CreditKarma.com is now offering free credit monitoring

We have used creditkarma.com for years. There are a lot of advertisements(hence why it is free for us) on the page but sift through those and get to the meat of the website. Check your credit score and your credit score report card, that is VERY helpful. I love the tools on this website and it is all FREE. It usually sends me a monthly reminder that I haven’t checked my credit score, I can pop on and update the score or just delete the email. I got an email the other day about a new program they are offering, below is an excerpt:

Using Credit Karma to manage your credit health just got easier. In addition to offering free credit scores and credit report cards, Credit Karma now keeps tabs on your credit report with truly free credit monitoring.

• Sends Proactive Email Alerts.

• Protects Your Identity and Credit.

• Always Free: No Hidden Charges or Monthly Fees.

Credit Karma will email you when a significant change has been identified in your credit report, such as new credit inquiries, new credit accounts, delinquent payments, improved payment history, new public records or updates to personal information. Proactive email alerts will help protect you from fraudulent use of your identity to open new credit accounts and costly credit reporting errors.

Monitoring your credit with Credit Karma is completely free. There are no trial subscriptions or monthly fees. Sign up for truly free credit monitoring, and you’ll be on your way to better credit health!

End

So forget all those fear tactics these companies like to use about fraud detection and how awesome their service is for a fee. You can get it all for free so use it, feel secure and save a few bucks.

 

 

Stop Worrying about Money Series–Credit Score

Reading a Suze Orman article, see link to full article below, I totally agree with her and figured I would pass along the short list and the link if you want to read more about them.  Well it ended up I had my 2 cents to add so I decided to turn it into a series of posts so that you could digest each piece and not get overwhelmed with info.  So I will start with an easy one.

Your Credit Score–Totally agree with her, everyone wants to scare you to death about identity theft but if you check your statements and monitor your score there is no need to pay for extra services.  Also I don’t know about you but I have had my fair share of calls from my CC’s fraud department checking on expenditures.   Everything has always been legit and okay but sometimes I think….holy cow how do they monitor all this.  Well in the article she suggests using a service for 15.95.  I use creditkarma.com, have at least a couple of years and it is free.  If you want to learn more about it, I have a post under Good Resources for you to check it out.

(thought I did, tomorrow’s post will be on creditkarma.com)

 

http://www.oprah.com/money/Suze-Orman-on-the-Value-of-Your-Home-and-Stock-Portfolio/1

Sears Outlet for Appliances

This is a website my friend told me about when we were shopping for a dryer, she had used it, picked her appliance up in Tampa and she was very pleased with the whole experience.  We did look, but the closest outlet that had what we needed,(due to our pedestal issue, you can read about that in my other post) was in Jacksonville, then North Carolina, the shipping made it more than the one we were looking at locally so it didn’t make sense for us but if you are open to models, this may be just the thing to do.  I believe they are floor models, scratch & dent and outdated models.  So if you are shopping checkout the website www.searsoutlet.com.

Hot and Quick Breakfast, go figure, tried and true

Drum roll please…..hot oatmeal, before you groan….I would be doing the same thing. Judd got a craving and bought a box at the store. WOW, even I thought it was yummy, but of course, I melt better on top and sprinkle about a teaspoon of sugar over the top of the butter. Served with a big glass of milk. The GV brand, Morning Trio, Maple & Brown Sugar, Baked Apple and Cinnamon Roll(my favorite). It runs about 17 cents a bowl. Which I am sure I can get a canister of quick oats, add Cinnamon & Sugar sprinkle, butter and brown sugar and get the same result at a cheaper price. So now I am adding that to our rotation with cold cereal when I get a BOGO, but cereal goes quick in our house and it isn’t cheap. I make 2 egg omelets pretty quick, bagels when on sale but again, go through a bag for one breakfast. I have found cinnamon and sugar toast as a cheaper substitute, but with the oatmeal it just gives us another option. Oh and pancakes, I cook a huge batch on the weekend and then we can heat and eat during the week. I have done this with sausage and bacon when we feel the craving for it, cook a whole bunch up and stick it in the freezer, defrost in the AM if someone wants some. French toast is another crowd pleaser.

Please add any of your breakfast options in the comments section to keep our rotations from getting stale with the family.

