I've become an Event Chaser

Today's blog will be short and sweet. What's an Event Chaser you might be wondering. Well, it's yet another reason why blogging can be such fun. EventChaser and Razorgator have joined together to offer bloggers the opportunity to see sporting events, concerts, theater performances and so much more. All us bloggers have to do is write about the venue, event, and things to do around the area. Think of it as your insider's guide to events across the country.

To learn more visit http://www.eventchaser.com or http://www.razorgator.com for more information.

ENTERTAINMENT ON A TIGHT BUDGET

Given the economic downturn, the first way many people look to save money is to cut out entertainment expenses. But having no entertainment options can mean bored kids and adults.

A better way to cut back is to find creative ways to do the things you enjoy for free. For instance, if you are a theater buff, consider becoming an usher. Typically a volunteer position, you lead the audience to their seats and hand out playbills. Once the show begins, you get to watch the performance for free.

Like movies? You can get a part time job as a movie theater usher. Paid to watch movies? Not a bad deal.

Like museums, botanical gardens, or the zoo? All have volunteer positions allowing you to give back to your community and the added freedom to explore your favorite places.

Family activities include volunteering at fun or charity runs to hand out water, park clean-ups, and Habitat for Humanity. Other free activities include farmers markets, free concerts in the park, art fairs, and free outdoor movies.

Make sure to check out local neighborhood newspapers, your local library, and the internet sites for your city hall and visitor bureau for continuous updates of activities in your area.

Saving on Lingerie

As we all know, this isn't an easy area to save in.

First, you need to figure out what brands you like. You need to determine if you can mix and match, or if you are strictly a matching bra and panty kind of girl. Then, check out your favorite stores. Notice the lingerie brands they carry. Did they have a clearance section? If so, stop by every time you shop there - even if you don't think you need any lingerie items at the time.

That’s because the key to scoring good deals is to always be on the lookout. You never know when you will strike gold and hit a big sale.

Case in point - I wear the Victoria Secret and Wonder bra brands primarily. I know Kohl's Department Stores carry the Wonder bra brand. I know they have sales periodically, they have a great clearance rack, and different stores will have different selections. It’s a little more difficult with Victoria's Secret since they have a very small selection available in their daily clearance rack. However, make it to one of their semi-annual sales and you can get some great buys.

In addition, I always check out store clearance racks for reduced prices on underwear. I have been known to score Wonder bra panties for $1.70. The same discounted lingerie hunt can be done at T.J. Maxx, Marshall's and sometimes even Stein Mart and Loehmann's.

Good luck and happy hunting!

BEAUTY BUYS

Often times, we don't consider that savings can be had on beauty and hair care products too. Why spend hundreds of dollars a year when you can pare down this expense considerably. So, maybe you aren't interested in a haircut at Cost Cutters, but you still want an affordable haircut or color. Why not try a beauty school. They are located across the country and offer bargain basement prices for such things as haircuts, colors, manicures, and massages. Look them up in your phone book or try searching for schools near you on the internet. You will have to work within their designated, and sometimes limited, hours; but, the substantial savings to be had makes it worthwhile.

Now let's talk about products. Did you know that L'Oreal and Lancôme are made by the same company? You can spend several dollars more on the high-end Lancôme line, or pay half the price on the same products offered in the L'Oreal line. You might be thinking why on earth would companies do this? Simple, the answer is marketing. This allows the company to market their products to a wider range of consumers. One line is marketed to department store consumers. Typically they won’t step foot in a drugstore to buy makeup. The other, is marketed to drugstore consumers; those who might feel department store prices are too expensive.

Here's another savings trick. You don't have to buy every product a manufacturer offers. Consider spending more on the important stuff like foundation, mascara, lipstick, and hairspray. Then, you can save money by buying cheaper off brand products like lip liner, blush, and eye shadow.

Another great way to save money is by signing up for free samples, or by becoming a product evaluator. Magazines like Allure offer free products in exchange for your opinion. You can snag free samples at department store makeup counters, stores like Ulta and Sephora, and through many online stores. Don’t forget your local drugstores and grocery stores. A local health food grocery store I shop at holds all kinds of seminars every month. One month they had a beauty product demonstration where each participant got a bag full of eco friendly beauty products. It was quite the score!

Don't forget to take advantage of coupons whenever you can. You can find them online, as magazine inserts, and in your local weekly mailer or Sunday newspaper.

Finally, check out various discount stores for your favorite makeup or hair care products. Big Lots, for example, offers Revlon products at half the cost of drugstores. Other stores like T.J. Maxx and Nordstrom Rack offer name brand haircare, body, and facial products at significantly reduced prices.

EAT OUT LESS, SAVE MORE

How often do you eat out? Chances are - too much. In fact, Research and Markets published a study, “Attitude towards Dining Out in the United States”, showing Americans eat out one out of every four meals and snacks. Adding insult to injury, the study respondents indicated this behavior costs nearly half of their food budget; a potentially serious financial drain on anyone’s wallet.

