Look on the store shelves and you will find familiar looking products that you may know well. They are advertised on TV or radio or even on billboards that catch your eye every day. Brand names you may notice on grocery store shelves such as Hunt’s, Hormel, Campbell’s, Colgate, and Butterball have been etched into our memory because of big expensive advertising campaigns that have gone on for decades. You buy items with that brand name because you feel comfortable in the knowledge they have been around and are well accepted. How about all those lesser known brands and even the generic or store brands you may notice sitting along side the “major” labels? Can they be comparable when the cost is so much less? We have already mentioned the main reason those well known brands cost so much more and that is due to the high cost of advertisement!

Manufacturing cost vs selling price

A tube of Colgate or Crest toothpaste may sell for $5.50 for a 6 ounce tube but the cost of advertising it may be responsible for $5.00 of that amount. Keep in mind that promotion on TV is very expensive. An ad campaign costs hundreds of thousands of dollars but reaches nearly 90% of the population so manufacturers consider it money well spent. We, the buying public, however only see that $5.50 tube of toothpaste as an expensive commodity, yet something we need to buy often! Grocery prices soar and we tend to blame the farmer for charging $5.05 for a gallon of whole milk but that farmer never sees anywhere near that amount for their hard work and feed for the cows to produce that milk. Bordon’s, Hiland Dairy, Carnation, and other major labels pay hundreds of thousands in advertising to get that gallon of milk in stores and convince us to buy their brand. Who is to blame for all this? Everyone and no one! While it is necessary to promote a brand and secure loyal customers who come back and buy that brand again, it gets expensive to pay for an advertising campaign, especially one promoted on TV commercials. Ads, even those in magazines, newspapers, radio, and billboards must be continually run so consumers don’t forget! Manufacturing that gallon of milk is relatively cheap and the farmer may only get 50 cents or so for that product. From that he must feed his cattle and make a living to provide a home and feed his family. The processing center where that milk is pasteurized and prepared for sale may only get another 30 to 50 cents per gallon. The rest goes to pay for advertising.

Generic or store labels cost less because they don’t need to advertise!

You buy milk, right? Do you really care whether its Carnation, Bordon’s, or the store labeled gallon of milk? Yes you care because that store label may cost you at least $1.00 less than the “major” label. That store labeled or generic milk must go through the same processes and be safely handled and packaged just like the brand name milk. But the major difference in price is because of very little money spent on advertising. The same applies for every other product that has a generic equivalent, including prescription drugs, over the counter medications, and virtually every item sold in grocery stores today. The (FDA) Food & Drug Administration insures that every item sold as food or drugs undergo rigorous testing and be manufactured safely so you can feel confident when buying a can of soup whether it is labeled Kraft, General Mills, Campbell’s, or private labels such as Kroger, or Walmart’s Great Value brand.

When it comes to drugs it may be all about the patent!

Drugs such as Lipitor have been able to charge an extremely high price for their highly effective cholesterol lowering medication because they had it patented. That means no one else could manufacture that formula until the patent ran out. Now that it has happened we find many alternatives that cost significantly less than the original Lipitor. How can they be made and sold for so much less? Advertisement! Again the ads Pfizer paid for to promote their product represent a significant financial amount which they passed on to their customers. Once the generics hit the drug store shelves prices were lowered and even Pfizer had to lower their selling price as well as the high cost of their promotion.

The future looks bright for store brands!

The past few years have seen private labels or generic brands increase in popularity because many people needed to save money any way they could. Those who previously had brand loyalty due to nostalgia or long time buying habits have now tried the alternative brands and found them equal to brand names in nearly each category. Buy that generic labeled aspirin, tooth paste, cough medication or baby lotion with confidence and save big!

Pint-for-Pint

Ever donated blood? I have. I didn’t get the most awesome ice cream coupon for doing it, though. I just got crummy old money.

But that’s exactly what’s happening in Farmington. MountainStar Blood Services is offering those giving back to their community by donating blood, coupons from a little place called Subzero Ice Cream in Centerville. With the temperatures where they’re at, and those to come this summer, that ice cream is going to be well appreciated. But so is the donated blood. These coupons are good for shakes, ice cream and various frosty, tasty treats. The name of the promotion… You’ll love this… “Pint-for-Pint”.

