financegirl on Jul 11th 2008 Deals, Frugality
If you haven’t heard of Restaurant.com, you should check it out. Today!
Because if you enter the code DELICIOUS, you can get a certificates to your favorite restaurants for half price (expires this Sunday).
Just do a search for restaurants near your ZIP (there were 84 within a 30-mile radius of mine), and select as many as you want. Typically, $25 certificates sell for $10, and $10 certificates sell for $3, so you’ll pay $5 or $1.50. Be sure to check the stipulations of the restaurant - usually for the $25 certificate, you have to spend at least $35 (so, $10 after the certificate), and sometimes it’s only valid for dinner, or on certain nights. The $10 certificate is usually valid for lunch with a minimum purchase of $20.
Enter the code to get them half price, and print from your computer. Voila!
Since our staycation is next week, I bought them for four different restaurants, and also redeemed some Coke Rewards for a $25 certificate.
Thank you, Coupon Mom!
Update: If you shop through the Coupon Mom (here’s the direct link), you can still get your certificates for 40% off.
financegirl on Jul 11th 2008 Uncategorized
From my Panda Express fortune cookie:
“You need to work on your exercise routine”
Hmm…I guess the Panda knows its customers.
financegirl on Jul 10th 2008 DIY, Frugality, Spending
Ah, the great “do-it-yourself or hire someone else to do it?” debate (also known as “time or money?”).
Well, I’m ready to chime in…
I have a notoriously dirty car. Not the kind with all lots of trash in it, just the kind with lots of dog hair, food crumbs and dust. I told a co-worker that I needed to take it to the car wash, vacuum it out and clean the dash/windows, and his response was, “When my car gets that bad, I just take it to the place down the street and have it detailed.”
Me, being a girl who doesn’t even like pumping quarters into the car wash, found this a little ridiculous. Even though car detailing supposedly “only” costs about $20, I can do it myself for $7 or less (I think $7 is expensive for a car wash, but this one has free vacuums and I usually end up paying less than I would if I had to keep pumping quarters in for the wash and vacuum - I’m pretty slow!).
For some reason, I was thinking about this today (maybe it was the sight of all that hair and crumbs around my stick shift?), and something occurred to me. If my co-worker offered me $20 to clean out his car, would I do it? I think I would!
If I would be willing to do the job if someone else paid me to do it, then I shouldn’t hire someone else to do it for me.
Now, onto the question we do not speak of: If someone paid me $2,992 to paint their house, would I do it? If so, should I be hiring someone to paint mine? Of course, another relevant question would be: If someone paid me to paint their house, would I feel qualified to do it?
I’d like to think I’d pass on that “opportunity.”
Photo Credit: Do-It-Yourself by iamPatrick, used under Creative Commons licensing.
financegirl on Jul 9th 2008 Credit Scores, Stupid Tax
Co Signer Needed
Reply to: sale-746982363@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-07-08, 11:50AM CDT
I was going through a young and stupid time- co signed on stuff with my ex- and now I’m paying about $900 a month in debt payments. I can’t get a loan from the bank- to get settlements on my payments due- because of bad credit- from my ex not paying his bills. I just need a small loan to get settlements on all of my payments- or a cosigner on a personal loan. I do have two jobs, and I work very hard- I’m just still short. I’m just trying to get my life back on track and I’ll try anything. I would sign a professional contract with you- so that I would pay you everymonth. I would agree to an interest rate if you were to give me the loan or cosign the loan (so you will be making something on this- and I would add in cleaning every week, or painting your home, or something. Please, I don’t have a family to help me, I just want to get this paid off and put behind me so that I can move on with my life. I know this is a weird request, I just don’t know where else to turn anymore. Just please give me a chance.
Just to be clear, Finance Girl does not think anyone should co-sign this (or any other) loan.
financegirl on Jul 8th 2008 Spending
On Saturday, my husband and I finally bought a new mattress (pictures coming on Thursday!). While this purchase was badly needed and we snowflaked for months to buy it (OK, OK…we borrowed half from our vacation savings and are paying it back out of our next paycheck), I can’t quit obsessing about all the other things I need to buy to go with it.
After all, when you get a new mattress, you also need a new bed frame, a waterproof and allergen-resistant mattress pad, new pillows, pillow protectors, an upholstered headboard and a down comforter…right? So far, all I’ve purchased are the bed frame, mattress pad and pillow protectors, but look how beautiful this headboard is:
Too bad it costs almost as much as the mattress did! Sigh.
