Making Me a Millionaire

My Favorite Places for a Good Deal

I absolutely love getting a good deal.  I sign up for sites that offer deals, I go through them everyday, I use coupons, I’ll go to happy hour, I use frequent flyer miles and I hoard hotel points.

My great accomplishment this week?  Ordering a $100 gift card to the Capital Grille using my Amex points and making the reservations with OpenTable while earning 1,000 OpenTable points (Capital Grille was on their 1,000 point list!).  Since this Sunday is Valentine’s Day (and also my husband’s birthday) it was time for a fine dining experience!  We will use any excuse for an opportunity to eat good food.  It felt so good to know I wasn’t going to spend much (or anything at all) on this eventful dinner and at the same time earn 1,000 points for it (which equals $10)!  So I thought I’d share some of my favorite sites that offer great deals.

1) Slickdeals.net - I check this site everyday.  I have learned of some amazing deals from visiting Slickdeals.  The best deal I ever got was a 3 night stay at the Wynn in Las Vegas for the hubby and I as well as for my parents for FREE!  My parents ended up with a suite too!  We also got $200 in resort credit!  Of course we had to pay for the flight but I’m not complaining!  We’ve also gotten other great discounts but nothing topped the free nights at the Wynn.

2) RueLaLa - What woman doesn’t like to buy designer clothes for 50-70% off?  I don’t usually buy too much designer stuff but if I do, it comes from RueLaLa.  Everyday, there are different boutiques that go on sale for a limited time.  It’s like an online sample sale so you better act fast before items get sold out!  You need to be referred to set up an account so send me a message if you want me to refer you!  Other similar sites include Gilt, HauteLook and OneKingLane (for home goods).

3) ShopItToMe – When you sign up with ShopItToMe, you tell them what brands you’re interested in.  Every week, you’ll get an email with the best deals on those brand items .  I’ve bought several BCBG dresses through this site for less than $100.

4) Groupon – Select your city, and everyday there’s a new sale.  It could be half priced meals at restaurants, discounted spa services, specialty stores, etc.  There needs to be at least a certain number of people who collectively want the deal in order for the deal to be on.  I’ve never actually seen a deal not happen!

5) Restaurant.com – Because my husband and I love to eat, Restaurant.com is a great site for us.  You can browse through all the restaurants in your area and purchase a gift certificate to your eatery of choice.  The standard rate is a $25 gift certificate for $10 which is pretty good…but practically every week they have great sales where you can purchase a $25 gift certificate for just $2!  I’ve used this site many times before and I love that you can print out your gift certificate as soon as you make your purchase.  The only thing to watch out for is to check what kind of restrictions the restaurant has – some will say that the certificates can only be used for dinner or can only be used on certain days.

6) Coupons.com – I love using this site for groceries.  You can browse through a bunch of coupons, select the ones you want, them print them out and use them at the store!

7) OpenTable – OK by now you’ve heard me talk about OpenTable at least a few times. I love having a point system for when I dine and since making reservations is easy through this site (and free) I don’t see why anyone would not do it!  Each city has a list of restaurants that can earn you 1,000 points after dining there.  You can earn a $25 OpenTable dining cheque (to be used at any OpenTable restaurant) with 2,500 points.  This is great because so many good restaurants are on OpenTable and there are some great restaurants on the 1,000 points list too!  I’m currently at 3,000 points so I’m going to save up for a $100 dining cheque and have a nice meal!

So that’s all I’ve got.  Are there any other sites out there with great deals that you’d like to share?

Are Tips Required?

I just read this article about college students who were arrested for not paying a $16.35 tip at a restaurant.  They argued that service was terrible (and if you read the article it was pretty bad) and that the tip was not deserved.   Restaurant management argued that the menu clearly states that 18% gratuity is automatically added to the check for parties of 6 or more.