Marilyn Paralta, MBS Director, says that this has been a very lucky year for them. As of the writing of this article, they have been able to easily meet all the needs for blood. But just in case, they wanted to do something that would not only assure their continued success but do something for the community that is so giving. Thus the “Pint-for-Pint” promotional drive. This was planned to be a one month campaign but has now been extended to two (July and August) due to its success and popularity.

If you would like to get in on the fun, you can call 1-877-45-BLOOD to find the location of a mobile blood drive unit near you. Or if you’re passing through Ogden, stop in at Suite #105, 5405 South 500 during relatively normal business hours and get your Pint-for-Pint.

A community is only as good as its least fortunate members

A section of “Travel Portland”, Downtown Marketing Initiative for the second year in a row is presenting their well planned agenda entitled “Compassion Coupons”. Why you may ask?

Just try driving through downtown and you’ll see the summertime dodge-‘em game, played daily, with cars vs. scores of homeless individuals sitting, standing and wandering around the side of the street, their pit bulls at their side. “Please give”, “anything helps”, “hungry-need food”, “will work for food”… All sorts of roughly scribbled, weathered, cardboard signs in their hands.

Nobody’s happy about this. Not the locals, not the tourists, not the merchants and particularly not the homeless. Compassion Coupons allows summer shoppers a significant discount on services and goods and allows the town’s merchants a chance at some good, free, PR conscious publicity. Not to mention $10,000 being put toward a project that goes by the name of the Bud Clark Commons. The Commons is located in Old Town, towers up seven stories, and is a residential building that houses low-income and homeless individuals with its 130 apartments.

Downtown Marketing Initiatives executive director believes that without partnerships, nothing good can happen in the downtown area. It’s all about people. The recent new owner at Southwest Park Avenue’s Energy Bar Snack Shop has already had a couple of customers since July 1 with the special coupons. They’re even available on smart phones. Merchants, and others in this town, look upon this as a chance to do the right thing for your fellow man. It is not without its benefits however. Merchants hope to generate business with these coupons. The decision was originally made last year because of the downtown area’s desire to create reasons for businesses to establish themselves in the downtown area, for the continuance of the downtown area itself and while doing so still give back to the community. In the beginning participation was received from approximately 30 businesses. By the end of summer however donations were coming in. New Avenues for Youth received a donation of $25,000, thanks to Compassion Coupons last year.

Examples of discounts offered by this year’s 20 businesses are:

• Two-for-one coupon for the Oregon Ballet Theatre’s “The Nutcracker” production
• Two-for-one lunch consisting of falafel-hummus at the Energy Bar
• $1.00 off coupon for evening parking from SmartPack

And that’s just a taste. These coupons are downloadable to either a smart phone or onto paper, and the program will wrap up on August 31. Every coupon redeemed goes toward the goal of a $10,000 donation. The Bud Clark Commons will feature a mentoring program with this money for the instruction of people who were formerly homeless to utilize their knowledge and experience by reaching out to other homeless or low-income individuals (numbering possibly 500 or more) that are still confined to a life on the street.

Now we’re talking coupons!

Sometimes referred to as coupon etiquette, there are dos and don’ts, rights and wrongs in the latest craze of extreme couponing. Let’s take a look at what some of our couponers have put together as a type of guidelines.

Coupon etiquette

These come from a compilation of complaints from others, and helpful tips on how not to be rude to the complainers. Since you probably won’t be able to use 750 sticks of deodorant before they expire, be sure to always donate your extras, as I know there will be many, to a good cause. Halfway houses, homeless shelters or even sending them to the troops is always a much appreciated gesture. Please don’t treat the store employees as if they are secondhand help employed by none other than you, yourself. The customer isn’t always right. You know it, I know it and even though they’re not supposed to show it… They know it.

Keep in mind that you can and will make mistakes with your coupons. To avoid making those mistakes, the following would be helpful. Be sure that you read the coupon carefully. Every word, every instruction and date. If you have any doubt as to the redemption policies of a store you can either look them up on line or speak to a manager before you get to the checkout counter. Before you get there… just in case you missed that.

