Saving the Green

 Saving money can be good for the environment too! Although these tips may not show results of savings immediately, they'll surely pay off in the long run. With all of our new technology these days, the price of our energy bills have been soaring up. Even when you aren't using a device that is connected to an outlet or power source, it still uses energy! Be smart and kick that habit of keeping your phone charger plugged into the wall all of the time! If this method is a bit too difficult for you to follow, try converting to a power strip, if you don't have one already. These handy bars can have multiple devices plugged into them at once. Usually these bars will have an on/off switch, whenever you're not using any of the items plugged in, just switch the entire power strip off. An even more efficient way would be to unplug the strip completely. You've probably heard this a million times: "Turn off the television/computer whenever you're not using it." Not only will you be saving electricity, but it also helps prevent them from overheating.

A picture of a standard power strip. 
http://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/files/powerstrip.JPG


      Water is an essential resource that we use everyday. Sometimes we can use too much at once though. You should try to limit your showers to a reasonable amount of time, all of that water you waste when you just let it flow straight from the faucet to the drain could have saved a child from thirst! Imagine how much water we've already wasted in our old ways! (Assuming you're going start being more careful about your water usage) Another way to help be environmentally friendly with water is to buy a water bottle! You can eliminate plastic bottles from your household and get everyone to be green! Good luck, and I hope you'll be saving the green, while being green at the same time!

Looking Your Best for Less

    It’s quite expensive to get brand name clothes and accessories for a reasonable price. A designer shirt can range anywhere from $20-$100 dollars! However, there is an option that will save you money AND give you those high end brands everybody loves. The answer to your problems is thrift stores. The majority of the merchandise at thrift stores are donated by their original owners, and are gently worn or used. Contrary to popular belief that these stores only have piles of dirty clothes and junk, most thrift stores are actually very tidy and the clothes they put on the rack have already been pre-washed for sale. There are owners who have never worn the clothes that they donate, therefore these clothes are good as new. The lucky shopper that gets to pick up a brand new shirt or maybe a pair of jeans can get it for possibly HALF off the original price! As if these bargains weren’t great enough, many thrift stores have special deals on certain days. Keep your eyes open for signs or calendars at your thrift store, because you never know when they’ll be having a sale where everything is 50% off to clear out merchandise.

            Although you can find clothes in great condition, you will also probably come across clothes in horrible condition. You should check for holes, missing buttons, broken zippers, and many more irregularities on the clothes you’re contemplating on purchasing. You want to make sure that what you’re buying is actually worth it, and not just another piece of junk from the thrift store. Don’t believe that you should buy it just because it’s cheap, because if so, you’ll only walk out of the thrift store with clothes in poor condition that you actually paid money for.

            Clothes aren’t the only things they sell at thrift stores. You can also expect to find shoes, accessories, home appliances, board games, and plenty more! You should also check these items for abnormalities. Many thrift stores have outlets for you to test appliances before you buy them. These thrift stores already do a good job of checking the merchandise before they’re placed on the shelves. You should also ask employees when they get new items in stock, because you’ll want to get the first pick on many of the new things they get. I hope you take advantage of these thrift store deals, so you can look your best for less!

http://www.seattlepi.com/dayart/20081010/450thrift_2168_ar_racks3_10-10-2008_701K1PV.jpg

Coupons, coupons, coupons!

 You may think that clipping coupons is only for soccer moms or the elderly, but it most definitely is not. Coupons save you more money than you think they do. Plus, there are coupons for almost everything that you can buy at the store! You should always look for deals on the store circulars right when you walk in. Usually they're located right by the door so customers can pick one up and browse while shopping. If you shop at drugstores such as Walgreens or CVS, they have memberships you can sign up for. You can actually earn rewards or unlock MORE coupons to shop with. You can also plan your shopping trips in advance with coupons, if you perfer to do that. Many stores have websites where you can take a peek at their advertisements before you go to the store. This is very useful if you don't usually shop that often, because you'll know what is on sale before you head out to the store, and your shopping trip will be much easier. This is also a good method because you can limit yourself to things that are on sale, and only bring enough money for the things you plan to purchase. There are plenty of online websites that specialize in coupons especially, and there is a program that you can download to print these coupons right at home! I suggest visiting these websites often to find deals, because many of them are for everyday items that you may need to stock up on. You should also read the fine print on many of these coupons, because some of them may expire or have limits that you should be aware of. Other websites you can visit are manufacturer websites, which often have coupons for new items coming out or even some of their best selling products.
You should probably start looking for those coupons now, you'd be surprised how much money you save on products you use everyday!

Save It for a Rainy Day

  Have you ever contemplated whether or not you should bring all of your money with you before you're about to head out shopping? It really just depends on where you are going and what you're looking to buy. I'm not going to tell you how much to bring or spend, because that's up to you. I do have some advice as to why you should bring only however much you plan to spend. First off, you should always bring enough for the NECESSITIES that you need to buy. You can't just fill your cart up with things you don't need, and only a few items that you do need. The reason being, it's better to just buy it all at once instead of coming back on later trips, just because you didn't bring enough cash or you felt you could do without it until next time. Before leaving home, it never hurts to write down everything you need. Once you get to the store, collect all of your necessities and then allow yourself the freedom to browse all you want. As you're contemplating how much to bring, estimate how much you'll need, and maybe just an extra backup supply just in case you need it. If you want, you can always bring a bit more, because I know that it's hard to resist those great deals that you don't think you'll ever come across again. Think about it this way, if you did bring all of your money, you probably wouldn't have much left when you come home, because sometimes when you're shopping, you don't see the need to stop until you run low on money. So, the less money you bring this time, the more you'll have for a next time, and you can always reserve some of your money for a splurge later on, it's like the age old saying, "Save it for a rainy day."

