Friday Deals

Wow, it's been WAY too long since I've done one of these! Lots of fun stuff, including gift ideas for Valentine's Day if you needed to get a jump on doing something special for your sweetie. Enjoy!

*FREE Coffee Mate creamer when you "like" Coffee Mate on Facebook. By 9 AM PST today, they will be giving out over 100,000 coupons for a FREE creamer. Nice! I could probably drink the Hazelnut Biscotti flavor straight out of the container...okay, maybe not... but it sounds delicious!

*Need some FREE dessert? Chili's Grill and Bar is giving out coupons for FREE Brownie sundaes today only when you "like" them on Facebook. The coupon is good through next Thursday, February 11th. Also, if you sign up for their email list, you get a free welcome gift of queso and chips. Nothing says "Welcome!" like melted cheese, in my opinion.

*We mentioned already on our Facebook page that Burt's Bees grab bags are back! For $25, you get over $50 worth of great stuff. When I bought mine last year, I took a few things out that I wanted to keep and gave the rest as gifts or stocking stuffers during the holidays. Perfect! Hurry though - they don't last very long!

*If you want to get your online shop on for Valentine's Day, head over to The Body Shop. You get a FREE gift with a purchase of $25 or more. Online only and expires on 2/13.

*Another just-in-time-for-Valentine's-Day deal...Victoria's Secret is giving away FREE underwear with a $50 purchase. I can't tell if it's just online, but use the code LACIE50 when checking out. Ends Sunday.

*Need some romantic music? Head over to Amazon for 14 FREE downloads of Valentine's themed songs!

*Like Cheez-Its? Well, "like" them on Facebook for a FREE sample.

*A GREAT Groupon deal for all you book lovers out there! You've got the weekend to get $10 for $20 worth of merchandise at Barnes and Noble. This can even be applied to ebooks! It's valid online and at most of the 700 retail locations. Hurry - it says limited quantity available so I don't want you to miss out!

That's all I got! If you know of any other good deals, feel free to post them in the comments! Happy weekend!

The Dark Side of Group Buying Sites

Some people wake up with a cup of coffee. Some need a shower before they can function. Me? I check my Groupon, Living Social, Tippr, and BuyWithMe emails. It's a gross obsession really. I do really love a good deal, but sometimes, just the notion that I can get something more than 50% off is just enough of a catalyst to get me to reach for my credit card.

What the hell? I write a financial literacy blog and I am a compulsive group-buying site deal shopper? Can the two go hand in hand? Here's how I learned to enjoy the opportunity that group buying sites provide and still have my dignity (and spare change) in tact.

1) Be smart about your purchases - I know that part of the reason these sites exist is so new businesses can draw clients in the door with a cheap meal or service with the hopes they become repeat customers. While I love trying new places, I also have to be somewhat realistic. Sure, an unlimited month of yoga for $40 sounds amazing, but the studio is 35 minutes away from my house. I may make it once or twice a week, which drops the value of the package significantly.

2) Read the fine print BEFORE you buy - many times, there are all kinds of restrictions on your half-off deal - not for use on alcohol, must be used in one visit, cannot combine with other offers like happy hour, etc. Check out the business' website to see if it's realistic for you to spend your certificate in one purchase, or if there's anything you'd actually want to eat there that's not on the happy hour menu.


3) Question refund policy - I have had two experiences (one with Groupon and one with LivingSocial) where the merchant went out of business before I was able to spend my certificate. With the LivingSocial deal, I didn't even know it was too late until I drove past the dark restaurant with the windows boarded up. I contacted both LivingSocial and the restaurant to ask if I could get a refund for my $20 and never received a response from either. On the flip side, Groupon actually contacted me when the vendor I purchased from was going out of business. They wanted to either give me a $10 credit towards another Groupon or to refund the $10 to my credit card. Customer service winner goes to...GROUPON. In this economy, particularly with new businesses, it's tough to keep the doors open, so make sure you're aware of how things are handled if the vendor can't honor your certificate.


In short, I look at group buying site deals like grocery store coupons: if it's not something I would normally buy without the deal, it's probably going to be a waste of money and I shouldn't get it. We've all had that moment where you MUST get something because it's on sale, right? Hopefully, it was a great purchase and you got a lot of use out of it. But sometimes, that thing you had to have just sits in your closet with the price tags still on. The deals online are definitely tempting, and I say go for it if it's in your budget and it's something you'll enjoy. Just don't get blinded by the good deal that isn't actually worth it.

One more group buying site to check out: Ideal Network. They are not everywhere yet, but it's a daily deal site where part of the proceeds benefit area charities. Check out their deal in Seattle right now - $10 for $20 of Theo Chocolate...and $2.50 of your $10 goes to one of 6 charities you choose (I chose the Woodland Park Zoo). Do you like how I preach about the evils of group buying sites and then show you a new one? Ha!