This seems to be a theme for me, and maybe it’s universal, but every time I buy something I have a strong urge to buy everything else I want at the same time.
Our home’s exterior is another example: We’re having the it painted in a few weeks, so naturally I want to replace the doors (definitely not happening though), door handles, house numbers and exterior lights.
I guess it makes sense that once you start improving something, you realize how much better it could be if you also did/bought ______. But for now, I’ve got to just cool my heels and be thankful I only have to spend two more nights on an uncomfortable mattress.
This post was included as an Editor’s Pick in the Carnival of Money Stories, hosted by Funny About Money.
financegirl on Jul 7th 2008 Snowflaking
After our garage sale a few weeks ago, I took my expensive J. Crew dress that didn’t sell to Plato’s Closet, a franchise that buys and sells name brand clothing. I realized they mostly stock teen clothes, but J. Crew was on their list of brands they buy, so I figured I’d have no problem selling this dress.
Man, was I wrong! They said they couldn’t buy it because it was too “mature” and “linen isn’t selling very well right now.”
I felt like a 60-year-old lady! But I guess not dressing like a teenager anymore is a good thing, right?
(Just a side note - I think this picture might actually be the back of the dress)
Update: Here is the front of the dress. I think I’m going to list it on eBay.
financegirl on Jul 3rd 2008 Personal Progress
Well, my net worth took a hit this month due to fabulous market performance, but oh well. I did manage to pay off my credit cards and finish saving for our house painting.
Net worth as of June 1: $70,247
Net worth as of July 1: $68,814
Here are this month’s highlights:
- We paid off our last $272 of credit card debt! Hooray!
- We hired someone to paint our house the week of July 21 for a total cost of $2,992 (a little higher than most of the other bids, but the company gets great reviews and I’ve got a good feeling about the guy). We might also hire them to put another coat of stain on our deck for $120.
- We had our first ever garage sale, which was quite a success, and sold a lot of books on Amazon.com. Our new mattress fund is now up to $595, and the mattress we’ve decided on is on sale for $899 until July 5 (originally $1900). We might wait until Labor Day sales, or “borrow” some money from our special 30th birthday vacation fund to go ahead and get it tonight.
- My high school reunion came and went without too much drama. The whole original $50 per person event was canceled due to low response, and a $30 per person event was planned for Saturday night at an Italian buffet restaurant that normally costs $15 per person. I didn’t go to that event due to all the drama surrounding it, but I went to a Friday night event at a bar hosted by a friend that about 50 classmates showed up for, and then went out with some other friends from high school on Saturday. Some of the people who went to the reunion met us up later. Of course, we probably ended up spending more than we would have if we would have RSVP’d for $100 in the first place. Sigh.
- I received an 8% raise despite our “raise freeze” and perhaps due to my “complaining” (see “where’s my money?”) about company spending.
- I didn’t spend too much time or effort on my snowflaking business or weight loss goals, mainly due to the garage sale, Amazon sales and my new CVS addiction, which has now spread to getting the best possible deals at grocery stores.
- Getting to work on time has been easier lately due to the fact that my stepson’s summer school starts 45 minutes earlier than regular school, and being late to work means he is late to school. However, now that summer school is over, I’ve got to put in a renewed effort. I’ve found what helps me the most is setting my bedside lamp on a timer to turn on about an hour before I need to get up.
I’m excited about July because of our staycation and because the house will be painted soon. I’m hoping to make a lot of progress on paying off my husband’s student loan, and also to post here more frequently!
Photo Credit: Smoke on the water by PetroleumJelliffe, used under Creative Commons licensing
financegirl on Jul 1st 2008 Frugality, Spending
I am loving my new blogroll member, Money Saving Mom!
Every week, she shares the best deals from drugstores and grocery stores (even regional ones!) as well as tips and other freebie/deal finds. What I really like about her site is that she tells you exactly where to find the coupons you need, with links to Internet coupons, to shop frugally.
I’m learning so much from her site and the comments/links on her posts. Here are some recent deals I’ve done within the past week or so:
Total Cost: Under $15; Stores: CVS, Wal-Mart, Hy-Vee
Total Cost: Under $1; Store: CVS
You should definitely check it out!
