So many of you know that I also run a small business on the side. www.TheCouponBinder.com. There I make and sell coupon binder kits. When I started this business I thought, "How hard can it be?" Well let me tell you, starting a business is HARD. It doesn't matter how big it is, there is a lot that goes into it.
So now I am at a cross-road. Should I keep it going or fold it? DH and I were doing the numbers and found that I am only clearing my materials costs. I am not even making enough money to pay for my web page and online store. This means that I am paying my money and spending a ton of time putting together binders for other people - not cool. The one question I have is, "How is my competition doing it?"
This has also spawned in me a new appreciation for people who can actually make a business work. Wow, it takes a ton of courage and know how, and a lot of savviness. If you know a small business owner, you should tell them congratulations for making it work.
**Did you know that statisitcally only 1 in 10 start up businesses succeed?
Friday, December 18, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Theater $avings
One of my readers recently asked this question:
How do you cut money on experiences? Like, theater tickets or trips? How can you cut costs on bills? And I have lots of questions on coupons still. I clip them, but I don't really feel like I am saving a lot of money using them.
This is a series of great questions and I think each should get their own post. This post will address the specifics of saving money on theater tickets.
I did a little search on ehow.com and found an article with some great ideas. Here are their tips:
step 1
Buy a subscription. Season-long subscriptions are ten to thirty-five percent lower than individual tickets. Contact your local theater group and find out what kind of subscription programs they offer.
Step 2
Attend the previews. Discounted tickets to attend a performance before the show officially opens are available at some theaters. While this will not be the polished, final production they are often almost as ready as the opening night performances.
Step 3
Keep an eye open for rush tickets. Call the box office one or two hours before the shows performance and find out if there are many tickets left for that night's performance. Rush tickets are sold about thirty minutes before the curtain opens and cost about half the price of the regular ticket. A full house looks good to reviews and the performers.
Step 4
Ask if your favorite theater offers week-day (or matinee) performances. If they do, they might let you make a donation for your admission. Don't expect this on the weekends when theater goers flock to the shows, but week night performances don't fill as easily.A little determination can make a big difference. If you really want to attend a live performance, check into these methods for saving money at the theater.
Now, for some of my own ideas:
If you are going to Broadway, they sell standing room tickets for about $25 per ticket (We did this with Monte Python and the Holy Grail). Also, they have lottery tickets for some of the most popular venues like Wicked. You go at a certain time, put your name in a drawing. If they pull your name out, you win! You pay $26 for a front row ticket. Be ready with cash in hand for this as well. (I do have to say, your chances are slim of winning at the really big ones. it took us four tries to win the Wicked lottery. Finally all eight of our extended family put their names in at once. One of us won and gave the ticket to me and my DH.)
Check out the ameture theater. Here you will find professionals who are trying to beef up their resumes so they can go big. While we were in the San Fransisco area, we attended operas put on by the music conservatory there. Great production, fraction of the price. Also check out a local college or university.
If professional venues are still a little pricey, even with the above tips, think local theater. The theaters are often smaller so you get a great view. You get local talent which is fun to see, an the price tag is as least 50% of what you would pay for a big production. Also, you don't have to travel as far so the price of gas will go down, and parking will probably be free. (The cut travel time will also help with the sitter cost if you have one.)
Another way is to let your friends and relatives know that you are interested in going to the theater. Maybe you will get tickets for a birthday or Christmas present.
Also, you can split the cost of season tickets with a friend or a group of friends, or if you know someone who is a season ticket holder, let them know you would be interested in their tickets if they can't make it to a performance. (You can swap babysitting with the other people who share the tickets with you.)
I just checked craigslist.org and people sell tickets there. Also, my brother-in-law likes stubhub.com. However, I don't know how cheaply you can get tickets from there.
Thank you for the question. I hope this helped and stay tuned for my other answers.
How do you cut money on experiences? Like, theater tickets or trips? How can you cut costs on bills? And I have lots of questions on coupons still. I clip them, but I don't really feel like I am saving a lot of money using them.
This is a series of great questions and I think each should get their own post. This post will address the specifics of saving money on theater tickets.
I did a little search on ehow.com and found an article with some great ideas. Here are their tips:
step 1
Buy a subscription. Season-long subscriptions are ten to thirty-five percent lower than individual tickets. Contact your local theater group and find out what kind of subscription programs they offer.
Step 2
Attend the previews. Discounted tickets to attend a performance before the show officially opens are available at some theaters. While this will not be the polished, final production they are often almost as ready as the opening night performances.
