Free Money Finance

Yet Another Example of Why It Pays to Shop Around for Car Insurance

Add this post from Clever Dude as another example of why it pays to shop around for car insurance. He saved $1,400 by calling a couple different insurance companies, asking for quotes, and comparing them apples to apples. Not a bad result for a couple hours' work, huh? The post details how he did it and is worth the read for those of you who think it might not be worth your time to quote out your insurance to a few different companies.

In case you missed them, here are a few of my pieces on the same subject:

• Why Shopping Around for Car Insurance is a Good Idea (It Can Save You a Ton of Money)

• Best Way to Save on Car Insurance

• Six Ways to Save on Car Insurance

Ok, I'll get off the "shop out your car insurance" horse for awhile (after one more post -- coming up in a few days) -- I know you have the point. Now use it! ;-)

When is It Time to Get a New Car?

Here's an interesting discussion of when it's time to get a new car. In this particular case, the "new" car is used, but the idea applies to truly new cars as well -- when is the time to buy a new car.

Many of you will likely disagree with my car-buying philosophy as I veer from the "buy slightly used" standard, but here goes:

1. We start saving for a new car the second we buy the current one. As such, when we buy new, we pay in cash.

2. We prefer to buy new and not inherit someone's potential problems. Yes, I'm aware that cars are made to last longer than ever, there are re-serviced/checked cars for sale, that you can have a mechanic look over a potential used car purchase, etc. But I don't have the time, expertise, or desire to mess with the various factors involved in making this happen. Hence, we buy new.

3. We research Consumer Reports, decide on a couple models we're interested in, then go look at the options. Once we decide on one, we start the negotiation process (a very successful process to date.) Ultimately, we make a purchase.

4. We then drive the car for about 100,000 miles. I know many of you will say that this is way too early to turn in a car, but based on my experience, it's roughly the time that you have to start shelling out $1,000 here, $2,000 there, and so on to keep the car running. I'd rather put this money in a new car. In addition, no amount is worth the risk of my wife and kids being stranded somewhere -- hence we put a premium on a reliable car that won't brake down.

5. When we reach the 100k mark, we start the process over again at step #3 and the cycle repeats itself.

Given the 100k rule above, this means my car gets replaced every six to seven years. My wife's car gets traded in every ten to 15 years (her last car was 10 years, but her current car has had only 20k miles put on it in 3 1/2 years.) Needless to say, we take my car on long trips because it has more room.

So, what's your take on the issue? When do you replace your car for a new(er) one?

Keep Asking for Those Discounts!!!!

Here's a comment a reader left on a post of mine about asking for a discount to get a better price:

Sometimes with bigger work, you can get a significant discount if you pay with cash. For example, I had some major work done in the backyard last year. The original quote was $3,000 but when I asked if I could get a cash discount, he dropped the price to $2,100, almost a thousand dollar savings to me. Now, I'm guessing that with cash, the government doesn't get tax income. If you have misgivings or worries, this might not be for you. I also wouldn't do this with someone you've not worked with or been referred to, because I'm guessing the lack of paper trail would make it harder to get repairs or the like taken care of. However, this was someone that had been doing work for my parents for years, so I was comfortable making the offer. Just something else to consider.

For more examples of how people have saved by simply asking for a discount, see these links:

• More on Asking for a Discount

• Another Example of Saving by Asking for a Discount

• Reader Success Story: Asking for a Discount

• Another Example of Asking for a Discount Saving Money

• Two Examples of Saving Money by Asking for a Discount

• Save Money by Asking for a Discount and Paying in Cash

• Yes, You Can Save Money by Asking a Hotel for a Discount

10 Ways to Save on Prescription Drugs

MSNBC lists ten ways to save on prescription drugs as follows:

1. Ask your doctor for help. Pharmaceutical companies provide prescription medicines free of charge to physicians whose patients could not afford them otherwise.

2. Ask your pharmacist for help. Pharmacists are happy to suggest alternative, less costly drugs.

3. Investigate helpful programs.

4. Optimize your doses. Fewer pills can mean lower bills, so ask your doctor or pharmacist whether you can take a higher dose of your medication once a day rather than a lower dose more than once daily.

5. Consider generics.

6. Learn about your options. Identify the least expensive medicines that are effective for certain conditions.

7. Retirees, choose your Medicare Part D plan with care.

8. Opt for the online or mail-order route. Some health plans will let you order a three-month supply at one time for nearly 30 percent less than it costs to buy three one-month supplies at a retail pharmacy.

9. Shop around online.

10. Tell all your doctors about all your medications.

MSNBC talks about these tips being good for retirees, but most of them will work for the rest of us as well. And as we all get towards retirement, I predict we'll be doing more and more of this sort of thing -- looking for ways to lower healthcare costs. Why? Because healthcare is becoming "the" issue that will direct and define retorement more than any other.

Five Foods It's Cheaper to Grow and Five that Aren't

I've been thinking of starting a vegetable garden for a few years now. I enjoy the process of making things grow (I currently grow ten rose bushes in a small rose garden), and I'd like to have a garden simply for the enjoyment of it. But one thing I've always wondered about -- do people actually save money growing a garden versus buying their food at a store? Well, MSN Money recently listed five foods it's cheaper to grow than buy and included the following:

• Fruit trees
• Lettuce
• Herbs
• Vine vegetables
• Bell peppers

The piece also lists five foods that are cheaper to buy at the store including:

• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Celery
• Asparagus
• Wheat

One note: they consider your time as "free." Throw that into the mix and it's probably cheaper to buy almost everything at the store. Then again, gardening can be a good workout, so you get some health benefits from it. Plus, it's enjoyable, so maybe cost isn't the only issue to consider.

Any gardeners out there? What are your tips/thoughts on this issue?

Eight Ways to Save Money When Going to an Amusement Park

Smart Money lists eights ways to hit an amusement park on the cheap including the following:

• Visit on weekdays.
• Buy online.
• Scale back.
• Pay with plastic.
• Go late.
• Watch what you eat.
• Consider a season pass.
• Check your wallet.

We used a lot of these tips to save a bundle on our trip to Disney last year. Here's my take on each of them:

1. GREAT tip! It's similar to my "go in the off-season" tip. In other words, go when most other people don't want to go.

2. We almost did this for Disney, and it's usually a great tip. Then Disney raised its prices and all the online places went up overnight. We went to a Disney store in town that still had the old prices for a week or so.

3. Really, really, really think about what you can do. We bought about one day's worth more than what we could reasonably do at Disney. Cost us a bit.

4. I charged almost 100% of our Disney expenses using my Blue Cash from American Express card and earned over $50 doing so. Not bad at all! ;-)

5. A bit of a twist on #1.

6. Yes! Food at amusement parks can cost a fortune. We ate a big breakfast, carried snacks and water (in refillable containers), and ate a huge dinner when we got home. Probably saved us a couple hundred dollars at least.

7. Good tip if you plan on visiting frequently.

8. We checked AAA but didn't get any better savings from them than what we could find elsewhere.

I'll be taking these tips to heart this year as we're thinking about going to Cedar Point sometime this summer.

Another Example of Saving by Asking for a Discount

Every year we hire a company that turns on (in the spring) and off (in the fall) our in-ground water sprinklers. Of course, I could do at least the turning on myself (the turning off requires equipment to blow the lines out, which I don't have) and save some money, but the one year I tried I almost blew out the system (too much water in too fast.) Even the professionals we use make this mistake -- they blew out one sprinkler head last year (and replaced it for free). Anyway, the key benefit to having them turn on the system is that they guarantee that all the heads will work as they did last year. If not, they replace them for nothing.

May is the time we usually have the sprinklers turned on, and my wife called them at the end of last month to come out and get the system going. As usual, she asked what they would charge. The lady said the fee was $50. My wife instinctually asked if they had a discount if we paid in cash. The woman said that they did -- they would do it for $40. Needless to say, we're paying in cash. :-)

Just for asking, we saved a 10-spot. Yeah, it might "only" be $10, but looked at another way, it's a 20% discount. Or an even different way, it's a $10 savings for 30 seconds of work. Not a bad return on that time investment, huh?

Why It Pays to Shop Out Your Car Insurance

Here's a comment from a reader on my post titled Best Way to Save on Car Insurance that illustrates why it's a good idea to shop around for car insurance every so often:

I was with State Farm for 16 years and never switched. Then I took a Dave Ramsey class and now I'm much smarter about how I go about life...I just got married and we called around for quotes. We saved $1900 on our Auto and Homeowners policy. Bye bye State Farm. My agent didn't try to match my new quote, and she didn't seem the least bit upset that I was leaving.

Not a bad savings for a few hours of work, huh? Imagine how much he would have saved if he would have shopped around 15 years sooner.

Does This Really Work?

Anyone seen this info on Power-Save? Here's what they say about their key product:

The Power-Save 1200™ is a small gray box that fits neatly next to your breaker panel, saves you money year after year and protects the entire home.

The Power-Save 1200™ was designed with the homeowner in mind, providing lower energy bills, increased motor and appliance life, as well as surge and lightning protection for all of the equipment inside of your house.

Residential customers throughout North America could see a realized savings of 8% - 10% typically and as much as 25% on their electrical usage (and thus power bills). The Power-Save 1200™ is UL Tested and CSA certified.

Money isn't all that you are saving when you use Power-Save Energy Corp. products. It's an energy-wise purchasing decision with many positive environmental implications. Power Suppliers also benefit by being able to supply power to more customers without the generation or acquisition of additional.

Let me say that I am always a big skeptic on things like this, but one of the guys in our office is seriously considering it and he's fairly skeptical too (as much as or more so than me.) If he thinks it could work, maybe it can.

Anyone had experience with this item or something like it? What do you think of the concept?

Can I Save Almost $500 in Gas Costs?