I was shocked when I read this article.  I truly believe that you tip for service.  And when service is excellent you tip more than the standard amount but it goes both ways.  I don’t believe in tipping people who are rude to me or don’t do their jobs.  If you’re doing a poor job then all you deserve is whatever the restaurant pays you.

I once had to wait over an hour for my food and when I tried to flag down the waitress she just gave us a dirty look.  We were fed up with all the waiting and the rudeness so we gave her a penny in tip.  I’ve also had the experience of receiving excellent customer service once on the day after I got married.  We told the waiter we had just gotten married and he brought complimentary dishes and champagne for us, and was very polite and attentive.  We tipped him $100.

I believe tipping is optional and should be given to those who do their jobs and are respectful of patrons.  What do you think?  Should those students have been arrested?  Should tipping be mandatory regardless of service?

Things I’m Glad I Spend Money On

I try to be frugal as often as possible and for me, being frugal does not mean skimping on quality.  It’s important to me that the products I purchase are good quality and long lasting.  I will gladly put down a large amount of money for something that will offer me much in return.  With that said, here are some of the best big purchases/pricey items I’ve made.

1. My Tempur-Pedic Bed. I used to think it was crazy to spend almost $2000 on a mattress.  Back then, I would never splurge so much on a mattress.  When a friend of ours moved across country, he sold us his Tempur-Pedic mattress for $700 along with a whole bunch of other stuff.  My husband and I had just gotten married and were furnishing our place so we took it all.  The mattress did wonders for our sleep.  I had never slept so well before in my life and when I woke up in the morning, my back never hurt.  We loved our mattress so much we went out and bought 2 Tempur-Pedic pillows to go with it.  We loved those just as much.  Today, we’ve been using the mattress for about 5 years and still love it.  I will never go back to a regular mattress again and we both agree that if the time came to get a new mattress, we will gladly plop down the $2000 for it.  Good sleep and a healthy back are so important to feeling good during the day!
2. Organic, non-processed food. Not all my food is organic, but most of my produce (especially the ones that have the most exposure to pesticides) are.  I’m a firm believer in the importance of living a healthy lifestyle and if there’s anything I can do to improve the quality of my life and avoid major illnesses, I will do it.  If I can prevent cancer in the long run by cutting down on the amount of pesticides, preservatives, nitrites, high fructose corn syrup, and so on, I will do it.  Who knows, maybe I’m not genetically predisposed to cancer anyway and I could have eaten all the chemical compounds I wanted but I’d rather be safe than sorry.
3. My Gym. I used to go to LA Fitness for $30 a month until the place got so crowded that you had to wait in a line to use the treadmills even at 6AM and you had to show up 45 minutes before a class just for a chance to fight for a spot.  I had had enough of showing up at the gym with no machine to use so I decided to quit and join the other local sports club by us.  This was definitely a nicer and more expensive gym and I was hesitant about joining at first but decided I had no other choice because I was NOT going back to LA Fitness.  I always hear people say that you should cut out your gym membership if you’re trying to save money but I will give up many other things before I give up this gym membership.  Why?  Well, first of all, being healthy is important to me.  But second, with the amount we pay for this membership, we get your typical gym equipment, indoor and outdoor tennis, indoor and outdoor swimming, volleyball, a rock climbing wall with instructor, racquetball, squash, basketball, and all sorts of classes (none of them ever full) such as spinning, kickboxing, yoga, pilates, step, belly dancing, water aerobics and so on.  The list is endless.  With access to all these activities, we rarely pay for activities outside of the gym.  If we’re bored on a weekend, instead of heading to the mall, we can go play tennis or go rock climbing.  In the past, we would go watch endless movies on the weekend or go shopping and easily spend $100.  Now, we do one of the many activities offered at our sports club.  So yes, it’s expensive, but it’s worth it!
4. LASIK. The best surgery I’ve ever had.  OK not that I’ve had any other surgery other than getting my wisdom teeth removed, but this is a surgery worth having.  For a little more than a Tempur-Pedic mattress, you can have perfect vision and never have to deal with contacts or glasses again.  You can also pay for LASIK surgery with your FSA account so it is tax deductible!  The procedure is painless and there’s about a 3-4 hour recovery time.  After having this done 4 years ago, I still am amazed at how good perfect my vision is.
5. Travel. My husband and I love to travel.  It’s a great way for us to spend more time together and enjoy our lives.  Sometimes we travel with our college friends and those are always memorable trips.  Yes, travel is expensive, but the experience we’ve gained and the memories we’ve made together are priceless.  There’s no better way to open your mind than traveling.  We do always try to be frugal when we travel though.  We will use points from our credit card for hotel stays and try to research dining options before we go.

