Money Managing Matters: Three Dos, Don'ts for Your Finances

"Find Out How You Should Handle Your Money During This Difficult Economic Time"

During these rocky financial times, bargain shopping principles have never been more relevant. We're all trying to get the most bang for our buck, and much of that is tied to our personal finances. On a recent Good Morning America, renowned financial guru, author, and popular radio host Dave Ramsey offered three dos and don'ts for your finances.

Click on the image below to watch the ABC video:

More updates ahead!

Greetings to all you faithful bargain shoppers!

I've taken a bit of a mandatory leave-of-absence, due to the fact that I am now four months pregnant with our first child. However, now that I'm past the "yucky" part, I hope to continue updating you with fabulous bargain finds, how-to tips, and deal alerts. Oh and now that I'm pregnant, you can believe that I will be a hound for those maternity and baby bargains!

Stay tuned for more updates!

DEAL ALERT: $48 OFF for 48 HOURS at Spirit Airlines

Planning a vacation or trip soon? Spirit Airlines is giving you $48 off for only 48 hours. Just enter promotion code "48HOURS" for travel between September 4, 2008 through November 19, 2008.

If your travel plans don't fall within those dates, you can still save $24 off for 24 hours by entering promotion code "24HOURS" for travel between June 25, 2008 through April 30, 2009.

DEAL ALERT:60% off at Restaurant.com

Turn your junk into cash!

A simple way to bring in extra cash is to get rid of your junk by selling it at a garage sale . . . and it can be fun, too! Click HERE to read a great article on how to set up your sale, advertise, organize, and just about everything else you'll need to know. Now is the perfect time to do some summer cleaning and figure out what to keep, and what can possibly bring you some extra money!

Save money on books by using PaperBackSwap.com

I've been using PaperBackSwap.com since December 2007 (almost 6 months), and I just had to give a little update on how it's been going. 

For those of you who aren't aware, PaperBackSwap is (according to the website) "a group of readers who share books with each other (NOT just paperbacks) for nothing more than the cost of postage." That's a great description! It's just a site that facilitates the swapping of books . . . and all you have to do is pay the postage to send your books to other people. They pay postage to send their books to you. It's really simple!

So, this is what I've been doing for about 6 months now. I love it!! I have sent out 32 books that I didn't want any more. I have received 33 books that I really wanted. And I've saved over $200 on books! I'm such a fan of this site, and I wanted to remind everyone about what a great resource it is. I currently have 21 books on my bookshelf that people can request, and a whole bunch more on my wishlist. If you would like to join and request some of my books, see my bookshelf here. 

So, here's your chance! Click on the banner below to join in and enjoy your favorite books for a huge savings!

Calculate gas costs ahead of time!

If you don't know about this, yet, here's an invaluable tool: AAA's Fuel Cost Calculator

My husband and I have been trying to decide where to go on vacation this year, and whether or not it would be cheaper to fly or drive. I plugged our plans into this calculator, and found out that we would have been paying way more to drive to our destination than to fly (based on current airline sale prices). If airline prices go up, however, it might be cheaper to drive. Either way, this calculator gave us a realistic picture of what our trip would cost.

Give it a try, so that you won't be caught unaware when you start to see the cost of that road trip you're planning. Vacations are so fun, but it's kind of a bummer if you have to come home and be faced with paying higher fuel bills than you weren't expecting. 

Newest travel deals from Hotwire

Vacationing any time soon? Just looking for a nice weekend getaway? On a budget? I just love Hotwire.com, because they have great travel deals for budget rates. Click here to see their latest Travel Ticker deals.

DEAL ALERT: Save 15% off at Sierra Trading Post!

Sierra Trading Post will give you 15% off orders of $100 or more. This offer expires Tuesday, June 10. Outfit yourself for summer camping, hiking, and outdoor fun! 

Click HERE to get the discount!

DEAL ALERT: Get 50% off at Restaurant.com

Restaurant.com is offering 50% off in honor of Father's Day. Click HERE to get the deal! This offer ends Sunday, June 8.

New travel deals from Hotwire

Hotwire.com (wonderful travel Web site) offers discounted rates on vacation packages, flights, rental cars, hotels, and more. They also distribute a list of weekly, jaw-dropping deals. Click HERE to see this week's Hotwire "Travel Ticker" deals.

