5 Steps to Money Saving Purchases
1) Don't be in a hurry. The more time you take to search and learn, the more money you can save
2) Research:
Ask lots of questions, check several sources. Ask for referrals from experts and friends
3) Consider buying Used or borrowing an item instead of purchasing it.
4) Save the cash in advance. You're always in a better bargaining position and usually more careful.
5) Ask. Tell people you know what you're looking for. It may show up from an unlikely source at a GREAT price!
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Links to Great Sites and Great Deals!
These sites are great resources for saving money and time. We've had experiences with most of them and provide you with our impressions of the services and products they offer.
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Research Sites
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Financial Assistance
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Great Deals
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Better Business Bureau
A great resource to check with before making larger purchases or signing contracts for home or business services. This is a link to the national site. Click on Consumer Guidance or Check Out A Company depending on the information
A great web site to help entrepreneurs get the inspiration and the strategies they need to get their businesses to the next level. It has Famous Entrepreneur stories, Entrepreneur Advice columns and host of other valuable resources.
www.EvanCarmichael.com
Samarin's.com We've found this site to be very helpful and informative. Vladimir Samarin is an electrical engineer who has become more and more involved in automotive technology as a hobby. He has rebuilt and modified engines and transmissions, repaired accidental damages and written automobile-related articles. He doesn't sell anything on this site, just provides information.
Inspecting a used car is a very informative section on his site and is complete with detailed instructions and photos.
 INSURANCE DEPARTMENTS FOR ALL 50 STATES
A great resource for finding information on insurance companies in your state. This entire web site is dedicated to explaining the ins and outs of purchasing insurance without getting burned.
GREAT GARDEN ADVICE - SQUARE FOOT GARDENING
This is the official site of Square Foot Gardening and Mel Bartholomew.
It has photos and directions to create your own small or large garden. It even includes tips on how to make "Mel's Mix" a simple soil mixture that will make most anything grow.
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START SAVING ON INSURANCE NOW!
InsWeb.com is a great resource for quoting Auto Insurance and Homeowners insurance. We discovered them after reading a Consumer Reports article about Auto Insurance quotes. We were hesitant at first to submit personal data through this website, but our experience has proved to us that it is very secure and we have received no spam. Our information was submitted to numerous companies (More than 28 are listed on the web site) and we started receiving quotes within 24 hours.
We spent about 15 minutes punching in our information and ended up saving $400 every six months on our auto insurance.
FREE CREDIT REPORTS
You can obtain a free copy of your credit report once a year. There are three ways to do it:
--Go to www.FreeCreditReport.com
Note - you will receive your credit report for free, but they may charge a fee for your credit score.
--Call the toll-free number
1-877-481-6826
--Mail a standardized form to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281. Download the form at www.ftc.gov/credit
HEALTH INSURANCE
In September 2007 we cut our monthly health insurance premium by $200 simply by quoting our health insurance coverage through eHealthInsurance.
Read more here.
Health insurance is your first line of protection against financial disaster. If you can't afford health insurance, please, please contact your state department of insurance and see what they can do to help you.
 Crown.org Crown Financial Ministries and the late Larry Burkett pioneered bible-based teaching about finances. Larry's book, "Your Finances in Changing Times" was one of the tools we used to start our marital journey in debt free living.
If you need individualized budget coaching they have volunteer coaches all over the country to assist you.
Call 1.800.722.1976
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TIRED OF OUTRAGEOUS
CELL PHONE
BILLS?
How many families have been stunned by their teen's cell phone bills. We're talking shockers of over $400 in a month!
Put a stop to this budget busting habit.
First, have your teen be responsible for most, if not all of their cell phone bill.
Second, if you want to help them control costs, get them a prepaid cell phone plan.
We like T-Mobile prepaid plans and just purchased a pre-paid phone for emergencies. T-Mobile's customer service is phenomenal. Their best deal is to buy 1000 minutes of air-time (1 year expiration) and then roll over any unused minutes by purchasing any denomination of minutes before the end of the year.
Do your research and start saving.
One note: Avoid TracFone. We tried them and their customer service is TERRIBLE. Most calls are routed out of the US. You'll be on hold forever and in over 10 different phone calls, not once did the person we talked to do what they said they would to remedy our situation.
SAVE ON HEALTH
We've purchased our vitamins and herbal supplements from Puritan's Pride for years and years. Great customer service, excellent return policy and fast shipping make them a pleasure to do business with. But the best thing is the buy one, get multiples free deals they offer. Watch their catalogs and web site for monthly special offers.
