As I mentioned in a previous post, we switched our cell phone service from Verizon to AT&T. In our area AT&T just has better reception and fewer dropped calls. In our last official bill from Verizon something didn’t look right, and once I checked it wasn’t!

Verizon added a $105 early termination fee to our bill. So I called them up to get it removed. We had been with them since 2004, and we had not upgraded phones for 4 years! The customer service rep listened to my defense, put me on hold, then came back with a “it must have been coded wrong” and reversed the charge. Why is it when companies “code things wrong” it is the customer who always pays, never the company? I am not sure I buy the coded wrong excuse but at least they reversed the charge.

Once again it pays to read over your bills, and then make phone calls to push your case. Another penny saved from taking time to pay attention!

 

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So I have had my iphone for less than a month. And you know I had to see if there were any apps that could help me financially! So today I want to talk about two apps that fit the bill of saving money.

The first one is called ShopSavvy. It is a nice little app that comes with a barcode reader. When you are in a store, you scan the item’s barcode that you are interested in, and then it will display where in your local area you can find that item and at what price they are selling it for, and it will also check the web for online retailers and their prices. It will also let you go to reviews of that particular item.

I tried it out in Wal-Mart on an ihome alarm clock (stick your phone in and it charges it, plus lets you play music for an alarm). Found out that Amazon had a cheaper price (no surprise) , but after reading reviews found out that it was not what I wanted—I would have to take my iphone’s cover off every time to use it.

The second app  that I have used is called appsgonefree. Basically every day you check it and it lets you know of apps that are now free—sometimes the price has been lowered, sometimes it is just a promotional. I’ve downloaded multiple apps and have saved myself $1-$3 every time. And the app itself is free!

Nothing like saving money to make me like my phone even more! FYI–I get nothing for recommending these apps. Just two that I have liked using.

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Last Friday Night our family had a nearly “free” fun night. I say nearly because the first activity we went to asked for a canned good donation to enter. So after 5 cans of corn we got in free to see an amazing toy train layout. We spent over an hour looking at the layout that had multiple trains, moving cars and pedestrians, lighted houses, etc. If you are ever in a little town called Strasburg in PA you will have to look it up or you can check it out on the internet – Choo-Choo Barn.

Then we went to a midnight madness sale (it went from 6:00 p.m. until midnight) at a local hardware store. It was great – free food, live music, even Santa Claus was there. Oh, and they had some good deals too! Like 50% off any one item in the store, etc.

Overall it was a wonderful family night that the kids are still talking about and that didn’t break the bank!

Hi there - could you help spread the word about A Penny Saved? We rely on word of mouth to get new readers. If you would send someone a link, email, or even mention it to your friends, I would truly appreciate it. A Nearly Free Family Fun Night is a post from: A Penny Saved, the best darn personal finance blog around.

Our church just finished it’s second Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University class. One more 13 week course in the books. Once again the people who attended really enjoyed it and thought it was very worthwhile. So far over 100 families have attended between the two courses we have offered. Each time we ask the group was it worth it and would they recommend that we offer another class—and each time the answer is a resounding yes. So it looks like we will offer another class once again in the fall. I am hoping to get some volunteers in place so that I don’t have to be there 13 weeks in a row! I enjoyed the course and helping to coordinate it but I cannot commit to 13 weeks right now, with us being understaffed and so much else going on. The staff will decide sometime in the Spring of 2012 the nights and times and hopefully by then we will have some volunteers lined up to help coordinate and lead.

If you have never gone to a Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University, it’s something you may want to check into. Although most of the things he teaches I knew (there were a few new things I learned), he is a great motivator and encourager, and he helped get me back on track in an area where I had gotten a little lazy (emergency fund savings).

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For the longest time we used a local pharmacy for our prescriptions and our over the counter medical needs. Then early this past year we switched to Rite Aid because of better hours and a better selection of OTC items.

Well, after having been with them for awhile, we realize that we are saving some good money. Right now, because our prescriptions are with them and we have met their dollar/point threshold, we are getting 20% off of everything we purchase (including sale items). They also have this “one-up” reward where when you buy certain items you get a dollar off toward your next purchase at Rite Aid (which you can use that same day if you hold other items back and pay separately!).

So we have been pleased with our switch so far. At a penny-saved, we love saving money!

