If you have an iPhone or iTouch chances are very good you are always looking for useful apps to help you along.  Over the past few weeks I have been reading Coupon Cravings’ quest to find and review money saving apps.  Her list is now complete and you really need to stop by and check it out.  Not only are all of them FREE but also USEFUL.  There is a little bit of everything for everyone that wants to save money: from helping you save money on your groceries, or your car, local coupons, financial advice and MORE.  Check the full list of apps here and get downloadin’!

Don’t have an iPhone or iTouch?  Don’t despair!  Coupon Cravings is giving away an iTouch!  Just hop on over here and enter.  This giveaway closes on 7/29 at 8PM EST.

It is HOT!! and I am melting! Seriously, the northeast is under a heatwave and I am not happy.  The house we are living in right now has no central AC and we are sweating.  Southerners, don’t roll your eyes!  I lived in Louisiana for years so I *know* HOT.  So I asked you on the CSWM Facebook page for ideas for staying cool without breaking the bank and here are some of the ones you shared:

• Cool ties will help to keep you cool on hot summer days. You soak them in water and then place them in a cooler or frig. They get cold and then you put them around your neck.

• Keep a spray bottle full of ice water and turn it to fine mist. Spray! Feels great! Also, freeze a block of ice (use an empty ice cream container) and then sit that in a casserole dish and put it in front of a fan right in front of you.

Google has made their web phone service Google Voice available to everyone in the United States.  This is great news for anyone that wants to save money on their phone bill and to those looking for some privacy as well.

What is Google Voice?

Google Voice is a web-based platform to help you manage your communications. It provides you one number to ring all your phones, voicemail that works like email, free calls and text messages to the U.S. and Canada, low-priced international calls and more.

What are some of its features?

• give out one number that will ring all your phones
• get transcribed voicemails sent to your inbox
• Voicemail transcription: Voicemail messages will be automatically transcribed to text and sent to you via email and/or SMS.
• Define which phones ring, based on who’s calling
• Works with mobile phones, desk phones, and work phones. There’s nothing to download, upload, or install, and you don’t have to make or take calls using a computer.
• If you have a smartphone you can download the mobile app to make calls directly from your smartphone.

How can it help you save money?

Google voice allows you to make free calls to the US and Canada as well as free text messages & make cheap international calls.  Here is how I intend to use Google voice to help me save money:  Since our move to another state my husband an I decided to get rid of our land line.  That posed a huge problem for me because international calls from my cell phone are very expensive.  Google Voice offers international rates at half the cost of what I would be paying if I had a landline, let alone what the mobile rates are.  Now I can call my family in other countries and bypass those ridiculous telephone fees and surcharges.

How can it help improve your privacy?

Google Voice assigns you a number that will ring to your home or mobile phone, so people can contact you if you want.  But that is not your real number.  You can use this number to provide on websites where they ask you for a phone number like survey sites or when you order online.  It also has some great blocking capabilities.

I just signed up for my Google Voice number, so I am sure the more I use it the more I will learn to maximize its use.  If you already use Google Voice, make sure to share your experience in the comments section.

Thanks Jackie for bringing this up to me.

Photo Credit

Summer is coming and looking at my warmer weather clothes makes me realize that I need some.  As a bargain hunter extraordinaire the first store I will hit will be my local thrift store.  I will hit garage sales as well, but since I need some clothes now I will be visiting Goodwill first.

Luckily I love shopping at thrift stores and I do not have any problems buying and wearing previously worn clothes.  I really don’t. I am very picky about the clothes I buy and the best part is that there are usually so many clothes at the thrift store that you CAN be picky.  Here are some of my tips for thrift store shopping success:

Shop with a plan. Thrift stores can be treasure troves of goodies. Unfortunately, I find that it can lead to overbuying.  I can’t tell you how many times I have been to the thrift store and left with something that was “so cheap” but ultimately ended collecting dust somewhere.  Therefore, I advice that you visit your thrift store only when you are looking for something in particular.  Maybe it is clothes for you, your children or your spouse, or maybe kitchen items.  Window shopping at thrift stores can be a lot of fun put make sure to ask yourself if you actually NEED something before buying it.

