A spendthrift is someone who spends money; a lot of money and it can be considered wasteful the way he or she spends it.

Have you watched the movie Confessions of a Shopaholic? I watched it a couple of weeks ago, and while my shopping habits haven’t really gotten THAT out of control I have made a couple of splurges in the past that I know haven’t been the best shopping decisions.

It can be difficult to go from being someone who buys what they need and picks up a few extra things as well to someone who buys the bare minimum of what they need from the grocery store, often foregoing their favorite brands for the cheaper, generics, brands that are on sale, or the brands that have the coupons out that week.

The best, and easiest way, in my opinion, to go from someone who spends money to someone who saves money is to watch the flow of cash out of your bank account, closely. If you can watch that balance drop, then you are going to be far more likely to put down the debit card and head for the door.

Of course, there are times when shopping is more of a habit than a hobby and sometimes you may actually need to talk to someone about your “problem.” In the movie I was talking about earlier, there is a scene toward the beginning when the main character, who has maxed out her credit cards and can’t pay the bills, sees a really expensive green scarf on a mannequin and the mannequin starts talking to her (in her mind). The mannequin tells her that she needs the scarf and somehow she pools the money together to get it.

Thiis is just one example, even though it is a fiction example, of how shopping can actually become an addiction.

My biggest tip that helps me though, and I know I’ve said it a million times, is to MAKE A LIST. If I have a list, I won’t spend as much. If I have a list, there is a lesser chance that I will bring home things that are not on the list. If I make a list and arm myself with coupons, my savings are even greater (however, you have to remember not to buy something just because you have a coupon, make sure that you need it).

Sometimes we all have to make the decision as to what is more important: Our time or our money. A lot of times these two don’t exactly go hand-in-hand. As a matter of fact, the examples I will give will only talk about choosing one or the other.

Saving money has gotten extremely important to those who have lost their jobs or who have suffered through a reduction in income since the beginning of the recession. One of the best examples I can give as to a trade off between time and money is supper time in most households.

Cooking supper at home will typically save you money in opposition to going out to eat, however going and picking something up will always be more of a time saver. Say you’re on your way home from work and you call your local [insert restaurant name here] and pick it up; you’re going to spend more money than if you would have cooked all the food at home, but you now just get to pick up the food and take it home to your hungry, waiting family. After they finish eating, the garbage gets recycled or thrown away and there isn’t any mess to clean up (or if there is, it is usually minimal if your kids didn’t get into a huge food fight or something during dinner time).

Time and money also come into play when you’re thinking about things such as thrifty shopping. Many shoppers who are out there shopping to save money will visit many different stores and spend a lot of time clipping coupons just to save money. Time conscious shoppers are more willing to shop at the same store for everything, or just venture to a couple of grocery stores.

For anyone the answer will likely be different. Some will feel as though their time is more valuable than the savings they will get from shopping at different stores and spending time clipping coupons while others will feel as though their money is more valuable than the time they spend doing all the things that save them money.

As for me, I find myself in the middle (as I imagine most would). I won’t go out of my way to save $1 on groceries, but I will shop at different stores if it means I can use my favorite coupons. I also try not to go out to eat too often, not for the cost but simply for the nutritional value or lack there of. I really enjoy saving money, but I also value my time.

What do you do? Are you a time saver or a money saver? Or do you fall somewhere in the middle?

We all know that watching movies at the movie theater will run you around $8 per ticket plus any drinks and snacks you want. Well, there is another way to get your entertainment and still have a night out. This means you do NOT have to rent a movie and sit at home.

You can still go to the cinema and see a movie and spend half.

All you have to do is look for theaters that are playing movies that are a bit older than what is “brand new” but not old enough to be on DVD yet.

In Oxford, we have a movie theater called the Amp. It’s currently playing movies like District 9 and until recently was playing Star Trek and the newest Terminator movie. These were all box office hits (ok, so the Terminator can be debated). The theater also plays some cult classics and even offers an outdoor screening pavilion.

At this theater not only can you actually have dinner (they offer a full menu) and watch a movie, but you can do it on the cheap.

All the movie tickets are $5 all the time. It’s also not hard to find coupons for buy one get one free. The theater also runs a $2 small popcorn and soda special all the time.

