6 Ways To Save On Dental Costs

September 15, 2023 By 5 Comments

 

Dental bills are one of the most expensive regular treatments needed by everyone. Many people skip dental care because the expense is so high. You don’t have to skip dental care if you know how to save on these important and much needed procedures.

 

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1. See if you can participate in free dental trials. These are offered at many teaching clinics and dental colleges. You not only get free dental care, but often you get paid for your time in agreeing to do the trial. To find out where these are, just Google “Dental Trials ______(your city or state)____”. Also search the NIDCR website at www.nidcr.nih.gov

2. Look for low-income dental clinics in your area. You can usually find these by looking in the phone book or just doing a simple online search. If you are truly stumped, call a dentist in your area and ask them if they can refer you to a low-income area. Often times, you can get 25%-50% off dental care and only be required to put a small down payment at your first appointment. You don’t have to be super broke to take advantage of these clinics either. Many of them offer discounts even if you make 3 times the poverty level.

3. See if there is a dental school in your area. Many of them offer deep discounts on cleanings and routine visits. They are often open to the general public as well as any income level.

4. Take care of your teeth. While this is a no-brainer, taking good care of your teeth will save you hundreds of dollars down the road as well as a large amount of pain and work lost. Make it a priority to get your teeth professionally cleaned every 6 months. It is not only important to your overall dental health, but it will also save you from expensive dental procedures such as root canals, extractions and fillings.

5. Always get a second opinion on an expensive dental procedure your dentist is recommending. Dental work is often subjective and there may be a less expensive option available to you.

6. Get a written treatment plan and ask your dentist to tell you which procedures you can put off and which ones could end up being very costly if you let them go. This way, you can get imperative procedures out of the way and avoid costly future ones, while allowing yourself to take care of things as they fit in the budget.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Frugal Living, Health Tagged With: ,

Moving Statistics

September 11, 2023 By 4 Comments

The following post is sponsored by 1-800-PackRat and written by myself.

 

 

I am so glad to be done moving. I was such a chore and took a lot of time, energy and planning. Moving is not for the weak!

I was surprised to find the following statistics on moving.

Infographic Source

 

At least I know that 15% of the population moved this year and shared in my pain. I didn’t realize that I was in such good company though!

Interestingly enough, until this last month, I was among the 37% that have never moved out of their hometown. I loved Missoula, Montana and it will always be my home, but I am so glad I moved as well. I can just feel the big opportunities coming my way. There is something about getting up and actually living out your dreams and making steps to see them happen that renews your soul, don’t you think?

While we didn’t relocate specifically for a job, 40% of Americans do.

Are you getting ready to move? Make sure you check out my post on my move and what I learned about myself as well as this amazing blog from 1-800-pack-rat with tips for making the move easy.

 

When was the last time you moved? Why did you move? Have you moved a lot or are you among the 37% of Americans that still live in their hometown? I would love to hear your moving stories!

Filed Under: Homekeeping

Saving On Electronic Media

September 8, 2023 By Leave a Comment

Media and electronics are a big part of today’s world. TV, cell phones, computers and such are how we stay in touch, pay bills and do our jobs.

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Saving on these expenses can really soften the blow on your budget.

In this post, I will share some simple ways you can save on electronic bills without feeling deprived of your entertainment and communication.

For cell phone services, shop around. There are so many companies out there now and they all want your business. Because of this, you are at a great advantage as a consumer. Always shop around and compare prices. Think about how many minutes you reasonably use and don’t get talked into plans that don’t fit that.

Get a pre-paid cell phone. Avoid fees associated with early contract termination by using a cell phone that has a pre-paid option. Many plans are cheaper than the ones you would get in a provider’s store.

If you have teens or a child with a cell phone, accept that they love to text and buy a plan that gives them unlimited texts. If you go over, you could be paying 10-20 or even 50 cents per text, so play it safe on your wallet and just go for an unlimited plan.

Consider if you actually need a landline. You could save hundreds a year by just getting rid of it.

Use services such as Skype for long calling. It’s a free service for US calls and works great for long distance relatives to stay in touch.

Call your cable company on a regular basis and ask about specials they may be running that you can take advantage of. They may not tell you about them otherwise.

Try a VOIP service for your landline. For one low fee per year, you can make and receive calls through your computer’s internet connection.

For downloads such as music, books and other digital media, look for free ones where you can. Radio stations often give out free downloads on their websites and there are hundreds of free books available on Amazon for free.

