saving money

Save Money and Headaches this Halloween-Organize a Costume Swap on National Costume Swap Day!

September 12, 2012 by Kathryn

The kids are back in school. Your schedule is almost all yours for at least a few hours every day. Coffee is sipped while still hot. Life is good.

Then…you have visions of Halloween.

halloween girl painted as tiger Before you start to panic thinking up ways to distract your 7-year-old long enough to keep her away from the Monster High costumes or trying to stomach blowing $50 for plastic masks and cheap fabric suits from a big box store, you ease back into that comfy chair across from your favourite pals and split another of those sweet chocolate brownies with them. There is magic in the air.

You look down into your nearly empty latte cup and realize that all of this Halloween costume craziness could be avoided this year. If only someone in your town would host one of those very cool costume swaps that everyone is talking about over at National Costume Swap Day Canada!

That’s when you pitch it to the smiling moms around you – “Let’s be the ones to host a costume swap!” [Read more...]

Filed Under: Articles, Family Tagged With: budget, costume, costume swap, costume swap day, halloween, halloween costume, national, national costume swap day, october 13, save money, saving money, swap, usedeverywhere

Anna’s Budget Tips-Low Cost Ways to Update Mom’s Wardrobe

March 1, 2012 by Kathryn

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Cute onesies. Fashion-forward diaper covers. Size 3 skinny jeans (3T that is). If your fashion focus has been primarily on your kids, who can blame you? They are so stinking cute and dressing them can be really fun. Plus, it’s something lots of us started practicing for as little girls when we played dress-up with our baby dolls. But it’s important not to forget that you deserve to look and feel great too!

Even if growth spurts and changing seasons mean that there’s little room in the budget for Mom’s wardrobe after outfitting the little ones it is possible to update your look without breaking the bank. Here are a few super low cost ideas to try:

Update with accessories. Add a few in-the-moment accessories to a classic outfit that’s already in your closet, whether it’s for the park, a play date, work or a night out. Don’t spend a lot on these trendy items which aren’t likely to last season after season – check stores such as Target, Claire’s Boutique, H&M, Walmart or low cost local boutiques. Current trends to consider include aviator sunglasses, large sparkly cocktail rings, statement necklaces, scarves and lots of bracelets – they can be bangles, beaded, cuffs, woven or wooden but wear several at a time on one wrist.
Buy one great item you’ll wear all the time. Do you live in jeans? Wear a black blazer to work at least a couple of times a week? Incorporate a classic white tee into almost every outfit? Whether it’s a bag, pair of shoes, article of clothing or accessory, if there is something you reach for again and again you might want to update your look by replacing that item with one that fits, looks, and feels amazing. And “great” doesn’t have to mean pricey – just try to carve out a little time to find the one that is right for you. Jeans in particular can be notoriously tough to buy but if you grab a bunch of styles, washes and fits and attack that three-way mirror with a vengeance, you’ll be rewarded every time you pull on that pair you love.
Shop your friends’ closets with a clothes swap. Chances are there is more than one item in your closet that is fashionable and in good shape but that you never, ever wear. Get your friends together for a fun “Mom’s Night Out” and have them all bring a bag of clothes they’re ready to part with. Lay everything out or toss it all in a pile and let everyone dig in and you should each end the night with a few new items to update your wardrobe. It’s so true that one woman’s trash is another woman’s treasure! Donate any items left over to a local charity.

Unless you’re either one of those super women who don’t need to sleep or have a staff of 12 around to help out, perfect hair and makeup is probably saved for special occasions. These days “blowout” is more likely to refer to an unfortunate diaper incident than shiny hair! Still , you can feel a little more polished and pulled together with these quick beauty tips:

Add some style to that low maintenance pony tail by doing a quick braid from a side part to a little past your ear on one side. You can also just twist the hair before tucking it into the pony tail for an even faster look – you don’t even need a mirror.
If you know that nail polish will get chipped before you can redo it, just skip it! Instead, after trimming your nails short, file the edges to a slightly rounded square and then buff the surface, which will make your nails shiny. The result is a classic and natural look.
If you skip everything else, remember the sunscreen and moisturizer. Moisturizing lotion will help your skin look and feel fresh and youthful and sunscreen will help keep it looking that way for years to come. Mix them together to just apply once and save time or find a lotion you like with an SPF of 30 or higher, especially for your face.

Do you have any budget-friendly fashion tips of your own? I’d love to hear them!

Anna Platz writes for the popular personal finance blog, Good Cents Savings, which focuses on helping you to save money, stick to a budget, and live well on less. She is also the mother of a four year old daughter who is worth every penny!

