Traveling to save

So I haven't been blogging much because I'm in a rut. The ideas just aren't coming to me. So this one is from my friend Cian who is currently in Australia! If you have any suggestion for things to write about send me an email!

Traveling to another country to go shopping. If you live in a large country it may seem a little unrealistic. But even somewhere like the United States different parts of the US are cheaper than others. In Europe this act is common.

Flights to New York are very cheap from Dublin. The twenty something crowd loves to take a weekend shopping trip to New York. With the Euro being so much stronger than the US dollar and prices generally being lower its no wonder this is a growing fad!

An example: Recently in Dublin I saw a sign in Diesel advertising 2 t-shirts for €50, this is $69.50 USD. For these same two shirts in the US you would spend $62 (€44.60). This may not seem like a big difference. And you certainly wouldn't travel just to buy two t-shirts. But If you go ready to drop €400 things like this add up quickly.

This also means you'll be wearing something none of your other friends have. (Unless they went with you and bought the same things as you.)

Traveling to make purchases is done for more than just clothes. For minor aesthetic operations such as dental cleanings and tattoos travel to Eastern Europe. Get cheap lipo in Mexico. There are of course risks when you do things like this. Make sure that if your body is going to be worked on that they are reputable, clean and have a good history.

For many countries if you save your recepts you can get your tax back in the airport. So make sure you keep them! Even if you can't get your tax back it's a good idea to keep your recepts incase something happens to your items and you need to return them.

If you can't or don't want to leave the US you can still get some good deals just because of a lack of sales tax. Here are the states that have no sales tax or very very low sales tax:

Alaska (Though many local governments do have them. Fairbanks and Anchorage have none)
Colorado (2.9%)
Delaware
Hawaii
Montana (Some large tourist areas do have a small tax. Around 3%)
New Hampshire (No Sales Tax but they do tax meals, hotels and car rentals)
New Mexico
Oregon

Just to give you a comparison, California has a state sales tax rate of 8.25, this is the highest in the United States. Many states tax differently depending on what you're buying, be it food, clothes, or medications.


So here are my tips for shopping away from home:

• Look for cheap flights
• Take a lot of money
• Have a plan of what you want
• Go somewhere where your currency is stronger.
• Keep your eyes open for deals
• Know the local laws on taxes
• Make sure you have enough luggage to carry everything you're going to buy (or buy luggage while you're there.)
• Find out the airline's baggage rules, after all having to pay €50 just to get everything home defeats the purpose of the trip.
• Change your money in a local bank when possible. Airports charge you insane amounts to do currency exchange, simply because they can.
• Make sure you know the laws on bringing items back to your country. Generally fruits and meats are against the rules.

A Free Movement

So, I haven't blogged in a while. Been busy feeding my gaming addiction. I've known exactly what I was going to blog about, infact I have a few ideas piling up in my mind. So, it's finally time to get back to the grind.

I'm sure everyone who has ever been outside has seen them, the homeless person digging in the trash. Maybe for hidden treasures, more likely for food. Now imagine yourself digging in the trash, not out of necessity but as part of a new movement. It's called Freeganism and it seems to be gaining popularity. While at it's core it is an anti consumerism movement, I think it could become something more.

So, you may be asking yourself, what is this Freeganism? It sounds like vegan....but has the word free, so it has to be good, right? Because really, when is free ever not good? Well here it is, freegans get food, clothes, gifts, and well anything they find from the trash.

Now I'm not talking about walking through your neighborhood and digging around for scraps or things people tossed. I'm talking about going to a grocery store dumpster and diving. Stores throw away food that is nearing its sell by date. This isn't a eat by this date or else, this is just a little warning to the store that much longer and the food won't be its best quality. Especially if it goes and sits in someones pantry for a week or more. You can get things that are meant to be kept cold. Milk, cheese, I doubt you'll find any eggs intact, but who knows! While dumpster diving be sure you shop just as you would in a store. If a tomato is bruised, you don't want it. If the broccoli you found is brown, you don't want it. If your cheese is warm, you don't want it, same with milk.

Freeganism is more than just food though! Clothes, jewelry....really the list is endless. A woman I worked with in Chico was a big fan of dumpster diving. Especially at the end of the semester at the local college. She would go dumpster diving for her entire wardrobe! And a lot of the things she owned were things she had found. Many college students will throw away anything, especially when time is short and you have to move out of your dorm in a hurry. You can take this on to stores as well. Many treasures are just waiting to be discovered.

