How much is a plastic bag worth?

Yesterday at Target, I used my own bag. I told the cashier so she wouldn’t start bagging my items. Then she cheerily told me that for bringing my own bag I get 5¢ off of my purchase. It’s not a lot but does help reduce waste and encourages people to bring their own bags. In one bag of my own that I comfortably carried, I packed enough items that would have been packed in at least three bags.

Target and some retailers have heavier plastic bags which are good for reusing and if you have to buy your own garbage bags or can liners they may cost more than 5¢ unless you buy them at the dollar store.

Five cents is a small bonus for me to remember to bring my own bags and to also reduce the clutter in my home. I have several plastic bags that I reuse and have not shown any wear or tear.

Is a nickel really worth it? Target tries to encourage shoppers to buy the bags they are selling and you would have to use the bag at least 20 times to recoup your purchase price. Personally, I don’t like using a bag that I bought at a particular store because it confuses the cashiers and they will try to charge you for the bag again.

Bringing my own bag also allows me to carry fewer bags from the store and forces me to empty the bag faster once I get home. Since I don’t have a dog, and recycle most of my garbage, having extra free plastic bags for garbage isn’t important to me and is worth the nickel.

“Consumers remain quite apprehensive about the short-term outlook and their incomes,” said Lynn Franco, director of the Conference Board Consumer Research Center. “With the holiday season quickly approaching, this is not very encouraging news.”

So the question is… How are you feeling about spending money for Christmas?

Last Christmas there were fewer new “hot” toys and gadgets and this has also trickled down to this year. People are still concerned about employment and also the tightened credit market.

The majority of retailers go into the black during the Christmas season. Since people  have less to spend and tighter credit restrictions, this consumer might end up being royalty again.

How will your spending habits differ this year?

If you haven’t been working or have had a salary cut then you are definitely in the low consumer confidence area. Even if you have a steady job and haven’t had a pay cut, this doesn’t mean that this is the time to spend recklessly. Start budgeting now and if you can, start making Christmas gifts.

Consumer confidence had increased, but that was short lived and due to cash for clunkers. As the holidays roll around, people may spend a little more than usual, but they may not spend as much as they did two or three years ago.

It is the sign of the times when Wine Spectator (October 15, 2009) has an article about the best boxed wines as part of its issue devoted to wines under $20 and $10. The economy has some wine drinkers turning their noses up at the wine market for bottles $20 and up, whereas the $20 and under market is surging. Some growers have had a difficult time selling their varietal grapes so the quality of lower priced wines may increase, at least for the next couple of years.

People may be cutting back on more expensive wines, but wines that sell for less than $10 for a standard bottle have gained new popularity and have increased in quality. Box wines vary in size from 1-3 liters making boxes wines very affordable. I have tried a couple of different boxed wines and these aren’t the old jug wines of long ago, recyclable packing, and an airtight inner container in the box makes the wine stay fresh for a while, even if you have just one glass a day for a couple of weeks.

Why does frugality have to be painful?

If you know you only have $3000 a month and your necessities equal $2150 then why spend more? Too many commercials about saving money and cutting back make people seem like they are sad. “Saving money getting you down?”

Actually saving money makes me very happy.

Does saving money so you will have it for the future make you unhappy?

Ok we know that cutting down on nonessentials is only one way of spending within your means. Just as making changes in spending habits – especially those small daily indulgences that you don’t consider will make a difference for your budget.

If you overspend in one area often, then maybe you might want to increase your budget in that area. Overspend in an area once – like for air conditioning or heat, or an emergency tire or faucet then that is one thing. Overspend for groceries or cell phone bill then you need to increase your budget in that area.

Paying for many things with cash is a way of budgeting. When you run out of cash, you have nothing else to spend… simple.

“Coupons were not in vogue during our period of gluttonous consumption,” said Kit Yarrow, a consumer psychologist in San Francisco and an author of “Gen BuY: How Tweens, Teens and Twenty-Somethings Are Revolutionizing Retail.” “But now that it’s once again cool to be cheap, they’re back.”

Using coupons has always been in vogue with many frugal people. Now people who are considered more affluent are using coupons as well.

Even online retailers are offering coupons for things other than discounts or just free shipping. I made a purchase and found a free coupon for an item, in addition to reduced shipping.

Several coupon sites such as RetailMeNot.com offer coupons sent to you via email. Additionally, there are coupons you can receive via your cell phone.

The super coupon clippers have them organized. Keeping them in your wallet for easy access also works well too. Serious couponers might scoff at those who carry them in their wallets or loose in a bag, but one or two coupons can still help you save big.

