Thrifty and Thriving

There have been a lot of free food coupons lately from fast food retailers who want to gain new customers. This is the wackiest one I’ve heard of. Apparently if you go to Chick-Fil-A today dressed as a cow (I’m not kidding), you can get a free combo meal. Unfortunately, we don’t have any in the area. It would make a great photo gallery! Read more from the Consumerist.

Here’s a fun article about a township in Australia that banned the sale of bottled water. Some highlights:

On Wednesday, 356 people turned up for a vote — the biggest turnout ever at a town meeting. Only two people voted no. One said he was worried banning bottled water would encourage people to drink sugary beverages. The other was Geoff Parker, director of the Australasian Bottled Water Institute — which represents the bottled water industry.

To prevent lost profit in the 10-or-so town businesses that sell bottled water, Kingston suggested they instead sell reusable bottles for about the same price. Residents will be able to fill the bottles for free at public water fountains, or pay a small fee to fill them with filtered water kept in the stores.

I’m not 100% sure what exactly made me stop drinking bottled water – money-saving arguments or nature-protection arguments, probably a little bit of both; but the end result is still the same – I haven’t bought a case of my fav water in over 2 months! While banning sales of bottled water is going a bit too far, imo, but it is kinda cool to realize you’re on the same page with like everyone in your town!

There’s a new legislation that will be proposed next week that

would establish savings accounts for all newborn U.S. citizens and allow them to grow tax free, with the federal government donating $500 to start each account

My guess, the government will get that money back in taxes (and then some!) when the kid is trying to withdraw money for an unapproved expense, like doctor’s bills for a broken leg.
Personally, I think the government should tackle health care first.
Readers, do you think this will pass? and, more importantly, would you support it?

I always find back-to-school sales in July depressing. This one, I guess, isn’t as bad because it’s directed toward college students who do start earlier, but come on! July 4th was last Saturday! Anyway, Walmart is advertising some college essentials on sale from July 12 - July 18, including 4GB SanDisk flash drives for $12. 8GB drives are $20. Other essentials, such as Mainstays twin and twin extra-long sheet sets are $7.50, and 6-piece towel sets are $10.

I guess now is the time to shop online and have it shipped. Here are some deals I received in my inbox today.

From Target: Save 15% when you spend over $125 on patio and garden merchandise. Spend over $50 and get free shipping. You can also get free shipping on select furniture and electronics.

From Boscov’s: Spend $50 or more and get free shipping on regular and sale-priced items.

From Coldwater Creek: Spend $80 or more and get $20 off plus free shipping with coupon code WKH5238. Offer good through July 12.

I’ve written a lot in the past about my car, a 2000 Honda Civic. A very good little car — one that I traded in a couple of weeks ago. I know Honda owners everywhere are cursing me now. It still had a lot of life left in it, but it was close to being completely paid off, the warranty had expired, and I was afraid of high maintenance costs down the road.

So, when we got a letter in the mail advertising $2,500 rebates on the Pontiac Vibe, which we received because my husband owns another GM car, we decided to take a look. The Vibe gets high marks in Consumer Reports and it was really fun to drive when I tested it. It also has a very roomy back seat, which was important to my bony-kneed, ever-growing eight-year-old. In the end, I convinced myself that I should trade in my car while it was still worth something, rather than spending hundreds of dollars a year maintaining something that will only keep losing its value.

Whether it was a good decision or not, I guess only time will tell. I’m sure other Honda owners will tell me I’m crazy. But things could have been a lot worse. I only owed a small amount on the Civic, which easily transferred to the new loan, and I received the full trade-in value as recommended by Kelley Blue Book. In a recent article, Liz Pulliam Weston describes what can happen if you try to sell a car that’s worth less than what you still owe on it. Her advice:

• Don’t sell until it’s paid off unless you absolutely have to (ex. your car’s a real stinker, you’ve got more kids now than seats, etc.)
• Try not to buy more car than you can afford, but if you do, get GAP insurance.
• You’re most likely to get more if you sell the car yourself
• If trading in, realize you may get less for the car than if you sold it, but trade-in value will go toward the debt on your new car. If possible, try to make a 20% down payment and don’t finance a car for more than five years.

Read the complete article from Liz Pulliam Weston for more advice. Please feel free to share your stories and advice.

It occurred to me this morning that I didn’t blog at all yesterday. I’m a little behind on this one, but it’s good until this Saturday, July 11. Use coupon code NER192 online to get 40% off any one regular-priced item at Jo-Ann.

Use coupon code JULY68NLDSC between now and July 8 to receive a discount of up to 20% off on sale merchandise. Click here for more details. This is an online-only promotion.