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	<title>DeliverAwayDebt.com &#187; Frugal Friday Tips</title>
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		<title>Bed Bath and Beyond 20% Off Coupon</title>
		<link>http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/friday-frugal-tips-bed-bath-beyond/</link>
		<comments>http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/friday-frugal-tips-bed-bath-beyond/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 04 May 2012 12:51:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Staff Writer</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Frugal Friday Tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[baby shower gifts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bed bath]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bed bath beyond coupons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Budget]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coupons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Debt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Frugal Tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sales promotion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wedding gifts]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://deliverawaydebt.com/?p=1721</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Bed Bath &#038; Beyond is one of my favorite &#8220;big box&#8221; stores to purchase household items from. I&#8217;ve been using them ever since I graduated high school (many, many years ago.) I thought I would share a commonly known frugal hack with you today. Bed Bath &#038; Beyond offers 20% off coupons that make gift [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p><div id="attachment_5606" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 240px">
	<img src="http://deliverawaydebt.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/bbb20.jpg" alt="" title="bbb20" width="240" height="180" class="size-full wp-image-5606" />
	<p class="wp-caption-text">You must use, but use wisely.</p>
</div>Bed Bath &#038; Beyond is one of my favorite &#8220;big box&#8221; stores to purchase household items from. </p>
<p>I&#8217;ve been using them ever since I graduated high school (many, many years ago.) I thought I would share a commonly known frugal hack with you today.  </p>
<p>Bed Bath &#038; Beyond offers 20% off coupons that make gift giving more affordable. Besides using them for our household items, we have some other great uses for the coupons. Since most Brides love to register at Bed Bath &#038; Beyond, we use the 20% coupon to purchase the gift. </p>
<p>We&#8217;ve used them to purchase wedding shower gifts, wedding gifts, baby shower gifts, and even <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/budgeting/cheap-yet-expensive-christmas-gift-idea/">Christmas gifts</a>. If you are planning to spend $100 on a gift it is a great way to get a $100 gift for $80. In our case, we choose to purchase a $125 gift and get it for $100. I like to give as much as I can so using the 20% coupons allows us to get more for the same price.  </p>
<p>Weddings and showers aren&#8217;t the only events you can use the Bed Bath &#038; Beyond coupons for. Graduations are approaching fast and Bed Bath &#038; Beyond has a ton of items for college living. Birthdays, Easter and Mother&#8217;s Day are all great events to use the coupons on. As with many coupons they are not good on all products, but Bed Bath &#038; Beyond has so many products I don&#8217;t think you&#8217;ll even notice. Below is a list of the companies that are NOT included.</p>
<p>Gift cards, All-Clad, Nautica, Tempur-Pedic, Wusthof, AeroGrow, Margaritaville, The Sharper Image, Wedgwood, Lenox, Waterford, Vera Wang, Nambe, Riedel, Orrefors Kosta Boda, Oreck, Capresso, Miele, kate spade, Swarovski, Versace, Alessi, Richard Ginori, iJoy</p>
<p>The coupons are very easy to obtain. Follow this link to <a href="http://app.bedbathandbeyond.com/prefs/pref.cfm?">Sign up for 20% coupon</a>. The link will take you to the Bed Bath &#038; Beyond website to register for their mailing list. Below is a snap shot of the email you&#8217;ll receive after signing up. It took me 2 minutes to fill in my info and get the email with my 20% coupon. Once you are on the list, you will get 20% coupons a couple of times a month. The Sunday newspaper includes the coupons every once in a while too. If you need more coupons, have a family member sign up and give you the coupons.  </p>
<p><img src="http://deliverawaydebt.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/coupon.jpg" alt="bed bath and beyond 20 off coupon" title="bed bath and beyond 20 off coupon" width="550" height="428" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1729" /></a></p>
<p>Here’s a great shopping tip: Bed Bath &#038; Beyond honors manufacturer’s discount coupons and even competitors’ promo coupons! Just be aware that all coupons must be used before their expiration date – starting January 1, 2010 the company no longer honors expired coupons.  </p>
<p><strong>TIP:</strong> Keep the coupons in your car. There is nothing worse than stopping in to Bed Bath &#038; Beyond and not having your coupons. If you have multiple items, you can ask the cashier to ring them up separately and use a coupon for each item.</p>
<p>Good luck everyone <img src='http://deliverawaydebt.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':-)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
<h3  class="related_post_title">More Great Posts From DeliverAwayDebt</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/friday-frugal-tips-review-edition/" title="A Progress Update on the Friday Frugal Tips">A Progress Update on the Friday Frugal Tips</a></li><li><a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/budgeting/emergency-fund/emergency-fund-help-needed/" title="Emergency Fund Help Needed">Emergency Fund Help Needed</a></li><li><a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/budgeting/christmas-on-a-budget/" title="Christmas On A Budget">Christmas On A Budget</a></li><li><a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/debt-destroyer/sinking-funds-the-debt-destroyer/" title="Sinking Funds">Sinking Funds</a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>31</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Friday Frugal Tips &#8211; Libraries are not just for Nerds</title>
		<link>http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/friday-frugal-tips-libraries-are-not-just-for-nerds/</link>