Step 3
Keep an eye open for rush tickets. Call the box office one or two hours before the shows performance and find out if there are many tickets left for that night's performance. Rush tickets are sold about thirty minutes before the curtain opens and cost about half the price of the regular ticket. A full house looks good to reviews and the performers.
Step 4
Ask if your favorite theater offers week-day (or matinee) performances. If they do, they might let you make a donation for your admission. Don't expect this on the weekends when theater goers flock to the shows, but week night performances don't fill as easily.A little determination can make a big difference. If you really want to attend a live performance, check into these methods for saving money at the theater.
Now, for some of my own ideas:
If you are going to Broadway, they sell standing room tickets for about $25 per ticket (We did this with Monte Python and the Holy Grail). Also, they have lottery tickets for some of the most popular venues like Wicked. You go at a certain time, put your name in a drawing. If they pull your name out, you win! You pay $26 for a front row ticket. Be ready with cash in hand for this as well. (I do have to say, your chances are slim of winning at the really big ones. it took us four tries to win the Wicked lottery. Finally all eight of our extended family put their names in at once. One of us won and gave the ticket to me and my DH.)
Check out the ameture theater. Here you will find professionals who are trying to beef up their resumes so they can go big. While we were in the San Fransisco area, we attended operas put on by the music conservatory there. Great production, fraction of the price. Also check out a local college or university.
If professional venues are still a little pricey, even with the above tips, think local theater. The theaters are often smaller so you get a great view. You get local talent which is fun to see, an the price tag is as least 50% of what you would pay for a big production. Also, you don't have to travel as far so the price of gas will go down, and parking will probably be free. (The cut travel time will also help with the sitter cost if you have one.)
Another way is to let your friends and relatives know that you are interested in going to the theater. Maybe you will get tickets for a birthday or Christmas present.
Also, you can split the cost of season tickets with a friend or a group of friends, or if you know someone who is a season ticket holder, let them know you would be interested in their tickets if they can't make it to a performance. (You can swap babysitting with the other people who share the tickets with you.)
I just checked craigslist.org and people sell tickets there. Also, my brother-in-law likes stubhub.com. However, I don't know how cheaply you can get tickets from there.
Thank you for the question. I hope this helped and stay tuned for my other answers.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Want to Cut Your Cleaning Time?
I am reading a book by Don Aslett titled, "How to Handle 1,000 Things at Once." (My neighbors got a kick out of that one.) Anyway, in it he said that you can cut your cleaning time by 40% just by decluttering! That is what I am starting today!! Goodwill, here I come.
My Pet Wants
ALL of us have wants. (In fact, I think that we all are born with a slot in our brains called the "Want Spot".) Some are big and some are small. We think that once we get it, we will be satisfied.
Funny thing though, once we get that "Want" there is a vacancy in that area of our brain. There are many things that are willing to fill that spot and before you know it, you have another "Want" that you are longing for.
Now, this is not easy on the pocket book, nor on ones nerves. These pet "Wants" take tending. They take brain power, work power (to earn the money), and then we must take care of that item once we bring it into our homes.
To combat these interesting little pets, I keep mine around for a while. Sometimes a LONG while. If I have a natural Want spot in my life, why not keep the same Want there. I do the same thing with it as I would a new one (dreaming about it) and then I don't spend my money or clutter my house with all of these little pets.
A funny thing happens though. If it is something I REALLY want or need. It will stay around for a long time. I turn it around and look at it from all angles. I ask myself, "Where would I put it? How would I take care of it? Can I really afford it? Will it save me time? Is this a want or a true need? Can I substitue something that is cheaper? Can I do this by myself?"
While I am thinking about it, I keep my eyes open for a deal on that pet. I look for a used one, or a killer sale. If it is something that isn't that important to me, it will fade away, and will let something else take it's place. Also, while I am waiting, I am also saving my money so that I can honestly afford it, if I decide to buy it.
It takes a bit of discipline to keep your current "Pet" locked up in your brain. (They want to get out and into your life.) But try it. It will be hard at first, then you will get better at it. Then, when you actually bring that pet into your life, you will be much more happy with the new addition to your family.
**True story, I "wanted" a new oven for three years. My old one worked fine, but I really wanted a new one. I would think about it EVERY TIME I cooked. I kept my eyes open and then when I saw the perfect one (used on craigslist) I pounced on it. This is how I got that perfect pet for 1/3 the normal retail price.
