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.