Starbucks.. It’s OVER!
Welcome back!
I know I have blogged about Starbucks before and my very expensive latte factor. However, I do occasionally treat my self to a latte every now and then. A few days ago my sister gave me a coupon to get a free pastry with a coffee purchase on July 21st. I thought to myself that this might be an occasion to go to Starbucks. Boy was I wrong!
The First Try
I got up early this morning (july 21st) to go redeem my free pastry from Starbucks. I got into line at the drive through and waited for about twenty minutes when I realized that I forgot my coupon on my desk at work last night. As I pulled up to make my order I mentioned this to the barista. She told me that I would not be eligible for the promotion without the coupon. Upon hearing that, I told her I would not be purchasing anything and I left. After all what was one free pastry to give away?
Let’s Try THis Again
When I got to work, I found the coupon on my desk and I figured that I would give this whole “free pastry” thing another go. Since I was now at work, I offered to redeem the coupons for my co-workers who had placed their orders with me. Each co-woker had handed me cash to pay for their orders separately. I made sure that I had the coupons for the pastries as well. (I was only using 3 coupons) I stopped to examine the coupons before I left, to make sure everything was in order. These coupons did not have bar codes on them or redemption codes or numbers, which I thought was odd.
When I got to Starbucks I went in and proceeded to place the first order and use the coupon. The barista at the cash register stopped me abruptly and said that I could only use one coupon per customer. I explained that my orders were for three separate people, and that I would be paying for them separately. The barista said that did not matter to him. Here is where I lost my cool. I asked the barista if he really thought that three totally different coffee orders were really just for me? Starbucks would not budge, I ended up purchasing the other two pastries that I had told my co-workers I would be bringing back for them, out of obligation to my co-workers.
STarbucks… It Is OVER Between Us!
Upon returning to work, I quickly decided that my disappointment would be shared in my twitter-shpere. As it turns out, I was not the only unsatisfied costumer today. I have been an avid Starbucks drinker for years. I am actually embarrassed to think about how much money I have spent in their stores. Well, folks… I have spent my last dollar at Starbucks! It amazes me to think that they have lost my business over two pastries…. bad call Starbucks!
Brunch on a Budget
When I think of brunch, I think of elegant food and mimosas. I also think about how expensive it can be to host a brunch in your home. I recently had the pleasure of having my mother and her boyfriend to brunch at my house. I love to entertain, but it can be pricey.
I was delighted at the thought of having my mother over for the first time since I had moved into my new home. However, the dread of how much a brunch meal was going to cost set in. Rather than freak out about the situation. I decided that I would spend as little as possible and still have a wonderful brunch. Brunch is supposed to be a mix between lunch and breakfast foods.
I started my planning with by looking online for traditional brunch menus. I searched many websites so I could get a well rounded idea of what to serve. After I had a good idea of what kind of food I wanted to serve, I looked up some brunch recipes. I took stock of what I already had in my pantry and went from there. I found some wonderful recipes on the Food Network website. Not only were some of the recipes inexpensive to make, but they were sophisticated. From these recipes, I made a shopping list.
Once I got to the grocery store, I priced out everything I would need. I chose generic or store brand goods where I could. I spent less than $15 on my whole meal! My brunch, looked beautiful and tasted delicious. It looked as if I had spent a fortune. I simply took everything I had bought and put it in nice serving dishes. My table looked beautiful.
We all had a wonderful time. My guests were very impressed with all of the yummy foods that were available. I will include my menu for those of you who are interested. As always, continue to enjoy entertaining in your home, just remember it does not have to be expensive to do.
Brunch Menu
Fluffy scrambled eggs with a dash of seasoning salt
Cinnabon cinnamon rolls from Pillsbury
A cheese filled coffee cake (store bought)
A container of “mini muffins” which included blueberry, lemon and bananna nut (store bought)
A bag of frozen blueberries, strawberries and raspberries
Fried potatoes with onion
Coffee
Tea
Orange Juice
Milk
A Guide For the Newly Uninsured
As the economy continues to struggle the cost of living is rising for Americans. Many Americans are so strapped for cash that they are having to pick and choose which bills to pay. Lots of Americans do have health insurance through work and some purchase health insurance on their own as well. If you are one of the many Americans who is losing or has lost their health insurance recently, don’t panic. Welcome to the club!