DEAL ALERT: Save 15% at Shutterfly.com

Right now, you can save 15% off orders of $10 or more at Shutterfly.com. Click HERE to get the deal!

Simple Bargain Shopping Tip: CARPOOL!

This is nothing new to most of you. Carpooling is an age-old method of getting to work. Today, there are many benefits to grabbing a ride with a co-worker. 

I recently began this practice myself. I have a co-worker who lives on my route to work. I suggested to her that we might share a ride, thereby cutting our gas bills in half and saving the planet at the same time. She was all game!

So, it's been working out great. With gas costing in excess of $4/gallon, sharing that cost with someone else has been completely worth it. The added benefit is that we've taken one more car off the road during the busiest times of the day.

What are you waiting for? Put out an e-mail to your colleagues and see if someone lives near you, or if you know of someone who does . . . ask them to share a ride! There really aren't any downsides.

Click here to see how your car compares on fuel economy! 

DEAL ALERT: Get 15 FREE prints at Shutterfly.com

In honor of this year's forthcoming Father's Day, Shutterfly.com is giving you 15 FREE 4x6 prints! Click HERE to take advantage of these great freebies!

DEAL ALERT: 50% off at Restaurant.com

Right now, through Thursday, May 22, you can save 50% off your total bill at Restaurant.com. Click here to start, and then enter the discount code "DELICIOUS" in your cart to get that wonderful 50% lopped off your bill. Enjoy!

WZZM "Super Saver"—Online Grocery Savings

If you cannot see the image below, click here to link to the article and video.

DEAL ALERT: Save 30% on Posters and Collages at Snapfish!

Right now, you can save 30% on any poster or collage order at Snapfish.com. Click here to get started. Use coupon code GOBIG30 at checkout. This offer ends ends May 21!

WZZM "Super Saver"—Auto Maintenance Saving Tips

DEAL ALERT: 50% off at Restaurant.com

"Can't loose when you choose to save 50%!"

Save 50% off your next Restaurant.com purchase! Click here to get the offer. Be sure to enter discount code "CUISINE" before checkout to receive the discount. The offer ends Sunday, May 18.

Happy bargain eating! 

Sorry for the delay

I need to apologize for not posting anything for the past several days. My husband graduated from college today, and we've been busy celebrating. Rest assured, there will be more bargain savvy ideas posted within the next day or two.

DEAL ALERT: Free shipping at Snapfish.com!

It's Snapfish's 8th birthday, and they are celebrating by offering free shipping on all photo gifts. Click HERE to order now, and you don't have to pay to have it sent! Use coupon code NOSHIP08.

This offer expires May 11.

Bargain Shopping Tips for Everyone!

I love this!! These moms are saying all the things that Bargain Shopping Paradise is all about.

DEAL ALERT: 15% off your photo print order at Shutterfly!

Enjoy 15% off your photo print order from Shutterfly.com. The discount includes any print size from wallet to poster, and the offer ends May 7. Click here to get the discount!

Also . . . click here to get 20% off class yearbooks! (offer ends May 7)

Cut the Cost of Your Drive to Work

Many of us (myself included) commute to work every day. Now that gas prices have jumped—again—we're all feeling the crunch. I think I actually winched when I saw the prices on my way home from work yesterday. It's painful!

According to a recent CNNMoney.com article, the typical commuter pays about $200/month to get to and from work. Ouch! The same article offers some really helpful tips on how to cut the cost of your drive to work. Read it HERE.

Follow up to my magazine purchase

A while ago, I wrote about a great way to save money on magazine subscriptions. I wanted to follow-up on that, and let you know how the purchase has turned out. When I wrote about them, I had already started receiving one of my subscriptions, but was waiting on the other one, and mentioned that I would follow-up.

Everything has turned out wonderfully! I received my second subscription just yesterday, and while it took a lot longer to receive it, it did indeed come through. I have been very pleased! I purchased two separate 2-year magazine subscriptions for about $12! You just can't beat that.

Now, regarding the E-bay subscription sellers, E-bay has since changed their policy on selling magazine subscriptions and is no longer allowing them. However, if you are interested in purchasing subscriptions from one of the sellers I mentioned in my previous post, here is their website: 

Superior_subscriptions: www.superior-subscriptions.com

I haven't found a website for the other one, yet. 

But, I was very pleased with my experiences, and would recommend reading my post on cheaper magazine subscriptions for other tips. 

