HOW TO SHOP THE SEASONAL CLEARANCES

It is great to shop the seasonal clearance items. You can get the best deals on many items by shopping for deep discounts on seasonal clearance end caps, tables and even in the main aisles. Seasonal clearances occur at least four times a year and are in every section of the store. Even items that are not really seasonal are sold off at deep discounts to make way for the short season holiday items. One large retailer I worked at sold off much of the regular furniture it carried (beds,desks,chairs etc), when it was time to set up displays of patio furniture. Space in a retail store is not cheap so they will sacrifice carrying a full line in order to make a fast buck.

Seasonal items are often clearanced at 30% off or more. Clothing and live nursery plants are often clearanced at 50% or more off. Don't be afraid to ask for a further discount particularly if the box is a Little shop worn (faded, scratched or,taped). You can also get a better deal if there are limited items left. A manager might just want to get the items out of the way rather than store them until the next season and by then, the items may be damaged by accidents in the backroom or, the item might be discontinued in favor of a newer item or different brand. In any case, don't be afraid to ask for a further discount then what is being advertised on the sign or in the paper. Make sure you ask a manager since most clerks don't have the authority to give discounts. The floor clerk is usually instructed to not give further discounts.

The garden center is a great place to get fall discounts. Most trees and shrubs do well if you plant them in the fall. And, most garden centers shut completely down all winter and have to get rid of all their shrubs,trees and perennials. Always ask for a further discount on seasonally clearanced trees and shrubs. If you are willing wait for the item and take a chance on it being sold, keep checking back with the garden center manager to see what kind of further discount you can get. On the last few days the garden center is open the manager just might ask you to make an offer for any live plants he has left.

The clothing section of the store is usually where seasonal discounts occur first since they must be set up for the next season up to six weeks in advance. Areas like housewares, toys and sporting goods often have a few aisles or least end caps that change over from season to season. Most departments have holiday items that will be discounted before and after the holiday is over.

Groceries change over less than other areas but, items like candy, produce and even deli may have some seasonal discount. Many wines may also be cleareanced to make way for the latest vintage. If you collect local wines than seasonal change over times are heaven sent. You can really build up your wine cellar at up to 50% off of the sticker prices.

Overall, don't be afraid of shopping for seasonal bargains. Of course, don't be afraid of asking for even greater discounts from the store or department manager. When you buy seasonal clearance items you win but, the merchant also wins. They get the cash back on the item and some space freed up for the latest items for the current season.

GRILL OUTSIDE AND SAVE BIG BUCKS

I have just gotten done with a delicious lunch featuring ground chuck burgers. They were spectacular. Not only did they taste delicious but, the cost of cooking them was free.

In the past week I have had the local electric utility company come out to my home twice to try to figure out why my electrical use is so low. In other words they are trying to figure out why I am not paying them a lot more money. One thing I do to save money is that on nasty days I eat sandwiches, fruit etc., and on nice days I cook outside. Not heating up the stove on hot days keeps fan and air conditioning costs down which saves a tremendous amount of money.

This all gets back to grilling outdoors and saving money. I do not own a fancy gas grill. I bought a small grill called a hibachi at Rite Aid for $1.99 on clearance a few years ago. It is a very efficient grill and will cook up to 8-10 hamburgers or hot dogs at a time. That is more than most parties need at a time. The only problems that there is no top to keep flies off the food but guess what, someone invented aluminum foil so for a few cents you can easily keep little monster insects off your food and not pay extra dollars for an outdoor stove with a top.

I hate using gas to grill with. That costs more than grilling on the stove and you loose all the outdoor flavors and textures of grilling outside. My little hibachi is a very efficient cooking machine. All I have to provide it with is fuel. Of course many people dabble in buying expensive charcoal or other wood products to heat their food and of course, I never spend even a penny in such endeavors because, all the fuel I use for my hibachi grill I can find in my own backyard.

Fruit trees make some of the best wood to use in your grill although, wood from almost any bush or tree can be used as fuel for your grill. If you have trees like maple, oak etc, you might think about finding a place to set aside your trimmings for a future outdoors party. I have lots of trees on my property so when I am cutting wood I chunk up wood like apple and maple into 2-4 inch chunks. I then let them cure for about two years and then they are better and more efficient at holding a fire for grilling than anything you can buy

SPRING TIME IS THE BEST TIME TO CAN

Here in Northern Michigan we like to go canning in the Spring. Of course this is not the run of the mill canning of fruits, vegetables or meats. Instead, we are going after a much more valued item then can be found almost anywhere. I am of course talking about cans and bottles that have a deposit on them (it is ten cents in Michigan). Spring canning is a tradition in my home state. All you need is a sack and a pair of plastic gloves(these gloves can be reused if washed in sanitized water).