 

 

Need to replace pool pump? IntelliFlo–Variable Speed Pool Pump-Pentair–It makes Financial Sense

If you have a pool and need to replace your pool pump or if you are considering putting a pool in, you need to look at a variable speed pool pump.  The pool pump is more pricey than the run of the mill pool pump BUT the amount of money you will save running your pool will well be worth the cost up front.  According to my calculations it was costing over $2 per day to run the pool pump, that doesn’t sound like that big a deal but $60 of my electric bill was due to my pool?  That stinks.  With the variable speed pump we were able to set it at speed 2 (273w)because we have 2 waterfalls we needed it a bit higher, we also found our waterfall output dial and turned it up so we didn’t need to go to speed 3(902w).  For our pool we need the variable speed because we have a hot tub, so when we go in it and need the pump for the stronger flow/bubbles we can turn it up to speed 3 or 4(1975w).  Prior to the variable speed pump, our pump was I believe 4 horse to handle the hot tub needs, but ran that high for every day use.  WOW, that money adds up.  According to the calulations, we went from over $2 ave. per day to 29 cents per day, which is $9 per month, I will sign up for that program, so we save over $51 per month.  Of course it is lower for the winter months and higher during the summer months when we have to run the pump more but on average those are great numbers.  The break-even analysis for this would be just under 2 years.  Definitely worth it, especially if you are in need of replacing the pump anyway.  Please note I believe there are different brands out there for Variable speed pumps, I am not particularily attached to this brand, it just happens our Solar Installer gave us a GREAT deal and the rest of our equipment was Pentair as well so it was fine with us.

Quick Fresh–Steam Cycle–This feature is extremely valuable

I was a bit skeptical regarding all the new fandangle features that are coming with the dryers today. I didn’t think I would use them but the model I wanted came with all the bells and whistles. Well one pleasant surprise that we have come across is the Quick Fresh–Steam Cycle. I really wasn’t sure but the salesman was trying to sell this feature so we figured we would try it. OMG, we put in Judd’s work clothes, he works in an office so it is dress casual. This feature is AMAZING. It totally worked, all the clothes came out smelling clean. So unless something is spilled on them, there is no need to have to wash everything every week. I am really excited in trying this with other clothes, it will probably not work with the kids because they get everything dirty but definitely for those clothes that aren’t exactly dirty but don’t smell wash fresh either, it may be just the thing. On second thought, our daughter who changes clothes 3 times per day, we may be able to use it with her. Imagine the wear-and-tear on the clothes that won’t happen through washing. As well as the time doing laundry and resources using the washer and dryer cycles.

So this skeptic is sold and now a believer in this particular bell & whistle.

Solar–TECO–the hoops are big but well worth it

We have gone Solar in a big way.  It was finally making financial sense.  We are going to receive the 30% tax credits, no limit per year as it had once been.  As well as a $2 per watt from TECO who is our local electric company.  This was the missing linking that tipped the scales into being financially viable.  The program from TECO is duplicating programs from other utilities all over the country.  The process was a bit tedious but with a good solar installer company, which we had, they were a huge help in jumping through the hoops, that is important.  Without a good, timely installer you could fail to comply with the electric companies 90 day policy and lose out on the rebate.  And from what we are understanding that has happened quite a bit.  It also helps that I was in constant communication with TECO rep as well as our installer to make sure things were covered.  We put in a 7.59KWH system(33 panels).  Our first full month was Dec, which is the lowest producing solar month in our region, we produced 954KWH, which is well above expectations for our system.  We couldn’t be happier.  Our bill will be $10.50 with credits for future months for appr. 8 months, but with the credits we are building now we may only have to pay out for electric two months per year.  Woohoo, that is what is so exciting.

If you want to see the system production in real time, we have a website we can look at any time to see what production is for any given panel or timeframe.   Me being a numbers person, this aspect of our system is exciting.  Our numbers for January are already running a projected over 1000KWH for the month, which is the second lowest solar producing month of the year.

Our break-even analysis was with the published numbers, and it was just over 6 years.  We are sitting probably just over 5 now, with the numbers that are coming in real time.  We keep our cars longer than that, We are going to blink and those years are going to sneak by and the system will continue for years and years with free electricity, this makes me a happy camper.