Not having health insurance is not the end of the world if you are healthy. The first thing to do is not to panic. Millions of Americans go without health insurance every year. To survive without it is possible. here are a few tips that I as an uninsured individual live by.
Assess when you really NEED to see a doctor
If you have a cold or the flu there really isn’t a need to see a doctor. A doctor should not prescribe any antibiotics for these issues. Let the body naturally fight it off. Over the counter fever reducer and cold medication should do the trick. To keep from spreading illnesses like these, try to stay contained to one bedroom if possible. Make sure to not let others handle used tissues. Also keep some bleach wipes near the toilet, so that you can wipe the handle when you are done, do the same with door knobs and phones.
The Drug Store and the Pharmacist
For example if you have a stomach ache, try Pepto or Amoduim. These work wonders and cost only a fraction of what the trip to the doctors would. Also if you are going to a store that has a pharmacy, do not be afraid to ask the pharmacist medical questions. They can usually offer sound medical advice. They can usually help you choose the right drug to help you as well. They can also inform you of what illnesses are going around, and tell you the best way to treat it.
When it is Time to See the Doctor
Sometimes, you must go to the doctor. I usually throw in the towel when I have a cold or flu that won’t go away. Another red flag that it’s doctor time, is when someone has a really high fever that will not go away. A high fever is usually a warning sign of infection. Usually when symptoms get worse or do not fade, it is time to see the doctor.
If you do not have a regular doctor, I recommend going to an immediate care center. These facilities have a doctor on staff, and the bill is much more manageable than the emergency room. If you do have a regular doctor, when you are scheduling an appointment let the receptionist know that you do not have insurance. Usually when you let your doctor know ahead of time, they can work out a payment plan. They also can try to keep unnecessary procedures and tests to a minimum.
I am not a medical professional so please use common sense when taking my advice. Please do not sue me if you arm falls off cause you did not go to the doctor. The best thing you can keep yourself healthy. Exercise, eat right and get plenty of sleep. Try to keep unhealthy habits to a minimum. Best of luck to you all!
How to Pawn Items
I live on the fringe of a major city, but I am also far enough that I can pickup a few local television stations. My area so far as been relatively insulated from the current recession. However, just east of me has not been so lucky. They have lost jobs at an alarming rate. Entire towns are closing down.
I sometimes choose to watch the local news from that area, because sometimes they cover the town that I live in. While I was watching the newscast last week, I thought to myself, what a different tone the news had taken in that area, within the past six months. Major stories on the last newscast included, where to get food, how to apply for financial assistance and announcements of more layoffs. It was truly sad to see.
I do not delude myself that people are really struggling right now but the real slap in the face came when the news did a story on how to pawn your valuables in order to keep your utilities on or feed your family. The story covered the basics of how to pawn items, and which items were bringing in the most money.
As I watched, the newscaster sifted through family heirlooms and wedding bands. It was heartbreaking to see people have to sell these things in order to survive. However, if I were faced with that situation, I too would sell my precious items to feed my loved ones.
Pawn shops are doing great right now in this economy. If you do end up in a situation where you must pawn your items, to stay afloat please make sure you understand the process. Pawn shops are not necessarily bad places, they are a business like any other.
How to Pawn
When you take an item to a pawn shop, you are essentially renting it with the option to buy it back from the shop owner. In some shops there is the option to come and buy the item back within a certain amount of time. Please be careful when you decide to do this, because in essence you are selling your valuables to another person. You will most likely never see that item again.
My mother learned this lesson all too well in the mid-1980’s after my youngest sister was born. Times were tight and she went and pawned her wedding band, to feed our growing family. She was left without any other choice. She sold the ring to a pawn shop, and she has looked for the ring ever since. She has never seen the ring again. I once asked her if she wish she would have not done that. She replied that of course she wish she still had the ring, but feeding her family was more important.