Any grocery store that sell items with a deposit on them is required to take the same exact bottle/can back and give the person bringing said bottles/cans back, ten cents each(this is Michigan law so check the laws in your own state). Of course you can check around to find out which stores take back the most brands so you don't have to travel all over town to take back all the bottles/cans you pick up. I know of one elderly man that waits around in grocery stores and volunteers to take off your hands those bottles/cans that the store you are at will not give you deposit money for because they do not carry the particular brand. This might be a way of easy canning but, it might not be kosher with your grocer. Many grocers will make extra money off cans left behind at bottle machines that are not accepted. Grocers will wait until they have perhaps a few hundred dollars in bottles/cans that their store does not sell and will then take a trip to the competition to make some quick cash.

In the spring, cans and bottles pop up out of the snow banks along roadways, paths, boat landings, parking lots, and parks/recreation areas of all types. It is just like going out and picking up dimes all over the place. Sometimes coins are also lying around in the Spring which you could just consider a bonus. Why be poor when there is so much money laying on the ground.

Canning is not just a Springtime hobby. Many people make a good supplemental income picking up cans year around. I was once told by a serious year around caner that he supplemented his income by $15,000 per year. He and his son went canning every weekend. The money was used for the boys college education.

I know many elderly people who supplement their incomes by canning. Many people don't have the health to work out at a job or run a business when they are elderly. Canning is a job you can do at your own pace and it is not too physically difficult yet, does provide a good deal of overall exercise. An idea, instead of jogging down that trail or path every morning, why not take along a sack and a pair of gloves to pick up cans and bottles. You'll get exercise and make money at the same time.

Personally, every time I go fishing I always search the area around my fishing hole for bottles and cans. Once I found a plastic sack full of bottles and cans lying in the woods near a public boat launch. The sack had been lying there a long time and had been partially covered up with dirt and leaves but, there were enough bottles and cans in the sack to pay for the gas I used on my fishing trip. Since then I make it a goal to find enough cans/bottles to pay for my gas each time I go fishing.

I also enjoy going to all the festival places in Northern Michigan. Of course I don't go to festivals to spend money. I go to festival hot spots after the festival is over so I can make money off the dropped change and those beautiful big dimes called cans.

I hope everyone is as excited about canning as I am. It is great family fun. Make a picnic out of a weekend canning expedition to a park. The trip may pay for itself. Besides, you will get to enjoy the great outdoors with your family and teach good citizenship at the same time. After all, canning is a sport created by our society to help clean up our environment.

TURN GREEN INTO GREEN: MAKE MONEY OFF OF MOTHER NATURE

You can make a lot of money off mother nature each year. It could be by growing a large or small vegetable herb garden to save money or, it could be some other hobby like polishing stones or making jewelry. There are all sorts of ways mother nature can earn you some extra cash without too much investment or sometimes, no investment of money, just your time.

Gardening is a great way to reap the rewards of mother nature. Herb and vegetable gardens can give you fresh produce at a fraction of the price you can find in stores. If you have extra room you could grow some vegetables to sell at the roadside. Pumpkins are a favorite item around Halloween. Flower gardens can also make you money if you have a way of selling fresh flower cuts like daffodils or lilacs. You can also raise flowers you can dry like Baby's Breath. You can use dried flowers to make arrangements to sell or you can sell the dried flowers directly to a floral shop.

If you have access to pine cones or various tree bark or woods, you can sell them to floral shops, use them in arrangements or sell either finished or raw products on eBay. I have an abundance of pine cones on my property and I have sold them on EBay. Just make sure you charge enough for postage and handling. The one price postage boxes the post office has are free and are conveniently sized for most items. This makes it convenient for you the seller and the buyer to understand just how much say, 200 pine cones is going to cost to ship anywhere in the country.

My mom used to split birch logs and put a candle on the split end along with other decorations. She used to sell quite a few of these at church bizarres. Many people liked these split logs for centerpieces during holidays.

Using items found in nature for wreath making has long been a popular home business. Things like straw, pine bows and grapevines are popular for wreath making. Pine cones and even plain sticks can be made into attractive wreaths for sale.

Stone polishing/carving and jewelry making is a great way to make some extra money. Stones that are found only in the area where you live are great to sell on eBay. You can polish them, carve them into shapes or, just sell them raw in bulk.