Theo Chocolate - feel free to get me some for Valentine's Day!

Any other thoughts on the merits or drawbacks of group buying sites? Do you have a particular strategy to get a bang for your buck but keep in line with your budget?

Discussion: What's Your Biggest Splurge?

Greetings y'all! I hope most of you are staying warm - it looks nasty in most of the country. The Northwest has the makings of a perfect winter's day - crisp, sunny and dry!

Anyway, my friends over at WiseBread had an interesting question posed to their readers this morning, and I thought I'd ask you all: what's your biggest splurge?

This was a question that took me awhile to answer. I allow myself to spend $25 every month at coffee shops...is that a splurge? I recently upgraded to a nicer gym with amazing amenities and cleaner facilities for an extra $5 per month than I paid at my old gym. Splurge-worthy? I don't have expensive clothes or shoe habits, I don't get weekly manis or pedis, I've had 4 massages in my whole life...what the heck do I splurge on?

The closest things I could think of as splurges are a) food and b) home improvement. With food, my husband and I cook 5-6 nights a week, and when we go out to dinner, we usually go to a delicious restaurant that doesn't cost more than $40 for the two of us (including tax and tip). Hardly splurging...BUT when it comes to groceries, we probably spend $75-$90 a week. What do I buy? Lots of fresh produce (which is often organic), Greek yogurt, and hardly any processed foods. This means that our grocery bills might be a little higher than average, but eating good and good-for-you food is important to me. If you can, I totally recommend buying from a farm that participates in community supported agriculture (CSA). You are buying directly from the farmer, so your produce is super fresh, seasonal and supports your local businesses! One more food-splurge: grocery delivery! While I don't do this all the time, I have ordered from AmazonFresh on a handful of occasions. It's not necessarily more expensive than a grocery store, but there is a delivery fee if you don't purchase a certain amount of food. It's convenient (I've had groceries delivered at 6 AM before), it saves me time and money on gas, and it might even stop me from those impulse buys.

As far as home improvement go, I think it's almost in our biology to prepare our home for a new member of the family. Before little Claire came into the picture, my husband and I wanted to put in California Closets or pimp out our backyard. Maybe make the basement into a man cave. After we knew we were expecting, all those fun projects got replaced with buying new carpet (not fun, but necessary) and getting a nursery ready to go. And while we didn't go over budget too badly, it's just hard to say no to buying things for your unborn child. The willpower is not so strong with us when it comes to getting cute art for her room or a onesie that says "It was the dog." (yes, we have it in orange).

But I do have a splurge goal now: traveling. I want to see more of the world, and I want Claire to see more of the world with us. I think exposing children to different people and places is extremely important for them to learn and grow.

What about you? What do you splurge on and why?

Ask and You Shall Receive

Hi everyone! I cannot believe it's been almost 2 months since I last posted! Wow! That's what happens when you're 34 weeks pregnant and you've got a few other things on your plate, I guess. :) I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, and that 2011 has started off on a great note!

Here in my household, we are fast and furiously preparing for our baby girl's arrival in mere weeks...and with that comes dropping some serious dough. Or does it? As you know, my husband and I purchased our first home early last year. While the house was in fantastic condition pretty much all the way around, we knew we were going to eventually replace the carpet. It was pretty heavily stained and while I'm not exactly a germaphobe, I know that carpet can get DISGUSTING. The sellers even apologized for the condition of the carpets. So now with baby on the way, we wanted a clean slate and started to price out how much it was going to cost to get new carpet in three bedrooms. First, Empire Today came to our home to give us an estimate - initially $2100! I had no idea how much installing carpet was, but I wasn't going to pay that much. I told the representative that it was much more than I had anticipated, and we were going to continue to look. Almost immediately, he dropped the price down to $1600. Did you hear that? Just by asking and refusing the first offer, I saved $500! After pricing around other companies and retailers and figuring cost of installation, haul away, etc, Empire Today did have the best deal.

Lesson: never accept your first offer. Always see if you can negotiate a better deal.

Part 2 of Preparing For Baby Without Dropping All Your Dollars: we have to make our small space work for us in more ways now. Our 3rd bedroom now has to serve a multifunctional purpose of guest room/office. To increase our space, we got rid of our full-sized bed and are replacing it with a sleeper sofa. We waited and waited for our dream sofa at West Elm to go on sale...and it did! Not only was it $400 cheaper than the original price, BUT if you ordered online, you saved an extra $200. Uh - guess who ordered via phone where the $200 off didn't come into play? But guess who realized that, called back, and talked to customer service to get that extra money back in Claire's college fund? And isn't the couch so pretty?!

Lesson: the squeaky wheel gets the grease. If you're not completely satisfied with your experience, speak up. More than likely, the customer service department will do whatever they can to keep your current and future business.