In the end, I think having balance is important.  We try to be frugal in many ways in our lives but I do believe there are times when splurging is a good idea or even necessary.  What are some things you spend money on that you will never regret?

Cutting Beauty Costs

It’s a well known fact that it costs a lot more money for women to look good than it does for men.  For men, it’s simply shower, shave, put on deodorant.  Or at least that’s all my husband really does.  For women, it’s a lot more complicated.  Being a woman (or being married to one) can be costly.  Yes, you can tell her to never shave, wax, use makeup, defrizz her hair again but then she’d feel unattractive and if you’re a guy, you’d probably like it a whole lot better if she was well groomed and pretty and feeling confident.  Since we’re watching our spending right now, I’m discovering new ways to cut down on beauty-related costs.

1. Don’t bother with expensive shampoo. I used to use only Aveda shampoo and it would cost me somewhere between $30-$40 a bottle.  I have since switched to Dove shampoo which costs me around $6 a bottle (these are 1.2L bottles) and the results?  My hair looks the same as it did when I was using Aveda.
2. Perfume is pointless. I just don’t understand why people would pay $50 for a bottle of perfume when the smell is just so overwhelming and irritating.  I told myself I would never buy perfume again.  Instead, I get body spray from Bed Bath & Beyond.  You can usually get a large bottle for $10 or so and enjoy the smell of berries or vanilla.
3. Skip Sephora. I admit, I have fun at Sephora too but everything in there is just so expensive!  You can get much cheaper beauty products (and a lot of times just as good quality) at Target.  If you want a step up then try Ulta.
4. Check out the local beauty school. Many will offer you haircuts, manicures/pedicures done by students at a very discounted rate.  If you’re just getting a trim, or you want to try out a facial, it can’t hurt to have the students practice on you.  I found my current stylist when he was still in training and only paid $15 for a wash/cut/blowdry.  Now he is no longer a student and works at one of the top salons in my city and continues to give me the rate I had when I first started going to him because I’ve known him for so long.  He charges other people $60 a cut!
5. Shampoo for shaving? I once heard Natalie Portman say on TV that she used shampoo instead of shaving cream when she shaved her legs.  I tried it that same night and converted.  I was a poor college student back then and every penny saved was important.  There really is no difference between using shampoo and shaving cream.
6. Sometimes less is more. I really believe in natural beauty.  I believe a woman can be a lot more attractive simply by being friendly, confident and having good posture.  I am really turned off by women who are dressed to the nines and covered in layers of make up.  I’ve heard so many men comment on girls when they have less make up saying they look much better without all the gunk on their faces.  In many cases, understated beauty is a lot classier than piling it on.
7. Mani/Pedis. I almost never get manicures.  I love the way they look but the idea of growing long nails and using them as storage for dirt, germs and gunk grosses me out.  Instead, I keep my nails short and neat.  I know this doesn’t work for everyone.  If you’re the kind of person who is appalled by you’re “ugly” nails, save the manicures for special events.  Maybe if you’re going to a reunion or someone’s wedding or on vacation.  And if you absolutely need to have nail polish on, try doing it yourself.  A manicure kit will cost you as little as $10.
8. Hairdryers. I got a T3 hairdryer for Christmas one year which uses special technology to dry your hair faster and make it shinier.  It cost $200.  Guess what hair dryer I prefer now?  Yep, my cheap Conair hairdryer.  My T3 hair dryer did NOT dry my hair faster and did NOT leave my hair shiny.  It was just very well marketed.

