Liz C.'s Page

I just participated in a focus group for the first time. It took 2 hours, and I earned $125 immediately. I didn't search a group out; my husband's coworker told us about it because she has participated in the past.

The lady from the focus group company contacted me, asked me basic questions, and since the date and time was agreeable to me (and because it would earn me $125 for two hours of my time), I signed up. It required a little "homework" assignment, to bring to the group, making a collage… Continue

I found a great grocery-shopping tip in a book this past week. I tried it out and liked it.

Instead of trying to remember and write out a new grocery list for each weekly trip, you can save some time, forget less items, and avoid extra trips to the store.

- Make a list of all the groceries you need. All. I printed a list out from www.printablechecklists.com
- Make a batch of copies of the list
- Each week, before your grocery store trip, highlight the items you need.
- You can mark with a "C"… Continue

This is a follow-up to my blog-post a couple weeks ago.

Thanks all for the tips. Here is a quick update... I have had some successes, some failures the past two weeks trying to be creative and find more savings:
1. Shopping Insurance policies - I got quotes for comparable insurance policies for our vehicles. I found no deal better than my current deal.
2. Reduce communiting costs - I attempted to take an alternative route on the way home from work, same milage but less tolls, in the hopes of sa… Continue

For years, my best friend and I have dreamed of a Vegas bachelorette trip. For my pre-wedding events 4 years ago, we stayed local. For her celebration this fall, we MUST go! When I was in my 20’s, even with a dismal cash flow, I would have thrown caution to the wind & put all the trip expenses on the plastic, with a giant (stupid) smile on my face. I know better now, right?

I currently don’t make the same decisions I used to make in my 20’s! My husband and I dug ourselves out of credit card… Continue