^{Call Rod Potter today at (704)840-4137 if you looking to buy or sell a home.}

14 ways to save when dining out

1.Slash your everyday expenses. Think one less specialty coffee, soft drink and candy bar a week.

2. Keep your eyes open for new restaurants in town. They typically offer grand opening specials.

3. Check your local newspapers for advertisements of lunch and dinner specials, early bird specials; look for coupons, too.

4. Take advantage of the chambers of commerce and visitors centers — even in your own town. You’ll find great restaurant discount coupons.

5. Limit eating lunch out; try brown bag lunches.

6. Do lunch instead of dinner. Lunch menus usually offer the same entrees as dinner, just smaller portions and a smaller check.

7. Dine out during the week rather than on the weekends. Often the menu prices climb over the weekend.

8. Go vegetarian. Vegetarian entrees are usually less expensive than ones made with meat.

9. Go ethnic. Some ethnic foods are better bargains than others. You can get a lot of food for the money in Chinese, Mexican, Italian, Indian and Thai restaurants.

10. Dine early. Many restaurants offer specials before 6 p.m. It’s perfect for making a show on time or for parents who need to make an early night of it.

11. Share an entrée or stick with the appetizer menu. Many restaurants serve portions that are too large for one person to finish.

12. The markup on alcoholic beverages in restaurants is high. Instead of having a drink with dinner, have a glass of wine or some brandy after you get home.

13. Have a candlelight dinner at home, and then go out for coffee and dessert.

14. Instead of eating in a restaurant, order out! It’s customary to tip a few dollars to the delivery person, but not as much as at a restaurant, where the usual tip is 15 percent to 20 percent.

^{Call Rod Potter today at (704)840-4137 if you looking to buy or sell a home.}

32 ways to save when grocery shopping

1. Trim your food bill by as much as 19 percent simply by shopping at a couple of different stores.
2. Don’t “crisis cook.” Shopping after work for the day’s dinner gets expensive. Plan a weekly menu before shopping and watch your grocery bill shrink.
3. Don’t waste money on prepared foods. Instead, prepare meals ahead of time and freeze them, or double a recipe when cooking, and freeze the second for a hectic day coming up.
4. Don’t be fooled by familiar products, such as cereal, that have decreased package sizes while keeping prices constant, the food industry’s latest response to rising costs.
5. Take the farmer’s market approach: Buy produce that’s fresh, inexpensive and in season. With less middlemen involved, you get good buys and your family gets the freshest food.
6. The highest markup items on the shelves are at about chest level. Reach up or kneel down to select the cheaper house or generic brands.
7. A grocery store’s main aisles, like the paths to milk and bread, are usually strewn with high-priced land mines. Avoiding those pricey areas will really help.
8. Try to shop when you’re alone. Those little helpers can quickly boost your bill.
9. Shop early in the day. You get through the store faster with your list and spend less.
10. Avoid shopping for food when you’re hungry; you’ll buy more.
11. Don’t grocery shop when you’re tired, you’ll buy more sweets, more high-carbohydrates. When you’re angry you go for crunch food, the junk food.
12. Buy on the markdowns and save as much as 20 percent.
13. Read your newspaper’s weekly food section for local grocery sales and menu ideas.
14. Clip coupons. You’ll also find coupons in women’s and general-interest magazines.
15. Scout coupon swap-boxes, generally found at (surprise!) supermarkets, but also at some public libraries.
16. Take advantage of in-store coupon displays and the machines that spew them.
17. Log on to your supermarket’s online home page for coupons.
18. Call the toll-free numbers on your favorite products’ labels and tell the customer-service rep how much you enjoy them. Some reps will offer cents-off (or even free) coupons for the product itself; if not, ask.
19. Nab a newsie. Does your newspaper vendor just dump the inserts in unsold papers at the end of the day? If so, would he mind tossing a few your way?
20. Check out the wealth of national-brands coupon-offering services on the Web. They can save you money — even the ones that charge nominal fees.
21. Seek out supermarkets that will double — some super stores even triple — the face value of manufacturers’ coupons.
22. Try for triple plays. That’s when you use a manufacturer’s coupon and a store’s own coupon.
23. Some retailers guarantee that if the item doesn’t ring up at the correct price, you get it for free or at a discount. Pay attention to the details.
24. Avoid purchasing nongrocery items, such as painkillers, contact lens solution, etc., at a grocery store. You usually pay more.
25. Always get a rain check if a sale item is gone.
26. Know when your store marks down goods that expire, like meat and bread. The deal: Use them that night or freeze them.
27. Check your store for a small section where they discount products that aren’t as popular as the manufacturer had hoped. This area can be a gold mine for bargains.
28. Shop with a calculator. That way, you can figure whether the unit price for a case lot is really cheaper than buying one of the same item.
29. Request price matching. Find a store in your area that will honor all competitors’ ads. You’ll save money, time and gas.
30. Beware of “discount store syndrome.” Just because you’re in a bargain store doesn’t mean you’re getting the best price on every item.
31. Check your receipts. No matter how careful you or the store staff might be, mistakes happen.
32. Always send in for the rebate on a purchase whether it’s $2 or $50. It all adds up.
33. Put your savings to work. Whether it’s a trip, a car or a savings account, have some specific goals for the money you’re not spending on food.

Just interesting information that I thought you would like to know.

Square begins taking orders for free credit card reader

Incoming search terms for the article:

• absolutely the coolest thing ever

HAVE YOU HAD DAMAGE DONE TO YOUR ROOF BY HAIL???

You may be eligible to receive a new roof for your home at no cost.   If you are trying to sell a house that has a damaged roof maybe be eligible for a new roof, adding 10-20% value to their home, and thus making it more apt to sell.   I also know of a roofing company that will pay up to $500 of the deductible and your insurance pays for the roof and labor.  The best part is that your insurance premiums will probably not go up because of this claim.

The process proceeds as follows….

You contact your insurance agent and the insurance agent sets a time to have an adjuster meet a roofing contractor.  At that time, the adjuster takes pictures of the damage and declares whether the roof needs replacing.  Your insurance company then issues a check for the intial purchase of the materials and upon the completion the insurance company issues a second check for the labor.

We as insurance customers pay premiums every month and rarely make a claim.  This is an opportunity to use a service that we pay for.

The roofing company that I mentioned above is highly mentioned with the BBB and is listed on Angies List. However, you can pick any roofing contractor.

Call me today to discuss this at (704)840-4137.

Incoming search terms for the article:

• INSURANCE COMPANY BUY NEW ROOF