Hey guys!! So Thursday at 12 am, I went on my first Black Friday trip to see if we could find some deals. We went to a nearby mall. Now I was expecting people to be shoving and physically fighting to get things they wanted, and I expected to see alot more electronics with slashed prices, and more practical items available everywhere. Instead, since we went to a mall, most of my time was spent waiting for my sister to pick out name brand clothes that are usually expensive, but driven down to normal looking prices after the sales. Everywhere within the store, there were name brand clothing stores. I am not bashing anybody here that likes sales on name brand clothing, I just want to say that it isn't exactly for me. This is most likely because I'm a guy and don't care too much for fashion. I wish I had gone to Walmart or somewhere else for my first Black Friday experience! I ended up never finding anything worthwhile for myself. And while we were waiting in long lines, I began to think that it is sometimes worthwhile to value time over money; while you can earn money back, you can't get time back. Also, my family has been using Restaurant.com quite frequently to buy ourselves Gift Certificates to use at restaurants. Check it out at restaurant.com ! Also, I want to share that on this blog, if you haven't noticed, there are a few other tabs at the top; you can view pictures of items I have snagged for free with my online amazon money, and there is also a poll question that I would appreciate answers on! I will change it here and there as well.
So did anybody out there find some great deals on Black Friday? If so feel free to share below! And be on the lookout from more posts from me! I am going to be posting more frequently now, so please feel free to let your friends/family know about this blog! - Brandon
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Hey guys....I haven't posted in a really long time, and I apologize. I recently have been running out of ideas on what to share here. Lately, I have really been getting into new Rewards websites, many of which I have shared here on this blog. One new one recently that I have found, similar to the other sites I have shared, is called EpicRewardz. It is just like Points2shop, on which you complete offers, watch videos, etc to earn points. You start out with 250 points, the equivalent of $2.50. A link to the site can be found here!
http://epicrewardz.com/home?ref=skinsfan102 Now on to the more serious topic for today....the direction of this blog. When I posted here more often, I got a number of viewers to my surprise, but very little feedback. A few times I asked if people would kindly post suggestions, but I did not receive any. I am wondering on whether I should turn this page into more of one on which I share day to day experiences with spending and saving money, and how it helps shape my lifestyle, or whether it should just be a site on which freebies and deals are posted, or both. Any ideas guys? I would like to keep posting, but I have no idea as to what people want to read. Please, feel free to reply below with your o As always, Your Frugal Friend Brandon Hey everybody, today's post is going to be about saving money..for videogamers! I spent much of my senior year of high school (unfortunately) playing videogames like Call of Duty...and noticed a way or two to save money if you guys are going to be spending it anyway by gaming. First of all, you can earn credits/points toward games or xbox live points through rewards sites, which you can sign up for by clicking on one of my banners on the right side! Next, I know that many people love Xbox Live, but some don't want to spend $5 a month to play. Well, here is one way you might be able to. Ever go out to eat with family and buy a beverage like a soda for around $1.80-$2? Well, if you abstained two or three times from that drink and ordered water instead, you could easily save the $5 a month to play! Also, depending on how much you game, it might be worth your time to invest in rechargeable batteries and a charger, which will cost about $20 for the charger plus 4 rechargeable batteries, but I really only recommend this for the hardest of gamers. Finally, I recommend finding cheap Xbox hardware on Amazon! I found a cheap, working headset for Live on there for only $6, and another, slightly nicer one for about $12, while they run at $20 in stores. I also recommend finding cheap videogames on ebay, but make sure to read into the seller's information, including their sales history, etc. There are many steals to be had on eBay, but some people shy away and miss deals because they don't research enough. eBay also has a buyer protection program now, so if you feel uneasy, this program will help you out if anything were to go wrong, and you can always negotiate with the dealer and resolve any issues.
Hope some of this helped, now get gaming!! - Your Frugal Friend Brandon Hey all. Summer is a great season because school is out, and there is plenty of free time.But having plenty of free time, also means having plenty more opportunities to spend money. This summer, I have seen plenty of my friends spend most of the money they earned working on dining out, movies, and other fun activities. While it is important to have fun during the summer, it is also important to save money. Now this can be a catch 22, because obviously the less you spend, the less there will be to do, unless you plan accordingly. Sometimes I have denied going out to have fun with friends, just so I could save those extra dollars. Now I wouldn't exactly recommend this, because it might lead you to just sit around your house; going out once in a while is alright as long as you still save. A few of my friends have wasted all of their earnings on having fun this summer, so they left nothing to stick to a loan. With my family, I have gone out to a few movies, and out to eat once a week, but we use movie passes we received for gifts, and we use Restaurant.com for gift certificates when we want to eat out. We almost never go to a restaurant without having a coupon or gift certificate. In this way, we save at least $10 every time we go out to eat. I would say that the trick here would be to balance having fun, with sticking money into the bank. I have college loans I have to worry about, so I have put every cent I earned from work into that, and by the end of August I should have about $2,000 to pay of loans with. So my best advice here is to just make a plan, on how much you plan to save, and then how much you plan to spend. I know this seems simplistic, but likDo you have any great hobbies you love, or any struggles in saving money during the summertime?
