Advice & Tips

Yes, at least that’s what the government believes is true. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) set to go into effect on February 10, 2009 will require all products manufactured for children (up to age 12) to undergo testing for lead and phthalates. Any item not tested will be treated as a “banned hazardous substance” under the Federal Banned Substances Act and can not be legally sold in the United States after that date. Thus second hand clothes and toys sold at thrift and consignment stores will suddenly be considered “banned hazardous substances.”

In light of last year’s widespread issue with toys manufactured with high levels of lead, Congress swept in and enacted this law. While I agree with the law in spirit, afterall I do have two small children, I disagree with the law’s application.

I am sure there are probably many toys on store shelves today that have excessive levels of lead; however, the vast majority of toys and clothing do not. Thus suddenly making all new and used clothing and toys on store shelves “banned hazardous substances” at the stroke of midnight on February 10th sounds ludicrous to me.

While sellers of used or homemade items seem to be the ones affected by the law. It actually has much more far reaching effects.

The law affects both new and used items. In essence this law is a retroactive law. While it goes in effect on February 10th, it actually affects products manufactured months or years before. All inventories are required to have testing in order to be legally sold. This could potentially throw thousands of consignment, thrift and small mom and pop shops out of business. Even large corporations can be hugely impacted. One large retailer which has remained anonymous estimates the value of its affected inventory to be as high at $500,000,000.

The cost of compliance with this law could make children’s products much more expensive. Not only will you not be able to purchase second hand items, there will be less new items to go around. Imagine if overnight you could no longer buy a used car. The prices of specially tested new cars would suddenly become more expensive. So whether you currently buy new or used items, the new law would cause prices to go up for everyone.

There has been little mention of this in the mainstream media. Futhermore, I have not been able to find clear directives to manufacturers and resellers as to what all the reuqirements are and how to comply with them.

Consider reaching out to your elected officials and asking them to step in with some changes and revisions.

References:

Los Angeles Times – New safety rules for children’s clothes have stores in a fit

BabyCheapskate – The End of Second-Hand Kids’ Clothes and Toys

Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act

{ 4 comments }

I was on Atlanta & Company again today. The segment went well. But the best part was meeting and chatting with Maureen McCormick aka Marcia Brady. She was very nice and friendly. I had a chance to meet her in the green room while we were waiting for the show to start. She looked great for being 52!

Now back to the reason why I was on Atlanta & Company. I was sharing my perspective and tips on the current financial situation. Here are the notes from the segment:

Many financial pundits are projecting a very gloomy future. But the future doesn’t have to be so gloomy.

Change Your Perspective

Just like constantly looking at a clock makes time go by slower, constantly looking at your stock and retirement accounts makes market fluctuations seem even more painful. Take a step back and breathe. Unless you live on Wall Street, the stock market is part of your long term savings strategy. Daily fluctuations should not rattle you.
Even if you are close to retirement and are worried about how much you have “lost” don’t be too worried. Remember retirement is a long term perspective as well. Just because your account is down 30% doesn’t mean you have lost that much. It’s not like you are going to take out all your money next year. You will only take out a portion of your account, so the loss will only be on that portion not the entire account.

Don’t Be Penny Wise and Dollar Foolish

It’s easy to be tempted by sales and coupons and to spend time chasing the savings they can provide. But here are few things to keep in mind so that you really do save money:
1. Whether it is toothpaste or a T-shirt don’t buy something just because it is on sale. If the item will not be used by you or your family then you have essentially thrown your “savings” away.
2. Don’t get consumed with finding coupons (don’t forget about coupons on ShoppingQueen.com) only to let your bills pile up. I have seen many people chase sales yet complain about late fees and interest charges on their past due bills.
3. Concentrate on monthly savings on bills. This is where you can see the savings add up. Here’s how:
a. Cable, phone and internet services: With so many choices for internet service as well as cable and satellite services, you have competition working for you. Call your current provider and ask them to match other providers’ rates. Most of the time, you will get a rate discount.
b. Credit card rates: Credit card companies send you a lot of offers before you finally become their customer. Once they have you, they don’t want to lose you, especially if you carry a balance and pay finance charges. Save money by contacting the credit card company and asking them to give you a lower rate. If you have good credit and have been paying on time, they will usually knock a few percentage points off your rate.
c. Natural gas service: Do you know how much you are paying per therm? Is it the best deal around? (Only for Georgia) To find out visit the Public Service Commission’s Natural Gas Marketer Price Chart. (http://www.psc.state.ga.us/gas/pricecard.asp) See what prices are out there and call to see if your marketer can match the rates or if you should switch. This can save you a hundred dollars or two in the winter depending on your current rates.