		<comments>http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/friday-frugal-tips-libraries-are-not-just-for-nerds/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:10:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Staff Writer</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Frugal Friday Tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book stores]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Frugal Tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[library]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[local knowledge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[local library]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nerds]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://deliverawaydebt.com/?p=2233</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Libraries are the coolest; and everybody should be using them these days. As a matter of fact, I’ve been to the library twice in the past 2 days. It&#8217;s a quiet place to work, free fast internet, tons of movies and music to check out, amazing programs for the kids, oh, and they have books [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p><img class="alignright" src="http://deliverawaydebt.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/librarycard.jpg" alt="" width="330" height="215" />Libraries are the <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/how-to-stay-warm-and-save-money/">coolest</a>; and everybody should be using them these days.</p>
<p>As a matter of fact, I’ve been to the library twice in the past 2 days. It&#8217;s a quiet place to work, free <em>fast</em> internet, <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/friday-frugal-tip-netflix-vs-cable-movies/">tons of movies</a> and music to check out, amazing programs for the kids, oh, and they have books too.</p>
<p>Out local library even has adult education and assistance classes.</p>
<p>My local &#8220;knowledge hole&#8221; is packed with people throughout the week, which is surprising because the weather is getting so nice here.</p>
<p>I would think that more people would be spending their time outside, but this doesn’t seem to be the case. I can only surmise that the library must be for the “Cool” people. Maybe not, but it makes me think about why the library is receiving so much traffic.</p>
<p>Why do people continue to visit their local libraries when so much information is available online?</p>
<h3>Books</h3>
<p>Of course everyone knows that the library is known for books. Many libraries offer an exchange system that allows members to request books from other libraries. If one library is out of a certain book, another one will have it.</p>
<p>Today’s libraries are ordering a ton of new books; most of the titles you see at the book store are on the shelves at the local library. These books are free, provided you return them on time. Take a look at this <a href="http://mynextbuck.com/friday-financial-foul-ups-overdue-books-prevent-me-from-renting-an-apartment/" target="_blank">post</a> from MyNextBuck.com to see what can happen if you do not return the books on time.</p>
<h3>Audio Books, DVDs, and Music</h3>
<p>I love books on tape. I’m able to finish a complete book in one week of driving to work and one weekend of delivering pizzas. </p>
<p>I enjoy music once in a while, but it can get extremely boring. I usually have 3 or 4 physical books that I read at any one time, and listening to an additional one is a nice break for my eyes.</p>
<p>Libraries have come a long way in the selection of audio books they offer. I just finished Thomas Stanley’s Stop Acting Rich which is a great book and one I would have normally purchased. The library saved me $20 by having it on the self. </p>
<p>My library also has a <a href="http://livonia.lib.mi.us/libraryvalue">Value Calculator</a> that you can use to see how much value you are getting from the library.</p>
<p>You can even check out DVD movies.  Dramas, Comedies, Action, Horror, Family and Kids, even TV shows.  Amazing!</p>
<h3>Kids Stuff</h3>
<p>We currently have 23 kid’s books checked out from the library. My kids love books, but usually get sick of them at the 2 week point. This is perfect because we can rotate the books through our home for free by using the library, saving even more money and shelf space.</p>
<p>Most libraries also have programs or story times for kids.  It&#8217;s a great time to introduce children to new books and they get some social interaction.  Just make sure to bring your hand sanitizer.</p>
<h3>Magazines and More</h3>
<p>I can&#8217;t help but think of <em>Seinfeld</em> every time I see a newspaper at a library.  Another great advantage of the library is all the magazines they have. </p>
<p>The cost of magazines can really add up and having a free option is awesome. My library provides many databases to use to locate articles from any magazine you can think of. They also offer several other databases that can be searched for almost anything.</p>
<p>If you are a blogger, these provide a wonderful resource to help research topics. If you have kids in school, the databases are easy to use to help Junior with those science projects and book reports. </p>
<p>Check out some of the <a href="http://livonia.lib.mi.us/magazines">databases</a> my library offers. These are available at the library or from home using your library card.</p>
<h3>Free Admission</h3>
<p>A while back a DeliverAwayDebt reader commented that her library had museum passes that could be checked out and used by members. I’ve checked into mine, and they offer the same thing. I’m amazed at the amount of places that can be visited for FREE with the pass.</p>
<p>Our pass is called the <a href="http://detroitadventurepass.org/rebuild/">Detroit Adventure Pass</a> and is sponsored by Macy’s. I will be using the pass in the future and of course I’ll include my adventures in a future post. Thanks to Mysti from <a href="http://diggingoutfromourmess.blogspot.com/">Digging Out From Our Mess </a>for providing the idea.</p>
<h3>Savings</h3>
<p>Now it’s your turn. Hop, skip, and jump over to your library&#8217;s website and see all they have to offer. All the cool kids are doing it <img src='http://deliverawaydebt.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif' alt=':-)' class='wp-smiley' /> </p>
<p>And the nerds.</p>
<h3  class="related_post_title">More Great Posts From DeliverAwayDebt</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/friday-frugal-tips-bed-bath-beyond/" title="Bed Bath and Beyond 20% Off Coupon">Bed Bath and Beyond 20% Off Coupon</a></li><li><a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/friday-frugal-tips-lawn-service/" title="Lawn Care &#8211; Cut the Grass or Hire It Out?">Lawn Care &#8211; Cut the Grass or Hire It Out?</a></li><li><a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/friday-frugal-tip-netflix-vs-cable-movies/" title="Netflix vs Cable TV and HBO Movies">Netflix vs Cable TV and HBO Movies</a></li><li><a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/yakezie/the-mega-money-tip-list-600-money-saving-tips/" title="600 Money Saving Tips (Mega List)">600 Money Saving Tips (Mega List)</a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>18</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Lawn Care &#8211; Cut the Grass or Hire It Out?</title>
