Would you rather have a company raise the price and decrease the size of the product they are selling or just increase the price?

Prices have increased not only because of the price of materials to make the products but to increase the profits. In some cases this has amounted to nothing more than greed. As the prices have increased the size of the products have decreased. Finding ice cream that is sold in a half gallon container or a five-pound bag of sugar is akin to winning the grocery lottery.

Today, I saw a half liter bottle of balsamic vinegar selling for 2.29. The liter bottle used to sell for $3.99. Buying two would mean for the same amount there is a price increase of 15%.

No one really wants price increases but reducing the volume of products also contributes to waste if you need a certain amount for a recipe or family’s needs. If you have to buy a larger container or a multiple smaller ones to get the amount you need, then there is the chance that some might be wasted.

Toilet paper rolls have been shrinking as the price remains the same. Some things that we cannot live without such as food and personal hygiene items are being sold in packages that are more “profit friendly” for companies yet take more out of the consumer’s bottom line.

My preference would be to have the product size remain the same and increase the price moderately. When you have grown accustomed to a certain size and know how long it will take you to use an item, only to have the size reduced by 20% it seems like a crime. When the price stays the same, but there is less in the package, this is still a price increase, subtle yet still an increase. For some items you just can’t make do – while eating less may work for your waistline – using fewer personal hygiene products may not be good for your social life.

New Year’s Eve can be a fun time to celebrate the new year but remember to take it easy and do not drink and drive. Even if you decided that you do not want to drink and are going to take a cab, public transportation or walk. This does not mean that you should imbibe so much that you have lost your inhibitions or clear train of thought.

If you chose to go to a party that includes alcohol, drinking to excess just to get your money’s worth, will leave you with a terrible hangover tomorrow.  Just because you paid $75 or more for all you can drink doesn’t mean you should take the offer. All things in moderation. I haven’t made up my mind about going to a party in a hotel or going to a bar. Either way, I want to take a cab which will make it easier to get to my destination.

Be safe when celebrating this holiday.

The new year will bring new things with it new fees, closings and changes that you might have expected. For years I have remembered the library’s late fees were 10 cents a day. Now as of January 1, 2009 the fees will double.  For books and will also increase for other media as well. O want to hold on to my pennies as much as possible so I think that I will definitely make more of an attempt not to avoid the fee. On a couple of occasions the book I was not quite finished with was requested by another person so I wasn’t able to renew it online. Instead I kept it for another day or so until I finished it. Previously this would have only cost me less than a quarter, now this will be 40 cents.

Even so, if I have to pay less than 50 cents for “renting” a book that I can’t renew this is still much cheaper than buying the book from a bookstore.

This isn’t a New Year’s resolution and the amount I pay in fees to the library each year totals less than $1. If I kept the same habits, this would be $2 in 2009. That’s a cup of coffee.

I dislike fees but the library may not be the only place increasing their late fees, so I plan to look over my various accounts to see if there are going to be any fee changes in the upcoming year.

Post Christmas sales are going on now and this is the best time to grab up some deals for next year’s Christmas cards, ribbons, bows and seasonal items.

Even if you decide that you are only going to send a few cards, you can get Christmas cards at half price at most places. Even the dollar store has half price Christmas items.

To really get some significant savings out of wrapping paper, search for some that can be used for gifts throughout the year or for seasonal birthdays. Gold paper looks nice at any time of the year. Know for certain that you will make cookies or need some Christmas-y containers? Then search for some at the end of the season.

So far in the sales after Christmas I have my cards for next year, some reusable picks and decorations to spruce up my Christmas wreath. All of these were at 70% off the regular price.

Gifts can be purchased ahead of time such as ornaments or craft items that will be used to make gifts for next year. Shopping now helped me save a lot of money and get some really great things for less than regular price.

I can’t remember when I last bought Christmas cards the year I sent them out. Although buying them at 70% off this year was like buying two boxes for the price of one. 

Christmas towels and home decorations are also included in most of the sales, you if you don’t have a Christmas tablecloth or winter decorations you could find something to help decorate your home. Not all Christmas decorations say Merry Christmas, some just show winter scenes so if you decide that you want to have some winter themed placemats or towels to use in your home, then buy those. What about solid colored table cloths, Some people do like to use red, white or ivory cloths on their tables at other times of the year. Why pay full price when you can get them on sale?

Post Christmas sales can help you keep cash in your pocket.

When you are shopping and buying gifts for others there are some “sets that are packaged together that are often a better deal than just buying the items separately. Yesterday rather than buying three separate lip balms for 5.75 for a large pot, I bought the tin of three for $16 and they are packaged together nicely. I was buying these for myself and immediately saw the deal that this was. I saved $1.75 and got a tin for free. Who can’t use a small tin to store things in? 

There are always bargains. When you want to try something for yourself, try it when it is on sale. Now is the best time to try things that are on sale when retailers are using drastic discounts to get people to buy gifts. Sometimes you can also use a coupon for those sale prices as well.

Great prices should not mean overconsumption. I had been looking at these lip balms on the past several occasions I went to the store. I searched online at Amazon and the price I paid was a great deal so I decided to buy myself a couple of small things, lip balm and sea salt caramels. Together my treats for myself cost less than $40 but I always like to buy myself Christmas presents.