If you know you’re going to be buying in large, bulk quantities, check with the manager to see if what you’re buying is still boxed up in the back room rather than depleting the supply he all ready has displayed on the floor. Holding up the line is a major complaint of non coupon people. Shopping during the hours when the store is least busy, being completely and totally organized by the time you get to the checkout and letting others go in front of you if they only have a small amount of items to check out will all go a long way. Always at least attempt to ask for a rain check, should the product you seek not be available anymore. Many stores will extend this courtesy.

The word organization keeps popping up, have you noticed? Organize a coupon swap with some of your friends and/or neighbors. You’d be surprised how many coupons you can exchange with each other for the betterment of both of your next shopping trips. And please don’t steal coupons either from someone else’s newspaper or by grabbing whole handfuls from the little coupon dispensers mounted on the shelves near a product. You can get repeat newspapers on the Internet and sometimes by checking with store owners on Sunday nights right before they close to see if they’ll give you the Sunday papers that they’re going to throw away anyway. On the same line, don’t photocopy coupons. And try not to be disappointed if you don’t end up saving 99% on your total bill. Be happy with 50%, it’s far more realistic. Sales cycles go roughly a dozen weeks, so buying enough to last you that long should cover you until that item is again on sale. This ends today’s tutorial on coupon etiquette.

We’re still saving money

It’s summer and that means vacations. Coupons can be used on vacation just as well as they can be used at home. If you know where you’re going to end up, hop online to check out specials and sales in the area. That information is at your fingertips via the Internet. You can print coupons for restaurants in the area, buy show tickets much cheaper than buying at the last minute, and now you can take advantage of all the bulk items you bought on sale and with a coupon by taking them with you thereby having to buy less while on vacation. There are coupons available through your smart phones and even on face book these days. Just make sure they’re good at the city in which you are staying and not expired. Some rest stops have coupon books available for travelers. And be sure to check with friends and relatives in the area in case they have memberships (or something comparable) that you can utilize while you’re staying in their fine city.

In this instant society, where everything needs to be quick and easy, would it be simpler to stop cutting out and collecting paper coupons and just switch over to digital loyalty cards? Well that’s exactly what they did in San Francisco.

A smart card

You’ve heard of smartphones; let me introduce you to smart cards. They may be the coupons of your future. These have been tested in trial runs in New York, Chicago, Cincinnati and previously mentioned San Francisco. Its creators feel that it is ready to go country-wide. No more ‘buy several get one free’ paper coupons. All you need now is a digital card that can be swept at the checkout. The coupons you cut out of your paper or print on the Internet are pretty much a one shot deal. So the creators of these smart loyalty cards are doing their very best to encourage loyalty to a specific store. By returning again and again to do your shopping, you can save again and again with your loyalty card.

It’s actually pretty simple from all standpoints. Merchants can sign up for this program on its creator’s website absolutely free of charge. They then create their own store specific loyalty cards in any way they please. Shoppers will be able to use their smartphone to scan the card, which by the way is also a free app, and purchases which are reward eligible will get digitally put directly into their loyalty card. And for those who seem to think that everyone wants to know what they’re doing, the information can be shared on Facebook and Twitter. I don’t know, is it really anyone’s business if someone is just two boxes away from getting one box of Trojans free?

The world has gone wireless, and now the old paper coupons are going from paper to digital, wireless things of the future. And it’s catching on. Merchants having already jumped on board list in the hundreds. It seems unstoppable and inevitable. You, the consumer, will benefit through savings; while the merchants will benefit from the analysis provided by these cards. Merchants can check on shopper’s buying behavior, statistics and other analytical information.

Take heart however, oh loyal coupon cutter… they’re not doing away with coupons… just the paper they’re printed on.

What happened to shopping online?

