A Day Off

Well, I said I'd go as long as I could without skipping a day on the blog. Yesterday, I skipped a day. I'm going to use this as my springboard for today's "how to save a penny."

Sunday has traditionally been a day of rest. Here, in Germany, it very much is. Only the gas stations are open. Actually, I wouldn't be surprise to find one of those closed. Does that irritate me? Sometimes. Maybe I'd like to get some bread or flowers or ice cream down the street on a Sunday. But will the world keep on spinning if I don't? Yes.

The lesson here for those surrounded by stores open 7 days a week, and some open 24/7, is to take a day. At least one day each week, don't go in a store. Make it a little game if you need to. If all you were going to do today was "look around" at the mall or "window shop" try NOT. I don't know many people (myself included) who very often go in a store and not spend a penny. You didn't see anything you needed, but how about some gum on the way out? There's always something.

But if you don't need something specific you can put on a list, then there isn't any purpose for going in the store. So don't. That's your suggestion/tip/hint for the day. Just Don't Do It. ;)

Every Day is a Good Day to Save a Penny

Today I am tired. I just want to go to bed. But I told myself I'd try to post every day. We'll see how long that lasts, but it's free, so why not?!

Today's tip: Just because you drove to the store to find what you saw someone else had and thought you really liked, doesn't mean you have to purchase it when you find it. If you don't love it, or don't love it as much as it costs (you know the difference between a $2 love and a $12 love) leave it. If you think it is a must have, but you aren't sure, leave it. Sleep on it. If you still want it tomorrow, you can go back.

Happy Friday!

5 calls to save big bucks! (or 3)

I saw this on the Today show. They had a list of 5 calls you can make to save money. Well...I tuned in late and only saw 3 of them. I tried to find it on the internet, but didn't. So, the ones I heard are:
1. Call your credit card companies and ask them to lower your interest rate. Mention the offers you've gotten in the mail if they are lower, compare with other cards you may have that you could transfer that balance to, etc. *my note: and pay those cards off ASAP...CUT THEM UP.

2. Call your car insurance company and update your information. You may be able to be underwritten at a lower rate if, for example, you now take public transportation more often, you don't let your teenager drive anymore, etc.

3. Call your cell phone provider and ask to add people to a friends and family plan. They are pretty liberal with who they allow on a shared plan. They don't want to lose your business, so they may be willing to work with you.

Another quick note from me...take a sick day every now and then so you can see programs like this on daytime television. :) (as long as you get paid sick days, that is).

Four and a Quarter

That's $4.25.
$4.25 for a trip to the salad bar and your choice of 2 types of soup, a piece of swiss steak (breaded and topped with brown gravy), rice or noodles, cauliflower, green beans, a roll, and a cookie or piece of pie or cake. If you are not interested in that menu, you can choose a hamburger or grilled cheese and fries, and can pick up a piece of fruit (banana, apple or orange) as well.

To drink, you can choose from Coke, Diet Coke, Hi C Fruit Punch, Sprite, water, chocolate milk, skim or 2% milk, or coffee. Refills are free.

Where can you get this great meal? Why at your friendly neigborhood (post) DFAC, of course!

DFAC= dining facility, formerly known as the chow hall.

$4.25 beats an average of $7 at Burger King, Taco Bell or Popeyes, and the choices can be healthier!

You can't judge a banana by its peel

I forgot to write this yesterday, but it is just as well...I'd like to make a tip each day, so let's just say I saved it (like a penny!) for today.

At the commissary, and I know at grocery stores all the time, they have the "scratch and dent" food. The box is smashed on the corner, the can is dented, the produce is about to expire. So yesterday I see a bunch of bananas that still have a hint of green around the stem. They all have black scratch marks on them. You know, like maybe they were at the bottom of the pile, had a rough ride to the store, or were handled by some toddlers. They were very firm, and clearly just bruised, not overripe.

Lately, I've been peeling and freezing in a ziploc several bananas at a time, then making a smoothie for breakfast. Smoothie = 1 frozen banana, 1/2-1 c frozen strawberries, about 1/2 c fat free or low fat plain yogurt if I have it, if not 1c skim milk. (If I have the yogurt, I just put about 1/2 c of the milk so that it will blend better). Throw it all in the blender (Magic Bullet blender!) and wa-la, healthy breakfast!

Back to my story-I've been buying just regular bananas, I have no idea how much they cost. 39cents per pound sounds familiar. Well, yesterday there were several "scratch and dent" bags. So I got 5 bananas. For FIFTY CENTS! :) pleased with self.

What are we doing here?

I decided to make this blog a little more useful. It was just for recording my dreams. And while I had a very interesting one Saturday night about me and a few friends poisoning someone in a hotel room with a very complex system of running the poison through the water (just to that person's room), that's not why we are here.

I'm here to start recording some things I'm doing to save a penny or two. Just good common sense, really, but things I never thought about. My friend KC just posted a week or so ago about price comparisons on milk. It was eye opening. I've never really considered the price of anything I buy at the grocery store/commissary. If someone asked me how much milk or bread or eggs cost, I couldn't even make an educated guess. Imagine my SHOCK to find out today that Hellman's mayonnaise is $4.49. That's almost FIVE DOLLARS for a jar of eggs, vinegar and oil! And then double that amazement and turn it to anger to find out...we ALREADY HAD a brand new unopened jar of it! ugh. Am I going to start making my own mayonnaise? Probably not. But cookies? $3 something a package? or whip up what you have in the cabinet?! I made 2 dozen giant chocolate chunk cookies (chocolate chunks were at the USO for a donation. I gave $1). I already had flour, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, etc. ta-da, $2 something saved!

Tune in next time for...well, I don't know what, but something money saving! :)

What are you doing for lunch?

It's kind of fuzzy now, because I waited until I got to work to write it down. But we were workign at Weiners. Everyone trying to figure out who was doing what for lunch. I left to run an errand and said I'd just check around for where everyone was. On the way I stopped at the store on South Street, the one that is on that kind of corner where if you take a left but it is more of a veer left (coming from the Methodist Church direction) and if you keep going you end up on McDonalds/Highland Square street. Anyway, I go in to get a bottle of water and the guy informs me that this is no longer a convenience store, but a cafeteria/buffet. okay...so I leave and go to CGBs parent's house to ask if they know who went where for lunch. They don't. So I drive on. I end up seeing Jenn G-M and turn to follow her. We end up back at Weiners, and sit talking in the parking lot. She was saying something about how much weight she had gained since hs, and I was very confused bc she looked the exact same, and I'm not sure we weren't STILL in hs or just out of. She was saying how she weighed 51 lbs in hs, and wore less eye liner. No idea why that sticks in my mind.
freaky dreams!