The best part is that this kind of theater isn’t unique to Oxford, they can be found all across the country. Typically when you find a cinema that is offering movies that aren’t the newest, you are going to find the deals on ticket prices.

This is also a great way to watch movies that you didn’t know if you really wanted to spend all the money on at a full price cinema.

I would just suggest this as a way to get out of the house on a Friday or Saturday night instead of another movie night in.

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After franchisees vetoed a proposal to offer the double cheeseburger on the menu for $1, Burger King’s corporate headquarters will be mailing out customers coupons through August and September to get the burger at the reduced cost.

The drop in price was designed to lure customers away from the dollar menu at McDonald’s and into Burger King. As everyone knows, McDonald’s is the champion of cheap, $1 hamburgers, especially double cheeseburgers. However, yesterday the news broke that franchisees had vetoed the price and corporate had to do something to try to appease everyone.

The burger usually costs $2 or more in most areas, the $1 price was only intended to be temporary.

The coupons will be sent out to nearly 80 million households across the country and will be included in a coupon booklet with nearly $50 in savings to each booklet. Those customers will have 60 days to redeem the coupons.

In a statement, the company said it “remains fully focused on its value offerings and delivering value for the money to its guests,” adding that “many product and menu options are always in development and under consideration.”

The statement didn’t mention that the burger is being sold for $1 in some markets already.

I say, just stick with the $1 Whopper Jr. and throw some cheese on it for free. From a strictly marketing point of view, I believe that promoting fast food starting in August and September is a great way to drum up some business because people get particularly health conscious in the summer when they’re trying to look good at the beach, but they tend to be a bit more relaxed (overall) in the Fall and Winter months.

So, what we want to know is:

“If you are, what are you doing to cut back”

For example:
I am cutting coupons, a lot of coupons and buying items that are on sale. I only buy beef from the grocery store when it goes on “clearance” (meaning, a day or so before it’s “sell by date”). I also buy a lot of something when it goes on sale (if it can be frozen). One of my favorite stores is the Wonder bread store where I can get 4 loaves of bread for $1.

Well, it turns out many customers are having a hard time redeeming these coupons. Quiznos is a franchised chain and the stores have to buy all their food from corporate, but corporate makes the store pay  for all the food used in promotions.

This has led many people to be messed over by the promotion, both in store and customers. Stores are flat out refusing to allow the coupon or are offing discounts in place of a free sandwich.

The Consumerist reported several people not being able to redeem their coupons and many are still commenting on the site about how they are unable to redeem their coupons.

In an interview at the International Consumer Electronics Show here, FCC chairman Kevin Martin said it’s important to make sure that the converter box subsidy program gets back on track, but that doesn’t mean delaying the analog turnoff is necessary.

“There are options they can do without having to delay to get coupons flowing immediately,” Martin said. Congress could give the program additional funding, or eliminate the 90-day expiration deadline on the coupons, he said.

“I’m concerned about a delay in the sense that if you can solve that issue other ways, a delay has actually the potential to confuse consumers,” said Martin, a Republican. “All of our messaging has been about Feb. 17 — not just ours — the industry’s.” – AP

Source

I think that is an awful idea.

The conversion has already been postponed. This was supposed to happen over 2 years ago.

And what will happen if it is postponed again? Of course the government will throw another billion dollars at it. Why? Because people don’t know if they do or don’t need a converter box. At one point in the last 2 years, you’ve heard an ad about it, or a news anchor talking about it, so you’ve probably looked around your house at the TV’s and thought…wow, I’m going to need a converter box for all of these. Now, they’re actually trying to tell people they don’t if they have cable or satellite.

The bad thing about that is, some people already have gotten coupons and bought boxes and didn’t need them.

Perhaps the government should just back off the entire subject and let the tv stations do what they want. All these stations are already set up to switch to digital too.

The way it is supposed to work is you apply for a coupon (only IF you need the converter box) and then you buy the box and hook it up. The problem is that I believe a lot of consumers are aware of the transition, but unaware if their tvs are connected to cable or satellite, they don’t need the converter box.

Now the program is running out of money. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration was given a $1.34 billion limit for the program and are now quickly approaching it. Anyone who asks for a coupon after the money is gone will be put on a waiting list until unused coupons are expired (90 days from the issue date).

