Warranties, Bartering and Holidays

Things are slowly moving but still not as quickly as I would like.

My husband has been glued to his laptop for the past several weeks. He has been selling old records, cds, books, VW auto parts and video games that he does not need or use anymore through http://www.craigslist.com/ and http://www.ebay.com/. The extra money has been really helpful with our bills especially since I haven't been babysitting as much which means I don't have that income coming in, well at least not as much coming in from sitting. I just worry that he is getting a little carried away and is going to give something sentimental up as a way to make a few extra bucks... The good thing though is we have been able to get some Christmas shopping done by bartering items online.


Within the next month we will be able to pay off Mike's car warranty and that will save us another $180 a month. He had bought an extended warranty before his manufacture warranty expired on his car and it was great that he did. A couple of weeks ago his car broke down and we had to have AAA tow him to the dealership. If it wasn't for the warranty we would of had to pay $3,000-$4,000 to fix it, but instead only had to pay the $100 deductible. Warranties are definitely worthwhile investments in my book as long as you done the math and checked the details of what they cover.

We recently had to renew our auto insurance too. We were able to get a lower rate than what we had been paying for being long term customers too. And we dropped a few things, like roadside assistance since we already have AAA which is cheaper, and raised deductibles which helped. We did shop around and got quotes from other companies too. We have found you can make companies compete with one another for your business and the money it can save you is well worth the footwork and phone calls.

We have been really good with our grocery budget lately too, getting at least 60% or more off of our totals. We did go a little over this past weekend though but it was planned for. We had our occasional trip to Costco for a few items that we only pick up every couple of months, soy milk, ravioli, Boco burgers, etc... But it was time to renew our membership which was an extra $50 at the register. We knew we were going to have to renew soon but didn't realize it was that day. Oh well...

As the holidays get closer (they will be here quicker than I would like) I am getting a bit nervous. I am more behind on my shopping than I have been in previous years. The holiday season is a big deal to me and I actually start my shopping as early as February if I find something that would be a great gift for someone and I normally have my shopping done and the gifts stashed away waiting to be wrapped by Thanksgiving. That way, I can actually spend the holiday season enjoying my time with my family and friends and enjoying holiday activities instead of fighting crowds of last minute shoppers. This year though, I am going to have to get creative too in regards to the gifts. With things being tighter money wise than years past I am going to have to control my "holiday-craziness" and not splurge on things. My husband came up with a neat idea though and I think it will make me feel better about my charitable donations this year as I was worried I wouldn't be able to partake in them. I think its a big part of the holiday season to help those who are less fortunate than you and no matter how little you may have, there is always someone who has less. So being able to donate is always a big deal to me and I have made it a point to even get my children involved. We usually do the "Christmas Angels" program or Toys for Tots or something similar but that can get a bit expensive (I usually buy for multiple children but this year I am just going to have to get items for one). And since my couponing has been getting so good and I am able to get many items for free, my husband suggested making goodie baskets for homeless shelters or group homes or for a veterans charity. We can get different things like groceries and toiletries and house hold items and donate them. I am going to be going to the store this weekend and stocking up on any non perishables I can get to get started. If you have anything you would like to donate, items or coupons, please email me because the more the merrier! But I need to get started on it now so I will have everything ready in time.

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