When Stores File Bankruptcy What Happens to Gift Card Values?

Author | March 23rd, 2021 | Shopping
Walmart Gift Card Display In Store.

Have you ever been given a gift card, and held onto it too long? When you went to use it, you found the company had shut down?

What Happens to Gift Cards When a Store Files for Bankruptcy?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 What Happens to Gift Cards When a Store Files for Bankruptcy?2 Be Informed About Companies that Are in Bankruptcy or Closed3 Stores that closed locations or went out of business in 2020 & 20214 Do You Remember These Stores that Closed in 2008?

When a store or restaurant files bankruptcy via a Chapter 11 filing, the business … Read more »

Buy Meat in Bulk Online & Easy Way to Save Money

Author | August 11th, 2020 | Groceries
Buy Meat in Bulk to save money/

We have always thought about buying meat in bulk online, but have never jumped in until now. We were recently introduced to The Savory Butcher and their local fresh meat deliveries.

You know that we are bargain shoppers. However, the quality and the pricing that The Savory Butcher offers really piqued our interest. This is a really great way to lock in a good price on a large quantity of quality meat. If you don’t have time to hunt for meat bargains in the traditional way, this could save you a lot of time and money.

What is Savory Butcher?

TABLE OF … Read more »

Frugal Pro Athletes? Could You Live Below Your Means Like These Athletes

Author | June 16th, 2020 | Budgeting
What does living below your means do for your life?

What does living below your means . . . mean? Does it mean a life of deprivation? Does it mean a life of constant coupon clipping, or a life of regularly saying, “We can’t afford it?”

Living below your means – something different.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Living below your means – something different.2 Frugal Pro Athlete #1 – NFL Player Ryan Broyles3 Frugal Pro Athlete #2 – MLB player Daniel Norris4 What does living below your means . . . mean?5 How to Set up a Budget to Help you Live Frugally6 Living Below Your … Read more »

15 Well-Known Companies with Excellent Customer Service

Author | June 12th, 2020 | Frugal Friends
Top Rated Companies for Best Customer Service.

Getting excellent customer service from a large corporation is one of the seven wonders of the world . . . well, at least it seems that way. We love dealing with companies who have well-trained employees who really seem to care about their customers’ problems.

Companies with Bad Customer Service

We have had a number of frustrating interactions with companies lately – mostly internet/cell phone and utilities. Poor or non-existent customer service has become the norm. Long hold times and getting disconnected on phone calls is so frequent that we’ve come to expect it.

Celebrating Companies who Provide Excellent Customer Service

So when we … Read more »

Bills Keep Piling Up: How Can We Earn More & Cut Expenses?

Author | May 27th, 2020 | Budgeting
Several envelopes piled up with past due stamped on them.

Are you struggling with your bills piling up?

What can a family do if they’re struggling to make ends meet each month? School, tuition, uniforms, back taxes, rent – the bills just keep piling up?

We’ve got 18 things you can do starting today to get caught up with your bills.

Our Bills are Past Due!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Our Bills are Past Due!2 How to Spend Less & Earn More3 Get Help with your Financial Situation4 Conclusion

We received this email from a website visitor.

With grocery, utilities and public transportation prices climbing, our family is struggling to survive. We … Read more »

9 Garage Sale Shopping Tips: Roadmap To Yard Sale Treasure Hunting.

Author | May 26th, 2020 | Shopping
Garage Sale Treasures - 7 Shopping Strategies!

Are you looking for some garage sale shopping tips to help you find killer deals the next time you go out treasure hunting?

If you’re going to spend a day driving around and looking for garage sale treasures, try these 7 tips to make your time Garage Sale treasure hunting more profitable (and less expensive).

Many people shop garage sales to save money on the things they need. Others shop to find items that they can Flip for cash. And then there’s a segment of the population who simply shop garage sales as a recreational activity.

No matter the reason you shop at … Read more »

Teens & Credit: How to Establish A Good Credit Score as a Teenager

Author | May 20th, 2020 | Kids & Money
Girl in a pink sparkly prom dress with a wrist corsage of flowers and credit cards.