Just got this via email:

The Alliance to Save Energy, made up of 18 member companies, trade associations, government agencies, consumer group and nonprofits (including the Wal-mart Foundation, ExxonMobil and the NRDC) recently joined forces to launch: http://drivesmarterchallenge.org.

Focused totally on transportation, the new Drive Smarter Challenge campaign aims to help consumers cut gasoline costs through efficient driving tips and practices.

Taking the Alliance’s Drive $marter Challenge means pledging to take from one to six actions that will produce measurable reductions in gas, money, and CO2 emission. A calculator on the site computes not only an individual's savings through her or his individual actions, but also computes a running tally of savings by everyone who has taken the challenge. It demonstrates the impact of one person's actions multiplied by similar fuel-efficiency actions of family members, friends, and colleagues of all the people who share the tips and challenge others to participate. Once taking the challenge, the site also delivers money-saving coupons for fuel-efficient products.

The new site encourages people to:

• Check out and download money-saving driving and vehicle maintenance tips.
• Take the Drive Smarter Challenge – choose 1-6 fuel efficiency actions – and immediately see your savings calculations (money, gasoline, greenhouse gas emissions).
• Help spread the word by telling 6 family members and friends about the Drive Smarter Challenge and become eligible for discount coupons for fuel-efficient products that can reduce gasoline bills.
• See how individual actions and those of others who take the challenge create a multiplier effect.

I can supposedly save $479 by following their six steps (assuming I wasn't doing any of them already -- though I am doing two of them.)

What's your take on it? Useful or weak?

Nine Ways to Save on Gas This Summer

Smart Money lists nine ways to save on gas this summer including the amounts you'll save if you follow the tips from now until Labor Day:

• Check your tires: $29
• Forgo premium fuel: $86
• Get a tune-up: $129
• Slow down: $95
• Combine errands: $107
• Let go of your aggression: $95
• Pack light: $17
• Swap vehicles: $25
• Look for gas incentives: $150

I'm personally trying to be less of a "pedal to the metal" sort of driver, keeping a close eye on the air pressure in my tires, and (of course) not using premium fuel. But there's a thought here that never registered with me. When we go somewhere (shopping, out to eat, church, etc.), we take my Subaru Forester since I'm the one who drives and it has a bit more room. But maybe we should take my wife's Toyota Corolla instead since it gets about 50% better gas mileage.

What are you doing to save on gas costs?

For more gas-saving ideas, check out these:

• Save Money by Taking the Train or Bus

• Saving on Gas Myths

• How to Cut Gas Costs

Five Ways to Save Money on Vacations

Here's a list of five ways to save on your vacation from Kiplinger's. Their list:

1. Vacation close to home.
2. Seek inexpensive lodging. (Hostels, college dorm rooms, campgrounds, trade spaces)
3. Hold down food costs.
4. Choose destinations with cheap entertainment.
5. Time your trip right.

Here's my take on each of these:

1. We took a "big" vacation to Disney last year, so this year we're planning to stay closer to home. We'll drive to see relatives (as usual), plus we're looking at taking a few days in Chicago which is only three hours from our home.

2. When we visit relatives, lodging is free. When we go to Chicago, I'm planning on using hotel points I get from work by staying in Hampton Inns as I travel.

3. My wife always packs snacks for the ride and saves us a ton versus picking up something to eat at convenience stores along the road.

4. My wife always has a coupon to everything. :-)

5. As I said when I detailed our Disney costs, going in the "off-season" is one way you can save a ton of money on vacation costs.

And for those of you who want more vacation-saving ideas, here are five additional suggestions.

Why Shopping Around for Car Insurance is a Good Idea (It Can Save You a Ton of Money)

Check out this comment left on my post titled Six Ways to Save on Car Insurance:

By shopping around every 6 months I was able to go from $730/6-month at minimum coverage (25k/50k on most of the categories) to $550/6-month with 4 times the coverage (100k/300k on the SAME categories).

On top of that, I have gotten better, and more personal, service. Explain to me how that works. I've actually been able to call and speak to a PERSON and ask what he thinks about how to handle claims even when they aren't on my policy.

Yep, that's why we shop out our car insurance on a regular basis. You never know what savings are out there unless you ask. In this case, she saved $360 AND got better coverage just for quoting her policy out. Not bad at all!

More on Asking for a Discount

Here's another real-life example of how a Free Money Finance reader saved some money simply by asking for a discount:

My wife and I had been looking at getting bicycles for about 6 months, we started in the fall because that's when bike sales are supposed to happen. Well there weren't any last year, so we waited the winter and were planning on buying some this spring. We were driving by one of the bike shops a couple of weeks ago and they had a "SALE" sign up. Bingo, time to go shopping!

The bikes we wanted were normally $380, but were on sale for $300 each. Not bad. So we took them for a test ride and decided that we were going to buy them. When we got back to the store, I just nonchalantly asked "since we're buying 2, will you give us a discount?" The salesman replied, "sure we can do that." We got another 5% off the total. Not bad since we would have bought the bikes anyways even if he said no. Saved $30 for just asking. My wife, however, was thoroughly impressed. :)

$30 for about 1 minute of wok (at most.) That's $1,800 per hour!!!! ;-)

Another Example of Saving by Asking for a Discount

Here's another reader success story on how to ask for a discount:

For my wedding registry I requested the usual, including a 12 piece set (48 pieces total) of crystal stemware from a name brand company. Not terribly expensive to start with but still a hefty chunk if we were to purchase it all for ourselves. After the wedding we took stock of what we received and had fulfilled roughly ½ of our requested number of pieces.

We took a trip to the nearby outlet mall (which has this name brand company) to see if they had any of our pattern in stock. We figured it had to be cheaper than the big department store. Well, we hit the jackpot! Not only did they have some, they were on sale for only $10 per glass. HOWEVER, I decided to take a chance and asked the girl what discount she would give me if I paid cash and bought enough to finish off my set. All she could do was say no, right? And even then I’d STILL be getting a deal. Instead she said, “How about 50% OFF the sale price?” That’s right. She sold me my stemware for $5 per piece!! Talk about a saving success!!

Good stuff!

Best Way to Save on Car Insurance

The Wall Street Journal offers three ways to save on car insurance, but to me there is one idea that's way better than the other two:

Shop once a year. A little research can go a long way. Bob Hunter of the Consumer Federation of America suggests checking price ranges on your state insurance commission's Web site. If you're working with an insurance agent, he adds, ask him to match online price quotes, which are typically lower. No-frills insurers are another good starting place; InsWeb.com lists some.

Every year or so, we quote out our car insurance to a few agencies to make sure our current agency is competitive (BTW, we do this with our homeowner's insurance as well.) I think that many people simply stay with one company year after year without checking other options (I used to do this) but if they'd simply check alternatives, they'd find that they are paying way over the market rate. It's a simple way to save a pretty decent amount of money.

Bike Shops Like High Gas Prices

Anyone riding their bike more since gas prices are through the roof? Lots of people are according to MSNBC:

Four-dollar-a-gallon gas is good for business — if you run a bike shop.

Commuters around the country are dusting off their old two-wheelers — or buying new ones — to cope with rising fuel prices, bicycle dealers say.

"Everyone that comes in the shop is talking about the gas prices," said Barry Dahl, who opened Barry's Bikes in Bismarck in April. He sold more than 50 bicycles in the first month, double the projections in his business plan.

Bicycle shops across the country are reporting strong sales so far this year, and more people are bringing in bikes that have been idled for years, he said.

That's the way the economy goes -- something goes up in price (gas) and people adjust, competition responds, and the market moves (more sales of bikes.) I'm sure it's no where near enough to make up for the higher costs people are absorbing from gas, but still, it's a good way to save money if you have several short trips and don't need to carry a lot and/or need to be dressed up.

Save Money by Taking the Train or Bus

With gas prices through the roof, many people are turning to the train to save them money. Here's one example:

Scott, a Senior Trust Administrator with Merrill Lynch in Hopewell, NJ, is saving more than $300-a-month by taking the train instead of driving the 72-mile roundtrip from his home in Willingboro, NJ. His monthly New Jersey Transit train pass costs $77, less than 1/4 of the $400 he had been spending on gas each month.

And get this -- real money:

Ridership is at a record on New Jersey Transit, which estimates its average commuter saves $1,200-a-year by taking the train rather than driving to work.

Of course there are downsides:

1. Not everyone has the option of riding a train to work.
2. You have to deal with other people and/or crowded conditions.
3. You have to work around the train's schedule.

Still, it's an option more people should at least consider.

We're thinking of taking the train this summer on our vacation instead of driving. We haven't gotten all the details yet, but it's certainly an option we're considering.

Another option that more people have access to: the bus. I used to take the bus into downtown Pittsburgh when I was a young, newly married man. And yes, I hated it. But it saved us a ton of money and on snowy days when I didn't want to fight the Pittsburgh hills in a Toyota Celica (please, don't ask), the bus was a good option. Not only did I save on gas, but parking too. Though my "panhandler" and drycleaning expenses went up a bit. ;-)

Saving on Gas Myths

Everyone's interested in saving money on gas. In fact, some people seem consumed by it (it's almost a daily conversation at my job -- who has the cheapest gas, what are prices up to now, etc.) As such, there are a ga-zillion suggestions for how to save money on gas -- but not all of them actually deliver savings. Consumer Reports lists four gas saving myths in its June issue. Their list includes:

• Morning fill-ups. A common tip is to buy gasoline in the morning, when the air is cool, rather than in the heat of the day. The theory is that the cooler gasoline will be denser, so you will get more for your money. But the temperature of the gasoline coming out of the fuel nozzle changes very little, if at all, during any 24-hour stretch. Any extra gas you get will be negligible.

