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Archives for 2011

Credit Score: Free TransUnion

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Photograph Credit: Microsoft Images

Did you survive my lengthy explanation of credit scores? I could spend a couple of weeks explaining the system, but I opted for one lengthy overview.  My goal is to get our documents organized. In organizing, I like to know why these documents are deemed important.

To review, I have shared HOW I get our credit reports and WHERE I can get our Experian credit score for free. Today, I will share how I get our TransUnion credit scores for free.

Once I receive the TransUnion credit report, I review it for errors. Then I visit www.creditkarma.com. Credit Karma is another free service that generates our TransUnion credit score for free. I have registered, and I get periodic notices to remind me to keep checking my credit score.

After logging into my Credit Karma account, I generate my credit score. I also review the comparison graphs which help me evaluate my financial situation. I print out my score and the comparison charts and place them with my credit report. Then these documents are added to my file box #1 in the front file labeled Credit Reports/Card documents. I then put the file away until the next credit report arrives.

Unfortunately, I don’t know of any service that generates your Equifax credit score for free. There are credit monitoring trials for which you could signup, but then you would need to cancel. If you want more information on this topic, I would read the information provided by Moolanomy. I really enjoy reading the financial tips and tricks presented on his website.

You now have some resources to get your credit reports and two of your credit scores for free. Next week, I will cover how I review my credit report searching for errors.

Using BOGOF Coupons Wisely

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Question: If a $4 item is buy one get one free (BOGOF) at both a drugstore (i.e. CVS) and a grocery store (i.e. Publix) and you have a BOGOF coupon and a $1 off coupon, then where do you use the coupons to get the best deal?

A.      The drugstore

B.      The grocery store

C.      Same deal at both the drugstore and the grocery store

What do you think? Are the deals the same? Because both stores have the same product on sale, does that mean that both deals are equal?

If you went to the drugstore and purchased 2 BOGOF items, the cashier scans both items. The first item rings up at $4, and the second rings up $0 (free). You could then use your BOGOF coupon on the $4 item and the $1 off coupon on the free item. You can use the second coupon because you purchased two items. Since you can use a manufacturer coupon on each item purchased, you can use both coupons for this transaction. You would need an additional item in this transaction to absorb the $1 overage since stores will not give you money back. The result of shopping at the drugstore would be gaining $1 in overage: $4 item – $4 BOGOF coupon + $0 item – $1 coupon.

If you went to the grocery store and purchased 2 BOGOF items, the cashier scans both items. The first item rings up at $2, and the second rings up $2. You could then use your BOGOF coupon on the $2 item and the $1 off coupon on the other $2 item. Since most grocery stores’ BOGOF deals do not require you to purchase both items, the stores charge half of the price for the first item and half of the price for the second item. The $4 items that are BOGOF rings up $2 for the first item and $2 for the second item. You can then use a manufacturer coupon for each item purchased. The result of shopping at the grocery store would be spending $1: $2 item -$2 BOGOF coupon + $2 item – $1 coupon.

As you can see from this sample scenario, the answer to the question is definitely A. The drugstore since the result is gaining $1 in overage. Though the deals look the same, the answer lies in how the store handles the sales. Knowing the stores’ coupon and sales policies will help you use your coupons wisely, maximize your savings, and stretch your dollars.

Doughnuts for Good Grades

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As the third quarter of the school year draws to a close, our family will be making a stop at Krispy Kreme Doughnuts. At our Krispy Kreme store, each student (K-6th grade) gets to choose a doughnut for each “A” or Satisfactory earned, up to 6 doughnuts.

I first heard about this program from a friend. She mentioned taking her kids to get doughnuts on the day they received their report card. Since our schedule did not permit me to take our son, my husband took our son that weekend.

At the store, my son presented his report card with the first quarter marks. The cashier took the time to acknowledge his hard work and have him choose 6 doughnuts. The kind-hearted child that he is, my son chose doughnuts to share with the family, like the one with sprinkles for his sister and the chocolate cake one for mom. Yum!

If you are preparing for a report card soon and you live near a Krispy Kreme Doughnut store, I hope your store participates as this program has been encouraging and delicious for our family.

Bone-in Split Chicken Breasts

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Bone-in Split Chicken BreastsA little over two years ago I learned about bone-in split chicken breasts from reading a blog post by Erin Chase.

