Tips To Save On Appliances

1. Extended warranties on appliances are rarely worth the cost, especially if the manufacturer offers a 90-day or 1-year warranty. The cost of an extended warranty is almost always higher than the cost of replacing or fixing an appliance if there's a problem with it.

2. If you are in the market to buy a gas oven or range, purchase one with an automatic electric ignition system. An electric ignition saves gas since there is not a pilot light continuously burning.

3. If you have a light odor coming from your garbage disposal, put 10 to 20 ice cubes down it every two weeks or so. Ice will sharpen the blades and break up grease and residue in the disposal saving you the cost of having to perfume over the smell.

4. If your dishes aren't getting clean in your dishwasher, check the dishwasher screen on the inside. Food particles can build up and plug the screen which blocks water from the pump and keeps your dishes from getting clean.

5. Instead of turning off the oven when you take your dish out, turn it off several minutes before the dish is completely done. The remaining heat in the oven will finish the cooking.

6. Leaky toilets account for more than 10% of water usage in the US. To find out if yours is leaking, put a little non-staining coloring in the water tank which will show whether water is leaking from the tank into the bowl.

7. Newer washers use only about 40 percent of the energy models that are 10 years old use. Replacing an older appliance can save a significant amount in energy costs and end up paying for itself.

8. Protect and prolong the plastic gasket on your refrigerator by taking a thin coat of Vaseline and putting it all the way around. This will make the gasket more pliable so you won't lose as much air and the refrigerator will run more efficiently.

9. Save money and wear on your clothes by using a third of the recommended amount of laundry detergent. Detergent is hard on clothes and builds up in the machine. One-third the recommended amount should still get your clothes clean.

10. Take advantage of ENERGY STAR labels when purchasing appliances. ENERGY STAR is a government sponsored program created to help consumers identify energy-efficient appliances and products.

11. Test your refrigerator door seals by closing the door over a dollar bill so it is hanging half in and half out. If you are able to pull the bill out easily, you need to adjust the latch or the seal may need replacing. Putting a thin coat of Vaseline along the seal may also help.

12. When given a choice, use your microwave in place of your oven. A microwave costs around five cents per hour to operate while a standard oven runs about 11 cents per hour.

13. When purchasing appliances, check for display models that may have minor dents or scratches since these are usually discounted. If you find an appliance that has minor surface damage, ask for a discount.

14. When using the oven to bake, don't open the door more than necessary. Opening the door wastes energy and increases the cooking time of the dish being made.

15 You can freshen the air in your entire house without buying costly air fresheners by simply squeezing a few drops of fresh lemon or orange into the dust bag of your vacuum cleaner.

i think the cost of cookin varies on what you cook with in the microwave. circulation for food is as important as it is to you, using round containers with feet on the bottom will cook quicker and more evenly w/o corners to burn. i was also told at a tupperware class, that cooking 100 hrs in the microwave costs 3 dollars vs 75 for a stove for 100 hrs. and the nutrients are higher in a container with a lid for the microwave. the steam dont escape which is the nutrients leaving the food. tupperware has a product for 20 dollars thats round, has feet has a lid and a steamer plate in it. i think its worth the investment.

This may be somewhat off-topic, but there are risks associated with cooking in any plastic. The plastic leaches into the food and can mimic estrogen and cause medical issues.

my teacher had cancer and was taught marcobiotics for healthier living. i feel your observation is too broad, some plastics are made just for cooking and wouldnt be allowed to sell as a microwave safe product if it were not safe to use. another item some may not know
now these days they make those colored over white glass dishes for cooking in the oven, they have clear glass lids, most of them are oblong shaped. they used to be exclusive to hospital use, and they were not made for cooking. i seen people selling these at garage sales that they stole while in the hospital and such. these are origanally made for chemology use only. thats where they test your bodily fluids and functions for cancer remition. i only use in my microwave, stuff made for cooking in the microwave. i dont believe your comment about all plastic, im sure tupperware has marketing paperwork to show on this issue. and how thier products are made differently and safe for use. ill be looking for it, if and when i find it i will post it.

Saving Tips For Shopping

1. Make a list before yo go grocery shopping. Estimates are that people spend as much as 40% more on impulse purchases when they shop without a list.

2. Take a minute to check your receipt before you leave the grocery store. Computerized scanners are only as accurate as the information input into them which is sometimes incorrect or a non-sale price.

3. Take the time to comparison shop. Even if the store with the lowest price is too far from your home, you can still probably get the item you want for that price. Go to your local store with the advertisement in hand. Many stores will meet the price of the same item advertised elsewhere.

4. Before you go out and buy a new item that you will only use infrequently, see if you can borrow it from a friend or neighbor.

5. Consider bartering or trading goods and services with others instead of paying cash.

6. Buy clothes at seasonal changes to to get up to 80% off the original price. Be sure, however, to only buy items you are actually going to wear. A "great deal" is a 100% loss if you never wear it.

7. Check your local newspaper classifieds for public storage auctions. Public storage companies will auction off abandoned items in order to recover their lost fees. You can often pick up great deals on a wide variety of items at these auctions.

8. Get in and out of the grocery store as quickly as possible. Surveys show that a person spends an extra 50 cents each additional minute they stay in a grocery store beyond 30 minutes.

9. Go shopping with a full stomach. Studies show that people spend about 10% more if they shop on an empty stomach compared to a full one.