If you do decide to take on this sort of an adventure here are a few tips I've gathered from around the internet:

Go out at night or very early morning
Bring thick gloves
Bring a pocket knife
Bring bags to put your treasures in. (I suggest cloth bags)
Wash veggies, fruits and anything not packaged very well before eating
Be respectful, don't leave trash scattered around the area, clean up after yourself.

I would love to hear if any does decide to go out for a dumpster dive. This is a fascinating idea to me and I'd like to hear more personal experiences.

Overstock and Excess

Have you ever noticed every can in the store is perfect? No dents or torn labels. Thats because they won't sell them. So what happens to them? Sometimes they're donated to food banks. Sometimes small local stores will buy them and sell them for cheap. So the question is, do you pay 50 cents for a can with no label? It might be beans, it could be soup. No one knows till you open it up! As long as you're creative and up for a challenge I say buy it. These stores are fantastic resources. You can often find expensive name brand items that just didn't sell at another store. Some people are a bit snobish about these types of places. They might smell a little funny, and sure some of the shoppers haven't showered this decade but this shouldnt stop you from going there. Buy a 5 dollar chocolate bar for 30 cents. No matter how you look at it these places save you money! So find your local one and shop away!

Here are just a few I know of:

Nick's Stuff and Things in Oroville, California.
The Entire Grocery Outlet Line: Found throughout the Western United States
Lidl: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK

Links are posted at the right for Grocery Outlet and Lidl

Be green and save green

In honor of today being Earth Day I will be giving ideas on how to be environmentally friendly and save money at the same time.


Reduce: By reducing the amount you throw away each month you help lower the demand for landfills and incineration (burning, which throws all those chemicals from the waste into our air).

• Buy items that come in containers that are reusable.
• Buy items that are multi use. Don't buy paper plates or plastic cups.
• BYOB - Bring Your Own Bag, Plastic bags are made from a nonrenewable resource. Bring cloth bags or plastic bags you've already used. If you must get a bag remember to recycle it or get paper.

How you save money: First and most importantly, when you throw less away you spend less on your garbage bill. You can reduce the size of your garbage can to the point where you can't even fill one. If you find you have room in your garbage can talk to a neighbor, see if you can split a can. Buying things in containers you can reuse, for instance a glass pickle jar once the pickles are gone use it to store pasta, cereal or anything else really. Buying items you can only use once is a waste. Paper plates may seem cheap but if you use them constantly instead of buying proper plates you can quickly see the cost add up. Plastic bags fill up your garbage can quickly. In some places; San Francisco, and Ireland as well as many others you are charged for plastic bags. Bringing your own you save on this cost.

Reuse: When you reuse you keep things from entering the waste removal system. And reduce the amount of waste produced.

• Use the front of old cards for post cards or gift tags
• Use newspaper for packaging instead of foam peanuts
• Throw apple cores, stale bread, and other food scraps out for the animals
• Use water from cooking veggies and showers to water plants
• Cut up mouse pads and use under furniture to keep the floors safe
• Cut up old carpet and use as coasters
• Wash out Ziploc bags and use them again
• Make pillows out of old shirts
• Use tins to store things
• Make a mini first aid kit from an Altoids tin
• Make candles out of the left over wax of others
• Yard Sales!
• Thrift Stores!

How this saves you money: Reusing an item you've already bought saves you from buying the item again or from having to buy whatever it is you make it into. It also saves your garbage bill. Reusing water reduces your water bill. Yard sales help you save on your garbage bill and going to them saves you endlessly. You can get amazing deals on all sorts of things, the same goes for thrift stores. Remember that one man's trash is another man's treasure.

Recycle

Right, recycling isn't really like the others. It doesn't really save you money, but it can earn you money. Go to http://earth911.com/ to find out where you can recycle locally.

Here's a list of things that can be recycled:

• Any glass
• All paper and cardboard
• Aluminum, including aluminum foil
• Steel Cans
• Plastic
• Yard Waste
• Motor Oil
• Batteries
• Aerosol Cans
• Paint
• Hearing Aids
• Appliances
• Any electronics
• Glasses
• Printer Cartridges

Before you load up the car find out which of these items can be recycled in your local recycling spot.

Have a lovely green day! Go plant a tree, or at least give one a hug.

