Independent Beginnings--Personal Finance, Frugality, and Independent Living for Young Adults!

30% Off In Store and Online at Old Navy!

Posted at June 24, 2010

old navy 30 187x300 30% Off In Store and Online at Old Navy!

Right now until 6/29, you can get 30% off in store or online at Old Navy! Just use the coupon code ONBIG30 when you check out! Don’t miss out on this great deal!

Stock Up or Buy As Needed?

Posted at June 23, 2010

When a great deal comes around, it is tempting to stock up on a large quantity of the item that is on sale. I have personally experienced this temptation many times and, with a baby coming next month, I seem to be looking out for great stock up opportunities even more. However, is it always a good idea to stock up on an item that is on sale? Does it always save you money? This article will give you some tips on when to stock up and when to buy as needed.

Stock up on items you use often. When an item you use frequently goes on sale, it is usually a good idea to stock up on that item. For example, toilet paper, paper towels, deodorant, and other household/personal items are great stock up items. If you do not use an item often, you might actually be losing money by stocking up. Remember, a bargain is NEVER a bargain if you will not use the item.

Do not stock up on perishable items. For the most parts, perishable foods are not good items to stock up on. Sure, you may have gotten a great deal on those loaves of bread, but what good do they do for you if they go bad before you can use them? Make sure to only buy what you will use.

Only stock up if you have room to store the items. While buying fifty boxes of cereal on sale might seem like a good idea at first, you may run into problems when you get that cereal home. Where are you going to put them? Is the storage area clean, cool, and dry or is it warm and humid? You can be creative on where you store your stockpiles, but remember that you do not have an infinite amount of storage space.

Stock up on items that rarely go on sale. Some items go on sale at various stores almost every week. For these items, it is usually not worth it to stock up. However, other items only go on sale every once in a while. For these items, you may be better off stocking up on them when a rare sale comes around.

Only stock up on items you like. If you are particular about what brand of toothpaste you use, don’t stock up on a different brand just because it is on sale. What is the point of saving money if you are going to be miserable with your buy? At the same time, though, keep an open mind about brands. Many times, different brands are just as good as your favorite brands. If you are tempted to stock up on an unfamiliar brand, buy one sale item first and test it out. You can always come back later and buy a larger quantity of that item.

If you follow these tips, you are likely to save a lot of money by stocking up on appropriate items! What items do you stock up on? Are there any items you specifically would NOT stock up on? Please share your experiences with us!

Don’t stock up on “temptation” foods. What do I mean by “temptation” foods? I mean chocolate, ice cream, sweets, baked goods, and anything else you simply cannot resist. While these items may be wonderful to have around the house, you are almost certain to eat them more often if you stock up on them than you would if you bought them as needed. Not only will this cost you more money overall, but it can have a very negative effect on you health.

Swagbucks Summer of Swag, Trusted Surveys, and Swag Code!!!

Posted at June 9, 2010

As many of you already know, I am a HUGE fan of Swagbucks!!! Swagbucks is a search engine that awards you points redeemable for gift cards (I love the Amazon gift cards) and other prizes just for searching the web. You can also win points by finding Swag Codes hidden throughout the internet, answering daily polls, completing special offers, etc.

This week, Swagbucks is running a super fun promotion–Summer of Swag! As a part of this promotion, Swagbucks will be featuring a new high-value Swagbuck amount each day this week. Every 7th search will win that new Swagbuck amount! This means that you could win some serious Swagbucks! Today’s high-value Swagbuck amount is 31 Swagbucks.

This promotion is being done to celebrate some new features being added to the Swagbucks site. One of these new features is called Trusted Surveys. I am VERY, VERY excited about this new feature. You can earn large amounts of Swagbucks by completing surveys offered by trusted companies. I am surprised this feature has taken so long to show up.

If you have not yet signed up for Swagbucks, now is the time to do it! Now through Friday, June 11th, you can use the Swag Code SUMMEROFSWAG when you sign up to get an extra 20 Swagbucks right away!

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to earn a lot of Swagbucks! I have already redeemed over $250 in Amazon gift cards, and I know you can too! Check out the Swag Bucks Blog for more information about the Summer of Swag promotion.

What high-value Swagbuck amounts have you won recently? What is your favorite feature of Swagbucks? We would love to hear from you!

Frugal Friday: Best Deals of the Week 5/23 through 5/29

Posted at May 28, 2010

Image: Daniel Y. Go

Happy Friday, everyone!!! It’s Memorial Day weekend and you know what that means–lots of great deals!!! This weekend is jam packed with Memorial Day sales, coupons, and promotions. If you have been waiting to make a purchase, now is the time to do it. Below you will find the best deals from around the blogosphere! Most of these are only good this weekend, so make sure you take advantage of them!

