Many posh restaurants have happy hour specials in their bar area such as Cheesecake Factory, McCormick and Schmidts and others. For the price of a beer, you can have $1.95 half-pound burgers, seafood stirfry, spinach dip, mussels, etc. (I think it's $3.95 at the Cheesecake factory, and we take food home from there.) At Mortons, they will pass around little steak sandwiches for free at the bar. Of course, they also have drink specials, sometimes a glass of wine for $2. Usually it's a limited time offer from 4 to 7.
I also keep an eye on gift certificates on ebay. This time of year grads and dads may be re-selling theirs to make some cash. I aim for 10-15% off.
If you haven't signed up for email alerts from your favorite restaurant, try that. My birthday is next week and I have about 15 coupons ranging from free desert (without any additional purchase) to a free entree.
Expect good service. For example, once we ordered a salad, and as soon as we started eating it, our entrees came. We told the waiter we didn't even have time to eat our salads (which we paid extra for). They re-made the entrees, the manager came by and comped our desert, coffee AND cocktails. This was at the Great American chain, Costal Flats. Also, whenever we eat at Macaroni Grill and have left overs, they always pack a fresh loaf of bread with them.
Including myself! It's hard to get the job after the interview if you aren't camera ready in Los Angeles and it doesn't matter how great your resume is. Case in point is my best friend who is just dynamite at PR but heavy. While even though everyone knows we online works have our butts literally growing into our chairs...no one sees them yet so we're safe from the scrutiny.
Including myself! It's hard to get the job after the interview if you aren't camera ready in Los Angeles and it doesn't matter how great your resume is. Case in point is my best friend who is just dynamite at PR but heavy. While even though everyone knows we online works have our butts literally growing into our chairs...no one sees them yet so we're safe from the scrutiny.
I'm only allowed to eat out once a week and I always tty to only spend about $10 on myself. I never order a soda, always water, and I try to save some for left overs but I never seem to be able to eat them before they go bad.
I wonder what it's like to find out that you're getting paid more than all of the other people you work with and you happen to be the hot chick in the office.
I honestly and not all that surprised that pretty people get more money overall. I think that humans just tend to gravitate to them ...
My husband & I like the Entertainment discount books. We always save more than we paid for them, & get to find new restaurants, too. They drop prices drastically in the last 6 months of the year for this year's book - and have other deals, too. I am trying to get my husband to pay attention to fast food coupons - as he grabs things on the road a lot.
No, there aren't actually studies showing a link between autism and vaccines, there are anecdotal reports of such a link which is not the same thing.
The original article which started the whole debate has been debunked so many times.
The CDC link is full of information regarding this fact.
I'd also like to point out that the decision to immunize does not only effect you, but others around you- it's called herd immunity and it's more important than many realize.
If you are concerned please educate and inform yourself and then make a decision.
Sorry to hijack the thread Julie but this is a very sore point for this epidemiologist.
It always helps to be attractive - that's why we wear fresh clothes and wash and brush our teeth, among other things. There are, however, many standards of attractiveness - & the media doesn't have the only one. It's the choice du jour & may very well change at a moment's notice! But we can always strive to be, as a colleague once said to me "you on a good day"! So analyze your features & get the best haircut & take care of your skin and hair - Dress to emphasize your good points - and keep up with styles so you don't look dated or like an old fogy.
My motto is to try to keep everything from sagging FIRST - so indulge in some maintenance before surgery would be called for! There is so much great, not expensive stuff for that nowadays. I used to scrub my face to defoliate it - but now all I have to do is have an anti-aging cream, and it brightens my complexion for me. (Alphahydroxies DO work.) Ditto eye cream!
Exercise can be really helpful but it isn't a sure thing. Exercise is great for preventing things like type 2 diabetes, heart, high blood pressure and weight related issues.
It won't prevent a whole host of things though. But if your injured or dealing with an illness or chronic medical problem being in good shape gives you a serious leg up on getting closer to healthy.
