PennySaverUSA.com Blog – The Best Resource for Online Classifieds, Coupons, and Online Contests!

They say baseball is is America’s favorite past time, but everyone knows that’s not true. America’s favorite past time is garage sales! Every year as soon as the first breezes of Spring begin to blow, before the first blooms begin to show their faces, they begin popping up everywhere, bringing millions of people out to search for bargains and antiques, baby clothes and Tupperware, and millions of others setting up sales to rid their homes of all the unwanted stuff that they probably bought at a, well, a garage sale. Like the seasons of the year, it’s an endless cycle.

If you’re going to be on the selling end this year and setting up your own sale you should know that there may not be any wrong way to do it exactly, but there are better ways. One of the first things to think about is of course getting people to come to your sale. And one of the best ways to do that is to post a free garage sale ad on PennySaverUSA.com. Many bargain hunters use the classifieds to find garage sales in their area and devise a plan of attack. Written well, a garage sale classified ad can be a very effective method of getting eager buyers to your door step. Here are a few things to consider when taking out an ad.

• Include good directions. Nothing is more frustrating to a garage sale hunter to see only an address listed in an ad. Unless you live on a major street most people probably won’t know where the little drive in your subdivision is. Directions should be clear and easy to understand but also concise. Start out with a major intersection or well known landmark close to your home and write as though you were telling a friend how to get there, but again keep it brief and uncomplicated.
• Make sure the date of the sale is at the beginning and stands out, and include what hours you plan on being open for business. You’re going to have early birds showing up no matter what but that’s just a part of the garage sale reality. It’s also a good idea to include a rain date if you have one.
• Include a brief description of what types of items you’ll be selling. This doesn’t have to be long, but it should be as diverse as possible and directed at the widest range of interests, and written in a general way. If all you have are clothes, say so and what kind, no sense having folks show up looking for tools if you don’t have any.
• Pictures aren’t really necessary for a garage sale classified ad. Everyone knows what a garage sale looks like. For most people looking for sales in the classifieds, it’s a “just the facts please ma’am” mentality.

A garage sale classified ad, written clearly and concisely with all the important details included can be the best way to insure you’ll have a successful, and profitable, garage sale experience.

Back to school shopping is an exciting time for children and a stressful time for parents. As the fall approaches, many parents’ thoughts are turning to how to save money on back-to-school items. The start of the school year can be tough on your household budget. School supplies seem to get more expensive each year and it’s amazing how quickly supplies lists can tally up into large expenses. Doing this for multiple children for years can put a strain on any family budget. Luckily, there are some easy ways to make the back-to-school purchase season less daunting.

If you are worried about your ability to pay for school supplies, this year, there are some surprisingly simple ways to help make the start of the school year easier.

Start at home

Begin by thoroughly investigating office supplies and school supplies you already have. We often have supplies tucked away that we may have forgotten about. Open drawers, and you’re likely to find a forgotten stash of #2 pencils, a random pack of erasers, or unused rolls of tape. Also, many school supplies such as pencil sharpeners used by older siblings, can easily be reused. Plain office supplies, such as white binders, can be redecorated with pictures and markers to be unique.

Think outside of the box

Parenting Magazine suggests doing basic school shopping at the grocery stores. You can easily browse circulars for bargains and coupons that might not be available in traditional school supply stores. In the same vein, hit the various end of summer sales for back to school clothes. Clothes for warm weather can be worn through most of the fall and can be used again come spring.

Buy Used or “Un-Used” Items

Search both the printed classified ads in the PennySaver, and back-to-school online listings at PennySaverUSA.com. Look online for common back-to-school items that someone may be trying to unload. Often, used items are simply products of which someone purchased too many. They may have never actually been used. Families that have children who have gone away to college, or who have completed their academic years, will often place items from their childrens’ room on sale in the fall. It’s the perfect opportunity to purchase reduce price books, toys and furniture that are in near perfect condition, for considerably less money than if you were to purchase new in store.

Shop Online

Everything seems to be online now, even back to school shopping. Look for online offers and savings. Many stores and companies email discounts or post coupons and deals to their blogs during this time of year.  Some companies and website even offer online freebies for back-to-school items. Sign up for our Free Friday Newsletter, to never miss out on another freebie again. Rather than heading straight for the nearest retail location, do some surfing online first. You will be surprised at how much you can save.

When you are ready to start looking for savings on back-to-school purchases for your student’s list, there are a number of ways to save money and keep your family budget in check for the coming year. These tips will definitely help you start on the right foot.

It’s Summer, and as the temperature rises so do your electricity bills. It doesn’t have to be that way. In this Save Money Monday blog, we’re going to provide you with household tips to cut down costs on your electricity bills this Summer and through the rest of the year.

Turn off the Lights

Whenever you’re leaving a room, turn off the lights. Even if you may have the intention of returning within a few minutes, you can easily become distracted, and those few minutes can turn into an hour or more–resulting in a waste of electricity and your money.

Replace any incandescent light bulbs in your home with compact fluorescent bulbs.

Use Compact Fluorescent Bulbs

If you know you’re the forgetful kind, and probably won’t heed the first tip very diligently, then replace any incandescent light bulbs in your home with compact fluorescent bulbs instead. These light bulbs not only use less electricity–saving about 50% when it comes to lighting, but they also emit less heat, reducing your air condition usage. These can be found at many home supplies/hardware stores.

Limit Electricity Usage at Peak Times

For most areas, peak electricity times are during the daytime. Utility companies capitalize on this, and charge you a higher rate during peak hours. If you’re at work during the day, make sure everything is turned off before you leave. If you’re at home during peak hours, open the windows and let the natural sunlight in. Save money and electricity by doing the laundry and washing the dishes late at night or early in the morning.

Turn Off/Unplug Appliances

You can easily save on your monthly electricity bill by turning off or unplugging appliances that are not in use. Some appliances will continue to use a small amount of electricity on a constant basis, even if it’s not in use. Over an extended period of time, the small but consistent usage adds up and leads to more money out of your pocket every month.

Buy Energy Star Appliances

When buying new appliances, look for those that have the Energy Star label. These appliances have been rated by the government and are energy efficient. They are usually slightly more expensive, but save you more during the lifetime usage of the appliance.

Use your Appliances Efficiently

Whether you have or don’t have Energy Star appliances, you can use the appliances that you do have in more energy-efficient ways. For example, when using the dishwasher or doing the laundry, make sure you have full loads and use energy and/or water saving modes.

While most of these tips seem to be just minor adjustments, when combined they can really add up. In today’s economy, every single penny counts, that’s why you’ve got PennySaverUSA to help you out.