Jill Russo Foster

Tips for Successful Personal Finances

You are here: Home / Archives for Discounts

111 Ways To Save

Have your been laid off or furloughed?  I am sure that you can see that value of having an emergency fund.  While you are home more, now is a good time to start to get your finances in order and start to save or save more.

111 Ways To Save is meant to help people with their personal finances think outside the box to reduce their expenses, and getting them started on the path to financial independence.

111 Ways To Save is 10% off in April’s Financial Literacy Month when purchased at JillRussoFoster.com.  Select the book and make the purchase through my website / BookLocker and use code 10FinancialMonth to receive the discount.

Teach Your Children About Money and Finances

Do you want to teach your children about good financial habits?

Cash, Credit and Your Finances

My book Cash Credit and Your Finances: The Teen Years was voted “Best Teen Book” by the Teen Team at Radical Parenting.

Cash Credit and Your Finances: The Teen Years shares basic concepts of managing money including setting and living within a budget, working with a bank, opening accounts, managing credit and debt, paying for a college education, and making major purchases, such as a computer or car. Get your copy today.

Cash Credit and Your Finances: The Teen Years is 10% off in April’s Financial Literacy Month when purchased at JillRussoFoster.com.  Select the book and make the purchase through my website / BookLocker and use code 10FinancialMonth to receive the discount.

My Books On Sale

Looking for something to read? My books are 10% off in April when purchased at JillRussoFoster.com.  Select the book(s) and make the purchase through BookLocker (click the book picture) and use code 10FinancialMonth to receive the discount.

Mark Your Calendar

Have you wanted to visit a National Park?

We have been to a few and have so many more on our bucket list.  Many are free but some of the big ones charge an entrance fee.  Every year the National Parks Service offers free days and they are wonderful way to take advantage and see a park on your bucket list and save money.

So mark your calendar, here are the 2020 dates:

Monday, Jan. 20 — Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Saturday, April 18 — First Day of National Park Week/National Junior Ranger Day

Tuesday, Aug. 25 — National Park Service Birthday

Saturday, Sept. 26 — National Public Lands Day

Wednesday, Nov. 11 — Veterans Day

Enjoy

I Love Free Things – How About You?

I really love finding a bargain and saving money.

Here are some of the things that we personally do:

  • Use the local and digit library.  We not only read books, we use it for so much more – magazines (no more subscriptions), audio books, downloading movies (save that fee too) and local passes for attractions in our area (saves or reduces that admission fees).
  • Exercising – we have outdoor free classes in the summer months – like yoga, zumba and more.
  • Making a picnic dinner for the beach or park before a movie.
  • Taking advantage of free days at museums and parks.

For more tips, read my book – 111 Ways To Save

Let me know what you do that save you money.

Off Season Shopping

Now is the time to shop for your winter items – no, it’s not a typo.

You can get great deals on off season items now.  Think snowblowers, coats, heavy clothing, and so much more.

I saw a ski jacket I liked this winter. It was $200 – more than I wanted to spend.  I kept an eye on it.  In March it was reduced to $80 – not bad but I was hoping for more of a discount.  Well in May it was down to $60.  I was able to save $140 and get the coat I wanted for next season.  It pays to shop off season.  In addition, I will watch the price.  If it goes down more in the next 30 days, I will bring it back for a price adjustment for the difference.

This is just one example of shopping off season.  What are you thinking of buying?

Let Tax Season Begin!

Yes, it’s that time of year again – tax time! YOu can begin filing your tax returns today.  If money is tight, you may be hoping for a refund. But, like many people, you probably have to use part of your refund to pay for having your taxes done.

But, what if you didn’t have to pay a tax preparer? If you have a simple tax return, and you earned less than there limits, you can qualify for FREE tax preparation.  The IRS has free filings for income under $66,000, while VITA (more on VITA below) limit is $54,000. Or, check out AARP Foundation Tax-Aide, which has different guidelines by state.

These are the three safest and most reliable options for no-cost income tax preparation (that I know of.)

I know there are some other companies that promise free preparation, but watch for these restrictions:

  • Do they offer to do your federal return for free, but charge you for the state return?
  • Do they restrict your appointment to the first two weeks of February? (I’m really organized, but even I have to wait for W-2’s and 1099’s, etc.)

With the IRS, VITA and AARP, you don’t have to rush and they do both Federal and State (if local rules allow).

Find out if you qualify for VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance)

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) has volunteers trained by the IRS to do tax preparation for people who are low to moderate income (families earning less than $50,000.) There are locations in every state, typically at public buildings (like libraries, schools, or town government offices). All have different days and hours.  Find the location that meets your schedule by visiting the IRS website.

Find out if you qualify for AARP Foundation Tax-Aide

AARP also offers tax preparation services under their program AARP Foundation Tax-Aide. The program gives special attention to those over 60 years of age. There are eligibility requirements that must be met to take advantage of this service. For more information go to AARP.org

These programs are both designed for those with relatively simple tax returns. People who have more complicated returns that include rental property, buying and selling of investments, or businesses are usually not eligible. Check with each organization for locations and eligibility requirements.

Remember: this year April 15 falls on a Monday and that may be a Federal holiday depending on where you live, so you may have an extra days to file your taxes!

Double (Sometimes Triple) Savings

If you are like me you love to save.  Getting something for less makes my day.  So imagine if you could save even more.  Well I have done great this holiday time.

I have shopped online and in person and saved both ways.  Just yesterday, I found the item I have been looking for with double the savings.  I have been looking for a great multi purpose day tote / carry on.  It has to do double duty to carry all my items as a carry on (needs to be sturdy and have pockets) and it has to double as a day tote for shore excursions (to handle all that’s needed on shore) and zip closed.  I have been searching and looking for months – at the outlets, at the famous tent sale last week and found it online this weekend.

I tell you this because I wanted this and I wanted it at a bargain.  First, it was on sale for 40% off, then the site offered free shipping and easy returns – a must.  Then I found an additional discount with Honey to make the saving even greater.

Another example, I purchased windshield wiper blades with a discount coupon at the auto parts store.  They installed them for free which is also great.  I came home a found a rebate offer on the purchase of two blades and immediately completed the online rebate. I do this online so that I can keep track of the rebate status.

Yes, I do this with most of my shopping year round.  Double and sometimes triple savings with coupons, cash back /rebate offers and credit card rewards all add up to savings.  How are you saving with your shopping this holiday season?

We’re Back From Our Anniversary Trip

This year we celebrated our anniversary with a Pacific Northwest cruise.

Back in the early summer, I wrote two newsletters about planning our fall vacation.  We are back and wanted to share the trip with you.  Here’s the link to the two earlier newsletters – first and second issues to remind you of the details.

We took a Pacific Northwest cruise out of Seattle with stops at Astoria, Oregon, San Francisco, California and Victoria, BC and few days in Seattle too.

With all this planning and paying ahead, we spent very little on the actual vacation.  Mostly everything was paid (or paid with points / miles) in the months before as our budget permitted – hotel, cruise, airfare, attractions and some meals were included.  We selected hotels with breakfast included, bought City Pass’ (discount admission to attractions) and walked and/or public transportation.  Lots of steps – over 21,000 in San Francisco in one day!

Yes, there was a lot of research and planning, but this step saved us money and we have fun – lots of money!

Here we are at the Space Needle.  To view more photos, visit our Pinterest page.