Pinched Pennies

In the less than two years since Jeff and I have been married, due to layoffs and other "fun" life events, we are bringing in less Benjamines than we are use to. Add on top of that buying a much needed car and house and it makes for some pretty inventive budgeting (not to mention, a pretty stressful first couple years of marriage).

I thought in this blog I would share some of our money saving tips, some of which are not entirely new or creative, but this is what works for us. These days, everyone seems to be looking for ways to save an extra buck or two and this is our few tips and tricks on how to do it.

1. Free Stuff: Yes, free is the cheapest we can get, so we look for these opportunites everywhere. Since entertainment is the first thing to get kicked out of a stretched budget we look for free entertainment the most. We have had great luck finding free movies. We belong to lasvegasmovieinsider.com. This site tells where to pick up free passes to pre-release secret premiers. Another great source is the Clark County Libraries. They will show great classics like "The Birds" and even more recent releases like "Running with Siccors" at their theaters in town. It's great because you can see old classics on the big screen.

Another great form of free entertainment is free concerts. Jeff usually scores these from myspace's secret shows (like Glasvegas - great show) and reading the fine print in the Las Vegas Weekly. We have even gotten to see free concerts when we've purchased a ticket for one show and the venue will give away free entrance into other events held in the casino the same day with a ticket stubb.

2. Taking it outside: Outdoor activities are my favorite forms of cheap entertainment. Going for a walk, bike ride, or on a hike are usually free. Summers in Las Vegas cramp this a bit, but with Mt. Charleston just a few bucks of gas away with it's cooler tempatures and hiking trails, we don't have to go far to enjoy the great outdoors. I'm even a fan for camping in the backyard or taking the projection screen and some sheets outside for your own night out without having to leave the house.

3. Coupons: Jeff and I are turning into expert coupon hunters. I usually save an average of $20 on a $100-130 grocery bill. I also only go shoping every other week instead of making weekly shoping trips, going to the grocery store less often usually saves money. Jeff searches our mail for coupons and I belong to a couple websites such as Shortcuts.com to get the best coupons.

Our younger siblings roped us into buying these coupon books from them for some school activity or something as well. We were able to recoup their cost within the first month or so with the coupons we used at grocery stores and the movies. Plus it makes date nights easier- "Where should we go?" Just look in the coupon book and pick what looks fun or tasty. (Yes, we actually do this, we are sad I know).

4. Two for One: When you start looking around it's amazing how many places offer specials with buy one get one free, which is great when your family is made up of only 2. House of Blues lets you sign up to get their Two For Tuesday deals, where you can purchase two tickets for selected upcoming events for the price of one ticket every Tuesday. And when we're feeling like a frozen treat we just hit up Dairy Queen off Eastern on Tuesdays for thier buy one peanut buster parfa get one free.

5. Cutting the Excess: We have been continually working on cutting back. We may take some services off of our cable or phones bills only to come back a few months later to reasses. Once we've lived a few months without such and such a service we see what else can we easily live without. In the last year I bet we've cut our monthly bills by a couple hundred dollars. It is actually nice to just get back to the basics. It is amazing how much extra stuff and services are included with everything. We also are reassing what we bring home. I have to admit, I use to use mindless shoping as a way to blow off steam, but now before every purchase we think - how often are we really going to use this? In a year is this something we still will want? This also helps cut back on the junk and clutter around the house.

These are probably the top five things we do to cut back on expenses. They are really pretty painless too. I haven't noticed too big of a diffence in our quality of life over the last few years. Of course, nothing can replace good budgeting, which we are constantly working on. If any one knows of good websites or tricks for saving please do share. We are always on the look out to save a quick buck or two.

Recapture

You learn the coolest things on PBS! Yes, I am that big of a dork.
Did you know that when you enter one of these: word verifications on a website you may just be helping the New York Times or be updating an old book? It is called recapture. You see, many companies and agencies are scanning their old publications, articles, and books into computers but the old print from these publications are sometimes uneven and ill spaced, making it impossible for a computer to read them. So, a brilliant computer scientist came up with the idea that if we can decipher the above word that we would be able to also decipher these old scanned words.


This is commonly used when you see two different words, you know, those fuzzy ones with lint and lines through them. Well, thanks to us and these verifications being used on popular websites like Facebook and Myspace over 20 years of word decoding has already been completed. How cool is that!

I know, I know, I am a dork - but innovative, efficient ideas like this are exciting to me.

The past month . . .

I realize that when I am not bored at work I don't really blog that well. Hmm. This might be an issue. Catch up . . .