So, please keep in mind, that you may never be able to find the item that you pawn agin. Make sure that you can live with loosing it. Also do some homework as to the value of what you are pawning is. The most important thing to remember is that you do not have to sell it to the pawn shop once you are there. If you do not want to, then don’t.
The End of the 24 Hour Society?
As President Obama said, last week in his press conference, Americans are loosing jobs at an alarming rate. Stores are closing like crazy. I am amazed to see even bigger chain stores closing in my area.
We have become an around the clock society. So many stores offer 24 hour services, as opposed to 10 years ago. We have come to expect, that certain mega-retailers and drugstores will be open at all hours of the night, just incase we need something.
However, as the jobless rate goes up. and payroll gets harder to cover for many business’ large and small, will we start to see a decline in the 24 hour store? When I started to thing about this concept in depth, which I had never really done before. I was amazed at how expensive it must be.
A store that is open for 24 hours, 7 days a week must incur some serious costs. Payroll must be outrageous. If you thing about it, the store must be staffed at all times, usually with more than one person. Almost all 24 hour stores have a manager on duty, at all times. Managers are payed more than regular staff and are therefore more expensive.
Then I thought about,how much the energy costs of keeping your doors open at a 24 hour store must be. Heat, or air conditioning, lights, and water? That kind of usage must really add up quickly. Especially for a mega-retailer such as Walmart.
Taking all of these thoughts into account, I wonder, with the downturn in the economy will the 24 hour store survive? As we all know, retail sales are down sharply for the country. People are not out shopping. Which I would think would certainly effect the over night crowd that frequent 24 hour stores.
I am grateful for the store that stays open for 24 hours in times of sickness or emergency. However, I think that with stores being open constantly are slowly changing our society. We are able to do things like shop whenever we’d like that we were not able to do before now.
So, what does this current depression have in store for the 24 hour shopper? I guess only time will tell. Until then, covet your ability to feed your 2 am. fix for that Heath Bar or be thankful that you can buy junior diapers at 4 am.
Why Confessions of a Shopaholic will Bomb
Hollywood has long been out of touch when it comes to the average American. The glitz and glam, are something that is reserved for that kind of life. We don’t see women in big elaborate gowns going to the grocery store everyday, nor do most of us have the dramatic elements in our lives that Hollywood would like to make so common. I like movies as much as the next person. I am not slamming all movies. I am however very critical of the new film Confessions of a Shopaholic.
These are some of the hardest economic times since the Great Depression. 62,000 jobs were cut on Monday. Foreclosures are rampant, and there are those out there who cannot afford to feed their families. Movies have long been a way for audiences to escape the realities of daily life, but this movie goes too far.
What person in their right mind would put out a movie about a woman whose whole live is made up of shopping? The book, which the film is based upon was written in a different time. A time when conspicuous, no questions asked consumption was perfectly acceptable to most people.
In the preview, the character played by Isla Fisher, she actually battles other characters over a sale for boots. I ask the question, how out of touch can Hollywood truly be with their general audience? Don’t get me wrong, I like a chick flick as much as the next girl, but this film makes me want to vomit. I have absolutely no desire to see some spoiled rich girl indulge herself in an unsustainable lifestyle, in front of audiences that cannot even afford to keep their homes!
I personally will be boycotting this film. I do not support a materialistic society at all; which is exactly why the economy is in its current state. The character seems to think that money is not a realistic, tangible object and has absolutely no thought of what she is actually spending it on, nor the damage that it is doing to her future.
The movie may actually be good and it may have a good lesson about honesty and living within your means. But that’s not how the marketing is portraying this movie. All the ads show is a woman (and other women) going crazy over purses and using credit cards.
I have heard from so many people who feel that the timing of this movie release is just in bad taste. I hope that this movie flops and shows Hollywood, that we as the American public do not want to see people have absolutely no regard for money and spending it like it grows on trees. When we are losing our homes and jobs.
