Frugality Archives - Super Saving Tips

The Best Deals and Discount Savings on Gas

February 18, 2020 February 17, 2020

All of us car and truck owners spend our money on gasoline every week and it’s especially true if you commute to work by driving as the main way you get there. The price of gas can fluctuate these days almost daily and fortunately in most states it’s been staying under $3.00 a gallon for some time now. But as we all know it can spike suddenly depending on world events. That’s why getting discount gas is so important.

It’s not that difficult these days as there are over 20 different gasoline discount programs being offered right now nationwide around the U.S. These national chains offer fuel rewards programs. Is there one near you?

Travel

Planning a Summer Vacation in the Dead of Winter

February 11, 2020 February 11, 2020

If you are anything like me, you are sitting and staring out your window at a very gray and cold afternoon, daydreaming about relaxing at the pool or beach soon, and the sooner the better! Assuming you don’t already live near a beach or the pool, I think we all can easily relate to taking a nice summer vacation to relax or to see the sights of some far-off exotic or romantic place. Heck, even a family vacation sounds pretty good when the snowflakes are piling up, doesn’t it? So, why not plan for that getaway right now. It makes perfect sense and you can save an awful lot if you do right now!

There are some good reasons to plan your summer vacation in the dead of winter. Here are some of those reasons plus tips on how to afford your vacation.

Why Now?

Let’s get the boring part out of the way: The best way to save for a fabulous summer trip is to start early—like six months early (so…like right now). Starting now lets you grow your vacation fund in small ways over a period of time.

Food, Frugality, Home, Shopping

Stop Buying These 8 Things and Save $6,320 This Year

January 21, 2020 January 21, 2020

Please note this post contains affiliate links which help to fund this blog at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!

There are lots of articles about how you can save money by changing your lifestyle, sometimes even turning it completely upside down. I have even preached about such things as downsizing your home and even giving up your car and of course when you do those things you will save a ton of money. Those are real ways to do it if you are ready to really make big changes in your life like when you are entering into retirement or after the kids are gone and off on their own.

You can save money by making big changes or by cutting every luxury. But if you simply stop buying these 8 things, you can painlessly save more than $6,300.

Yet there are other little ways to save a lot by cutting out just a few of the small guilty pleasures in your life. People also write about some of those obvious money wasters and non-essentials such as Starbucks lattes and the high cost of cable premium channels that can really add up your expenses every month. But, life is too short to give up all of the little perks in life you love, isn’t it?

So what can you really do to save big money right now?

Health, Personal Finance

How Someone with a Disability Can Plan Now to Make Long-Term Care Fit Your Financial Picture

January 10, 2020 January 9, 2020

For today’s guest post, please welcome Ed Carter, a retired financial planner who uses his expertise to help people with disabilities plan their futures.

It’s an unfortunate reality that many adults with disabilities are faced with financial challenges. According to a report from the National Disability Institute, adults with disabilities are three times more likely than others to have trouble paying medical bills, and 55% of individuals with disabilities do not have savings to cover a financial emergency. These concerns are troubling at any age, but when you think about paying for care later in life, financial planning takes on a new meaning. This is why it’s so important to make a financial plan now to safeguard your future.

It's important for individuals who have a disability to plan financially for their long-term care. Here are three steps to take in planning for the future.

Make Sure You’re Covered

If you haven’t done so recently, start by reviewing benefits you may be eligible for, including Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, and more. You may be surprised by the types of services you can access, such as housing assistance and special savings accounts for individuals with disabilities. Make sure you’re also taking advantage of all tax benefits that you’re eligible for.

Shopping

The Best Time to Buy Things This Year

January 7, 2020 January 6, 2020

Please note this post contains affiliate links which help to fund this blog at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Every year I am amazed at how many people ask me when is the best time to buy certain items that they need. Unfortunately, my reaching out to a few friends and acquaintances helps only a little bit. Most people buy things on impulse or just when they absolutely may need something and never have a well-made plan when they do it. No matter how many times I see it, I have to shake my head and ask, “Why didn’t you wait or didn’t you know that it was just on sale last week?”

To get the best deals, it helps to know the best time to buy your purchase. Here's a month-by-month guide to finding the hottest bargains.

The prices of most things that are “on sale” are sometimes questionable. By that I mean: sale prices are determined by the retailer and that’s why items at one store’s prices are sometimes very different from another. Competition has an effect and helps keep prices in line and similar, but not always. There are other factors such as seasonality, store location (like a resort gift shop compared to your local Kohl’s store when you need a bathing suit, LOL), and the amount of inventory a store has on hand at any given key time of the year.

Food

Elite Supermarkets Can Be Money Savers, Too

November 26, 2019 November 25, 2019

Grocery shopping should be a very simple task, but it isn’t. First of all, it’s pretty much a requirement for you or someone in your family to do it—every week. They should be making a list, heading out to the store, buying what you really need, then coming back home to unload and put it all away. It’s very similar to washing your hair, according to the instructions, repeat the process, and do it all again next week…forever.

Even if you shop at one of the elite supermarkets, there are still ways to save money. Check out my advice and scoop up the deals at your local stores.

You may think you’ll be making a quick trip to the grocery store, but two hours later, you come home with tons of grocery bags and hundreds of dollars gone from your bank account. So then, how can anyone suggest that big name elite supermarkets (like Whole Foods or Wegmans) can ever be a way to save money?

Shopping

Black Friday Sales and Smart Money Prep

November 12, 2019 November 11, 2019

Please note this post contains affiliate links which help to fund this blog at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!

The biggest shopping event of the year is fast approaching: Thanksgiving weekend. Whether it’s Black Friday sales, the Saturday and Sunday afterwards, or the “Cyber Monday” sales that are the big internet shopping days, they are the markers for most retailers that take them from being in the “red” each year to being into the “black” and profitable!

To get ready for Black Friday sales, you need to do a little preparation to get the best deals. Here's my advice on how to score the best bargains.

Actually, they should call the entire weekend “green weekend” for that very reason!

Black Friday weekend kicks off the first of the four weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas that will determine a retailer’s fate for a successful holiday season. One thing for sure is that saving money and getting a really great deal is totally possible. But also possible is that you can get caught up in the whole crazy shopping experience and make some purchases you regret or even worse, purchases that you just can’t really afford! That’s the reason the phrase “buyer beware” is so appropriate even during this, the time when you are most involved with shopping and saving’s glee!

Budgeting, Cars, Food, Home

3 Things You Can Learn From Early Retirees

October 25, 2019 October 25, 2019

Your retirement is something you think about with a smile and some pleasant thoughts even though it might seem like it’s light-years away. But if you get to your golden years with insufficient funds, it’s guaranteed to be a nightmare and very unpleasant! You don’t want to live through that scenario, I promise you.

If you're having difficulty saving enough money for retirement, take a lesson from those who have been there. Here's what you can learn from early retirees.

Saving up enough money over a 45-year career to maintain your lifestyle in retirement is pretty challenging. But there’s a lot to be learned from the people who have managed to hit their savings goals well before that point, people who then retire early. You can learn a lot even if you haven’t been bitten by the early-retirement bug. That’s why it’s important to concentrate and learn about these three things you can learn from early retirees when you think that your retirement is at hand. But before you find out the answers…