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Another Black Friday has come and gone. And once again I did not participate in the frenzy. I have gone out in some years. But when I do I usually have something very specific I am trying to get. And that’s the key for me.

I believe the whole Black Friday (sometimes cyber Monday) deals are way overhyped. Retail stores are not stupid (as a whole J ). They have a plan, and this whole marketing extravaganza is part of their plan. What a retailers dream – to have people lined up in front of their store at all hours of the night for the privilege of spending their hard earned money in their store! The hardest part of retail is getting you into the store, and here we line up like mindless zombies to buy (hey, I think this is my first Zombie reference in a post!).

Now it’s not that I don’t like a bargain, this is a penny saved right! But like I mentioned I think Black Friday is overhyped. There are better savings at other times of the year, depending on what type of merchandise you are looking for. TV’s for instance often have better sales in January or February (when the new models come out). And there are fewer crowds trying to grab the same item you want – which means you have time to think. There is just too much emotion, too much activity and pressure on Black Friday – and that is not a good combination for getting a really great deal.

Now, I have purchased some things on Black Friday. What I do is make up my list for Christmas (or even things I need personally around the house) before I even look at the flyers and advertisements. Then I see if there is anything on my list. If there is, and it is a good deal, I might venture out to grab that one thing. What I don’t do is look first – it’s amazing how suddenly you need something when you see it is on sale! And that is not how to save a penny!

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I admit it – I bribed one of my children. Our middle child is having some teeth problems. Her baby teeth are not coming out and it is causing some spacing problems and some pain (as the permanent teeth are trying to push out). She has already had two teeth pulled out by the dentist (at $75 a piece).

We took her to the orthodontist last week. They said that she needed two more teeth pulled by the dentist, but also that they felt that one of the teeth was loose and could possibly come out with a little effort.

So we bribed her. Usually the tooth fairy pays a dollar for a tooth (Grandma set the amount!). We told her if she got that tooth out before she got to the dentist we would give her five dollars since it would take some work.

She got it out with some hard work. She got five dollars, I saved $70. A win for the whole family!

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After our little Thanksgiving trip, I needed to stop and fill up our tank with gas. Since we were near Costco I stopped there to get gas. The price was only $3.159. Most gas stations in our area are charging $3.359. So Costco was 20 cents a gallon cheaper! I don’t know if it was a special promo for the holiday or what, but that’s a huge savings.

I only wish our Costco was closer so I could fill up there all the time!

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If you want to save money, it will probably be a little inconvenient and require a little more work. For instance, when I went to an amusement park this year, I could have parked right next to the entrance – for an extra $10 fee. We chose instead to walk farther and save the money. Or when I purchase antifreeze for my vehicle I could spend $9.99 on “premixed” antifreeze which is ready to use right from the container, but I choose to buy the concentrate at $7.99 and mix it myself (and get twice as much!). Our family cooks from scratch (tastes better and is healthier!) instead of using “prepared” food which is quicker but more expensive.

Saving money usually requires time and work – but it is worth it! What “conveniences” do you give up to save money?

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Our Ford Explorer needed four new tires desperately. We would not be able to pass our annual inspection with the ones we had on (I know – I pushed it a little too far in my frugality).  I have heard good things about Costco and there tire service from others, so we decided to try them out. The prices were good, and as “luck” would have it, the kind of tires I needed for our 4 wheel drive vehicle were on sale! Sweet.  We saved over $100.

Now I am not going to say that I couldn’t possibly get tires at a cheaper price if I looked everywhere (including online which I have done before). But their prices were competitive, we shop their anyway, it’s on the way to places we go so we can take advantage of their free air pressure service and fill (they use nitrogen which is great – lasts longer, more constant pressure,   etc.) plus they give free tire rotation – no appointments needed. Another nice thing was we could do our grocery shopping while they were doing the car. When we finished, they were finished, and off we went! Much better than waiting around reading old magazines like at other shops.

So overall our experience is positive, there was no hassle, loved the sale, and I could “multi-task”, doing auto and groceries at the same time. What’s not to like?

Hi there - could you help spread the word about A Penny Saved? We rely on word of mouth to get new readers. If you would send someone a link, email, or even mention it to your friends, I would truly appreciate it. Costco Tire Center is a post from: A Penny Saved, the best darn personal finance blog around.