Category Archives: Saving Money

March Grocery Cycle: Frozen Food Month, Lenten Fish Specials, St. Patrick’s Day Food

march frozen food month

Make room in your freezers! March is National Frozen Food Month, which means you should expect deep discounts and high value coupons for frozen food. Now is also a good time to fill your freezer with fish from the many seafood specials that will be running through Lent. If you use the specials and coupons right, you can score a few month’s worth of food for a small amount of money.

Speaking of National Frozen Food Month, the National Frozen Foods & Refrigerated Foods Association is holding a $10,000 sweepstakes throughout the month of March.

March Grocery Cycle

Frozen Food

  • Frozen vegetables
  • Frozen fruit
  • Ice cream
  • Frozen pizza
  • Waffles
  • Frozen Meals
  • Frozen fish

St. Patrick’s Day Food (look for these specials in the middle of the month)

  • Corned beef
  • potatoes
  • cabbage

Seasonal Produce

  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Asparagus
  • Avocados
Posted on March 1, 2012 in Food, Grocery Cycles, Sales, Saving Money
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How PNC Bank is Trying to Screw Me Over: A Cautionary Tale About Free Credit Reports.

PNC Bank Free Credit ReportA misleading advertisement I received from PNC Bank. Click picture to see more.

Today I received a piece of junk mail from PNC Bank that left me livid. It was an advertisement that claimed I was “eligible to review” a free credit report if I signed up for their credit report monitoring service. Here is the exact wording:

As a PNC Bank customer, you are eligible to review your Free Credit Report from one of the three major credit reporting agencies when you activate the Identity Protect Plus service at no cost for the first 30 days of service.

What made me so angry is that PNC deliberately left out the fact that every American is eligible to receive a free credit report by law. The Fair Credit Reporting Act mandates that every American is entitled to one free credit report a year from each of the major credit reporting agencies. You don’t need to sign up for any overpriced and unnecessary banking services to receive a free credit report. What PNC is essentially doing here is citing a federal law to make it seem like they’re personally giving you one heck of an offer. How sleazy.

As a PNC customer for over ten years, I am extremely insulted and disappointed that this is how I am rewarded for my loyalty. Instead of looking out for their customer’s best financial interests, they are trying to sell a crock of bullshit in an attempt to squeeze $12.99/month out of me. That’s what ten years of my business is worth to PNC. It’s this kind of behavior that last month drove Americans to join credit unions in record numbers.

Shame on you PNC.

Shame on you Brandon Ziroe (the man who signed this letter).

How to Get a Free Credit Report Without the BS

Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, Americans are entitled to a free credit report once a year from each of the three major credit reporting agencies—Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. You can request free credit reports from all three agencies through AnnualCreditReport.com. This website is owned and operated by the three credit reporting agencies mentioned above and is trustworthy. It is the only legitimate third-party website that offers you the opportunity to request all three credit reports for free.

Anyone else that is offering you a free credit report is either trying to sell you something or is outright scamming you. It’s important to remember this because there are a lot of shady companies and scammers who prey on consumer ignorance about credit reports. Even trusted financial institutions like PNC Bank aren’t above using these sleazy tactics. Get your credit reports from AnnualCreditReport.com or the credit reporting bureaus directly, and don’t trust anyone else.

Posted on December 27, 2011 in How-to Guides, Rants, Saving Money, Scams
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Why November is the Best Time of Year to Stockpile Food

food stockpile Photo by mullica

November is my favorite time of year to go grocery shopping. With Thanksgiving and the holiday baking season rapidly approaching, the grocery stores have amazing sales on staples that normally don’t receive much of a discount at all. Canned goods and baking supplies, for example, often receive deep discounts. As a frugal shopper, now is an excellent opportunity to fill up your pantry on the cheap. Not only should you be stocking up on food for the upcoming holidays–these sales usually don’t extend into December–but you should be stocking up for the next several months if possible. Many of these staples have a shelf life that will last long past the holiday season. I still have chicken broth from an especially good sale last November that has a use-by date of mid-2012.

The great sales begin in early to mid-November and end on Thanksgiving. The best sales on baking supplies occur in the middle of the month about two weeks before Thanksgiving, so stock up on these items early. Canned goods are usually on sale throughout the entire month. Perishables and produce have their deepest discounts during the week of Thanksgiving.

November Sales to Watch Out For

Baking Supplies
Flour
Sugar
Butter
Baking powder
Marshmallows
Evaporated or Condensed milk
Yeast
Frosting
Cake, cookie, and brownie mixes
Pie crust
Shortening
Cocoa, baker’s chocolate, and chocolate chips
Whipped cream
Canned pumpkin

Thanksgiving Staples
Canned soup (especially soups that are used as an ingredient in recipes, e.g. cream of mushroom)
Canned vegetables
Chicken broth
Cranberry products
Gravy, gravy mixes, and gravy seasonings
Stuffing
French fried onions
Potatoes (the boxed variety)

Perishables
Turkey
Ham
Butter
Potatoes
Cabbage
Whipped Cream
Frozen vegetables

National Pomegranate Month

Additionally, November is National Pomegranate Month, so expect to see sales on pomegranates and pomegranate-flavored items.