- Your Frugal Friend Brandon So it's been several months guys....I'm sorry. My purpose on this blog was to post tips to saving money in order to help others...but to be honest, I have used most of them. Today I want to share how I came to be so frugal, and my opinions on it. To start, my parents do not make a ton of money, and so throughout my life, my parents were very strict on spending and never let me have what I wanted simply because. Sometimes I got things I wanted as presents/surprises during my birthday, or holidays like Christmas, but never for no reason. In this way, it became much easier for me to turn down impulse purchases at stores, because my dad would never allow it and he hated whining and complaining. During my elementary school years, I wanted various things other kids brought to school...one time I wanted something a girl had, and never received it, and at some point urge to have whatever it was, disappeared. I realized that over time, if I just waited on something I thought I wanted, I didn't want it later on. I think this became a cornerstone for seeing the difference between need and want. Since my parents didn't let me use much money for entertainment like movies and going out to eat with friends, etc. I am telling you, if I spent even $5-10, my dad would ask why I wasted money. This is still true today! in high school, I found websites called search and win sites, i.e. Swagbucks, and earned my allowance that way, which I spent on amazon for an occasional purchase. These can be seen in my "Pictures of Free $tuff!" Since spending can be a roadblock for me, I tend to see spending in correlation to my struggles in life. I feel like I am in control, when I keep all of the money that I earn! Work can be hard, and I feel sick when I know I have wasted my hours by spending the money on purchases I'll regret later. That, in a nutshell is how I became as frugal as I am today.
So I am wondering whether to switch gears on this blog. Do you guys think I should start blogging in a way that compares spending money/saving money to everyday life? A friend has already said that my blog helped him in another way...and I hope that it helps you guys too. Please comment below with suggestions on subjects, or any advice you might have. Thanks so much guys, - Your Frugal Friend Brandon Hey guys! It's been a while, and today I'd like to share another site I have been into recently. If you happened to ever notice the banner ads I have on the right side, those are a few rewards/search and win sites that I use! I joined points2shop nearly two years ago, but recently started again, and have earned about $17 now on the website, in the last two weeks. You basically just watch videos, complete offers, do daily surveys, and can play games to win more points. Once you complete an offer, you have to click "Mark as Completed" Under "Free Offers." There are several subcategories, so you just have to browse around a bit. There are different honor levels associated, and to reach higher levels, one must complete more offers, get more referalls, earn more points, and order prizes or get cash payouts. At each level, you are given more priveleges, such as deleting comments that are inappropriate, earning votes for advice to newbies, etc. Basically, the website has partnered with amazon, and so the points that you can earn you can use to get stuff from amazon for free! There is another half to the site called Cashle, and that is the same, except you can earn straight cash to amazon or paypal, for completing offers or surveys. I recently ordered Modern Warfare 2 for Xbox 360, and also a set of earphones for Ipod/Iphone. My current Honor Level is Silver, and I need to earn $11 more or so in offers in order to Reach Gold! If you ever have any other questions, there is a "shoutbox" on the left side, which is a chat box to instant message other users. I can also answer any questions you have, just comment here if you want, or email me at [email protected].