Join the Club

Around the world grocery stores offer rewards for card users. From discounts in store to collecting points towards future buys stores offer a variety of ways to pull the consumer in for more. The question is, how can you take advantage of these deals?

If your card allows you deals on certain items it is more than likely a scam. You are lead to believe that you're getting a good deal by using your card. But many times they just raise the price you would have to pay without the card to make it look like a good deal. That's not to say you shouldn't be part of the card club, you should just be aware of the normal, average price for the item. These card programs offer the best deals when you get free items. The buy three get one free sort of situation. Or even the buy one get another half off. As I said before though, be aware of the normal price of these items. This is best done using an excel sheet as I have discussed previously.

If you're lucky enough to have the type of card that awards points for loyalty USE IT! Humans are creatures of habit. We find a store we like we will continue to go there. If we are traveling we will go to the store we know and recognise before we go to the strange one we don't know about. So chances are you're spending tons of money in one store and you could be rewarded for it! These systems are very simple and straight forward, you get points for the amount of money you've spent. Then these points are given to you to spend in the store at a later date. Usually within a specified time limit. One such store that does this is Tesco. When you go to the checkout you hand the person your card, it gets scanned and for every Euro you spend you get one point. It takes 100 points to equal 1 Euro of coupon later. These coupons aren't specific to store or items, it is free money off your buy. You can opt to have these coupons mailed to you regularly (default) or they do have a Christmas saver program where they will save your points until the end of November so by the time Christmas comes around you've saved up a good chunk. Who doesn't need money that time of year.

In the end, the point is be aware of what you're buying and join all club card systems. (Unless you have to pay, but that's something for another time.) At one time or another they will help you save money.

Growing your own Green

No matter where in the world you live you can grow your own food. The amount of things you grow and the size of the plants depends entirely on how much room you have. Even if you live in an apartment and have no outdoor space of your own you can still grow many things indoors. Think about the things you cook most, or ingredients you use more than anything else. In my house the one thing we use more than anything is Spring (Green) Onion. This is something small you can grow in a window sill. Do you eat a lot of sauces and have a bit of room? Grow some tomatoes and your favorite herbs to make your own. Save jars from sauces you've bought to store your own. Freeze whatever you don't use immediately. You can buy cookbooks to help you start creating your sauces or use online recipe websites (See Links on right). Such websites are made by contributions from users. So if you find a mix you like, post it!

This isn't something that will immediately save you money, in fact in the beginning it will cost you more. But in the long run you will find its worth it. You will get healthier foods that are made specific to your taste. ENJOY!

Gently Used: Electronics and Gym Equipment

Gym equipment and electronics aren't found in every thrift store. They are most common in larger thrift stores. Electronics are the hardest thing to buy in a thrift store. They often don't come in the original box and rarely have any manuals with them.

Before you buy any electrical items check with an employee about testing out the item. Ask for an electrical outlet you can use. If they don't have one you run the risk of buying something that doesn't work. If this is the case and you find a deal you just can't pass up ask about a returns policy. Most thrift stores will not accept returns under any circumstance.
If you are able to use an outlet to check that all the settings work properly. Make sure there are no bare wires and that nothing smokes (Unless its supposed to smoke). Make sure there are no cracks in the item and that its structurally sound. If there is a small peice missing that is removable, for instance the stiring part of a bread maker, or a lid these things can be found for very reasonable prices online. Especially on ebay, eSpares (UK), and Spareparts.ie (Ireland)[Look for links to these sites on the right of the page]. Many owner manuals can be found online, simply google the item you've bought and many of the major companies will have the manual online in a pdf format. If its older or there are newer models the manuals may be a bit harder to find.

Buying gym equipment from a thrift store is difficult unless you know exactly what you're shopping for. If it is something that is electrical make sure that everything I said above is true. Remember that many things can be replaced, if the padding on a bench is torn or flat this can easily be fixed. If a weight is cracked it can be replaced though I would research it before buying the item. Make sure theres no rust and all parts are in working condition. Another thing to remember is how much space you have in your car and at home. Afterall if you can't haul the equipment home then you can't use it.

Gently Used: Clothes

Shopping for clothes in a thrift store is nothing like shopping for clothes in the mall or in a regular store. You can't just pick up an item and ask for it in your size. What you see is what they've got. Sometimes things are arranged by color, sometimes things are arranged by size. You never really know what you'll find until you get there and dig in.