**One more thing, I treat both my big and small Wants the same way. In a buget, it isn't always the big things that kill you. It is the culmination of the little things that add up quickly. So make sure that you don't give in to all your little Wants as well.
Funny thing though, once we get that "Want" there is a vacancy in that area of our brain. There are many things that are willing to fill that spot and before you know it, you have another "Want" that you are longing for.
Now, this is not easy on the pocket book, nor on ones nerves. These pet "Wants" take tending. They take brain power, work power (to earn the money), and then we must take care of that item once we bring it into our homes.
To combat these interesting little pets, I keep mine around for a while. Sometimes a LONG while. If I have a natural Want spot in my life, why not keep the same Want there. I do the same thing with it as I would a new one (dreaming about it) and then I don't spend my money or clutter my house with all of these little pets.
A funny thing happens though. If it is something I REALLY want or need. It will stay around for a long time. I turn it around and look at it from all angles. I ask myself, "Where would I put it? How would I take care of it? Can I really afford it? Will it save me time? Is this a want or a true need? Can I substitue something that is cheaper? Can I do this by myself?"
While I am thinking about it, I keep my eyes open for a deal on that pet. I look for a used one, or a killer sale. If it is something that isn't that important to me, it will fade away, and will let something else take it's place. Also, while I am waiting, I am also saving my money so that I can honestly afford it, if I decide to buy it.
It takes a bit of discipline to keep your current "Pet" locked up in your brain. (They want to get out and into your life.) But try it. It will be hard at first, then you will get better at it. Then, when you actually bring that pet into your life, you will be much more happy with the new addition to your family.
**True story, I "wanted" a new oven for three years. My old one worked fine, but I really wanted a new one. I would think about it EVERY TIME I cooked. I kept my eyes open and then when I saw the perfect one (used on craigslist) I pounced on it. This is how I got that perfect pet for 1/3 the normal retail price.
**One more thing, I treat both my big and small Wants the same way. In a buget, it isn't always the big things that kill you. It is the culmination of the little things that add up quickly. So make sure that you don't give in to all your little Wants as well.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Law of Diminishing Returns
Before I became a Home Economics major, I was a business major for 25% of my educational time. One of the things I learned about was the Law of Diminishing Returns. Simply put, there is a time when a system will peak in the returns you get with an investment. After that peak, if you put something in, you will get less back for it.
Simple example. Ice cream. That first spoon of ice cream tastes so good. It is worth the money and the calories to have it. The next bit is also good, and so is the next. However, there will be a point where if you put in more money, you won't get the same satisfaction out of the ice cream as you did before. In fact, there will come a time where even though you put money into ice cream you will not enjoy it at all because you are sick of it.
Now, let's look at it with Christmas. You buy your kids TONS of presents - this year is going to be the perfect Christmas. Christmas morning, they come down and scream at the piles of presents they see. They start ripping off the paper and are so excited for the first present.
However, they have 20 other presents to get to. So instead of enjoying that first present, they say a quick and asked for, "Thank you" and tear into the next one. This happens over and over. Pretty soon, you will notice that they are not very excited anymore. In fact, instead of being grateful, they start to complain about they aren't getting what they wanted. It isn't the right color, Johnny got something better, it doesn't fit, etc. etc. They start to complain and the whole day (and budget) is shot.
Now think of this. They come down to presents under the tree. They are still just as excited. They open their first one, and wait while Johnny opens his present so that they can all see what everyone else gets. After a few presents, I mean all of the presents, are open, they still have enough energy to enjoy what they got.
They have not peaked and ate enjoying each present. Also, their sensories aren't getting overloaded with so many things, and now they can actually focus,enjoy, and be grateful for the few things they got.
My frugal friend Eileen, also warned me not to get my kids used to getting lots of presents when they are little. Because as they grow up, they will expect Christmas to include mountains of presents. As they get older, those presents get more expensive.
Many of you may be wondering what will be under our tree this year. I did ALL of my Christmas shopping this summer at yard sales. We have also been given some great toys from friends that I am waiting to give the girls on Christmas (with tags from the friends of course :).
I do have to admit, I did a quick inventory the other day and got a little worried that we weren't going to have enough to make it "look good". (This is a journey for me too.) My DH reminded me that they are getting a Wii (bought used off of Craigslist) and that they will still get gifts from family members.
I am looking forward to a low key day, that will focus on family time, and less on presents. I hope that this post will help you "diminish the returns" that you have to make to the stores this year and enjoy your Christmas more.