Something to keep in mind about pharmacies that isn't strictly financial is to be aware of how rushed the pharmacy is and the number of pharmacy techs to number of pharmacists. We moved some prescriptions after noticing issues of overwhelmed pharmacy staff and confused techs working without any supervision. If they are over worked and understaffed it increases the risk of a prescription error.
Oh, and always double check they gave you the right drug. Most pharmacies print the pill description on the papers they give out. I caught a prescription error using this. http://www.drugs.com/pill_identification.html
As I am aging I have thought about this a bit more... pure vanity, but I wouldn't mind having some teeth whitening done...
maybe some face stuff too.. (I am getting more zits now than when I was a teenager, it probably has to do with my vigorous workout schedule now).
Now that I think about it, maybe some hair implants/transplants; though I do like my shaved head.. and.. well.. the last could go on and on, sometimes you've gotta be happy with what ya got!
I really dislike eating out in part because the food is simply heavier, less healthy, and calorie laden. If you're trying to lose weight or keep pounds off, just about the number on thing to do is stop eating out. That said, one more thing I do is almost always eat only half or less of my meal and take the rest home -- the leftovers speed up lunch making for other days and so on.
that banks charge to count change? Is this a phenomenon of the coasts? I live in Iowa, and can take my change just about anywhere. Have you tried Credit Unions?
- Never order a drink, only water - as others have said, healthier and it saves a couple bucks.
- Order vegetarian options, they're often several dollars cheaper.
- Ask if the restaurant serves half portions - for items like salads and nachos, they usually will serve you half the dish for half the price.
- Order a kids meal - Many restaurants will serve kids meals to adults, especially if you call and order it to go - even if it's against policy.
- Coupons - you can buy a citypass book full of buy one get one free coupons for local restaurants for about $10 or $15, and you'll save this much in one meal. Not so good for singles, but great for couples and families.
- Salad bar at the grocery store - Skip the dressing. I run to the grocery store and indulge in their salad bar almost every day for lunch. I choose light items (skip the cucumbers and cherry tomatoes, load up on the onions, sprouts, mushroom slices, finely grated cheese, etc) and I keep a bottle of salad dressing in my office. My salad at Kroger is usually under $3 a day (they charge by weight), I can't even buy ingredients and pack a salad every day of the week for $15.
- Have a snack before you go out to eat - if you order when you're hungry, you'll order more.
- Look up the menu online and decide what you're ordering before you get there. Once you're in the restaurant and smelling the food, seeing other people's food, and looking at the pictures on the menu, you're more likely to overorder.
- Eat breakfast at home (a pack of oatmeal or a couple bananas will do) and you'll be less starving at lunchtime.
(partly obscured by the numbering system, at least on my screen) and I agree that it can be essential to keeping healthcare costs down; for me, it has kept down my blood sugar and blood pressure. And, more efficient circulation hopefully helps things heal faster. I don't know how much exercise has helped to keep my healthcare insurance costs down: perhaps there is no benefit or perhaps my monthly insurance could easily be more than my mortgage.
Linsey also wrote about prescription savings. I have considered switching drugstores to get savings (transfer incentives) but thought it might be confusing to remember where to call and my drug records are all at one place though I could see how that could be cost-effctive. I am going to be checking out one of Merck's programs and let y'all know how that goes.
The 2 cheeseburger meal with large fry and drink. Then I split it between me and the two younger boogers. My daughter gets her own $1 sandwich and $1 fry. We also get some waters. It more than feeds us for less than $8. Then we go home and gorge ourselves on apples from the fridge. :)
They also offer $1 Happy Meals from 4-8p.m. one night a week. Although we never seem to make it, it's good to know it's available.
What I've always done, is skip ALL the drinks.
I always order a glass of water. I like water, and it's free, so I save a few dollars right there.
Also, I've found that just ordering an appetizer, ends up being enough of a meal in itself! At TGI Fridays, or Applebees, or wherever, a chicken quesadilla is enough to fill even my Husband.
