Movie Matinee
Do you love the movies but hate the prices? If you’re like me, you don’t want to pay $9.00 or more (per person) for a movie plus popcorn and soda. Switch your nighttime show to the afternoon or early evening matinee. The price is 25% to 50% less and when taking an entire family, that is a nice savings. My wife and I are both off on Fridays and take advantage of that fact to have date day instead of date night. We do lunch and a movie and then run any errands that weren’t convenient earlier in the week. This lets us avoid the weekend crowds at the mall or the theater.
Food at the theater is outrageously priced. Pop your own popcorn, put in a plastic bag, and place in a large purse. Make or buy your own candy, leaving only drinks to buy. The next time that you head to the movies, hit the matinee, stuff those jellybeans and licorice sticks in your purse, and enjoy the savings. Also, check for movie tickets online, which are sometimes discounted.
Incentives – Reward Plan
Last time we talked about rewards programs offered by major corporations. Today I want to talk about a reward/incentive plan for the family. To help you and your family spend more wisely, set up a system to reward the family for meeting established goals in saving money. For example, if a family decision was made to start making lunch and brown bagging it to work and school instead of buying out each day, the incentive might be that if this is followed strictly for one or two months, the entire family can spend a Saturday at the Zoo or favorite theme park. The key to this approach is to accurately determine the possible savings and then find a good reward that costs less than the savings attained. This won’t work if you spend more on the reward than the savings you attain as our overall goal is to save money.
Another possible goal would be saving on utilities by turning out lights when leaving a room, not holding the refrigerator door open longer than necessary and turning the television off for an hour each evening while doing homework or participating in family games (not requiring television monitors). Old-fashioned board games can be a lot of fun for the entire family if both parents agree to participate.
There are other possibilities out there. Be creative and get the family involved in tossing out ideas. It is easier to get full participation when everyone feels a part of the decision-making process. Have fun and enjoy the savings!
Rewards Programs
There are many different types of rewards programs available and you can search the internet for them easily. I will mention a few that we like.
The first rewards program everyone should take advantage of is grocery savings cards. Every grocery chain I am aware of has a card that offers discounts on select items each week. Since you will be buying most of these items anyway, you can save a lot of money on groceries just by enrolling in the rewards program. The major grocery chains in my area are Food Lion, Kroger, Harris Teeter and Lowes Foods.
If you use credit cards at all, you should at least choose a card that offers a rewards program. There are many different types of credit card rewards programs ranging from travel miles accumulation to gift redemptions to cash rebates. If you are in need of money for bills, a cash rebate may be best for you. If you don’t immediately need money for bills, a travel miles program can make it easier to take a much needed vacation. Be sure to check out the interest rates to avoid losing more than you gain if you carry a balance from month to month.
On the subject of vacations, I’ll mention one of my favorite rewards programs. Hotel rewards can quickly add up to free nights and make vacationing an inexpensive experience. Most major chains have rewards programs. Two that I like are Best Western International which is good at all Best Western brand hotels and Choice Hotels International which includes 10 hotel chains (Comfort Inn, Sleep Inn and Quality Inn are 3 of them).
An all-around rewards program is Upromise http://www.upromise.com . While it is designed as a way to earn college money with rebates from dining and shopping, it is also possible to request a check for the accumulated cash in your Upromise account. By registering your grocery cards and credit cards, you can get credit for many daily purchases that you would make anyway. If you have children or grandchildren that plan to go to college, this is a good way to raise money for their education. If not or if you need the cash, this is a good way to raise some much needed cash without affecting your other rewards programs.
I hope this has helped raise your awareness of the many rewards programs available. I highly recommend the Upromise program as I have been a member for 5 years. You can also find many other programs by searching online. Good luck and happy savings!
Utilities
Set up some rules in your home such as turning lights off when leaving a room, not holding the refrigerator door open any longer than necessary and having only the parents adjusting the thermostat. Utilities are expensive and you can save a lot by monitoring how they are used in your home.
Lowering the thermostat before going to bed is a great way to save on utilities. You will probably want to set your alarm clock to go off a half hour early so you can turn the thermostat back up. Then go back to bed while the house warms up. An even better idea is a programmable thermostat. While the initial investment is not cheap, it can save lots of money in the long run. Plus you won’t have to deal with getting up early to reset the manual thermostat.