I would love to hear how you are cutting your holiday bills this year.
Simple example. Ice cream. That first spoon of ice cream tastes so good. It is worth the money and the calories to have it. The next bit is also good, and so is the next. However, there will be a point where if you put in more money, you won't get the same satisfaction out of the ice cream as you did before. In fact, there will come a time where even though you put money into ice cream you will not enjoy it at all because you are sick of it.
Now, let's look at it with Christmas. You buy your kids TONS of presents - this year is going to be the perfect Christmas. Christmas morning, they come down and scream at the piles of presents they see. They start ripping off the paper and are so excited for the first present.
However, they have 20 other presents to get to. So instead of enjoying that first present, they say a quick and asked for, "Thank you" and tear into the next one. This happens over and over. Pretty soon, you will notice that they are not very excited anymore. In fact, instead of being grateful, they start to complain about they aren't getting what they wanted. It isn't the right color, Johnny got something better, it doesn't fit, etc. etc. They start to complain and the whole day (and budget) is shot.
Now think of this. They come down to presents under the tree. They are still just as excited. They open their first one, and wait while Johnny opens his present so that they can all see what everyone else gets. After a few presents, I mean all of the presents, are open, they still have enough energy to enjoy what they got.
They have not peaked and ate enjoying each present. Also, their sensories aren't getting overloaded with so many things, and now they can actually focus,enjoy, and be grateful for the few things they got.
My frugal friend Eileen, also warned me not to get my kids used to getting lots of presents when they are little. Because as they grow up, they will expect Christmas to include mountains of presents. As they get older, those presents get more expensive.
Many of you may be wondering what will be under our tree this year. I did ALL of my Christmas shopping this summer at yard sales. We have also been given some great toys from friends that I am waiting to give the girls on Christmas (with tags from the friends of course :).
I do have to admit, I did a quick inventory the other day and got a little worried that we weren't going to have enough to make it "look good". (This is a journey for me too.) My DH reminded me that they are getting a Wii (bought used off of Craigslist) and that they will still get gifts from family members.
I am looking forward to a low key day, that will focus on family time, and less on presents. I hope that this post will help you "diminish the returns" that you have to make to the stores this year and enjoy your Christmas more.
I would love to hear how you are cutting your holiday bills this year.
Stay Tuned
This post is to let you know I am still here. I also want to let you know of some upcoming posts about allowance and chores. I will be blogging about what we do in our family, and I will have a guest blogger. Her name is Charity Wolf. She has 6 kids, 5 boys between 15 and 7 and an adorable baby girl. Her boys are amazing with money and work and I personally have been interested in how she does it. She is in the writing process now so stay tuned for these insights.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Want Something Cheap? - Take a Class
Okay, so I should be making cookies right now for a youth activity, but I had this point that I needed to get written down.
If you want to have a service done for cheap, take a class on how to do it. The instructor will be a professional in that field and may be willing to help you for free, beyond the tuition.
Case in point: I needed help decorating and arranging furniture in our house. I signed up for an interior decorating class at the local community college. I think the cost of tuition was about $40.
I found myself learning interior design principles from a woman that had been in the industry for decades, and was VERY successful. As part of the curriculum, she took the class to one of our homes to show us how the principles we were learning worked in real life. Well, she came to my house.
There were 14 people here to help move furniture and give feedback, all being led by this professional decorator. She took the meager pictures and furnishing I had and combined them so beautifully. This would have cost me HUNDREDS of dollars to hire out, but I got if for FREE as part of my class.
As with anything in life, if you want to save money on something, become educated about it, and you will find many people along the way willing to help out.
If you want to have a service done for cheap, take a class on how to do it. The instructor will be a professional in that field and may be willing to help you for free, beyond the tuition.
Case in point: I needed help decorating and arranging furniture in our house. I signed up for an interior decorating class at the local community college. I think the cost of tuition was about $40.
I found myself learning interior design principles from a woman that had been in the industry for decades, and was VERY successful. As part of the curriculum, she took the class to one of our homes to show us how the principles we were learning worked in real life. Well, she came to my house.
There were 14 people here to help move furniture and give feedback, all being led by this professional decorator. She took the meager pictures and furnishing I had and combined them so beautifully. This would have cost me HUNDREDS of dollars to hire out, but I got if for FREE as part of my class.
As with anything in life, if you want to save money on something, become educated about it, and you will find many people along the way willing to help out.
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