{ 0 comments }

Every month I have half a dozen finance and business magazines arriving at my house. Yet no magazine gets me as excited at Real Simple. This is my indulgence magazine. Forget about gossip, tell me how to be efficient and practical.

We are constantly reminded to be green and to recycle instead of adding to the landfills. But do you ever wonder where or how to recycle something? Real Simple has compiled an A to Z Recycling Guide. This is a excellent resource. For example, did you know there was even such a thing as the National Crayon Recycle Program?

And yes, I do donate and recycle all the magazines I finish reading.

{ 0 comments }

With the holiday season coming up, gift cards will be a great gift option for many shoppers. Most shoppers know to look for deals when purchasing items as gifts, but do you know to look for deals when purchasing gift cards? Here are some tips on getting gift cards for less:

1. Shop during special occasions – Retailers have gift card promotions during major holidays such as Christmas, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. Many times they will offer an added bonus to a gift card purchase. You especially see this at restaurants. The Brinker restaurant group which owns Macaroni Grill and Chili’s for example offers a free $5 bonus for every $25 card purchased.

2. Look to credit cards – Credit card issuers such as Visa, Mastercard and Amex frequently have gift card promotions on their discounts website. Amex for example has an offer for 10% off Linens N Things or Visa has a discount for Spawish.com.

3. Costco: Costco and Costco.com offer a variety of gift cards for less than face value. You can find $100 worth of Starbucks gift cards for $79.99. Other gift card offers include restaurants, iTunes and Spafinder.

3. SwapaGift.com – This website offers discounted gift cards. If you purchase a card directly from SwapaGift, it is guaranteed. If you purchase one through one of it’s users, its only guaranteed up to $100.

4. Buying from eBay or craigslist – There are many listings on both sites for gift cards, but you have to be especially careful and do some legwork. You should ask to verify the balance before you purchase. You need the card number and the toll-free balance check number. You should also ask about the expiration date. Many cards have expiration dates where some or all of the value is lost.

{ 0 comments }

A friend of mine is getting married and asked me for some advice on how to cut her wedding costs. The average wedding these days costs around $30,000, so even saving 10% can be a great amount of savings. It’ll definitely help with the honeymoon. So here are a few of the tips I shared with her:

1. Look for non-wedding vendors for wedding deals. For example, Costco.com offers Weddings at Costco where you can purchase flowers, invitations and even your honeymoon.

2. Consider bundling or unbundling services. For example, some event facilities simply rent their facilities and give you the power to choose your own caterer and bring your own alcohol. Other locations require you to use their own or affiliated food and beverage services. Many times choosing your own caterer and purchasing your own alcohol to serve can save your money. Sometimes getting a bundled service might come out cheaper. This all depends on what is or is not included in the package such as linens, plates, glasses, cake service and more.

3. Don’t call it a wedding. When getting prices, first start over the phone and just say you are getting pricing and service information for an event. Many times vendors charge higher for a service related to a wedding than other kinds of events.

4. Don’t take prices and contracts at face value, negotiate. Ask the vendor if they can give you a discount or include other items and services without an additional charge.

{ 1 comment }

It’s time to buy toner again. While I hate the high price of toner cartridges, I love getting great deals on them. Today I ordered my toner from Staples.com for $79 which is about half of the advertised price of $155. How did I manage to pull such a deal? Here are my steps:

1. I checked out Amazon’s Toner Prices and found the same toner for $108. (Note: make sure you only look at products sold by Amazon.com and not other sellers.)

2. I called Staples and asked about their 110% price match guarantee. They reduced the price to $104.

3. I then applied my Staples $25 off $75 purchase coupon. (I got this coupon by being a member of their free rewards program. If you sign up you not only get rewards credits you also get coupons on a regular basis.

4. Not even calculated into the price is the $8 I will receive in rewards credits from Staples for my toner purchase.

Now I just hope I won’t need to replace the toner drum anytime soon.