Are you wanting to help your teenager establish a good credit score? Teenagers & Credit Scores is a great topic to be concerned about. Raising money-smart teens is more than just teaching our kids to work and earn and save and spend carefully. We need to teach teens the ins and outs of borrowing money and being smart about credit.

Question about Teenagers & Credit Scores

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Question about Teenagers & Credit Scores2 Answer: How to Establish A Credit Score For a Teen3 Helping our own teenagers establish credit scores4 Other Things You Can Do … Read more »

7 Ways to Destroy Debt Even If You’re Living Paycheck to Paycheck

Author | May 14th, 2020 | Budgeting, Debt Reduction
7 Ways to Destroy Debt - Even when Living Paycheck to Paycheck!

Accumulating debt has become a common occurrence in most families – but paying off debts, even on a low income has become an achievable goal for visitors to our website. If you are looking for ways to destroy debt forever, then this article will encourage, equip and empower you!

Debt Free on a Small Income. On an average household income of less than $45,000, we’ve avoided debt and been able to pay off our home mortgages in record time. To do it, we’ve used many of the methods described in this blog. Follow these 7 Steps and you could be debt-free too!

Accumulating Debt is … Read more »

14 Ways to Repair Your Fair Isaac Credit Score in 60 Days or Less

Author | May 5th, 2020 | Debt Reduction
How to repair credit in 60 days or less.

Repairing a credit score in 60 Days or less is possible. Get out top14 tips to help get your credit score in better shape!

Credit scores exist to create a fair, transparent, and non-subjective way to rate a loan applicant’s credit trustworthiness. The credit scoring process is certainly not perfect. It can be confusing and frustrating. Credit scoring helps remove discrimination and bad business practices.

This article was researched and written by Marie Morganelli, Ph.D.

It is possible to raise a low credit score, however. It is even possible to raise a credit score quickly.

If you want to win at raising your credit … Read more »

14 New Grocery Shopping Tips to Help Survive a World-Wide Pandemic

Author | May 4th, 2020 | Groceries
Pandemic - Grocery tips for difficult times.

Have you been affected by grocery panic buying?

The worldwide virus has created upheaval and overload on our medical community and economy. Panic buying has hit the grocery stores and as a result, your grocery strategies will need to change.

We’re sharing multiple grocery strategies to help you survive a Flu Pandemic and Panic Buying. We’ll also help you with Stocking Up and Emergency Preparedness.

During this time of uncertainty, there will be hoarding, supply chain disruptions, fear, and shortages … in the short term. 

But if most of us can stay calm and realize that your local grocer will not run out … Read more »

How to Do a DIY Property Tax Appeal and Lower Your Taxes

Author | April 29th, 2020 | Housing
DIY Property Tax Appeal - how to lower your monthly payment.

Doing a DIY Property Tax Appeal is not something many homeowners think about. But, if you own a home or are getting ready to buy one, you should consider what you will pay in property taxes.

And you should probably look into what similarly sized homes are paying.

When you purchase a house, be aware that many counties base their revised valuations, in large part, on the sale price. The basis for the valuation may be correct, but the details of your property may be misrepresented, which can result in higher taxes.

No matter what the economy is doing, taxes don’t seem to … Read more »

Discover the Easy Way to Inventory the Food in Your Pantry & Freezer

Author | April 28th, 2020 | Groceries
Hand holding a clipboard to inventory the food in a refrigerator

If you inventory your food in your pantry, freezer, and refrigerator, you are sure to reduce what you spend on groceries. Inventorying your food will help you to save money, waste less food, and spend less time shopping. This is something you will definitely want to consider. Just know that inventorying your food will take a little time. But it also will produce huge savings in your grocery budget! Here’s how we do it.

WHY INVENTORY YOUR FOOD?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 WHY INVENTORY YOUR FOOD?2 Evaluating our stockpile3 Taking Stock the Easy Way4 Taking inventory of Produce … Read more »

Save Money! Check your Grocery Store Receipt and Get a Real Deal!

Author | April 23rd, 2020 | Groceries
Check your Receipt at the checkout and get your Money's worth.

Do you check your Grocery Store receipt before you leave the store? Once you read this article, we are convinced that you will never fail to do this again!