Using Sam’s Click-n-Pull to check out prices

Learned something new and have loved using this feature to check on prices.  We are actually going to check out the service as well since my husband works near one in the next town over.  That way he can swing by after work and pick up the order I placed, hence not tempted to over-spend and it is quick business of getting what is needed.

Onto what I have learned.  The click-n-pull link has just about every item at Sam’s.  Have you ever been in Sam’s and wondered if it is a better deal to buy in bulk?  Don’t assume it is, I have found it is hit or miss, sometimes it is the same price or even more than you can get at Walmart or Publix.   Or maybe thinking if the Publix BOGO(Buy One, Get One) would be a better deal?  Now there is no guess work.  It is Friday morning, the new Publix ad is posted on the internet on Thursday.  So I just went through the ad, made my shopping list, put question marks by the items that I need to price at Walmart/Sam’s to see if it makes sense.  Then I just looked up the item on click-n-pull(if it is a specific brand I do a search on it), it is really nice it has pictures of the items so you can confirm that is what you would buy.  Then I determine the price it should be to be a deal from the publix ad.  By doing this I know I am getting the best possible price on an item taking into consideration BOGO’s and Sam’s.  Please note this doesn’t take into consideration coupons, that is something else that would need to be checked out.

Go Figure–Cheap and Easy Pasta is the crowd pleaser

I was shopping last weekend and was going to pick up some Lipton Pasta Side Dish packets. The selection was slim and the choice was angel hair, olive oil and parmesan or chicken pasta. Well I was going to pair it with Keabosa and Buttered Carrots so I wasn’t into the chicken flavor, and I thought to myself, olive oil and parmesan? I can make that myself…plus I had left over linguine from a meal in the frig. So I said, why not? Let’s try it. Grilled the Keabosa on the grill, tossed the pasta, olive oil, parmesan, Lawry’s garlic salt and Lawry’s seasoning salt. WOW, I am good, it was so tasty, kids liked more parmesan sprinkled on top of pasta at the table, I didn’t need more parm at the table. BIG HIT plus it used up my leftover pasta, and I didn’t have to spend the money at the grocery store for the side dish. Hubby and kids both gave a thumbs up.

Know of any quick side dishes you make with leftovers?

Easy Way to Cook Frozen Vegetables

My Mom had gotten me a pack of those steamer bags, I got spoiled with them but was too cheap to buy more when I ran out.  But I loved how fresh the vegs tasted when they were steamed.   Somehow I have gotten into the habit of getting the 16oz package of frozen vegs.  By the way, Walmart brand frozen vegs are 98 cents, which is cheaper than buying bulk either by the 2lb or even the 5lb, go figure.  I keep all varieties in the freezer so we can pull what we need with what meal.  I now have it down to a science.  I use a glass loaf pan, put a package of the frozen vegs in, put a splash of water in, 2 tablespoons, if you are a measurer.  I cover with plastic wrap, put on for 6 minutes, let sit in the microwave for a little while, when I am getting everything else for the meal ready.  Get it out of micro, careful it will be hot, I use hot pads, drain put back in glass pan(it is a nice serving dish and I don’t dirty another dish), then add butter and Lawry’s seasoning salt.  My kids LOVE corn, carrots, peas, whatever I cook using this method, the vegs always turn out great, they taste as good as fresh, well maybe not but great for frozen

Did you know there are Gas appliance rebates out there when you upgrade?

If you have been reading the blog, you probably have figured out they have all been related to my latest expenditure, a dryer. We have lived in our house that is piped with natural gas for almost 9 years and we have been patiently waiting for our electric dryer to die, so we could go gas. Check out the blog entry about the cost usage between gas vs. electric.  Anyway, we are winding down our process of the dryer, it was delivered and piped for gas yesterday. I went to our local gas company website, found the form needed, and filled out, waited for the delivery guys and gas guy. Put the paperwork together and faxed off to get my $150.  Not bad, the gas guy cost $105,(that included the “gas kit” since we had electric until this point, he also fixed our gas heater for our pool/hot tub that had a loose wire(thank goodness). For the actual dryer itself, we got a competitor’s price match which was only $30 higher than the electric version of the dryer. So upgrading to gas netted us about $15 AND it will save us about 1/2 the energy cost every time we run a load through the dryer. Not bad.

