Money Life Network Summer Savings Series Contest has a winner!! And the winner is…
In case you didn’t remember, yesterday was the last day for the Money Life Network’s Summer Savings Series contest. If you forgot to enter, I’m afraid I have to tell you that it’s too late. The contest has closed, and we now have a winner!
The winner
And the winner is… Klaus Scharpf!
Read the announcement here. Congratulations Klaus, I hope you’re able to find something to buy with your new found Amazon wealth!
Summer Savings Tips & Posts!
Before we close the door completely on our summer savings series, I thought I would highlight some of the summer savings tips that were submitted during our contest. There are some good ones here:
User submitted summer savings tips:
- Joey - My summer savings tip - Use coupons when buying my groceries. Every little saving makes a difference.
- The Happy Rock - Get your air conditioning unit checked and tuned up to help save on energy costs.
- otherdeb - Know that bicycle that’s been moldering against your back porch/in your attic/in your garage, etc? Get it out, get it checked over, and start using it for local errands!
- Rachel - For a cheap sun burn treatment that won’t require an extra trip to the pharmacy, freeze some of the lotion you already have on hand on a piece of tin foil. Once it’s frozen, it cools and soothes the burn and also moisturizers to ease peeling and blistering. Works great too for those who are allergic to Aloe Vera like me!
- Sam - Turn you thermostat up to 80 and use your ceiling fans or box fans.We also turn off the AC at night and just use our ceiling fans.
- finaidgirl - Since we’re moving 1000+ miles with a car and moving truck, I’m concentrating on more gas-friendly driving habits, like driving the speed limit or slower, braking more slowly and steadily, not idling, and paying to tune up the car before the trip to prevent any big issues from happening on the way.
- RachaelfromNJ - Sometimes items that you own just need a good cleaning and they will look like brand new. Alot of men don’t realize that their baseball caps can be cleaned, in the dishwasher. Go to any Walmart, Target, Footlock, or any store that sells hats and you can get this plastic thing to put the hat in and all you have to do is place it in the dishwasher to clean it. It will make the hat nice and clean and save your man alot of money in buying a new hat everytime it gets dirty!
- ThatOneCaveman - Vacation in or near your hometown. There are often a lot of cheap or free ways to entertain yourself - you just have to look for them. We’ll be visiting a few local museums (free entrance + free air conditioning), the zoo, the lake, and a few parks this summer - all for free!
- Cindy - I’m saving money in a number of ways this summer. The first way is riding my motorcycle to work every day it’s not raining. I use about half the gas I would in my small car.
Some of my co-workers, who live closer than I do, are riding thier bikes to work. That’s free and they’re getting excercise to boot, a double benefit. - Diana Corlett - Combine going green with economizing. Be inventive…come up with new ways to use and re-use. Repair what you have instead of throwing it away and buying new. Make a hobby out of garage sales…you never know what treasure you might find.
- Christin - Dry your laundry on a rack outside. This saves $$ and your clothes will last longer too!
- Mercedes - This summer I have decided to quit driving my kids around for activities and stay local. I have been lucky to have found things to do in the small town that I live. So far I love this simple summer life. I am kicking back and enjoying the nice weather without a hectic lifestyle.
- Melinda - Continue to start our summer vacation (December here) 2 weeks before summer school holidays officially begin. No crowds at the amusement parks, lower airfares & greater discounts on accommodation
- Morgan - Go on a long walk with your significant other on a nice summer evening. This is a great way to get exercise, communicate, and not spend money.
- Bunny - Use ceiling fans instead of AC. Dry your laundry outside under the sun. Go to the parks for nice family outings.
- EL - My summer savings tip is to use the community pool, if you have one. It’s a great, cheap outing for hot days, great exercise, and keeps you from using the air conditioner.
- Lauren - I’ve planted a vegetable garden to help save money at the grocery store, not only for the summer, but into the fall and winter months as well thanks to the joy that is freezing and canning!
- CelticBuffy - 1)Keep the ceiling fans going to make the house feel cooler.
2)Close the curtains on sun-facing windows to cut down on the amount of heat coming into the house
3) Grill out or eat “cool” evening meals as using the oven can really heat up the house. - Mrs.Micah - My tip is to try wearing as little as possible indoors to help keep the need for a/c down. We didn’t turn ours on until mid-June when a heat wave hit DC and I found this a useful part. Of course, if you have kids what you can get away with is probably warmer than what you can if you don’t have kids. And it requires shutting the blinds/curtains, but that’s probably a good idea anyway for reducing heat in the house.
- Donna V -My husband and I have been trying to save money on our date nights this summer. We love going to the movie theater and have saved money by going on Saturday before noon when tickets are $4-5 depending on the theater.