Seems everyone was shopping online for a while there. Then the coupon craze hit and people, in return, started hitting the stores with their coupons, coupons and more coupons. Nowadays, some stores are utilizing the fact that almost everyone has a mobile phone; so why not offer discounts and coupons that they can scan with their phones, rather than carry around envelopes full of paper coupons. But is this an exact science? What do merchants need to know before they can utilize this system? Well for starters they need to know that while people are shopping almost every single one of them is doing something with their mobile phone. Or 60% of them are looking for exact store hours and locations, over 65% are checking out the reviews of products of interest and another 70% are checking out prices at other stores. If merchants are not on top of the game, they could lose out to all this available information.

It’s actually a smart move on the part of the merchant. This is what is getting people up out of their computer chairs and out to the stores. More and more customers are purchasing smart phones every day. Keeping up with that trend is a smart business move. People love to use their phones for anything from research to the ridiculous. Saving money by scanning a product is an attractive opportunity to the smartphone fanatics of today.

And the merchants are benefiting even more. They can now track reviews by making them easier for the consumer to complete. They can offer games and rewards for things such as “liking” a certain page from the store’s website, spending a specified amount of money while at the store or even something as simple as utilizing the store’s fitting room to try something on. They know exactly what’s going on in the minds of today’s purchasers. They’ll be able to tell if you shopped in the home and garden section this week. If you did they may choose to send a coupon to your smartphone for gardening or lawn supplies. And the truly appreciated part of this whole thing is that all these apps and memberships and so on are 100%, absolutely free.

Tired of dragging your kids to the community pool every day? Wouldn’t you rather be doing something a lot more fun with your summer? How about fun and educational? There are affordable ways to do just that. In Livingston Louisiana, there’s a place called the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory, which people refer to as LIGO (the former being far too much of a mouthful) where people go to check out what kind of science goes on in an observatory. There are free field trips available to their science outreach center and facility with exhibits, activities and projects. Every month, on the third Saturday, they host an event which is science based and open to the public. Activities are created by outreach personnel which cater to all age levels of children, you included, and utilize affordable and easily obtainable materials…. just in case the kids have so much fun during these activities that they want to do it again after they get home. The materials can in fact be obtained at most discount stores. By visiting their website, you can find information on what group sizes they allow, access protocols, and requirements for registration.

Another free but exceptional science program can be enjoyed at the London Science Museum. The museum allows complimentary access and is fun and educational for the entire family. If star gazing is more your scientific interest head for Washington DC’s National Air and Space Museum or the University of Tucson Arizona’s Flandrau Observatory. From 7:00 PM until 10:00 PM, weekly on Wednesdays through Saturdays, the observatory offers free to the public, guided telescope viewing. Now you can finally see what it is that the scientists are constantly gazing at through those big telescopes you see in the movies.

Of course paying a one-time price for unlimited access to certain places of scientific interest is another way to enjoy and learn that the same time. Memberships paid annually include places such as theme parks and science museums; Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute for example, where an annual fee of $99.00 grants a family of four membership only unlimited access. This also includes the same access to other science museums totaling 250. Perhaps your family of five would enjoy any number of trips to Boston’s Museum of Science whose annual fee equals the price of one admission cost plus $10.00. Once again, that allows you unlimited visits.

All science however is not found in observatories and museums. The National Parks Service offers passes called ‘America the Beautiful Passes’ which, for an annual fee of $80.00, allow you and anyone else riding in your vehicle access to recreation sites which are federally owned numbering over 2000. Anyplace that falls under the Bureau of Land Management’s jurisdiction, such as the national forests, wildlife refuges and national parks are included for that fee. Why not pack up the kids and do something that everyone is bound to enjoy; and you’ll be slipping in a little education without the kids even knowing it. Places like the Shenandoah National Park’s junior ranger enrichment program (this program will be of particular interest to anyone considering a career as a naturalist – lessons on falcons, peregrines, lichens, plants and more are discussed by park rangers); Yellowstone National Park’s geysers; California’s Channel Islands and the Marine Acadia National Park’s tidal pools are just a handful of places where nature, science and fun all go hand in hand. Who knows, the adults in your group may even learn something they didn’t know.

