South Florida on the Cheap

New group deal services

Teresa — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 18:58:11 +0000

The latest craze in the money-saving world is the group coupon — or Groupon, the name of the biggest group-buying site.

If you enroll at www.groupon.com, you get an e-mail with each day’s deal, usually 50 percent or more off the goods or services of a local business. When you sign up for a deal, you [...]

The thrill of stacking coupons

Teresa — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 18:52:40 +0000

Ordinarily, I’m not an enthusiastic user of coupons. Lots of them are for packaged foods I don’t use, I’m feeding only myself, and I often can save by buying the store brand.

But, in the name of research, I decided to try clipping coupons. I followed some of the techniques recommended by serious couponers, such as [...]

Online coupons for local attractions

Teresa — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:55:27 +0000

We have learned to look for coupons when we do online shopping. But we often don’t think of looking for online coupons when we visit local attractions. We should. The weak economy means many of our local attractions are offering frequent discounts, deals and coupons, most on their websites.

Here are some current deals:

• Get a [...]

Make your cats happy with a homemade ‘catio’

Teresa — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 18:52:30 +0000

The New York Times recently ran a story on “cat-ios” — screened enclosures that give cats a taste of the outdoors while still keeping them confined. The ideal “cat-io,” of course, is a large screened porch or pool enclosure, and if you have one, I’m jealous. So are my cats.

Unfortunately, the cost of building one [...]

Free and cheap summer kids’ films

Teresa — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:49:14 +0000

Luckily for us, most major theater chains offer free or reduced-price children’s film programs on weekday mornings during the summer. And most don’t require you to bring a child to be admitted, either.

Among the offerings this summer are Alvin and the Chipmunks Squeakquel, Charlotte’s Web, Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything, Hotel for Dogs, Shrek the [...]

Gourmet foods at bargain stores

Teresa — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:39:58 +0000

Sometimes you find bargains in unexpected places. Or unexpected items at bargain stores.

I have long shopped at Marshall’s, Ross and Big Lots for clothing, linens and other household items. But those stores can also be good places to find fine foods at bargain prices. The selection varies, but it’s not unusual to find gourmet chocolates, [...]

Free summer fun for kids: books

Teresa — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 22:46:58 +0000

When I was a kid, I never could get enough books. We didn’t have many at home, but my father took all the kids old enough to read to the library every Saturday. Each of us could check out 10 books, and mine didn’t always last the week. I, of course, grew up to be [...]

Buy hurricane food you’ll really eat

Teresa — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 22:45:44 +0000

With so many people in South Florida struggling to make ends meet, the last thing you want to do is waste money on food you’ll never eat if we don’t have a major storm — and maybe even if we do.

When you do your pre-hurricane shopping, keep in mind the types of food your family [...]

Find deals on concert tickets

Teresa — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 22:51:39 +0000

I still remember my first concert: A friend and I went to see the Carpenters perform in 1970. We weren’t yet old enough to drive, so we had to take our mothers.

I saw a few free concerts in my youth: Harry Chapin, James Taylor. And a few I paid for: Bob Dylan, Joan Baez. As [...]

Advice to new college grads

Teresa — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 22:43:42 +0000

If you’re a 2010 college graduate, we’re sure you have received all kinds of uplifting and inspiring advice. We’re going to give you some mundane, down-to-earth advice: Start managing your money right now.

We agree with everyone who has advised you to get a job, buy health insurance, avoid credit card debt, draw up a budget, [...]