Posted on November 6, 2011 in Food, Sales, Saving Money
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A Beginner’s Guide to Credit Unions

credit union guide Photo by Fibonacci Blue

With each week bringing new headlines about large banks raising fees or engaging in shady investment practices, more and more consumers are switching to credit unions out of protest. While I try to keep this blog free of politics, I am throwing my support behind the movement to transfer money away from for-profit banks and into not-for-profit credit unions. Joining a credit union is a great way to save money, support your community, and avoid exorbitant bank fees.

To show my continued support for credit unions (I’m already a proud member of PSECU), I’ve compiled a quick guide about credit unions and a list of educational links that readers may find useful.

What is a Credit Union?

A credit union is a financial institution that is owned and operated by its members. If you have a bank account at the credit union, then you have an ownership stake in the credit union itself. You even get a chance to appoint people to the Board of Directors by voting in credit union elections.

Credit unions adhere to a business model that can best be described as “not for profit, but for service.” Unlike the large corporate banks, the goal of a credit union is not to maximize profits for shareholders, but to best serve the members of the credit union. Profits earned by the credit union are passed along to its members in the form of competitive interest rates, lower fees, and dividends. Whereas Bank of America has no qualms about instituting $5 debit card fees while reporting billion dollar profits in the same month, your local credit union is working hard to make sure they never have to charge an expensive and unnecessary fee to remain solvent.

How to Find a Credit Union

Many people shy away from the idea of joining a credit union because they don’t know how to find one, or because they mistakenly believe that eligibility is based on employment. This is unfortunate, because there are a plethora of credit unions out there who accept members based on geographic location, family connections, and groups such as schools and churches. You don’t need an employer to join a credit union.

The best way to find a credit union is to use the National Credit Union Administration’s Find a Credit Union tool. Don’t be intimidated by the form; entering only your city and state is enough to return a list of credit unions in your area.

Further Reading about Credit Unions

The National Credit Union Administration is the government organization that oversees and insures America’s credit unions. The NCUA website has several excellent guides and tools for people who want to learn more about credit unions. I’ve listed some of their more useful links below and encourage readers to check them out.

Facts about Credit Unions (.PDF)

Why Should I Join a Credit Union?

What Is a Credit Union?

How Credit Unions Protect your Money

MyMoney.gov: Basic Financial Education for Newbies

Posted on October 27, 2011 in How-to Guides, News, Saving Money
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Don’t Let the New Bank Fees Get You Down. You Have Alternatives.

banksThe big banks have been making headlines lately for increasing fees on their basic checking accounts. Bank of America first announced a $5 fee for using debit cards, then, days later, Citibank announced it was also raising fees. Folks, you don’t need to put up with this BS. Protest these changes with your wallet and move your money to a bank or credit union that values you as a customer. This is not only a frugal way to save money, but it sends a message to these companies that consumers won’t stand for the new ridiculous fees.

How to Find a Credit Union

You can use the National Credit Union Administration’s Find a Credit Union Tool to locate a credit union near you. Don’t be intimidated by the long form; just choosing a state and clicking “Find” will bring up a list of all of the credit unions in your state. Start narrowing down the list from there.

How to Find a Bank

The best way to find a local bank without the fees is to use Bankrate.com’s Find a Checking Account Tool. Simply type in your zip code, and they will give you a list of banks in the area along with their minimum balance rates and fee schedules. This makes it extremely easy to compare local banks and find one without outrageous fees.

ING Direct: No Minimum Balances. No Fees. No BS.

I strongly recommend opening an account with ING Direct. I’ve had an account with them for years without a problem, and I haven’t been charged a single fee in that time. Additionally, they pay great interest on checking accounts. That”s right—they pay you to handle your money! Among other ING Direct perks:

  • No minimum balances. You do not need to maintain a minimum balance in your checking or savings accounts in order to earn interest or avoid fees.
  • No debit card fees.
  • Generous interest rates on savings accounts and checking.
  • Free use at over 35,000 Allpoint ATM locations.

The reason why ING Direct is able to keep its costs low is because it’s an online bank. The way ING Direct works is that you are required to have a “feeder” checking account at another bank, which you then use to transfer money to your ING Direct account. You can access your money from ING Direct by either transferring between the accounts or using your ING debit card to get cashback at stores or ATMs.

Posted on October 7, 2011 in How-to Guides, News, Saving Money
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