If you're in a large store it is unlikely you will look at every article of clothing. Pick a color, or item you're looking for and focus there. If you need pants, stick to the pants. Unless you have the time to go through everything stick to what you came for.

If you're in a smaller store there is no reason not to go through everything. You may be looking for a pair of shorts for the upcoming summer, but you never know when you might find the perfect jacket for the winter.

Things I wouldn't advise buying in a thrift store: Undergarments and Shoes. To me these things are just meant to be bought new. Shoes conform to a person's foot. Wearing shoes that were worn by someone else will give you poor posture and make it difficult for you to walk.

Make sure before you buy the clothes you've found there are no stains, tears or wear marks. Thick sweaters often end up with thin spots where people have leaned against things and body parts have rubbed together. Sometimes clothes are altered to fit the owners body better, check to see if these modifications can be altered.

Most thrift stores don't allow you to try things on before you buy them so go in knowing what size you wear. If something you buy doesn't fit bag it up and donate it to another thrift store for someone else.

Look for thrift stores with bag deals. One particular thrift store in Paradise, California (on Almond St. across from the Health Food store) has two dollar bags. The idea is you grab a paper bag (sometimes plastic depending on the store) and fill it as full as you can with as many clothes as possible. Then you only end up paying two dollars, or whatever the amount is for that store. I have also seen such things around Dublin, though I have yet to experience it. These deals may be dependant on the day of the week. So be sure to ask before you grab a bag and dig in.

Gently Used: Books

Shopping for books in a thrift store is a fairly simple process. But first you should know that when you go to the book section you never know what you'll find so don't go there expecting to find a certain book. (If you want that sort of ease I suggest www.half.com or www.amazon.com. ) There are always certain genres that you can always find; Romance, Travel and depending on if you live in a college town or not you may find text books. The rest of what you find is really up to those that donate to these places!

Many thrift stores are so understaffed and overwhelmed that they don't take the time to organise the books. They simply toss them on the shelves for the people to dig through. A good find is always worth the time spent.

If you're a college student a good thrift store can be your salvation. Just after the end of a semester take a list of books you'll need for the next semester and even year if you already know what classes you'll be taking the next semester. A warning though, if you do decide to buy a book for a class you won't take until the future keep in mind what semester you'll be taking the class in. Teachers only change books over the Summer semester leading into Fall. So don't buy a book used in Spring semester for a class in the Fall unless you talk to the teacher first.

Before you buy the book you've found check for certain things. Is the cover in good condition? Is there water damage to the book? Flip through the book. Are there pages missing? Did someone scribble in it? If the answer is no...buy it.
Remember to check back at your local thrift store regularly for new books. Yes, you'll find that some books just never seem to leave. But who knows what treasures you'll find!

When you finish the book, keep it if you like or take it to a thrift store for someone else to enjoy. I wouldn't recommend taking it to the same thrift store you're a regular at, just to eliminate the risk of you buying it a second time.

Gently Used: The basics

To many people the words Thrift Store gives you the idea that you're poor. So poor that you can't afford new clothes. What those people don't know is that often the people who donate to such places will donate items that are brand new, still have the original price tags. You can buy things for a fraction of the retail price! Over the next few entrys I will be going over how to best use a thrift store for several different things. After all, the best thrift stores have more than just clothes.

To find thrift stores in your area visit http://www.thethriftshopper.com/ and put in your zip code.


Next time someone puts down thrift stores ask them how much the outfit they're wearing cost. Then tell them how much yours cost. It won't be long until people start asking you where you bought your clothes.

Excel is your friend

Keep track of how much money you spend. Everytime you go to the store sit down with the recipt and keep a detailed list of what you bought, what store you bought it in and what day you bought it.

Be sure to note if the items were on sale or if you got a discount for buying more than one.

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You will soon find that certain items are bought on a regular basis. Make another spreadsheet of just the items you buy regularly. Track the date, the day of the week, the price and the store you bought them in.


This will help you figure out where you should go for your shopping and what day of the week.

Remember: Save money on what you buy most and save more, regularly.

The Start

Hello and Welcome!

In this failing economy everyone is doing what they can to make cuts in their lives. So basically I'm just going to give some suggestions for people to help themselves out during these times. I'm also going to give the occasional relevant news blurb.

I may occasionally give region specific tips, I live in Dublin, Ireland. But many of these tips can be adjusted slightly to fit wherever you may live in the world. I spent most of my life living in Northern California so I will also be able to give tips specific to there.