		<link>http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/friday-frugal-tips-lawn-service/</link>
		<comments>http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/friday-frugal-tips-lawn-service/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:15:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ryan Yates</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Frugal Friday Tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[botany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[costing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cutting tools]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[edger]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[friday]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Frugal Tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hiring]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[knowledge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lawn]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lawn care]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lawn mower]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lawn service]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lawn service companies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lawn services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[neighborhood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tip]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://deliverawaydebt.com/?p=2497</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Real men mow their own lawn, right? Sure we do . . . and we change our own oil and we hunt our own food. Of course, I&#8217;m trying to be funny. There are plenty of reasons why people hire lawn services to manicure their little slice of America. But is it really worth it, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><div id="attachment_2500" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 300px">
	<img class="size-medium wp-image-2500" title="Mow the Lawn and Cut the Grass or Hire it Out" src="http://deliverawaydebt.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/cutawaydebt-300x150.jpg" alt="Mow the Lawn and Cut the Grass or Hire it Out" width="300" height="150" />
	<p class="wp-caption-text">Would you hire the &quot;Cut Away Debt&quot; lawn service?</p>
</div>
<p>Real men mow their own lawn, right?</p>
<p>Sure we do . . . and we <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/drive-on-free-tires/">change our own oil</a> and we hunt our own food.</p>
<p>Of course, I&#8217;m trying to be funny. There are plenty of reasons why people hire lawn services to manicure their little slice of America. But is it really worth it, financially?</p>
<p>Being the <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/budgeting/how-to-live-within-your-means/">money conscious crazy man</a> that I am, I thought it would be interesting to figure out how much it costs to receive this &#8220;time saving&#8221; service.</p>
<h3>Background</h3>
<p>I live in an old school neighborhood that is divided into &#8220;blocks&#8221;. There are no winding streets that connect to other winding streets. Just perfectly spaced streets that contain the same number of lots, street after street.</p>
<p>The lot sizes are all pretty similar, yet the homeowner split is about 50/50 when it comes to hiring a lawn service vs. mowing your grass yourself.</p>
<h3>A Quote to Cut the Grass</h3>
<p>My neighbor uses a lawn service and has the same lot dimensions as I do. Instead of wasting a company&#8217;s time with a quote, I ask her what she pays. $25 per cut, but to get that price you have too sign up for 8 weeks of service, having your grass cut twice a month. Great, you can&#8217;t even hire a guy to mow your lawn without <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/how-to/cell-phone-insurance/">subscribing</a>!</p>
<p>Another neighbor pays $15 a visit for a lawn service to edge his grass. He cuts the lawn himself, but likes to have someone else edge the lawn. Seems a little crazy to me, but to each their own. I watched the &#8220;edging&#8221; crew (2 guys) take a total of 4 minutes to edge and blow his yard yesterday.</p>
<h3>The Cost of Mowing the Lawn</h3>
<p>In Texas, especially with this past winter&#8217;s mild temperatures, keeping your grass cut short is almost a year-round job &#8211; unless you quit watering in the summer.</p>
<p>Even with an conservative estimate of 32 weeks out of the year, you&#8217;re still looking at $800 annually. Let me repeat that &#8211; $800. That&#8217;s a ton of money!</p>
<p>If we break the cost into square feet, the cost for my yard would be about a penny per square foot. Meaning that it will cost a dollar for someone to cut the equivalent of a small bedroom (10&#215;10).</p>
<p>The point is that getting a lawn service is a lot of money. I can cut and trim my lawn in 30 minutes. That would be like making $75 per hour at the going rate for a lawn service. No wonder so many people are starting their own business.</p>
<p>Sure, the startup costs of mowing your own lawn are $400 to $500 (including the weed eater), but my pawpaw has been using the same equipment for 12 years. So equipment costs are pretty much negated as a possible argument for hiring out a service.</p>
<p>Now I just need to convince my neighbors to use my &#8220;Cut Away Debt&#8221; lawn service to handle their lawn manicuring needs and I&#8217;ll have another income stream. Of course I can undercut the competition and charge $20 and still make out like a bandit.</p>
<h3>So, Is It Really Worth It?</h3>
<p>If you hire it out, unless you&#8217;re using the time saved to make extra money (greater than what you&#8217;re paying the guy cutting the grass), I would say it&#8217;s not really worth it &#8211; financially speaking.</p>
<p>Even with bargain basement prices, it&#8217;s still cheaper to cut your own grass.</p>
<p>You don&#8217;t have to be a horticulturist to mow your own lawn. And you don&#8217;t have to know how to make those cool grass designs like the guys at the baseball park.</p>
<p>So get out there and take back ownership of your front yard!</p>
<h3  class="related_post_title">More Great Posts From DeliverAwayDebt</h3><ul class="related_post"><li><a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/friday-frugal-tips-diy-to-save-bucks/" title="Do-It-Yourself Fence Installation">Do-It-Yourself Fence Installation</a></li><li><a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/friday-frugal-tip-netflix-vs-cable-movies/" title="Netflix vs Cable TV and HBO Movies">Netflix vs Cable TV and HBO Movies</a></li><li><a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/friday-frugal-tips-gillette-fusion/" title="How to Buy the Gillette Fusion for Less">How to Buy the Gillette Fusion for Less</a></li><li><a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/friday-frugal-tips-bed-bath-beyond/" title="Bed Bath and Beyond 20% Off Coupon">Bed Bath and Beyond 20% Off Coupon</a></li></ul>]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>13</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Frugal Friday Tips:  Toys for Cheap</title>
