On sale, $3 off at Shaws, waiting just for me. Well, actually hidden behind some crappy light ice cream as if one of the stockers stashed it so they could hoard it once the store closed. So basically waiting just for me.
Showing posts with label Super Savings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Super Savings. Show all posts
Thursday, March 05, 2009
I Know God Loves Me
On sale, $3 off at Shaws, waiting just for me. Well, actually hidden behind some crappy light ice cream as if one of the stockers stashed it so they could hoard it once the store closed. So basically waiting just for me.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Cha-Ching: NYC Edition
This weekend Brent and I went down to NJ to visit my parents who are serving their mission in Morristown. Typically we'd do this over a three day weekend but they're being released later this month and it was our last chance. To sweeten the pot, my parents offered to watch Liesel on Saturday so we could go into NYC and have a date together. I would never turn down an offer to go to NYC. Ever! Well we're on a budget so we spent our day doing the following:
Parked in Seacacus, NJ fo
r all of $.25 an hour. Because we went later in the day we only had to pay $2 total since the meter only counted until 6 PM. Then we took the bus in to the city. Actually we took the wrong "bus" and ended up on a shuttle which in the end made us grateful we both speak Spanish. The nice bus would have cost us $5.10 and the shuttle was only $5 so technically we saved $.10 and got to listen to Shakira on the way to Manhattan... another bonus! We also made sure to bring along our Metro card because we were using the subway rather than taxis. We were happy to find the card hadn't expired and had $2.05 still on it.
r all of $.25 an hour. Because we went later in the day we only had to pay $2 total since the meter only counted until 6 PM. Then we took the bus in to the city. Actually we took the wrong "bus" and ended up on a shuttle which in the end made us grateful we both speak Spanish. The nice bus would have cost us $5.10 and the shuttle was only $5 so technically we saved $.10 and got to listen to Shakira on the way to Manhattan... another bonus! We also made sure to bring along our Metro card because we were using the subway rather than taxis. We were happy to find the card hadn't expired and had $2.05 still on it. Savings: approximately $25
Eating in NYC can chew a hole in your wallet pretty fast if you don't know where to go. Normally we would have gone to one of our favorite sushi restaurants near Times Square called Haru but we were doing things cheap. I've been wanting to try out a Gray's Papaya hot do
g ever since I've heard it mentioned on movies and tv shows like Fools Rush In and Sex and the City. Brent got the Recession Special for $4.45 and I requested two chili dogs (like the ones shown on Fools Rush In) and found out they don't HAVE chili dogs. They came to $3. We got to stand at a thin metal counter while we ate and immediately agreed we'd have to go somewhere for dessert and perhaps fries. They were good hot dogs, but we were starving and it didn't quite do it for us. Still, if we'd never gone I would have always wondered and now I know what Gray's Papaya is all about.
g ever since I've heard it mentioned on movies and tv shows like Fools Rush In and Sex and the City. Brent got the Recession Special for $4.45 and I requested two chili dogs (like the ones shown on Fools Rush In) and found out they don't HAVE chili dogs. They came to $3. We got to stand at a thin metal counter while we ate and immediately agreed we'd have to go somewhere for dessert and perhaps fries. They were good hot dogs, but we were starving and it didn't quite do it for us. Still, if we'd never gone I would have always wondered and now I know what Gray's Papaya is all about.Savings: approximately $40
Brent and I have seen most of the major Manhattan must-sees like the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building
, Ellis Island, Ground Zero, Museum of Fine Arts, Central Park (including Strawberry Fields and the Zoo), etc. What I haven't seen with Brent I've seen with my sisters or on business trips so we were starting to scrape bottom for something we could do that was new and essentially free. We settled on the Museum of Natural History which ended up being so much fun! Whenever you enter a museum in NYC and the price says, "Suggested Donation" that means it's technically free. Well the suggested donation was $15 and it was closing in 2 hours. I felt no shame when I told the cashier we'd be paying $4 for the both of us. Of course we weren't able to see the entire museum but we hit the Hayden Planetarium which was amazing, the African animals (Brent would like to have an antelope for a pet), the Minerals wing and animals from Mexico and Central America. It was indoors (read WARM) and knowing we couldn't catch everything meant we didn't feel rushed to get through it all.