Appetizer, water, (which I have in the past, squeezed every drop out of the lemon the water comes with, and added a packet or two of sugar, and BOOM! Lemonade with your dinner....for FREE!!
So anyway, appetizer, water, check please!
For McDonald's, I feed my family of four, for under $10 every time we go.
I always have drinks in the car for the kids, and always have water for me and the kids to share, so why bother buying a huge soda that usually gets wasted? (soda is the antichrist, anyway!)
We order ONLY from the Dollar Menu. Plenty of choices.
I mean, come on...you're eating at McD's...how luxurious can you get?
So, our typical order for me, my Husband, my 5 year old Daughter, and my 9 year old Son, is:
5 double cheeseburgers. (which sometimes is subbed with a chicken sandwich...still a dollar.)
4 small fries.
________________
$9.54
Everyone's happy, everyone's full.
(my husband has the exta double burger, in case you're wondering!)
And if we don't have a drink in the car, we'll order a small ($1) drink, in place of one of the fries, cause after the double burgers, the kids are usually mostly full, anyway. They share one.
He loves my frugal ways.
*I admit though, that a lot of McD's have changed their dollar menu, and taken the double burger off of it....but not our local one yet!!*
# Get immunizations to prevent certain diseases (see Center for Disease Control’s recommendations).
Great list. I don't know if I'd necessarily advise a lot of immunizations though. There are dangers associated with over-vaccination, especially for children (recent studies show that there may be a link between vaccines and autism)
Also, Wal-Mart offers $4 Generic Prescriptions on many common medications, so if you are prescribed something be sure to call and check and see if you can get the generic version for less (and when you get prescriptions ask your doctor if he/she can write the prescription for a generic equivalent).
Finally, I advise you to take advantage of offers that are in the local news (or in your drug store ads) for gift cards for New/Transferred Prescriptions. In a lot of markets, CVS heavily pushes $25 Gift Cards for new or transferred prescriptions. A lot of pharmacies will accept these coupons from competitors too. Over 1 year, I transferred my prescription from CVS to Rite-Aid to Wal-Greens to Ralphs to Albertsons to Wal-Mart, averaging approximately $25 in gift cards per transfer.
Great list, but even better is to exercise, so as to stay healthy. This is the best way to minimize rising health costs. Limited funds should be no excuse for not exercising and here is a list I put together recently on Frugal ways to get and stay in shape. Simple exercises that don't cost much means we can all afford to be healthy.
Julie, I'm appalled at how much we pay in premiums for our insurance, and it is employer based. Our contributions have increased astronomically, and at some point you begin to wonder not only if it's worth getting insurance through your job, but if you can even afford it.
It makes you wonder what sort of disaster is awaiting us in terms of health care. And best of all, nobody can agree on a solution. Maybe like the environment, it takes a disaster for action to occur.
Linsey, I knew I shouldn't have let my kids have my ATM card and PIN. I couldn't figure out where all my money was going.
BTW, great insights on your post. While everyone has their own opinion and everyone does it differently, I think teaching kids to understand money is not a bad thing. It doesn't mean they have to grasp the difficulties and hardships that come with making a living, but sometimes children are just too out of touch with the real world.
Besides, when you're dealing with money, there is always a good home-school math problem to be found.
Knowledge is power when it comes to healthcare. Research is valuable, not always to dispute a recommendation but to engage in an intelligent dialogue and understand the issues involved in making an informed decision.
Speaking of finding another family physician, I will mention that sometimes the best physicians are not those with perfect interpersonal or social skills; so if someone makes you feel good but doesn't seem to follow guidelines, then it is time to reconsider the relationship. I have also noticed that some physicians will write prescriptions or make recommendations based on what they think the patient wants rather than what is right.
Many posh restaurants have happy hour specials in their bar area such as Cheesecake Factory, McCormick and Schmidts and others. For the price of a beer, you can have $1.95 half-pound burgers, seafood stirfry, spinach dip, mussels, etc. (I think it's $3.95 at the Cheesecake factory, and we take food home from there.) At Mortons, they will pass around little steak sandwiches for free at the bar. Of course, they also have drink specials, sometimes a glass of wine for $2. Usually it's a limited time offer from 4 to 7.
