Ordering contact lens online - money saving tips

Ordering contact lenses was never so easy as nowadays. With increased technology, now it is possible to order contact lens through your PC. Say THANKS to World Wide Web.

To order contact lenses online, you should make a thorough search on internet and it will give you plenty of information about online retailers with a single click of the mouse! But remember, ordering contact lens online simply doesn't mean that you are saving money. To find the best deal, you need to know few secrets.

Secret 1: Be sure that they really offer cheap and good quality contact lenses

Most online contact lens selling companies offer big discounts, compared with prices in any ophthalmologist's office. Different online companies provide good offers on different brands of contact lenses. So, it is always better to compare prices after getting prescription from an ophthalmologist.

Secret 2: Check shipping charges

Shipping charges is the biggest disadvantage of ordering contact lenses online, as cost of shipping differs from one company to another. Some online retailers provide huge discounts on contact lenses but their shipping costs are very high. On the other hand, some online contact lens retailers take no shipping charges, but their prices are significantly higher. That's why always check shipping charges of specific retailer before ordering contact lenses.

Secret 3: Further discounts might be available

Buying a year's supply will surely give you some additional rebates or discounts. You will surely get best deal if you can afford to a year's supply.

Secret 4: Be assured about the delivery

Choose an online retailer, who ships your contact lenses within couple of days. They will state everything about shipping charges and conditions. It is better to consider big companies, as they have various types of contact lenses in stock.

Ordering rare kind of contact lenses from a small retailer might take few weeks to reach you.

Secret 5: Read feedbacks and reviews about retailer

Reviews will help you to know about the specific retailer, otherwise it is time consuming and difficult to select the best retailer. These tips will surely save your money and time and help you find a good quality contact lens at the same time.

How the Poor Man Pays Double

How the Poor Man Pays Double - Tips for Saving Money

Years ago, my father in-law (God rest his soul), was fond of saying the Poor Man Pays Double. He in fact, was very correct in that saying and I want to explain why.

The saying essentially means that the more money you have, the more capable you are of saving money when it comes to buying. In other words, the person with less money will spend more per item than the person with more money.

To put it into terms you can understand: The person with limited funds will buy the 8 roll toilet paper package for $4 dollars because of the price. If they had more money available they could have spent the extra $3 to buy the 24 roll package and tripled the amount while not tripling the price. The price per roll for the poor man is .50 cents per roll, and for the purchaser with a bigger budget .29 cents.

It may not seem like a lot but when you apply that spending method to all your purchases, it adds up very quickly and at the end of the exercise you will be better stocked at home, have better meals and reduce the number of trips and time spent in grocery stores. It’s just smarter buying.

Examples of Dry Goods
Cases of soup/vegetables/other canned goods - instead of individual cans.
Large bags of sugar/flour/rice/pet food instead of small bags.
Large boxes of cereal instead of little ones.
Case lots of Kleenex, napkins, paper towels.
Large boxes of detergent.
Large refillable jugs for windex, handsoap, bar soap, shampoo, toothpaste.
Cases of 24 or 30 granola bars and snack foods rather than the small boxes of 8.

Always buy the largest size available of whatever items you buy.

Meats

In order to follow this list, you may have to know how to cut meat and understand the rules of thumb in the cutting meat. If you don’t think you are able to do this, just choose the items that require little, if any, cutting.
I raised four children this way and saved enormous amounts of money on food while still feeding them very well and packing awesome lunches for them everyday. I am no butcher so I just searched on google about cutting meat.
You can find items like these at restaurant supply or wholesale stores in your area. I have recently seen some items that are available in regular grocery stores.
Instead of buying trayed meats at the grocery store (one meal or two) – buy whole items or cases. For example, two chicken legs (thighs attached) will cost $2.50 - $3.00. A whole chicken costs around $5.00. A decent steak is anywhere from $6 - $9. If you are feeding a family of four – this amounts to at least $24 for the meal and that is just the meat part of the meal. Chicken breast, ribs, pork chops, steak, roasts and even luncheon meats can be bought in bulk. I buy various sizes of freezer bags and portion everything in meal sizes. Look for meat sales when they are decent.