Shopping sales, using coupons, and stumbling across super-discounted bargains are all great ways to save loads of cash.  That is unless you don’t really get the savings you anticipated. How is that possible? Simple, at the checkout counter you are charged a retail price, or more, on your discounted items and never even know it.

Is this some sinister ploy? No, but we’ve seen a level of incompetence in many retail establishments despite … Read more »

5 Proven Ways to Store & Freeze Fresh Baked or Store Bought Bread

Author | April 22nd, 2020 | Grocery--Freezer Tips
Want to know the best way to freeze store bought bread without getting freezer burn?

Are you looking for easy ways to freeze bread and other options for storing bread? We’ve got simple solutions here, whether you have store-bought bread or homemade bread.

Bread is a staple of life for most of us.

Bread comes in all shapes and sizes. Things like sliced store-bought bread for sandwiches, Artisan bread with thick for dipping, or homemade sourdough bread. Then you’ve got ciabatta, dinner rolls, baguettes, voleos, focaccia, and quick breads.

The sky’s the limit with how many different kinds of bread we bake or consume.

Bread and Being Frugal

Being frugal means that we don’t like to waste the things … Read more »

Retail Arbitrage: A Side Hustle That Could Earn Full-Time Income

Author | April 16th, 2020 | MoneySmartBiz
Can retail arbitrage support your family?

If you are as frugal as we are, then you probably get a thrill from finding a deal. But did you know that you could turn the thrill of the hunt into a profitable retail arbitrage business?

Sometimes you’ll see a great bargain but have no use for the item. Ugh! That’s frustrating.

But there are some people who have turned their treasure hunting into a full-time income. They have honed their shopping and selling skills by buying low and selling high.

We’ll share four of their stories later in this article (and how much they earn each year).

In this article we’ll walk … Read more »

How to Save Money Raising A Baby | 5 Clever Tips

Author | April 9th, 2020 | Kids & Money
A stack of wooden blocks that spell Baby.

If you’re having a baby and want to save money we’ll show you how to raise a baby on a budget.

To us they’re cuddly, snuggly and sometimes slobbery — and to marketers, they’re a gold mine. We’re talking about babies and what it costs to diaper, feed, clothe and entertain them in their first years.

Some experts predict — and hope — that you’ll spend somewhere between $8,000 and $10,000 before Junior’s first birthday.

Believe it or not, in these situations, when marketers push a multitude of expensive products, you may find the greatest savings.

Yes, you can beautifully outfit your baby … Read more »

Want the Best Free Music Apps? Stream or Download | iPhone & Android

Author | April 8th, 2020 | Recreation/Fun, Free Stuff

Are you looking for the best free music apps or the best music apps with paid subscriptions? We’ve got them all on this page.

We all love listening to music. And with smartphones, it’s become so easy to access the music you love.

There are dozens of music streaming apps on the market. Some are strictly free. Others come with bonus features that can only be accessed with subscriptions.

There are also websites to download music. With so many choices, it’s difficult to decide which app to use. Below, we list 28 free music apps for streaming music.

A. Totally Free Music Apps … Read more »

Foods That Freeze Well – Save $2000 Using a Freezer

Author | April 2nd, 2020 | Grocery--Freezer Tips
You won't believe how much money a freezer save your family on grocery purchases! It's amazing!

Are you looking for a list of foods that freeze well? Do you want to stock up on sale items and turn your freezer into a huge money saver for your family?

Those are great goals. And we’ve got the answers for you.

The $2000 Chest Freezer is the final article of a 5 Kitchen Tools series designed to empower you to save thousands of dollars on your food budget.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve shared how we save with the humble SpoonUla, a set of glass bowls for lunches, a slow cooker, and a Meat Slicer. We’ve calculated the annual savings … Read more »

Which Grocery Store Has The Cheapest Grocery Prices?

Author | March 19th, 2020 | Groceries
Which Grocery Store has the Best Prices?

We are often asked which grocery store has the best prices? Or which grocery store is cheapest. Or which is the best grocery store to shop at?

It seems that many people are looking for a “silver bullet,” or a magic formula to saving money at the grocery store.