• Air conditioning vs. opening windows. Some people advise you not to run the air conditioner because it puts more of a load on the engine, which can decrease fuel economy. But others say that opening the windows at highway speeds can affect gas mileage even more by disrupting the vehicle's aerodynamics. Our tests show that neither makes enough of a difference to worry about. Using air conditioning while driving at 65 mph reduced the Camry's gas mileage by about 1 mpg. The effect of opening the windows at 65 mph was not even measurable.

• A dirty air filter. Our tests show that driving with a dirty air filter no longer has any impact on fuel economy, as it did with older engines. That's because modern engines use computers to precisely control the air/fuel ratio, depending on the amount of air coming in through the filter. Reducing airflow causes the engine to automatically reduce the amount of fuel being used. Fuel economy didn't change, but the Camry accelerated much more slowly with a dirty filter.

CNN Money adds to these with the following ways NOT to save on gas:

• There have been additives, special magnets and even a pill that has promised to improve a car's fuel efficiency by as much as 30 percent in some cases. While the promise of stretching your gas dollars seems awfully lucrative, especially when they cost under $20, most of these products provide a negligible, if any, improvement in fuel efficiency, said Rik Paul, the automotive editor for the publication Consumer Reports. Consumer Reports and the government's Environmental Protection Agency, have tested dozens of these products finding that none of them offer any significant improvement in fuel economy. (click here for Consumer Reports' detailed reviews on some of the supposed gas savers)

• Some drivers insist the best time to buy gasoline is on a Wednesday, when pump prices have cooled from the weekend run-up when oil companies typically raise prices. That's true to a point, says Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at the Oil Price Information Service. Gas prices tend to be higher on the weekend, but there's no ideal day of the week to purchase your gas.

• It's probably a myth that goes back to the days when cars were equipped with carburetors, but many drivers believe that starting up and turning off your car repeatedly is a fast way to drain your gas tank. But because of modern fuel-injection technology, drivers actually save gas by turning off their engine than letting their car needlessly idle, says Consumer Reports' Paul. Granted it's probably not sensible shutting down the engine every time you get stuck in traffic, but if it looks like you might be at the drive-thru for more than 30 seconds to a minute, it's worth turning off your car, says Paul.

And then CNN lists a few ways that you CAN save money on gas. I've highlighted several of these recently, so now I'm just going to list the ones I haven't covered in the past couple months:

• Removing excess weight from your car can also help save you gas. The Department of Energy estimates that drivers can save anywhere between 3 and 6 cents a gallon (assuming gas prices of $2.97 a gallon) just by removing those golf clubs and other unnecessary weight from your trunk.

• If your car comes equipped with cruise control, make sure you use it, especially on long trips. Edmunds.com's study revealed that using cruise control at highway speeds offered an average fuel economy savings of 7 percent.

Anyone else have some ideas that either do or don't work?

Save Money and Improve Your Life by Turning Off (Or Getting Rid of) Your TV

I recently ran into this piece from The Juggle about how her family had gotten rid of their television. They tried turning off the TV for a week in the past and they "got to bed earlier, read and talked more, and generally felt like we had a little more time in the evenings." They're finding the same sort of results this time around -- and they kind of like it.

After seeing this post, I did a bit of searching and found out there's an organization dedicated to getting people to spend less time with their TVs. Here are some highlights on them:

Center for Screen-Time Awareness (CSTA), formerly TV-Turnoff Network and in an early incarnation TV-Free America, is an international nonprofit organization that provides tools for people to live healthier lives in functional families in vibrant communities by taking control of the electronic media in their lives and not allowing it to control them.

Founded in 1994 by Henry Labalme and Matt Pawa as an environmental organization, CSTA has grown into an agency dealing with diverse issues including obesity, illiteracy, violence and the impact electronic media has on our lives. The organization is dedicated to making information and tools available to people that put them in charge of the “electronic tools” in their lives, using them in ways that enhance the quality of life and contribute to stronger families and communities.

CSTA has helped millions of people do just that. Our primary programs, Universal Screen-Time Reduction; A lifestyle for the 21st Century and Turnoff Week (formerly TV-Turnoff Week) are keys to our organization’s success.  These programs put the power in the hands of individuals and families, helping them make the best decisions for themselves, with the best information available.

I've written that you can earn $1 million by not watching TV. Others have listed Ten Financial Reasons To Turn Off Your Television (and ten things to replace it with) and Twelve Reasons to Turn off the Television. Seems like there's a trend here.

But not only can you save a bundle of money by canceling cable and limiting the amount of "I gotta have that" commercials you watch, it seems likely that there's a better quality of life associated with not having a TV (or at least not using it much.)

We watch very little TV -- maybe a handful of hours a week during the football off-season. (and not that many more during the season, though I do like to catch at least part of a game every week.) We spend most of our TV time playing video games -- though this could be as bad as watching TV.

I'm interested in hearing for those of you who have cut down/eliminated TV or are thinking about it. What is your thinking/experience on the issue?

Where and How to Save on Drugs

Consumer Reports ran a piece on America's best drugstores in their June issue. As a test, they looked at the cost of four popular drugs -- Plavix, Levoxyl, Detrol, and alendronate -- and listed various retailers in order of ascending costs. The winners were:

1. Costco
2. AARP.com
3. Wal-mart
4. Walgreens.com
5. CVS.com
6. Independents
7. CVS
8. Safeway
9. Shopko
10. Publix
11. Hannaford
12. Walgreens
13. Rite Aid

The piece also offered some tips for saving on prescriptions drugs including what seemed to be the best tip to me:

Compare prices. Our national study of prices for four common drugs found average total differences of as much as $340, or 26 percent, between the cheapest source and the priciest. Even prices within a chain often differed. Prices also varied greatly from one independent pharmacy to another.

Fortunately, we don't have much need for prescription drugs, so I'm in no way an expert ion the issue. That said, I have posted several other money saving ideas that I've gathered from others including:

• Ask for Free Drugs

• Don't Pass Up Generic-Drug Savings

• Save on Prescription Drugs

• Comments: Money Saving Tip: Ask for Free Drugs; Get Coupons

• Comments: Money Saving Tip: Ask for Free Drugs; Real-Life Example

How to Cut Gas Costs

After the gas price increases two years ago, I got sick and tired of running "how to save on gas" posts. But since it seems like everyone is talking about the price of gas these days, I might as well offer these gas-savings ideas from the June issue of Consumer Reports:

• Drive at a moderate speed. The faster you drive above 55 mph, the worse your mpg gets.
• Drive smoothly. Avoid hard acceleration and braking whenever possible.
• Reduce unnecessary drag. Don't carry things on top of your vehicle when you don't have to.
• Don't use premium fuel if you don't have to.
• Minimize driving with a cold engine. Short trips kill gas mileage.
• Keep tires properly inflated.
• Buy tires with lower rolling resistance.
• Avoid idling for long periods.

Here's how I do on each of these:

1. No comment.

2. Are they picking on me?

3. We don't carry items on top of our car, so we're good on one so far.

4. Don't use premium. I'm now batting two for four. :-)

5. I really only drive where I need to go. I don't purposely make short trips.

6. Ouch! I need to check my tire pressure regularly.

7. Does less rolling resistance = less traction? If so, these tires would be a nightmare on Michigan roads in the winter.

8. The worst problem I have here are a couple VERY long stop lights in our town.

Overall, I do need to pay more attention to how I drive as well as check my tire pressure more regularly. How about you? See any ways here that you can save on gas?

Six Ways to Save on Car Insurance

Here's a piece from USA Today that lists six ways to save on car insurance. Their suggestions:

• Raise your deductible.
• Take advantage of discounts.
• Consult your insurance agent before you buy a car or truck.
• If you're considering switching insurers, start looking for a new policy well before your current policy comes up for renewal.
• Don't even think about driving without insurance.
• Shop around.

This is basically a good list in my opinion, but I'd list them a bit differently in order of importance. Here's my take on each of their suggestions based on my own personal experience:

1. We have our deductible as high as it can go since we only plan on claiming significant expenses on our insurance. As a result, we've upped our emergency fund to cover the higher deductible so there should be no problem if you do need to come up with it. This is a HUGE money saver. Don't believe me? Ask your agent to quote you insurance rates at various deductible levels.

2. Of course. We get safety, low mileage (on my wife's car), and multiple-policy discounts. And I regularly ask if there are any new ones that we qualify for.

3. I'm "ok" with this suggestion, but I don't love it. Up to a certain point, you can get guidance on which cars are more expensive to insure, but I don't want to be stuck with a vehicle I hate for 10 years just so I can save a bit on my car insurance.

4. Goes without saying. NEVER cancel a current policy until a replacement policy is already in place.

5. Again, goes without saying.

6. This is the best tip of all -- why did they hide it at the bottom? We regularly quote out our insurance to a few different agencies when our policies come up for review. It's a good way of seeing the going market rates as well as keeping our current insurer honest.

How about you? What car insurance saving tips do you have?

Reader Success Story: Asking for a Discount

I LOVE to hear examples of how Free Money Finance is helping people better manage their money. Here's an email I received the other day:

Hey FMF, just wanted to drop a big THANK YOU for your post on asking for a discount a while back.  It is time to start planning and booking for our anniversary vacation in August.  We found a place we like at a price that I consider pretty steep:  $175/night.  Ever since I read that post, I have been asking for a discount for everything possible and this was no exception. 

What did I get out of it? $150/night.  Not a huge savings perhaps but to me it is.  To go from paying $900 to paying $772 isn't too shabby.  That's $128 more to feed the mortgage!  This is a nice B&B by the way.  Anyway, thanks again.

A 14% discount and $128 savings isn't bad, huh? Do that a few times a year on various purchases and you're talking some pretty good money.

In case you're all interested, here's some more on asking for a discount.