In one week and two shopping experiences, I saved our family over $700 by being proactive, doing some research, and not taking "no" for an answer. Don't be afraid to ask for a better price - in this economy, many people are willing to be flexible and are more responsive to customers' needs.

How about you? How have your negotiating skills benefitted you recently?

Holiday Decorating on the Cheap 2.0

Ah, the holidays have officially arrived! You may remember my Christmas home decor spread from last year that cost me less than $15 dollars. This year, my Martha Stewart/nesting mode is really kicking in - I've decided we're going to get a REAL tree, so that means that I should spend a lot more money on holiday decorations, right? Wrong. Here are some things I'm doing this year to keep my house looking magical but keeping some extra dough in my pocket:

1) Using fruit - I did this last year with cranberries, and I did it this year for my Thanksgiving table scape (yeah, I just threw out the words "table scape"). There are beautiful in-season fruits, like clementine oranges, apples, and pears that are perfect for having around the house. Bonus - you can eat your decorations! Plus, you can pair spices like cloves and cinnamon with your fruit to make wonderfully smelling decor! In elementary school, I used to stick cloves in oranges to make pomanders and give them as gifts. The cloves help to preserve the oranges, too!

My "horn-of-plenty deconstructed" table scape.

2) Repurposing what you have - have some empty frames? Put some pictures of holidays past around your home. You could also make a holiday sign - print out "holiday" words, like "joy"or "snow", put in a frame, place on your mantle and voila - something that costs at least $15 at a store you just made for pennies. You could even frame holiday wrapping paper for a fun holiday piece of art. What about spare vases lying around? Fill it with ornaments and place on your coffee table. How about metallic ribbon? Use it to tie around doorknobs, drape around shelves to make anything look more festive.

My hurricane and apothecary jar stuffed with ornaments

3) Decorate with candy - by going to a drug store or a discount retailer, you can pick up your decorations and stocking stuffers! Candy canes are classic - you can hang them on your tree, or put in a vase or a jar. Fill a hurricane or glass bowl with Hershey kisses - this also works as a snack! And who doesn't like a gingerbread house? Using milk cartons, graham crackers, frosting and candy, you can make a great and traditional holiday decoration!

4) The great outdoors - bringing the outdoors in keeps things really festive and seasonal. In lieu of getting holiday flowers that die within a week or so, try holly. Head to a nursery, get a few sprigs of holly, and put in a vase - it would be a beautiful centerpiece. I mentioned this in my post last year, but hit up Christmas tree farms for spare branches that make excellent table decor. Home Depot keeps a bin in their outdoor department of branches people wanted cut off, or branches that were broken off. You might get a little sap on your hands, but for free decorations, I feel like it's worth it. Hunt around your neighborhood for pinecones and red berries.

5) Using candles - in my opinion, candles make everything better. Simple white tealights or small pillars grouped up on a table look simple, elegant and cheerful. Wrap a ribbon around your candles and they look even more festive.

6) Decorate with cards - I hope you still get holiday cards and letters from family and friends (why people think a "happy holidays" text is acceptable is beyond me). Once you start getting these in the mail, punch holes in them and string them up around your house with ribbon or yarn. Keep them for years to bring back memories of the good people in your life.

7) Get crafty - okay, I'll be the first to admit that I'm not super crafty, but there are some really simple decorations you can make with things likely around your house. Paper snowflakes, paper chains, magazine trees - check out Martha Stewart's great ideas!

With all of these good ideas, I have to get decorating!

How do you all decorate for the holidays? Any ideas for not breaking the bank?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Apologies for not writing a real blog entry in almost a month (yikes!), but I wanted to make sure to wish you all a happy Thanksgiving. I've got so much to be thankful for...

In 2010, we bought our first home....

We are pregnant with our first child....

We witnessed many happy occasions of family and friends...

.

Just goes to show you that although money is important (and I'm so thankful for mine and my husband's jobs), it definitely can't buy you happiness.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your loved ones and eat lots of delicious food! Definitely thankful for socially acceptable elastic waistbands during the holidays... :)

Emergency Fund = COMPLETED!

Happy Monday everyone!

I just had to give myself a little pat on the back - my husband and I saved and saved and saved the past few months - having a little one on the way will definitely do that to you! And within 6 months, we've saved up 6 months of living expenses! Our emergency fund is done! This is literally 6 months of exactly how we live right now; I think if we scaled back more on expenses, our fund could probably last for 8 months if we needed it to. We have it in ING's Orange Savings Account, so it's liquid, plus we're still earning 1.1% interest - it's not much, but every little bit helps!

Our saving journey is not over - we're putting money aside for our estimated hospital costs of labor and delivery, starting a college fund for the bambina, and putting aside other money for general kid expenses. And I know I've been saying this for almost a year, but we're going to start a Roth IRA before the year is over! What a way to start November!

How about you guys? Any goals you've achieved recently? Do you have enough in your emergency fund?