$10 Off $50 or $15 Off $75 At JCPenney! Now through tomorrow, you can get $10 off $50 or $15 off $75 with this coupon at JCPenney! You can also use the code 15MEDALS to get this offer online! Start from Ebates or ShopAtHome when shopping online and you will get an additional 3% cash back at JCPenney!

Free Full-Sized Body-Care Item at Bath & Body Works! Now through June 10th, you can get a FREE full-sized body-care item at Bath & Body Works with any $10 purchase! Use the code FREEBODYCARE to take advantage of this deal online! Start at ShopAtHome when shopping online to get an additional 4% cash back at Bath & Body Works!

40% Off at Borders! Now through tomorrow, get 40% off at Borders with this coupon! You must be a Borders Rewards member to use this, but it is free to sign up online. Use the code BYW7772A to take advantage of this online. Start at ShopAtHome when shopping online to get an additional 7% cash back at Borders!

$5 Sale & 15% Off at The Children’s Place! This weekend, The Children’s Place is having a huge $5 sale on knits, tees, tanks, and shorts! Additionally, you get can 15% off your online order by using the coupon code G4AQMRAG5A. Finally, start from ShopAtHome when shopping online to get an additional 5% cash back at The Children’s Place!

Memorial Day Sale at Amazon! For a limited time (probably just a couple days at most), get $10 off a $50 order or $25 off a $100 order of clothes sold directly by Amazon! Restrictions apply, so check the website for details!

Kmart Memorial Day Sale! Just about everything online at Kmart.com is on sale for 5%-20% off! They are also offering free shipping on any order of at least $49. On top of that, use the code RETAILMENOT or KMART5OFF50 to get an additional $5 off your order of $50 or more. Finally, start from ShopAtHome when shopping online to get an additional 5% cash back at Kmart.com!

Babies “R” Us Printable Coupons and Memorial Day Sale! Babies “R” Us has released some great printable coupons for its Memorial Day sale! These coupons include 20% off a baby gear item, 20% off Serta crib mattresses, and a $15 gift card when you buy a certain amount of Huggies! These coupons are in-store only, but there are a few online deals as well. Start from ShopAtHome or MrRebates to get an additional 2% cash back on your online Babies “R” Us order!

Free Breakfast at IKEA! Get a free breakfast this weekend when you go to IKEA!

Other deal reminders:

Make sure to check Ebates, ShopAtHome, and MrRebates for other great cash-back offers every time you shop online. Up to 25% cash back!!!
Don’t forget to print out your free coupons at Coupons.com.
Make sure to load your Upromise Ecoupons onto your cards. Activate all of them in case you accidentally buy something on the list!
Make sure you use Swagbucks for all of your web searches. Today is Mega Swagbucks Friday, so you have a chance to win a lot of Swagbucks! I am up to over $245 in Amazon gift cards!
Sign up for YouData to easily make money viewing ads. I get paid each Friday from this site!

Did you take advantage of any of these deals? Did I miss any great deals? Make sure you let me know!

Ways to Save Money on Home Decorating

Posted at May 26, 2010

Image: found_drama

Well, folks, I am excited to announce that my husband and I have finally started to decorate the nursery for our baby!!! We put the primer on the walls last night and we will paint the room either today or tomorrow. It is just amazing to me how fast the time is going by. My baby will be here in just two months!

As we’ve gotten to work on this nursery, one thing has becoming very clear to me: decorating is expensive. There are so many things needed to make a room look nice: paint, furniture, decorations, etc. We were lucky enough to receive most of these items from my mom at our baby shower. All we’ve really had to spend money on is the paint and a baby dresser we are building. Many people, though, have to pay for all of their own home decorations. Because of this, I decided to write this blog post. Below, you will find some ways to save money on home decorating while still achieving the look you want!

1. Buy used. Furniture does not have to be brand new to look great! Check out your local garage sales, thrift stores, flea markets, and auctions to find great deals on secondhand furniture. Also, don’t forget to keep an eye out on Craigslist and other local online classified ads websites.

2. Refinish your old furniture. Who says you need new furniture at all? Consider refinishing your old furniture instead of buying new furniture. Re-upholster a couch or refinish your kitchen table. You can make an old piece of furniture look brand new again!

3. Build your own furniture. If you have access to a wood shop, you can make brand new furniture completely from scratch! That is what we are doing with our baby dresser. This is a great way to get high-quality furniture for a fraction of the price. You might even gain a hobby out of it.

4. Make your own curtains. Instead of purchasing new curtains, make your own out of fabric of your choosing. You can even reuse old sheets and other materials for curtains.