In this Q&A we address the issue of where to shop and how to save the most money at the grocery store.

Is there a Best Grocery Store for Prices?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Is there a Best Grocery Store for Prices?2 The Largest Grocery Chains in the United States3 How We … Read more »

Student Loan Debt has me Seeing Black and Red

Author | March 10th, 2020 | College & Education
Female college graduate climbing the stairs with a ball and chain around her ankle.

What is the cause of the student loan debt problem and is there a solution?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 What is the cause of the student loan debt problem and is there a solution?2 Breaking Student Loan Debt down:3 Student Loan Interest4 It’s Time to Stop the Obscene Borrowing Game.5 How to Avoid Student Debt with Scholarships

The total amount of outstanding student loan debt is a number often thrown around—a staggering 1.6 trillion dollars. It’s just 2 digits and a decimal point, but in reality, it’s a much larger number with huge ramifications and it’s … Read more »

7 Black Friday Secrets & Strategies

Author | November 21st, 2019 | Holidays
Black Friday Secrets & Strategies!

Are you looking for Black Friday Secrets and Strategies to jumpstart your Christmas shopping and savings?

Are you looking for the Ultimate Black Friday Cheat Sheet of Sales?

If so, keep reading – we’ve got lots to share with you.

it’s time to put our gift planning into high gear. One great way to do that is to make a list of all of the people you are planning on buying gifts for.

To find the Best Black Friday Secrets you’ll need to start researching early using sites like BlackFriday.info, BFads.net, BradsDeals, Hip2Save and Fabulously Frugal.com. Get the links below.

Then check some of … Read more »

How Can You Afford to Pay Cash for a New Cell Phone?

Author | October 15th, 2019 | Utilities / Phone

These days a cell phone is an absolute necessity. But the price of some phones is enough to make you crazy.

And having monthly lease payments on a cell phone is simply something we’re not willing to consider.

We only pay cash for quality used cell phones. If you want to live debt-free, you might want to consider doing the same thing.

People who know us, know that we simply don’t pay retail for much of anything. So we’re asked regularly, where are the best places to buy used cell phones online or in-person.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Question — How Can … Read more »

Savory Butcher $100 Meat Give-Away

Author | August 4th, 2019 | Groceries
Savory Butcher Meat Give Away August 2019

Our friends Cassie and Erle – founders of Savory Butcher, have asked Annette and Steve to be their celebrity bloggers of the month.

DRAWING: Everyone who opens a Savory Butcher account will be entered in a drawing for a free box of meat. They’re giving away a Fresh Savory Sampler Mixed Box – 26 pounds of fresh meat. Retail Value: $109.00.

We have all the details on how to enter the drawing at the bottom of this page.

BONUS: If you place an order, you’ll receive our 30 Day Meal Plan and a set of our 5 Money-Saving Grocery Forms .pdf.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Read more »

4 Ways to Save Money on Utilities

Author | August 1st, 2019 | Utilities / Phone
Programmable Lux thermostat with a finger pointing to it to adjust it.

SAVING ON UTILITIES

We’re in the dog days of summer (in the U.S.) and depending on where you live, you’re either enjoying the nice weather, sweltering in the humidity or broiling in the dry heat. For many people, summer is a time for relief from the high utility costs of the winter. But for us in Arizona, this is our most expensive season.

1) Planning Ahead for Utility Savings

The time to prepare for your most expensive utility usage season is NOT usually in the middle of that season.

If your winter utility costs eat you alive, prepare in the summer with:

Additional attic insulation … Read more »

How to Get Media Attention: Get on TV & other Media for FREE

Author | February 25th, 2019 | MoneySmartBiz
Steve & Annette Economides Media Coaching Experts

Do you want to learn how to attract media attention for your small business, book or blog?

When we started our business and website we had no advertising budget.

We were writing a frugal lifestyle newsletter and wanted to reach as many people as possible. And we thought that getting free media coverage through newspapers, magazines, and TV was the best way to promote it.

But how could we get free press attention?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 What Didn’t Work2 What Did Work3 Getting Media Attention Happens When You Know How to Pitch4 Getting Good Morning America’s Attention5 The … Read more »