New job is going well. I hope it will lead to promotions and a fine "career" in the future. I'm still in training so my first promotion may be a ways off just yet. Jeff starts at the PT office in the next week or two. During my week off I read a couple great books - Water for Elephants and Forever Amber. Yes, I actually read Forever Amber. It was like a more raw Casablanca set in London. My favorite line was - "Amber is the exact type of woman every man wants for his mistress but not for a wife." This character does not emulate me in any sense, but it was entertaining. As soon as the The Outsiders comes in from my hold I can't wait to read that one too.

I also painted a couple of dressers to make a larger TV stand and conducted our first yard sale. I'm still waiting to feel inspired on the design for the pillows I want to sew for the sofa. When I get the Livingroom finally all set up I'll take a couple shots and show the before and after.

We have been having just a great few weeks of lazy hanging out - it has been awesome! This past Memorial Day weekend we saw Flight of the Concords, a bonus free show of Youth Group at Wasted Space and a couple movies. My favorite part of the weekend though was when our upstairs was too hot to sleep (who puts 1 air conditioner on the ground floor of a 2 story house? It makes for a toasty upstairs! I have Ice Princess coming to see what we can do next week) we dragged down the Futon Mattress into the living room and stayed up watching movies till wee hours. I felt like a little kid building a fort in the middle of the living room. It was so much fun! I think this may be necessary this weekend too, while we wait for the repair men to come out, but I don't mind, it's just too much fun.

Lazy Bliss

I just received great news! Not only did I find a job but due to some technical issues my start date was just postponed a week. What does that mean? Well, since I have already given my 2 weeks notice at my current job, that means a week with NO WORK!

My mind is running full of things I can do. I have not had a week off like this since . . . High school maybe? I am reserving it all for lazy home FUN! I need to get a list of books to read and stock up on some crafty supplies. I am thinking, catch up on some reading, finally sew pillows for the couch and do some painting. Yep! That sounds like a plan.

Any suggestions on what to read or maybe an activity to do? I have a WHOLE WEEK after all. Nothing too pricey though, because this also means a week with no pay.

Our family is being so blessed lately, we have so much to be greatful for!

Are "Box" Pianos ready for a come back?

I think so! I have had a strange obsession with "box" pianos, or square piano's as they are usually called, ever since I saw Sense and Sensibility. The piano that Cornell Branden gives Mariann at the end is to die for! I am in love with that piano. Below is a picture of a similar box piano from the 1700's.

These pianos became popular in the 1700's because they were easy to make and affordable for most middle class families. They are somewhere between a traditional harpsichord and normal piano.

I think they should make a come back! Why couldn't they be a great alternative to middle class families now? If they were inexpensive to make once they could be again, with the right people of course. Why should we limit this beautiful style of piano just to museums and well to do living rooms where they are so out of tune and damaged many of them can not even be played? I think we are ready for them. In these economic times, people are downsizing their homes and getting ride of the theories that bigger is better. We could use a smaller piano along with smaller cars and smaller debt. Wouldn't a piano like the one below look fabulous in a more modern home? This is one of the earliest style of this piano and I love it the most for it's small size and clean lines.

True, there are some draw backs to box pianos. Most box piano's only have 60 keys, their sound and touch is lighter than a normal piano, and they are limited to only one or two actions. Near the end of the 1800's box pianos started to become too big with the new style of grand box pianos, I hear they were hard to tune too.

I, for one, think that the style and look out weigh these negatives and only wish a piano maker would start a new line of these pianos. I would be first in line to buy one. I wish I was talented enough to make them myself. I told Jeff the other day that if I thought I had the talents to choose any job I wanted, I would be a carpenter who made furniture. Making a box piano might be even better than that. For now, I guess these awesome pianos will just be a dream, until I have the funds to buy one of my own antique box pianos.

Ward Callings

I know ward callings must be inspired. Yesterday I was called to be a Nursery Leader in our ward. What a perfect birth control method for me to delay my baby hunger pangs. I thought it was hilarious, it's just what I wanted.

Jeff was called to be a Ward Missionary, which I know he will be amazing at. I think wards are always so much better once you have a calling and feel a part of it all. I'm looking forward to it, now after 6 months with those kids it might be another story, but for now I'm excited.

Has anyone been a Nursery Leader before? Any tips for survival?

Pimpin' myself

So, the economic down turn finally hit the LVVWD. I found out on Monday that I am one of one hundred employees that are being laid off. I know SO many people are searching right now but if you hear of anything please let me know :)

I have 4 years of experience working in the mortgage/financial field and almost 2 years in administration. At the LVVWD I work in Management Services and do great things like research, plan conferences, write letters, support public and private meetings, etc. I have a BA in History and Political Science. I'd love to stay in administration but I understand this is not the best time to be picky so I am pretty open to whatever jobs you hear of.

Sorry to pimp myself out on my families blog but, as I'm the breadwinner in the family right now while Jeff goes to school, this is our biggest concern at the moment. Personal networking can't hurt :)