		<link>http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/frugal-friday-tips-toys-for-cheap/</link>
		<comments>http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/frugal-friday-tips-toys-for-cheap/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:32:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ryan Yates</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Frugal Friday Tips]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://deliverawaydebt.com/?p=5433</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Being a parent of a 3-year-old boy is wonderful! He has so much fun discovering new things each day, and I am having a blast discovering things right along with him. Even getting new toys (and playing with them) brings me back to my youth. I still get a sense of that magical feeling when [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><div id="attachment_5434" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 240px">
	<img class="size-full wp-image-5434" title="furby" src="http://deliverawaydebt.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/furby.jpg" alt="" width="240" height="158" />
	<p class="wp-caption-text">Best . . . Toy . . . Ever?</p>
</div>
<p>Being a parent of a 3-year-old boy is wonderful! He has so much fun discovering new things each day, and I am having a blast discovering things right along with him.</p>
<p>Even getting new toys (and playing with them) brings me back to my youth. I still get a sense of that magical feeling when we walk into a toy store. But have you priced those things lately? If I wasn&#8217;t more careful, I could get in <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/debt-elimination/waiting-for-the-big-one-avoiding-financial-disasters/">serious financial trouble</a> (can you say Best Buy?) if I overextended my financial reach at the toy store.</p>
<p>But fortunately, I&#8217;ve stuck to my guns and followed some simple rules to finding great toys for dirt cheap.</p>
<h3>USED Doesn&#8217;t Have to be a Four-Letter Word</h3>
<p>I live in a town where the predominant mentality about everything is &#8220;Newer Is Better&#8221;, hands down, no discussion. Luckily, I haven&#8217;t been <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/budgeting/are-you-angry-about-money/">brainwashed</a> by the mob.</p>
<p>Used or discounted toys are pretty easy to find on Ebay, but I don&#8217;t really like to pay the shipping charges. There are literally thousands of great used toys all around town if you know where to look. Check out your local Craigslist to get a head start on the hunt, browse the garage sales, and don&#8217;t forget the resale shops.</p>
<p>In the past two weeks, I&#8217;ve been able to find a box of 350 Lego Duplo blocks for $10 and approximately 400 wooden blocks for $15. Those wooden building blocks can get way too expensive! Just don&#8217;t forget to disinfect before your kids play with the used toys.</p>
<h3>Facebook Hand-Me-Downs</h3>
<p>Your first child pretty much loses out on the hand-me-downs since there&#8217;s no older siblings running around the house. But that doesn&#8217;t mean they need brand new &#8216;everything&#8217;.</p>
<p>We have many friends and family members who have older kids than our son, and they&#8217;re part of the hundreds of millions of people on Facebook. A simple status update requesting a few different hand-me-down toys that people are looking to get rid of usually returns one or two great finds.</p>
<p>If you overuse this status update, people might turn a blind eye to it. But a few times a year won&#8217;t aggravate anyone.</p>
<h3>Coupons and Discounts</h3>
<p>If you&#8217;re planning on buying new, hunt around for the best deal before you fork over your cash. After all, only suckers pay retail, right?  Just make sure the <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/when-coupons-attack/">coupons</a> don&#8217;t lure you into spending more than what you&#8217;ve planned. </p>
<p>Although I try to be frugal when it comes to toys for my son, there are times when newer is better. Some toys are no good when they&#8217;re used. They might be worn out, or have important pieces missing, or on the verge of breaking.</p>
<p>That&#8217;s when I decide to buy new. But not without hunting for coupons, waiting for sales, and searching for discounts at online retailers and resellers.</p>
<p>And whatever you do, please avoid buying new toys on opening weekend or paying triple the value to someone trying to make a buck online during the first week of the toy&#8217;s existence. The same toys will be available a couple of weeks down the road and there&#8217;s more of a chance to find them at a discount. (you could theoretically use this strategy for Apple products too, but that&#8217;s another post)</p>
<p>Photo By <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/valeriebb/182832199/" target="_blank">Valerie Everett</a></p>
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		<item>
		<title>Frugal Friday Tips:  Saving Money Without the Pain</title>
		<link>http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/saving-money-without-the-pain/</link>
		<comments>http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/saving-money-without-the-pain/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Mar 2012 11:15:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ryan Yates</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Frugal Friday Tips]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://deliverawaydebt.com/?p=5349</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Who Needs a Home Phone? It took some convincing for my wife to get rid of it, but in the end we decided to chunk our land line. The reason? The lowest plan available from the phone company was still $40 per month, in the age of cell phones, we really on received telemarkting calls [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><h3>Who Needs a Home Phone?</h3>
<div id="attachment_5354" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 234px">
	<img class="size-full wp-image-5354" title="bone" src="http://deliverawaydebt.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/bone.jpg" alt="" width="234" height="240" />
	<p class="wp-caption-text">Saving money doesn&#39;t have to be painful.</p>
</div>
<p>It took some convincing for my wife to get rid of it, but in the end we decided to chunk our land line.</p>