Some people pick berries, mushrooms and other wild growing natural foods for their own consumption or to sell to local restaurants. The list of things you can find in the wild to sell is staggering. If you have a large tree on your property you would like to have removed, before paying someone to cut it down see if anyone would pay you for it. Trees like cherry, oak and maple can fetch quite a bit of money if the tree is big and the wood is in good condition. You might sell some slab wood from old trees by the road side to campers.

Overall, if you see something in nature you think might have value, explore the possibilities of making some money or at least saving some money. Every little bit helps if you are trying to save a fortune.

Every time each person on earth goes to throw something out they should look at the item and ask the following two questions: "Is this item worth anything to myself or others?" and "What can I substitute this item to replace so I will save money?" If you ask these two questions every time you take something to the garbage pail you will, save a lot of money.

Entire books have been written and even careers made (Martha Stewart for example) on finding ways to reuse disposables from the house and garage. But, still many people miss a lot of savings by throwing away items that could be obviously reused.

Certainly, plastic microwave dishes can be reused to heat up items. Some people even make up their own microwave dinners, recover the plastic containers with plastic wrap and refreeze them. These plastic microwave dinner plates can also be used in place of expensive disposable plates at picnics. Plastic dinnerware dishes can be used for storage of things like loose change, buttons, screws or anything else saved in or on top of a desk. One artist I know uses a plastic microwave dish to mix and hold her oil paints whiles she is working. When she is done she puts plastic over the paints to keep them from drying out. Last summer, I made a fairly nice bird bath using a deep dish microwave casserole dish in the center. I used 4x4's from my scrap wood pile to brace the outside rim and put some stones underneath to hold the dish firmly in place. I then placed some flat stones at one end of the dish so that small birds could wade in the little pool. The bird bath cost nothing to build but, the birds and squirrels appreciated the drink.

Those little pie tins from pot pies, can be reused, you guessed it, to make little mini pies. If you've baked some large pies but, have some stuff left over, remember your mini-pie tins.

Plastic bread wrappers can be reused to store food, picking vegetables from the garden or for a lunch sack. Of course no one should ever have to buy wire ties since items like bread wrappers provide ample ties for most households. I often tie the ties together to make a long tie to attache my grapevines to a trellis. Scraps of cloth from old cloths or sheets can be cut into strips to tie up soft vines like tomatoes or to tie between a stake and a young tree that is growing up crooked. Old nylons work particularly well for trees.

Glass and plastic jars along with tin cans can be cleaned out and reused for storage and organizing. Even if you can't think of an immediate use for these items you should still clean them out and set them aside. It won't be too long before you will find you need to store some items or reorganize an area that has small items scattered all over. Remembering those cans and jars at such a time will help get a job done rather than just looking at the mess and wishing you could buy something to clean it up. By keeping things organized with all your extra free containers, you will be able to keep track of the items you have so you will know where they are when you need them so, you won't re-buy items you already have which, is the ultimate waste of money.

Using your plastic and paper sacks to line your indoor garbage cans will keep your cans clean while not having to purchase expensive small plastic garbage bags.

Keep a stack of old boards somewhere (preferably out of the elements) so you don't have to run to the nearest lumberyard to purchase a small board at very high prices when you need one for a project. At worst you might have some wood stakes to tie up you plants.

When possible, whenever you have a tear down project, save any screws, nails, fasteners, knobs or other hardware that are in good condition.

Just remember, the more times you reuse an item the more times you multiply your savings. The first reuse of an item instead of making a purchase, saves you 100% of the needed items purchase price. The second reuse saves up to 200% and so on...Pretty soon you are saving big money with a huge rate of return for just stopping and, thinking about the possible uses of the items you are taking to the trash.

Above are just a fraction of all the ways you can reuse stuff and save a fortune not only in buying items you don't need but, in gas to go to the store to buy that one item you need to complete a project. Hopefully, this article will get your thought juices going as to what you can do with various items you throw out all the time. This will help save you a fortune and, help save the environment for yourself and your kids.

BUYING AND SELLING ON EBAY: A COUPLE OF HINTS

EBay and other online Internet sites are a great place to go to save some money. I primarily have bought stuff for resale however, I have bought Cd's, Videos etc, for personal use for prices as low as 99 Cents plus another $1.00 for Postage and Handling. These were great bargains since I had already checked in the local retail stores for these same items and they went for between $14.99-$19.99.

I want to begin with a couple of cautions when buying and selling items on EBay. When buying items, make sure you are not getting a fake or counterfeit item. Rare coins, paintings, precious stones are all prone to counterfeiting along with other items. Be especially Leary of items from foreign lands. A couple of years ago there was a real problem with silver coins from China. There have also been problems with fossils and gem stones from overseas vendors. So be careful.