- Shawna - My tip - hang dark colored sheets/blankets over your windows to prevent the sun from coming in and warming it up too much inside (and prevent the AC from running too much). I take push pins and put one on each side of the window at the top, then I take binder clips and put one on each side of the blanket and hang them that way so that it is easy to take them down. The setting sun really heats up some of my rooms and I do this with success.
- Christopher - Go out and have a family day. Go to the zoo, the park, the beach, or another inexpensive place. Pack a picnic lunch to avoid the overpriced concession stands. Play games like volley ball or baseball, build a sand castle, or ride the swings.
Money Life Network Posts
Monday 6/9: Summer Savings Series #1: Food is a big expense. How can you save?
Tuesday 6/10: Summer Savings Series #2: 9 Money Saving Ways to Prepare For a Vacation
Wednesday 6/11: Summer Savings Series #3: Everyone Can Save Money This Way In The Heat!
Thursday 6/12: Summer Savings Series #4: Fun Frugal Ices With Your Child
Friday 6/13: Summer Savings Series #5: Make Summer Activities Affordable
Monday 6/16: Summer Savings Series #6: Save like you’re paying off a high interest debt
Tuesday 6/17: Summer Savings Series #7 - Send Your Kid to Summer Camp Without Blowing the Budget
Wednesday 6/18: Summer Savings Series Tip #8 - Watch Movies And Play Video Games For Free!
Thursday 6/19: Summer Savings Series #9 - Our Disney World Vacation
Friday 6/20: Summer Savings Series #10 - What is a staycation?
Monday 6/23: Summer Savings Series #11 - Saving at the movies this summer
Tuesday 6/24: Summer Savings Series #12: Save Money and Get Fit with These Summertime Activities and Programs
Wednesday 6/25: Summer Savings Series #13 - Don’t Drive 10 Miles Out Of Your Way To Save $0.20 On Gas! Use GasBuddy!
Thursday 6/26: Summer Saving Series #14: New York State Empire Passport
Friday 6/27: Summer Savings Series #15: The art of Hypermiling
User Submissions:
8 cheap summer fun ideas @ Broke Grad Student
Military Discounts @ Military Finance Network
Summer Savings - What I did @ OneGirlsQuest
Dealing with high food prices @ Paradigm Shifted
7 Ways to save money this summer @ Dreamline Savings
10 Money Saving Vacation Tips @ Think your way to wealth
Summer Savings Series: My Game Plan @ Kingdom First Mom
Freeze Your Air Conditioning Costs @ CashMoneyLife.com
How I Plan to Save Money This Summer @ Amelia’s Healthy Life
How I Will Save Money on My Summer Vacation @ The Dangling Conversation
Saving Money This Summer @ Keep it Simple
Money Life Network Summer Savings Series $100 Contest ends today!
Contest ends 6/30 12pm Central
In case you didn’t remember, today is the last day for the Money Life Network’s Summer Savings Series contest. If you haven’t already, you can still enter today up until noon for your chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card. We’ve had quite a few entries in the contest, but since we haven’t had hundreds of entries or anything, your chances of winning are pretty good! To win just,
- Leave a comment on our contest post with your summer savings tip. (2 entries)
- Subscribe our our group feed, and email us the secret phrase. (3 entries)
- Write a post about how you plan to save money this summer. Send us the link. (5 entries)
Over the past 3 weeks we’ve come up with 15 different summer savings series posts, as well as a substantial number of user submissions as well. Here is a roundup of those posts:
Money Life Network Posts
Monday 6/9: Summer Savings Series #1: Food is a big expense. How can you save?
Tuesday 6/10: Summer Savings Series #2: 9 Money Saving Ways to Prepare For a Vacation
Wednesday 6/11: Summer Savings Series #3: Everyone Can Save Money This Way In The Heat!
Thursday 6/12: Summer Savings Series #4: Fun Frugal Ices With Your Child
Friday 6/13: Summer Savings Series #5: Make Summer Activities Affordable
Monday 6/16: Summer Savings Series #6: Save like you’re paying off a high interest debt
Tuesday 6/17: Summer Savings Series #7 - Send Your Kid to Summer Camp Without Blowing the Budget
Wednesday 6/18: Summer Savings Series Tip #8 - Watch Movies And Play Video Games For Free!
Thursday 6/19: Summer Savings Series #9 - Our Disney World Vacation
Friday 6/20: Summer Savings Series #10 - What is a staycation?
Monday 6/23: Summer Savings Series #11 - Saving at the movies this summer
Tuesday 6/24: Summer Savings Series #12: Save Money and Get Fit with These Summertime Activities and Programs
Wednesday 6/25: Summer Savings Series #13 - Don’t Drive 10 Miles Out Of Your Way To Save $0.20 On Gas! Use GasBuddy!