Read more from the Washington Post

With a poor outlook for the newspaper business, Chapter 11 may not even be enough to save Tribune Co. If it can sell off some of its major holdings, then maybe it can continue business as usual for the remaining papers.

Newspapers are great if you’re trying to get coupons or live in a town that doesn’t have local happenings on the internet…but other than that the internet has effectively killed the internet. The only reason I ever pick up the newspaper on campus is because 1) it’s free 2) I like the crossword puzzle. The computer is just too convenient for most. After all, to get the paper, you would either have to 1) have a subscription or 2) go to a store and buy one. While only one option really requires any time outside the house, both require extra money spent on something you can get for free (or are already paying for).

Retailers are being hurt by poor sales and really need the business right now, so they are beginning to barrage consumers with online deals. A report from the AP says that if you think you’re getting a lot of offers now, just wait until the holiday season when retailers will really be competing for business.

I say, give me free shipping coupons and I’ll be fine, or even a coupon that equals out to be free shipping.

Frugality means spending smarter and becoming creative with the ways you shop. When utilizing all resources available, dollars can be stretched further and wallets have a bit more cushion.

The first step to frugal (and green) living can be summed up in an old and simple clich?: ?Waste not, want not.? Recycling not only can benefit your bottom line, it benefits the planet. Several different brands of lunch meat are packaged in reusable plastic containers. In my household, we now reuse these containers for leftovers. This way we don?t have to buy Rubbermaid or Ziploc containers. The other great part about these containers is they feature a plastic recycling number on the bottom so when the container has served its purpose, it can be recycled at a proper facility.

Recycling aluminum cans may not offer a large amount of money per pound (around $0.77) but something is better than nothing. Over three months, I can accumulate enough for around $20. That is $20 I would not have otherwise had. Some states offer cash back from deposits on glass bottles.

On the side of greener living, saving energy can save you money. Change the light bulbs to CFL?s. They use a quarter of the energy a regular light bulb does. Also, in the warm summer months, try to use a microwave or toaster oven in place of the regular oven, especially during the heat of the day. The heat from the oven can raise the temperature of the house by 2-5 degrees, making your air conditioner work harder.

Rising food costs add to the strain on our wallets. Every nightly news cast seems to mention that inflation is up and food costs are through the roof. The easiest way to stretch a dollar at the grocery store is coupons. The Sunday news paper is a great place to get plenty of coupons, but it is not the only place to find the discounts. There are now ample online resources for coupons (ex. http://couponmom.com/ ). After all that coupon clipping, to get the most out of the coupons, try to find a grocery store that doubles coupons (and find out up to how much they double them). Some grocery stores even triple coupons on certain days, which can lead to serious savings on items you may have purchased anyway.

Another tip that has personally helped me save hundreds of dollars: Purchasing second hand items does not mean that it has to look like second hand items. EBay is a great resource for used items (many in excellent, very good used condition, or even new but without tags). I recently purchased a pair of $70 jeans on eBay for $10 (shipping included). They were never worn, but were missing tags. As far as clothes shopping goes, make sure you know your measurements so you get clothes that fit. Getting such a great deal on clothes online isn?t a rare occurrence. I purchased a second pair less than a week later for $8 shipped. I understand that eBay isn?t for everyone. If that is the case, then local thrift stores also offer second hand clothes for significant discounts. Most weekends, no matter where you live, yard and garage sales can be found and deals are everywhere. Regardless of which option is for you, remember, you will have to dig around a bit for a great deal.

I believe the key to living frugally is cutting costs. Over time, the pennies and dollars you save add up and can help with things you are saving for. With a little practice anyone can become affluent in frugality.

USA Today is America’s highest circulated newspaper and is raising its prices behind The Wall Street Journal and New York Times, which charge $2 and $1.50 and issue, respectively. Price increases are set to take place December 8th.

I have to admit, it’s nice to hear of any newspaper still in business. Every time I read something about newspapers it is that they’re going out of business because people don’t read them anymore. I can say I don’t help much, I only buy the Sunday edition of the Commercial Appeal for the coupons. I get all my news online or from local television news, but it is nice to hear that newspapers are still being circulated and read by a few.