If you are a senior or college student, ask for discounts on service for cell phones and internet.

Filed Under: Frugal Living

Surviving the Mommy Wars

September 7, 2023 By Leave a Comment

This has been talked to death over the internet, but I felt the need to put my 2 cents in, whatever they are worth.

I usually stay out of the “Mommy wars”, being that my only child is 10 years old and way past the stage that a lot of these topics are on, but as a mom, it still bothers me to see women fighting over things. Passion on a subject is one thing, but making other moms feel inadequate is another. As moms and wives, we have a hard job. We have a society that has been doing a pretty good job at making us feel inadequate for quite a while. It’s time we start supporting each other, rather than tearing each other down.

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I should probably back up and tell you what “Mommy Wars” are in case you have been living under a rock (or maybe you are a new mom and haven’t had the pleasure of your first Mommy War experience just yet). Mommy Wars are subjects that are of high debate in the mommy world that have moms divided. Subjects that are common war-zones:

  • Breastfeeding vs. Formula
  • Vaccinations vs. non-vaxing
  • Rear Facing Toddlers vs. turning forward at a year of age
  • Cloth diapers vs. Disposable ones
  • and on and on…

As you can see, a lot of these subjects no longer apply to me as a mom of a tween, but they were once a very important part of my life at one point.

Here is my thoughts on the issues as a whole: Do what works best for your family and your babies. Make sure when you do make a choice, you research it so you know it fits best for your family and your babies. When it comes to our kids and families, knowing what choice you are making and having it be an educated choice is always the best a mom can do. My advice for educating yourself? Find the most non-biased source for your information. Look at the FACTS not just opinions.

Don’t feel bad about your choices. Ever. It’s the best we all can do that matters.

If you made a choice in the past about these issues and wish you could have done it differently.. don’t beat yourself up over it. You are not a failure.

As far as educating others, do so only if they are open to it. Make sure to cite factual, non-biased sources. Never make someone feel bad for making a choice you wouldn’t. It’s not only insulting, but really, unless the person wants to make a different choice, it’s none of your business. I love that moms are getting so much more information these days and not following what the media tells us and what society shoves on us as the truth. Just make sure you are not acting as the next “pusher” and know when to agree to disagree.

If you are on the receiving end of a mommy missile attack on your choices, the best thing you can do is listen. You never know, you may actually learn something when you let your guard down.

We all could spread a bit more love in our mommy community and learn to tolerate others’ choices. If you really feel strongly about something, the best thing you can do is be honey. You catch more flies with it after all.

Filed Under: Family, Homelife Tagged With: ,

Ways to Remember To Pray

September 6, 2023 By Leave a Comment

It’s been a while since I have written on my faith in God. It’s not so much that I don’t have an active relationship with God, but more that I have not had anything in particular to say about my faith.

One thing I am making a conscious effort to do more often is to pray. God loves to hear our prays-no matter what. He loves our honesty.

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Here are some ways I remember to pray:

I do it in the car. When I am done driving my daughter to school or my husband to work and I am alone, I pray. This is a perfect time because it allows me to do it when I am by myself and brings me peace.

I do it when I cook. I may not say it out loud, but I pray for my family when I cook them a nourishing meal.

I do it in the shower. While it may seem silly, God made my body, so I am sure he doesn’t see it as strange to pray to him when I am in the shower.

I do it when I am cleaning the house. I turn on the Christian contemporary music and sing to him.

Most of all, I have learned to do it when I am grateful. I used to only pray to God when I needed his help. I find great joy in praying to him now when I am super happy and content or he brought me to a place of peace.

When do you pray during the day?

Filed Under: Christian Living Tagged With:

Low Cost Ways To Update Your Wardrobe

September 5, 2023 By Leave a Comment

A new season is here and that means you may need to update your wardrobe. If you are anything like me, you love to stay somewhat in style and keep with the trends but don’t have the cash to lay down on a whole new wardrobe every 3 months.

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What’s a mom to do?

There are some simple, yet low cost ways, to update your style without putting a wad of cash on the sales counter.