Thursday 6/26: Summer Saving Series #14: New York State Empire Passport
Friday 6/27: Summer Savings Series #15: The art of Hypermiling
User Submissions:
8 cheap summer fun ideas @ Broke Grad Student
Military Discounts @ Military Finance Network
Summer Savings - What I did @ OneGirlsQuest
Dealing with high food prices @ Paradigm Shifted
7 Ways to save money this summer @ Dreamline Savings
10 Money Saving Vacation Tips @ Think your way to wealth
Summer Savings Series: My Game Plan @ Kingdom First Mom
Freeze Your Air Conditioning Costs @ CashMoneyLife.com
How I Plan to Save Money This Summer @ Amelia’s Healthy Life
How I Will Save Money on My Summer Vacation @ The Dangling Conversation
Saving Money This Summer @ Keep it Simple
Contest ends today at noon!
The contest ends today at noon, so don’t forget to enter - it’s easy and the payoff could be huge! We’ll announce the winner tomorrow morning on our contest page!
Reminder - 7 days left to enter to win a $100 Amazon gift card!
There’s only one week left in the Money Life Network’s Summer Savings Series!
We’ve already had two great weeks of summer savings tips both from our network members, and from readers like you! With only one week left, time is running out to have your say. And if you join us in our summer of savings series, you could win a a $100 Amazon gift card. What a great way to get your summer started, right?
Here are 3 easy ways you can enter our contest:
- Write a post about how you plan to save money this summer. Send us the link. (5 entries)
- Subscribe our our group feed, and email us the secret phrase. (3 entries)
- Leave a comment (on the MLN Post) with your summer savings tip. (2 entries)
You can enter each way once for a total of 10 entries. We’ll put all of the entries into random.org to choose the winner. Entries can be submitted up to 11:59 am Monday, June 30th. We’ll announce and contact the winner on Tuesday July 1st to email the gift certificate. If the email address is not valid we will award the prize to the second place finisher. Good luck!
We’d really like to see how many comments and articles we can get about Summer savings so get in on the fun and help make this project bigger!
Other news - carnivals!
In other news, I submitted a post to the Carnival of Debt Reduction this week over at Squawkfox. She has done a great job on her summer themed “summer solstice edition” of the CoDR. Check it out here.
Some of my other favorites from the carnival include:
- TooSmart, writes a post about hitting rock bottom in Payroll Advance: Hitting Rock Bottom
- PT at Prime Time Money and his article 10 Reasons Why You Would Be Happier if You Were Debt Free.
- Ryan Taylor at Millionaire Money Habits talks about online financial software in his article - Mint Review - How Secure is it?
Summer Savings Series #11: Saving at the movies this summer
Going to the movies is no longer cheap entertainment
My wife and I are self-proclaimed movie buffs, we just love going to the movies. From the latest Indiana Jones movie, to the courtroom dramas and tear-jerker “chic-flicks”, we usually end up going to the theater a few times a month.
Going to the theater is becoming a pricier proposition every year, with movie ticket prices in our area topping out at $10 per person recently. For a family of 4 or 5 you could easily spend over a $100 for a night at the movies!
So via SmartMoney.com and some other sources here are some ways that you can save some money at the cinema this summer.
10 Ways to save money going to the movies
- Bring your own treats: With popcorn prices going through the roof, and the prices of candy at the concessions being so high, bring your own refreshments. Not all theaters will allow this, but call beforehand, and many will allow you to bring your own goodies.
- Seek out family freebies: In the summertime many theater chains offer days where parents can bring their kids for free movie days. For example, Regal Cinemas offers a “free family film festival” every Tuesday and Wednesday through August.
- Use coupons and freebie movie ticket deals: Use coupons from your local “Entertainment Book” to find reduced rates on tickets, or you can often find deals at your local grocery to get free movie tickets when you buy certain products. Keep your eyes peeled for the deals.
- Go to the movies at a second-run theater: This is by far our biggest money saver. My wife and I go to most movies we see at an independently owned second-run theater. The movies come out a couple of months later than at the normal theater, but the ticket prices are $8 cheaper - $2 instead of $10. Wait a month or two and see the movie at your local cheap theater.
- Buy ticket packages through the theater chain: If you still want to see movies when they first come out, try buying packages of tickets through your local AMC, Regal or other movie chain. Often you can save $2-$3 per ticket by buying them in blocks ahead of time. The catch is that often you can’t use the tickets on special engagements or opening weekends.
- Go to a matinee: Instead of seeing the movie at a peak time, Friday or Saturday night, go to an afternoon showing. The prices will often be $2-$3 cheaper, and the theater is often less crowded as well - meaning you’ll get to sit wherever you want!
- Avoid reservation sites: When you buy your tickets online a lot of the time you’ll have to pay an extra .50 to $1.50 per ticket. Buy your tickets at the theater to avoid the fees.
