(Here's goes my 1st post!) I found the zbre2b9's strategies really helpful as the 2 of us are laid off right now! We're thinking differently & smarter now. Staying on task when we're rehired will be crucial to our financial success. Absolutely THERE IS something to be said about knowing the VALUE of your time & what/when to delegate/hire out. A "virtual assistant" can be quite helpful, but so can the 15 yr old neighbor's kid down the street (or your own) Here's some of my ideas...happy reading & best of luck!

1) Use www.Stamps.com - You can print your own stamps, weigh your packages & print your own postage for shipments (including Return Receipt, Insurance, Email Notification, etc. There's NOTHING better than being able to walk into the USPS & drop-off your box into their carousel & walk out. No standing in line! No 30% mark-up from my UPS Store (even though I have a mailbox there)! Avg price is $15/month. A 30-day FREE Trial is available & gets you $25 postage, free 5lb scale & a $5 supplies kit.

2) If you'd rather NOT use your cc's for purchases, use your bank's debit card (some act like cc's too). Sign up for your bank's Rewards Program. (ex: Wells Fargo has a good program called Wells Fargo Rewards.)

3) If you're buying from a retailer (B&M or Online), make sure you have signed up for their Rewards Program. Another way to save Reward Points & still allows you to earn Reward Points through your cc, debit card or otherwise.

4) Go online & visit retailers' websites of those B&M stores you frequent. Sign-up for the retailers' eNewsletter. Receive a $10 credit or say 30% discount (both are examples)on your next purchase. Retailer eNewsletters often notify you of Member Only Discounts & upcoming Promotions as well.

5) When making a purchase, ask if there are any other discounts to be had (such as AAA). I got a AAA discount at a restaurant recently! I had no clue that was available, but I saw it on their website. I usually only use AAA when booking hotels; now I ask if there are other discounts available.

6) Join AARP if you're eligible. Like AAA, AARP offers many more promotions that most people know. I saw one on FW the other day with Home Depot. Surprised the heck out of me! Go to www.aarp.com.

7) Purchase an Entertainment Coupon Book & leave it in your car. You'll always have it if needed. Or buy their Online Subscription. Books are 35% off right now. Online Subscription is 50% off; a 30-day Trial is available. Go to http://www.fatwallet.com/cash-back-coupons/Entertainment-Books/.

8) If you have student loan federal debt, that you have consolidated once (that's all you can do), call the US Dept. of Education. They can consolidate student loan federal debt, even if the one-time consolidation has already taken place. Their rates may be more favorable. Go to http://www.loanconsolidation.ed.gov/.

happygirlninja said:1) Use www.Stamps.com - You can print your own stamps, weigh your packages & print your own postage for shipments (including Return Receipt, Insurance, Email Notification, etc. There's NOTHING better than being able to walk into the USPS & drop-off your box into their carousel & walk out. No standing in line! No 30% mark-up from my UPS Store (even though I have a mailbox there)! Avg price is $15/month. A 30-day FREE Trial is available & gets you $25 postage, free 5lb scale & a $5 supplies kit.

www.usps.com is free and you actually get a discount when you print a label online. Plus you can do international packages online which last time I checked was a feature Stamps.com lacks.

I used to use Stamps.com, fwiw.

I'm not old enough for this yet -- but one day, I'll walk around with this hat and shirt reminding vendors not to forget the senior discount.

svaish said:
When you go on vacation hire a cook for the week. I know this sounds expensive but we've done it twice for about $80 per day including food (2 people). It takes some work up front but has made the vacation invaluable to us. We tell the cook ahead of time which meals to prepare and don't need to worry about finding a good place to eat. Dinner is ready when we are. No reservations, random locations, or restaurants to deal with either. On top of that, both times that we've done it the cook has given us major insight about the local area and has told us where to go to shop / tour.

Is this in the US? Sounds too cheap for three meals a day for two.

well... I never keep money in my Paypal account. You can manually print labels on paypal by typing www.paypal.com/shipnow/ into your browser... of course you have to be logged in. I've shipped many things to many places that were not related to eBay and don't have any problems yet.

any males here have experience with laser hair removal on their face? I hate shaving and get razor bumps, but am worried about the risks/downsides/costs/hassles of laser hair removal.

johnnyb82 said:How do you get them to bill your credit card rather than your bank account with Paypal Shipping?

Just select it as your payment method.

TrueValue said:any males here have experience with laser hair removal on their face? I hate shaving and get razor bumps, but am worried about the risks/downsides/costs/hassles of laser hair removal.

If any real males actually even considered getting laser hair removal, they would jeopardize their "real male" status.

VanceWade said:For men: Choose one to three styles of socks and buy 6-10 identical pairs of each style all at one time. Throw all your other socks away or donate usable pairs to charity. Then, when it's time to do laundry, no need to pair up socks. Just grab any two of the same style, and they will match. Also, if you get a hole in one sock or lose one sock, it's no big deal. Eventually the number will even back out. When the socks begin looking worn, replace all of the same style simultaneously.

In my case, I have tan Gold Toe socks to wear with khakis and white crew socks to wear with jeans. I do keep a couple of pairs of other socks for wear with certain suits. But in a perfect world...Great idea - I do that!

I use the razor my wife uses to shave her legs for my mustache and the little beard that I have. Using it in the shower is much quicker also since soap and water are readily available during the shower.