Save Money by Not Renewing Immediately

Here's a comment I recently received on my post titled Warehouse Clubs Are Worth the Annual Fee:

You can reduce the cost of your membership fee 8% for every month you can go between shopping trips. Say your membership is up Dec 31. You can stock up on Dec 30 for the next 3 months. Then you can renew in March and it won't be up until the following March. You essentially got 3 months free.

I have been thinking about this idea for quite some time -- ever since I received an update to renew our membership to a local botanical gardens. I started thinking that they don't give me any price advantage for renewing early and no benefit for being a long-term member -- I can walk in and get the same deal at the door. Since I only go to the gardens once a quarter or so, why don't I let the membership expire and renew only when I want to go again.

For example, our current membership expires in June. But we regularly visit in March, May, September, and November. If I renew now, I'm paying for June, July, and August, and I have no plans to attend during that time. In other words, I'm paying for three months that I'm not going to use. But if I let the membership expire in June, then buy a new one when I visit in September, then I've "saved" myself three months and now have a membership good until September 2009. If I'm really clever, I could visit the gardens on September 20 this year, then make my September visit for next year sometime before the 20th. At that point, I wouldn't have to renew my membership until December 2009.

I realize that I'm not really "saving" anything because, after all, I have roughly three months between each visit, but I think you get the idea. (For me, maybe it's a better deal simply to pay the per visit costs versus a membership fee.) If you do have something that you use infrequently but could change your habits a bit and extend your membership (like the Costco example above), why wouldn't you? There's no downside is there?

How to Save Money on a Timeshare

Here are some amazing numbers! I knew that selling timeshares was a big business, but I didn't know how big. Consider these facts:

More than 4.4 million U.S. households have been bitten by the “vacation ownership” bug and have purchased time shares, according to the American Resort Development Association. Time-share sales surpassed $10 billion last year.

Holy cow! $10 billion!!!!!

The piece linked above goes on to list "ten tips for saving on timeshares", but I'm going to give you the quick Free Money Finance version of how to save on them: don't buy one.

To me, timeshares seem to be a way to lock in an expensive vacation for a long, long time -- something that most people shouldn't do and can't afford. That said, I'm interested in hearing from those of you who do have timeshares and like the setup, costs, etc. Maybe I'm missing something.

Six Ways to Dine Out for Less

Here's a list of six ways to dine out for less from Smart Money and my thoughts on each suggestion:

1. Reserve a table. Planning ahead can yield significant savings, if you book the reservation through one of these two free sites.

Does Applebee's take reservations? ;-)

We hardly ever go to a place fancy enough to take reservations -- that's how we save on dining out.

2. Clip coupons. Scan your local Sunday newspaper, pick up the free penny-saver publication and sort through the coupon packs in your mailbox.

This works for us and my wife often has a coupon wherever we go. That said, we often have coupons for food we don't want, so we ignore the coupon in those cases (in other words, we don't let the coupon dictate what we eat just to get a deal.)

3. Join the club. Sign up for restaurant email lists and reward programs, which come with extra deals and exclusive coupons. Join [a] birthday club.

Generally, we don't do this. I get enough emails as it is and we don't eat out enough to justify any more. We have signed up for the birthday club at Bob Evans as my kids like to eat pancakes there and they give us a free kid's meal on each child's birthday.

4. Pay with plastic. Credit-card companies are offering more dining rewards as food prices go up.

We always put as much as we can on our credit cards to maximize our cash back, but we don't go out and eat just to run up the charges. Seems a bit counter-productive.

5. Mind the specials. Take note of when restaurants host promotional discount nights.

Sometimes a "special" is actually more expensive, but when there's a discount night or an "all-you-can-eat" night you can certainly get some good deals. Or go to a place that offers all-you-can-eat all the time. We have a good Chinese buffet that does this and we love it.

6. Give a gift (certificate). Save up to 50% by purchasing discount certificates online. The catch: Each has restrictions, such as night of the week or number of diners. Read up before buying.

Never done this, but it sounds like a decent idea if you can be flexible. Anyone ever taken advantage of this? How'd it go?

How to Feed a Family of Five on $300 a Month

Here's a piece where the author tells how she feeds her family of five on $300 per month -- a pretty good accomplishment given the state of food prices. Some of her key tips:

• I use what I have. If I don't have milk in the house, I don't make a special trip to the store for it.
• Shopping the clearance sections, I regularly find milk on clearance for $1.20 a gallon.
• Purchase meat only on sale or on clearance.
• I never buy meat unless it's on sale for $1.99 or less a pound.
• I can get "soup bones" with enough meat on them to make a great vegetable stew for under $2.00 for the entire family!
• Ask. Most people are intimidated by asking, but I regularly ask when things will go on sale or be marked down.
• Serve your family proper portions of food.
• As a general rule, I try to give them one vegetable and one fruit for lunch and dinner and then a piece of fruit with cookies or cheese as a snack.

These seem like some pretty good ideas in general and I think we should probably consider a few of them. Our main cost savings on food usually come from the following:

• Buying on sale -- especially if you can combine it with a coupon of special offer (CVS often has buy one get one free offers)
• Purchasing store brands or generic products
• Buying in bulk and storing in our pantry or freezer
• Getting larger sizes at Costco when there's a price savings
• Eating out less (we're trying to eat healthy anyway, and it's hard to do so when you eat out)
• Having a few meals a week without meat

That said, we're spending $450 a month for a family of four, so we could certainly improve. Some of the things we do that are hurting us include:

• We HAVE to have (and pay for) brand name items for some products.
• We buy more "junk" than we need to.
• We make frequent trips to the store each week. We need better planning for food purchases.
• Proper food portions -- yikes!
• We often buy organic -- which is more expensive. Not sure we're going to stop doing this, but it's an issue and needs to be stated.

Any other tips out there for saving on food purchases?

Save Money with Straight Razor Shaving

The following is a guest post from Badger and Blade.

You pay how much per year for shaving?? Just for those little blade-cartridges that Gillette and Schick sell for ever-rising prices? Okay, so how would you like to never have to buy another cartridge or blade again ... and no, I don't mean grow a beard. No, this is not some strange new invention from an infomercial, but a return to the only way of shaving for hundreds of years before Gillette found a way to make us perpetual blade-purchasers.

That's right, maybe you are thinking you'd like to shave with an actual straight razor. You know, a 'cut-throat' like in Sweeney Todd and the Barber of Seville. What's that going to cost?

Well, at the start-up, it'll set you back a few dollars, there's no doubt. Now, straight razor shaving is like fly fishing: if your aim is to catch a fish or get a shave, you can get by with fairly inexpensive stuff, but if your goal is to pursue the ultimate in aesthetics and performance, you can get into some pretty pricey stuff. I'll be talking about the general basics, rather than the razor equivalents of the best Sage rod or (heaven forbid) custom made split cane rods. No, we'll stick to the 'good enough to get the job done' basics.

Okay, you need a razor. Prices for new razors (the good ones anyhow, which come from France and Germany; avoid the cheap-o specials from Pakistan and the like if you value your face) start at about $80 and can easily get up to $200, often because of the materials that the handles are made of ... which means nothing to the shave, quite frankly. So expect to pay $100 for a decent razor when you include the initial honing.

(Some decent used razors are available out there, but that's a whole different kettle of fish, trying to find a gem in among all the useless 'deals'.)

Initial honing? Yeah, get it honed to start. Razors come sharp from the factory, but nowhere near sharp enough for good shaves. Most places that sell razors offer a honing service as well, so it's not too hard to get it honed. You will also need to have it honed from time to time ... how often will depend on the durability of the razor's steel, the thickness of your beard, your stropping ability, and so on ... but let's say three times a year. You will probably spend between $20 and $25 for the honing service and postage, so let's say $25 each.

What's that "stropping" I mentioned? Remember old movies were the guy goes to a barber for a shave, and the barber starts whipping the razor back and forth on that leather strip ... well, it's a leather strop! You do that before every shave to make sure the blade is perfectly aligned. How much will a decent strop cost? Well, let's say $75. Again, you can go cheap, but a good strop can last a lifetime.

So let's crunch some numbers. You have start-up costs of $175 for a honed razor and strop, and ongoing honing costs of $75 per year. Let's say you do that for 10 years: $925 total, or $92.5 per year. Let's say you do it for 30 years: we're now down to $80.83 per year.

Okay, so maybe you want to save the $75 per year, and hone your own razor! You'll be a totally self-sufficient shaver then. Now, hones (like razors) can be likened to fly fishing ... remember those split cane rods with the four or five-figure price tag? So I'll stick to the basics. You will need (as a basic honing kit) a 4000/8000 grit double-sided hone for $65, and a "flattening" stone to keep your hone, well, flat for $28. Now, here some guys who like split-cane fly rods get other super-fine hones to finish their razors on, but yo can 'get by' with a special strop with special pastes applied ... and if you get a multi-sided one, you still have the leather and unpasted linen sides of a regular strop, and there's no additional cost for this model; you'll just need to buy tubes of paste every so often ... again, wading through the variables, let's say $10 per year.

So, what's the cost of a straight razor if you hone your own? Again, $175 start-up for razor and strop, and an additional $93 for hone and flattener for a total of $268. And we're down to $10 per year to buy strop paste. So 10 years of straight-razor shaving is only $368 ... or $36.80 per year. And if you stick with it for $30 years, the total is $568, or $18.93 per year, or a savings of over $62 annually. Outside of the initial $268 (an additional cost of $184 over cartridge shaving for the first year) it works out to an annual savings of $62.29, or over $7,600 after 30 years (assuming an 8% return)!