Case of Chicken Breast (you want the individually frozen ones so it isn’t one big frozen piece).

Case of Whole Chickens - 8 -10 in a case. Usually sold frozen.

Striploin Roasts or Strips - Must be fresh, not frozen. You can cut this into roast size meals or individual steaks. I choose roast size and then I can thaw and cut the roast into steaks if that is how I am going to cook it.

Pork Loin Strips - same as the striploin roasts

Case of Back or Side Ribs - Must be fresh, not frozen.

Fresh Ground Beef - you will find exceedingly large fresh quantities at the wholesaler. Five to ten lb trays are good.

Case of bacon - Must be fresh, not frozen.

Loaves of smoked turkey, chicken breast, bologna, salami, ham etc. (huge savings here – invest in a slicer or a really good electric knife for slicing (keep blade sharp).

Sirloin Tip Piece or Inside Round of Beef - these vary in size from 20-45 lbs usually. For these items, you will have to have some knowledge of cutting meat. Always cut against the grain as meat cut with the grain will be tougher. These pieces are a great buy if you are able. The Inside Round of Beef piece will have varying pieces you will remove and you have to be careful as the grain changes from piece to piece. You will be able to cut roasts, sirloin tip pieces for stir fry, stewing beef, steaks etc and the quantity you get will amaze you. (Outside Round will be available also but the steaks won’t be as nice – buy this one if you will cut mostly roasts - great to buy for winter months and will probably last through the entire winter, cheaper in price too).

Eye of Round Roasts - For those who think the inside Round of Beef would be daunting, Eye of Round will cut decent steaks and roasts. You may want to tenderize the steaks a little. This piece is usually long and you should only have to cut down for each steak or roast once. These are much smaller and you may require a few but will still save you money.

Cut or portion all meats into meal size bags or containers. Mark the bag/container with the name of the item and freeze.

There are a few things you must have to carry out this methodology.

First, invest in a freezer. It doesn’t have to be a huge freezer or even a new one, but I do suggest it be an energy saver model, otherwise the money you are saving on the shopping will be sucked away on your power bill if you are running one of those old heavy freezers constantly. You can find these for sale at used appliance stores or kijiji type websites for $75 - $100.

Second, if you want to buy the bulk sugar, flour, rice ,dog food etc. then purchase a few airtight sealable containers (5-10 gallon).

Purchase the items that make sense to you and are used by your family.

As someone who enjoys cooking and baking, I took advantage of a lot of the bulk buying because I used flour, sugar etc. constantly. I also buy case lots of berries when in season and freeze packages individually for cobbler and other recipes. In summer I would pick berries when available and make jam, freezing the excess berries to use in winter. You could also do this with vegetables.

My children never were fond of many of the prepared cookies, muffins, jams etc. so I used to make my own. I would make a large quantity and freeze them.

Once you accomplish the bulk buying and have yourself set up, you will only have to visit the store briefly once or twice weekly, to pick up your fresh dairy, fruits and vegetables. How long the bulk buying lasts will amaze you and it also makes your life so much simpler.

My children are older now but I continue to buy this way and take them care packages at university etc. They believe themselves to be the best fed students on campus and I don’t worry as much as I know they are eating well.

Money Saving Tips

In this murky economic climate, we all need to do our best to use our resources efficiently and save money. What if all that’s left for future generations to inherit is a huge amount of social security debt? The future of our planet is directly proportional to how unhappy we are now, so let’s start suffering! Here are a few easy money saving tips that anybody can pull off:

Start gardening

Save money on food by growing your own! People have been doing this in the Fertile Crescent for about 10,000 years, and the results have separated human civilization from feces hurling monkeydom. Live in an apartment? Don’t have a yard? Don’t fret. With a sledgehammer, a few rolls of saran wrap, and a few hours of work, you can knock out a wall or a ceiling and create your very own greenhouse. You can find plenty of sod in your neighbor’s yard, although you will want to collect it at night. Coat your floors with six to eight inches of dirt to support the root systems of most agricultural plants.