<p>The reason? The lowest plan available from the phone company was still $40 per month, in the <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/budgeting/how-to-spend-more-than-you-should-on-your-cell-phone-bill/">age of cell phones</a>, we really on received telemarkting calls on our home phone. If you&#8217;re the sort of person who absolutely needs the comfort of having a home phone, you can always supplement your with an internet phone to fill the gap.</p>
<h3>We Don&#8217;t Need No Stinkin&#8217; Cable</h3>
<p>More and more television shows (local and cable channels) are <a href="http://ptmoney.com/i-cut-the-cable-primetime-quickhits/" target="_blank">streaming on the internet</a> these days. And of course you&#8217;ve heard of services like Netflix and Blockbuster; these days your favorite movies are out there on the web.</p>
<p>Just make sure you don&#8217;t lose your savings because you were talked into too much internet speed. If you intend to watch television and rent movies over the internet, you&#8217;ll need a decently fast internet connection. But there&#8217;s a happy medium where you can still save a significant amount of cash.</p>
<h3>Toss Your Junk</h3>
<p>Ok, first you need to recognize junk as junk . . . then toss it. Most of the time, it&#8217;s not that we don&#8217;t get rid of our useless possessions, it&#8217;s just that we all have a little <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/debt/stash-or-trash-five-tips-to-decide-whether-to-store-sell-or-discard-belongings-when-you-move/">&#8216;hoarder&#8217;</a> in us that doesn&#8217;t want to admit when things of ours have lost their usefulness.</p>
<p>Recognize when you&#8217;re stuff turns to old junk, and toss it. But how does tossing your junk save you money? In two ways. One &#8211; sell it or donate it; wither way you&#8217;ll get a financial benefit. Two &#8211; cleaning your house of junk can help you see the future; you&#8217;ll become more sensitive to spending money on items that you foresee as being thrown in the junk pile.</p>
<h3>Coupons Galore</h3>
<p><a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/when-coupons-attack/">Coupons</a> are not ancient relics of a time long since erased from our memories. Coupons are a great way to save money from everything to grocery store items, restaurant bills, weekend activities, and even vacation trips.</p>
<p>Yes, you can still open the paper and cut out coupons. But you can also utilize sponsored coupon books, savings magazines (we get 2 each month without signing up for anything), and even websites like LivingSocial and Groupon.</p>
<h3>Off-Brand Savings</h3>
<p>Did you ever see that <em>Roseanne</em> episode where Roseanne took Darlene&#8217;s homemaking class to the grocery store to <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/homecooking/">buy dinner ingredients</a> for a large family? Remember how shocked Darlene was when she found out that her mom had been buying generic cereal and putting it in the name-brand box at home?</p>
<p>Do you have that attitude when it comes to non name-brand food items? I don&#8217;t. Most of the off-brand items are exact replicas of the original, but you save money because the off-brand company hasn&#8217;t spent the big advertising dollars. (Because some off-brands are so similar to the original, I believe they might actually be rejects. But what do I care if my Frito&#8217;s knock-off isn&#8217;t as curly as it should be?)</p>
<p>Photo By <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/erikcharlton/2212991427/" target="_blank">Erik Charlton</a></p>
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		<title>Frugal Friday Tips &#8211; Get the Most from Your Closet</title>
		<link>http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/your-closet/</link>
		<comments>http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/your-closet/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Mar 2012 15:13:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ryan Yates</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Frugal Friday Tips]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://deliverawaydebt.com/?p=5284</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Assuming you don&#8217;t have a $5000 per month clothing budget like the hosts on What Not to Wear hand out each episode, you could probably use a few useful and creative tips about how to get the most from your closet. Buying clothes isn&#8217;t like going out to eat, you can&#8217;t just stop buying new [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p><div id="attachment_5285" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 180px">
	<img src="http://deliverawaydebt.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/closet.jpg" alt="" title="" width="180" height="240" class="size-full wp-image-5285" />
	<p class="wp-caption-text">No Lion . . . No Witch</p>
</div>Assuming you don&#8217;t have a $5000 per month clothing budget like the hosts on <em>What Not to Wear</em> hand out each episode, you could probably use a few <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/taxes/7-tips-for-tax-time/">useful and creative tips</a> about how to get the most from your closet.</p>
<p>Buying clothes isn&#8217;t like going out to eat, you can&#8217;t just stop buying new clothes.  And let&#8217;s face it, as great as the discount clothing stores can be, sometimes you just can&#8217;t find what you need.  </p>
<p>Let&#8217;s take a look at how to keep what you have in the best condition possible.  </p>
<h3>Care Instructions &#8211; Follow Them</h3>
<p>Tags aren&#8217;t only for displaying sizes.  Don&#8217;t treat the washing instructions as mere suggestions, that&#8217;ll lead to fabric nightmares.  Instead, try actually following those instructions.  It&#8217;s going to help keep your outfits in the best condition possible.  Plus, you don&#8217;t need to be a <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/credit-cards/average-credit-card-debt/">rebel</a> all of the time, do you?</p>
<h3>Classic Styles are Worth More</h3>
<p>A wardrobe full of classic pieces of clothing would be too boring for most people.  But if you&#8217;re closet has a majority of classic pieces with a few accents thrown in here and there, the combos are almost endless.  And you won&#8217;t have the price tag that comes with a closet full on the latest trends.</p>
<h3>Inside Out</h3>
<p>Have you ever noticed that the design on your favorite t-shirt starts to crack and peel over time?  If you turn them inside out, there is less stress on the design and it&#8217;s won&#8217;t stretch and crack as quickly.  The same inside out technique can add life to most all of your clothes.  You can reduce fuzziness, seam splits, and unraveling threads by turning your clothes inside out.</p>