So you see, summer doesn’t have to mean the same boring old activities that everyone else is doing day after day; year after year; or dropping a bundle on a massive vacation. Something fun, affordable and exciting is waiting just around the corner; you need but to look around you. Between Mother Nature, the creation of the galaxy and buildings dedicated to nothing but housing the wonders of science and discovery, boredom will never be an issue. Even those that don’t find particular interest in science can appreciate many of the things discussed in this article. There’s nothing like the face of a child, a look of pure awe and wonderment, when they realize just how a big the galaxy is around us and just how small we as humans are on this puny little planet.

Knowing fully well that people go on vacation to get away from their jobs, or work of some kind; this may not be your cup of tea. If however you can picture yourself doing a bit of volunteer work in exchange for massive discounts… read on. Not so long ago, in Jackson Wyoming, one of their finest lodging facilities and spa was offering stays in their luxury suites of $192 per night. What’s so special about that? A room of that caliber at this particular place ordinarily goes for $385 a night. Get it now? So how do you come by these spectacular savings? All they were asking was that you spend a bit of your vacation helping the community tear down barbed wire fences in order for their wildlife to roam the land at will. Not a bad exchange. You may in fact, be surprised at how frequently this is done. A little bit of volunteering goes a long way in tight knit communities or in times of disaster. Volunteering to help out not only gives you a warm fuzzy feeling all over, but a chance to save some money enjoying a faraway destination.

The volunteer component

From luxury resorts to tour companies everyone’s getting in on the act. Feel like traveling to Moscow to visit the relatives? You can enjoy crazy discounts by handing out food at the local soup kitchens. Thinking about a vacation in Grand Cayman? Helping them track down iguanas as a volunteer will land you the deal of a lifetime. You’ll be staying at the nicest places by pitching in as little or as much as you like. If you’re interested in this kind of a vacation, one place where you can get information is called Hands Up Holidays. What do they do? They see to it that you will stay in and enjoy luxury travel during a vacation, built solely around your desires, to over 26 countries. You in return, will be a volunteer. What will you do as a volunteer? As previously stated; help tear down fences, track iguanas, build classrooms in a village, and help preserve New Zealand’s kiwi bird and much, much more. Here’s a taste:

• 18 days in New Zealand – wine tasting, whale watching and heli-hiking included. $29,000… don’t forget that’s 18 days.
• 10 days in Morocco – luxury accommodations; $1950.

The second was a little bit more affordable for my wallet, but 18 days in New Zealand is certainly worth what they’re asking. All for a little bit of volunteer work!

For the good of your fellow man

Helping out in faraway destinations goes all the way back to the Peace Corps. Those people were able to travel the globe while making a little bit of money for pitching in to assist with programs aiding the community in some way. Now you may not have the time to devote to something like that, but that shouldn’t stop you from taking a little time off your vacation to help others while receiving huge discounts in return.

How to get in touch

Another place that would make a good starting point for your search for a volunteer vacation is FlyforGood.com; they connect humanitarian organizations with you the traveler to your preferred destination. Then there’s Charity Navigator or GuideStar. These are watchdog associations, operating nonprofit, that can get you up to 25% off of your airfare in return for some volunteer work. These organizations understand that travel to other countries is insanely expensive. They’re trying to make it cheaper and more accessible in order to increase the chances that more people will volunteer.

Here’s another one

Fancy a trip to Zimbabwe? A two person team can fly South African Airways round-trip for approximately $2348. The price that one would ordinarily pay for this San Francisco to Victoria Falls trip is $3636. Networkforgood.com and Razoo.com are responsible for setting up volunteer trips and fundraisers. Travel For Good programs is also listed with Travelocity.com. You can go on a weeklong hiking vacation with food and rugged accommodations for $250. All you have to do is perform hiking trail maintenance while you hike. You’re there anyway.

Other alternatives

The Appalachian Mountain Club – you will be cleaning up trails for the conservative organization. These are available in the Virgin Islands, New Hampshire and places in between. This particular volunteering vacation costs $220 for one week. You will be put up in moderately rustic facilities such as bunkhouses, platforms, canvas tents or cabins.