Save Money by Stocking Up on Products

Here's a piece from The Street that recommends saving on items (mostly grocery-related) by stocking up on them -- buying them in bulk, when on sale, etc. to get the best deals. It's fairly basic advice so I'm not going to detail it, but I thought I would share with you how we take advantage of this idea to save a good amount of money each year. Here are some miscellaneous thoughts on the issue:

1. We have a HUGE pantry in our home that allows us to store items we buy without any space-related issues coming up.

2. We bought a small freezer a few years ago to allow us to do the same with frozen foods (buying meat on sale, etc.)

3. In addition to the food savings noted in #1 and #2, stocking up also affords us fewer trips to the store.

4. When we have coupons for long-shelf-life items (deodorant, band-aids, paper products, etc.) AND find them on sale, we buy and store them. You can get stuff dirt cheap if there's no urgency to buy.

5. We often buy in bulk from places like Costco, making sure that the per unit price is a better deal than other options. Sometimes it's not.

6. Every chance we get, we pay using our credit cards -- earning cash back in addition to saving on purchases.

Money Versus Time

Here's an interesting piece from Jean Chatzky where she discusses the trade-off between time and money -- in particular, the time we all spend looking for a bargain versus the amount that we actually save. Here's what made this issue hit home with her:

It's easy enough to measure how much money you can save by shopping around or by taking on an unpleasant chore, but most of us don't run the numbers on our time.

It began to dawn on me that I had spent the equivalent of a full workweek searching for a bargain that might save me a few hundred bucks. Crazy, no?

Assuming that she could have saved much of that with only a few hours of work, then it probably was crazy.

The piece also goes on to list other ways we all waste time, such as:

• The typical worker wastes two hours in an eight-hour day.
• The average American spends 150 hours a year looking for misplaced items and information.
• The average American spends 1.2 hours per day shopping.

How do they get these numbers? Especially the second one. Does someone actually track this?

Anyway, the article gives a simple rule-of-thumb for making the time/money trade-off:

Say you make $100,000 a year. Remove the last three zeros ($100), divide the number in half and you get your approximate hourly rate, in this case $50. Unless you're "making" that much by shopping for your TV or constantly combing the Internet for slightly higher CD yields (or whatever your time-suck happens to be), you're losing money.

This is where I want to throw it open for discussion. What do you think of this rule? My initial take is that it ends up with a number that's too high -- that I really don't need to make/save that much to make it worth getting a bargain -- but what do you think?

Nine Steps to Successful Shopping

The following is an excerpt from High School Money Book, copyright 2007, 2008 Don Silver and excerpt reprinted with permission.

Here are nine steps to help make your shopping successful. To put them in a context, as you go through the steps, think about how they would apply to the purchase of a computer.

1. Do comparison shopping.

One of the keys to being a money-smart shopper is to do comparison shopping. Zero in on what you need. Do research online and through magazines, stores and friends to determine the specifications you need and the product reviews of the various choices.

Comparison shopping falls into two categories: (1) comparing apples to apples and (2) comparing apples to oranges.

Compare apples to apples

If you definitely know the exact item (e.g., model number) you want to purchase, you can then compare prices on the Internet or call different stores.

To make sure you’re really comparing the exact same product (e.g., apples to apples), be sure to ask about shipping costs, warranties and return policies, too. What may appear to be less expensive at first may change once you get the whole story.

If possible, personally take a look at what you’ll be buying.

Comparing apples and oranges

You may not be sure exactly which product you want to buy. Here’s where it gets trickier to do comparison shopping.

Very often, products only list some of their features. It can be difficult to know what’s included and excluded on products of a similar type. You can get much of the needed information through the Net or at your local library. Also try calling a toll-free customer service number to ask your questions and see whether there are some specification or “spec” sheets on the Net that list and compare features on different products.

Then, once you’ve decided on a particular product, you can then go back to your apples-to-apples comparison shopping.

2. Buy pre-owned.

Second, consider buying pre-owned rather than new products. Since just about everyone prefers buying new to old, why buy pre-owned (a fancy word for used)? Buying used saves money.

And in many cases, the quality is the same. You can buy a used, unscratched CD or DVD and the quality can be as clear as a new one. If you can buy a refurbished computer, it may be of the same quality and have the same warranty as a new computer. The only difference might be in the price—it’s lower. However, if your warranty is automatically extended by using your credit card, that extension may not apply to refurbished computers—ask your credit card company.

Libraries are a great way to save on book costs. And once you’re in college, look for other ways to save money on textbooks, including shopping on the Net and/or buying used textbooks or e-books.

There are other reasons to consider buying pre-owned products. You may be helping the environment by keeping a product in use that might otherwise go into an overcrowded landfill. Buying used may keep valuable natural resources from being used up to produce, transport and sell a new product.

If it bothers you to buy something used, consider getting the product through a trade or barter with friends instead. You may have clothes, a CD, DVD, MP3 or DVD player or a computer that is no longer right for you. Maybe it’s the right fit for friends of yours and they’ll have something you need in return.

Just remember there is a big problem when you buy something new. Right away it becomes “used” anyway. That’s the reason you hear a new car loses thousands of dollars of value as soon as it’s driven off the lot.

3. Shop at sales.

Some of the best sales are during the off season. For example, once winter ends, winter clothes go down in price. You can be dollars ahead for next year by making next year’s purchases during this year’s off-season sale.

Department stores have certain items that go on sale during a certain month of the year. Call the major stores close to you and ask about their schedule of sales for the upcoming year. It may be worth waiting to make a purchase until the sale month comes up for that product.

One last word about sales. Sometimes special sale prices only apply to certain items and not the ones of interest to you.

4. Save with newspaper (or Internet) coupons.

You can save money with newspapers in two main ways. Sales are often advertised in papers. In addition, newspapers are filled with coupons (also see Money-Smart Way #28 on Internet coupons). Some stores honor coupons from competitors’ stores or the Net. Remember, a coupon doesn’t save you money unless you really need the item. But if you do, coupons can be a great way to save.

5. Keep ads to show special prices.

Sometimes you go to a store in response to an ad only to find the price of a product is higher than advertised. Usually, this is an oversight on the part of the merchant. One way of getting the special advertised price is to bring the advertisement to the store so any difference in the price will be resolved in your favor. Bringing an ad with you to a store is another way of having a shopping list to control your spending.

6. Get value for your purchases.

Good shopping means getting your money’s worth, not just spending as little as you can.

One of the toughest tasks is learning how to judge quality and value. Usually, quality purchases mean items that will last longer and cost more. With some purchases, it means more durability or strength. With others, it may mean that they won’t become outdated as soon.

Quality takes on other aspects in other parts of our lives. For example, in a grocery store, getting good value may depend on your reading product labels to determine which product is better.

7. Learn to negotiate.

Although we don’t shop in a bazaar where bartering or price haggling is the usual way to buy, the savvy shopper, knowing there may be plenty of room to negotiate, doesn’t necessarily accept prices at face value.

Think about it. You’ll often see advertisements that say, “We’ll match any advertised price.” That means that the listed prices in the store may be higher than the competition’s and the store doesn’t want to lose your business to a competitor. If stores are in essence advertising that their prices will be lower if you ask, speak up.

Don’t be afraid to make an offer if you feel a price for a purchase is too high or unaffordable for you. Just say to the merchant, the car rental agency, the hotel or any other seller, “What’s the best price you can give me?” or “I can only afford this much.” The worst they can say is no. You’ve got a chance that they’ll say yes or settle somewhere in the middle. Why overpay? If you can spot a defect, even a small one, in a product you may also be better able to negotiate a lower price.

Don’t overlook the Internet in hunting for bargains. You may decide to make purchases over the Internet or you may use the information you’ve obtained there to negotiate with your local stores. By being able to show them a printout of how little you can spend for the same item over the Net, you may receive an instant discount to encourage you to make the purchase from them.

8. Ask for a cash discount.

If you’re paying by cash, you’re saving the merchant money. On every credit card transaction, a merchant has to pay the credit card company 2 or 3% as a credit card fee. Why not pocket that discount yourself? Ask for a cash discount.

9. Learn to say no.

The most effective negotiating technique is being able to say no and mean it. If you’re ready to walk away from a transaction but the other side wants you to stay, you definitely can have the upper hand. This allows you to get a better price or to just pass on the transaction if it really doesn’t make sense for you.

Ten Ways to Become an Everyday Money-Smart Spender

The following is an excerpt from High School Money Book, copyright 2007, 2008 Don Silver and excerpt reprinted with permission.

When you spend, you expend (use up). You may be using up more than money. You’re using up the work (time and energy) required to earn the money.

Spending is more than the act of handing over dollar bills, a check, a debit card or a credit card. It’s also handing over a part of you. With this in mind, here are 10 great ways to become an everyday money-smart spender. All of these small items can add up big.

1. When in doubt about a purchase, don’t buy it.

2. Every day try to cut down on expenses in some way. Buy a soft drink or coffee every other day rather than every day (besides saving money, you’ll improve your health).

3. Reduce your entertainment costs. Instead of spending full price for every movie you see, for half of them go to a matinee, a bargain theatre or see them on rental DVDs. Trade in movie and game DVDs to get cash or credit against future purchases.

4. Eat at home or pack a meal for half the times you’d usually eat out.

5. Shop during sales.

6. Use coupons.

7. Check out books and music at your library.

8. Shop with a list in hand and stick to it.

9. Try to repair an item before buying a replacement.

10. Consider buying used rather than new items. The cost savings can be big, especially with cars.

Even small steps can add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars over your lifetime through the power of compound growth.

10 Ways to Reduce College Costs

The following is an excerpt from High School Money Book, copyright 2007, 2008 Don Silver and excerpt reprinted with permission.

Here are 10 ways to reduce costs:

1. Take advance placement classes in high school that qualify for college credits.

2. Take courses at a community college while you’re in high school (during the summer and possibly during the school year) to get a head start on college credits.

These first two steps can reduce how long you need to pay for a college education, give you a college experience in advance and give you the option to reduce your college workload.

