Re Use It Store Finds To Build a Screened in Porch

Were were quite happy to find these Re Use It store finds to build ourselves a new screened in porch on the back deck. We paid only $12 for all of these! The screened porch door was only $2 and is brand new. Home Depot is selling it for $230! 

Unfortunately... we are on hold on what we will be doing or when.
Gerry priced out the rest of the lumber that is needed for it and shingles, and it will cost us $1,0000 for the rest of what we need. We'd like to still get that cost down. Lumber is so expensive right now.

He also is looking at building an enclosure for his riding lawn mower, but same issues with lumber costs. May end up doing a partial on it. Will see.

Painless Ways to Save Money

Adjusting your budget does not have to be painful. The first step you should make when you are ready to take a hard look at your budget is to decide what you will do with the found money. If you rework your budget but don’t have a plan for that money, you will not truly see the results of your efforts. There are a variety of reasons why someone may want to spend less. Saving for a new vehicle, home repairs, or another concrete choice is easy, as is saving for something fun like a vacation. However, maybe you want to pay down debt. While not as exciting, it is also important.

By paying off debt early, you pay less in interest. Also, a low debt to income ratio will boost your credit score. A solid credit score will provide the best interest rates for things such as mortgages, auto loans, and private student loans. Private student loans differ from federal loans in that they do take your credit score in to account when lending. Excellent credit may allow you to borrow at a lower rate than even federal loans offer. Also, there is no borrowing cap on private student loans.

Track Spending

You may think that you know where your money goes, but once you track every cent, you may be surprised. This can be tedious, but keep in mind that it isn’t something you need to do forever. A month or two should be enough to give you a fairly accurate picture of how you spend your money. There are many apps available that can do this job for you. Some will even connect automatically to your accounts so you don’t have to make the entries yourself. While these can be handy as a routine way to manage your finances, when you are just starting to track expenses, consider doing it the old-fashion way, with pen and paper. Something about having to pull out a notebook and record every expense will make it real in a way that automatic syncing on your phone will not.

Set Aside Money Meant as Gifts

If you receive money as a gift, resist the urge to treat yourself. Read the card, accept the money in the spirit it was intended, and deposit it into a high-yield savings account. As an adult, the best gift you can give yourself is financial security. Setting that money aside helps boost your savings while also creating a good spending habit.

Create No-Spend Periods

Take one day each week where you decide you will not spend any money. This should be relatively painless. Don’t plan it for a day you need to grocery shop, pack your meals for work, and resist the urge to buy a morning coffee. Stay out of the promotions tab of your email, because online shopping counts too. Once you are comfortable with one day a week, expand it. Maybe you can regularly plan for four no-spend days, or maybe you will dedicate yourself to one no-spend week each month. Regardless of how you arrange your no-spend days, you will be pleased with how quickly this money adds up.

Used Tires- Big Savings!

Tires were starting to get worn on my car.
Gerry said we'd need at least 2 new ones.
Heard that the used parts auto dealer had 4 used, but in great condition -for sale.
Was suppose to cost us $240 for 2 used, but since they were busy yesterday and had my car ALL day, they gave us 4 tires for $120- installed and balanced! 
How is that for a great deal??

Today's Quick Tip

Save money by shopping your local Give and Take or Free-cycle pages on Facebook.

If your handy, get free or cheap furniture, and other items that need some TLC, to fix up to resell. 

Win Your Choice of $50 Gift Card (Canada only)

Teaming up with my daughter for another Instagram giveaway!! 🙂

Enter here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CDry9S8BZTz/?igshid=qtc00qsph89k

Canada only.

A Second Chance on Life!

Traveling home to Alberta today on a Saskatchewan highway, our daughter and her fiance found a couple of kittens on the middle of the road. Unfortunately, when they stopped they soon found that one had not made it! They had to stop some traffic just to pick it up, and figured they had been thrown from a vehicle or just dumped on the highway. 

The kitten seems in good health and was happy to see them, so for now they are taking her back home, having her checked with a vet and seeing about getting her a new home.

How Money Works- Author Says Stop Using Stimulus Money on Credit Card Debt

Americans are paying down credit card debt with their stimulus money, but one financial author says stop worrying about your credit cards and start hoarding the cash!

Steve Siebold is author of the book ‘How Money Works’ and a self-made millionaire who has interviewed more than 1,300 of the world’s wealthiest people over the last 36 years.

An article in the Wall Street Journal quoting Equifax says that between February and the end of June, total outstanding credit card debt fell by 11%, or $100 billion. It also says April and May saw the largest drops in revolving credit, and fewer people were late with their payments.