I also want you to be cautious not be pay too much for an item, particularly when you are buying it for resale. Be sure that the price you are paying for the item, including postage and handling (total cost) can be gotten out of the item at resale. Ask yourself: What would you do different than the vendor you are buying the item from? You need to add value through better marketing if you are going to get more out of the item than the person you bought it from. (Hint: I have found that buying items during the week and selling them on the weekends can minimize the price paid and maximize the sale price. There are just more bidders on the weekends after payday and, people are more relaxed on the weekends and might tend to pay more for the item.)

Sometimes buying in bulk(or lot) on EBay can make you money when you break down the items and sell them individually or in smaller lots. (Caution: Sometimes people will pay more for lots than you can buy individually because some people believe no matter what they pay for something in bulk, it is always cheaper than buying the items individually).

One very important item to consider is,how much of a discount will you get on combined postage and handling for different auctions from the same seller? Make sure to e-mail the seller ahead of making bids on his items to get him to commit to a specific discount for buying multiple items. If you are a seller, it is best to set the amount of the discount ahead of time so the bidders don't have to bother e-mailing you.

Overall, make sure you take care of your customer once the bids are over and it is time to ship the item. Get it out as soon as possible (after you have received payment of course).

SAVE MONEY ON INSURANCE

Insurance is one of the least fun things to talk about in any discussion about saving money. However, it should be viewed as no less a way to save money than buying needed items cheaply or purchasing a rare coin on EBay at 10% of the coins' real worth. In fact, I enjoy saving money by finding cheaper insurance policies or, changing my current policy to better reflect my risk tolerance.

Most people have insurance on their home, auto, life and, health. You might also have insurance on a boat, jewelry, collectibles or, some other item or items. Insurance can be any number of items but, in order to save on insurance you must first realize what insurance actually represents. Most people buy insurance but, don't really know what they are doing. Insurance is a specific financial tool that exists to keep an individual from having a catastrophic financial loss. A catastrophic loss is different for different people. Someone making $20,000 per year might find that $1,000 is a catastrophic loss whereas, someone making $2,000,000 might find they do not suffer a catastrophic loss until the amount of the loss is at least $100,000. In short, what you make depends on the amount of insurance you buy, in most cases.

Insurance codes and licencing are generally divided up into three major areas: health insurance,life insurance and property casualty insurance. Having run a general agency back in the 1980's (I had a company that hired and trained people to sell for various insurance companies), I have gleaned some ideas in how to purchase policies. I also have personal experience from purchasing most of my current insurances online.

First of all, your insurances can be easily compared and bought online, over the telephone or in person. No matter how you purchase your policy, you must make sure the company you are dealing with is legitimate. I like to search the web several times for a particular insurer. Make sure the same website comes up each time you do a search. Fraudsters on the web will often overlay their website over a legitimate site in order to get you to give out harmful personal information.

A second problem with buying insurance online is that you must make sure the carrier and the policy you are buying is o.k. for the state you reside in. Every state has it's own insurance laws and lists of carriers it approves to do business in the state.

Buying the cheapest insurance  does not mean you are getting the best policy for your money. The flip side is that paying the highest price for your insurance does not mean you are getting the best coverage for your price either. I like to select a company based upon recommendations from people who actually had a claim. I bought a low cost personal health insurance policy from a company that was highly recommended by a friend of mine that needed open heart surgery when she was in her mid 40's.

Purchasing insurance online can be great for comparing policies. Internet insurance brokers will often have several companies you can directly compare in terms of price and coverage. When dealing directly with an independent insurance agent you will find that they will often try to sell you the policy that pays them the highest commission. When dealing with salesmen for anything it is good to always play the game of being poor and cheap. The salesman will then finally get to better policies in terms of coverage and price in order to get a sale. Remember, no matter what type of insurance you buy,  many times 20-50% of the first years premium goes to pay for commissions.

Insurance companies offer a huge variety of policies that vary greatly in what they cover. However, the bottom line to saving on insurance is the deductible. Legitimate companies that have cut out some corporate costs and pay lower commissions might save you some dollars. But, the bottom line to saving money on your insurance is the amount you are ready to accept as a loss. The amount of your deductible is not just a function of pain but, a function of what you can afford. For example: if you have no health insurance but, have assets you could lose if you get sick then, a $2,000 deductible policy is better than no policy at all.

In summary, you need to decide your tolerance for loss before you start looking for an insurance policy. Most of your savings on a policy will be determined by the amount of commission paid to agents and more importantly, your deductible.