Outlet Shopping

  Outlet malls are probably a shopaholic's paradise, where an abundance of companies sell their merchandise for a significantly discounted price. The reason for these lowered prices is really just because of the quality. Many of the items that go to these outlets are marked as "irregular" by their manufacturer factories. Don't be frightened though, not everything at the outlet malls are "rejects." Much of the stock there is discounted because they're "out of season." I've found that outlet malls are probably my favorite places to shop, but one of the negative things about them to me, is that they are sometimes hard to find depending on where you live.

  I do have some tips for you if you do plan on going outlet mall shopping. Most of these I've just learned from my own experiences shopping at outlets. One big step you should not cut corners at, is trying on what you're going to buy. Sometimes the reasons why these clothes are "irregular" is because the sizes on them are incorrect. Also, check for flaws, such as stains or holes(I've learned that lesson personally myself) on the items you wish to buy, before you pay for them. You may also want to limit yourself to what you're allowed to spend, just because it's an outlet mall doesn't mean everything there costs a penny. If you don't watch what you're spending, it'd really defeat the purpose of trying to save money by going to an outlet mall.

One advantage of outlet malls for me, is that I pay attention to many of the outlet store prices. This way, if I am shopping at a regular mall, and I want something, I'll know if it's overpriced or not because I know I can get it for a better deal.  I personally recommend Gurnee Mills to anyone who is looking for a Chicago area outlet. This outlet mall has a wide variety of stores for everybody in the family! Plus, it is an indoor outlet mall, perfect for shopping in when the weather gets too cold outside. I hope you enjoyed this blog post, and find some great deals for yourself at the outlet mall!

http://factoryoutletinsiders.blogspot.com/2010_10_24_archive.html

Thanksgiving Weekend Savings

   Some of the best sales in stores and online happen sooner than you think they do. Generally, if someone uses the word "holiday," you're going to think that they mean Christmas. Thanksgiving is also a holiday, believe it or not. Shoppers who really know how to find deals will tell you that one of the highlights of their shopping year is Black Friday. Black Friday is the day after the Thanksgiving, marking the beginning of the Christmas season since Thanksgiving is over. Some stores may have sales such as "Midnight Madness," where they open doors at midnight and have some AMAZING steals.

  Shopping during that hour is like survival of the fittest. You must be fully rested upon your journey to the mall. If you're like me, then you're going to want to shop throughout the whole night, to seize the moment! After all the turkey feasting, shopping is probably your best bet to working yourself out. Traditionally, most families begin their Thanksgiving meals at around 7-9, but as long as it's before 12:00 midnight, it doesn't really matter. If you do in fact eat dinner a few hours before you plan to head out, you should try to fit in a nap after you eat. Sleeping right after eating may not be a great idea on regular days, but you're definitely going to need the energy when you're carrying your own weight in shopping bags.  Also, I'd wear something that you can easily take off but will still keep you warm, because I'm sure you're going to want to change in as little time possible in the dressing rooms. Also, I suggest you quickly pick everything that you want to try in on in one fitting, because you'll regret only taking one or two into the dressing room after you come out and see something else you want to try on. As always, when you're paying for your purchases, always begin to take your wallet out while you're getting closer in line to the register. I, myself detest shoppers who stand in front of the cashier digging in their purses for their wallets, holding the line up.
Below is a picture of a crowd of eager shoppers waiting to enter the store, seeking their savings.

http://http//stacysrandomthoughts.com/http://stacysrandomthoughts.com/wp-content/2010/11/blackfriday.jpg

  If you're not the type to stay up all night just to shop, I have great news for you. Cyber Monday is the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The only difference between Cyber Monday and Black Friday is that your savings are online for Cyber Monday, as you have to be in stores to recieve your deals on Black Friday. The majority of the greatest savings are on electronics, but that doesn't mean the discounts on apparel and other departments aren't worth checking out. This method of purchasing things you want or need is great, because you can get them for the prices you want, and you don't have to wait in line for anything or travel in the cold.

Saving Up for the Splurge

   Most of us have all done it, having just one tremendously wallet denting shopping spree. That also means most of us have experienced the aftermath that it leaves. The feeling of missing all your hard earned money, all of it, just gone. There is a way where you could splurge, but not feel guilty because of it. Obviously, when you choose to have a massive trip to the mall to get things you've been wanting since the first time you laid eyes on it, you feel like you deserve it. The truth is you don't exactly deserve it if you're just going to waste all of your money on things that you don't even need, but that's exactly what a "splurge" is. Well I have a proposition for you all who wish to feel proud of yourself, before, during, and after a shopping trip.

http://www.readystudygo-project.net/IT/General/path5/foto/shopping_bags.jpg

  You've heard it plenty of times before, but you need to save money before you can spend it. The method that works for me especially is to set goals. Once you've gotten past the first one, you will know that you're satisfied with yourself, and want to continue to keep doing it. The way I set goals is I set an amount of money that I wish to save up before going on a shopping binge. One crucial rule is that there must also be a certain amount of money I have to SAVE before moving up to my next goal. An example would be, say I'm going to set my target amount at $100, I'd probably set aside $20 from my shopping. This way, I don't have to start from a clean slate, and I know I'll always have some cash for things here and there. From the time I set the goal and actually accomplishing it, I start to keep my eyes open for things that I want to buy when I finally do save up enough. As you near your goal, you can start planning on eliminating things you know are just too expensive. Also, you might want to map out your trip to the mall, this way you can get straight to your shopping and enjoy doing it, because you know that you're smart enough to save AND spend!