IDEAS AND TIPS

Friday, May 05, 2006

SAVE MONEY USING A CREDIT CARD ONLY FOR A MINUTE!

We are primarily an all cash home. I have envelopes for about 15 things which will be another post sometime. But I like to play games with these stores offering deals when they make you put your purchase on their credit card in order to get a percent off. This happened just this morning to me. I went to Kohl's ( I need new clothes now that I lost almost 85 pounds! :) ) and I had a coupon top get an additional 15% off my entire purchase if I put it on my Kohl's charge. So I did...then I walked back to the customer service area and paid it off with my clothes fund immediately! The lady told me that I can pay right at the register too. I told her that I just bought this and she knew that. It only takes one more minute literally to use the credit card to get the disount then turn around and pay it off with cash. Cool huh? Just don't get trapped or sucked into the tempatation of using the credit card and not paying it off immediately otherwise you are playing their game!

I have found that not all stores allow you to do this. My grocery store Meijer does not allow it last I checked for example.

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

A STAY HOME PARENT LOOKING FOR EXTRA INCOME?

This was a new idea I just heard from my friend Kristi today who is doing this herself. She made flyers and handed them out in her neighborhood advertising babysitting services. She sets the time frame (when convinient to her) and sets her fees and has these time slots where neighbors can drop off kids during that time. So if a mom has to run to the Dr. for an hour or get a haircut or even grocery shop alone, she can drop the kids off at her house on the way out of the neighborhood. I thought this was a great idea that anyone could just start today and start earning a little extra cash!

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

REMEMBERING THE CUTE THINGS YOUR KIDS SAY!

We always tell ourselves that when our kids say something so funny or cute that we will never forget that...but often we do. I heard a speaker at MOPS this morning that talked about this and it reminded me of the importance of writing these things down. I am glad I heard this tip when my son was only 1 year old and he only just began speaking. I bought a small spiral index card size notebook. I keep it in my little office where I work daily. In it I write down quick little things they say or funny things they do or a milestone. Some are just a word or two-- like I would write "guk" = milk that reminds me that our son called milk guk. It doesn't even need to be a sentence. If a funny situation happens I may just quick write down the story but no more than a paragraph. I keep one of these for each kid and I keep them all in the same place. A few months ago our son told us that when he grows up he wants to be a pastor and a superhero. That was written down in a hurry. So when he grows up and he becomes a pastor and a superhero remember you heard it here first!