SofaCoins will help you save money today!

Saving on Tires, SofaCoins style....

Last week I got my car serviced at the dealership (a thing I only do because it's mandated by the company, because only they know how to turn off the computerized reminder and calibrate all the stuff, and because it maintains the resale value-- that said, I always ask for a discount, and I always get it). 

I had to leave my car there overnight so I walked home, and the next morning I got that totally ridiculous call "Hey, your rear tires are worn out--- do you want us to put on new ones?  It's only (insert outrageous number here)."     I was like "no thanks-- I'll get them at Costco," and from the shock in his voice I'm going to guess that alot of customers just take his word for it and pay the higher dealership price.

So-- the moral of this story is, I got the tire size from him, looked around on the internet, called Costco and Walmart, and finally found the lowest price at Costco.  They had to special-order them and I'm getting them put on this weekend, when I will also be taking in several price comparisons I did while I was waiting, just to see if they can give me further discounts.

I know, this sounds tedious, but the net savings was over $300, so I would consider that totally worth it.

Save even more with your Barnes & Noble member card....

I recently discovered this "Barnes & Noble Cafe" loophole, and I thought I'd share it with you.  I'm referring to the Starbucks that are located inside the Barnes & Noble (many of the big B & N stores have these).  Did you know that you can use your Barnes & Noble member discount card (the green one) to save 10% on your coffee there?  I did not.

Just another way to save money doing the things you were doing anyway, which (as far as I'm concerned) is the whole point of this blog.   For me, if it feels like I'm trying to save money, it's kind of like being on a diet, whereas if I'm building smart savings into my lifestyle, my life stays the same but I always have extra.  This makes me think of even more sneaky ways to save!

Save on dog stuff!

I don't think I've mentioned these things before, but I thought I would just throw out some "ways to save money on your dog," since my dog just had his annual check-up this week.  Baxter is a large mutt-type breed and is eight years old, which is just about the time dogs can start to develop health problems. 

Now, I'm going to interject here and say that because I have this large dog, I don't have a gym membership-- instead I walk the dog about four miles per day, which is good for me and keeps him really healthy.  As my vet told me last year, "In my world, there is nothing more expensive than a fat dog, just FYI."   

So, Baxter is really healthy, and I am trying to keep him that way.  Here are a strategies I employ under the "healthy dog, healthy wallet" category:

• Get the pet insurance.  I was skeptical about this at first, but get this-- I signed up for Pets Best insurance (www.petsbest.com).  The premium for Baxter is about $25 per month, but over the past year they've reimbursed me over $1,000 for two expensive vet trips (despite my rigorous walking schedule and insistence on a healthy diet and no table scraps, Baxter has developed pancreatitis in his old age).  So-- definitely worth the money!  If your pet is getting up there in years, insurance is a good idea.  Get it while they're healthy!
• Get discount pet food. DoggieFood.com is the best deal I've found for the Nupro vitamins my vet recommends-- at the vet it's 25 for a 30 oz. container, whereas on DoggieFood.com it's  $26 for 5 pounds.  Even with the shipping, you're still saving money on that.  They also have flea medicine and food. 
• Get food at Centinela Feed & Pet Supplies.  This is a Los Angeles-only tip, but I get the big bags of dog food at Centinela-- they are local and the people are cool, they usually have a coupon in the Sunday paper, AND they send out coupons via email.  Their prices definitely beat Petco's! 

Sign up to save at with the LADWP

Just found this out, and thought I'd pass it on!  If you live in the Los Angeles area and your utilities are provided by the LADWP, they are offering a sneaky way to save money!  Apparently the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power really wants you to sign up for their auto-pay program (you have to sign up with your checking account, just so you know-- no credit cards!).   I originally tried to just pay my LADWP bill through my bank's auto-pay, but had several times when the payment didn't get there (apparently the LADWP's 22-digit ID numbers get cut off sometimes, making it hard to actually get your money to the right place.)  In order to streamline on their side, they wants you to sign up through their auto-pay, which of course will save you the cost of checks and stamps, AND they'll give you $ 5 to do it.   It does take about ten minutes to actually sign up on the phone, but think of the money and time you'll save!  www.ladwp.com for more information (you can also sign up right on the website!).

Where to put your money....

So, I've been talking alot about sneaky ways to get the most out of your dollar, and occasionally I will mention where I think the best place is to put that extra money might be.  Of course (of course!) this is assuming that you have money to invest, which means you have an ample amount of savings (at least three months' worth of living expenses), you have ZERO credit card debt (as we've all agreed you're not making any money if you're paying 18% on credit cards and fees), and you have money left over.  Should you just keep banking it, with APYs on savings accounts falling on a daily basis?  