The Entertainment Book is a great resource for two-for-one dining coupons at restaurants from fast food to beautiful resorts settings, also discounts for museums, hotels and great savings on rental cars (we received a better discount from Entertainment than from AAA, Sam's or Costco). We've purchased them for use at home and also for our summer vacation destination cities (the books are usually discounted in the summer).
Looking for a Thrift Store?
http://www.TheThriftShopper.Com
Search by zip code for thrift stores nationwide!
 
When our kids were younger, we'd buy lots of their party decorations and party favors from Oriental Trading Company. Whenever the catalog would arrive, each of the kids would spend hours circling the "cool" things that they wanted. We experienced good delivery and good customer service.
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CRBestBuyDrugs.com
is a free web site where you can research safe alternatives to commonly prescribed drugs. They report on a number of categories of drugs and offer common alternatives which will usually save you money. Each category is presented in a brief format with a longer report available as a .pdf download.
Ways to save on Prescription Drugs
The National Conference of State Legislatures has a page that lists various programs across the US:
- State Subsidy Programs.
- State Pharmaceutical Discount Programs
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Consumer Credit Counseling - A nationwide company that we've referred friends to several times. They can help negotiate with creditors when you are overextended and can't make your payments. They aren't for everyone, you've got to have income and be willing to set up a budget to repay what you owe. They can negotiate with most credit card companies. They become your financial agent, managing your monthly payment to each creditor.
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eBay!
- everyone's heard about it. We've found remarkable deals there - computers and accessories, out of print books, musical instruments, movies and music cd's.
Be careful, do your research and know your prices. Only buy from sellers that have impeccable records.
eBay's Half.com.....buy and sell used books, movies, music and games  This is another place where we find great deals on hard to find Books, College Text Books and Games.
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 FREE INCOME TAX PREPARATION
People of any age can receive free help preparing their taxes through the AARP Tax-Aide Service.
Here are some details. It is a free service supported by over 30,000 trained volunteers across the country. It is available to people of all ages with middle and low income, with special attention to those age 60 and older. They prepare tax returns and answer tax questions. To find one of the 10,000 locations near your home, call 1-888-227-7669. AARP Tax-Aide sites are located in places convenient for taxpayers to get to, such as senior centers, libraries and malls. They can also visit taxpayers in their homes, if they are physically unable to visit a site.
This program is available from February 1 through April 15 each year. For more information visit the web site - www.aarp.org/taxaide
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A great, inexpensive way to purchase books, movies and other gifts is CDB — Christian Book Distributors. You'll find bargain prices all year long. Check prices here:
or you can order a free catalog by calling 1.800.247.4784.
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Inexpensive Vacation Lodging Options:
Stay on college campuses. This is a link to a list of every college in the US. You'll have more luck with smaller private colleges. We found American University in Washington, DC would rent a dorm room with linens for $45 per night.
Savers - Thrift
Department Store - Over 200 locations nationwide for buying used clothing and home related items. Their stock is very organized, they have huge selections, great prices and they allow you to return items you aren't satisfied with.
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A Second Look is the premier consignment store in Arizona. They have clothing and housewares submitted by over 20,000 consigners from all over North America. The quality of the merchandise attracts shoppers worldwide. The deals you can find are fabulous, especially using their dated tag system. Steve bought an After Six Tuxedo for $20. Daughter Becky has found several "killer" ball gowns for about $15.
If you're ever in Phoenix or nearby, it's well worth the trip.
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The Freecycle Network™ FreeCycle.org is made up of over 3000 individual groups across the globe. It's a grassroots movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. Each local group is run by a local volunteer moderator. Membership is free.
When you want to find a new home for something -- whether it's a chair, a fax machine, piano, or an old door -- you simply send an e-mail offering it to members of your Freecycle group.
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DEAL A GO GO
A great forum for finding great deals. Members post their finds under corresponding stores (many categories to choose from). They tell you when there is a great deal at a store, as well as whether or not there are coupons in circulation. Submitted by Debra Oehlbert — Aiken, SC
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Years ago, Annette's dad, Syl Meola retired from a sales job in the electronics industry and took a job at his local church as the head of the maintenance department. Syl is the consummate organizer and master of efficiency. One thing he noticed was that whenever there was a reception or some sort of meeting where drinks were served from a coffee pot or cooler, inevitably some of the liquid ended up on floor.
Over time he developed a simple yet revolutionary idea - The Original Drip Catcher was created.
It's an inexpensive way to eliminate this sticky and messy problem.
After years of selling thousands of these products by word of mouth, we've finally helped him to put up a simple web site to let the world know about his invention.
Here is Syl's web site: http://www.OriginalDripCatcher.com
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