Stop giving money to bums

You can save a handful of change every year if you have some good pre-planned excuses for blowing off homeless people. I like to say simply "Sorry, I have no cash," and usually I’m not even lying. But you don’t have to make sense to make cents! You can say something completely meaningless and get away with it. Use words that most people don’t know about, or even use a non-sequitur. I once heard a man decline a bum’s request for change by saying "Sorry, I’ve got an audition," as he walked into a hardware store. Genius! If you’re feeling compassionate, offer to give them change if they can answer a trivia question or exhibit some ability to contribute to humanity. One evening in Indianapolis I met thirteen bums and five people needing to catch some mythical bus that couldn’t correctly spell the word "souvenir". I used spell check on my cell phone to check their answer. One poor child selling candy didn’t even get the second letter right, so I waved my hand in disgust and walked away without losing a dime.

Save electricity

Turn off your TV. Seriously. No really, I’m not kidding. Do something else.

Save fuel

Stop going places and doing things. If you really must go somewhere and do something, walk or ride a bike. This mode of transportation not only saves fuel, it disrupts people who are using less efficient means of travel. The more you walk right out in front of traffic or ride your bike in the middle of the street as if you are pedaling a Lexus, the more automobile pilots have to stop or drive forty miles below the speed limit. This causes gridlock, temporarily stops them from guzzling fuel, and has the potential to make them so frustrated that they decide to walk their entire fifteen mile commute to work everyday in lieu of destroying the environment.

How to Save Money Every Month

Money saving is important for those who are going through economic hardship because of recession or job loss. It is equally important for them who spend a lot of money unnecessarily without realizing that it could be diverted to savings. Many such expenses can be cut down without making any major changes in your lifestyle. In order to learn, how to save money every month you require a little bit of financial discipline and creativity.

Tips on Ways to Save Money Every Month

Many of us end up overspending every month simply because we ignore the recurring monthly expenses and do not know how to save money every month from them. The fact is you have to make effort to save money everyday. For this reason, the first step is to prepare a household budget. It should be done keeping in mind the needs of all the member of your family. Allot a certain amount of money for the monthly bills, groceries, entertainment and strictly follow the budget. Following are the areas where cut down of monthly expenses is possible.

Groceries: The main reason why people spend extra money in the supermarket is because of impulsive buying. You can save money on groceries by making a list of items to be bought from grocery stores and stick to it. Thus, you can resist the temptation of buying unnecessary items. There are some store who offers discount on purchase in bulk quantity. You can buy non-perishable foods like cereals, canned products as well as supplies like paper towels, soaps and detergents from there and save money. Read more on saving money on groceries.

Electric bill: A few changes in our daily habits can help us to save money on electric bill. Like lights and other appliances should be turned off whenever they are not required. Even small children should be taught to turn off the lights when they are leaving the house. You can switch off the AC and open the windows when the weather is not so hot. Use of CFL bulbs can also help to reduce electric bills. Using dishwasher or washing machine when they are fully loaded can save electricity too.

Phone Bills: The phone is an indispensable part of our life as it helps us to be in touch with our friends and family. To save money on phone bills, make the not so urgent calls at nights or weekends when the call rates are less. There are several plans available that offers discount in the call rates. Select one such plan that suits your requirement. If you have a cell phone, then there is no need to keep a landline at home. Read more on tips for saving money.

Food Bills: There are many such households whose one of the major unexpected expenses of the month is on eating out. Some people go out for lunch on all five working days of the week. For them, it is wiser to pack lunch from home at least for two or three days of the week. Moreover, this habit of frequent visit to restaurants for coffee, snacks or dinner is not good for health. Curtailing the number of restaurant bills can save money on food. Read more on ways to save money.

Now you know how to save money every month and I am sure that these money saving tips will be highly beneficial for you. Whatever amount you save every month, make sure you deposit the amount in a savings bank account. You will feel tempted to spend it in buying some expensive items but you have to control the urge. Rather, you should utilize these savings to buy some thing for your house which is really essential.