3. Use military service education benefits.

4. Take advantage of nonmilitary service programs such as AmeriCorps to obtain college assistance.

5. Get all available grants and scholarships since you don’t have to repay them (as compared to loans). Pell Grants are a federal financial aid program based on need. Scholarship sites include:

• www.collegeanswer.com
• www.collegeboard.com
• www.fastweb.com
• www.finaid.org
• www.scholarships.com
• http://studentaid.ed.gov (click the Tools and Resources tab and  then click the “Go”  button for Scholarship Search)

6. Have you or your parents shop around for the best deal on loans. There are Stafford Loans, PLUS loans, Sallie Mae Signature Student Loans, home equity loans and loans against a 401(k) plan. Loans vary in size, the interest rate, the tax deductibility of interest, the repayment period and how the family income and assets affect the amount available. Try to get federal loans before private loans.

7. As early as possible, use the FAFSA4caster at www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov/ and also become familiar with FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid at www.fafsa.ed.gov), the federal financial aid application. Be sure you meet application deadlines.

8. Make sure your family is aware of the different financial aid results depending on who owns the assets being invested and saved for your college education.

9. Make sure your family is aware of available tax benefits connected with funding a college education.

10. Have your parents negotiate grants, costs and aid with the colleges.

Save Money on Shaving

The following is a guest post from Badger and Blade.

Every day, millions upon millions of men and women around the world go about the seemingly dreary task of shaving, with little more thought involved in the process other than perhaps, "My boss would kill me if I showed up with a 5 o'clock shadow." Given the vast numbers of shavers out there, it's not surprising that the grooming industry makes billions of dollars per year. Perhaps the last time you set about your morning routine, you thought for a minute about just how much you're contributing to Gillette's bottom line, or perhaps, it's something you'll consider during your next shave.

Unfortunately, as marketing budgets increase along with the number of blades stuffed into a razor cartridge, it would appear the main corollary effect has to do with pricing much more so than effectiveness. At a local drug store in California, a Gillette Fusion can be purchased for $8.99 which includes two cartridges. A package of replacement cartridges, if you opt for the eight pack, rather than the four pack, comes out to $24.99. Cartridge longevity is primarily determined by each individual's hair growth and thickness, but each time you change out your dull Fusion cartridge, it's costing you $3.12. While three bucks here and there seemingly isn't much, numerous cartridges over numerous months, over numerous years really add up.

The good news is, there are much more cost effective methods out there, which have the additional benefit of actually being more enjoyable, and in most cases, much better for your skin. A lot of people come across traditional wet shaving because they're either fed up with mediocre, painful shaves, or overpriced "shave systems." As a result, they're returning to age old traditions, and using traditional double-edge safety razors, or the timeless, and sometimes intimidating straight razor. Once you consider including a moderately priced badger hair brush, or a downright cheap boar brush, and an inexpensive, but effective, and moisturizing shaving soap, you have what many have come to see as a relaxing ritual.

Let's say that the average man can get two weeks worth of shaves out of one Gillette Fusion, some can squeeze more life out of one cartridge, though many notice tugging and dullness well before the two week mark. Your first year of shaving, you'll need a handle ($8.99), and 24 additional cartridges (accounting for the two cartridges included with the handle). The cost of your first year of shaving is $83.96. Thereafter, presuming the razor handle holds up, all you need are 26 cartridges, making your yearly cost $81.22.

Now consider, if you were to shave with a traditional double-edge razor, you can get a new Merkur HD for $28, and a package of very sharp Derby razor blades at $15 for 100 blades (which for the sake of argument, we'll presume lasts half as long as a cartridge razor). In your first year of shaving with a double-edge razor, you'd end up paying $28 for the razor, and an additional $7.80 for the blades, making a whopping total of $35.80, resulting in a savings over a cartridge system for your first year of $48.16. Thereafter, presuming the razor holds up, your blade costs for 52 blades comes out to $7.80 per year, which means after your first year of switching to a double-edge, every additional year, you save $73.42. Presuming an 8% growth rate, the money you save by switching, compounded over 30 years is a very impressive $9,400.

While this article primarily focuses on men's face shaving, the same principle holds true for women's leg shaving as well. Aside from the improved shave quality, double-edge razors provide considerable cost savings regardless of the region being shaved. While there is a learning curve associated with razors used generations ago, there are countless resources available online to help you get started. With any hope, the next time you grab for that multi-bladed contraption, you'll give some thought to a simpler, more effective, and cheaper outside the box alternative.

Save $3k Per Year or More by Throwing Away Stuff

JD at Get Rich Slowly reminds us that one way to save money is to throw away stuff you don't need -- instead of paying to store it. He tells the story of a reporter who shelled out money each month for three years to store stuff he eventually just threw away:

Reporter Andrew Phelps originally rented a unit for what he thought would be a few months. Three years later he returned to find “Star Wars figures, little umbrella thingies that go in cocktails, and more trophies and old baseballs and yearbooks. Oh my God — my Nintendo 64!” For three years, he’d been paying a monthly fee to keep Stuff that he never used.

Then, JD checked into the costs of a storage unit. Man, those things are expensive! Check this out:

Out of curiosity, I checked pricing at a facility near my home. Their smallest unit — 25 square feet — costs $56 a month! That’s almost unbelievable. $56 a month! $672 per year! Prices for larger spaces range up to $278 a month. Wow.

Yep. And Americans are paying a fortune to store their stuff each year. Consider these facts from the book A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future:

Self-storage -- a business devoted to providing people a place to house their extra stuff -- has become a $17 billion annual industry in the United States, larger than the motion picture business.

So what about this for a money-saving idea: instead of paying people to store your junk, what about throwing/giving it away? If it could save you $700 to over $3,000 a year it seems like a smart money move.

Believe me, I know what many (most?) of you self-storage people are going through. We clean out our house every summer (when our kids go to visit my parents) and we end up giving TONS of stuff away to charity (at least the good stuff goes to charity -- the rest gets tossed.) But still it seems like we have more and more junk sitting around our house each year. I feel like I'm fighting a losing battle. But I'm making a commitment to be extra aggressive in my cleaning this summer. I won't be saving myself any money (since I don't have a storage unit), but I think having less stuff will lead to a simpler, less messy lifestyle -- something I'm all in favor of.

Eight Ways to Shave Grocery Costs

Here are eight ways to shave grocery costs from The Street:

1. Price Book
2. Buy in Bulk
3. Buy From the Source
4. Buy in Season
5. Buy Only What You Need
6. Don't Throw Away Food
7. Shop Sales
8. Coupons

Here's how we stand on these suggestions:

1. My wife is a walking price book. She can name the per ounce cost of ketchup, detergent or olive oil at the drop of a hat. Often I'll be at Costco comparing the costs there versus the "benchmark" prices she's spitting out.

2. Do this all the time -- though buying in bulk doesn't always save you money.

3. We do this SOME, especially in the summer, but not enough. Eventually (if we ever buy a new house) we hope to BE the source -- and have a garden in the summer.

4. As much as we can. But if you want something and it's not the season, it's still often worth it for us to buy it anyway.

5. We mess up here (and it impacts suggestion #6 as well). We sometimes get something we think we'll use and then don't quite get to it all. It doesn't happen that often, but it does occur more than I'd like.

6. See #5 above. My wife will keep something FOREVER. I'm more of a "if it looks even close to bad, throw it away" sort of guy.

7. My wife always shops sales and often combines them with...

8. ...coupons. She regularly clips coupons and seems to have one for EVERYTHING!!!!! This is only my guess, but I'd bet we save a few hundred dollars a year on coupons alone.

How to Save on Snacks

Here's a tip on how to save money on snack foods:

When packing kids lunches, it is much cheaper to purchase a large box or bag of a snack item and package it yourself into snack-size zip-close bags than buying the prepackaged snack-size packs. This is true for any snack, from Goldfish crackers to potato chips. It only takes a couple minutes, you'll spend less money and end up with many more homemade snack packs. This holds true for canned fruit as well, rather than buying pre-packed fruit cups, you can make your own using small reusable plasticware.

I'll offer a related snack tip: when you go on a car trip, pack your own snacks and munch on the way instead of buying items at gas stations and convenience stores. As I'm sure everyone knows, those places are extremely expensive, so you can save a ton of money by buying elsewhere and bringing along the snacks. In addition, you can control the nutritional value of the snacks your family eats. There aren't a lot of good-for-you options at gas stations, convenience stores, rest stops, etc.

The Key to Personal Finance Success

If I wasn't married, I think I'd go after this woman. Consider the following about/from her:

Crannell is an aficionado of Goodwill Industries shops. And she'll pass by the racks with $7 blue jeans and head for the bins where the jeans sell for $1.

Crannell likes yard sales, especially those where an entire neighborhood cooperates because there's a bigger selection. She shops at a local farmers market and sometimes makes vegetarian meals, partly because she believes they're healthy and partly to cut down on high-cost meat.

"Keeping track of where your money goes is the most important financial task you can undertake," she said. "It really doesn't matter what you make. It matters what you spend."

That last quote really is the bottom line: no matter what you make, you need to spend less than that amount to get ahead. And since most people have much more control over what they buy than what they earn, keeping a tight rein on your spending really is the foundation for a good financial plan.

And here are a couple posts to help you in spending less than you earn:

• If you'd like to make more money, read 11 Great Ways to Earn More Money.

• If you'd like to spend less/save more, read The 10 Most-Hated Money Saving Tips.

More Great Ways to Save on Wedding Costs

Here's a comment full of tips on saving on wedding costs. It was left on my post titled How to Have Half a Million Dollars at Retirement by Controlling Wedding Costs:

My wife's parents paid for our wedding. I don't know the exact numbers, but I know the budget was $3,000 and they went slightly over. This was a wedding with 200 guests, and it was definitely a nice event -- the quality didn't suffer for the cost.

Ways we saved:

1) Her dad is a pastor. He performed the ceremony, and we used their church.

