Enjoying when the seasons change

change-jar

It’s a habit established thanks to family, and one that I’ve maintained for some time now; in fact, I blogged about it five years ago: My efforts to save my loose change and set it aside for a rainy day. It came back into mind recently, when I found an identical replacement for my original change jar, above, which I managed to misplace after turning in change awhile back. Continue reading

Can using the right font save the government money?

ink-costs

Have you ever given thought to what fonts you use to print, and whether your choice of Comic Sans or Impact might lead to higher costs?  One teenager evaluated the costs of various inks and then applied it to the federal government’s spending, and determined that just by changing fonts the federal government alone could save more than $100 million a year. On ink. Continue reading

Saving a bit more, one week at a time

52-week-money-challenge-crop

With the year drawing to a close, thoughts turn to the new year, and inevitably, new year’s resolutions.  I’m not particularly fond of them; I think it’s an arbitrary date that doesn’t spur on real change, but temporary motivation (I’m for sure in that camp).  That said, I’m never going to argue against things that encourage good habits, as long as people stay focused, so if it works for others, fantastic.  One such resolution, which seems to be getting passed around each year around this time, is the 52-week money challenge. Continue reading

Clipping digital coupons with SavingStar

saving-star

As occasionally referenced here on the blog, I experiment with loyalty and coupon programs.  I look for ways to simply recoup costs.  I continue to be most enamored with Plink, which I’ve accumulated more then $150 back since starting to use it.  But another one I’m beginning to like more is SavingStar. Continue reading

Getting cash back: What’s the point?

I’ve posted repeatedly about rewards programs, cash back and savings opportunities that should, in theory, let you either get more for your money or get money back, which can be applied to what’s next.  But with so many programs and opportunities, with rewards that tend to be lukewarm or good only for certain timing, the question many times becomes whether it’s worth the time and energy. Continue reading