- Join a movie-watchers loyalty club: Many movie chains offer loyalty programs where you get free refreshments and movie tickets once you’ve accumulated enough points. If you go to the movies often, it may be worth it to join.
- Go to a drive-in movie: Go to a drive in movie with friends and see a double-feature! Not only will you get to see more movies for your dollar, but the prices are almost always cheaper to begin with! Its a fun experience to go to a drive-in and is a good value for your dollar! Also, its easier to bring your own refreshments!
- Stay at home, rent at your local RedBox: Get a movie from your local RedBox movie rental kiosk, and use a coupon for a free rental from the website InsideRedbox.com. The movie rental kiosks can be found in McDonald’s restaurants, grocery stores and other local locations.
So there are a few ways you can save on going to the movies this summer. What are your tips for saving on cinema spending?
Check out tomorrow’s summer saving series post over at PTMoney.com, or check out the archive of Money Life Network series posts and user submissions at our network site. Don’t forget to write our own post for your chance to with a $100 Amazon gift card!
Summer Savings Series #6: Saving tip: Save like you’re paying off a high interest debt
Send money
I was driving down the highway on my way home from work the other day when I looked up and saw a billboard for a local bank. It had a two sentence ad for their high-yield savings account that really caught my attention. It said:
Your future called. It said to send money.
This really got me thinking about our debt culture, and how most people don’t ever bother to save for their future. We value having things now, and for most people saving for the future never even enters their mind. In fact, according to MSNBC.com the Commerce Department reported that the nation’s personal savings rate for all of 2006 was a negative 1 percent, the worst showing in 73 years. The article continues:
As the nation’s largest generation retires, that will further depress savings because typically retirees are drawing down their accumulated savings in an effort to make up the difference between the salaries they earned on the job and their smaller Social Security and other pension payments.
“We have to face the question of whether we are anywhere near where we need to be with our savings to see us through,” said David Wyss, chief economist at Standard & Poor’s in New York.
We are not saving enough for our future needs, and we need to find a way to turn that around. We need to start saving NOW!
Saving for the future
We know we need to save for the future, but how do we start? How do we get motivated to start putting away the funds that we’ll need down the line?
I read an article on NPR.com where they were talking about debt. One of the quotes was from Financial Times columnist Tim Harford. He said:
“Debt is your future self sending you money back in time. So the question is, are you and your future self both happy with the deal?
No, I’m not happy with the deal - that’s why we don’t do debt. This quote did make me think, what if this went in reverse, and it was our present self sending money to our future self?
Savings is your present self sending you money in the future.
Now that is a deal I’ll sign up for!
Dayana Yochim in her article, “Give Your Future Self a Raise” talks about how most people have been told to save 10% for retirement, but that it just isn’t enough. What does it take to turn that around? It’s pretty simple:
Save more. Work longer.
End of story.
Sounds dull, but if you get serious about those two things — work an extra two years and sock away just 3% more in savings if you can — you will turn your entire financial future around.
Saving is like paying a high-interest debt to your future self
Sometime just saving for the future isn’t motivation enough. You need to couch it in different terms. Here’s what I’ve come up with for myself. When you have debts, the debts become a priority, you have to pay them off before you can buy the things you want like a new gadget or a vacation. If you don’t pay your debts eventually the creditor will repossess your house or other assets.
I like to think of savings as a high-interest debt that I’m paying to my future self. I have to pay myself for the future before I pay for other things because if I don’t my future prosperity will be repossessed. And I don’t want my future to get foreclosed on! Do you?
My tips for jumpstarting your savings:
- Treat retirement savings as a high interest debt to be paid off.
- Set a debt goal: Set a debt goal for your retirement savings and try to make payments on that debt as often as you can. Use the Dave Ramsey debt snowball and the concept of snowflaking to add more money to your retirment savings.
- Save more: If you’re saving 10%, bump it up 15%. Save as much as you comfortably can. You don’t want to make your current life uncomfortable, but you do want to make sure you save enough. Check out PTMoney’s article, “7 Can’t Miss Ways to Kick-Start the Saving Habit” for more ideas of ways to start saving.
- Work longer: Plan on working longer in order to save more. Take on part time jobs or save other unexpected windfalls.
In my mind, the most important thing to do when it comes to saving is to just start doing it. Make it automatic, make it a habit. Turn it into a game! You’ll be happy to know that you’re paying your future self for a prosperous retirement. The billboard will now read,
Your future called, you’ve got plenty of money because you started saving!
What are your tips for jump-starting a saving habit? Leave a comment here!
Don’t forget to check out tomorrow’s Summer Savings Tip #7 post at PTmoney.com! Check out the rest of the articles in our Summer Savings Series at the Money Life Network contest page, as well as finding details about how to win in our $100 Amazon gift card giveaway! (enter the contest now, you’ll have pretty good odds of winning!)
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