I know cutting down on beauty costs is very difficult for some women.  For some, it is just absolutely necessary to look primped all the time.  I’m not saying you can’t be all done up, but there are definitely alternatives to spending a fortune on haircare each year.  If you’re a guy, maybe you can encourage her by telling her she looks better without so much makeup on.  Or maybe you can pick out some body spray for her and tell her you like that scent better than her Burberry perfume.  Looking good does not have to cost an arm and a leg!

Christmas Photo Cards For Cheap

Today I just picked up my photo Christmas cards and paid only $9.99 for a set of 50 with envelopes!

Costco.com allows you to pick a holiday card and insert whichever photo you like.  You get a set of 50 for $14.99.  Great deal considering most photo cards cost more than $1 each.  If you look at the current Costco coupon book, you’ll find a coupon for $5 off the photo cards.  Now this is an excellent deal!

Of course, you can go cheaper and get a pack of cards for less (and even lesser if you shop after Christmas season for them) but I like to send out more personalized cards since the Christmas season is all about family and giving.

Ways to Use Up Your FSA Money

Last year around open enrollment time, my doctor “saw something” in an MRI that I got done.  He told me not to worry but it could be a tumor.  Well of course I worried and since we had til the end of the week to decide how much money we were going to put into the FSA account, we chose to max it out since there was a chance I’d be spending an awful lot of time with medical treatments.

Well luckily that “something” turned out to be nothing and we were left contributing $3,000 to the Flexible Spending Account.  Now that the end of the year is coming, we had to scramble and think of creative ways to spend this money.  Here are some things we did:

• Go to Costco. By doing this, I will reach my goal of spending $2500 to make up the extra cost in membership fees a little faster and I will be using up my FSA money.  Killing 2 birds!  The great thing about the Costco Pharmacy section is the items that are FSA eligible are labeled “FSA eligible” so you don’t need to carry around a list with you or anything.  Just walk down the aisle and go spend happy.  We stocked up on Nyquil, Tylenol, Thermacare, Anti-itch creams, Lubricant Eye Drops, Allergy Meds, Tums.
• Go to a pharmacy. I went to Walgreens.  All FSA reimbursable items are listed on the price labels here.  I went and bought hand sanitizer (yes they are reimbursable!), Vicks eye wipes (it wipes allergens and makeup from your eye), a basal thermometer, fertility tests, and tons of pregnancy tests.  It was a little embarrassing standing at checkout with a cart full of fertility products but I figure they would come in handy one day when we decide to have kids.
• Lasik. My husband and I actually got this done a few years ago and yes, getting Lasik is reimbursable.  This alone will probably use up most of the money in your FSA account.  We paid $2400 per person and honestly, it was the best thing I ever did for my eyes.  Before that I had a real hard time with contacts (they were always irritating my eyes) and glasses were just inconvenient.  I am very grateful for this procedure and what it has done for my life!
• Go see a chiropractor. I started seeing my chiropractor every week just to have him loosen up my muscles, help me with stretching and correct my posture.  It felt great and was a very easy way to use up more money.
• Get a note from your doctor.  I suffer from allergies and asthma.  So when I went to see my doctor for a refill on my inhaler, I asked him if he thought getting a humidifier and an air purifier would help.  Of course he said yes, so I asked him to write me a note so I could buy one and get it reimbursed.  You don’t even need to see your doctor to get the note.  If your doctor knows you have allergies or asthma, you can simply call him and ask him to mail you the note.  After I got the note from him, I went and bought a $200 humidifier, then bought a $560 air purifier from Costco and then spent another $200 on 3 years worth of filters for the air purifier.  All of it was reimbursed.
• Get your teeth cleaned. I get my teeth cleaned every 6 months and am pretty good about keeping them cavity free.  I had a very traumatic experience as a kid with cavity fillings and because of that, I will do whatever I can to avoid cavities.  Taking care of your teeth can save you money and pain in the long run.  I once got a quote for fillings for my cavities (which I did not have but we’ll save that story for another time) that totaled $1100.  That’s how costly it can be!  I’ve never gotten a root canal before but I imagine those are pretty expensive too.