Investing in an energy-efficient hot water heater is another way to save. Adding a timer to turn the water heater off during down times (such as overnight or during the day, if nobody will be home) will add to the savings.
If you cook in the oven, leave the oven door open for a little while after turning the oven off. Take advantage of that little bit of heat for additional savings.
Don’t Give up the Good Stuff
A common misconception is that while trying to save money you have to deal with sub-par merchandise. This is not true at all. If you love fresh breads and pastries, visit a bakery thrift store. Day old breads and pastries are very good and are cheaper than fresh varieties. For your fresh fruits and vegetables, try your local farmer’s market. It is a lot of fun just looking around at all of the different items available. Plus you can find real bargains on most fruits and vegetables in season.
You can find top quality merchandise for a huge discount on eBay and other auction sites online. Check out neighborhood garage sales or estate sales and auctions to find items you need at pennies on the dollar. Warehouse clubs mentioned in Tip #5 are good places to find quality merchandise at bargain prices. Just because you are looking for bargains to save money does not mean you have to skimp on quality.
Dining Out
When taking the family out to dinner, consider a buffet. In many cases, the prices are outstanding and a small child can eat for free or at a steep discount. In addition, most buffets are “all you can eat” and there is something to suit everyone’s taste. The relatively low prices more than offset the fact that you can’t get a to-go box. Drinking water with your meal lowers the price for meals that don’t include drinks with the posted price. Water is also a healthier choice than sodas or tea.
Take out is an inexpensive alternative to dining out. For seven or eight dollars you can get a delicious Chinese meal to take home and eat. Your drink will probably be cheaper if you buy 2-liters or 12-packs of soda or make your own tea. Many people (including myself) can get 2 or 3 meals out of 1 take out order. Chinese food is really filling and tasty. Another good choice is a bucket of chicken which can be eaten with sides purchased at the restaurant or prepared at home. Be creative when choosing to dine out and enjoy your meals.
Coupons
Maybe you used to laugh as you watched people pull out their coupons at stores or like me you thought it was a tremendous waste of time. Cutting out coupons does take some time, but the truth is that using coupons can save you hundreds of dollars every year. Coupons can be used at grocery stores, retail chains or any store where the item is sold.
Some stores offer double coupon days, which is an extra bonus. On average, you could easily save from 5% to 15% on a bill for $100 simply by presenting a coupon. Coupons are not just for food items. By scouring your local newspaper you can find coupons for all sorts of merchandise. There are many online sites that will let you print out coupons for all sorts of items. Two of the biggest sites are http://www.coupons.com and http://www.couponsurfer.com .
Buy in Bulk
It is true that shopping at warehouse clubs can save a lot of money. Even a small family can benefit by splitting large quantities. The price of items in bulk is generally a great bargain although not always. Use a calculator to make sure the price per quantity is actually lower. Singles can go in with friends or family on bulk items to grab their savings.
BJ’s Wholesale Club, Sam’s Club and Costco Wholesale are the big 3 in my area. You can check online or in the yellow pages for other warehouse clubs in your area. All three of the clubs with physical locations in my area also allow shopping online with delivery of most items. Some items are not available online due to shipping issues.
Budget
Everyone should create a budget. If you are not sure how or just not good with money, I have listed some helpful links below to help you put a budget together. Knowing where you are spending your money is by far the best way to save. In most cases, people have no idea where their money is really going and once they see it on paper, not only are they surprised but eager to change their spending habits. Here are a couple of websites that can help you with setting up a budget
http://www.daveramsey.com/the_truth_about/budgeting_3457.html.cfm
http://financialplan.about.com/cs/budgeting/a/Budgeting.htm
There is no charge for this information although they may offer paid services as well.
Dollar Stores
Many years ago, dollar stores offered only off brand products or poorly made merchandise. However, that has completely changed. There is still some “junk” available, but now you can walk into a dollar store and find the same name brand laundry soap, cleaning supplies, clothing, and school supplies as other stores - everything for a fraction of the cost. My wife and I have found many useful bargains at our local dollar stores. Check out your local dollar store and enjoy the mountains of savings.
Uncategorized | Russell@reahma.com, February 9, 2009 6:00 am | 
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