Add a DVD Rental to Your Grocery List

On Valentine’s Day I went to Fry’s twice because I forgot something. Well on my way to the produce section I noticed this huge ATM-like machine near the wall. It was a $1 DVD Rental Machine in cooperation with TheNewRelease.com! “Hurray!”, I screamed inside my head!

Grocery stores so ROCK! Now I can shop for groceries, pickup prescriptions, and rent DVDs in one convenient location.

Here is more information about the how the DVD rentals work.

The selections are limited based on a 1st come 1st serve basis. It costs $1 plus tax to rend and you must return the movie the following day before midnight or you will get charged $1 a day and after 14 days you will be charged $35 plus tax! You can rent up to 3 movies at a time per credit card and the new releases are updated every Tuesday.

50 Ways and Tips to Save You Money on Your Grocery Bill

Earlier I posted 25 Ways I Save Money and that had me thinking about other areas in my life I slash down the ugly expense monster and bring back more money in hopes that other people can benefit from this list as well. This list has helped me save 30% or more on my grocery bill.

1. Whiz in for the loss leaders and leave.
2. Shop during off-peak hours to avoid waiting in long lines
3. When an item in not in stock always ask for a rain check
4. When an item you use often goes on sale or hits a rock-bottom price stock up
5. Thaw your meat ahead of time-this prevents you from rushing out to buy something to eat.
6. Don’t shop on an empty stomach because everything looks good
7. Plan a budget and stick to it. The cash only envelope system is a very effective method.
8. Find a similar recipe for meals you like to cook that require less ingredients
9. Make a list and only buy what is listed
10. Bring a calculator and figure out price per ounce. Ex: If you are trying to decide between a 15 ounce can of beans versus a 32 ounce can of beans, take the total price of the small can then divide that by the number of ounces in the can. Do this with both cans and the smallest per-unit price is the better value.

11. Invest in a freezer to store bulk items like fruits, meats, and prepared meals or leftovers. This is an alternative place to keep items you have stockpiled from rock-bottom prices.
12. Take advantage of online freebies. Many merchants give out free samples of razors , shampoo, contact lens, and swiffer dusters. This is also a great way to try out a new product.
13. Shop around to a few stores. The stores are less than 2 miles a part for me so it isn’t a big deal.
14. Buy cheaper cuts of meat like flank steak and cook them long and slow to make them tender or marinate them overnight in Italian dressing. The vinegar tenderizes the meat.
15. Buy items off-season and post-holiday.
16. Create a price diary. (This takes time and effort). Begin by looking up old grocery receipts, list each item, the best price for that item, and the stores it is located. This way you can decide if an item is at a rock-bottom price and you should stock up or use your coupons. You can even keep track of price trends.
17. Plant an herb or vegetable garden. The first time I picked a tomato from our garden and ate it, I couldn’t believe how delicious it tasted!
18. First shop at the store with the best loss-leaders then shop at the store with the best prices overall.
20. Some stores give you the item for free if it is price-scanned wrong so keep track of the prices on the screen.
21. If you are a great budgeter and have a card rewards program, use your check or credit card to purchase groceries.
22. Double the savings by using the store and the manufacturer’s coupon. It is better to use coupons when you can double or triple the savings.
23. Read your coupons carefully to make sure you understand the terms and limitations
24. Shop alone. Other people will want to add more to the list.
25. Plan your meals around what is on sale on the flyer ads.
26. Invest in a water filter or a 5 gallon to save money on bottled water.
27. Understand the store layout. Stores change their layouts and rearrange to tempt you to buy more. Know where each item is located. When you shop that aisle go down the list and mark them off. This saves time and steers clear from impulse purchases.
28. Swap or trade grocery coupons with a friend
29. Make friends with the butcher and cashiers to find out when the sales for meat and other items are.

I’ve moved my blog to Dizzy Diva Mama where you can view and access the remaining 20 tips and ways to save you money on your bill and more.

What is the best type of disposable AA battery for my digital camera?

I didn’t realize there were types of AA batteries, lithium and alkaline. I just knew that Duracell and Energizer lasted longer than the more generic brands in my Canon A620. Obviously, you save more money if you use rechargables.

Consumer Reports.com says

Buy disposable batteries with specific devices in mind. Lithium is best for a digital camera; the least expensive high-scoring alkalines are fine for everything else. Don’t bother with nickel oxy-hydroxide cells.

