Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

We just want to take a few minutes and wish all our readers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!  For some of you 2010 may have been challenging with budget cuts, layoffs and cutbacks, but lets look forward to a bright and prosperous 2011 as we set new goals and resolutions to become more physically, emotionally, and financially fit.  We'd love to hear from you so let us know how your new year is shaping up and if you have some specific topics you'd like us to discuss.  Once again, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Sincerely,

Greg and Jody Roche
Be Frugal Live Wealthy

Check your receipt, it may save you money!!

We went out at 5 am to brave the crazy drivers, determined shoppers, and door busting sales to save some money on our Christmas shopping.  After all we can sleep later right?  After we spent several hours at 3 different stores, making sure the items were marked right and the rebates were correct and going over item by item I asked Jody if she would mind going over the receipt with me to make sure we weren't overcharged.  It was well worth it to take a few minutes to scan our receipt for errors.  Below I've given some tips on checking your receipt.

• Don't throw away your receipt!!! - If you throw away your receipt you may regret it later.  If you choose to take back your item you may only get an in-store credit instead of a full refund.
• Check you receipt right after you go through the checkout stand - If you wait until you get into the car or at home you may forget or think it's not worth it and throw your receipt away.   You may have passed up pennies or maybe even dollars
• Make a mental note or write down the prices of the items as they are checked - My wife keeps a good tab on the prices of the items and likes to monitor them as they are rung up.  This way she's able to make corrections before the money even comes out of her pocket
• Make sure you can see your discount on the receipt - If the checker charges you full price make sure you see a discounted amount.  Some stores put their discounted amounts right after the respective item and others show the discounted value on the bottom of the receipt.  We like to see them right after the item because this allows you to see it right away.  If it's at the bottom of the receipt it's difficult to keep your discounts straight and accurate.

We had an experience the other day that emphasized the need to check your receipt.  We had purchased some Christmas lights and made sure we kept the receipt.  We paid a certain price for the lights but thought we had paid more, so when we took it back we received less than we expected.  We checked our receipt and found it was our mistake.

If you have an experience or a tip that allows you to save money by keeping and checking your receipt, make a comment on this blog.

Thank you,