Here is my link to the site! Enjoy and get earning! Free stuff/money to be had! http://www.points2shop.com/?ref=skinsfan102 Hey guys, sorry it's been a while, I've been quite busy lately. Today's post is all about saving money on food, and how healthy choices can save money. To start off, let me say that many people have various options for drinks in their household, ranging from soda to smoothies, to water. While drinks like soda or fruit juice might be tasty options, cutting back on these during grocery trips can save a good deal of money. A case of sodas might cost only $4.50 or so, but that adds up weekly; $4.50 a week for 52 weeks a year is over $200 a year! Meanwhile, an item like a case of water bottles might only cost $4 a month, and water from the tap is free. Aside from drinks, fast food can easily eat up your monthly pay check. I currently attend a university, and believe me, fast food can rack up rather quickly. In high school, school lunches were $2.75 a meal, that's over $400 for a school year of about 32 weeks! My parents had me pack a lunch each day consisting of a drink, bag of chips, a turkey or peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and a granola bar. This was less than the $13.75 a week for school lunch, and at least a little bit healthier. The best bet to saving money while eating healthy, is whipping out a cookbook, finding some good recipes, and buying the best prices for ingredients at the local grocery store. I have found that often times, no name brands can be just as good as known brands and much cheaper. When it comes to sauces and soups, my mom does not hesitate to find the generic brand and buy it. Think about it: if you can spend about $15 on ingredients for a home cooked meal that might sustain an extra leftover meal, it might be more worth it than spending the same amount or more for a family in one night. If your family eats home cooked meals four times a week, two nights could be leftovers, and then there is room to eat out once as a treat. This is just an example though, meal planning could go anyway you wish. Also, I live in a family of four, and so we save about $8 every two weeks by simply drinking water when we go out...this adds up to over $200 a year! Anyway, I hope this saving tip helped, please feel free to comment below any suggestions or opinions!
-Your Frugal Friend Brandon Hey everybody, today's money saving tip is all about learning how to fix your own gadgets and do your own services so that you don't have to pay for these services. The first, and easiest service for a man to avoid paying for is a haircut. In the past two years, my father bought an electric razor, and he has been able to provide me with a buzzcut every time I've needed a haircut. The razor costs between $12 and $20, and therefore pays for itself in one or two haircuts; haircuts at a legitimate hair cuttery cost up to $15 for one cut! Why spend that money, when you could shave your head easily yourself? All it requires is the razor, about 30 minutes, and a bag or trashcan nearby to avoid making a large mess. The next service that could save a tremendous amount of money is the ability to service one's own car. Oil changes and other fixes could cost upwards of $1,000 combined, but why pay that money? There are plenty of books at the library that teach how to make an oil change, fix tires, and even fix the engine. Also, it is much easier to go out to a parts shop and buy the parts separately on your own and apply them to the car, than pay for the labor fees and other excess fees the autoshop requires. Labor fees can be expensive, and putting together any device from parts on your own is always cheaper than buying it in a store. I have known people to be so handy that they were able to install their own headlights and radio for their car, and even repair the muffler or install new brakes. In particular, my friend put together his own hard drive for his computer from various parts he had around and bought, and saved probably upwards of $200 compared to a store price. Other services one could provide for themselves include mowing their own lawn, hand washing their car (mostly obvious), preparing their own taxes (a professional consultant for this might cost upwards of $200), and if especially skilled, fixing electrical issues on their own in the house. While learning these various skills, learning for free from a book is always valuable, even if you still don't feel comfortable enough repairing your own equipment and still prefer professional help.
Hey guys, I found a great deal on Chipotle, but only good today on Superbowl Sunday! Get 5 other friends, and you've got yourself a great deal. Check it out here!
http://ra.chipotle.com/email/12-all-001.htm Enjoy the Superbowl this afternoon! - Your Frugal Friend Brandon Hey Everybody, sorry I haven't posted in such a long time! School has taken up a lot of time. Today's tip is all about Opportunity Cost. Now I know this sounds simple, and maybe a bit repetitive, but it's a good tip for today to get back into the swing of saving money for some people. First off, you must begin cutting spending, by deciding on spending on certain activities/items over others. I learned this more during my college experience: if I spend money on my meal plan for lunch with a drink, I'll drink water with dinner. Small decisions like switching off items such as drinks can quickly save up money. I usually try to keep my meals consistently around $3-$3.50 for my meal. This means that if I spend $2 on a smoothie during the day, I'll cut more out of costs when buying a meal later. When it comes to spending on recreation, it's easier to decide on one interest over another, instead of doing both. For instance, last night I considered going to a party: which would cost me about $5 to get in. Instead though, my friends and I ended up going to a place where we could play pool, and then we watched a movie. So I spent about $2 on the night instead. Just having this kind of thought process when considering activities to do or meals to eat helps a great deal; a couple dollars here accumulates and ends up helping a lot. Hopefully this one helps you guys, it's been a while since I've posted and again I apologize, but I figured this kind of hint was appropriate
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About the AuthorI am a 19 year old teenager and my goal is to maintain a page for teenagers and college students to gain information from in order to save money and make a few extra bucks online. I also just want to share my experiences with spending and help others change their lifestyles. Archives
November 2012
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