Here are some simple ways I have found to update what you already have:

  • Buy a few pieces of costume jewelry to go with what you already have and stick with the new trends. Adding a bright necklace or ring can really make your clothes look new.
  • Modify what you already have. I don’t have a lot of skills when it comes to sewing, but if you do, add patches to jeans, distress them yourself or turn an old t-shirt into something new with a few cuts.
  • Use what you wore for one season and modify it for the next one. For instance, if you have a cute sundress, simply add a wrap around sweater or a pair of leggings underneath with a cute pair of boots.
  • Hit up thrift shops. You may just find that perfect shirt or skirt to wear with a cute piece you already own to update it.
  • Try adding a hat or a scarf. A simple addition of either of these can turn a boring white fitted T-shirt into a great top. Tie a scarf around your waist as a belt and give your jeans an update.
  • Look in your husband’s closet. Pair a man’s button down top with cute jeans and some heels and you have a new favorite outfit.
  • Buy a bold pair of shoes. I have a pair of animal print heels that make any outfit look new.
  • Get an amazing brooch and turn a boring blouse into something to talk about.

How do you update your look when the season changes?

Filed Under: Fashion, Frugal Living Tagged With: ,

Making Moving Easier

September 4, 2023 By Leave a Comment

As most of you know, I recently moved from Montana to Washington state. This was my first long distance move and boy, was I a rookie.

However, I am glad I at least followed one of these tips in the infographic below. That was to de-clutter. You would not believe how much stuff you own that you don’t need. I threw out an embarrassing amount to be completely honest. We had a large dumpster for residents of the apartment to use. I filled that thing full. Twice. It felt amazing to do it, though. Like a purging of my soul!

The infographic is right, though. Why move things you don’t even want? It’s like moving your garbage. Unpacking is tiresome enough without having to go through everything when you just want to get things settled.

 


www.1800packrat.com

 

As far as the second tip on the infographic, I did that half right. I did schedule my new utilities to be turned on 1 day before we got there, but totally forgot to turn off my previous address’ utilities. Don’t make that mistake. I now have to pay for days we were not even there. The same goes for my cable. I forgot to get that one scheduled off as well. I would also suggest not setting up your cable company with haste. I did this and now I have a partial bill for a service I didn’t even want.

For more tips (and maybe a boost in your weary confidence, tired mover), check out my previous post, “What I Have Learned With This Move.”

 

 

This post has been generously sponsored by 1-800-packrat 😉

Filed Under: Homekeeping, Homelife Tagged With: , ,

10 Ways to Get A Better Price on Purchases

September 3, 2023 By Leave a Comment

Ever since I went on my journey as a more frugal living mom, I have been looking for any way to save money. I am always amazed by how easy it is to get discounts if you know how to do so. I hardly ever pay full price for most things that I don’t have to. I look back to my pre-frugal days and can’t believe I paid as much as I did for things and laugh at my excuses I made to continue to do so.

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When I went frugal, I thought it meant that I would have to give up on the things I loved and live even more restricted. What is really funny about that line of thinking is, I actually live better now and appreciate more.

What are some ways you can get a better price on things you buy? Here are 15 ways I use to get a better deal. Keep in mind that these won’t work on everything, but it’s always worth a shot if you think they will.

1) Coupons-while this is an obvious money saver, many people, including myself at one point, thought this was not worth the time it takes to hunt them down. Really, I spend less than 30 minutes per week and have saved at least a thousand dollars in the last 6 months on everything from groceries to oil changes.

2) Take surveys- Many companies now are asking their customers to take service surveys to get free products or a percentage off of a purchase. I have gotten free combo meals, Free oil changes, half off tires and even free loads of laundry at the laundry mat by completing these 5-10 minute surveys. They are definitely worth the time.

3) Ask- It never hurts to ask for a discount. Especially if you are haggling with a thrift store or a yard sale. Plus many places offer discounts for students, seniors and AAA members.

4) Look for items that might get you a discount and find the person in charge. See meat that is about to expire? Ask the butcher department’s manager to discount it for you.

5) Join rewards programs- It is so common to find rewards programs at everywhere from grocery stores to restaurants. Use them. The points add up and can mean savings on gas and merchandise.

6) Buy online- Usually, stores run online exclusive sales that you can’t get in-store. Just sign up for newsletters to your favorite stores and be notified when a sale is going on.

7) Shop for next year- Buy clothes at end of season sales for a deep discount for next year. Need a new grill for next summer? Now is the time to buy it, while it is discounted.

8) Watch the register for errors- Many stores will give you the item for free if it scans incorrectly. At the very least, you will not be overcharged.

9) Buy off the “scratch and dent” rack- These items may be ugly, but are perfectly usable. I have twice now bought flour that had a small tear in the bag and was taped up in this section of the store for less than half price. I got some expensive cat litter for cheaper than the price of the cheap-o cat litter as well.