At one point in our marriage, my husband and I were eating out over six times a week. We both worked full time, sometimes eating out with our co-workers at lunch. For dinner we would make a quick stop to a fast food restaurant because we went from work to some after work activity, having no time to prepare dinner. On weekends we allowed ourselves to splurge, sometimes eating out all three meals.

We were young, and lucky to have high metabolisms, and because of this it took our indifference and boredom with the same fast food restaurants to realize we had a problem. Neither Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Burger King, nor Rocky Rococo could entice us. Then, one day, I decided to use an extra calendar, we received free in the mail, to track our eating habits including the cost. What we discovered was eye-opening. We spent way too much on caloric, nutrient deficient food. We decided to take immediate action and tracked our food habit for four months. Many diet gurus recommend tracking your eating habits anyway, so we felt we were killing two birds with one stone.

As soon as we began tracking our last minute fast food purchases, we began to make changes. Instead of hamburgers and fries from Wendy’s, we found ways to make healthy meals quickly. Sometimes, they were ready made meals from Trader Joe’s; other times they were things that could be thrown together in twenty minutes. Obviously, buying food in bulk at the grocery store, and planning ahead for the week, helped both time wise and savings wise. In addition, we didn’t get to that “I’m so hungry I’m going to faint” stage where anything and everything sounded good.

Each day, I marked B, L, and D for our meals along with our initials. If they were blank, it meant we ate at home or brought our lunch in to work. Initially, my costs went down first. This was due to the fact that it was easier for me to bring my lunch to work than it was for my husband. We both worked in an office; however, he saw clients or had work lunches that were sometimes hard to get out of. In addition, there seemed to be a stigma attached to males bringing in their lunch. Soon, though, he seemed to convince even his office mates to do the same.

Not only were we saving money, we were eating better – a double benefit.

To this day, we continually monitor our spending habits when we choose to eat out. We have found that not only do we limit our fast food expenses, but we enjoy eating out at finer restaurants.

There is no better time to begin to track your eat out habits than the start of a new year. Why not do so beginning January 1, 2009. What will you do with your savings?

Budget Fitness

Getting in shape can cost a fortune. You can purchase training sessions, a gym membership, or buy sessions of a specific fitness class. No wonder why there aren't more people willing to get in shape. But, you don't have to spend a penny to get a great workout. How, you ask? By exercising for free.

Do you have cable TV services? If so, you probably have access to what they call "on demand" services. It allows you to access certain shows, movies, etc., when you want. Check it out. You'll find you likely have access to free exercise videos, ranging from yoga to strength training. I've worked out with Tom Morley doing cardio yoga, and Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper doing their famous butt-kicking Biggest Loser workouts. The best part is that you can do these anytime of day.

Cable also offers exercise shows on their regular channels, like Inhale, an hour long yoga show on the Oxygen channel. If you don't have cable, check out your local channels, like PBS, which offers a number of exercise shows daily. You can check the Internet, your local newspaper, or T.V. Guide for shows offered in your area.

Do you have access to a free gym? Your condo, apartment, homeowners community, or even your employer may offer free gym access.

Don't forget to check out bulletin boards, social networking sites, libraries, etc., to find out of there are free exercise class groups in your area. For example, I've joined a yoga, Pilates, and PX90 group within the last year - all are free.

Take it from me, you can have fun exercising without spending a dime. So, why not go for it, and do your body proud!

SAVING ON MEDICAL AND PHARMACY COSTS

It's that time of year again. The time when we find out exactly how much our medical costs will rise for the coming year. It takes increasing diligence to recoup money spent in this area.

An important place to start is with your employer. Do they offer a a flexible spending account (FSA)? If so, you should take advantage of it. An FSA allows you to set aside an amount from your salary pre-tax, to put into an account for use throughout the year. So, say in January you spend $50 in out-of-pocket costs for a prescription and an office copay visit. You compile your receipts and forward them on to the company who manages the FSA account. They review the documentation and then reimburse you for out-of-pocket costs. Remember, it is not taxed, meaning it reduces your taxable income.

Any money left over at the end of the year is lost, so estimate your yearly expenses carefully. Figure out how much you spend each month per year. Adjust it accordingly, when medical or prescription changes occur.

Check out this site for a list of eligible expenses: https://www.fsafeds.com/fsafeds/eligibleexpenses.asp. Stores like Walgreen's and Target make it easy, by noting FSA eligible expenses with an "F". So, keep your receipts.

Don't forget to review the charges on your medical bills and explanation of benefits. Just like on your credit card bill or store receipt, mistakes can happen. Finding one and getting it corrected could make a big impact on your pocketbook.

Lastly, review the coverages offered by your health plan. Sometimes they will reimburse you for a portion of a health club membership, or will pay for you to lose weight or stop smoking. In addition, you don't want to pay for duplicate coverage, like a separate vision plan when your health insurer already covers a yearly eye exam.

This is one of the toughest areas to save in, but by paying close attention you can reduce wasteful spending.