2) We got married just before noon on a Saturday. We served a tasty brunch (without alcohol) rather than an expensive dinner.

3) Her mom and several friends prepared and froze most of the food in the 2 months prior to the wedding. We didn't have a caterer at all.

4) We decorated with colorful origami paper cranes (1001, from 2 to 36 inch wingspan, folded by us) rather than flowers. Her mother grew some vines, so the only flowers we paid for were the bouquets and corsages.

5) A family friend/baker made the cake.

6) We found a photographer whose rates AND portfolio we liked a year before the wedding. (Our engagement was nearly 3 years long, due to college and the fact that she was 17 when I proposed. This gave us time for things like that.)

7) We used several other decorations the church, her family, or friends already had available.

8) A close friend managed a nearby hotel's banquet setup and such. He coordinated the church youth group, who set up all of the tables and such. (We did give a fairly generous donation to the youth group.)

We probably could have come up with a way to throw a more expensive party... but I'm not sure we could've thrown a better party.

Good tips. What I'm getting out of this is to "use your connections" to try and cut wedding costs. Many of the tips above were simply friends or family that pitched in one way or another and thus saved the couple a ton of money.

Brad Pitt is My Kind of Frugal

Anyone catch this? Brad Pitt is a frugal guy just like me! (Unfortunately, that's where our similarities end.) Anyway, he's my type of ask-for-a-discount sort of guy. The details:

Sources familiar with the inquiry say that Pitt was interested in the Litton House, a 2,600-square-foot residence separate from the main property, which costs about $2,000 a night. Pitt's offer, via the production company, was reportedly only $3,000 for a 30-day stay. That's a whopping 95 percent discount.

95% discount? Who knew Brad Pitt was the model of saving money?

And he asked for the break as a kindness -- he wanted to help out the film:

Why would Pitt need to cut costs? It’s got nothing to do with his expanding brood, but rather the budget for “Tree of Life.” Despite the film’s big-name stars, “Tree” is more indie film than anything, and gained early notoriety when Pitt stepped in to fill the role that was supposed to have been played by Heath Ledger. In fact, most of the cast and crew are staying in rented homes in historic Smithville, Texas, according to the source.

It didn't work out, but you gotta give him a big thumbs up for trying. I'm usually happy with a 50% discount. I don't think I'd ever even ask for a 95% discount unless it was a really unusual situation. So I'm giving kudos to Brad Pitt for giving it the old college try. I'm naming him frugal shopper of the day! ;-)

Anyway, here are some money saving tips the rest of us can use to cut expenses here and there:

• The 10 Most-Hated Money Saving Tips

• Another Example of Asking for a Discount Saving Money

• Frugal Fundamentals

Six Signs that Your Car Might be Too Expensive

I really liked Living Rich by Spending Smart: How to Get More of What You Really Want. Why? Because it's full of great money saving tips. Here are some thoughts from the book -- a list of six signs that your automobile might be too expensive:

• You bought a new car -- depreciation is a killer.
• You financed the car -- if you can't pay cash, you can't afford the car.
• Your car payment is too high -- the book suggests that car payments shouldn't exceed 7% of gross income
• You financed for more than three years -- if you finance for more than three years, it's likely that the car is too expensive for you
• You leased the car to get a lower payment -- this is a tell-tale sign that you bought too much car
• Your vehicles total half your income -- the total current value of all your cars (plus boats, motorcycles, and similar vehicles) should be less than half your gross annual income

Here's how I stand on these:

1. We buy new cars and drive them for years (it takes me seven years to get to 100k miles -- the point where I start looking for a new car. It takes my wife somewhere in the 12-15 year range to hit this level.) I'm considering a used car for our next purchase, but I'm not convinced that buying new and holding forever isn't at least as good of a deal as buying used and holding the car for 2-3 years less (due to mechanical issues that used cars will have versus new simply because they have more miles/usage on them.)

2. We save up and pay cash. It helps us in negotiations as well since the dealer knows we can buy immediately.

3. We pay cash.

4. We pay cash.

5. I've never leased and don't plan to.

6. Our vehicles are a very small percentage of our income.

How do you stack up on these issues?

Save Money by Using Your Local Library

I really liked Living Rich by Spending Smart: How to Get More of What You Really Want. Why? Because it's full of great money saving tips like these on how to save money by using your local library. Libraries offer the following services for FREE:

• Reading materials (books, magazines, newspapers, and printed research and reference materials)
• Internet access
• Entertainment (cultural programs, author talks, story hours, puppet shows, skits)
• Business resources (info from how to start a business to how to write a resume)
• Recorded music
• Videos/DVDs
• Recorded books
• Meeting rooms
• Instructional programs/classes
• Research

I absolutely LOVE our library system. I can go online, select what I want from any library in our system, and they'll send it to my library for me to pick up (they'll email me when it's available.) I can also renew online. And when the book is due, they send me an email a few days ahead of time to remind me. And everything is FREE!!!! (Of course, I am paying for this through taxes, but you know what I mean.)

I always look for a book at the library first before I ever consider buying it. Then, if I really, really, really like the book, I'll buy it, take notes in it and add it to my personal library. Doing this, I only buy a couple books a year (FYI, I do get many good ones sent to me to review here on FMF.)

Here's how I use each of the savings areas the book describes above:

• Reading materials -- I've already covered my thoughts here. One thing to add, my daughter loves to get the American Girl magazine each time it comes out, saving us a good amount versus a subscription.

• Internet access -- Have it at home and work so don't really need it. Plus surfing in public is a bit strange.

• Entertainment -- I see these highlighted on posters quite frequently, but I don't take advantage of them.

• Business resources -- I use the internet to find this stuff out.

• Recorded music -- Every once in awhile, I'll get a CD to listen to from the library. It's usually something I probably wouldn't buy and just want to try out a bit.

• Videos/DVDs -- Get these ALL the time. Right now we're watching season 2 of the Dog Whisperer.

• Recorded books -- I ALWAYS have an audio book in my car. Makes driving more productive than simply listening to music. Besides, I don't have time to read all the books I'd like to -- so I listen to most of them.

• Meeting rooms -- My cycling club meets at our library once a month.

• Instructional programs/classes -- I see these highlighted on posters every once in awhile, but I don't take advantage of them.

• Research -- Again, I use the web for this.

How about you? Do you use the library to save money?

Is It Better/Cheaper to Lease a Car?

Here's an MSN Money piece on myths about leasing a car. I think the article is a bit shaky and I'll detail why in my comments below Let's start with an overview:

About 20% of new-car transactions are leases, but more people should be leasing. As interest rates rose, automakers shifted incentives from rebates and low-interest financing to leases. If you know what you're looking for and negotiate smartly -- and get over the five myths below -- leasing can be a good deal.

Already I'm skeptical, but I'm willing to read on. I am noting that there are a lot of qualifiers in that last sentence (including "negotiate smartly" and "CAN be a good deal".)

Here are the five myths:

1. Buying is cheaper than leasing. If you keep a car well past the day the loan is paid off -- or you paid cash to begin with -- you save money by buying. But if you trade in your car before the loan is paid off, the value of the trade-in is unlikely to cover the remaining balance on the loan.

I pay in cash AND keep my cars for a long time. Can I write off leasing now? I guess so, but we'll keep going for people who don't pay in cash/like to drive a new car every few years.

2. It's nearly impossible to negotiate a good deal. Leases are negotiable. But first you need a tour of the jargon.

Just like everything else, if you're knowledgeable, you can get a better deal than if you aren't.

3. Only businesses get a tax break on leases. Tax laws allow businesses to deduct monthly car-lease payments as expenses. But most individuals get tax breaks, too. In most states, you pay sales tax only on the monthly payments, not the sale price of the vehicle.

Ok, it's a bit of a benefit, but it's nothing to write home about when compared to the total cost of a car and what you'd give up versus buying for cash.

4. You may have to pay hefty fees when you turn in the car. You can probably negotiate a higher limit in exchange for a higher monthly payment and still save money.

Maybe you can, maybe you can't.

5. If you want out early, you're stuck. Several fee-based Web sites match people who want to get out of a lease early with those who want to assume a short-term lease.

What's the hit rate on these anyway? Can everyone easily get out of a lease using these sites? My guess is "no."

Overall, this article does nothing to change my opinion on buying a car: pay cash and hold on to your car for a long, long time.

Free Drug Samples May COST You Money

In the past, I've suggested that asking doctors for free drug samples was a way to save money. Turns out, it may actually cost you money:

A new study that shows patients who get samples end up with significantly higher out-of-pocket costs than those who don’t.

On average, patients who got free prescription samples spent nearly 40 percent more for medication during the six months they received samples, and nearly 20 percent more in the six months afterward, than those who didn’t, according to University of Chicago researchers.

And here's the kicker for our society:

The study, published this week in the journal Medical Care, renews debate about the role of more than $18 billion in free pharmaceutical samples distributed each year, which drug industry representatives have described as a cost-saving safety net for the poor.

“This builds on a growing body of literature that shows that samples are not aimed to help the uninsured and the poor, but to increase the sales of the branded drugs,” said Dr. William Shrank, an instructor at Harvard Medical School, who has studied the issue.

I've always heard that drug dealers give out free samples initially to get people to start using drugs. Who knew that the same tactic would work for legal drugmakers?

Ten Money Lessons From March Madness

The Street has a list of ten money lessons from March Madness that includes some really good points. I thought I'd highlight some and comment on them. Here's the first one:

4. Defense Is as Important as Offense

While offense is the exciting part of the game, defense is just as important to winning. A team with great offense but no defense won't last long in the tournament. Great defense can also make huge contributions to winning games by creating more offensive opportunities.

Creating wealth and investing it is the offense of personal finances, while protecting that wealth is the defense. Getting the proper insurance and creating an emergency fund are just as important to your financial health as creating the wealth in the first place.