<h3>Repair Instead of Replace</h3>
<p>I never knew how expensive toddler shoes could be until I had a toddler of my own.  Not just the cost, but the rate at which they wear out adds to the overall expense.  We bought our little guy a pair o Velcro strap shoes, and the straps started to pull apart within 2 months.  But the shoes still fit perfectly. The solution:  I got out my needle and thread and fixed the problem.</p>
<p>You may not be able to fix every clothing issue that arises, but even fixing half of the problems yourself will go a long way in saving you money.  Plus, you won&#8217;t develop a nasty habit of going on a shopping spree every time a seam splits open.</p>
<h3>Stop Throwing Away Clothes</h3>
<p>Everyone knows the cost-cutting benefits of hand me downs.  But if you have outgrown, or under-grown, some key pieces of your wardrobe, hang on to them for a few months.  Weight seems to fluxuate for a lot of people.  Don&#8217;t completely overhaul your entire closet just because you&#8217;ve gained or lost a few inches.  You might need some backups later down the line.</p>
<h3>Hangers Are the Enemy</h3>
<p>I want to talk about a sensitive subject right now &#8211; shoulder nipples.  Do you have them?  You know, those little bumps in the shoulder of your shirts because the corners of the hanger made a permanent impression?  They&#8217;re the worst!  If you&#8217;re not careful, hangers can stretch and ever tear your clothes.  The next time you hang something in your closet, please, for all of us out here, do it delicately.</p>
<p>Photo By <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dvortygirl/3675554087/" target="_blank">Dvortygirl</a></p>
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		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Frugal Friday Tips &#8211; Earn What You&#8217;re Worth</title>
		<link>http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/earn-what-youre-worth/</link>
		<comments>http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/earn-what-youre-worth/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 24 Feb 2012 13:48:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ryan Yates</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Debt Elimination]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Frugal Friday Tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Income]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://deliverawaydebt.com/?p=5220</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Before I talk about meeting your maximum earning potential, I&#8217;d like to get a little frustration off of my chest. If you&#8217;ve been earning less than what you think your worth, but you put up with it, you may not be entirely to blame. The fact is, the &#8216;higher-ups&#8217; in this country enjoy keeping the [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p><div id="attachment_5222" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 240px">
	<img src="http://deliverawaydebt.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/pizza.jpg" alt="" title="" width="240" height="160" class="size-full wp-image-5222" />
	<p class="wp-caption-text">Earn enough?</p>
</div>Before I talk about meeting your <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/budgeting/my-top-6-financial/">maximum earning potential</a>, I&#8217;d like to get a little frustration off of my chest.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;ve been earning less than what you think your worth, but you put up with it, you may not be entirely to blame.  The fact is, the &#8216;higher-ups&#8217; in this country enjoy keeping the little guy in his place; or at least try to convince him to.</p>
<h3>Don&#8217;t Let The Man Get You Down</h3>
<p>In an effort to add a little proof to my pudding, consider this scenario from a Domino&#8217;s Pizza commercial.  If you haven&#8217;t seen the latest commercial from Domino&#8217;s, it&#8217;s a cheerfully comedic ad for their new Parmesan Bread Bites &#8211; or so it would seem.</p>
<p>The commercial consists of the Domino&#8217;s CEO, a store franchisee, and a regular employee.  It seems that the franchise owner came up with the idea for the Parmesan Bread Bites, the Domino&#8217;s test kitchen verified it&#8217;s potential, and Domino&#8217;s ran with it nationwide.</p>
<p>Sounds all well and good, right?  But the commercial contains rich overtones from the CEO about how unbelievable it is that a new idea came from someone so low on the totem pole, far away from the corporate offices.</p>
<p>Cut to the end of the commercial where an employee from the franchise responsible for the Bites tells viewers that her boss&#8217;s idea was so good, maybe he should be the CEO.  Cue the evil laugh from the current CEO, with a dark &#8220;No&#8221; to flatten her idea.</p>
<p>Seriously, the CEO laughs at the thought of the franchise owner becoming the CEO.  It left a sick feeling in my stomach every time I saw it.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ve never worked at Domino&#8217;s, but if I saw this commercial, I wouldn&#8217;t be too excited about advancement opportunities.</p>
<h3>Change of Heart?</h3>
<p>Yesterday, I saw the same commercial that I just described above, but with a very different twist.  The new commercial has been cut up and edited to sound like the CEO is now encouraging small-timers to reach for the stars.  The CEO&#8217;s laugh was removed.</p>
<p>Apparently, someone at Domino&#8217;s (or their ad agency) realized how the original ad sounded, and scrambled to make the necessary changes.</p>
<p>I have no bad attitude toward Domino&#8217;s Pizza, but the original commercial exemplifies the idea that earning more is out of reach for ordinary people.  One would hope that they really do encourage anyone involved with the company to work hard and reach their potential, but I just can&#8217;t get that sordid laugh out of my head.</p>
<h3>Earn What You&#8217;re Worth</h3>
<p>Instead of thinking that you&#8217;ll never be able to advance in this world, start focusing on earning what you believe you are worth.  One of the best and easiest places to start is right where you are, in your current job.</p>
<p>In your current position, you&#8217;re already familiar with the people, the business, and you already have some sort of expertise related to your job (otherwise you probably wouldn&#8217;t be employed there).  Ask for a raise, seek out advancement opportunities, become informed about corporate job openings and requirements.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;re current job is headed nowhere, you might want to seek other ways to earn more income.  You can stay at your current job and find some work on the side. Or you can attempt to find a better paying job altogether.</p>