Filed Under: Anna's Budget Tips, Articles, Features, Money Tagged With: budget, budget tips, finance, low cost fashion, mom wardrobe, money, money tips, saving money

MoBeam numi key-Review and Giveaway

December 16, 2010 by Kathryn

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Holiday Gift for Frugal Friends

As a stay-at-home mom, I’ve become a bit of an expert at pinching pennies. My attitude is that being a mother is my job, and by doing it well I can minimize costs and maximize our spending so that we are pretty much as well off as we would be if I was working. There are tons of ways to save money nowadays, from coupons to bulk purchases to sale hunting. But one method of saving I’ve never been able to really participate in is loyalty card programs.

There is, to be honest, only one reason for this. I don’t remember my cards. I had a Petro Canada gas card once, and I misplaced it less than a week after I received it. I ordered an Air Miles card and it’s still sitting upstairs in a drawer. My loyalty card use consisted of exactly two cards: Safeway, because I could enter my phone number at the till instead of carrying the card itself, and Venture One, because it came with a small plastic key tag I could carry instead of the actual card. And even though I had my Venture One card right on my keys, I would still forget to pull it out at the till nine times out of ten.

Then, I learned about the numi key from MoBeam. This handy little gadget is a loyalty-card-lover’s dream come true. By hooking it up to your computer, visiting myloyaltycards.com and entering the retailer and your loyalty card number, the numi key then saves the information in a device no bigger than a pack of Tic-Tacs. When the time comes to scan the card, all you have to do is turn on the numi key, choose your required loyalty card from the device and press the red button on the center of the device. The top of the numi key then beams the code out for the scanner to read. No muss, no fuss and best of all, no cards to remember!

The numi key sounded absolutely incredible, and I was elated when I was given a chance to test one out for myself. I immediately went hunting around the house for my currently unused loyalty cards. When the numi key arrived, I was ready, armed with cards just itching to be put into use!

I had three cards that were on the list of approved retailers for the numi key, so inputting those numbers was a breeze. I simply hooked up the numi key to my computer with the included USB cable and visited myloyaltycards.com to load my numbers. I decided to load my Pet Smart card first, so I chose Pet Smart from the list of retailers, typed in the membership number and clicked the Add Number button. A few seconds later, the loyalty card was loaded on my numi key!

I added my Best Buy card and Safeway card in the same manner. Then, I unplugged the numi key from the USB cable and turned it on to see how it worked. The menu showed that I had three loyalty cards. When I clicked the red button in the center, the list of loyalty cards loaded. To choose the one I wanted, I simply scrolled down until I reached my desired card and then hit the red button again.

One of the great features of the numi key is that it actually displays a miniature picture of the loyalty card once you’ve selected it, so knowing you’ve chosen the right one is easy. Once the icon shows your required card, you simply hit the red button a final time, and the top of the numi key beams out the information for a barcode scanner to read!

The first place I used my numi key was at Safeway, and both the teller and the customers were blown away by the device. After choosing the Safeway card and pressing the button, I simply directed the top of the numi key towards the teller’s scanner and the code scanned into the till like a charm! The unanimous refrain from surrounding customers was, “I have to get one of those!”

I loved how easy using the numi key had been, so I knew my next priority had to be adding some other loyalty cards to the numi key’s list of over 90 supported retailers. One of the best things about the numi key is that adding a new retailer is as easy as sending the company a clear picture of your favorite loyalty card’s barcode. With that information, the retailer can then be added to the system for every person that uses that particular loyalty program. For those that don’t want to wait, there is also an option of manually adding your retailer instantly on the website.

One of my most-used loyalty cards is my Venture One card from Canada Post. I asked my husband to scan the front and back of the card and then emailed the scan to the address on the website. Less than 24 hours later, I was able to add my Venture One card’s information to my numi key, and every other person that owns a numi key and uses a Venture One card can now add their information as well!

The numi key is compatible with most scanners, but it doesn’t work with barcode readers that take a picture of the entire card with a large, circular scanning area. I haven’t had any problem using the numi key yet, and if I do happen to come across a scanner that doesn’t read the information, I’m glad to know that I can also access the loyalty card numbers I entered on the numi key so that they can be entered manually if need be.

The numi key would make a great stocking stuffer for any frugal mom, and at only $19.95 it is the perfect little gift for yourself too! And for those people that tend to forget their loyalty cards at home, the numi key will most likely pay for itself, since you’ll finally be able to take full advantage of your favorite loyalty programs! The card supports the most popular loyalty programs in both the United States and Canada including Gold’s Gym, HBC Rewards, Hallmark, Costco, Sobeys and many, many more! If you’re tired of toting a heavy wallet full of loyalty cards or are frequently frustrated by forgotten cards, check out the numi key for yourself. You’ll love how quick, easy and fun your favorite loyalty programs will become!

Buy It: To purchase the MoBeam numi key, visit Amazon.com today

Win It: Two lucky readers are each going to win their very own numi key from MoBeam

To Enter (mandatory): Visit myloyaltycards.com and tell me which loyalty card you’ll be adding to the numi key first

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Giveaway ends 11:59 pm CST on January 7, 2011. Open to US and Canada

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