Save Money on Groceries

In today's economy, everyone is searching for ways to save money, be it in small amounts. Saving money on small amounts occasionally does have a very good impact on the money collected at the end. This is because continuous small spendings turn out to be big expenditures later, which may become very difficult for you to bear. Those who want to save money have to consider cutting costs in minor things such as grocery budgets. If you want to save money on groceries, you will necessarily have to consider some important aspects. Americans alone spend more than $478 billion on grocery materials every year, which includes one person spending more than $100 every week. Considering this fact, if your reduce the amount spent on grocery items, you can surely decrease your monthly budget. Let us get to know how to save money on groceries.

Tips on How to Save Money on Groceries

Go Shopping Alone: The best way to save money on groceries is probably to go and shop alone at the department store. If you take your wife and kids, their demands would add up to the bill substantially.

Make a Budget and a Shopping List: Make a list of the materials and foodstuffs that you want to purchase. Before leaving for the store, it is suggested to check out in your pantry and fridge if there are any items that are not to be included in the list.

Only Buy as per the List: While grocery shopping, only purchase products and foods that you have included in the list. Buying additional products will contribute to an increase in the grocery bill. You should only buy other products, if you realize that you missed out including those essential ones in the list.

Do not Waste Food: Wasting foods eventually leads you to buy grocery items in excess. For minimizing the use of groceries, stop wasting foods and make the utmost use of the leftovers. For example, you can make use of breakfast leftovers as evening snacks. This is one good tip on how to reduce your grocery shopping bill.

Check out Groceries in Other Stores: If you want to save money on groceries, you also need to check out products at other stores. By doing so you may be able to purchase same quality products at a cheaper price.

Look out for Products Kept Lower: At the grocery store, expensive and attractive products are kept on stands at eye level, whereas same quality and inexpensive products are kept lower down. For getting good quality products at an inexpensive price, check out those kept at the floor level.

Make Use of Discount Coupons: Make the best use of discount coupons of departmental stores. You can get printable discount grocery coupons on the store's website, or in newspapers and circulars which have the store's advertisements.

Do not Shop When Hungry: A simple tip on saving money on grocery items is that you should not go for shopping when hungry. Being hungry, you tend to buy more unnecessary products, which increases the spendings.

Become a Member of the Store: In order to get some good membership coupons and offers, it is recommended to register as a member of the store. There are possibilities of you getting additional discounts over regular ones.

Visit the Local Farmer's Market: If you want to buy perishable foodstuffs such as vegetables and fruits, instead of going to the departmental store, you can pay a visit to the local farmer's market. It is sure that you will get fresh foods at an inexpensive price. This is a good way to do grocery shopping on a budget.

These are some very good tips on how to save money on groceries. Remember that by saving money on groceries and such small items, you will be able to reduce your monthly expenditure a lot more than expected.

How to Save Money in College

If you thought your elementary and high school education cost your parents a bomb, then think again! College education is even more expensive than school education. Besides, the unfortunate part is, you will most likely have to cover the expenses on your own, without much help from your folks. Even with a scholarship or some kind of financial aid, the other living expenses can still throw you off track. So, how to save money in college? A thrifty lifestyle can help you manage your finances properly. Given below are some tips on how to save money every month.

Tips on How to Save Money in College

Books
Textbooks, reference books are a substantial expense in your college life. Every semester you are likely to spend $500 - $600, if you choose to buy all the textbooks recommended in the course. One thing that you will learn during your college years is, you rarely have time to read all the educational stuff that is recommended in your course. Besides, the exam papers are often set based on only a few important books. Hence, if you choose to buy all that is mentioned in your course list, then you will unnecessarily waste a lot of money. Wait until the first week of college to know what are the books which your professors recommend, so that you can buy only those books. Check your library and see if there are enough copies of any or all of your textbooks. If yes, you can always borrow these books from library. Second hand books is an inexpensive way of buying your own copies of textbooks and reference books. Scout the 'for sale' section of your college notice board to see if your seniors are selling away their used textbooks. Buying used textbooks online is the best way to save money on books.

