Save money with 'The grocery game' -

Frugal means 'economical', 'wise in the expenditure' and when we start talking about frugal hobbies, it means 'hobbies which can be adopted without or spending very minimal cost. Collection of coupons, discount vouchers and promotional codes is one of those frugal hobbies which most of the housewives love to do. Saving money is another fun activity or entertaining as it gives us satisfaction and pleasure. It is pleasure if you could save up to 50% on your grocery bills monthly.

You can save a lot of money with the Grocery Coupons which are offered by 'The Grocery Game' where you can save money with your groceries and you know it better that grocery saving means a good amount of money month after month.

The story behind the creation of this site is interesting. It all started when Teri Gault (the company's founder and CEO)was trying to save money. He started it by collecting coupons and matching them to grocery store sales. Gradually this hobby became a passion.

Now Teri is sharing her money saving ideas with us through this site. The Grocery Game offers "TERI'S LIST" in all 50 states.

How to play the grocery game?

You'll get a weekly list of the lowest-priced products at your supermarket matched with manufacturers' coupons and weekly specials -- advertised and unadvertised. You have to pay a little fee to play this game, but if you could save hundreds of dollars by paying a little amount then it is definite saving.

How to save money with your holiday 'Shopping' ?

Holiday shopping is an occasion when we have to spend big amount of money for gifts, parties, gatherings and may be for our travel and other expenses. It is mostly difficult to keep our expenses in the budget range, but still we can try to save money with our holiday shopping.

Cash back credit cards can be a good way to earn money while you spend! Instead of making your everyday purchases with standard cards, you may apply for credit cards with cash back bonus, as with these plastics you will get some money spent on purchases back.


Cash back cards with credit rewards are different. Make sure that you have read all the terms and conditions to learn what cash back percentage you will get, whether there is a limit that can be earned in a year and so on.

More tips to save money with holiday shopping

- Visit the stores online of offline with a list of exactly what you need.
- For every holiday season budget household and other expenses. Make special envelopes for every spending.
- It is advised to not watch television shopping channels or visit sales or discount news.
- Pay for your purchases by cash or cheque. Use plastics for big purchase or where you get cash back offer.

- Shop online: Many websites have exclusive holiday sales that aren't available in stores. To get the most bang for your buck, many sites offer free shipping -- even on returns.

- Scour the web for coupons: Type the name of your chosen retailer plus the phrase "coupon code" into your search browser, and you're likely to find deals that range from a percentage off the total purchase to gratis shipping.

Have Fun While Saving Money at - "Thrifty Fun"

"Thrifty Fun" have a slogan 'Have fun while saving money' and while saving money you are in touch with like minded people. The site also offers a lots of hobby ideas, projects and tips. Browsing the site is itself fun as there are many ideas and tips to save money as well.

Their goal:

"Our goal at ThriftyFun.com is to provide valuable information to help people save money, save time and solve problems. ThriftyFun and its predecessors have been online since 1997. ThriftyFun has grown from modest beginnings to become a vibrant online community. Today, ThriftyFun.com is an interactive Web site where you can post questions and contribute answers to others who are trying to have fun while saving money."

* In 'Craft Project' I found many interesting crafts ideas and you can search for these relating topics:

- Baby Items
- Bath & Beauty
- Beadwork
- Candlemaking
- Centerpieces
- Christmas
- Clothing
- Crafts for Kids
- Crochet
- Decoupage
- Doll making
- Easter
- Floral
- Framing
- Furniture
- Garden & Yard
- Gifts
- Halloween
- Home Decor
- Jewelry
- Knitting
- Needlepoint
- Painting
- Paper
- Party
- Pottery
- Quilting
- Recycled
- Rugs
- Sewing
- Soapmaking
- Thanksgiving
- Toys
- Valentine's Day
- Wedding
- Wood Burning

I really enjoyed browsing the "Craft Tips" section becasue there is a lot of hobby stuff. The list is long so better if you check the link yourself and remember to check the left side bar links. Each link takes you to more article links.

Subscribing to their newsletter is a good idea to keep in touch with tips and ideas about saving money and fun craft or hobby stuff.

FREE Newsletters offered by the site!

- Tip of the Day: A new thrifty tip sent out every day, 7 days a week.

- ThriftyFun Crafts: A weekly crafts newsletter full of tips, ideas and requests. A must read for frugal crafters!

- ThriftyFun Recipes: The ThriftyFun Recipes is published weekdays, Monday through Friday. We feature between 5 and 10 recipes submitted by our readers as well as recipe requests.

- Daily Thrifty Tips: The Daily Thrifty Tips is published weekdays, Monday through Friday. We publish tips, photos, craft ideas and requests that have been submitted by our readers.

- Saving Money On Newsletter: The Saving Money On... Newsletter is published weekly. Every week we pick a new topic and look for ways to save money!

- Happy Garden Newsletter: Weekly gardening newsletter is full of gardening advice and growing guides as well as gardening requests from readers.

To subscribe to their newsletters click at this link

'Student Credit Card Management' -Tips

Students are in need of money for many purposes despite paying for their education. During this periods they tend to carry many credit cards, as they are not aware of the fact that they have to repay a big amount of money after some time. It is the best tips for them to spend according to their budget. From this struggling age they should learn how to manage money and finances. These few tips would definitely help them in this regard:

Tips

- The lack of financial skills is always associated with higher borrowing costs. Learn about credit cards, and terms carefully.
- Use your plastic money in the most appropriate and responsible manner.