, Ellis Island, Ground Zero, Museum of Fine Arts, Central Park (including Strawberry Fields and the Zoo), etc. What I haven't seen with Brent I've seen with my sisters or on business trips so we were starting to scrape bottom for something we could do that was new and essentially free. We settled on the Museum of Natural History which ended up being so much fun! Whenever you enter a museum in NYC and the price says, "Suggested Donation" that means it's technically free. Well the suggested donation was $15 and it was closing in 2 hours. I felt no shame when I told the cashier we'd be paying $4 for the both of us. Of course we weren't able to see the entire museum but we hit the Hayden Planetarium which was amazing, the African animals (Brent would like to have an antelope for a pet), the Minerals wing and animals from Mexico and Central America. It was indoors (read WARM) and knowing we couldn't catch everything meant we didn't feel rushed to get through it all. Savings: $26
Our one splurge was to finish the day having dessert at The Stardust Diner. W
e were still hungry from the Gray's Papaya letdown and we've always enjoyed ourselves at this place. All the waiters are aspiring Broadway actors so they sing. The food is good to if you're looking for All-American fare. Some things have changed and we found they sang songs one after another whereas before they'd give you a break. It was incredibly loud... so loud in fact that I couldn't even hear Brent when he told the waiter what he wanted to order. The waiters no longer brought the food or cleaned up the plates. We still had a good time (and some much needed calories), but I plan to write a letter to the owner to let him know about my disappointment in our recent dining experience. Writing a letter is something I do on occasion and I've NEVER not received something for it. Companies spend millions of dollars trying to get consumer feedback so when someone of their own volition puts a stamp on it and sends it to your doorstep they tend to oblige. I'm confident we'll get some sort of voucher or coupon or gift card.
e were still hungry from the Gray's Papaya letdown and we've always enjoyed ourselves at this place. All the waiters are aspiring Broadway actors so they sing. The food is good to if you're looking for All-American fare. Some things have changed and we found they sang songs one after another whereas before they'd give you a break. It was incredibly loud... so loud in fact that I couldn't even hear Brent when he told the waiter what he wanted to order. The waiters no longer brought the food or cleaned up the plates. We still had a good time (and some much needed calories), but I plan to write a letter to the owner to let him know about my disappointment in our recent dining experience. Writing a letter is something I do on occasion and I've NEVER not received something for it. Companies spend millions of dollars trying to get consumer feedback so when someone of their own volition puts a stamp on it and sends it to your doorstep they tend to oblige. I'm confident we'll get some sort of voucher or coupon or gift card.Savings: stay tuned...
Total Savings: $91+
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Cha-Ching
I'm planning to chronicle our ongoing cost-savings efforts. If you're not interested, feel free to skip any post titled Cha-Ching. If you have any tips to share, please do so! In our efforts to cut costs, we've recently made these savings:
Parking: Monday was a holiday and I had client visits for the rest of the week. I either dropped Brent off at the T or he took the bus we didn't have to pay for parking all week. Savings: $35
Children's Clothing: $50 Guymbucks + $50 gift card = $100 of clothing for only the cost of shipping. Yes, I actually calculated how much it would cost us to drive to the nearest Gymboree and pick up the stuff so we wouldn't have to pay shipping and shipping was cheaper. Also, we're borrowing clothes from friends with children older than Liesel so we don't need as many clothes. Thank you Bosses and Wuehlers!
Savings: $100+
Entertainment: We'd previously decided not to go to any movies this year. Because we watched Sofie and Seth, their parents sent us movie passes with two coupons for small popcorn and a note they'd like to take Liesel so we can have a date night.We specifically told them we just wanted them to pay it forward and we didn't want to be paid so this is a nice surprise.