10. If you are looking to make a large item purchase, shop at the end of the month or at the end of the quarter. This is usually when sales staff and vendors have to meet their quotas and they will be more likely to give a better deal in order to make quota.

11. Make sure to check the upper and lower shelves when shopping. Items stocked at eye level are usually the most expensive. Less expensive items can usually be found in the harder to see areas of the upper and lower shelves.

12. Once you find something that you want to purchase online, take some time to do an online search for a coupon or coupon code offered by the merchant. Taking a few minutes to check can possibly result in savings of 10% or more.

13. Read the fine print on store "zero-percent financing" offers. While these can be excellent deals, some programs have interest charges accrue from the date you make the purchase if you don't pay off the entire amount when the 0% time limit ends.

14. Save and file the UPC codes from the products you consistently purchase. The next time there's a contest that requires a proof of purchase, you will already have a supply on hand to reap the rewards.

15. To truly reap the benefit of using coupons, have the cashier total your bill before subtracting out your coupons. Write a check for the pre-coupon total. The cash you receive back, or your coupon savings, can then be placed in your saving account.

16. Try to consolidate your grocery shopping into one weekly run. Not only does this help on restricting impulse buying, it also saves you time and money by reducing the number of times you must travel between the store and your house each week.

17. Try to do your grocery shopping during off peak hours. This will not only save you time, but will also mean less time waiting at the cash register where all the compulsive buy items are placed.

18. Utilize your local $1.00 store for health and beauty items for prices lower than supermarkets or drugstores. You may be surprised at the variety of quality goods and food you can get there these days.

19. When purchasing big ticket items, you don't necessarily have to run all over town to get the best price. Search the newspaper sale fliers for the best price, go to your local store and simply ask, "Can you beat this price?" Often they will.

20. When shopping, buy the amount you need. Just because something is on sale doesn't mean you need to purchase a large quantity of it. Buy only what you know you will use and no more.

21. When shopping, make a list of the items you need and stick to it. Estimates of the total amount purchased by shoppers at the grocery store that are impulse buys (not what you went to the store to get) run as high as 40%.

22. Whenever possible, avoid shopping at convenience stores. You'll pay some of the largest product markups on the goods bought there - the price for the store's convenience.

23. You can save hundreds of dollars a year shopping by learning to compare price-per-ounce costs instead of going only by package price. Buy those items with the lowest price-per-ounce cost and you will be getting a better value for your money.

Buy during clearances and out of season

Me and my wife make a habit of buying out of season and on clearance...


There has been times where we have walked out of old navy, gap and others alike With coats, shirts, pants for 1/10 of original cost!!

Ex. at old navy they have some jackets clearanced and the origianl price is 90 on sale for 20.

Picked up 3 T-shirst org. 8-10 paid .99


Target also clearances item quite often especially season stuff like sporting goods I have picked up coolers for 2 bucks.. Bats for 5 bucks regulary 50 and so on.

Not to mention if you know where you are going to be shopping do search on the net for coupons as that can save you a bundle.

Going to the grocery store without a list is downright dangerous, isn't it? I'd wind up impulse buying and forgetting some things I should have bought.

I'd like to take this one step further: how many of us actually sit down and plan our menus for at least a week in advance? Based on the survey results at one of my group survey sites, a large number of people said that they usually shop once a week.

Planning your menus ahead of time for the week really helps you to shop more efficiently. You can decide what you want and see what you already have at home and what you actually need to buy in order to make dinner.

There is a book called Saving Dinner that has recipes *and* the shopping list for the meal included! Many people have praised this book and how it has helped them to save money.

So, make up your menus and shop at home first (meaning see what ingredients you already have at home to make up a meal or two --- keeps things in your cupboards from getting old!) then make your list.

Uh-oh...all this talk about food is making me hungry. Not good at this hour, LOL!

Margaret Kur

Control Your Spending and Borrowing, and You'll Control Your Financial Future

Neither a Borrower Nor a Spender Be

When I was growing up, my mother often quoted William Shakespeare's "neither a borrower nor a lender be." Wise advice, if you can stick to it.

Nowadays, borrowing to buy a home is considered by even the most conservative financial experts to be a good move, but spending is a big problem, as evidenced by the millions of Americans who are in debt over their heads. Nowadays Shakespeare might be more likely to advise us to "neither a borrower nor a spender be."

It's spending, not low income, that is at the root of most financial problems. Sometimes events beyond our control can propel us into debt, like the loss of a job, the death of a spouse, or large medical bills, but let's face it: for most of us, spending is what gets us into trouble. In fact, I believe that the key to having money is learning not to spend it.

Notice that I didn't say "learning how to spend it," but rather, "learning not to spend it.

The more money most people make, the more they spend. If they get a raise in salary--they buy a newer car, or a bigger home, or a bigger, better whatever. But it's not just the big things they buy, it's all the little things they now feel they can easily afford, and those things add up amazingly quickly.

You may find that over the years, although you're making significantly more money, you're no further ahead, or you still struggle to meet your financial obligations.

The words used in the campaign against drugs also apply to over spending: "Just Say No." One of the keys to resisting the urge to spend money is to have concrete financial goals, things that are important to you. Set a timeframe and a dollar amount for reaching the goal. Then when you're faced with the temptation to splurge, think about the goal you're working towards. Visualize it as clearly as you can. See it. Taste it. Smell it. And just say "no."