Evan Vitale

Evan Vitale – Save Money, Be Creative

by

By Evan Vitale

The holidays will be upon us soon and, for many, the need for extra income becomes an extra financial burden when it comes to purchasing gifts for friends and family members.

Many stay within their means; abide by their budget and buy as their budget allows.

Therefore, our next two blogs offer some suggestions when it comes to gift-giving for the upcoming holidays:

  • Obtaining a part-time job for extra income (next week’s blog).
  • Being more creative with less expensive gifts.

Remember, no matter what you give to someone during the holidays, it’s the thought that counts. If you are going to purchase something, keep the individual in mind and – more importantly – keep your budget in mind!

Inside of buying a gift, here are some great ideas:

  • Consider making him or her a personal photo album. Photos are always appreciated, even more so when you take the time to collect and organize them in a way that will remind the person of a place you visited together or of a family member or event. This is a very inexpensive and impressive gift that anyone would enjoy. It’s always appreciated.
  • Get those creative juices flowing and make a gift basket. Again, include things in the basket that the receiver would enjoy: their favorite candy, snacks, fruit, beverage, etc. Including some baked goods (baked by you) are also appreciated. There’s no limit to what you can create and bundle together to make a personal gift basket. And, yes, men enjoy receiving gift baskets as well!
  • Purchase a small gift and include with it a poem or a story about the person. If the recipient is your romantic better half, you could also buy a series of inexpensive gifts and bundle them together. Think: The 12 Days of Christmas and give the person a “pear” on the first day of Christmas, chocolate turtles (for turtle doves) on the second day of Christmas, etc. Very clever!
  • Make something. If you sew; knit or have good woodworking skills, start now by making someone a personal (and unique) gift. Your costs will be very inexpensive, but the gift would be extremely appreciated!

Get those creative ideas going now and get started working on your gifts!

Evan Vitale – Budget Coupon Power!

by

By Evan Vitale

So, you’ve cut unnecessary expenses; use coupons from time-to-time, but you’re always on the lookout for ways to help stretch your budget from week-to-week and month-to-month.

Face it: the No. 1 item that you can’t go without is food. You need to make healthy (and smart) choices for meals for you and your family. If you haven’t done so already, taking a closer look at coupon usage at the grocery store is definitely a way to stretch your budget.

Here are five easy ways you can save more at the grocery store without having to skimp on food quality:

Look for and use coupons that offer “Buy 1, Get 1 Free” offers. This is the best way to save, but you need to always be on the lookout for these kinds of deals. Check your coupons in the Sunday paper or online. In some cases, these deals might be available in-store only, so keep your eyes opened when you scan the grocery store shelves.

Watch your expiration dates on coupons. If you want to be a true coupon-clipper, coupons only work when you use them before they expire.

Don’t be afraid to purchase off-brand every once in a while. You might find the grocery store brand tastes just as good and might be even cheaper than using a coupon for the national brand item. Canned green beans are canned green beans. Right?

Use store brand coupons and shopping discount cards. Look for those deals that let you know 10 cans of corn for $10 but only when you use your shopping discount card. When it comes to groceries, always become a proud discount card holder. Discounts here and there add up when you hit the cash register and, in some cases, many store chains offer points for more discounts or gasoline discounts when you use your shopper card.

Share or trade your coupons with family and friends, especially coupons you don’t need or use. Some neighborhoods will form a coupon club. Why not trade baby food and formula coupons with someone who needs them in exchange for coupons that you and your family can use?

Once you get started clipping and using coupons, you’ll quickly be surprised on how much money you and your family can save and still enjoy the same times of foods and products that you’ve been purchasing all along.

Evan Vitale – Give Coupons A Chance

by

By Evan Vitale

You’ve probably have seen or heard of the “extreme” couponing reality television shows in which a mother (or family, dad, etc.), buys a ton of groceries and pays next to nothing because they used a million coupons in order to make their purchase.

While you might not be ready to go crazy with coupons, you can definitely learn more on how to effectively use coupons in order to save money.

Just to get started, here’s where you can find manufacturers’ and local coupons and start saving a few dollars on your weekly grocery bill:

  • The Sunday newspaper. Always a good place to start finding coupons as the Sunday paper usually contains many coupons.
  • Magazines, such as Women’s Day and food magazines.
  • Local newspapers, weekly newspapers and grocery store flyers.
  • In-aisle coupons. Sometimes you can find these next to the product.
  • Grocery store bulletin boards sometimes carry coupons or rebate forms.
  • On the Internet. Some grocery stores are doing this now, so see if your favorite grocer is publishing online coupons.

When using coupons, make sure you read the detailed information. Are there any coupon restrictions? Do you have to buy five items in order to use the coupon? Pay attention to the coupon expiration date.

Be aware of the grocery store’s policy when it comes to coupons. Most have changed their guidelines because of extreme coupon users. Check to see if your grocer has a double-coupon day? Do they have a Senior Day that might give you an extra 5-10% off your grocery bill? Does your grocery store match competitors’ coupons?

Please note there may be restrictions on Internet coupons, coupons without a barcode, some coupons may not be automatically doubled (like meat or dairy products).

You don’t need to go crazy and buy a coupon organizer if your main goal is to save a little bit of money on the products you regularly purchase at the grocery store. However, just a little bit of coupon-clipping can go a long way in spending less money and saving more.