Savings: $30*
*I realize technically this isn't a savings since we wouldn't have gone, but it's a benefit so I count it anyway.
Food: We purchased $25 worth of baby food which was on sale and then we utilized our coupons for another $9 worth of savings. Liesel is also suddenly disgusted by formula so we aren't using as much which is great because it's incredibly expensive. Now if we could only figure out how to get her to poop less.
Savings: $12
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Pinching
With the Wuehler family (as with many families across America), 2009 is going to be a tight year. Brent and I have looked at our finances and agreed to take some cost-saving measures to trim the fat. We're pretty careful with our money anyway so we had to get creative on finding more ways to save. The following is a list of things we will do for 2009 and once 2010 hits we can loosen our belts a tad. In the meantime:- No movies: we have Netflix and rather than pay $12 per person for a movie in the theater, we're just going to have to wait until it's available on dvd. I think Harry Potter is the only one we would have shelled out the money for anyway.
- Public transportation: even though gas has gone down to a tolerable price, parking in Boston can be pricey. Every so often I'd be headed out the door to catch my bus when Liesel would wake up, smile a groggy smile at me and my heart melted. I'd announce to Brent we'd just have to drive in because I couldn't leave my girl. Doing this a couple of times a week at $11 a day, you can do the math. I'm just going to have to suck it up and consistently take the bus. Those early morning hours are Brent and Liesel's bonding time anyway; I get to see her in the afternoon when I do pick up.
- No restaurants: when we looked at our finances for this past year I was blown away at how much we spend at restaurants. We never go out! But a little Burger King here, a Chinese craving there and voila, it adds up fast. For some strange reason we've amassed a number of gift cards to various restaurants lately. BTW- huge thanks to the anonymous person who sent me a gift card to The Cheesecake Factory for my birthday. I never did find out who was so generous. Anyway, if we really need a night out we'll use one of our many gift cards. No restaurants means NO restaurants. Everything from Bertucci's to Yum Yum Dim Sum is on the chopping block. 2009 will be the year of home cooking.
- A couple of degrees: I like a toasty warm house even though Brent and Liesel run warm. I looked at the temperature gauge and turned it down a couple of degrees. I'm wearing my hoodies around the house a lot more often and Brent's obliged me with more cuddling. This one's not so bad.
- E-bay: I'm looking long and hard at the things we just don't use that could be sold to an eager buyer. We made a nice chunk of change from the extra Cities and Knights set and my old Coach bag this past year. Now that I have the account and a little bit of know how (thanks for the tutorial Reagan!) our virtual garage sale is up and running.
- Valentine's Day: from the beginning of our marriage we agreed that Brent would always get me flowers (ordered shortly after Christmas when there are a lot of deals) and I would take him out to eat. Turns out Valentine's Day is on a Saturday this year! My co-workers will never know we decided to forgo the flowers and we'll cook each other a lovely meal at home to celebrate. We're planning to do the same thing for our anniversary.
- Buddy System: I've agreed I will not frequent a Container Store unless Brent is with me. I can easily justify spending huge amounts of money there because "A house of order is a house of God" so Brent promises to keep my feet on the ground.
- No birthday gifts: Birthdays are a pretty big deal in my family and I really try to get everyone in the Nielsen and Wuehler families a little somn' somn' for the big day. Turns out, it's a pretty big expense so this year we're doing letters detailing why we love and appreciate the birthday person. I can't go so cheap as to do email but a stamp is still a pretty big savings. I have a feeling people will like personal letters better than the gifts we've gotten in the past anyway.
- Embrace the Kirkland brand: Oooohkay... this is, well a challenge for me. As of right now we do the butter and the frozen chicken so perhaps I can swallow my pride and try some of their other products. Except the men's shirts. And the toilet paper. You know what? This one isn't all that big of a deal. I just agreed to try it. I could even take it off of this list.
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