Finance Gets Personal

Even before the Chinese “Women’s” Gymnastic team won the gold medal yesterday, doubts were raised about the team members’ ages. Could these 4′9″, 77 pound, undeveloped girls (one with a missing tooth!) really be 16? Although the New York Times has discovered evidence to the contrary, the IOC does not seem particularly concerned with the potential scandal.

But let’s not pretend that lying about one’s age is unique to the Chinese, the Olympics or Charo.

My introduction to the benefits of lying about one’s age began when I reached the *dreaded* age of 11 and could no longer eat off some restaurants’ children’s menus. My dad, being the “frugal” (ahem, “cheap”) guy he is, would sometimes have me continue to order meals meant for the 10 and under crowd.

But sometimes it was more convenient for me to be older, like at Yellowstone National Park, where I was technically too young for the geyser tour, or at Disney World, where I magically became two years older to attend a taping of the Mickey Mouse Club.

Later, I started lying about my age for my own purposes, like getting into R-rated movies before I was 17, or drinking before I was 21. Although technically no one asked me my age, I was, of course, still lying.

And I have to admit that even after college, sometimes the benefits of student discounts overpowered my ability to not keep using my undated student ID.

I thought I had put all that behind me, when one day my stepson recounted a story of his recent visit to the zoo with his mom and brother. “We had to say that my brother was only two so he could get in for free, because we couldn’t afford it otherwise.” When I asked him if he thought that was OK, he said, “Yes, because my mom is kind of poor, and we really wanted to go to the zoo.”

I understand that age fabrication sometimes leads to a gold medal, more movie roles or a great discount. And I know that I have been unethical in the past when it comes to taking discounts I’m not entitled to. But I have to draw the line when it comes to letting, encouraging or conspiring with your children to lie. I know my parents did it, but I hope I’m strong enough not to.

If honesty should be worth more than a gold medal, shouldn’t it also be worth more than a small discount?

Last year, I went to dinner with a couple friends that I had not seen in a while. “We should do this more often!” we said, and one of the girls suggested we follow through - we’d continue to go out to eat the first Wednesday of every month.

This sounded great, but also expensive given my tiny restaurant budget. So I was relieved when the friend suggested having a rotating dinner party each month instead of going to a restaurant.

Now, I’m not really a cook, so I was a little spooked during the first dinner party at my friend’s house, where everything was homemade and pictures were taken for her food blog. But, I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find myself mostly capable, even if I do try to choose desserts and salads that I can make ahead of time so there are fewer opportunities to screw up!

What I was unpleasantly surprised by was the cost of making a “fancy” dinner.

Here is the menu I put together the first time I hosted:

Cafe Caramel Fondue
Creamy Restaurant-Style Tortellini
Cheesy Garlic Bread
Individual Grand Rasberry Trifles
Francis Coppola Merlot

Notice that there is no meat in any of these dishes, but I still ended up shelling out close to $100, plus the half day I took off work to cook and clean!

Obviously, I needed a lesson in fancy-schmancy dinner party budgeting. So, one year and three hosted dinner parties later, here’s the menu I’ve put together for this month:

Bruschetta and Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Italian Garden Salad
Squash Sautee
Banana Split Pie
Iced Tea (We’ve pretty much stopped serving wine since we live so far apart and can’t drink a whole bottle)

While I’ve done much better this month by purchasing the chicken and cheese on sale a few weeks ago and freezing it, choosing the pie based on a sale on strawberries and omitting the pecans, etc., total cost is still about $35, not counting the things I already had on hand like milk, tea and salad dressing. Sure, it will feed five people, but I usually spend much less than $7 per person.

I guess the good news is that I’ve finally reached the break even point for dinner parties versus restaurant meals. $35 every three months vs. $12 every month…?

Of course, now, we’ve decided to alternate restaurant visits and dinner parties. I wonder why?

(This post was an editor’s pick in the Carnival of Money Stories, hosted by Living Almost Large.)

Photo Credit: Elegant by Pinelife, used under Creative Commons licensing.

Money Saving Mom, one of my favorite bloggers, is offering an amazing deal on ebooks TODAY ONLY. I would normally highly recommend her Supermarket Savings 101 eCourse for $17.97, but today you can get that and her other 14 ebooks and downloadables for a total of $5.97 for everything! Check it out here: Click Here! Update: Although the $5.97 deal is now over, you can still purchase everything for $8.97 on Thursday, or $11.97 on Friday.

I have learned so many things that I never thought were possible from Money Saving Mom, and I’m now getting many household and grocery items for free or next to free (um, in case you haven’t noticed from my blog…). I’m really excited to take advantage of this deal for myself too, since some of the books cover things like growing your own groceries, inexpensive meal ideas and cutting your grocery bill in half.

I realize there’s a stereotype out there about coupon-using bargain-hunters all being stay-at-home moms or little old ladies, but as a 28-year-old who works full-time, I promise you it actually is worth your time!

I have been shopping so much this week, it’s crazy! But I can’t believe all the bargains out there. Here are the places I visited in addition to CVS this week.

