Remove, replace, restart your computer and quickly back up your data; the low freezer temperatures allow heat damaged files to be accessed, only until the drives come to room temperature. 
  9. Sealed Envelopes: If you need to re-open sealed envelopes, place the sealed envelope in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Then gently insert your finger beneath a corner of the seal and open it. This method also allows stamps to be removed from mail, too! 

Here’s to saving,

Birthday_Cake22

Wednesday Ways to Save: What To Buy In January!

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Hello again, savvy savers! For this weeks Wednesday Ways to Save, I wanted to share with you my list for the things to buy in January here at The LadyPrefers2Save!

Here’s what to be on the lookout for:

  • Laptops; online outlet stores are offering laptops and net-books as much as 60% off!
  • Office supplies, even if you do not have school-age children; remember that most office supply stores will also price match ads!
  • Summer apparel, with shorts and sleeveless shirts up to 70% off.
  • Patio furniture & grills, up to 75% off; check your store managers for items being tucked away in the back of stores on clearance only to be marked up come April!
  • Christmas, Hanukkah, and Autumnal Decor; many large and small retailers will start the season with 75% off savings, then go back up to 25% off for the holidays, especially craft stores!
  • Turkey, Lamb, and Ham; with the holidays now past now is the time to purchase them at under $0.10/lb at Walmart, for Easter and Summer Cookouts!
  • Holiday toys; All major retailers have already released their perspective top-ten lists for the must-have holiday toys, and many can be paired with manufacturer coupons, purchased now, and stored for priced half of what they will be Black Friday! 
  • Cola; cola pricing will be lowered this month and will double in price for the upcoming Super Bowl party season!
  • Crawfish, Boudain, and Cajun-themed entree items; purchase items now for 2/3 less than they will be at the end of the month in preparation for Mardi Gras!
  • Baking Mixes; after holiday baking mixes, sets, decorations, cupcake liners, and the like will be up to 85% off at discount stores such as Dollar General.
  • Gym Memberships; chain gyms will slash prices for memberships to monopolize on Resolution List dieters. Be sure to price/contract shop before signing up for contracts. 
  • Credit Cards; this month marks the month when creditors are more likely to grant credit and lower interest rates right before the start of tax season. 
  • Tax Software: Prices will be half of what they will come the last week of this month! Plan ahead! 
  • Linens: Winter flannels, thicker comforters, and down products will be marked down by as much as 75% off at mass retailers starting this week! 
  • Journals, Planners, & Agendas: Expect to see prices at mass retailers, especially bookstore chains, up to 90% off!

What to Wait To Purchase:

  • Furniture: February is semi-annual furniture market and trade shows, and retailers will need to unload goods starting next month, which can mean savings for you up to 75% off!
  • Vehicles: February marks the annual start of all new cars on the market, and 2013 models and older will be further marked down by as much as an additional 25%!
  • TV’s: Wait for April to skip Super Bowl tv mark-ups! 

What I will be purchasing:

  • A Birthday cake… as I will be turning the big 3-2 on the 13th! 

 Here’s to Saving,

Birthday_Cake22

Tutorial Tuesday: Weatherizing Your Stockpile!

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Good afternoon, savvy savers! For this weeks Saving To Go, With A Cup of Joe series post, I want to discuss ways to properly winterize your stockpile! Why is this necessary? Well, if your stockpile is anything like my own, than your stockpile is a large investment in both your home and family, and deserves the proper amount of planning and preparation. So, in hopes of being able to preserve your precious goods, and hard earned dollars, here are my suggestions for winterizing and weatherizing your stockpiled goods:

  1. Canned goods: Canned goods cannot be allowed to freeze. When canned goods freeze, they stand the chance of cans bulging, which can cause the seam and lid failure, which can cause food-borne illnesses, not to mention  to fail, changes in product texture, flavor, nutrient factors, and product color. Most canned goods are packed in a solution of salt or sugar, which lowers their freezing point, but canned goods should not be stored below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Before temperatures freeze this season, avoid storing foods where the temperatures will reach below freezing.
  2. Insecticides: Products in foam-based product cans should be stored in warmer climates.
  3. Soft Drinks, Coking Oils, and Cleaners: Freezing can have adverse effects on liquids such as soda, cooking oil, soap or detergent. Basements are a great place to store these goods. Frozen detergents and cooking oils can be brought back to room temperature by placing them in trash bags, at room temperature, and then storing accordingly.
  4. Dried Foods: Foods that are dehydrated or freeze-dried will actually last longer in the cold since there is no water in them to freeze, or can be frozen in deep freezes! This also applied for flower and plant seeds.
  5. Paper Products: Household goods, such as paper towels, plastic cups and utensils, razors, floss and toothbrushes, can be kept in cooler climates in your home.
  6. Produce: Some produce such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, and apples will actually keep longer stored in bins in cooler climates or sheds; be sure to check produce weekly, and any sign of age the produce should be composed, especially potatoes, which can emit deadly gases if left to rot over several months.

So, I hope these tips will help you keep your stockpile in tip top shape this winter!

Here’s to saving,

Birthday_Cake22