It never hurts to ask...

The first week of December I was cooking a turkey. I put my meat thermometer in to see if it was done and while it was in the oven, the glass on the thermometer exploded. My normal course of action would be to throw it away and add it to my grocery list of things to buy. Before doing that, I decided to contact the manufacturer and see if they would replace it. My thermometer was made by OXO. So, I contacted the customer service by email. I soon received an email from them stating that "OXO has a satisfaction guarantee policy" on all their products. They then directed me to their website to find the item that best resembled the one I had break. The FedEx man just arrived with my new meat thermometer today. I appreciate that they stand behind their products and will definitely buy their stuff in the future. The effort of contacting the manufacturer also saved me the $12 of buying a new thermometer. So,when you have something break, check to see if there is a warranty on it or check with the manufacturer to see if they will replace it....it just might save you some money!

Save on Medical Costs

My son broke three bones in his foot when he jumped down some stairs. When we began this medical journey, we knew we needed to do all we could to cut costs while getting him the help he needed.

We were told he needed a CT scan because one of the bones had been broken right by the growth plate and near the joint in his toe. We were told it was going to cost $1200-$1500 to have the scan done in the city where our doctor's office was. My husband called a couple of the hospitals in nearby towns. One hospital quoted us $980 and the other hospital quoted us $750. We had the CT scan done for $750 at a hospital that was newly remodelled and had state of the art equipment. The CT scan was top quality. The doctor said it even had additional views that the $1200-$1500 scan typically doesn't have.

The next area we were able to save was in buying our own walking boot. After being in a normal cast for a month, we were told my son needed to wear a walking boot for a month. We talked with the doctor and asked about bringing our own boot. That was fine with her. So I called the gal who was in charge of all the medical equipment at the doctor's office to find out what to look for. She was very kind and gave me pointers on what to look for and also a quote on what a boot would cost if we got it from them. She said it was $160, but if we paid directly instead of running it through our insurance, we could get a 35% discount. As you can see from the picture, the boots isn't that special, so it seemed quite expensive to me. So, I looked online. I found I could buy a new one for $80-$100. Then, I posted a wanted ad on www.craigslist.org hoping to buy a used one. A gal contacted me and she had one but it was a larger size than my son needed. However, we still got that boot from her and he wore it over his normal cast when he was out in the snow. She told me she had gotten it second hand from a thrift store. That was not a place I had thought to look. That evening I sent a message to a friend who works at a local thrift store. I asked her if they got medical equipment in and explained what I was looking for. She said they got medical equipment in all the time because people often use it for a very short time and then have no need for it. I went to the thrift store she works at and they had a boot that fit my son perfectly. It didn't even look like it had been used. It had the instruction manual inside and an extra cushion with it. It cost $1! I was amazed and incredibly blessed!

When it comes to medical issues, the costs can be outrageous. You can take the easy road and just do whatever the doctor or the office suggests or you can be pro-active and see if you can't reduce those costs a bit. I would never want to cut costs if it meant inferior care. In our case, we were able to save a significant amount of money on the CT scan and they did a great job. And as for the boot, every time I see it, it makes me smile...because I love a bargain!

And, if anyone needs a short walking boot(size medium), I have one to give away. And in another two weeks, I'll have a tall walking boot (size small)...that is now in used shape.

What can you do today to save money later?

Today I took my daughter to the dentist. She had a tooth that was bothering her. It turned out it was badly decayed. I guess failing to make getting to the dentist a priority is going to cost us because she is going to have a large filling in one tooth and the the other tooth they are going to have the take out all the pulp and fill it with a calcium substance before putting a large filling on that tooth too (it's a baby tooth). Then this afternoon I was working on a project I need to have done before Christmas. When I ordered some prints online, I ended up paying extra to have them done in one hour rather than waiting a week to ten days to have them sent to me.

In both of these circumstances, I realized that if I had been proactive, I could have saved. If I had gotten my daughter in for a regular check-up or at the least, when I first noticed the decay on her tooth, chances are it would have been a small filling. If I had gone online and ordered the prints I needed two weeks ago, I could have taken the cheaper option and had them shipped to me without fear that I wouldn't be able to complete my project on time.

What do you have in your life that if you accomplished it today, it will save you money in the long run? Post your suggestions for the rest of us to learn from!