WalMart:

4 One-Subject Notebooks - On Sale for $0.05 Each
2 10-Packs of Bic Cristal Pens - On Sale for $0.88 Each, Used $1 Off 2 Coupon = $0.38 Each
Herbal Essences Shampoo and Conditioner - $2.94 Each, Used $3 Off 2 Coupon = $1.44 Each, Plus a Free Pedicure!
Powerade Zero - On Sale for $0.60, Used $1 Coupon = FREE Plus $0.40 Overage
Muir Glen Organic Diced Tomatoes - $1.32, Used $1 Coupon = $0.32
Honey Bunches of Oats Just Bunches Cereal - $2.50, Used $2 Coupon = $0.50
Kashi Vive Cereal - $3.46, Used $2 Coupon = $1.46
Krunchers Potato Chips - $2.75, Used $1 Coupon = $1.75
Other Non-Deal Purchases (For the Sake of Full Disclosure): Roma Tomatoes - $0.50, Lettuce Head - $1.28, Mission Tortillas - $2.18, Great Value Shredded Cheddar Cheese - $2.68, Great Value Sugar Free Syrup - $1.48

Total Before Taxes: $16.59 ($8.47 Excluding Non-Deal Purchases)

Hen House:

2 Pillsbury Toaster Strudels - On Sale for $1.93, Used 2 $1 Off Coupons = $0.93 Each
Blue Bunny Ice Cream Sandwiches - On sale for $2.99, Used $1 Off Coupon = $1.99
2 Keebler Ice Cream Cone Packages and Blue Bunny Ice Cream - Cones On Sale for $1.50 Each, Ice Cream Was $3.55 and I Got a $1.50 Discount for Buying the Cones = $5.05 (This would have been a better deal if I hadn’t accidentally bought Blue Bunny instead of Blue Bell, which I had a $1 coupon for)
Coke Zero - On Sale for $3.34, Used $1 Coupon Redeemed at My Coke Rewards = $2.34

Total Before Taxes: $12.80

Walgreens:

Walgreens has some great deals on school supplies this week, but everything was sold out when I went on Wednesday. I still managed to pick up a couple things:
Reynolds Wrap Foil - On Sale for $0.89 with Walgreens Coupon, Used $0.55 Manufacturer’s Coupon = $0.44
Bic Comfort 3 Razors 4-Pack - On Sale for $2.99, Used $2 Coupon = $0.99 (Look for the Packs with 2 Bonus Razors!)

Total Before Taxes: $1.33

Target:

I heard the toys were on clearance at Target, so I got a few things for birthdays/Christmas.
Hulk Toy - Originally $9.99, On Clearance for $2.48
Star Wars Toy - Originally $9.99, On Clearance for $2.48
MXS Toy - Originally $14.99, On Clearance for $3.68

Total Before Taxes: $8.64

JC Penney: (Two Stores)


JC Penney is having AMAZING clearance sales right now! After this week’s sale shopping, my stepson is fully stocked for next summer.
4 Boys Shirts - Originally $24.99 Each, On Clearance for $2.97 Each
2 Boys Shorts - Originally $29.99 Each, On Clearance for $4.97 Each
Boys Swimsuit - Originally $25, On Clearance for $4.97 (Comes with Free Goggles)
Infant Pajama Set - Originally $22.50, On Clearance for $4.97 (Bought for a Friend’s Baby’s First Birthday Party)
2 Womens Blouses - Originally $30 Each, On Clearance for $2.97 Each
Womens Short-Sleeve Suiting Jacket - Originally $44, On Clearance for $2.97

I used a 15% off coupon on everything.
Total Before Taxes: $33.02 (Saved $279.92!)

Macy’s:

Boys Nike T-Shirt - Originally $16, On Clearance for $2.40
Boys Blue Shirt - Originally $24, On Clearance for $3.60

Total Before Taxes: $6.00

Children’s Place (Online):

5 Boys Shirts - On Clearance for Between $3.39-$4.24 After Additional 15% Off Promo Code
Boys Shorts - On Clearance for $2.54 After Additional 15% Off Promo Code

Shipping was $5.
Total Before Taxes: $27.05

Border’s (Online):

Use promo code BR41925 to get $5 off every book (making books under $5 free!). Read more details about getting this deal to work here.
Board Books for Babies (More First Birthday Presents!): Dr. Seuss’s ABC; Are You My Mother?; Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb; The Nose Book, Go, Dog, Go!; The Tooth Book; The Foot Book; Big Dog…Little Dog; Put Me in the Zoo
Books for My Stepson: The Day My Butt Went Psycho!; Guinness World Records 2008; How to Draw Pokemon; Football Nightmare; What’s Happening to Me: Boy’s Edition; Barfing in the Backseat: How I Survived My Family Road Trip; Who Ordered This Baby? Definitely Not Me!; Report to the Principal’s Office; Tsumanis and Other Natural Disasters
Books for My Niece’s Birthday: Camp Rock: The Junior Novel; Jammin’ with the Jonas Brothers

Free Shipping to the Store.
Total Before Taxes: $5.48

Ann Taylor Loft (Online):


I am not much of a bargain shopper when it comes to my own clothes, but I thought this was a pretty good deal considering the source.
Purse - Originally $49, On Clearance for $19.99, saved Another 25% with TEACHER20 Code = $14.99
Sandals - Originally $34, On Clearance for $16.99, Saved 50% on 2nd Sale Item, Saved Another 25% with TEACHER20 Code = $6.37

Shipping was $5.38.
Total Before Taxes: $26.74

In case you’re wondering…NO, I do not usually shop this much! If I did, I think I’d need a 12-step program! I’m just trying to get ahead of the seasons on gifts and clothes (to reduce spending) and cut my grocery/household item costs. All of the stores I visited are within a mile of my route to and from work. Please let me know if you have any questions about the deals!

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.

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.