Author Archives: Michelle Vandepas

Tips for Getting a Sales Price

The week before Christmas I went to the grocery store looking for a sale on some Christmas items. They had kept moving some of the perishables, and I couldn’t find the chestnuts or the special Panettone bread we buy each year – but I knew they had them somewhere! So I asked a clerk where the items had been moved to, and then I asked about Christmas items going on sale. They got the manager and put the items on sale right then – on the spot – just for me! Of course this won’t always work, but asking for … Continue reading →

Ten Tips to Save a Bit Extra

This may sound like a New Year resolution list, but actually it is the little things I’m going to do so I can save a bit extra money and stretch it really far. My goal is to pay off our debt and still have fun doing it! 1. I’m going to cook at home more – starting with celery, onions and garlic I can add ingredients for home made spaghetti sauce, soups or Mexican dishes – for the whole week! It doesn’t take too much extra planning if I just think about it before I hit the grocery store. 2. … Continue reading →

The New Year and a New Budget…. Coming …..

It’s a New Year and time to think about my budget for the year ahead. Maybe you have already planned expenses for the upcoming year, but I am just starting to get the numbers down on paper. As I have casually mentioned in just a few blog posts, Hubby and I, well, – we’ve got some debt. In a spending spree extraordinare last year, we remodeled our kitchen, installed a gourmet coffee machine, spent our savings on our fridge and still managed to travel a bit. Then Christmas came, we hosted for a family of seven and I knew our … Continue reading →

One Tip to Jolt Your Bad Spending Habit.

Depressed over Money? Don’t Spend to Compensate! For some people spending money isn’t about the money at all – it’s about boredom, or depression or addiction. Somehow we’ve gotten our spending and shopping under control, but when we see the debt, we get depressed and – you guess it – shop to make us feel better! It’s a vicious cycle. Maybe you’ve been there: You are feeling a bit blue so you head to the mall to get out of the house. You see a dress on sale that you just have to have for your birthday party only seven … Continue reading →

Budgeting: Do I Have to Give up my Fun?

Budgeting means giving up fun? Not. Just because I’m budgeting now doesn’t mean I’ve given up my gourmet coffee, spa days, and pedicures. It just means I have to plan for them a little better now. By planning I don’t mean that I call the day spa on the phone and schedule a week ahead. By planning I mean budgeting the money – and saving for it when necessary. I’m lucky that my Hubby understands that I need to have massages, a crochet addiction, and pedicures occasionally. It is true: I need these things. I crochet as it feeds my … Continue reading →

My Peppermint Mocha – A Budget Necessity. Yumm

I remodeled our kitchen this past year, and took on a whole pile of debt that propelled me into budgeting and saving. One of the things I did was treated myself, (and Hubby) and we spent a lot of money on a coffee machine. Now this isn’t just any old machine. It grinds, presses, froths, and blends coffee with milk to make the perfect latte. When I add a bit of chocolate syrup I’ve got a mocha. With another press of a button I’ve got a mocha cappuccino. What does this have to do with budgeting? Well, surprisingly, since I … Continue reading →

Be Prepared with an Extra Gift

It is Christmas Eve and if you are reading this in real time, you probably aren’t out spending at the last minute for the one person you forgot to shop for. Isn’t that the most maddening thing? You’ve got everything wrapped and you feel really good about all the holiday preparations. You’ve decorated, budgeted, shopped and finally sat back to enjoy some eggnog when the neighbor stops by to wish you a Merry Merry and they’ve brought – ACK – an unexpected present. I’ve learned to always have a few things wrapped in pretty all occasion paper or a gift … Continue reading →

Five Tips to Paying off Credit Cards

Paying off a credit card can be a real pain. It seems to take forever! You make the payments every month like clockwork, yet somehow the balance doesn’t seem to decrease – or if it does, it’s only pennies at a time. Maybe the interest rate on your card is way too high, and it feels like you’ll be paying off the card for years to come. Here are five tips to help you pay the card off faster: 1. Call your credit card company and ask them for a lower interest rate. Depending upon your credit rating, you may … Continue reading →

My horoscope and deferring spending

Every morning I grab my coffee and sit at the computer, slowly waking up. I read my blog roll, – the adoption blogs and money blogs and frugal living blogs – and think about what I’ll be writing about today. Today inspiration came in the form of my horoscope! There it was, my horoscope on my home page, glaring back at me in huge Times Roman Print. (I have the print setting on large) In a very authoritative voice the astrologer informed me that although I am on the right track financially, I will have a setback money wise today. … Continue reading →