A Dave Ramsey group garage sale is about the only way I am going to get involved in a garage sale. I gave up on the idea as a money making venture years ago. Instead, I donate just about everything (unless it is something expensive and esoteric and more suitable for Craigslist).
I have been very happy using It's Deductible for many years until this past year when it became so tightly integrated with TurboTax that the only way you could print out your IRS Tax Form 8283 was to buy TurboTax (and then also the State version). So, I have been shopping for different donation tracking software and found this article:
http://financialsoft.about.com/od/taxdeductionsforcharity/tp/Tax_Deduction_Tracking.htm
They also recommend DeductionTraQ (looks like it has the most features) and TaxCut DeductionPro (which is an H&R Block product).
I found I had always hugely undervalued my non-cash donations so now I rely on software with an extensive database that they guarantee.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Any Outdoorsy People?
Okay, I know we live in Georgia...but there have to be a few of you who like to have fun outside! There is a great website that sells outdoor gear and clothing at excellent discounted prices. It is www.steepandcheap.com. They put up one item at a time and sell it until it's gone. Then they put up the next one. For example, right now there is a Marmot down coat that is originally $155 and they're selling it at 53% off for $72. There are 421 left.
So it's fun (and/or addicting) to check back throughout the day and see if there's something you may want. I've seen all kinds of fun things like sunglasses, sleeping bags, swiss army knives, hiking boots, running shirts, etc. If you're planning a ski trip or have relatives that could use some quality items like these, this is really a great deal.
Remember: ONLY do this once you have a fully funded emergency fund and are totally debt free! Then again, think about if you were to put that $72 in a mutual fund and let it grow for 85 years....Just a thought. But it never hurts to look!
http://www.steepandcheap.com/
PS (now there are 410 jackets left)
So it's fun (and/or addicting) to check back throughout the day and see if there's something you may want. I've seen all kinds of fun things like sunglasses, sleeping bags, swiss army knives, hiking boots, running shirts, etc. If you're planning a ski trip or have relatives that could use some quality items like these, this is really a great deal.
Remember: ONLY do this once you have a fully funded emergency fund and are totally debt free! Then again, think about if you were to put that $72 in a mutual fund and let it grow for 85 years....Just a thought. But it never hurts to look!
http://www.steepandcheap.com/
PS (now there are 410 jackets left)
Insurance Calculator Online
I checked out some resources at the FPU site and here is an online insurance calculator from the provider that Dave endorses, Zander
http://www.ipipeline.com/iquote/e-needs.htm
It asks some good questions, some he did not touch on last night. You can also get a quote from a TON of providers there also:
https://www.zanderins.com/term/instantquote.aspx
It asks for a phone and email, but there is nothing that says they will contact you, if you like the plan they show, you can get an applicaton right away. Just to get an idea of what might be out there. If you know of an agent that could help out, please let me know.
http://www.ipipeline.com/iquote/e-needs.htm
It asks some good questions, some he did not touch on last night. You can also get a quote from a TON of providers there also:
https://www.zanderins.com/term/instantquote.aspx
It asks for a phone and email, but there is nothing that says they will contact you, if you like the plan they show, you can get an applicaton right away. Just to get an idea of what might be out there. If you know of an agent that could help out, please let me know.
JCPenney Friends & Family Event Today (Oct. 26/27)
Get the same discount (an extra 20% off) as employees today only. I have a printable coupon I can forward or use 'FAMEM' as the promo code if you shop at jcp.com.
way to get and give stuff!
Hey all, I just got permission to post, so hopefully this works.
Anyway, I have been using freecycle.org for over a year to get and give stuff for my family.
www.freecycle.org is the website to get to the main info about the way it works, but basically you join a yahoo group and get emails from group members (they post to the group not directly to you so your email is fairly safe) and they let you know what stuff they have and if they need anything. If you see something you want or can give to someone, you will reply to that email and it will go directly to that person only, not the group, so that saves a ton of email replies. I have gotten tons of clothes, toys and I have gotten rid of TONS of junk in my house, it is amazing what people will take. I got a whole kitchen playset with tons of stuff with it, clothes/shoes for the kids, and a free playset (metal one that has some rust, but hey it was free!) that the kids in the neighborhood love to play on. It is amazing what people will give away, at one point someone was giving this HUGE plastic playset, over 500 dollars, just because they wanted to build a pool and it would not fit in the backyard anymore!
