Promotion dates: March 1-March 14

Here are my tips for price haggling at yard sales and consignment sales

• it doesn’t hurt to ask if you do it politely
• be humble NOT prideful
• if they are asking a fair price tell them it is fair and then your reasoning for wanting less
• don’t try to bargain on EVERY item
• be nice
• be honest
• it is the worst offense ever if they agree to your price and you don’t buy, never do this
• don’t try to bargain if you don’t intend to buy

happy shopping, remember the best deal ever is the one that works out great for the buyer AND the seller

Kohls.com has some great items on clearance and here are some extras saving codes, they have some especially cute toddler sized very cute for my grandbaby items

COUPON CODES:

SAVEBIG for 20% off over $100 if you do not have a Kohl’s Card,

or new6437 for 10% off any amount
MVC365 (Kohls Charge) 15% Valid through 3/2/10
Free ship with $75 or more (after coupons): SHIPNSAVE

be blessed!

By Tawra Kellam http://www.LivingOnaDime.com/

    A clean neat house can add an additional $5,000- $10,000 to your asking price. Using this method we sold our house in 10 days.

    As soon as you find out that you are moving, start getting rid of things you don’t need or use any more. It is ridiculous to move things that are never used to another house. They will merely clutter your space as they did before. Get rid of all of it!!!

    To begin de-cluttering, start with one room or one cabinet at a time. Packing while carrying out your usual routine may make it easier. For example, pack the bathroom cabinet while the kids are in the tub or de-clutter a kitchen drawer while you are waiting for something to boil. You will be amazed how fast this method goes.

    Get rid of anything that is broken, old or that you just don’t like. Hold a garage sale, it not only eliminates things but can also provide a little cash. The goal is to eliminate clutter so don’t price your items to high! A good rule of thumb is 10%-25% of retail.

    As you go from room to room de-cluttering, organize using three boxes: one for garage sale items, one for things to give away and one for trash. When you take a break from organizing, keep the three boxes set up in the utility room or garage so that when you find something laying around you can toss it in the appropriate box.

    Keep an extra large trash can set up in the house. You won’t have to empty the trash as often.

CLEANING YOUR HOME TO SELL

Clutter is visually disturbing to potential buyers.

    On of the biggest reasons houses don’t sell is they are cluttered and/or dirty.

When you are trying to sell your house and you will be showing it to potential buyers, pack up things that you only use occasionally. Stack all your packed boxes in the garage or the corner of a room. This NOT the time to make your house comfortable for you, but attractive to sell.

    After you have de-cluttered, it is time to DEEP CLEAN.

KITCHEN – Clean the sink, stove and refrigerator. Don’t forget to clean the fronts of your cabinets. Wipe fingerprints off of everything, including walls and light switch plates. Remove as much as you can from the counter tops. Make sure that the space under your kitchen sink is clean because everyone always checks the plumbing under the sink. Sweep, mop the floor and empty the trash.

  BEDROOMS  Make beds, pick up clothes, clear off dressers, end tables and other furniture. Dust, vacuum and make sure closets are uncluttered, neat and clean.

    BATHROOM- Put away (meaning in a box or drawer out of site) all bathroom items including makeup, shampoos, baby toys and toiletries. Clean the sink, tub and toilet. One trick I learned while cleaning houses professionally was to take a soft cloth and dry everything well, to prevent water spots. It is especially important to shine the metal fixtures. Clean under the sink, empty the trash and wipe off light switch plates. Mop the floor. As in the kitchen, the less clutter you have, the better. Keep one nice set of towels handy that you can put out when you are showing the house.

    LIVING ROOM – Remove all unnecessary items that are laying around on the furniture including toys, magazines and newspapers. Remove all pictures and accessories that are not adding to the decor of the room, either pack them or garage sale them. Dust (don’t forget to dust the pictures on the walls) and vacuum.

    GARAGE- Don’t overlook the garage! Make sure things are neatly placed and sweep the floor. Place all items in boxes if you can. Neatly stacked boxes give a better impression than piles of stuff.

    Continue going through each room using the same basic ideas.

    If your carpets are dirty be sure to either rent a carpet cleaner or have them professionally cleaned. Seeing all kinds of carpet stains from kids is a <strong>big</strong> turn off to potential buyers.

    SHOWING YOUR HOUSE

    Keep a basket in each room so that you can quickly throw things in it when you have to show your home. This is particularly useful if you have children and you usually have toys on the floor. Hide the basket with a nice blanket.

    Don’t leave open trash cans sitting around.

    Turn lights on in every room including the garage. This will make the house show better.

    In a potpourri pot or pan, simmer some cinnamon with either or all of the following: ginger, nutmeg, or cloves. It is best to stay away from strong scented candles with berry, apple, peach or other similar smells because some people find these scents overpowering and unpleasant. Most people do however like the smell of cinnamon.

    IF YOUR HOUSE IS VACANT

    If you are leaving your home and it will be shown vacant, here are a couple of ideas to help make it show better.

    Take a few small terra cotta pots and fill with 2 or 3 stems of silk geraniums. (Geraniums aren’t necessarily my favorite flower but the bright red color works great for this purpose). Place them in several different corners of the house. A couple on the kitchen counter, one on the back of the toilet, or counter in the bathroom, a corner of the living room or on the mantle of the fireplace.

    Place a bouquet of real looking silk flowers and small bowl of potpourri in your entryway for people to see when they first walk in. First impressions are very important.

    Don’t get carried away by making the house look like a florist shop. It takes just a couple of splashes of color here and there to really warm up an empty house.