5. Consider wall decals instead of paint or wallpaper. Stick-on wall decals are a great way to add color to a room without the hassle of paint or wallpaper. Decals come in all shapes, colors, and sizes–pick the one that matches your style.

6. Use accent rugs instead of new carpet. Is your carpet getting worn and stained? Consider covering it with an accent rug instead of getting new carpet. Find a nice used one and you can save significantly.

7. Create your own wall hangings. Cut out pictures from magazines and frame them to add class to a room without spending a lot of money. If you are really artistic, you can even paint your own pictures!

8. Reuse old decorations in new ways. Perhaps your couch pillows would look great on your master bed or an old baby blanket would look great hung up in a nursery. Use your imagination!

9. Do the work yourself. Don’t spend money hiring a professional painter or interior designer. Do it yourself and save the expense!

10. Choose a theme and stick to it. Decide on a theme for your room/home from the very beginning and stick to it. This will help you avoid the temptation of buying unnecessary items that do not match your theme.

Have fun decorating your home and remember, HAVE FUN! Do you have any other home decorating tips? What projects have you done recently? We would love to hear from you!

AMAZING Rite Aid Huggies Diapers Deal

Posted at May 19, 2010

Considering that I just had my baby shower this past weekend, baby supplies have been on my mind. Therefore, when I came across this great diapers deal, I just HAD to show it to you! This offer is only available in some regions, but it is definitely worth a trip to Rite Aid to see if your store is participating.

Right now at Rite Aid, some stores have a tag in front of their Huggies diapers that says: “BUY ANY 3 Huggies Items GET A $11.99 +UP Reward”. Here is a picture of this tag:

If you find this tag at your Rite Aid, then when you purchase three Huggies items using your Wellness card at Rite Aid you will get a coupon good for $11.99 off your next non-prescription purchase that prints out at the cash register. When you add coupons to this deal, it gets even better. Try this following scenario:

Buy three packs of Huggies diapers $8.99
Use one $5/25 Rite aid coupon (search for “Rite Aid” when you get to this site to access the coupon)
Use three $3/1 Huggies diaper printable coupons
Pay $12.97 plus tax out of pocket and at check out get the coupon for $11.99 next next purchase.

Wait! This deal gets EVEN BETTER! Some people have had success so far ROLLING THE $11.99 COUPON!!! This means that they used the $11.99 coupon to buy three more packs of Huggies diapers (using more coupons) and got ANOTHER $11.99 coupon at the register!

If this deal works in your area, this can mean MAJOR savings on diapers. It appears that only certain regions are participating and even then it is kind of hit or miss on whether or not the $11.99 coupon will roll.

Let me know if this deal works for you! We would love to find out exactly where this deal is available.

Why the Little Things Really Do Matter

Posted at May 12, 2010

Image: Melody Campbell

Frugal living involves a number of strategies to save on everyday and less frequent purchases. Many of these strategies, such as using coupons, cash-back websites, mail-in rebates, and generic brands to save money, seem to only chip away at the surface of your overall bill amount. Sometimes, I hear of people getting frustrated with putting so much working into saving a few dollars here and there. Are these little savings even worth the effort? To that question, my answer is a resounding YES!!! Often, you do not realize just how much you are saving until you really sit down and crunch out the numbers. Let’s look at an example.

Let’s imagine that through your coupon clipping, deal finding, and rebate mailing you are able to save $10 a week on everyday expenses. This may not seem like very much to you, but look at what happens as time goes by. Let’s say that the money you saved on your everyday expenses you put into a rewards checking account that makes 6% interest (that is what my rewards checking account currently makes). After ten years of these savings, because of the power of compound interest, you will have saved up $7136.95 (if your bank compounds monthly). At the end of twenty years, you will have saved up $20,121.28. After thirty years, you will have saved up $43,746.63. After forty years, you will have saved up $86,729.42. Finally, after fifty years, you will have saved up $164,932.17. All of this just because you were able to save $10 a week on your everyday expenses!

Now, 6% interest is a reasonable amount to expect if you invest your money or are lucky enough to have a rewards checking account that pays that much. However, you can potentially make quite a bit more than that in interest if you invest in stocks (remember, there is always a risk involved with investing in stocks as well). If you averaged an 8% annual return on your mutual fund, you would have $345,999.58 after fifty years, and if you averaged a 10% annual return on your mutual fund, you would have $756,979.63 after fifty years!

These savings are by no means insignificant! These additional savings can make up a large chunk of your retirement savings or give you extra money to do things in life that you would not have been able to afford otherwise. Moral of the story: don’t give up on the little things. They really do add up. Of course, you may be able to save money faster by doing bigger things like getting a higher-paying job or lowering the interest rate on your mortgage. However, don’t ignore the little things for the big things.