Take time and preferably go without kids.  Thrift store shopping takes a good deal of going through racks and racks of clothes or shelves full of items.  You need patience and you need time to be able to find the gold nuggets among the rubble.  If possible try to shop without your kids so you can devote your time and attention to what you are doing.  In the end it will result in less time spent at the store and also better finds.

Look for quality items.  I have been able to get some really great finds at thrift stores on really expensive clothes.  My latest awesome find was a pair of 7 for all Mankind jeans for only 4 bucks!  these usually sell for $150+.  Plus they were in incredible shape!  These finds are a matter of luck but also of digging and most importantly it takes knowing which ones are quality brands.  So make sure to be cognizant of quality brands that fir YOU well and look for those.

You MUST try on the clothes that you are hoping to buy.  This is key.  If what you are buying doesn’t fit you right then even if it is cheap you are just wasting your money.  This is another reason why it’s a good idea to shop with time on your side so you can invest time in making sure you buy quality that will serve you well.

Be persistent.  If you maintain an ongoing list of needs for your family or household chances are you won’t find it all in one trip.  Make sure to visit your thrift store often and browse for the items you have not been able to find yet.  The best strategy for scoring great finds at thrift stores is persistence.

Having shared these tips, I intend to take a trip to my “new Goodwill”  this weekend.  I have never been to it but like I said, I need clothes so I need to pay a visit.  I will make sure to share my finds with you.

What are some of the tips you use to score great finds when you go thrift store shopping?  What are some of your best finds to date?  Make sure to share in the comments.

Reader Jaime left me the following question in the comments section of a post:

Mercedes, since you have a growing family (and new baby), what do you consider “buy it” prices for diapers?

Jaime I believe that there are a couple of scenarios to consider before establishing your own buy it price for diapers:

1) You do not have a stockpile of diapers and need the diapers ASAP.  When you have not built up a stockpile of diapers and are in need of diapers right now, your price to pay for diapers is a bit higher.  Angie at Baby Cheapskate who has been tracking diaper prices for a few years has determined her price to buy for diapers size 3 at $0.22 per diaper.  This is just a standard pricing she has established to be able to make comparisons among pack sizes.  This price roughly translate into paying a bit over $7 per pack.  I believe that’s a fair price to pay IF you do not have a diaper stockpile and need diapers ASAP.

2)  You would like to start building a stockpile and have time to build one, as in you are currently pregnant and have months until you need the diapers.  In this case you have the time to build up your stockpile and can work the diaper sales to your advantage.  In this case I think that paying a price of between $4-$5 per jumbo pack of diaper to build your stockpile is a pretty good deal.  Do these sales come around often?  yes, they do.  For example, right now you can get Pampers diapers for around this price at Rite Aid.  Next week you will be able to get Huggies at this price at Walgreens and some grocery stores have been running catalina promotions on Pampers products as well (Spend $20 get a $5 catalina back).  You just need to keep an eye for these sales and that’s why I am here for you.

A couple of things to remember about getting a good diaper bargain:

1)  The first thing to know is that brand loyalty goes out the window.  You buy the best deal available at the moment.  If you must remain brand loyal then also be willing to pay a bit more sometimes or rock every diaper deal for the brand of your preference.  This brings me to the next point.

2)  When the bargain deal is available you need to take advantage of it.  That means that you will probably have to have the resources to buy more than a couple of packs.  But at a bargain price you may spend on two packs what you would normally spend on one.  You need to have on hand more than one like manufacturer diaper coupon.  In this case turn to Coupon Clipping services to get multiples of the coupons you need.

I have been buying diapers at rock bottom prices for three years now.  What I am sharing is what I have experienced in that time period.  I am also sharing my experience in tracking the sales and sharing them on this blog.  But ultimately you need to determine what your rock bottom price is with the variables that apply to your  particular case.

So, those are my thoughts on buy it diaper prices.  How and where have you found you get the best diaper deals?