Anyway, I am also part of 2 other groups that work just like freecycle but are not listed there, if you want that info, just email me!! They are yahoo groups also and you can also have just a daily digest to see what is out there. When I really need stuff, I just post wants to the lists, some groups have different rules on how many wants you can post.
Hopefully this will help out someone! This is also a great way to get rid of stuff after a yard sale, you post a "free sale" note to the group for a time After your sale, say Sunday from 1-4 and let people pick through what is left, most of the stuff will go then. After that, I would donate the rest!!
Go with God!!
Christel
Anyway, I have been using freecycle.org for over a year to get and give stuff for my family.
www.freecycle.org is the website to get to the main info about the way it works, but basically you join a yahoo group and get emails from group members (they post to the group not directly to you so your email is fairly safe) and they let you know what stuff they have and if they need anything. If you see something you want or can give to someone, you will reply to that email and it will go directly to that person only, not the group, so that saves a ton of email replies. I have gotten tons of clothes, toys and I have gotten rid of TONS of junk in my house, it is amazing what people will take. I got a whole kitchen playset with tons of stuff with it, clothes/shoes for the kids, and a free playset (metal one that has some rust, but hey it was free!) that the kids in the neighborhood love to play on. It is amazing what people will give away, at one point someone was giving this HUGE plastic playset, over 500 dollars, just because they wanted to build a pool and it would not fit in the backyard anymore!
Anyway, I am also part of 2 other groups that work just like freecycle but are not listed there, if you want that info, just email me!! They are yahoo groups also and you can also have just a daily digest to see what is out there. When I really need stuff, I just post wants to the lists, some groups have different rules on how many wants you can post.
Hopefully this will help out someone! This is also a great way to get rid of stuff after a yard sale, you post a "free sale" note to the group for a time After your sale, say Sunday from 1-4 and let people pick through what is left, most of the stuff will go then. After that, I would donate the rest!!
Go with God!!
Christel
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Gardeners Discounts and Free Goods
Any gardeners out there feeling the financial pinch, but still wanting to play in the dirt?
Me too! Today I went by Randy's Nursery in Lawrenceville and was thrilled to find everything they have is 25% off --- and this is a perfect time to plant trees, shrubs, perennials - all of it!
I need some compost for the bed by our mailbox so I thought I'd see if Gwinnett County had any locations where I could pick some up for free. No luck nearby, although both Dekalb and Cobb have sites if you have time to drive there.
I did find a list of 6 different places in Gwinnett to get free mulch if anyone is interested. You can see the list at the Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful Web site :
http://www.gwinnettcb.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=80
Me too! Today I went by Randy's Nursery in Lawrenceville and was thrilled to find everything they have is 25% off --- and this is a perfect time to plant trees, shrubs, perennials - all of it!
I need some compost for the bed by our mailbox so I thought I'd see if Gwinnett County had any locations where I could pick some up for free. No luck nearby, although both Dekalb and Cobb have sites if you have time to drive there.
I did find a list of 6 different places in Gwinnett to get free mulch if anyone is interested. You can see the list at the Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful Web site :
http://www.gwinnettcb.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=80
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Half-Price Event Tickets
Have you ever heard about AtlanTIX? They are the discount ticket arm of the Atlanta Coalition of the Performing Arts offering half-price theater, dance and cultural event tickets.
If you register online they'll send you daily e-mail notifications listing discount tickets for events the next day. Or, they have 2 same-day ticket booths - one at Lenox, the other at Underground Atlanta. The list changes daily, but they offer a wide range of choices based on what's going on around town: local childrens shows/plays , the Aurora Theater here in L'ville, the Shakespeare Theater, Alliance Theater etc.
Hey, when you're on an entertainment budget, half-price sure sounds good!
Check them out at :
http://www.atlantaperforms.com/Discount-Tickets/AtlanTIX-Half-Price.html
If you register online they'll send you daily e-mail notifications listing discount tickets for events the next day. Or, they have 2 same-day ticket booths - one at Lenox, the other at Underground Atlanta. The list changes daily, but they offer a wide range of choices based on what's going on around town: local childrens shows/plays , the Aurora Theater here in L'ville, the Shakespeare Theater, Alliance Theater etc.