Please note, even if you have gas appliances now, if you upgrade, there is still money to grab so make sure you check into it locally. We will probably go tank less water heater when our current gas heater dies, I assume it is quite pricey since the rebate is pretty big as well. I am sure that will be a future blog

Does the old Whirlpool Duet Pedestals fit the new Duet’s? YES they do, no matter what anyone says.

This is the question I had.  We asked 3 different stores, 2 saying yes they would fit, 1 saying no.  AND Whirlpool themselves said a resounding NO the old pedestals don’t fit the new machines.   Of course they said this, they want to sell you new ones.   To back up a bit, our 12 year old Duet dryer died.  We wanted to replace the dryer, not the washer and use the pedestal.  Logical right?  Wrong, huge run around, second guessing ourselves, researching the silly owner manuals, trying to link diagrams from the old pedestals to the new ones. Well taking a tape measure to the store to see what the difference was, the best plan, we found out some intersting things.  The top of the new dryer over-hangs the back of the new machine by about 2 inches but fits the old pedestal to a T.  The new washers over-hang the new pedestals, hence the old pedestals, by 2 inches.  It is the EXACT same frame for the pedestal, 24X27, the difference was the height.  Ours are 13, the new being 10 or 15.5 high.

So lessons learned, as my dad always says, measure twice, cut once.  Saved ourselves $249 on the dryer pedestal and will eventually do the same when the washer dies.

 

Gas Dryer Vs. Electric Dryer usage cost

So our dryer has finally died. We have lived in a house that has natural gas piped into the house for over 8 years. The catch was that we had bought a new Electric dryer before we moved into the house. So we now have the option of going gas or electric for the dryer. Everyone always says, it is a no brainer, go Gas over electric but I am a numbers person and always have to make sure I am making the right decision money wise. The other factor is, we now have a solar array on the roof that contributes to the electric bill.

In looking at several different sites and references on the web to this subject. I have seen many varying calculations, of course this would be the case since fuel rates and machines used will always differ from one household to another. But in looking at 3 different references, it is roughly .50 per load electric and .28 for gas, I used the cost of fuel in my area and general terms of machine usage. Almost half the cost for gas vs. electric. Again this is a rough estimate. Now that I know that, I will be able to go look at the gas user guides on the models I am interested in and hopefully they will fill in the missing portion for me but being that it is just over 1/2 the cost, I believe gas is the smarter way to go if it is available to you.

If anyone has gas over electric would love your feedback and any suggestions on models/brands would help as well

 

New Way to get kids to do Homework/Chores

Not exactly a Money thing, but we all have our challenges.  Hey, I am a Mom and getting the kids to pitch in and do their fair share has been a challenge lately.  Trying to be fun and functioning I am trying a new “trick” to get the kids to help out.  They are into “centers” or “stations” so I have come up with a Clean Sweep Check-In point for when they come in the door off the bus.  They need to run around the house and find the table tents with different categories and complete the task and after they are both complete with the tasks, they get to open the secret envelope, which is a “Victory Lap” around the neighborhood, ie, play outside.  Here were my table tents that I scattered.

Snuggly Reading Couch–Formal Living Room Couch–for reading homework

Laundry Dash–Formal Living Room Table–that is where all the laundry is to be put away.

Mathmatics “Countdown”–Kitchen Nook Table–for math homework

Spelling Bee Stand-Off–Living Room Table–complete with their own tablets and pencils, for practice spelling tests

Clean Room Showdown–in hallway leading to their rooms

Dastardly Dishes “Dunk”–Kitchen, dishes–I figured I would give them some vocab along the way

Menu from the Martin Cafe–We are having a “Must Go” supper, everything in the frig….must go!!  So I put together a “Menu” they can choose from.

Morning Workout–station to confirm, bookbags, lunches, clothes are ready for morning routine.

Playroom Bonanza–Counter and Floor cleared out in playroom

I think this will be a hit in our house because Tyler is all about fun, games and competition.  Get creative, use silly names, whatever is going to help get the kids involved and get things done.

Please feel free to share your ideas in the comments section, to get the kids to help out with the house.