Shoppers can take charge when you use coupons. Good deals can be made better with the use of a coupon.

24¢

That’s the price I paid for six boxes of True Lemon and True Orange packets. I had three coupons good for one box of any True Lemon product up to $3.99. Since it was only available at certain stores, I went to one of the stores and there was a buy one get one free sale with the store card. I was “purchasing” three and getting three free, which was a savings of $10.47. I was just planning on getting three boxes but since there was a sale, I wasn’t going to leave my free items behind. I could have used the coupons for the lemonade drink mix which only has 8 packets in a box, but they weren’t buy one get one free.

Also, I had an old coupon in my wallet from a body products store. I thought that since it was over a year old that I wouldn’t be able to use it. I asked before I made my selections and I was told as long as the numbers are legible then I can use the coupon. The coupon was for $10 off a purchase of $30 or more and was my reward for completing a telephone survey. The $10 coupon was a better deal than using the coupon for a purse size bottle of free hand sanitizer with any purchase. The hand sanitizer coupon was only worth $1.50. As part of my savings I bought sale items and used a gift card to stretch the savings.

Finally, I received a coupon with my receipt from a drugstore for $5 off any Bic writing product. I generally don’t buy office supplies from a drugstore, but I choose a pair of mechanical pencils with refills of erasers and lead for $4.99 to maximize the coupon.

Coupons can save you money on items you really want and need. Sometimes it takes a little work and occasionally a little luck, but you can save big with them.

It’s the weekend and time to get the Sunday paper for coupons… Here’s a video that shows you how to really maximize your coupons. There are many women who are called “the coupon queen” but they all seem to have the same tricks, using coupons when items are on sale or taking advantage of freebies.

Is the recession really ending?

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke feels that the recession is toward the end.

Though how will the end of the recession look for people who are looking for a job which has caused some financial problems? Bernanke warns that recovery will be slow, though for people who have been unemployed for a while and are trying to make ends met, the recovery can’t come soon enough.

“But the general view of most forecasters is that the pace of growth in 2010 will be moderate, less than you might think given the depth of the recession because of ongoing headwinds including still ongoing financial and credit problems, de-leveraging by households, the needs for adjustments in the economy, sectoral adjustment in the economy [and] the need for fiscal exit at some point,” he said.

Moderate growth is already happening in some sectors. Last Saturday I went to a movie theatre and it was crowded in the middle of the afternoon. Filmmakers must be producing better movies or people are really eager to go to the theatre. I went to this same theatre a few months before and it was not crowded at all. There were more workers working at the multiplex than there were patrons. Saturday things were different, there were long lines for tickets and concessions and more than one cashier for tickets. All of the central concession stands had cashiers and were busy.

The movie theatres are showing some growth, but there aren’t many other places that are showing the same type of growth.

Personally… what would the end of the recession look like to you?

Yesterday’s post made me think about my own credit cards and due dates. Recently, a credit card that has had the same due date as a similar card over a decade changed for the past couple of months. The due date was switched to a later date for some reason, but now this month it is back to the regular date. I paid the bill when I paid the other, when I was thinking about it. Most of bills are due between the 10th and 15th of the month. Since it wasn’t a problem that the date was later it didn’t affect me, but now, after having a late due date, the payment date has reverted to the former date.

I wasn’t getting caught in a trap because I always check due dates, what if someone was expecting that date to remain the same? Of course there are variations in the due date because of holidays and number of days in the month, but to change the due date by ten days for two consecutive months and then change it back. Seems like a trick to me… pay attention to your due dates.

Also, when paying online, make sure that your payment is accepted and that you know your credit card company’s policy on payments. On its website, my credit card company says that your payment will be credited today if the payment is made before 5 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. Another card site says that payments must be received by noon Eastern Standard Time.

Everything that we have grown accustomed to as credit card users is changing radically because of the number of people defaulting on their bills and because of future legislation that limits fees some of the powers of the credit card companies. Know what your interest rate is, but also be aware of fluctuating due dates. Being late by one day could cost you interest and late fees.

I saw this video featuring a woman who is telling people about her problems with Bank of America. She has debt and because of the credit card law that will go into affect soon, credit card companies are making changes even to good customers. This lady is unhappy with the changes that were made to her account.

The following  reponse to the “Debtors Revolt” video provides some sage advice about paying attention to the changes in due dates and interest rates. The change in due dates can affect your leverage with the company. Even if you haven’t received a bill, check your account and see when you should pay something, otherwise you could be paying exorbitant fees.