Consumer Watch: Window Blinds Can Kill Your Child

When I purchased my home a few years ago, it came with blinds installed. Now that DD is a toddler and constantly plays around the blinds, which have no pull cords, I became extremely mindful of the dangers surrounding our home.

Nearly a decade ago, babies and toddlers were being strangled because they trapped their head in the loop of cord used to raise and lower the blinds. Window-blind designers eliminated the loop on the end of the pull cord and provided a free repair kit that homeowners could use to modify existing blinds.

• Go to the Window Covering Safety Council Web site, www.windowcoverings.org , or call 800-506-4636 and request a free repair kit for each set of blinds you own that were made before 2001. The kit includes small plastic attachments to prevent the inner cords from being pulled loose. The kit also has safety tassels for outer cords on blinds made before 1995.

Read the full article from ConsumerReports.org

Auto Insurance Provider Ratings

In my quest to switch from Farmers Auto Insurance, I found provider ratings from the J.D. Power Consumer Center. The insurance companies are rated from 1-5 based on Overall Experience, Policy Offerings, Pricing, and Contacting Insurer. Based on this data I think we will give Geico a try and bypass seeing an agent for now.

The #1 Award Recipient went to Amica Mutual with a perfect score.

2. AARP with a perfect score
3. Erie 4 out of 5 on all categories
4. State Farm 4 out of 5 on all but 3 out of five for pricing
5. Geico faired very well 4 out of 5 for pricing and policy offerings, but average 3 out of 5 for overall experience and contact insurer

Allstate, American Family, and Hartford all about the average 3 out of 5

Track Your Packages On One Webpage!

Track-trace.com enables you to track your orders with their complete list of shipping companies. They have companies like UPS, DHL, FEDEX, Post, Container, and more. This is one of the most useful websites I’ve come across. Now I don’t have to go into my email or view my account at the originator’s website. I’m just sad they don’t have USPS integrated onto their page.

How To Find The Right Auto Insurance

My first insurance policy was under my parent’s policy with Safeco, so I couldn’t vouch for any experiences with them. My husband had Progressive, but his rates increased upon renewal. We wanted to save money and merged into Farmers, then the problems ensued.

Our rates were never the same when we received the bill and ranged from paying one month to paying for 3 months. Our auto payment plan did not go through and we had to contact our agent numerous times to resolve all these issues.

Now our contract has expired and we are searching for a better auto company. Edmunds.com has an excellent article that elaborates on choosing that right auto insurance.

1) Visit your state’s department of insurance Web site. Although you may not be familiar with it, your state, and every state, has a department of insurance. Most departments have Web sites, and many publish “consumer complaint ratios” for all of the insurance companies that sell policies in their state. This ratio tells you how many complaints a car insurance company received per 1,000 claims filed. The I-CAN Web site provides links and contact information for every state’s department of insurance.

2) Find out which insurers body shops recommend. One of the best ways to identify reliable insurers, according to Howard, is to contact local body shops that you trust and ask for their recommendations. Body shop managers have a unique perspective to offer, since they regularly interact with insurance adjusters. They know which companies have the smoothest claim processes, which affects how quickly the work can be completed on a damaged vehicle. And they know which companies are pushing aftermarket parts, in lieu of genuine original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts, to cut costs.

3) Check the J.D. Power Ratings. J.D. Power and Associates collects data from individual policyholders nationwide and rates them according to coverage options, price, claims handling, satisfaction with company representatives and the overall experience.

4) Consider insurers’ financial strength ratings. As a final check, you can take a look at the A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s ratings. Both companies publish financial strength ratings for all insurance companies — these “measure” an insurance company’s ability to pay out a claim (they have nothing to do with the way a company treats its customers).

5) Still confused? Consider working with an agent. It used to be that everyone purchased auto insurance from an agent, but now, car insurance companies like Amica, Esurance, Geico and others allow you to purchase insurance directly — over the phone from a customer service representative or online. Still, many of the major players have preserved their national networks of local agents — even if you use State Farm’s or Allstate’s Web site, you will still be assigned a local agent.

More tips can be found at Soundmoneytips.com. Which has the goods on how to lower your auto insurance payments. Here is a list of a few that really helped me receive those much needed discounts:

Ask for higher deductibles
Reduce Coverage on Older Cars
Group Insurance
Take Advantage of Low Mileage Discounts