Food
Food and grocery is yet another expense that can burn holes in your monthly budget. If you are renting an apartment with a group of friends, then all of you can decide a monthly grocery budget. Splitting this amount amongst yourself is the best way to save money on groceries. But then, you will have to acquiesce upon certain menu and limited grocery items. When you contribute to the monthly grocery budget, make sure you eat out less often. Frequently eating out will defeat the very purpose of budgeting your grocery expense.

Clothing
You need not have to hang out in new fashionable clothes every week. Instead of piling on only a particular type of clothing (say jeans and T-shirts), make a conscious effort towards building your wardrobe wisely. Make sure you have a pair of formal trousers and shirts, shoes, belt etc. for interviews, presentations and similar formal occasions. Have at least 7-8 sets of daily wear, so that you save upon laundry charges. Instead of buying a dozen pairs of cheap clothing, it is better to invest in fewer but quality clothing sets. Shopping for clothes online is a good money saving idea and a useful tip on how to budget money on clothing as you can avail huge discounts online. Also scout for sales at reputed clothing stores in your area.

Lifestyle
You need to bring some serious changes in your lifestyle, if you wish to save money while at college. If your college is not far away from your apartment, there is absolutely no need to invest in a fancy, gas guzzling car. Instead get yourself a bicycle and ride to college everyday, a cheap and healthy way of cutting down your cost of conveyance. Another cost cutting idea includes, hosting parties at home. Instead of throwing parties at posh clubs and fancy restaurants, invite your friends at home and have a blast. Similarly, instead of watching movies in theater you can rent DVDs and watch them in the comfort of your home. If you are into a dating game, then take your date to places such as parks, museums, art galleries etc., a good alternative to frequenting those fancy pubs. If you frequently eat out with friends, making it a norm to go Dutch right from the beginning. Avoid giving generous tips everywhere until you land a decent job. Give up on expensive addictions such as smoking, alcohol or drugs. Always stay healthy, so that you save upon your doctor's fees!

Also read this excellent article on money saving tips for college students. Other money saving tips include keeping your debt to minimum and making judicious use of your credit card. Try to get a part time job on campus, so that you can increase your cash flow. However, make sure it does not interfere with the main purpose of your college, and that is learning. Hope the tips on how to save money in college were resourceful.

Tips on How to Save Money for Teenagers

Daniel's mother was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She had given her 14 years old son a huge amount just two days back and today there he was asking for more money. When she inquired about the money that she had given him just two days back, he replied coolly, "Oh! I spend that on some movies and I also treated my friends because I felt like." Frustrated, his mom thought of doing one thing that she had been planning to do for days...teach Daniel the value of money and the importance of saving money. Thus she started searching for some tips on how to save money for teenagers so that her son did not grow up to become a spendthrift and also a loser.

Teens spending more money than required, teens not knowing the value of money..is not just the concern for Daniel's mother, but for mothers of all teenagers across most of the countries. Parents had seen dark days, hence, they realize how important it is to save money, but teenagers think that money is something that is meant to be spend lavishly on any small things. True, money is meant for spending, but one needs to learn how to save money too for the rainy days. If teens are not taught this, then they will only head for trouble. Here are some tips on how to save money for teenagers, which anxious parents can follow.

Ways to Save Money for Teenagers

It's important that teens are given the money saving tips, because not only will they require that money for rainy days but also to pay through their college education. Once, they start a family, they need to save money for their family. If you think that it's a difficult task teaching them, then let me tell you that it's not. All you need is some patience. Let us see what are the tips to save money for teenagers.

Daily Expenditure
My dad always tells me that if one does not respect money, it will never respect you, hence it's important that you keep a record of your daily expenses. Make it a habit for them to write down all that they have spent, daily and then at the end of the month, when then find out the total expenditure, they will realize where they have spent more. Next month, your kid will automatically try and save more in that part. This does not make you a miser but much wiser.