I Wanted a Good Deal on a Stapler

This last week I did some shopping at Staples. I was struck with this thought: You have to study the way a store markets things to know how to get the best deals there. I was shopping for general office supplies. When I went to look for staplers, I went to a section where they had about 25 different ones to choose from. The cheapest one was $7.99. Since I wanted three, that seemed quite expensive to me. However, when pushing my cart through the aisles, I found a "dump bin" of staplers that included a normal size stapler, staple remover and box of staples for $3 by the packing materials. I don't know if it was a special purchase or what, but I liked the price! If I never had ventured away from the stapler section, I wouldn't have found the deal. Staples also has "dump bins" near the front with special purchase office supplies that they are selling at a good deal. I got many of the things I was looking for in that section for a dollar or two. My theory is that if you want a stapler, they want to sell you one at full price. However, they place the "dump bins" in places that you will impulse buy since it is such a good deal. So, I have come to the conclusion that if I am going to shop at Staples, I should plan time to quickly walk through the aisles before making my purchase. You will have to study each store to find where the deals are to be found. Each store is run differently. If you make friends with the clerks at the stores, you may be able to find out when things are typically marked down or put on clearance. So, take a few minutes next time you are out shopping to consider how the store you are shopping at markets it's goods to you.

Go scouting!

This past Saturday my children had a party to attend, so my husband and I took the opportunity to scout the area. We have lived in this area for a year and a half and there were many stores we had driven by and never stopped at. We visited pawn shops, second hand stores and normal retail stores By taking the time to visit eight stores we hadn't been in before and three that we hadn't been to for some time, we got a better idea of what is available to purchase here. We didn't spend much...just bought a set of pruning shears on sale at Home Hardware for $7.99 and went out to lunch at the new Mexican restaurant in Ronan. The thing of value that we acquired in that afternoon was the knowledge on where to get things And yes, there's at least one of those second hand stores I won't be going back to because it stunk....literally!

Pay attention when paying for your purchases!

To avoid being overcharged at the checkstand, make sure you watch while your items are being rung up. Last week we were down in Missoula. One of the things on my list of things to get was envelopes for our business. Since we were out north Reserve, we stopped at Staples. I really didn't need a huge box, but hey, I always have to figure out which one is the best deal. The most reasonable ones were the Standard business envelopes with a gummed enclosure that were on sale for $5.99 (reg. $8.29) for 500. Then in small print on the tag it said, "buy one, get one free." Now we are talking $5.99 for 1000 envelopes! Honestly, I really prefer the security envelopes but they run $16.99 for a box of 500. Since the plain ones were 17% of the cost of the security ones, I decided I could wrap a piece of paper around anything I am concerned about showing through the envelope (which very rarely happens). Then I went up to pay for my envelopes and I was charged full price for both boxes. I politely told the cashier that the sign said they were on sale and that they were supposed to be buy one get one free. So, the other cashier who didn't have anyone in her line went back to check on the price. She was gone quite a while, so after waiting for several minutes I headed back to show her the sign. Apparently it was a sale from the previous week and they hadn't taken down the signs, but they gave me the sale price as it was marked. And now that I have a 1000 envelopes, I probably won't have to buy more for at least several years! So pay attention at the check stand. It saved me $10.58 cents on that particular trip to Staples.

Essential websites for the bargain hunter - Craigslist

If you are looking to sell/buy something, you should check out http://www.craigslist.org/ . You select the area you live in (in my case, the state) It is a great website where you can browse items you are looking for. Items are broken down into categories which makes for quicker searching. You can also list items to sell. The beauty of it is, it is free to use. To list an item, you post it (you can include pictures), then you confirm an email that is sent to you, that the ad is the way you want and it is posted.

I have made two purchases off of Craigslist. The first was a worm factory. My children were interested in buying a worm factory which you use to recycle your food scraps (not meat). I posted a wanted ad on http://montana.craigslist.org/ and a gentleman in Missoula contacted me and we were able to buy it for half the price of new. They lived in Huson, but his wife met me in Missoula and we were able to complete the deal. The other thing I bought off of http://montana.craigslist.org/ was a package of carpet pad. When we were having new carpet put in upstairs, I saw that a man in Florence had posted a package of new carpet pad. He had purchased carpet pad for his whole house and had an extra package that hadn't even been opened. I was able to purchase it from him for and save a couple of dollars per yard off the new price.

Of course, it is always good to check if you are getting a good deal. When I bought the carpet pad I had to research how much carpet pad there is in a new package (the seller did not know) and what it goes for other places to determine if I was getting a good deal. Right now I am watching for deer fencing to go around a garden I would like to put in next summer. Someone had listed some deer fencing. The price that they were asking was more than I could purchase it new at Ace...so be savvy!

Essential websites for the bargain hunter - slickdeals.net

As a bargain hunter who loves to find a great deal, I would like to review some of the websites that I have found to be very useful. http://www.slickdeals.net/ is a community of bargain hunters that post their best finds on the Internet. The site is well designed and easy to navigate.

On the http://www.slickdeals.net/ home page they list the price of the item, any applicable coupon codes, and what the shipping charges are. These great deals are in a long list (not put in categories) . When a deal is no longer available, they note that the deal has expired.

There is also a list of coupons codes that you can use when you are making a purchase at stores on the Internet. You can search the coupons alphabetically by the store name, by whether they are new or expiring, or by subject (apparel, technology, or others).