“In the current economy, I recommend stockpiling as much cash as possible,” Siebold said. “Your credit can be turned off in no time, but no one can take your cash away from you. Pay the minimum balance on your credit cards in the meantime, but not a penny more and focus on building a reserve of cash.”

In addition, Siebold recommends:

-        Negotiating with your mortgage lender and creditors and explain your job loss and current financial situation. See if you can defer payments or at least reduce them. Even if you have the money you should focus on preserving the cash, so it’s still to your advantage to try and work out a better payment arrangement. Same goes for your car payment, credit cards or any other loan.

-        Inventory your assets and sell for cash, even small items like kid’s toys, garden tools or anything you don’t use or really need. Sell on eBay or other outlets and hide the cash in a safe place in case you need it. The longer the economy suffers, the more everyday items will go on sale. Three months from now, $1,000 in cash may feed your family for a year. 

-        Learn how money works and prepare yourself. The next wave of the Coronavirus may very well hit us in the fall. Get prepared now! Re-evaluate your financial situation and study the basics of personal finance. If you’re lucky enough to have one, contact your financial professional for assistance.

-        Don’t rely on the government or anyone else. Don’t be suckered into bleeding yourself dry of cash and counting on the government for help. No one is coming to the rescue. This pandemic has exposed the incompetence and unpreparedness of both the federal and state governments, and they have neither the money nor the system to save you.  

-        Get ready and excited for the turnaround: Although times may be tough now and it’s hard to imagine, it’s not going to be like this forever. In fact, when the turnaround hits, hold on tight. It may take some time, but eventually business is going to comeback full swing. The self-made wealthy are getting ready. You should be, too!

How Much Do I Save By Buying Generic Groceries?

Groceries are an essential component of our monthly budget. With the rising inflation and expenses, it only makes sense to find new and innovative ways to cut on our usual grocery budget. One of the ways that many frugal customers are saving on their monthly grocery budget is by choosing generic brand products and groceries rather than its brand-name alternative. Over the years, we have come to trust and rely on popular brands and rightly so.

However, the changing times have compelled the customers to look out for cheaper options. Generic and store brand groceries are relatively cheaper without compromising on the quality in most of the cases. The problem with most of the consumers who turn down generic groceries is because they feel that since it is cheap, it must not be as good as its brand-name alternative. In reality, the truth can’t be further from this popular conception among the majority of the population.

We should not forget that the major difference between the generic groceries and its branded alternatives is marketing expenses and substantial profit margins. Generic brands are there to offer frugal consumers with a cheaper option without compromising on the quality, and it is as simple as that. It is one of the primary reasons why you mostly don’t see its television, media, and print advertisements often as compared to the branded items.

Big companies spend millions of dollars on marketing each year on various mediums. It is this cost that is added to the products they offer, and consumers end up paying for the advertisement they see. Generic brands and groceries do not have any such overhead or marketing expenses it needs to pay for. Moreover, the supply and logistics chain is much simpler, and its target market is relatively smaller, as well. It is this simplicity in operations, starting from production to packaging, which is what helps these generic groceries and related products to be priced lower. The savings they make are passed on to the customers in the form of cheaper products.

On the outset, the savings might not seem like much, but when you compare the difference annually, it makes up for a substantial amount. Add to it the compounded interest on the difference as well as the returns you can make when the difference is invested – and you would have saved a mini fortune. The generic product savings calculator here would help you calculate the amount you would have saved by buying equivalent generic products, including the investment returns and compounded interest of those generic product savings.

A Review: Tree-Free and Thumb Tack Greetings

Review by: Cynthia

Brighten someone's day with a card!
Tree-Free Greeting Cards are a joy to send in the mail. 

When you choose the **Tree-Free cards you're helping us save trees and doing so much more! You're supporting a Canadian-made product and lowering your carbon footprint; you're keeping chlorine out of our rivers, greenhouse gases out of our atmosphere and diverting waste from our landfills.

I have adult grand kids in different cities and countries.  They love to get cards from gramma.  The art is colorful and cute.  Tree -Free Greeting cards also have unique printed envelopes.  

I know my grand daughter in university will love the **Thumb Tack Greetings to pin on her wall. These cards are a 100% cotton canvas wall art greeting card combo. So cool! 

I am constantly sending cards in the mail to brighten someone's day.  I love these cards as much as the people I send them to. 

These cards are a plus!

**  Thumb Tack Greetings are printed in the USA.

** Tree-Free Greetings are printed in Canada

Making Extra Cash- Thrift Store Shopping

One thing I love doing is thrift store shopping.
I particularly like to buy the vintage things and my daughter has been selling on Ebay while she is visiting for the summer. The extra cash will help pay for her plane ticket home when it's time to leave.
If I buy something that needs work, hubby likes doing fix ups on it.
Re-selling is always a great way to make some extra money FAST!