Open a Savings Account
The next financial literacy for kids and teens is, opening a savings account. Help your them to open a savings account and help them manage it. Teach them how they can deposit money in that account and also how they can withdraw after they have saved some money for months. Ask them to decide on a goal; say for example tell them that the money is for a new car or for college, and then let them save, until they go to college or until they have a license and enough money to buy a car. By that time, they will realize the importance of saving money.

Do Not Carry Much Cash
Here are some more tips on how to save money for teenagers. Some teenagers have the habit of not leaving a store without buying anything. There's only one way to stop that and that's by carrying less money around with them. Going to the store or mall with the minimum amount, something which will not even help them buy a drink, and roaming around, for a few days, will get rid of their habit of not leaving the store without buying anything.

Save the Changes
The next tip on saving money is saving the changes that one gets back. If your teen has gone to a shop to buy something and gets back some changes, then do not let them spend it. Instead teach them to save it in a piggy bank. Whatever changes one gets back, should go to the piggy bank and teach him or her not to touch the bank, unless there is enough. They will get encouraged to save more when they see how the changes have added up to a huge amount after days.

Checking Account
The next tip on saving money for teenagers is opening a checking account and this can be done once he or she has saved enough money. A checking account will make your teen behave in a responsible manner and will also put them into practice for saving for the future.

These tips on how to save money for teenagers should be followed from a very young age, i.e., once he/she is old enough to start earning and spending. Explain how saving money will be useful to them during the time of an emergency, so that they do not have to go borrowing money from others. These tips on money management for teenagers, will surely help your teen to grow up to be more responsible.

Financial Literacy for Kids

With economic meltdown in America, the country seemed to have learned many lessons and one of them was learning to save for the future. It is important for every individual from every country to exhibit smart economical behavior. It helps you to have a better future without having to worry about the days after the retirement. To enjoy the second innings of life, you need to smartly invest in the first innings. And what can be better than learning about financial issues from childhood itself? To get more insights on financial literacy for kids, pick up the money saving tips from below.

Importance of Financial Literacy for Kids

All parents want to give a good life to their children but it does not mean that they should never understand the value of money. It is perfectly alright to fulfill their wishes but, at the same time, let them know that money does not grow on money plant, it needs to be earned. Some parents also think that they never learned about financial planning yet are leading a good life then why should their children be burdened. Well, it is important to understand the difference between the economic condition of your era and what your children are living in currently. Today, the job market and the economy is so unstable that your children must learn to use money wisely otherwise the bankruptcy cases will just keep increasing.

Children should also learn to differentiate between the needs and the wants, which is quite a challenging task in today's world of advertising gimmicks and increasing consumerism. Almost every product or service targets the kids as their potential promising buyer. And most of the times our children fall pray to the marketing strategies and hence it is important for the kids to understand the value of money so that they can take right decisions for themselves. One of the important reasons why you should give a serious thought to financial literacy for kids is that it is not taught in school. Though many schools have included financial education for kids in their curriculum, there are many schools which still haven't understood the importance of financial literacy for kids. In such a scenario, it is the responsibility of the parents to treat the world as the economic classroom and make kids financially literate.

Teaching Kids Financial Literacy

Financial literacy for kids starts from home. There are many ways you can make kids realize the worth of money. Simple things like maintaining an expense diary can teach children how much they spend. All you have to do is tell them to enter the transactions of their pocket money in the expense diary. It will also help them keep a record of their daily financial transactions. They will come to know about the unnecessary areas where they are splurging money. Another thing you could do is gift you kid a good old piggy bank. No doubt, it will teach him to save money. Allow your kids to use the piggy bank money to buy their favorite toys. This way they would get the feeling of buying something of their own hard earned money. After all, a penny saved is a penny earned!

You can let your children participate in the budgeting of the house so that they know that, from the early morning milk they drink to the night suit they wear before going to bed is being 'paid' for. But remember that teaching financial literacy for kids need not be preachy and boring. You can use various games and fun activities to get them interested in learning about money. You can visit various websites that have some great entertaining games. This participatory approach would result in better understanding.

Financial literacy for kids would certainly help your children have a better future. They will understand that money is not everything but it definitely helps you enjoy that 'everything' better.