I also keep an eye on gift certificates on ebay. This time of year grads and dads may be re-selling theirs to make some cash. I aim for 10-15% off.
If you haven't signed up for email alerts from your favorite restaurant, try that. My birthday is next week and I have about 15 coupons ranging from free desert (without any additional purchase) to a free entree.
Expect good service. For example, once we ordered a salad, and as soon as we started eating it, our entrees came. We told the waiter we didn't even have time to eat our salads (which we paid extra for). They re-made the entrees, the manager came by and comped our desert, coffee AND cocktails. This was at the Great American chain, Costal Flats. Also, whenever we eat at Macaroni Grill and have left overs, they always pack a fresh loaf of bread with them.
Including myself! It's hard to get the job after the interview if you aren't camera ready in Los Angeles and it doesn't matter how great your resume is. Case in point is my best friend who is just dynamite at PR but heavy. While even though everyone knows we online works have our butts literally growing into our chairs...no one sees them yet so we're safe from the scrutiny.
Margaret Garcia-Couoh
Including myself! It's hard to get the job after the interview if you aren't camera ready in Los Angeles and it doesn't matter how great your resume is. Case in point is my best friend who is just dynamite at PR but heavy. While even though everyone knows we online works have our butts literally growing into our chairs...no one sees them yet so we're safe from the scrutiny.
Margaret Garcia-Couoh
I'm only allowed to eat out once a week and I always tty to only spend about $10 on myself. I never order a soda, always water, and I try to save some for left overs but I never seem to be able to eat them before they go bad.
For a newcomer to the insurance scene this is quite helpful. Thanks!
My tips is to only eat out for lunch when there are often reduced prices (and portions), and never for supper.
I wonder what it's like to find out that you're getting paid more than all of the other people you work with and you happen to be the hot chick in the office.
I honestly and not all that surprised that pretty people get more money overall. I think that humans just tend to gravitate to them ...
My husband & I like the Entertainment discount books. We always save more than we paid for them, & get to find new restaurants, too. They drop prices drastically in the last 6 months of the year for this year's book - and have other deals, too. I am trying to get my husband to pay attention to fast food coupons - as he grabs things on the road a lot.
No, there aren't actually studies showing a link between autism and vaccines, there are anecdotal reports of such a link which is not the same thing.
The original article which started the whole debate has been debunked so many times.
The CDC link is full of information regarding this fact.
I'd also like to point out that the decision to immunize does not only effect you, but others around you- it's called herd immunity and it's more important than many realize.
If you are concerned please educate and inform yourself and then make a decision.
Sorry to hijack the thread Julie but this is a very sore point for this epidemiologist.
It always helps to be attractive - that's why we wear fresh clothes and wash and brush our teeth, among other things. There are, however, many standards of attractiveness - & the media doesn't have the only one. It's the choice du jour & may very well change at a moment's notice! But we can always strive to be, as a colleague once said to me "you on a good day"! So analyze your features & get the best haircut & take care of your skin and hair - Dress to emphasize your good points - and keep up with styles so you don't look dated or like an old fogy.
My motto is to try to keep everything from sagging FIRST - so indulge in some maintenance before surgery would be called for! There is so much great, not expensive stuff for that nowadays. I used to scrub my face to defoliate it - but now all I have to do is have an anti-aging cream, and it brightens my complexion for me. (Alphahydroxies DO work.) Ditto eye cream!
Exercise can be really helpful but it isn't a sure thing. Exercise is great for preventing things like type 2 diabetes, heart, high blood pressure and weight related issues.
It won't prevent a whole host of things though. But if your injured or dealing with an illness or chronic medical problem being in good shape gives you a serious leg up on getting closer to healthy.
Something to keep in mind about pharmacies that isn't strictly financial is to be aware of how rushed the pharmacy is and the number of pharmacy techs to number of pharmacists. We moved some prescriptions after noticing issues of overwhelmed pharmacy staff and confused techs working without any supervision. If they are over worked and understaffed it increases the risk of a prescription error.