<p>Either way, don&#8217;t settle for less than what you honestly feel you&#8217;re worth.  That&#8217;s no way to live, and it&#8217;s not going to lead you to financial independence.</p>
<p>Photo By <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/ted_major/4408231521/" target="_blank">ted_major</a></p>
<p>[<em>I did find both commercials on YouTube, but something tells me I might not have proper rights to post them here.  You'll have to take my word for it, or search <a href="http://www.youtube.com/" target="_blank">YouTube</a> for yourself.</em>]</p>
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		<item>
		<title>Frugal Friday Tips:  Do It Yourself, Whatever It Is</title>
		<link>http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/frugal-friday-tips-do-it-yourself-whatever-it-is/</link>
		<comments>http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/frugal-friday-tips-do-it-yourself-whatever-it-is/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:16:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ryan Yates</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Frugal Friday Tips]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://deliverawaydebt.com/?p=5180</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Anything worth doing is worth doing as inexpensively as possible. I&#8217;m a huge fan of finding ways of doing things for myself. Obviously, if there is a level of expertise needed to get the job done, I will usually defer to the experts. For me, unfortunately, my &#8216;achilles heel&#8217; is working on cars. But when [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p><div id="attachment_5181" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 180px">
	<img src="http://deliverawaydebt.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/gears.jpg" alt="" title="" width="180" height="240" class="size-full wp-image-5181" />
	<p class="wp-caption-text">Paying too much really grinds my gears</p>
</div>Anything worth doing is worth doing as inexpensively as possible.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m a huge fan of finding ways of doing things for myself.  Obviously, if there is a level of expertise needed to get the job done, I will usually defer to the experts.  For me, unfortunately, my &#8216;achilles heel&#8217; is <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/drive-on-free-tires/">working on cars</a>.</p>
<p>But when money can be saved with a little research and education on my part, I&#8217;m all in.  </p>
<h3>My Most Recent Achievement</h3>
<p>I&#8217;ve decided to get back in shape, eat right, and get more physical activity.  I started shopping around for protein bars to supplement my food intake and provide necessary energy and calories for my workouts.  Some of the worst-tasting bars are about $1 each, while the better tasting bars are closer to $2.50.  Ouch.</p>
<p>Being a fan of the Food Network, I looked up a high-protein granola bar recipe.  After all was said and done, I successfully created a great tasting treat with high protein, low saturated fat, and plenty of fiber.  The cost . . . about $.45 each.</p>
<p>I eat 6 per week, so I figure I can save over $400 a year by making my own protein bars (that&#8217;s if I work out 5-6 days a week for an entire year, yowzah).</p>
<p>And the kicker &#8211; it was fun to try a new recipe, I got a <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/budgeting/why-start-an-ira/">feeling of accomplishment</a>, and I used all natural ingredients while skipping those chemical preservatives.</p>
<h3>Laziness Consumes Us All</h3>
<p>What&#8217;s the number one reason why most of us have stopped doing things for ourselves and resorted to throwing unnecessary money at everything?  My answer would be the convenience factor.</p>
<p>We&#8217;ve decided it&#8217;s worth being <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/friday-frugal-tips-dont-get-nickel-and-dimed/">&#8216;nickle and dimed&#8217;</a> if we can save a few minutes here and there.  After all, those minutes add up to hours, right?</p>
<p>But if we change the way we think and get back to our roots of rolling up our sleeves and getting things done for ourselves, there&#8217;s not only a great chance to save money, but there&#8217;s great wealth in the experience we will gain and be able to pass down to our children.</p>
<h3>The Answer Is Simple</h3>
<p>So what can we do?  We can take inventory of our finances and <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/debt/best-get-out-of-debt-books/">cross-check our expenses</a> with our talents, hobbies, niches, expertise, and know-how to come up with things we can fix, make, or bake on our own.</p>
<p>Like I said earlier, certain things might need the expertise of a professional.  Sometimes you just can&#8217;t get around that.  But don&#8217;t underestimate the friend network.  Sure, I don&#8217;t know my way around an engine, but I have friends who know a thing or two about internal combustion.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s worth the time to ask a friend or relative to give some advice or at least a quick once-over.  Who knows, your next major problem might only cost you taking a friend to lunch.</p>
<p>Photo By <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/elsie/2061595551/" target="_blank">Elsie esq.</a></p>
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		<item>
		<title>Valentine&#8217;s Day &#8211; Frugal Friday Style</title>
		<link>http://deliverawaydebt.com/budgeting/valentines-day-frugal-friday-style/</link>
		<comments>http://deliverawaydebt.com/budgeting/valentines-day-frugal-friday-style/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:54:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ryan Yates</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Budgeting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Frugal Friday Tips]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spending]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://deliverawaydebt.com/?p=5138</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you&#8217;ve missed the commercials, billboards, and other advertisements over the past few weeks, where have you been? Valentine&#8217;s Day is next week! Tuesday, February 14th to be exact. And although retail stores are trying to convince you to spend your hard earned money to express your true love with a mass-produced piece of jewelry, [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p><div id="attachment_5139" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 183px">
	<img src="http://deliverawaydebt.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/heart3.jpg" alt="" title="" width="183" height="240" class="size-full wp-image-5139" />
	<p class="wp-caption-text">Spending big bucks doesn&#039;t always say &#039;I love you&#039;</p>