- Get the most suitable plastic. Keep in mind that student credit cards are not created equal. They come with different interest rates, annual fees, spending limits and billing policies. So make a careful research to find a plastic that provides most benefits and freebies. If you think you will carry a balance from month to month, look for a low APR credit card. Even though a rewards plastic may seem cooler, the higher APR and possible annual fee can eat away all your rebates.

- Use your credit card: make small purchases that you can repay at the end of your billing cycle. If there are no borrowing-payment data, there is nothing to report to the credit bureaus.

- Pay all bills on time: Unpaid utility payments, taxes, parking tickets and library fines can appear on your credit report as a collection account and seriously damage your FICO score.

- Don't apply for multiple credit cards at one time: A lot of recent credit inquiries will hurt your credit score. One or two plastics are enough for most students.

- Plan a budget: Live within your means and avoid frivolous purchases. Keep in mind that people who have a lot of things are not rich. They just spend a lot of money.
Student credit card management

Tips for saving money on Hobbies and Pastimes

Usually we forget to save money when we are concerned about our hobbies, leisures or recreation activities. I am also one of the hobbyists who are very passionate about their interests and don't think about saving money in this regard. But reality is that we can still save money by just estimating how much a hobby or leisure is providing us the joy or happiness and is the price we are paying for it is reasonable?

This article would help you realize how much extra cost we are paying for our hobbies? Tips offered in this post would be useful for all of us, who want to save money.



In a recent post of "The Simple Dollar" blogger says:

'Earlier this week I found an old credit card statement and spent some time evaluating what sorts of stupid things I spent my money on just a year ago. I decided to circle everything on the list that was directly related to a hobby and total each hobby up to see where it led.'

For the full article: Ever Looked At Your Credit Card Statement, Whistled, And Said “I Need To Find A Cheaper Hobby?”

Tips for Saving Money on Hobbies and Pastimes

* When you begin pursuing any sport or hobby, it can be difficult to decide where to spend your money. The initial temptation is to buy the best gear now. But I’ve learned from experience that the best gear is worthless if I’m not skilled enough to use it. Before you spend money on a new pastime, consider the following:

* Know your goals. What is your aim? What kinds of photographs do you wish to make? Or, if you’re looking to purchase a bike, what is your objective? Do you want to commute five miles back-and-forth to work? Do you want to train to ride one-hundred miles? Are you just looking for something to putter around on with the kids? Be realistic. Be honest. Use your answers to help guide your decision.

* Educate yourself. When I was starting out, I didn’t like the quality of my photographs, so I did what many people do: I threw money at the problem. I bought expensive filters and lenses. I bought Photoshop. None of these things helped. My images still looked lousy. What did help was spending $150 on a community college photography course. An amateur photographer is going to get a much better return for her money by taking a photography class (or three) than by purchasing a new lens.

* Practice, practice, practice. Too often people believe that the equipment is going to increase their skill at something — golf, photography, whatever — when actually it’s practice that will help them improve. There’s no sense buying an expensive driver if you can’t hit the ball straight off the tee. Once you’ve hit a few thousand balls (or snapped a few thousand photos), then you might begin thinking about how new equipment might further improve your strengths.

* Don’t take advice from a salesperson. Yes, she knows a lot about the subject, but in general, her primary goal is to sell things. She wants you to buy more. Instead, find a friend who can give you advice on the equipment you’re researching. Use Google. If you need advice, get it from somebody who doesn’t have a vested interest in your purchase. Once you’ve done your research, then ask for a salesperson’s help.

* Borrow from a friend. Kris’ sister thought she might want to learn how to knit. Rather than buying a bunch of equipment, Tiffany borrowed a few of Kris’ knitting needles to give it a try. She did take up the hobby, but by borrowing Kris’ stuff first, she was able to learn the ropes before shelling out her own money.

* Consider used equipment. Check Craigslist or eBay. Find a dealer of used equipment in your town. You can often find high-quality items for cheap if you’re patient and know what you’re looking for. A friend of mine recently saved 33% off a fancy heart-rate monitor simply because he was patient and willing to buy used.

* Rent! For many sports and hobbies, renting is a great way to get a taste of the high-end. How often do you scuba dive? Ski? Instead of buying equipment that will mostly sit unused, consider renting when you need it. This not only will save you space, but can actually be less expensive in the long run. Renting is also a good way to try before you buy.

* Beware a hobby or sport that is driven by purchasing more stuff. Some hobbies are simply sales pitches in disguise. I’ve written before about my own obsession with the card game Magic: The Gathering, a game specifically designed to get suckers people to spend more money. Kris was once into scrapbooking. She loved it, but she came to realize it was more about buying new Stuff than actually creating memories. Like many scrapbookers, her supplies now sit in the closet, unused.

* Fancy equipment is not a panacea. In most hobbies and sports, skill is more important. Good equipment can make your pastimes more pleasurable, but it’s difficult to know which equipment is worth the expense until you’ve gained some experience.

* My photography instructor used to tell us, “A professional photographer can produce amazing shots from a crappy disposable camera. But a $5,000 camera won’t help a beginner make better photos.” This idea isn’t just true with photography — it’s true with knitting and biking, and even with running, too.

Source : Get Rich Slowly