Posted on 12/31/2017 12:51:08 PM PST by PJ-Comix
Okay, it is the last day of the year. So what did you do in 2017 that saved you money? I am all ears and will be taking notes. In addition, I will lead off with my own moves to save money.
My biggest single money savings move of 2017 was getting Amazon Fire Stick for our 2 TVs. At the same time I cut out our cable TV. Net savings for the year over $600. This comes from saving $80 per month by cutting Comcast Cable TV. Actually I am really saving $55 per month because along with my Amazon Prime, I opted for $25 per month for Sling TV so net yearly savings of $600. One interesting thing is that I thought Comcast would go for a long sales pitch to keep me with their cable TV when they switched me to their account executive but I was pleasantly surprised when he gave me online TV streaming for no additional cost so I ONLY pay for Internet.
Okay, what else? Well, a lot of you know I am a heavy duty couponer so I figure I saved at least $2000 this past year via coupons. I come to that figure because I save at least $40 per week. Oh, and for those of you who don't think the time and effort are worth it, GOOD NEWS! You only need to use a couple of coupon sites to find all the deals you need. For me it is PublixSavings101.com because I shop a lot at Publix and the Mother Ship of all coupon web sites... KRAZY COUPON LADY. As to clipping coupons, things have changed. Most of the coupons I use now you can print right off the web or get electronically.
Another trick that I use when buying stuff online is to go thru the entire checkout process except for the payment. I just leave the item sitting in my shopping cart. Guess what? Almost always the company sends you an email within days offering a discount from what you would have paid.
In 2018 I will be looking for saving money on travel deals. I have heard the best time for booking cruises is within a couple of weeks when the cruise actually begins so they can fill unbooked cabins.
It was our only cruise we’ve ever taken, and it was so great, I did NOT want to get off that boat on day 8; but the cruise was over, so we had to. I have NEVER been pampered before; but for that week, we were most definitely. It was on Royal Caribbean (ship name: “Oasis of the Seas”). I cannot imagine a better company.
It’s 13 degrees here in Huntsville, AL.
Only about sixty days until our next cruise. We’ve done Royal, Princess, and Holland. We feel very comfortable on Holland.
They have a pretty decent variety of phones and phone prices. I had been using a Samsung Galaxy 5S, which I could have kept and "brought with me" to Straight Talk, but I was ready for something new. Since it was similar to my Galaxy 5S, I chose to get a Samsung Galaxy J3 Luna Pro. It was in a green Straight Talk box at Walmart. I had never heard of that model before and am figuring it might be produced especially for pre-paid services such as Straight Talk (IOW, I don't know if you can buy one at an AT&T store, for example, although I did see it available on Amazon). The Galaxy J3 Luna Pro cost me $99, but there were much cheaper phones available from Straight Talk, as well, starting at around $20 or $30, if I remember correctly. What they call "basic phones" (the ones that are not "smart phones") can use a cheaper service plan than what I have ($35/mo. versus $45/mo. or $55/mo. for a smart phone plan). You also have the option of pre-paying for 90 days and for pre-paying for one year. I don't remember the cost of those options.
Straight Talk also has more expensive phones for sale, such as iPhones and the new Samsung Galaxy 8 and the 8+. I didn't want to buy a pricey phone until I knew that I'd like Straight Talk's service, but now that I know it is good and works well in my area I will upgrade to the Galaxy 8 sometime in the next few months. Again, though, if you like your current phone, it is likely compatible and so you can keep using it. You can keep your current phone number if you want it, too, which is what I did.
I have zero regrets about switching cell providers. It was an easy process that Straight Talk took care of with AT&T, I got to keep my phone number and I immediately cut my cell phone bill in half. Not bad!
Depends on size of lawn and degree of difficulty. Steep hilly area. Difficult to mow with any kind of mower. But great exercise!
Thanks. I’m glad you enjoyed it.
I’ve only been on a couple of three day Cruises from Los Angeles to Ensenada. Wasn’t too impressed, but that was years ago.
We’ve done Holland and Norwegian. I would say I don’t see how ANYTHING could be better than Norwegian! Both were good, but NW was GREAT!
Norwegian from NYC to Bermuda, July 2015.
Holland from Vancouver to Alaska passage, July 2017.
Both were wonderful.
Food and on ship activities and entertainment were much better, beyond compare, on NW.
I'm paying $123 a month for two phones...and neither one of the phones are "smart"...
Of course that might be the operators....Ha!!
Thanks for the info.....
I bought new brake drums and shoes for my car from Advance Auto Parts where I work part time. I get an employee discount on parts. I installed them myself today. The car
has 163800 miles on it and the brake shoes and drums were original from the factory. Only one shoe was worn down to
the metal. I went and used my son’s garage because it’s 0f outside.
Unfortunately, the short answer is I don't know. So far, I have downloaded the apps for a couple of games and played them. Having a controller would be nice, but even using the little remote works surprisingly well. My wife has Netflix, and there is a ton of stuff to watch there. She has Amazon Prime as well, which gives a bunch of opportunities as well.
I do almost all of mine at Aldi. Their meat specials on Wednesday have to be seen to be believed. I’m still eating frozen chicken from the time this May I found boneless breasts for 75 cents a pound. Brought ‘em home, chopped them up, cooked then froze them, and now I can toss them in to chicken soup/casserole/stirfry.
good for you! i have to drag my wife kicking & screaming to Aldi lol..
Great post. Thanks!
Cheers and Happy New Years!
If I croak, I don’t want my wife saddled with ANY debt.
If you put that free money into a CD she would have more money.
Shoes and drums? What car do you have?
Shoes and drums? What car do you have?
2005 Toyota Prius. The front has rotors and pads which are
still original from the factory and are still ok after 163,800 miles. Pretty amazing actually.
Did some googling. Lot of small cars with read drums.
Learned to shop in bulk. Also cook at home mostly.
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