Oh, and always double check they gave you the right drug. Most pharmacies print the pill description on the papers they give out. I caught a prescription error using this.
http://www.drugs.com/pill_identification.html
As I am aging I have thought about this a bit more... pure vanity, but I wouldn't mind having some teeth whitening done...
maybe some face stuff too.. (I am getting more zits now than when I was a teenager, it probably has to do with my vigorous workout schedule now).
Now that I think about it, maybe some hair implants/transplants; though I do like my shaved head.. and.. well.. the last could go on and on, sometimes you've gotta be happy with what ya got!
I really dislike eating out in part because the food is simply heavier, less healthy, and calorie laden. If you're trying to lose weight or keep pounds off, just about the number on thing to do is stop eating out. That said, one more thing I do is almost always eat only half or less of my meal and take the rest home -- the leftovers speed up lunch making for other days and so on.
that banks charge to count change? Is this a phenomenon of the coasts? I live in Iowa, and can take my change just about anywhere. Have you tried Credit Unions?
- Mystery shopping.
- Never order a drink, only water - as others have said, healthier and it saves a couple bucks.
- Order vegetarian options, they're often several dollars cheaper.
- Ask if the restaurant serves half portions - for items like salads and nachos, they usually will serve you half the dish for half the price.
- Order a kids meal - Many restaurants will serve kids meals to adults, especially if you call and order it to go - even if it's against policy.
- Coupons - you can buy a citypass book full of buy one get one free coupons for local restaurants for about $10 or $15, and you'll save this much in one meal. Not so good for singles, but great for couples and families.
- Salad bar at the grocery store - Skip the dressing. I run to the grocery store and indulge in their salad bar almost every day for lunch. I choose light items (skip the cucumbers and cherry tomatoes, load up on the onions, sprouts, mushroom slices, finely grated cheese, etc) and I keep a bottle of salad dressing in my office. My salad at Kroger is usually under $3 a day (they charge by weight), I can't even buy ingredients and pack a salad every day of the week for $15.
- Have a snack before you go out to eat - if you order when you're hungry, you'll order more.
- Look up the menu online and decide what you're ordering before you get there. Once you're in the restaurant and smelling the food, seeing other people's food, and looking at the pictures on the menu, you're more likely to overorder.
- Eat breakfast at home (a pack of oatmeal or a couple bananas will do) and you'll be less starving at lunchtime.
Now that you've pointed it out, Xin, it seems so obvious.
But, I've never thought of doing it that way before with take out.
Good tip.
(partly obscured by the numbering system, at least on my screen) and I agree that it can be essential to keeping healthcare costs down; for me, it has kept down my blood sugar and blood pressure. And, more efficient circulation hopefully helps things heal faster. I don't know how much exercise has helped to keep my healthcare insurance costs down: perhaps there is no benefit or perhaps my monthly insurance could easily be more than my mortgage.
Linsey also wrote about prescription savings. I have considered switching drugstores to get savings (transfer incentives) but thought it might be confusing to remember where to call and my drug records are all at one place though I could see how that could be cost-effctive. I am going to be checking out one of Merck's programs and let y'all know how that goes.
For the rare times we eat there, we order:
The 2 cheeseburger meal with large fry and drink. Then I split it between me and the two younger boogers. My daughter gets her own $1 sandwich and $1 fry. We also get some waters. It more than feeds us for less than $8. Then we go home and gorge ourselves on apples from the fridge. :)
They also offer $1 Happy Meals from 4-8p.m. one night a week. Although we never seem to make it, it's good to know it's available.
What I've always done, is skip ALL the drinks.
I always order a glass of water. I like water, and it's free, so I save a few dollars right there.
Also, I've found that just ordering an appetizer, ends up being enough of a meal in itself! At TGI Fridays, or Applebees, or wherever, a chicken quesadilla is enough to fill even my Husband.