10) Know what is in season. For a great post on shopping for produce in season, check out this one.

What is your favorite way to get a good deal?

 

Filed Under: Frugal Living Tagged With: ,

10 Foods to Keep in your Freezer

September 2, 2023 By 2 Comments

Keeping your freezer stocked is easy, but knowing the right foods to freeze can get a bit tricky. Did you know you can’t freeze certain foods like lettuce, citrus fruits and whole eggs?

What should you keep in your freezer and how do you freeze them the correct way to maximize freshness?

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In this post, I will share with you 10 foods that you can freeze that may help you save money in the long run.

1. Cheese. You can freeze hard cheese like cheddar, Parmesan and mozzarella. If you find a good deal on a large hunk of cheese, take it home and shred it. Place it in individual, meal size bags. It should keep fresh for 1-2 months depending on the type of cheese and save you money from buying pre-shredded cheeses.

2. Potatoes. Do you like hash browns but hate to spend the money on the already frozen packs? Just shred fresh potatoes and immediately freeze in meal size portions. Pull out and use as you would packages.

3. Onions. If you cook with onions a lot, but hate to dice them for every meal, dice a bunch one day (to save your tears, consider wearing a pair of goggles, like the ones used for swimming.) and place in small bags. They will stay fresh enough to use in dishes for 2-3 weeks.

4. Eggs. While you cannot freeze whole eggs, as they will expand and explode, you can break them open and freeze in ice cube trays. Use them for quick eggs you may need for recipes. They will stay fresh for about 2 weeks.

5. Peppers. Slice or dice green or red peppers (or yellow!) and freeze for quick use in recipes. What a fast way to top pizzas or make omelets! They will stay fresh for up to a month.

6. Sauces and soups. Make a large portion of your favorite sauce such as marinara sauce, and portion them out for meals. Soups can even be frozen in individual portions for quick lunches.

7. Stocks. Do you make your own stock? After it cools, fill a 1 gallon freeze bag halfway and lay flat in the freezer. When they are solid, you can stack them on their side for storage. They will take up less room this way.

8. Quick dishes such as homemade breakfast burritos and waffles are great for on the go breakfasts.

9. Bread. If you buy bread at day-old bakeries, you can freeze the loafs for thawing later. The bread will stay fresh for about 3-4 weeks.

10. Yogurt. Mix fruit and yogurt together and freeze in large ice cubes. Pull a few out and add some ice for a quick morning smoothie. You can also cut up fruit such as bananas, berries and peaches in your freezer for this as well.

Filed Under: Food, Frugal Living Tagged With: , ,

How to Organize When You Don’t Have A lot Of Space

September 1, 2023 By Leave a Comment

With this move, I had to downsize a ton. We have far less space for organizing and storing and it was quite a task. I quickly learned some ways to organize with very little room and wanted to share with you my tips in case you find yourself in the same place as me.

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  • For organizing Children’s rooms:

So far the best thing I have found to save space is to buy tubs with lids. They can be stacked neatly and can help keep the mess under control. What is also great about them is, it doesn’t matter what chaos you have going on in them, they look nice.

For clothing, when you don’t have a whole lot of room for dressers, try getting those colorful crates that interlock. I stacked some 4 high in my daughter’s room and neatly folded her t-shirts, pajamas and sweats on them. They are colorful and go well with the decor in her room.

 

  • For the Pantry:

We just have a coat closet and not an actual pantry, so I had to improvise. I bought neutral colored crates and again stacked them. I put canned goods, boxed dishes and snacks on them.

Get an over the door shoe rack with the see through pockets. You can store sauce mixes, spices and small snacks such as granola bars in them and they take up very little space. What is great about these as well is you can see what is in them to keep an eye on inventory and easily find what you need. Kids can easily see and grab snacks.

 

  • For the Bathroom:

A colorful, patterned over the door shoe organizer also works well here. I place my makeup, nail polish and beauty tools in it. You can even separate everything out in categories; eyeshadow, blush, eye pencils etc.

Use small tubs under the sink to organize cleaning products as well as other healthcare items such as mouthwash and soaps.

 

  • For the Kitchen:

Use a bowl for fruit. It makes it easy for your family to see and eat and takes up less space in the fridge.

Get a Lazy Susan for coffee and tea supplies. This will not only keep them handy, but keep them in a smaller space. A two tier Lazy Susan works really well for maximum space-saving.

 

 

Filed Under: Homekeeping, Homelife Tagged With: ,

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