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Going once, going twice- SOLD! To the lady in the red hat.

mycoupons | 08 February, 2007 11:15

**Editor's note** Thursdays and Fridays are reserved for your questions, please read the WELCOME post for contact information. Without your questions and comments, I will have to resort to typing song lyrics for entertainment***

Teresa from Shelburne, VT asked the following question:

Dear Cici,

How do I SAVE money?? I need to save $3000 by the end of the year! Any tips would be great. Love your blog by the way!

Dear Teresa,

Last year after Anthony was born, I asked my Doctor how to lose weight. "Stop eating like you have two rear-ends!" was his medical advice. Reminds me of a joke I once heard: What do you call the guy that graduated last in his class in medical school? Doctor! But, I digress.

The answer my Dr. gave me is simple, and so is the advice I am going to give you- STOP spending like you are a Rockefeller! (I am of course going on the assumption that you are NOT a Rockefeller.)

So many of our 'needs' are not really needs at all. They are luxuries. I recommend making a list. Pick your top three CDW€™s (Can't do with outs) and go from there.

Of course, utilities, car a payment, mortgage payments and the like are €˜needs€™ but is the French manicure? (I guess to a hand model on QVC it is- but again, I am assuming you are not a hand model on QVC!)

My family CDW's are as follows:

Charmin Ultra toilet paper- My husband swears that if the day ever comes when we have to live in a refrigerator box at the corner of
Main and Elm, he will still buy Charmin Ultra. Once early in our marriage I made the mistake of buying another brand on sale- You'd have thought I asked the man to clean his tender bottom with a sandblaster!

Huggies Supreme Diapers- Evidently, bottom tenderness is hereditary. We have tried several other brands, only to be up at 2am changing wet crib sheets- which leads us to my next CDW-

Tide laundry detergent- I like the way it smells. I'm big on smells.

So, Teresa, pick your top 3 CDW's and be prepared to compromise on the other stuff. Do you USE all 2 million and seven minutes on your cell phone plan? Do you watch all 582 channels on cable? Do you HAVE to have the Grande caramel no fat soy chai tea latte from starbucks everyday?

Go through every closet and drawer in your house, and put together a sale pile! Head over to eBay- or the MyCoupons Garage Sale Board and start selling. You'd be amazed what people will pay for your old crap uhhh treasure.

Get a part-time job if you have to! Make it something fun, that won't feel like work. And DO not work anyplace where you will end up OWING money on payday!

Get movies from the Library instead of the video store, cut your own hair, groom your dog yourself, (Hey! You'll have the same stylist!) And find little ways to stop spending.

Just last week I realized a new way to cut MY expenses. I get drive-thru Wendy's for my daughter every Wednesday after school. (All she really cares about it is the toy!) So instead of getting her a kid€™s meal- I just buy the chicken nuggets (.99) and the toy. (.99) Since we drive-thru, I give her mandarin oranges and milk at home. Saves me $2! May not sound like a lot, but, it's $8 a month- $96 a year!

Good Luck, Teresa. You CAN do it. And if at the end of the year you still don't have the $3,000- you may want to consider auctioning off your husband. (I am assuming of course that you haven't already done this!)

Until we meet again,

Cici

Cici@mycoupons.com

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