10 Ways To Save Money This Thanksgiving

So with my husband jobless this Thanksgiving, it’s very important to us that we enjoy Thanksgiving (it is after all my favorite holiday of the year) while not spending as much money.  With all that food, Thanksgiving can be pretty pricey and we all know we need to be careful this year as with many other families who are in the same boat.  Despite the circumstances, we still have a lot to be thankful for this year and skimping out on Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be right!  Here are a list of ways to save this year.

1. Have a potluck dinner. We will be doing this this year.  Since my husband and I along with some of our closest friends are all in our 20s and don’t live in the same city as our families, we have decided to come together and do Thanksgiving by the couple.  We’re splitting the costs by making it a potluck dinner and having each couple sign up for different dishes.
2. Plan ahead. Know exactly what you will be making on the day of so you can avoid having to run out last minute for missing ingredients or supplies.
3. Go shopping now. If you know exactly what you’ll need, go to the supermarket as soon as possible and pick the items up.  At this time, they are usually on sale and the closer you get to Thanksgiving day, the higher the prices will be.
4. Make your own pumpkin pie. Buying pre-made pumpkin pie is more expensive.  Make the pie from scratch and you’ll be proud of your baking skills and saving money.
5. Travel on Thanksgiving day. I usually travel to my home state to spend Thanksgiving with my family or the in laws.  The best and cheapest day to travel is Thanksgiving day.  Airfares are lowest on this day for those of you who want to fly.  Traffic is not as bad on the road as they are the day before.
6. Stay put. If you usually travel to family for Thanksgiving, think about staying where you are this year and spending the day with your significant other or friends.  You’ll save on gas or airfare.
7. Get your turkey frozen. It will be much cheaper than a fresh turkey!
8. Get your butter in bulk. We all know butter is big in a Thanksgiving meal.  You’re going to need lots of it.  It’s time to hit up Costco and get that huge block of butter.
9. Skip on decorations. OK so maybe your house won’t look as pretty without all the Thanksgiving decorations.  But remember, we’re all celebrating the day because we are thankful.  No one is going to judge you for not having decorations in place.  They are going to remember the night as a fun one with good food and many memories.
10. Black Friday. Make a list of items you need to buy for Christmas (or any other reason), where you are going to buy them and go to sleep early.  Black Friday has some awesome deals but don’t let yourself get carried away.  Get just what you need and you will be saving money.

Do you have anything to add?

Reusing Bags and Saving Money

One of the many reasons why I love Whole Foods is they issue refunds for every bag you reuse when shopping there.  Over the years, I’ve collected my old Whole Foods paper bags and bring them with me to the store each time.  For every bag that I reuse, they give me 10 cents back! I once had a cashier ring me up and give me a $1 bag refund because he was in a good mood.

So let’s see…I go to WF about twice a week.  Each time I use around 3 bags.  By reusing my bags, in one year I will save….

(.30 x 2) x52 = $31.20

OK so it’s not like I can retire off this amount or anything, BUT it can buy me and the hubby a tasty meal at our favorite hole in the wall!

Here’s a list I put together of some popular grocery stores that are offering bag refunds and the amount per bag they are offering:

• Target – 5 cents
• Whole Foods – 10 cents
• Fred Meyer – 5 cents
• Kroger – 5 cents
• ShopRite – 10 cents
• Stop & Shop – 5 cents
• CVS – cardmembers get a $1 coupon for every 4 times they reuse a bag

If you have any to add to the list or if you have any suggestions, feel free to leave a comment!