“It is Love and not Money that makes the world go around”–Mark, RA, UW-Stout

 

 

Back in the day, in college, me and another RA friend always talked/joked around how we were both going to be millionaires and live the high life.  Well needless to say I was driven by pretty much everything revolving money and everything else went to the wayside.  He wrote to me before graduation the above quote, I chuckled and said, this coming from Mark, yeah right.  But until I went on to Grad school, got my MBA, went on to work, got married, things began to shift for me.  For things did change and a family became more important than the next promotion, raise, stepping stone.  I walked away from Corporate America, and have never looked back.  Granted, obviously from this blog, I love to talk money and all things around it, but somewhere along the line I found out that things do have a balance.  Here is a story I recently was emailed, thought I would share….there is always a lesson in college that we learn that couldn’t be found in one of those very thick, mostly unused text books.  Enjoy, I did.

Breakfast at McDonald’s

This is a good story and is true, please read it all the way through until the end!

I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12, 3) and have recently completed my college degree. The last class I had to take was Sociology.   The teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I wish every human being had been graced with.  Her last project of the term was called, ‘Smile.’   The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and document their reactions.  I am a very friendly person and always smile at everyone and say hello anyway. So, I thought this would be a piece of cake, Literally.  Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest son, and I went out to McDonald’s one crisp March morning.  It was just our way of sharing special playtime with our son.  We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then Even my husband did.  I did not move an inch… An overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of me as I turned to see why they had moved.

As I turned around I smelled a horrible ‘dirty body’ smell, and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men.   As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was ‘smiling’ His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of God’s Light as he searched for acceptance….   He said, ‘Good day’ as he counted the few coins he had been clutching..  The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend.  I realized the second man was mentally challenged and the blue-eyed gentleman was his salvation.  I held my tears as I stood there with them.

The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted.  He said, ‘Coffee is all Miss’ because that was all they could afford.  (If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy something. He just wanted to be warm).  Then I really felt it – the compulsion was so great I almost reached out and embraced the little man with the blue eyes.   That is when I noticed all eyes in the  restaurant were set on me, judging my every action.

I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray.   I then walked around the corner to the table that the men had chosen as a resting spot. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue-eyed gentleman’s cold hand.  He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, ‘Thank you.’   I leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, ‘I did not do this for you.. God is here working through me to give you hope.’   I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son…. When I  sat down my husband smiled at me and said, ‘That is why God gave you to me, Honey, to give me hope..’

We held hands for a moment and at that time, we knew that only because of the Grace that we had been given were we able to give.  We are not church goers, but we are believers.  That day showed me the pure Light of God’s sweet love.  I returned to college, on the last evening of class, with this story in hand.   I turned in ‘my project’ and the instructor read it.  Then she looked up at me and said, ‘Can I share this?’  I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class.  She began to read and that is when I knew that we as human beings and being part of God share this need to heal people and to be healed.  In my own way I had touched the people at McDonald’s, my son, the instructor, and every soul that shared the classroom on the last night  I spent as a college student.

I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn:

UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE.

LOVE PEOPLE AND USE THINGS -

NOT LOVE THINGS AND USE PEOPLE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The E-Reader Comparison–Pandigital won out for me.

So the Kindle and all the other e-readers are all the rage.  To say the least, I am a reading nut, LOVE to read.  Last July we jumped into the world of e-readers.  WOW, that was an experience.  We did it differently than most, we went backwards, since I am a frugal person who doesn’t buy books, I would go to the library every 2 weeks and load up to last me.  Well our local library introduced the epub cooperative(county wide cooperative so lots of libraries are involved).   We started researching based on what e-readers were compatiable with the library cooperative, at the time the Kindle was not one of them, this fall though they introduced that format, so please check the local library.  We then went searching at Best Buy, picked the geek squads brain.  I personally determined that I wanted a back-lit e-reader since I read a lot in bed at night.  Well that narrowed the field down, I soon realized all the cheaper models were not back-lit.  Soon I knew what I wanted and researched between brands.  Found a fantastic deal on the Pandigital for $139(super sale), this is the fully loaded, internet access, back-lit, droid app compatible, nook compatiable(lending abilities).  Basically a tablet without the crazy price.  I was comparing this to the Nook that was selling for $249.  Ahhh, that was easy, I went with the Pandigital.  Then staples had a flyer with a Pandigital in it, for $119.  Called Best Buy, they matched the price and was willing to sell us another at the same price.  BINGO, bought my parents their 50th anniversary gift.  So we knew this product was compatiable with the library, we soon discovered there are free books to get if you dig through barnes and noble website.  Score some more free books.  We have had it since July, I haven’t bought a book yet and have saved much in gas and time going to the local library.  What a fantastic bargain along the way.  So I would definitely recommend an e-reader, hubby and kids use the internet and all that, I just use it for my books.