 

Here are a few things you could do, if you are so inclined.  Actually, these are just some things I am doing-- do not take this as me giving you financial advice-- just passing on information.

 

--Dollar Cost Average by buying stock for cheap.   I know, people are scared of the stock market right now, and it definitely is not the place for you if you can't afford to keep your money in there for the long term.  But, for stocks you already own, this might be a good time to get your Dollar Cost Average down by buying some more of it while it's cheap.  Right now I'm reviewing my portfolio to see if there's anything I bought in 2005 that I can supplement, and I'm focusing mainly on concrete things like consumer staples and energy, just because I think those things are going to keep being used in the future.  To answer your next question, no, I am not applying this philosophy to financial institution stock-- I have some of that I'm holding, and for now that's all I'm doing with it.   If you want to learn more about stocks, I would highly encourage you to visit the Motley Fool's excellent "Fool's School," which is where I started my investment knowledge journey.

Last Chance for Forever Stamps at 42 cents!

The first-class postage stamp is going up to 44 cents of Monday, May 11th, but you still have a last-minute chance to stock up on 42 cent "Forever" stamps.  You can pick these stamps up in bulk at Costco, where they are still offering a discount, or order them on the US Post Office Online, presumably through Sunday at midnight.  The post office will be honoring the "Forever" stamps.....forever, of course. 

Think stocking up to save 2 cents is crazy?  Think again....some people in Seattle are buying  4,000 at a time.  :)

Large Hearted Boy-- a great site, and free downloads!

As you might know, I had two books come out this week ( Hollywood Car Wash:  a novel) and Million Dollar Website, a non-fiction business book).  I've included the links to get those at a discount on Amazon, because we are all about saving money on this blog, right?

In the process of doing publicity for the novel, I discovered an amazing music-related site, Large Hearted Boy, which features interviews, music, and a TON of free downloads (like, one every day). You can see the interview I did for them right here:   http://www.largeheartedboy.com/.  I’m super excited to have been included in this program, which has also seen the likes of Bret Easton Ellis, Augusten Burroughs, and Mei-Ling Hopgood.    This gave me a chance to combine my two favorite things—music and writing—so you know I was all over that.  Go over there and read it—I think you will like it, and the site is a great find (lots of cool people, good music, and free downloads).  Bookmark it!

Real estate cheapness, part 2....

If you're interested in learning more about foreclosures/ property auctions, you will also want to take a look at Bid4Assets.com.  I would say don't pay a service fee for "foreclosure" lists when it's so easy to just check this site, or to go on Craigslist (keywords:  bank owned, foreclosure, or I also found alot of good stuff listed under "acres" that was unbelievably cheap).  You could also visit bank sites and look for what they've got on their books at the moment.  You will still need to have decent credit and a down payment (or cash for the whole thing), and good judgment (i.e. don't buy a crack house, even if it's $1,000, because it will be even more expensive to get everyone out and tear that house down).

Here are some other sites where you can look for government-owned, bank-owned, or otherwise under-market property:

Bank of America has literally thousands of bank-owned properties in their database, just in the state of California.  Take a look!

Countrywide Bank has a different (and much longer) list, even though Bank of America now owns them.    Seriously, sit down with some coffee and go through this one.

You can also find a list of lists (I know, usually I don't suggest these types of things, but this is a good one) over at http://www.thedirectoriescompany.com/reos.htm

More about real estate......

Since we're talking about real estate, I would also like to mention that there are some screamin' deals to be out there as long as you're prepared to buy and hold, and (in some cases) willing to do some work.

 

Here in L.A., we have the Los Angeles County Tax Auction twice a year.  This is the auction for property for which the tax has not been paid, but unlike other counties where you could pay the taxes off and essentially own the property, in Los Angeles they auction them off all at once.  If you're interested in learning more, visit the L.A. County Treasurer and Tax Collector.  I went to the auction a few years ago, and will say-- you need to go with basically a suitcase full of cash, as some of these properties get bid up pretty high, although getting a $2 million house for $400,000 is still a very good deal.  

Do it yourself: property tax review

If you own property in Los Angeles that you bought within the last five years, chances are something good can come out of this economic downturn for you.   You might be eligible for a "Decline in Value Reassessment" if the value of the properties in your neighborhood are currently less than what you paid.  Why is this good?  Because if they reassess your property, you pay less property tax.  Visit the website of the L.A. County Assessor to read more about this.

 

Another part of this story is that this process is easy to do yourself, so PLEASE don't use one of the multiple "middleman" services that are sending unsolicited letters to homeowners all over the state.  The L.A. County Assessor's office is even warning against using these services, which you can read about here.  So, do yourself a favor (and save yourself the $179 fee), visit the Assessor's website and fill out the one-page application for reassessment yourself.  This could save you thousands of dollars!