First Time Parents – Don’t Be a Sucker

As you may know my wife and I are currently expecting our third child.  My wife is due in just a few weeks so we’ve been stocking up on things now while we can.  Last night we ran into Babies R Us to grab some newborn-size diapers and we took a little time to stroll around and see what else is new since our last baby was born almost 4 years ago.

I was amazed at how much crap is out there!  Seriously, it’s plain to me that these retailers and manufacturers just love to come up will all sorts of ridiculous and unneccessary items to get unsuspecting parents to open their wallets.

There were 2 things in particular that drove me right up the wall. 

First was a piece of plastic that probably cost about 10 cents to make that was being sold for $3.99.  What does it do?  It removes the crust from slices of bread. 

Has anyone ever heard of a knife?  We have a whole drawer full of them at home and each of them could remove the crust from a piece of bread.  And I don’t have to spend money on an overpriced piece of plastic to do it.

The other thing that shocked me was the brice of baby monitors.  They must have had 20 different models and the most expensive one was $300!  I remember paying about $35-$40 for our monitor a couple years ago.  And they had the more recent model in the store at just $39.99. 

Now I’m not telling you to take your baby’s safety lightly.  By all means, I want you to buy a quality monitor that will keep your baby safe.  But price is not always an indicator of quality.  And cheap baby monitors can be just as effective as the more expensive ones. 

Do you really need the high definition screen, the 200+ channel transmitter, etc?  Remember, as long as you can hear when your baby is crying and needs you…the monitor is doing its job.  DOn’t let some salesman talk you into something you don’t really need.

Planning A Wedding On A Small Budget

You’re getting married? Congratulations!

It’s such a wonderful time and it can be so much fun. But it can cost you a fortune too.

Between the wedding dress, limos, food, flowers, and music, you can easily drop tens of thousands of dollars on a wedding.

You’re smart for looking for ideas for wedding receptions on a budget.

You don’t have to spend a fortune to have a beautiful and memorable wedding. Let’s look at a few ways that other bride and grooms have thrown wedding receptions on a budget:    Read more

Are You Ready For The Next Postage Rate Increase?

Is it me, or does it seem like there’s another postage rate increase every other week?

I know I’m exaggerating, but my wife and I really feel even a small increase in the cost of postage stamps. As a part-time real estate agent, my wife sends out a good deal of letters and postcards to bring in new business. Even a small postage rate increase adds up to a major expense.

Of course we’re not the only ones who feel the pinch every time the post office raises its rates. You have your own bills, letters, and cards to mail out…and I’m sure you can live without another postage rate increase.

So to help you save a few bucks, I threw together this little list of ways to save yourself some cash on postage.

• Pay your bills online. You can pay for your credit cards, utilities and other bills right from the comfort of your own home. Each bill you pay online saves the cost of a stamp. That may not seem like much but it adds up.
• Invest in some “forever stamps” and hold on to them. Once purchased, these stamps can be used no matter how high the cost of postage stamps go in the future. If you buy a bunch now and tuck them away, they’ll still be good when it costs $10 to mail a birthday card.
• Speaking of birthdays…instead of mailing cards to your friends and family, just send them an ecard. You won’t just save on postage, you’ll save the cost of the card too.
• Print your stamps at home and save yourself the trip to the post office. Plus, you can get up to $25 FREE postage when you sign up at Stamps.com. All you need is a printer and a PC to print USPS-approved postage.
• Use Media Mail whenever possible. The post office has really low rates for media items like books, cds, videos, film, and computer disks. It’s much cheaper than regular rates, but most people don’t know to ask for it. Now YOU do!
• Pick up some stamps next time you’re at Costco or Sam’s Club. Big discount warehouses usually offer rolls of stamps at a modest discount.
• If you’re self-employed you may be able to deduct the cost of business-related postage. Save your receipts and check with your accountant to make sure you’re eligible for the deduction.

These tips should help you save some money on the cost of postage stamps…no matter what the next postage rate increase brings.

Slash Your Electric Bill With The Kill-A-Watt P3

Can the kill-a-watt P3 really save you money on your electric bill? Here’s what I found out…

Do you have any idea how much your tv, computer, and other electronics and appliances are costing you? Even when they’re turned off?

You’ll be shocked to find out how much of your money is going right down the drain. I know I was.

I’ve been looking for ways to cut my bills so when my buddy and his wife stopped by for dinner last week, he brought a new tool with him that I just fell in love with: the kill-a-watt p3 electric usage meter.

It’s an incredibly useful tool that tells you exactly how much electricity your home uses. All you do is plug one end of the Kill-A-Watt P3 Energy Usage Meter into an outlet and the other into the appliance you want to test and the digital readout gives you the number of watts used.

It’s especially handy in locating phantom energy loss, which is when appliances use power when not even turned on. If you can hunt these energy drainers down, you can unplug them or put them on a power strip (just remember to switch the power strip off when not in use).

I took the kill-a-watt P3 all around my house and conducted my own inexact residential energy audit and I was shocked at how much energy we were wasting. Read more

Darth Vader’s Top 5 Tips For Saving Money

Okay, I admit it…I’m a bit of a Star Wars nerd. I used to beg my dad non-stop for the newest Obi-Wan or Admiral Ackbar figures. And I completely wore out my VHS tapes of the original trilogy until they were completely unwatchable (much like any of the prequels when Natalie Portman was not on screen).

So as I sat brainstorming for new ideas to save some money, I naturally wondered what the great Lord Vader would do to save some cash.

I mean let’s face it, running a Galactic Empire isn’t cheap. And how embarrassing would it be to call home to Palpatine begging for beer money?

So here you are…Darth Vader’s top 5 tips for saving money:

• Some of your senior officers nearing retirement age? Not a problem. Just use the force to choke them to death before they’re eligible for retirement benefits. Cha-Ching!

• Shields are expensive…way too costly to install on tens of thousands of TIE fighters. Replacing pilots killed in action is much more cost effective.  On the other hand, you may want to shell out the cost of shielding exhaust vents on massive, planet-destroying space stations. Especially when they lead directly to the main reactor. I’m just saying.

• Suddenly realize you made a bad deal and want to get out of it? Just say you’re changing the terms of the contract. Then lean in close, and in your most menacing voice say, “Pray I don’t alter them any further.”

• Outsource some of your less desirable jobs to some good old-fashioned bounty hunter scum. You only pay when the job is complete, they’re not entitled to benefits, and they don’t even need a company car. Just don’t complain if Boba Fett gets carried away and incinerates someone you wanted alive.

• No one likes paying for insurance, but it can be a life saver if you suffer a serious financial disaster.  Our favorite Sith Lord used the insurance money from the first Death Star to build a bigger and more powerful version.

There were rumors at the time that Vader took out a huge policy on the first Death Star just a week before it was destroyed…by a handful of out-dated and out-gunned fighter ships no less.  Pretty convenient how he decided to step outside for a smoke just minutes before the whole thing blew, huh?