There are also forums to read on a whole host of subjects relating to getting deals (ie. coupons, freebies, rebates), a blog, and a whole list of tools.

The tools they currently have listed are slickdeals mobile, Amazon fillers, credit card deals, price lookup, global search, store ratings, and product reviews. Slickdeals Mobile allows you to get alerts that are formatted for your cell phone. Amazon fillers is great because Amazon often offers free shipping if you spend a certain dollar amount. These fillers help you find something the amount you need to get that free shipping. They also have an extensive list of credit cards with rewards...but I personally don't use or promote credit cards. The price listing allows you to enter the product you are looking for and it will give you the price from various online merchants. The global search...There is also a list of Store ratings. Before buying from a retailer, you can see what others have experienced when they worked with them. There is also a whole section of product reviews, so when you are considering a purchase, you can read reviews from others who have purchased that exact item.

Magazines for 90% off the list price

Today I saved big on two magazines my husband wanted for his business. I had the check written for WIRED and the card filled out for Entrepreneur to send in. Today on http://www.slickdeals.net/ I saw they had some great deals on magazines at http://www.discountmags.com/ for 3.50 a year. I ordered the Weight Watchers magazine. I don't do WW, but am always interested in eating healthy and good recipes. When I put the Weight Watchers magazine into my cart at CheapMagazineSite.com the site offered me the opportunity to get other magazines for $5 a year or $8 a year. WIRED was one of those magazines for $5. I was so glad I hadn't sent in the check yet, so I voided my check and ordered it from discountmags. It lists for $59.40. The lowest I had seen it was $10. So when I got it for $5 it was a great deal! For Entrepreneur I found the best deal using ww.CheapMagazineSite.com (which just searches all the discount magazines sites and shows you which one has the best deal) was http://www.magazines.com/. This list price is $59.88 and the cheapest I had seen it was $11.97. I was able to get it for $6.97. They had the needed discount coupon listed at CheapMagazineSite.com. If you enjoy magazines, you can get them at a great price if you shop around and are patient.

3 keys to getting that rebate check

Rebates are sometimes a necessary evil to get a good deal. But, it won't be a deal if you don't receive your rebate.


Around our house, we use Norton anti-virus on our computers. We can usually find a way to get it for free or close to free. I am aware that there are free anti-virus programs out there, but we prefer Norton. When it gets close to the time our subscription expires instead of lazily renewing online (which takes minimal effort), my husband begins to look online for deals. This year he was able to get it for $15 and there was a $20 rebate on it. So, they are actually paying us $5 to use Norton for a year! This means that he has to reinstall it every year, but that is a savings of $39.99 off the suggested price.

I have to say, my favorite place for rebates is Staples. They have a great website and you are often able to submit your rebate request online.

It's important to read the requirements carefully to get that refund you're expecting.

1. Make sure you have all the required documentation. Typically you are required to submit a rebate form, an UPC symbol from the item and a copy of the receipt. These requirements are usually clearly noted. If in doubt, give them a call and ask. One time I was submitting two rebates on the same item. Both requested the original receipt. With one quick call, I was able to find out who truly needed the original and who would accept a copy of the receipt. If there are more than one UPC symbols on your item, include all of them.

2. It's important to take note of the expiration dates and get them mailed in right away.

3. Make copies of your rebates and keep them until you receive your refund. If you don't receive your refund, you will have the information to contact the company so they can rectify the situation.

Rebates are a great way to get deals...but you have to play their game of filling out paperwork and submitting it right away.

Saving big on a light fixture

We "needed" a chandelier for our dining room. When we bought our house, we knew the existing chandelier would be taken out as it was a family heirloom. We didn't immediately purchase a replacement when we moved in. Finally six weeks later, we went to Missoula to find a light fixture. We had already looked at Home Depot and Lowe's on previous trips and didn't find anything in our budget.

Doing our best to stretch our finances, we stopped by the Home Resource Center in Missoula. They are a business that recycles home building materials. We looked through all the chandeliers that they had and bought a small one for $8. I had my heart set on something big and beautiful as we have lofted ceilings. However, I was determined to be content, and was happy to have something to hang up. As we were leaving town we stopped by Lowe's to cruise through their clearance items. While I was looking through the garden center, my husband called me from the light section. He said there was a light he wanted me to see. When I got back there, there sat a big beautiful chandelier in pieces in a shopping cart. Thankfully, my husband is way more technical than I am and was able to see that there was one small part that was broken. It was marked down from $250 to $85. We looked at it, but because there was a broken part we weren't sold on it. Finally, we decided if they would take $50 for it we would buy it. My husband asked the sales clerk, who simple walked over crossed out the price on the clearance sign and wrote $50 on it and initialed it. When we got home my husband was able to salvage the piece we needed off the $8 chandelier we got at the Home Resource Center and fix the beautiful chandelier and we now have light in our dining room. I am thankful for a fixture I can really enjoy at a price that was a real bargain!