We don’t need movies from Hollywood showing us an unattainable lifestyle when our economy is having the troubles that it’s having. Especially when it’s materialistic people like the main character of this movie, that have brought us down.
Trailer of this Travesty:
The Over Materialization of Parenthood
In these difficult economic times, everyone seems to be cutting back in one way or another. We as a society are really being pushed to ask, what do we really need. American society is materialistic to it’s core. For decades, people have been judged by many, by what they have not who they are. As this trend grew, so did the cost of “keeping up with the Jones.’”
I think that this upward trend of materialization is very prevalent in parenting culture here in the United States. Just like in the wedding industry, women and some men, are sold a dream of how things should be, and that dream is really expensive. However, many do not realize how expensive this dream is until reality hits them.
My husband and I have been discussing starting a family. We know that raising a child is not an inexpensive endeavor, but it does not have to be as expensive as society lets on. In realistically looking at what we would actually need to take care of a baby, their needs are relatively simple. I wondered what the basics would run, crib, bottles and other basics. I was shocked how expensive things were. My mom had my youngest sister when I was a teenager, and I did quite a bit of shopping with her. I was amazed at how much more expensive baby things are today.
Many couples are victims of up-selling, this is where the couple chooses an item and are talked into buying a more expensive item instead. Many are guilted into buying what they cannot afford. Every parent wants the very best for their child, but does that mean that one has to spend $2000. on a crib? Since when did the money that parents spent on a child, measure the degree of love that they have for their child? I know that there are certain items that are expensive, and there is no way around it. Some items must be bought new, due to safety regulations and hygiene issues.
I just do not understand why anyone would overpay for basic items, just as a status symbol. Why is the $600 stroller better than the $100. stroller? What does not make sense to me is that new parents are shelling out ridiculous amounts of money on items that could be bought more economically. With the prospect of raising a child for the next 18 years or more, why not try to be frugal from the beginning?
As for my husband and myself, we know that starting a family will be the most expensive thing we probably ever do. But, we will not be bullied by society that we do not care for our child because we do not have the newest designer clothing on them, or the hottest new car seat. I think it is too over complicated, as long as the product does the job that it is meant to do safely, then why over pay? To me it just does not make sense, why not save the money on the designer stroller and start a college fund for that child?
In this tough economy more and more couples are stepping back and really analyzing what they need to raise a baby. I have come across numerous youtube video on how to save money while raising a child. Having a baby does not have to be as expensive as society lets on. As long as a couple realistically look at what they will actually need, buying all of the needs for a baby does not have to bankrupt new parents.
Like all major purchases, do your homework before you go out and start shopping for your new bundle of joy, do your homework. Ask other new parents what they actually used. So many people over-buy stuff that they will newer even use. When you go into a store to make purchases, set a budget and stick to it. Do not let anyone guilt you into buying something more expensive, that you really don’t need. The prospect of raising a child is costly at best, but don’t let that scare you away, just know what you need and stick to it.
Austerity Guide to Menu Planning – Menu Planning 101
I’ve discussed how to save money at the grocery store before. One of my biggest tips is to plan meals BEFORE you go to the store. When you plan your meals, extras will not find their way into the cart as easily. There are some out there who are meal planning pros, and others who are not so hot at it. Menu planning is so essential to saving money, that I chose some of the best menu planning sites that I have come across. The sites range from expert advice, to directions of how to begin making a meal plan.
Learning How to Make a Meal Plan
Ehow has set up a page that gives step by step directions to setting up a menu ahead of time. The page is laid out very simply and the directions are very easy to follow. I think this is a great starter for those of you who are unsure of how to go about planning a menu.
Menu Planning Instructions From Ehow.com
How to Make a Few Items Work Throughout the Week
Mill Musings is a blog written by another budget conscious blogger. I chose this blog because it illustrates how a few items can last through out the week. In the sample menu that is shown, certain ingredients are used many times during the week, but they are done in a unique and tasty looking way. I also liked that this menu incorporated pictures of the made food.