{ 0 comments }

Here are this week’s school supply deals:

If you have been waiting for a great deal on a graphing calculator, now is the time to buy. Office Depot has the TI-83 Plus for $65 and Staples has the TI-84 Plus for $70 (both after rebate.)

Office Depot

10 cents: Acrylic 12″ ruler
20 cents: Office Depot brand school glue
25 cents: Westcott 5″ scissors
50 cents: Wood pencils 12-pk and PaperMate ballpoint stick pens 10-pk
99 cents: Wirebound notebooks 6-pk and Uni-Ball Jetstream ballpoint pens 3-pk

(The above deals are only valid Sunday – Wednesday.)

Free After Rebate: Sharpie fine point permanent markers 5-pk

TI-83 Plus Graphing Calculator: $65 After Rebate ($100- $10 instant savings – $25 rebate)
TI-84 Plus Silver Graphing Calculator: $100 After Rebate ($140 – $15 instant savings – $25 rebate)

OfficeMax

1 cent: Elmer’s school glue
10 cents: OfficeMax No.2 pencils 12-pk and Spiral 1-subject notebooks
20 cents: Crayola crayons 24-pk
25 cents: Poly two pocket foler and Bic round stic pens 12-pk

Staples

FREE: Dixon pencils 8-pk and 12″ plastic ruler

20 cents: 2-pocket poly report covers
25 cents: 1/2″ and 1″ plastic binders
50 cents: Plastic pencil boxes

$15: Case of staples paper after rebate with purchase of 2 cases ($60 for two – $30 rebate = $30)

Valid Sunday & Monday only: TI-84 Plus Graphing Calculator: $70 After Rebate ($120 – $15 instant savings – $35 rebate)
TI-83 Plus Graphing Calculator: $80 After Rebate ($100 – $10 instant savings – $10 rebate)
TI-84 Plus Silver Graphing Calculator: $100 After Rebate ($130 – $15 instant savings – $15 rebate)

Target

10 cents: 2-pocket portfolio
25 cents: 2-pocket plastic portfolio
69 cents: No. 2 pencils 24-pk, pick erasers 2-pk and pencil sharpener

Walgreens

12 cents (with coupon in weekly ad): 2-pocket folders
25 cents (with coupon in weekly ad): Penway highlighter
39 cents (with coupon in weekly ad): Filler paper, PaperMate mechanical pencils or pens 10-pk, No. 2 pencils 10-pk, writing pad 100-sheet, Sharpie marker
39 cents: PaperMate No. 2 pencils 6-pk and 8-pk, Corner Office sheet protectors 10-pk, Penway products including: compass, protractor, pencil sharpener and crayon sharpener, glue sticks 3-pk, colorer pencils 12-pk, crayons 24-pk, jumbo crayons 8-pk, metal ruler and school glue.

{ 0 comments }

In time for back to school shopping, many states will have a sales tax holiday this month, especially this first weekend. Qualified purchases are exempt from state sales tax. Here is the Guide to State Sales Tax Holidays which includes participating states, dates and qualified purchases.

It’s going to be busy at the stores, so here are some tisential tips to help parents save money and their sanity:

1. Know what is sales tax free ahead of time. It will be a busy weekend and you don’t want any surprises after waiting in the long check out lane.

2. Ask stores to price match or honor competitor’s coupons and promotions to avoid running from store to store to get the best price. Many stores including office supply stores such as Staples and Office Depot will meet or beat a competitor’s price as well as honor competitor’s coupons.

3. Take advantage of stores’ extended hours. Many stores will open early and close late, shop during these times to avoid the mid-day rush.

4. Have a list and a budget to focus your shopping and time. Just because computer purchases up to $1,500 may be tax exempt does not mean you can not get a good student computer for only $500.

5. Research store sales flyers ahead of time. Many retailers put their sales advertisements on their website, you can check out the sales before you head to the store. Don’t forget to check out ShoppingQueen.com to print your coupons too.

{ 1 comment }

Chipotle has a special promotion in Georgia and Iowa. (Those are the only states I am aware of having this promotion. If there are others, please share.) Chipotle customers who purchase a burrito, taco, salad or burrito bowl on July 30 and/or July 31, can return Aug. 2 and Aug. 3 for a free burrito, burrito bowl, order of tacos or salad, with proof of previous purchase.

Chipotle Promotion in Georgia

Chipotle Promotion in Iowa

Thanks to a gracious reader for sharing this deal.

{ 0 comments }