Friday, January 28, 2011

A giveaway

And now, a small break from regular pastry programming. I've been wanting to do a blog giveaway for awhile as a treat to my loyal readers. Well, folks, now is your chance. You (yes, YOU) could be the lucky recipient of your very own box of sugarbombs!

They might look like this: 

DSCN3004

 

Or this:

IMG_0462

Of course, I'm not going to start mailing cookies willy-nilly. I’m going to make you work for it.

Recently, I realized that my expiration dates for work, school, and my apartment lease do not match up well AT ALL. This could mean that there is a period of time where I'm in school full time, paying for my lovely (but RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE) apartment, and having an income of $0. Um, yikes. Luckily, this is a bit in the future, so I have some time to start panicking planning.

I’m sure that everyone reading this blog has at least attempted to save some money in the past, so I’d love to hear your tips on small things I can do to pile up some pennies. Here are some things I’ve done already:

  1. Sold an old couch on craig’s list
  2. Downgraded my Netflix from 2 discs at a time to 1 (I may be frugal, but I can’t live without Watching Instantly on my computer).
  3. Quit the YMCA (my apartment has a super nice gym… and who are we kidding, I hadn’t been to the Y in months).

Clearly, these are very personal examples (How are you supposed to know that I have an extra couch or an affinity for kickboxing?). Your tips can be more general eg “I saved a ton of money by using baking soda instead of toothpaste!” (PS: That’s disgusting. You should see a dentist immediately). 

Giveaway Instructions and Rules

    • Post your answer in the comments section of this post.
    • I will randomly select a winner from all of the posts. This means that even if your idea is TERRIBLE, you still have a shot at winning the goods! A for effort! This also means that if you have multiple comments/suggestions, your chances of winning increase exponentially. Each suggestion must be entered as a separate comment to count as a separate entry.
    • If you are afraid of internet celebrity, feel free to post your comment anonymously. We will work it out.
    • A special note to all of you readers who never post comments: now is your chance. Afraid of commenting because you don’t actually know me in real life? Too lazy to exit google reader and visit my actual blog? Just do it. THERE ARE COOKIES AT STAKE HERE!
    • Cookies will be delivered to your home or work. Cookie type will be determined based on winner’s preferences.
    • I will announce the winner in Monday night’s blog post… so you have the weekend to think about it.

And…… go!

14 comments:

  1. 1. Get a flask (this may not apply to those living outside of NY)
    2. Write down everything you buy. Everything.
    3. Get invited to dinner parties other people host and never host your own. Bring a bean dish mentioned above
    4. Pay for things in cash (with a cash budget that you establish for the week or month)
    5. Beans (and no meat days in general)
    6. Get a library card
    7. Read finance publications and blogs for other great tips, investment info, etc

    ReplyDelete
  2. rachel "mmmmmmmcookies" niesJanuary 28, 2011 at 1:33 PM

    call your cable provider and threaten to switch to their competition; if they don't immediately bite, ask to be transferred to their cancellation group -- they will offer you all sorts of deals just to get you not to cancel anything :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lower your text message plan and tell people to actually call you! Could save you 10 bucks a month!

    Orrrr flirt with boys to get free drinks when you go out!

    ReplyDelete
  4. do you have direct deposit for your current paychecks? set it up so that a portion is going directly to your savings account every month or every other paycheck automatically. after a couple pay cycles you won't miss it!

    807 clinton apt 3a is on a mission to win these treats

    ReplyDelete
  5. If you are still doing Starbucks - use a Starbucks card, register it and only buy small coffees (after 5 uses of the card refills are free)
    Better yet stop drinking coffee (not sure that is in the realm of possibility)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Coffeev, cigarettes and magazines keep people poor, these are some of the biggest cash burners. ann

    ReplyDelete
  7. Actually a paste of baking soda and peroxide is healthier and better for your teeth than toothpaste

    ReplyDelete
  8. pack your lunch. read the paper online. no coffee shops.

    If I win, save it for May. You can't save money by sending stuff to geece :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I have found that awareness is so much of the mula battle and given our mutual past, I know you fill find it no surprise that I love me some personal excel documents. So…

    I created a handy tracker (complete with pretty colors) that allows me to quickly track absolutely all of our spending (using online statements of bank & credit card) and put it into very specific categories (rent, gas, groceries, liquor, restaurants, medical, etc). Then you can look at what looks normal, what is exorbitant (**sheepish grin as she thinks about her monthly coffee shop total**), and make a budget for the next month. You can update as often as you like to track your progress.

    I can share the tracker template with you, but knowing what you do for a part-time living, you could fancy the heck outta that thing!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ok, here are a few of my faves:
    - Ebay: Sometimes pretty sketch, but brand new Hunter boots for 40 dollars instead of 130? Yes please.
    - Toddy Cold Brew Coffee System: 30 dollars on this, and I can't even remember the last time I was at Starbucks.
    - Hijack your parents Sam's Club/Costco Membership: I go whenever I'm at my parents and ship things back to myself. 12 toothbrushes for 8 dollars? Do you know how much that would cost at Duane Reade?
    - Make your own vanilla extract, granola bars, lunches, and everything else food related
    - Mint.com: I think you already use this, but it's handy.
    - Use the library: You can get everything. I just finished Mad Men season 2 courtesy of the NYPL.

    And while I can't verify, TLC tells me that entering children in pageants can be a total cash cow.

    ReplyDelete
  11. aside from moving north and taking up snow removal...
    1. Offer baking parties for kids birthdays.
    2. Sell cookies or valentines 'custom' gifts on etsy
    3. barter everywhere you go with baked goods ;)
    4. go to restaurants and offer to make homemade seasonal desserts
    5. um.....um....proposition family for loose change

    Find some other company that will pay you more to work part-time from your home??!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. In the "awareness" category: Mint.com is a free website that helps you see how much you're spending on what. You enter all your account info (kind of scary because that includes passwords), and it pops out pie graphs and helpful things like that. Haha, pie graphs! That's funny because you make pies.

    ReplyDelete
  13. 1. become fiscally responsible by setting-up a small recurring auto-deduction from your checking into your savings account. a little bit goes a long way!
    2. buy certain items in bulk (like wine and toilet paper) and save them for use later.
    3. turn off lights! always! and unplug unused chargers and electronic equipment. vampire drain is the worst offense of all.

    ReplyDelete
  14. 1. if you want to order something from jcrew.com, order it from the phones at the store...FREE SHIPPING!
    2. if you want an iced latte from starbucks, order a shot of espresso over ice. it's super cheap, then add the milk yourself.

    ReplyDelete