Hey, when you're on an entertainment budget, half-price sure sounds good!
Check them out at :
http://www.atlantaperforms.com/Discount-Tickets/AtlanTIX-Half-Price.html
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Dining and Drug Store Savings
A few money saving tips for today - I'll let the moms chime in with the places where Kids Eat Free lists.
1. Dining out coupons through restaurant.com:
This site sells discount coupons for various restaurants: www.restaurants.com
The first of the month is the best time to buy as the quantity is greater for the best deals. If you want to better the discounts, sign up at www.couponmom.com to save an additional 40% off what you see on the restaurant site. (So, for example if you consider buying a $25 certificate for $10 , sign up at coupon mom THEN buy at the restaurant site and pay $6 for your $25 coupon.)
2. For 'hidden' Walgreen discounts, go to their Web site and check out their rebate/ easy saver catalog: http://www.walgreens.com/store/rebateclub.jsp
You'll find additional coupons that are valid for an entire month and can be combined with manufactures coupons for the same product (how does FREE sound to you?) There are also products that are Free after Rebate. We think these items will be worth a few moments of our time completing paperwork so we can donate them to shelters / food pantries etc. as the needs come up - pretty cool...these giving back opportunities only cost us a small abount of our time.
3. CVS offers a rebate / discount club as well through their member Extra Care card which requires registration. You will get discount offers via both e-mail and direct mail. In addition, register your Extra Care card online and get involved in their Extra Bucks Reward Account. This program either basically pays you back base don what you spend over the couse of a quarter, or you can receive extra bucks now coupons when you buy specific products each week. Get all the rest of the details at the CVS site: https://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/user/extracare/extracare.jsp
Remember: Hebrews 12:11 - Discipline and the rewards!
1. Dining out coupons through restaurant.com:
This site sells discount coupons for various restaurants: www.restaurants.com
The first of the month is the best time to buy as the quantity is greater for the best deals. If you want to better the discounts, sign up at www.couponmom.com to save an additional 40% off what you see on the restaurant site. (So, for example if you consider buying a $25 certificate for $10 , sign up at coupon mom THEN buy at the restaurant site and pay $6 for your $25 coupon.)
2. For 'hidden' Walgreen discounts, go to their Web site and check out their rebate/ easy saver catalog: http://www.walgreens.com/store/rebateclub.jsp
You'll find additional coupons that are valid for an entire month and can be combined with manufactures coupons for the same product (how does FREE sound to you?) There are also products that are Free after Rebate. We think these items will be worth a few moments of our time completing paperwork so we can donate them to shelters / food pantries etc. as the needs come up - pretty cool...these giving back opportunities only cost us a small abount of our time.
3. CVS offers a rebate / discount club as well through their member Extra Care card which requires registration. You will get discount offers via both e-mail and direct mail. In addition, register your Extra Care card online and get involved in their Extra Bucks Reward Account. This program either basically pays you back base don what you spend over the couse of a quarter, or you can receive extra bucks now coupons when you buy specific products each week. Get all the rest of the details at the CVS site: https://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/user/extracare/extracare.jsp
Remember: Hebrews 12:11 - Discipline and the rewards!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Welcome SUMC FPU Members!
Hello everyone!
During our breakout session last night, we talked about how nice it would be to be able to have an ongoing dialog with our SUMC FPU groups. Last nights conversation was about discounts at restaurants...when are the Kids Eat Free nights? Where? What about Buy one Get one free specials? All of that great stuff.
So, ta-da, we now have our own Blog. Our hope is that this site can be used to share all types of things: money saving tips, coupons, sales and SUCCESSES that we can all use to motivate our progress.
With that introduction, we open this site to all SUMC FPU current and future participants. We hope you find it useful!
Doug and Marty
During our breakout session last night, we talked about how nice it would be to be able to have an ongoing dialog with our SUMC FPU groups. Last nights conversation was about discounts at restaurants...when are the Kids Eat Free nights? Where? What about Buy one Get one free specials? All of that great stuff.
So, ta-da, we now have our own Blog. Our hope is that this site can be used to share all types of things: money saving tips, coupons, sales and SUCCESSES that we can all use to motivate our progress.
With that introduction, we open this site to all SUMC FPU current and future participants. We hope you find it useful!
Doug and Marty
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