A St. John volunteer vacation – 4 to 6 hours of carrying materials and tools to build a rock stairs, brush back vegetation and clear drainage ditches each day will entitle you to a 14 by 10 foot tent with mosquito netting and a solid floor for $55.00 a night or $330 a week. This would normally run $90.00 a night. The price covers meals and rustic lodging, typically cabins, canvas tents on platforms or bunkhouses. After your 4 to 6 hours of work feel free to lounge on the beach, go snorkeling or swimming for the entire afternoon.

Ghana, Costa Rica Brazil and five other countries last year offered one-week vacations for $1990. In return, you could work a day care center, plant gardens and or paint schoolyards. Your weekends are free and clear to enjoy as you wish as well as every evening and some afternoons. Your accommodations are modest but clean in rooms that are shared occupancy. I’ll be at the beach. Oh and did I mention that that $1990 was completely 100% tax deductible for any number of residents of the United States. You were after all, helping out a nonprofit organization (which conveniently has an American address). That’s charity, my friend. And charities are tax deductible.

Try this next one on for size. Habitat for Humanity and the local YMCA got together with a resort in South Florida to offer volunteers putting in a minimum of 2 hours fixing up the local YMCA, or assisting with housing projects. In return, the volunteer vacationer enjoys one of the top golf/spa resorts of the area for 15% off.

Or how about Maui? For $325, you can enjoy a six-day stay; or for $1975 you can take an 11 day trip and stay at condos, go snorkeling, whale watching and hiking. In return, you simply help with their national wildlife refuge restoration. Within the week there are a couple of free days to allow you to enjoy the area. And because you’re a volunteer, the area that you will be able to enjoy is greater than the areas offered to tourists. You have privileges. Should you opt for assisting on archaeological restoration or research projects involving whale calving grounds, your accommodations will alter to relatively rustic (tents or cabins).

Every now and then you just have to get away from it all. But getting away from it all in this economy can be downright next to impossible. How about getting away from it all while staying exactly where you are? Impossible? Heck, I get away from it all on my back ‘porch’ every day!

I have a beautiful sunroom that is attached to the back end of my house and garage. With a solid ceiling, one plain wall (upon which I can hang all my favorite things) one wall that is mostly a sliding door into the house as well as third and fourth walls consisting of ceiling to nearly floor sliding windows and screens with a sliding door in the corner where those walls meet, I have more than enough room to disappear in comfort.

The room has blinds if I want privacy and seclusion. I’ve got my satellite TV, my DVD player, a futon (two actually), a desk, table and chairs, my mini refrigerator and my hot plate. When I step down into this room off of our living room, I’m pretty much removed from the rest of the world. Close the sliding doors, draw the curtains connecting to the house and I’m in my own private environment which is whatever I choose to make it that day. This is not to say that I don’t like to get out of the house in which I live but if I turn on my sound machine with waves crashing on the shore and the cries of sea gulls, it’s a nice temporary fix; suddenly I’m on the porch of my very own private beach house.

Turn on sounds of traffic and I’m in my New York loft. And if I turn on the deep woods setting, then I’m off in my own little country cabin in the woods. And, when desired, I can press a button and listen to a summer storm. I can disappear in there for days at a time and only come out for bathroom breaks and meals that don’t fit in the mini refrigerator (which contains mostly adult beverages). I can open all the windows and enjoy the fresh air, turn on the ceiling fan and my private mini fan and be completely comfy. At any given time I can step outside and sit in a lounge chair on the patio, make something on the grill, enjoy a bonfire or watch the local wildlife.

My backyard contains an outdoor fireplace and is mildly landscaped with a pond and rock garden with bird feeders and birdhouses galore. Everything was purchased on sale or through some other discount. I even have a small barn up on the top of the hill that was done by a private contractor who has worked for me before, and delivers quality work for reasonable prices. Stepping back into my private abode, I can watch a movie, listen to music, light candles, crack open a beer and relax or even work surrounded by beauty, comfort and convenience.

Alone but shared

If I choose not to totally hole up in my ‘environment’, I can leave the sliding doors to the living room open, but draw closed the light drapes. The dogs are free to come and go and even though I’m away from everything I’m still here if I’m needed. My significant other sometimes chooses to enjoy this environment with me but frequently chooses to leave me to my madness. This room was a pricey little addition to a beautiful house and thanks to my parents’ financial planning and forethought; it is now where we reside. The room has more than paid for itself 1000 times over and considering all of its uses, was well worth the money. It is where I choose to do my work, where I choose to relax, invite company and entertain and where I send my smoking friends to chill out in.

