Save by Cutting Out the Middle Man

Sometimes the best way to save is to be able to shop from a source that does it's own manufacturing so that you are not paying for your product, the cost of having it manufactured, and on top of it the costs that the person distributing the product has had to add to the product so that they can make a profit.

We purchased a pair of eyeglasses online from a company that was like that...they weren't a "middle-man" between a wholesaler and us, they were the manufacturer and seller of the eyeglasses. My husband purchased a couple of pairs, and the quality was acceptable. There are many eyeglass designs, and the prices for some are as low as around $9.00.

If you are in the market for glasses, I would give this serious consideration, you'll save a lot of pennies, but I do suggest you read this article, it contains honest information about Zenni Optical, things that you really should know before you consider buying. When we purchased, we did something wrong in the order, and had to return the glasses and have a new pair sent, reading this article would have saved us that extra little bit of aggravation, but in the end, we saved a LOT of money.

Census - Learning from Government What NOT To Do

Our official 2010 Census form came in the mail today, it was in a bigger envelope than the letter telling us that we would be receiving the Census form that came last week.

My grandfather used to teach us what NOT to do by doing silly things, for example, we'd be sitting at the dinner table and when asked to pass some bread, he'd take a slice and toss it across the table at you, and after you'd catch it with amazement in your eyes that he'd do such a thing, he'd say, jokingly, "I did that to teach you what NOT to do".

I'm wondering if the extra money spent to send out a huge mailing letting everyone know that they would soon receive the Census form, which in our case arrived one week later, was the the governments way of teaching us how NOT to waste money...by wasting it themselves. What do you think?

It would be a funny little lesson like my Grandfather's if it weren't our tax dollars that were being wasted....think how many pennies you're losing out on with that deal...not to mention trees for the paper, and energy and ink for the printing....

World Consumer Rights Day - March 15, 2010

Due to cleanup from flooding here in NJ I wasn't able to post yesterday, which is a day set aside to focus on the rights of consumers around the world. While I am more concerned about my rights here in the USA, I'm aware that as a Nation, how we handle our money impacts other nations, and the affect trickles down to all of us in one way or another. It would take an economist to explain all of this, but if you have never heard of World Consumer Rights Day and want to educate yourself, please take a moment to visit this link.

The Scrapbooking Industry

Scrapbooking is a wonderful hobby, a simple way of preserving your memories of your family adventures. Personally, I have quite a box of pictures that have accumulated over the years of raising children as a Baby Boomer mom. I haven't caught the scrapbooking bug like so many of my friends, maybe computer has replaced craft...but I know one day I have to put those pictures in order and want to find ways to do it economically, of course. I know there are starter kits that you can purchase, and there is always eBay, and why, you might ask, am I even talking about scrapbooking? Someone told me that it was International Scrapbooking Industry day today...never heard of it before, don't know why the date originated, but it has me thinking I'd better educate myself a bit and get my boxes of pictures out.

eBay - Saving While Selling and Buying

Starting in March, it will cost zero pennies to list things you want to sell on eBay IF you start your auction style listing at 99 pennies:-) Yes, any auctions you start at .99 cents will not cost you anything unless the items sells. Then you pay eBay a percentage of the sale.

There are some things to consider when you list this way.

• Many who have established a presence on ebay start all of their listings at 99 cents, and have a regular following, so are likely to sell their items at a decent return.
  
• Other sellers know that the item they are selling ALWAYS goes for a high price, and they know the best time to list, so by combining that knowledge, they feel safe starting an item at 99 cents knowing that the auction will end with the item selling at a good price.
• Then there's people like myself who have many items that I'd like to sell, but know they won't make a lot. I don't want to pay a 35 cent listing fee if the item isn't going to sell or is going to sell for very little, as it cuts into my small profit.

Still, I'm looking forward to seeing how this is going to work out. If you like to SHOP on eBay, it may be a great advantage, especially if you shop from an inexperienced seller...I was one of those at one time, and believe me, sell a few things to a happy seller at a price too low, and you learn very quickly.

Ebay is a great way to save money for they buyer, and gain money for the seller. By the way, I buy and sell under the username claudias_corner_auctions.

Haiti, a Time Not to Pinch Pennies

This is a time to let go of some of those pennies you've saved by being frugal and careful with your finances. There is great need in Haiti, and a little bit given by a lot of people can go a great way. It is important to know who you are giving to, whether they are reliable, so that you know that what you give is not being wasted.

I have a site in the works that is a resource for people who want to give, "Natural Disaster Relief, What Can I Do?" which lead to putting together another site for a group called "RocketMoms", "RocketMoms Help for Haiti". Both sites are helpful, please consider doing something, a lot of people doing a little bit, or more than a little bit if you can, goes a long way.