Appetizer, water, (which I have in the past, squeezed every drop out of the lemon the water comes with, and added a packet or two of sugar, and BOOM! Lemonade with your dinner....for FREE!!
So anyway, appetizer, water, check please!
For McDonald's, I feed my family of four, for under $10 every time we go.
I always have drinks in the car for the kids, and always have water for me and the kids to share, so why bother buying a huge soda that usually gets wasted? (soda is the antichrist, anyway!)
We order ONLY from the Dollar Menu. Plenty of choices.
I mean, come on...you're eating at McD's...how luxurious can you get?
So, our typical order for me, my Husband, my 5 year old Daughter, and my 9 year old Son, is:
5 double cheeseburgers. (which sometimes is subbed with a chicken sandwich...still a dollar.)
4 small fries.
________________
$9.54
Everyone's happy, everyone's full.
(my husband has the exta double burger, in case you're wondering!)
And if we don't have a drink in the car, we'll order a small ($1) drink, in place of one of the fries, cause after the double burgers, the kids are usually mostly full, anyway. They share one.
He loves my frugal ways.
*I admit though, that a lot of McD's have changed their dollar menu, and taken the double burger off of it....but not our local one yet!!*
# Get immunizations to prevent certain diseases (see Center for Disease Control’s recommendations).
Great list. I don't know if I'd necessarily advise a lot of immunizations though. There are dangers associated with over-vaccination, especially for children (recent studies show that there may be a link between vaccines and autism)
Also, Wal-Mart offers $4 Generic Prescriptions on many common medications, so if you are prescribed something be sure to call and check and see if you can get the generic version for less (and when you get prescriptions ask your doctor if he/she can write the prescription for a generic equivalent).
Finally, I advise you to take advantage of offers that are in the local news (or in your drug store ads) for gift cards for New/Transferred Prescriptions. In a lot of markets, CVS heavily pushes $25 Gift Cards for new or transferred prescriptions. A lot of pharmacies will accept these coupons from competitors too. Over 1 year, I transferred my prescription from CVS to Rite-Aid to Wal-Greens to Ralphs to Albertsons to Wal-Mart, averaging approximately $25 in gift cards per transfer.
Great list, but even better is to exercise, so as to stay healthy. This is the best way to minimize rising health costs. Limited funds should be no excuse for not exercising and here is a list I put together recently on Frugal ways to get and stay in shape. Simple exercises that don't cost much means we can all afford to be healthy.
Slamming post Julie, really.
I'm sort of on the road and not able to fully enjoy all the links, but it's so great to know it's here for referencing when I'm ready.
This really is an incredible service article. I'm sure it will do well and provide assistance to many people.
Great job.
Julie, I'm appalled at how much we pay in premiums for our insurance, and it is employer based. Our contributions have increased astronomically, and at some point you begin to wonder not only if it's worth getting insurance through your job, but if you can even afford it.
It makes you wonder what sort of disaster is awaiting us in terms of health care. And best of all, nobody can agree on a solution. Maybe like the environment, it takes a disaster for action to occur.
Thanks for the list, it's very informative.
Linsey, I knew I shouldn't have let my kids have my ATM card and PIN. I couldn't figure out where all my money was going.
BTW, great insights on your post. While everyone has their own opinion and everyone does it differently, I think teaching kids to understand money is not a bad thing. It doesn't mean they have to grasp the difficulties and hardships that come with making a living, but sometimes children are just too out of touch with the real world.
Besides, when you're dealing with money, there is always a good home-school math problem to be found.
Knowledge is power when it comes to healthcare. Research is valuable, not always to dispute a recommendation but to engage in an intelligent dialogue and understand the issues involved in making an informed decision.
Speaking of finding another family physician, I will mention that sometimes the best physicians are not those with perfect interpersonal or social skills; so if someone makes you feel good but doesn't seem to follow guidelines, then it is time to reconsider the relationship. I have also noticed that some physicians will write prescriptions or make recommendations based on what they think the patient wants rather than what is right.