Before reading her explanation I had seen this cut of chicken on sale, but I really did not have any recipes or ideas of how to use it. Since I had no clue, I bypassed the great sale.

Today I hope to let you in on a secret that saves our family lots of money on chicken.

For the most part, I cook and bake only boneless chicken breasts and tenderloins. But on sale chicken breasts can still be over $2.00 per pound – OUCH!

Chicken Sale Price

Without a sale, bone-in split chicken breasts run about $2.50 per pound, but you are still paying for the bone. But with a sale – a great sale, I find bone-in split chicken breast (or split chicken breast with ribs) on sale for $.99 per pound. At this great price, I stock up!

In fact, three weeks ago I purchased 7 lbs. of split chicken breast with ribs, which was two packages, at Bi-Lo at $.99 per pound for a total of $6.95. I then brought the chicken home and cut it. The result was 6 boneless chicken breasts, 6 tenderloins, and 8 cups of chicken broth!

Chicken Purchase and Preparation

Do you want to know how you can snag this deal as well? Let me share how you can do the same:

1. Look in your grocery store sales ad and wait for split chicken breast to go on sale for $.99 per pound. If you live near a Bi-Lo, you can snag this sale Friday – Sunday, March 18-20, per the weekly advertisement.

2. Purchase what you need to last you about 6 weeks. Since sales usually run in cycles about every 6 weeks, I stock up on items when they are at their rock bottom price to last me until the next sale. In this case, the chicken sale repeated in 3 weeks. I will still be going to Bi-Lo this weekend to stock up!

3. Read this post by Erin Chase at the $5 Dinner Mom. Erin walks you through skinning and cutting the chicken. I love the picture explanations!

4. After watching Erin take the chicken and remove the breast and tenderloin from the bone, go try it! Erin does a great job in her post, but she is a pro at cutting the chicken. I am not! I have learned along the way, so I will include what has worked for me.

Tracy’s Tips from Erin’s instructions:

    • The first few times I tried to cut the chicken, I tore up the tenderloin. I could not find it because I did not cut the breast all the way to the bone. After the third or fourth try, the chicken was cut differently in the package. The butcher was really kind, and I found the tenderloin very easily in that batch of chicken. I have not had any more problems finding the tenderloin since that batch.
    • If you only get the chicken breasts, then you still got a great deal! I just chalked up my mistakes to needing some more practice. My practice has paid off! But I did not start out well. I tell you this to encourage you if the tenderloin does not surface.
    • I have found it easier to use a knife to start getting the chicken away from the bone. Then I use my hands to pry the chicken away. This system has worked for me since I do not end up cutting the tenderloin which is tucked up under the breast against the bone. If you are squeamish about handling raw chicken, then this tip might not work for you.
    • When I make my chicken broth in the crock pot, I cook it all night, and then let it cool during the day. I then measure out 2 cups at a time, and freeze it in GLAD containers.

How about you? Are you ready to save some money? This process used to take me quite some time – about an hour from start to finish.

Having perfected my system, I can accomplish cutting and freezing the cuts in about 30 minutes. Is this time well spent? It is for me. I try to work on the chicken after dinner or while dinner is cooking.

This little bit of time saves me so much money. I hope you find the savings worth your effort as well!

Question: What is your favorite chicken breast or tenderloin recipe?

A Clutter-Free Inbox – Step 2 of 4

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Is your unread inbox count shrinking, yet? You can click on STEP ONE if need to review or if you missed last week’s tip. Sorting through will take time. Just keep working through those e-mails to delete unwanted items. As you scan through those e-mails, are you finding any companies or individuals that keep repeating? If so, your e-mail address may be on a mailing list. If so, here is what you can do:

STEP TWO:

Unsubscribe to mailing lists.

I have found that after placing an on-line order with a company, I may be added to their monthly, or sometimes weekly, newsletter and sales. When I find that I am getting e-mails from the same company repeatedly, i.e. Toys R Us, Amazon, etc., I open up one of the messages and scroll to the bottom. Somewhere in the last few paragraphs should be a link to “unsubscribe.” I click on the link, verify my e-mail address to be removed, and send the message. Depending on the site, I may get messages up to a week later. But once my e-mail address has been removed, those e-mails are no longer cluttering my inbox.

Managing your inbox may take some time. As you work to unsubscribe, you may find the clutter disappearing. Next week, I will try to help you manage SPAM in your inbox. What about you, do you have any tips for ridding our inboxes of unwanted items?