Do you have any success stories from doing little things? What little things have you done to save money? We would love to hear from you!

Save Money By Saving Water

Posted at May 11, 2010

This is a guest post by Independent Beginnings reader Marcy Tate.

Whether you are living in a dorm, your parents’ house or in a home of your own, there are simple ways you can save water and lower your water bills. By changing a few habits and learning about other ways to save water at home, you could end up saving a few hundred dollars a year – or more. Don’t overlook the possibilities of water conservation. Creating good habits now will make saving water second nature as you start your life on your own.

The best way to change your water usage habits is to do so gradually. Pick one habit to change and as you get comfortable with it, try another.

Brushing Teeth. We all need a little reminder sometimes to turn off the faucet while brushing teeth. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “Turning off the tap while brushing your teeth in the morning and at bedtime can save up to 8 gallons of water per day, which equals 240 gallons a month.”

Wet, Lather and Rinse…But Not in the Tub. Take fewer baths than showers. A standard full bathtub requires about 70 gallons of water, while taking a five-minute shower uses 10 to 25 gallons. When in the shower, turn off the water while you lather. If you shave in the shower, turn off the water or do it before you enter the shower.

Dirty Dishes. Turn off the faucet while scrubbing up your dishes. After the dishes are scrubbed, turn the faucet back on and rinse them. You’ll save a tremendous amount of water. Avoid using the dishwasher until you have a full load. Avoid using the pre-wash cycle by rinsing dishes before you place them in the dishwasher.

Get to Know Your Plumbing. Pay attention to the faucets, toilets and sinks in your home. Inspect monthly for leaks. Leaky pipes and faucets can waste more than 3,000 gallons of water each year; that’s hundreds of dollars. If you are unsure if your toilet is leaking, try this simple test as recommended by the EPA: Place a drop of food coloring in the tank; if the color shows in the bowl without flushing, you have a leak.

Green Grass vs. Greens in Your Pocket. If you spend lots of water on watering your lawn, simply cut back. Use a drip irrigation system rather than in-ground sprinkler systems. Drip irrigation systems use between 20 and 50 percent less water than in-ground sprinklers and work more efficiently, as they limit water runoff.

Wear it More than Once. Avoid wearing clothes just one time. This makes for lots of laundry. Cutting down on laundry will help decrease your water bills significantly. Likewise, wait until you have a full load, or use the appropriate water-level setting on your machine.

Water-Saving Devices. There are several inexpensive devices that you can easily install on your faucets, showers and toilets to conserve water. Most inexperienced do-it-yourselfers can handle installing these devices. Just follow the instructions or search for easy tutorials online.

Low-Flow Faucet Aerators. Faucet aerators look like tiny screens and come installed with most faucets. Low-flow faucet aerators decrease the amount of water flowing out from the faucet and can be installed in kitchen and bathroom faucets. An aerator spreads the flow of water, which saves water. Aerators can be purchased for under $10.

Dual-Flush Toilet Switch. In the average U.S. home, the toilet accounts for 28% of water use. Several products, such as the Perfect Flush Adapter, can turn a conventional toilet into a dual-flush toilet. It will provide you with two flushing options: full flush or half flush. The Perfect Flush Adapter costs about $100.

Low-Flow Showerhead. Low flow showerheads are a great way to limit the water flow from your showerhead. They deliver fewer gallons per minute (gpm) of water than conventional showerheads. They deliver 1.6 gallons of water per minute instead of 4-5 gallons per minute (as conventional showerheads deliver). There are many excellent low-flow showerheads on the market that cost anywhere from $20-$200. The more expensive low-flow showerheads are made with special features, such as massaging options.

Marcy Tate is a blogger at Networx. She has been working with residential plumbers for over a decade on ways to conserve water at home.

Winner of the Ready for the Real World Giveaway

Posted at May 10, 2010

This was a busy weekend for me, so I apologize that I am a couple of days late announcing the winner of the Ready for the Real World Giveaway. So, the winner is. . .drumroll please. . .#2–Kathryn!!! I have sent you an email to announce that you have won as well. You have 48 hours to contact me and send me an address so I can ship your book to you. If you do not contact me within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen. Thanks for all of those who participated! Keep a look out for more giveaways coming soon!

Last Day to Enter “Ready for the Real World Giveaway”

Posted at May 7, 2010

This is just a reminder that today is the last day to enter the “Ready for the Real World Giveaway”. To enter, please go to the Ready for the Real World blog post and leave a comment telling me what your favorite personal finance book is. There are also several ways to get bonus entries. Right now, there are only a few entries so your odds are great!

30% Off In Store and Online at Old Navy!

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Stock Up or Buy As Needed?

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