This ‘all season room’ is my ‘vacation for every season getaway’. It is big enough that I don’t feel claustrophobic, but small enough that it needs little to no care. It has the conveniences and comforts I require and then some. It affords me the opportunity to enjoy the out of doors while protected from its elements and bugs. Every time I step into this room, no matter what I choose to do in here, it’s a tiny little ‘vacation spot’ that I can enjoy. And I do… everyday… And it doesn’t cost me a dime that I wouldn’t ordinarily be spending. Do you have your own vacation room?

It’s almost that time of year when we start to shop for the crazy, discounted outdoor fireplaces that go on sale annually right around… now. We’re big on outdoor fires and we usually manage to ‘burn through’ one a year. If we bought them at full price that would be insane; but since we wait for sales, the really crazy sales, we end up with a fresh, brand new, shiny outdoor fireplace to destroy every summer. Grills don’t last long around here either because as big as we are on outdoor fire pits, we’re even bigger on grilling out. Last year we got the most amazing three burner gas grill, with the side burner for the pot of beer, onions and green peppers to soak the brats in for $99.00. I love that grill. Grill covers, grill tools, fire gloves and fire starters… Go on sale at your local hardware and department stores. Personally, we rely on Menards but they are by no means the only ones with insanely low prices on late summer specials.

Department stores will soon have bargain bins that are overflowing with ‘summer stuff’. It’s not uncommon to see items ordinarily used during the summer slashed as much as 75% at this time of year, or within the next month or so. I love digging through those bargain bins. If you find one with toys for kids and you can scoop up a handful of them for let’s say a dollar (one dozen glow sticks for a dollar, separate all the glow sticks or a pack of temporary tattoos, you would cut out each one, for example) these make great Halloween treats instead of candy. The kids absolutely love them and the parents are happy about one less piece of candy.

Bags of glow in the dark dinosaurs can be opened and one dinosaur given to each child, the same can be said for army men or any other collection of toys that come in a bag or box that can all be separated. You’re spending a couple of cents on something that the kids will get a real kick out of, that won’t give them cavities. We actually look for these bargains all year long because sometimes after Christmas you can find little boxes and bags of the same kind of thing, once again on stupid sale. Those ridiculously high priced play sets (that only Bob Vila could construct) that you set up in your back yards are slashed to nearly manageable prices. The keyword there being ‘nearly’. Kiddie pools, pool toys, swimsuits, sandals, shorts, tank tops… You name it. If you use it during the summer months, it is more likely than not on sale right now or prices will be slashed soon.

It’s also time for those people that meant to have a rummage sale, garage sale, yard sale… What have you… all summer to get busy and bang one out. They want to get rid of that stuff and this late in the season many are willing to wheel and deal just to get it out of their house. The first day is always the best as far as variety and choice is concerned. The last day however is the best for making deals that could qualify as stealing in some states. I don’t worry about storing stuff at the end of a rummage sale. If it didn’t sell it gets donated. They come right to my house with a truck, they pick it up, they load it in the truck, they hand me a nice little receipt for my taxes, they drive away, and I’m a happy camper because now my garage is very nearly empty again instead of looking like the storage room at a secondhand store.

It’s too late to take advantage of it this year but some late summer sales take place earlier, sales on plants for example. Once everyone has planted their gardens and their crops are well on their way, those same plants go on sale for crazy low, practically giveaway prices. If you can wait just a little while to plant your garden you can save loads of money on your vegetables and flowers. Just pray for a warm autumn with no frost. Perennials can be planted late and whereas you may not be able to fully appreciate them this year they will bloom beautifully for you in spring. And you paid next to nothing for them, which makes them even more beautiful.

I guess that autumn is the frugal person’s dream season, with all the sales going on; but I hate to see the warm weather subside. Where my brother lives, all autumn means is that he has to store the lawn mower and prep the snow blower. It’s devastatingly sad to see summer come to an end… but at least you can save some money!