Please share your experiences in the comments section, I sure could have used useful info when I was researching.

 

German Blender Pancakes

German Blender Pancakes

I double this recipe, put it in 13X9 pan and get thicker end product

4 eggs

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons melted butter

Some recipes I have seen have 1 tablespoon of sugar and  1/2 teaspoon of salt.  For some reason I don’t add this but I smoother it in Butter and syrup at the end so I guess it all evens out

Heat oven to 400°F. Spray two 9-inch cake pans well(again I double recipe and use a 13X9 pan.  Melt the butter.  Add eggs.  I use a mixer, I have used a whisk but have never bothered with the blender.  Then I add the Milk.  Then the flour last. Pour into prepared pan(s) and bake 15 minutes or until real puffy and brown; then reduce heat to 350°F and bake 10 minutes or until knife stuck in middle comes out clean.  We eat them with butter and syrup, others get fancy with berries, powder sugar, etc.

But you can use the following old school directions below if you want. In blender container, Add eggs, cover and process at “stir” until light yellow in  color.  Push “mix” button, remove cover and add remaining ingredients; process until smooth.

Haha, I have discovered that this is the best way to keep my recipes in one spot.  I just made a fantastic cheesy potatoe ham soup from scratch with the remainder of our ham from Christmas.  I will put that one up next, I had a heck of a time finding my recipe and ended up improvising.  So lessons learned, put the recipes in a blog and you are all set.

Tips on Saving Money on a Wedding–take it from the Royals

I am all for saving money and my husband and had a great wedding and we didn’t go into debt for it. We didn’t use any of these tips but there are some fantastic points/tips that Prince William and Kate did you that can help any couple tie the knot without going into huge debt. The full article is cited below.

Tip One: Save money on the Engagement ring, if there is a ring in the family, it will not only have sentimental value but also will save the couple the money of a new one.

Tip Two: Throw 2 receptions, a larger one with less frills, and a more intimate one for closer family/friends. I believe this one is used much more often.

Tip Three: Do you have to wed on Saturday? Maybe the new trend will be Friday, it is definitely being considered vogue after the Royals.

Tip Four: You don’t have to go traditional on the who pays the bills. If one family offers any assortment of the festivities graciously accept, but of course beware of the potential strings attached.

For a full line up of things that can save you money by following the Royals, go to below link. But FYI, my hubby will wear a wedding ring, unlike the Prince….anyone know why that is?

http://www.smartmoney.com/personal-finance/marriage-divorce/7-smart-wedding-tips-from-william-and-kate-1303769104363/

There is one most important communication skill that you must use….

That is quite a teaser right? I thought the same, so I had to read the article, referenced below. The jist of the uno number one “technique” is Reflective Listening….really? Humph, I thought to myself, is it that easy?? But then I thought about it, do I really ever do this, or do I just run what other people say through my own filters and get an answer, and perhaps it maybe be different than what was actually said. Okay, I will try to do that more often….starting today.

Let us know if you have any ah-ha moments using this “technique”.

http://www.oprah.com/relationships/Couples-Therapy-The-Most-Useful-Communication-Technique

Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.

I absolutely LOVE this quote, it is not only good for your waistline but also good for your wallet!

We like to do this on vacation especially. It helps that our family loves breakfast, so we like to eat a huge breakfast, then we aren’t hungry until 1 or 2pm, then go eat lunch which is always cheaper than dinner and not so crowded, then we usually don’t have to eat dinner or just have cheese and crackers or something. Or we snack when we get hungry in the afternoon but then go to dinner early (restaurants usually have early dining specials) then we have the evening to enjoy the sunset and take a walk on the beach.

This may not work for everyone but it sure is “food for thought”