Tawra Kellam is the editor of http://www.LivingOnaDime.com/. Tawra and her husband paid off $20,000 debt in 5 years on $22,000 a year income.

In order to get the great deals you have to stay ahead of things.

I think I will start posting listings of places that you can get close out prices.

by Tawra Kellam

http://www.LivingOnaDime.com/

It’s that time of year when all that "free" money starts rolling in. I’m talking about the bonus money, you know — the fun money (otherwise known as our tax refund)! That is the way so many of us think of a tax refund and five minutes after we spend this year’s refund we are already thinking about what we are going to do with next years money.

Many of us look at it almost as if we have won the lottery. We are going to do so much with it and it seems to have such amazing powers. I mean a $1000 tax return can buy a car, furniture, big screen TV, or a family vacation all in one fell swoop. There is almost nothing it can’t do; no problem it can’t solve. It’s our mad money, our fun money.

Not!!!!!!!!!

It you have debt, it is none of the above. It is not mad money. It is an opportunity to move closer to getting out of the debt you have already committed to pay. If you have credit card debt, use your tax return to pay off that debt rather than to buy that big screen TV or the couch you have wanted. Ouch!!

Use common sense and wise thinking when it comes to spending that tax return. It is no different than a regular paycheck. In fact, when you look at the fact that you make so much money a year, the tax refund is actually part of the salary that you say you make.

It is not a bonus, but because it has been protected from your usual spending habits, it is more income available to pay your debts. Once you pay off those debts, a tax refund can be a great opportunity to start a savings account.

We get so many questions from people who are panicking and asking what we do for an emergency fund. Instead of throwing away that tax return money on something that gives you instant pleasure, set aside that tax return for an emergency (keeping in mind that even most "emergencies" are not true emergencies).

Once your debts are paid and you have enough savings, then use your refund for fun. We live in a society where we always put the cart before the horse. People used to get married and then have children but now it is common to have children and then get married. We used to carefully save our money and buy what we wanted from our stockpile but now we charge what we want and later try to figure out how to get the money to pay for it.

Because of how we think about credit, many of us don’t give any serious thought to paying for something until it is worn out and we want to buy the next one. Once the item is worn out, how do most of us feel about still paying for it? "It’s not fair that I have to pay for this and I don’t even have it anymore…" Avoid the stress later — Pay off what you owe now and stop buying things on credit.

Income Tax Forms

If you are behind on your credit payments or not making the payments at all, use your tax refund as an opportunity to get current. When we buy an item on credit or with our credit card we are saying "If you let me have this product now I promise (vow) to give you money for it later". When we don’t pay our credit card bills it is no different than walking into a store, filling a basket with whatever we want and walking out with it. To my knowledge that is still called stealing. (I’ll have to check because they change the meaning of words so often to make them more politically correct. I mean who knows, maybe it’s not stealing anymore but just "temporarily using it until it is repossessed").

When you literally put the cart before the horse, (kids before marriage, buying and then trying to save money to pay for something, etc.) it will cause extra stress in your life and will make it much harder to get where you are going. So re-think not only how to use your tax refunds more wisely but give the same consideration to any other "extra" money that comes into your life.

Once you get a handle on your debt and your spending habits, you will be surprised how far your money will go. Start by making a wise decision about your tax refund.

Tawra Kellam is the editor of http://www.LivingOnaDime.com/. Tawra and her husband paid off $20,000 debt in 5 years on $22,000 a year income.

Hmm, somebody tell me if you get this, I hear there will be crowds.

PS, don’t forget to tip!

By Tawra Kellam http://www.LivingOnaDime.com/

We went sledding this weekend and dad and the kids really had a great time! We used some sleds that we bought last year, but there was a time in the past when the snow caught us off guard and we didn’t have anything to use as a sled.

Here are some ideas for alternatives to sleds that we have used or have seen used in case you find yourself caught without one. Some of them work better when the slopes have a smoother, slightly icy surface.

    * Baby pool – We actually saw a family using an old baby pool. The one they were using would not slide well since the snow was soft, but they turned it inside out (turning the smooth side out) and it worked great. Their entire family went down together in it and they had great fun. (Of course, if you have to turn it inside out, it probably won’t hold water anymore so make sure it’s a worn out baby pool!

    * Lids to large plastic storage containers

    * Laundry basket (BJ’s favorite for a couple of years!)

    * Vinyl outdoor cushions – We saw some people using them. They worked well and the foam inside made the bumps a little less severe for the kids.

    * Cardboard – larger pieces work best. If the snow is soft, bend the front up a little so it doesn’t get stuck.

    * An old tarp – These work best with smooth, almost icy surfaces. They will get bogged down in soft snow and will shred quickly if the ice has become sharp edged.

    * An old winter coat with plastic coating (I wouldn’t do this with your best coat!) – My husband said that he and his friends (when they were kids occasionally slid down on old coats with the shiny, water resistant coating.

    * Smooth hubcaps – (Don’t try it with wire wheels!

    * Innertubes – Inflated innertubes work great for sledding! If you have an old innertube that has been punctured, you can cut it open and let the kids sit inside it. Even without air, the rubber still slides well.

    * Office chair mat (without the pokey things) – Some mats for office chairs are smooth on one side and don’t have the gripping spikes on the back. If you have one laying around, they make great sleds in a pinch.

Tawra Kellam is the editor of www.LivingOnADime.com. Tawra and her husband paid off $20,000 debt in 5 years on $22,000 a year income.