</div>If you&#8217;ve missed the commercials, billboards, and other advertisements over the past few weeks, where have you been?  </p>
<p>Valentine&#8217;s Day is next week!  Tuesday, February 14th to be exact.</p>
<p>And although retail stores are trying to convince you to spend your hard earned money to express your true love with a mass-produced piece of jewelry, you don&#8217;t have to <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/debt-elimination/stop-the-spiral-of-debt-part-1/">go into debt</a> to show your loved ones how much they mean to you.</p>
<h3>Little Things Mean A Lot</h3>
<p>Let&#8217;s be honest, there&#8217;s a fine line between being cheap and <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/debt-elimination/living-debt-free/">being smart and frugal</a>.  But don&#8217;t kid yourself, smart and frugal can still produce a fantastic Valentine&#8217;s gift &#8211; it just takes some creativity.</p>
<p>Paying attention to your spouse goes a long way in helping you find something remarkable to offer her.  Giving her small but super special gifts will melt her heart.  </p>
<p>Remember, anyone can swipe a credit card to buy a diamond.  But only <em>you</em> know her deepest passions and her most cherished memories.  Making something to pull at her heart strings will make much more of an impact this Tuesday evening.</p>
<p>If your spouse is one that absolutely needs expensive gems to feel loved, then that&#8217;s a <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/budgeting/stop-buying-what-you-dont-use/">different post</a> on a different blog.</p>
<h3>Make the Money Count</h3>
<p>If you&#8217;re going to spend a substantial amount of money on Valentine&#8217;s day, make it count.  Hopefully, you&#8217;ve saved up instead of relying on <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/debt-elimination/stop-using-a-credit-card-write-a-budget/">credit cards</a>.</p>
<p>When you&#8217;re deciding on what to spend your big bucks on, don&#8217;t go with the mass-marketed and mass-produced jewelry store jewelry.  Who wants the exact same gift as everyone else?  Find something off of the beaten path?  Put some thought into it.</p>
<p>Spending a lot of money isn&#8217;t necessarily bad, just <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/debt/stay-out-of-credit-card-debt/">be smart</a> about it and make it count.</p>
<p>Photo By <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/beckmann/4624163080/" target="_blank">Elin B</a></p>
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		<title>Frugal Friday Tip: Home Cookin&#8217;</title>
		<link>http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/homecooking/</link>
		<comments>http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/homecooking/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:31:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Ryan Yates</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Frugal Friday Tips]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://deliverawaydebt.com/?p=5052</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What do you spend on eating out every month? Is it an embarrassing amount? We were shocked a few years ago when we added up 3 months of eating out: $745 in March, $925 in April, and $865 in May. No fancy dinners, no steakhouses, just lunches, mid-level restaurants, and fast food. There has definitely [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p><div id="attachment_5053" class="wp-caption alignright" style="width: 240px">
	<img src="http://deliverawaydebt.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/chef.jpg" alt="" title="" width="240" height="160" class="size-full wp-image-5053" />
	<p class="wp-caption-text">Are you losing money on food?</p>
</div>What do you spend on eating out every month?  Is it an <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/budgeting/emergency-fund/consequences-of-using-credit-as-an-emergency-fund/">embarrassing amount</a>?  </p>
<p>We were shocked a few years ago when we added up 3 months of eating out:  $745 in March, $925 in April, and $865 in May.  No fancy dinners, no steakhouses, just lunches, mid-level restaurants, and <a href="http://ptmoney.com/six-ways-to-save-on-food/">fast food</a>.</p>
<p>There has definitely been a shift going on in this country over the past 10-20 years about how we view eating out. What was once a special treat a few times a week has turned into an almost everyday occurrence. </p>
<p>Today, it&#8217;s normal to eat out for lunch 4-5 times a week.  It&#8217;s normal to take the family out for dinner on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.  After all, with such long hours at the office, who has time to cook?</p>
<p>But what is all of that &#8220;restaurant money&#8221; doing to your <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/debt-elimination/stop-using-a-credit-card-write-a-budget/">budget</a>?</p>
<h3>Turn Back the Clock</h3>
<p>Instead of buying into the restaurant culture, let&#8217;s party like it&#8217;s 1989.  There&#8217;s probably a lot of psychology that goes into our obsession with eating out.  We liked it so much when our parents took us out on the town that we have turned it into a normal event without weighing the cost.  </p>
<p>One of the best ways to cut food costs is <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/frugal-friday-tips/frugal-friday-tips-lunch/">cooking meals at home</a> instead of eating out so much.  Not only will you save money on overpriced restaurant food, but eating out will turn into a special occasion when it&#8217;s done less frequently.</p>
<h3>Don&#8217;t Be Intimidated</h3>
<p>One of the most common excuses about not cooking at home is that people say they don&#8217;t know how to cook.  Sure, cooking from scratch might be above your experience level, but there are plenty of options at the grocery store for even the most inexperienced chef to cook like a pro.</p>
<p>Instead of having a bad <a href="http://deliverawaydebt.com/budgeting/the-mindset-of-saving-money/">attitude</a> about cooking in your kitchen, look at it as a fun challenge.  How can you get better?  What new foods can you discover?  How can you get the kids involved?</p>
<p>Before you know it, you&#8217;ll be able to rival many restaurant dishes, especially if you take some tips from all of the cooking shows.</p>
<h3>Health Considerations</h3>
<p>You know why restaurant food tastes to delectable?  It&#8217;s usually full of butter, sugar, salt, fat, or any number of unhealthy ingredients that taste good but have horrible health consequences.  When you cook at home, you not only save money, but you control what goes into your food.  </p>
<p>Just a thought.</p>
<p>Photo By <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/valdiney/2169265479/" target="_blank">Valdiney Pimenta</a></p>
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