The old saying goes that "offense wins games, defense wins championships." And it's true in money management as well. I've discussed this before in My Wife and I Make a Great Super Bowl Team.

And while insurance and emergency funds are important, The Street misses out on the biggest and best defensive step to help grow your net worth: controlling your spending. In fact, if you can play good enough defense in this area, you can improve your financial situation even if you don't play very good offense. Need examples? See Generating a Great Net Worth on a Small Income and How to Get Rich on $20k a Year.

6. It's Little Mistakes That Kill

More often, small mistakes made over the entirety of a game, rather than a single big mistake, will cause a loss. Teams spend hours working on fundamentals to prevent those little mistakes from happening. While a team with a lack of mistakes won't be noticed in a game, those teams that make a lot will be and will usually be found on the losing side.

It's just as important to work on the fundamentals of personal finance such as earning more than your spend, not wasting money on things you don't need and investing money for the future. Learning to work on those fundamentals day in and day out is essential to building quality finances.

This is really the key to success in personal finance in my opinion. Do the basics day in and day out for years and years. If you do this and are consistent at it, you'll become well off in the long term.

On the other hand, even small mistakes can derail your success.

10. Staying Calm Wins Games

March Madness games come with a lot of pressure. They are played over national TV with the best teams across the nation. For a team to win, it must learn how to respond to the pressure without panic and keep to its game strategy.

The same is true with personal finances. There will always be times when things go unexpectedly, and you will be under pressure to change from your game plan.

Having the patience and being able to remain calm when others would normally panic and make mistakes will not only help you survive these situations, it may even show you opportunities to improve your finances.

Boy, there's no better advice than this today. Those people who stay calm with their investments and their real estate holdings will likely emerge from the economic troubles our country is having with STRONGER finances than they had going into it.

Top 10 Deeply Discounted 2008 Cars

I'm not in need of a new car this year, but for those of you who are, here's Bankrate's list of the 10 deeply discounted 2008 cars:

• Chrysler 300C
• Dodge Ram 1500
• Ford Explorer
• Mercury Grand Marquis
• Cadillac DTS 
• GMC Envoy
• Nissan Pathfinder
• BMW 7 Series
• Land Rover LR2
• Lexus RX 350

I don't think any of these would be in my consideration set if I was in the market for a new vehicle. I'm thinking the Honda Pilot or Toyota Highlander top my list right now. Both get good reliability ratings from Consumer Reports.

And before I get any "why do you need a gas-guzzling SUV" comments, here's why:

1. Kids are getting bigger and need more leg room. My son will probably be around 6 feet tall based on his growth pattern and sitting in a small back seat won't work.

2. 100 inches of snow this year. Four-wheel drive is much more than a "like-to-have" here. Many times, it's much, much safer to have it.

3. We frequently haul extra kids, equipment (basketball, soccer, etc.), and so forth from one place to another and we need room to do this.

Frugal Fundamentals

Here's a guest post from Lesley Scorgie’s Rich by Thirty: A Young Adult's Guide to Financial Success, copyright 2007 by and reprinted by permission of Key Porter Books.

“Spend your money wisely.” How many times have you heard that phrase? Was the person saying it a generation or two older than you? Don’t let that fact change your opinion. Despite what you may want to believe, the phrase does have a lot of value. My friend Erin is the queen of frugal living. Over the years, she has given some great advice on being frugal (even to me), and some great tips on saving money. Together, we’ve developed a list of tips and tricks to help you live the frugal life:

• Be Ruthless. Before you plunk down your hard-earned cash, ask yourself whether you really need the item in question, or if you just want it. If you don’t need yet another pair of strappy sandals, or a new set of speakers for your stereo, then you might want to reconsider its priority on your shopping list. Having trouble sorting it out? Try waiting twenty-four hours before buying. Often, you’ll change your mind.

• Cut the credit. If your credit card is getting you into trouble, hide it! Get it out of your wallet. Give it to a parent or trusted adult to hold, or stick it in a resealable bag, fill the bag with water, and put the whole package in the freezer. By the time your cards have thawed, you’ll have had a chance to think twice about making that “must have” purchase—and don’t bother trying to hammer the ice; that will just wreck the cards.

• Wheel and deal. Everything is negotiable. If you feel your credit- card interest rate is too high, call and talk about it with a customer service representative. Negotiate better rates on your debt, on your cell phone bill, on your Internet service. Remember, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

• Pare down. While you’re in that wheeling-and-dealing mode, why not take a closer look at your various plans? Do you really need all those cable channels, or that many hours of Internet access each month? Do you need text messaging and voice mail on your cell phone? Think hard, and get rid of anything you don’t need.

• Become a bargain hunter. Look for sales and discounts when you shop. Check out eBay, auctions, garage sales, and estate sales. I’ve done it and had great success. My dining-room table cost $50, my TV stand was $8, my stove was $60, and my two beautiful leather couches cost a total of $500! My grand total was $618. Had I purchased these items new, I would have paid nearly $3,500. You can also check out vintage stores for cool clothes, jewelry, and accessories.

• Entertain yourself on the cheap. Don’t forget to apply the bargain-hunter rules to other areas of your life. If you enjoy going out for dinner and to the movies, keep your eyes open for coupons or two-for-one nights, or get to know the discount theatres in your neighborhood. Better yet, why not host a potluck and video night for your friends? Did you know most public libraries have a great collection of videos and DVDs? Yes, renting is cheaper than going to the movie theatre, but borrowing is free! (Hint: they loan CDs as well!)

• Think about your food habits. We spend a ton of money on food, whether we live with our parents or on our own. Here are a few ideas for everyone to keep in mind:

• If you live at home, eat at home—or pack a lunch! Fast food is a budget killer and can add up to over $100,000 throughout your lifetime.
• Stop drinking soda. You’ll have more money and you’ll be healthier.
• Try cutting back on meat (vegetarian dishes are often cheaper to prepare).
• Buy your food in bulk (the more you buy, the cheaper it gets).
• And finally, trade in your “designer” coffee for a less expensive cup! (Better yet, buy a travel mug and bring your own hot beverage wherever you’re going.)

• Get healthy. A healthy lifestyle can be remarkably affordable. Just think about it: if you drink or smoke, cutting down can put dollars back into your pocket and add years to your life. Walking or biking, instead of driving or taking public transit, will leave you feeling fit both physically and financially. Why not give it a try for a week and see what a difference it makes?

Money Saving Tip: Don't Assume the "Special" is Cheaper than Regular Price

I was in a restaurant the other day with a friend. He said that when he came in he saw that "Grandpa's Breakfast" was the special of the day and he might get it. I looked over to the sign that greeted everyone as they came in and sure enough, Grandpa's Breakfast was listed as the special of the day for $6.50. Being the curious, financially savvy person that I am, I opened up the menu to see what the regular price was for Grandpa's Breakfast. I expected it to be higher than the "special" price or, at worst, the same.

Guess what -- the "special" price was higher!!!! The regular price was only $5.29!!! Yikes!!!! I didn't know "special" meant "expensive"!!!!

I didn't ask the waitress about the difference in price because my friend ordered something else, but this brief episode served to remind me to always compare prices when eating out and not to assume that the special is always a better-priced alternative to what's already in the menu.

How to Avoid a Hefty Vet Bill

My local paper recently ran a piece saying that the bad economy is forcing people to cut down on veterinarian costs. And in some cases, people are so bad off that they are turning in their pets. The details:

Besides having people seek out low-cost vet services, the sluggish state economy also is resulting in the Kent County Humane Society seeing a steady increase of pet owners relinquishing their animals, said Mark Petz, the Society's development and marketing director.

Owners have specific reasons, Petz said. They're letting go of their pets because they cannot care for them anymore, they need to move where animals are not allowed, they're being evicted for inability to pay their mortgage or rent and they're unemployed.

My take on this:

1. It's a sad situation all the way around -- for both the owner and the pet. I can't help but thinking that if people cut off the cable TV (which HAS to be watched on a flat screen, of course) and luxuries like these that many could afford to keep their pets.

2. I told you pets were expensive. Please, please, please consider the cost before getting a pet. Once you make the commitment to one, my thinking is that you're committed no matter what. That's why it's important to think through the true costs before you get a dog, cat or any other pet.

The piece also shares some proactive ways to avoid making a medical trip to the veterinarian:

• Keep your animal inside the house, fenced inside the yard or on a leash when it is outside to avoid the pet getting struck by a vehicle.

• With Easter approaching, remember lilies are toxic if cats eat them.

• Keep dogs away from chocolate, it can be fatal. Warning signs they've eaten it include vomiting and diarrhea.

• Don't leave medications where a pet could get into them; they could trigger a reaction.

• Keep a pet's nails trimmed, wipe out its ears to prevent infection and bathe and trim its fur regularly to prevent potential medical problems. Long, matted hair can lead to skin infections.

They also offer some ways to save on veterinary care:

• Ask your veterinarian if he or she will let you work out a payment plan.

• Contact your local shelter. Some shelters operate or know of local subsidized veterinary clinics or veterinary assistance programs. Go to Pets911.com and enter your ZIP code for a list.

• If you have a specific breed of dog, contact the National Club for that breed. In some cases, these clubs offer a veterinary financial assistance fund.

• Ask your veterinarian to submit an assistance request to the American Animal Hospital Association "Helping Pets Fund." In order to qualify, your animal hospital must be AAHA accredited. To find an AAHA accredited hospital in your area, visit Pets911.com.

I might as well let the cat out of the bag (pun intended) and tell you all that we are considering getting a pdog. If we do, it would be after we move to our new home, which would likely provide several acres of land for a potential Fido to romp and play. Of course this is far off for us now, but I'm already doing my homework: checking out different breeds, considering the cost and listening to a book on CD from the library by Cesar Millan.