Menu Ideas for Everyone
Budget 101 is a wonderful website for many different types of services for those who want to get a good deal. I chose this website for the more experienced menu planners or those who want to give planning a try. I like this site because it gives many different types of menu options, whether it be vegetarian or simply feeding 2 people. This is a wonderful database for budget meal planning.
A Wonderful example of a Pro menu planner
The hillbillyhousewife is another great sight for planning meals. I was really impressed at how organized her meal plan was. I was also happy to see that her meal plan was extremely healthy and filling. I think that this is a wonderful example of how to plan a menu. I also like her use of a grid at towards the bottom of the page, which clearly lays out all meals and snacks. I use this technique myself.
Menu, tips and full layout of meal planning
Menu Planning Service
Dine without whine is a menu planning service. Some people out there are just not planners. I am not necessarily saying that this is a good option to save money, because this service does cost money. However, it could be a good start for beginners to see how menu planning is done, or for those who simply do not have the time.
Menu plan is essential to saving money in the grocery store. Sit down have yourself a cup of coffee, get yourself a pen and paper and start planning. I always like to include some of my favorite foods for the week. Don’t plan your menu so cheaply that you don’t like what you put on it. Buy food that you and whoever you are feeding likes. Once you know what you want to eat, start you list for the store. It is much harder for unneeded extras to work their way into your grocery cart when you have a list in hand. Happy Planning!
Beware of Liquidation Sales
With the bad economy, major retailers are dropping like flies. Circuit City is the latest company to close it’s doors and liquidation sales are becoming a common sight in many communities. Usually, people think that this means that you can get a great deal.
You usually can’t. Here’s why.
When a store liquidates, it hires an outside company to close the store. The outside company pays the bankrupting company for the right to do this (this money goes to the creditors). In return, they close the store and sell off the remaining stock until it’s all gone. Sound good so far, right?
Well, it’s in the best interest of the liquidator to extract as much value as possible from the remaining stock. So how do they do this?
They raise all prices back up to Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price and THEN starting discounting for the liquidation. This means that some items can cost as much as 50% more than they did before the store was liquidating.
Generally, retail stores always have their goods on sale and occasionally cut prices a bit more to move stock. Also, very few retailers actually charge the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price for anything – the price is always too high.
So, while you may think your getting a deal when you go to a store in liquidation, especially when you see signs that say 20% to 50% off. Prices are actually around where they were initially.
Most people don’t know that they’re not getting a deal and think they are. So, they swamp to liquidation sales to ’save money.’ Well, you’re not saving money. As a result of this kind of consumer thinking, all the good items get picked clean from the store and when the store finally actually lowers prices to ‘deal’ levels, all the good stuff is gone and you’re left with saving 75% on a roll of toilet paper.
An Office Depot opened up in my town about six months ago. Despite the fact that it had not even been open a year, Office Depot decided that they should close it down. So, there’s been a liquidation sale going on for the last month. Have there been any deals?
Not really. I saved a few bucks on some pens and blank DVD’s. I’ve been back several times as they’ve lowered prices. I’ve noticed they haven’t been lowering the prices on expensive things like computer monitors, hard drives and printers. They’ve been lowering the prices of the office supplies but not the stuff with any actual value. Even some office supplies are still overpriced. The goal is to make you THINK you’re getting a deal.
Sorry but $200 for a 19″ monitor I could get for $100 as Wal-Mart is not a deal.
There is one possibility for a good deal during a store liquidation and that’s buying store fixtures. The liquidation company has no need for the store fixtures (shelves, displays, registers etc…) so when the store is in it’s final days, you can usually pick up this stuff as great prices. So, if you’re opening your own retail store, head down to the local store going out of business.
5 Things to Keep in Mind about Store Liquidations:
1. Don’t expect staff to be friendly or helpful – they’re losing their jobs so at least be nice to them.
2. Use your store gift card before the store closes or else it’s worthless.
3. They won’t take checks. Cash or Credit only.
4. They won’t accept returns.
5. All Sales are Final.
6. What you see is what you get – don’t expect there to be items in the storage room.