Entertainment Book Date Night

My husband and I go on a "date night" every week. It's a time for us to talk about our marriage and focus on each other. Because we're on a tight budget, these evenings out are never really extravagant, and we try to find cheaper things to do that are fun for both of us and enrich our marriage at the same time. That's a tall order for our very small date night budget, but you would be amazed at how far we've been able to stretch our dollars every week. It doesn't take much work, either.

Last night, we used coupons from our Entertainment Book for dinner and desert. What would have been a $30 date night only cost us $15.98. I'll tell you how we did it.

We decided we wanted a simple, quiet dinner (nothing super fancy . . . just cozy), so we went to Arnie's in Rockford, MI. Granted, their dinners are not that expensive to begin with, but we had a buy one, get one coupon. The total on the bill came out to around $17 before the discount, and without tip. After the discount, it was reduced to $9, and we tipped our waitress $3 to make it an even $12. We sat at a table by the window in the back of the dining room, and were able to watch the Rogue River float by as we ate. We got exactly what we wanted—a quiet, relaxing, simple dinner . . . at half the price. Oh, and I took half of my meal with me in a to-go box. Now, I have lunch for today!

At the end of our meal, we both decided we were in the mood for desert. We decided to forego desert at Arnie's (as good as their deserts are), and try to find another buy one/get one coupon in our Entertainment Book. To our surprise and delight, we found BOGO coupons for TCBY, Cold Stone Creamery, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, and many, many others. We settled on Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, and off we went.

If you've never been to RMCF, I highly recommend it (with or without a coupon). There are so many yummy  looking treats, we both had a difficult time deciding what to get. In the end, though, we settled on the frozen, chocolate-dipped cheesecake. At $3.75 a slice, our total would have come to around $8. With the BOGO coupon, we paid a measly $3.98 for both slices of the delectable, chocolatey, cheesecakey goodness. 

So, for dinner and desert (both of which were really yummy), we paid around $16 . . . and we had a blast. We keep our Entertainment Book in the car, so it doesn't take a lot of time to find the coupons we want. It was effortless, and we really enjoyed ourselves. And the bonus is that we stayed within our budget. 

The moral of this story is, BUY AN ENTERTAINMENT BOOK FOR YOUR AREA, and use it for anything. We paid around $40 for ours at the beginning of the year, and it's already paid for itself in what we save on car washes alone. They are discounted even more now that the year is underway. What we save on food and shopping is bonus! Plus, we end up trying new restaurants and doing fun things that we might not have done otherwise. Think about it . . . a date night that's fun for both of you, and only costs you around $16 . . . that's worth it!

Happy bargain shopping!

DEAL ALERT: 70% off at Restaurant.com!

Restaurant.com is running a "Wine & Dine" sale, slashing their gift certificates to 70% off. Stock up now, and use them whenever you want. Their $25 gift certificates are now only $3 with the discount. Enter discount code "GOURMET" at checkout, to receive the savings! Check out this deal HERE.

DEAL ALERT: 60% off at Restaurant.com--LAST DAY!

Save some cash on dining out by taking advantage of this offer from Restaurant.com. They are offering 60% off their gift certificates, when you use the discount code "FLAVOR". Click HERE to shop now! This offer ends TODAY!

Washington Post says, "It's cool to be frugal!"

According to this recent Washington Post article, it is indeed "cool" to be thrifty. With the downward trend in the nationwide economy, stores that are typically frequented by teen shoppers are experiencing slower sales. When parents aren't giving out as much money, and teens are not finding a plentiful job market, the younger crowd has turned to more thrifty means of staying trendy. (continue reading)

DEAL ALERT: Free standard shipping on Shutterfly orders of $25 or more

Just in time for Mother's Day, Shutterfly is offering free standard shipping on orders of $25 or more. Click HERE to start your order! The offer expires April 30.

DEAL ALERT: Orbitz 7-day hotel sale!

Orbits is running a special 7-day hotel sale. You can save 20% off any 1-night hotel stay! Hurry and take advantage of the offer by clicking on the ad below. This special ends April 20.

DEAL ALERT: $30 rebates on Eureka tents at Campmor.com

For a limited time, you can get a $30 mail-in rebate on Eureka tents through Campmor.com. The office expires 7/31/2008, so take advantage of this now. Click here to get the deal.

They are also offering tips on how to choose the right tent for you and your family.

Gear-up for your camping needs this spring and summer. Happy bargain shopping!