Following Wal-Mart’s announcement in late September that stores across the country would expand last year’s holiday come-on of ten toys priced at $10 to 100 toys this year. The list includes such desirables as the New Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Deluxe Action Figures, board games including Monopoly and Battleship, Tonka trucks with light and sound, the Play=Doh Burger Builder Set (for those young wannabe burger-flippers in your family, and even a Nerf sword. Among other items.

So it was probably to be expected that competitor Target would come up with an alternative plan to get shoppers into the stores during what is expected to be a dismal holiday shopping season. Target’s come-on is to offer a selection of toys discounted up to 50%. Whether that offers more savings to cash-strapped parents than the guaranteed low prices at Wal-Mart remains to be seen.

For parents who really have to buy a few ‘regular’ toys for young children this may be a good deal, as there are unlikely to be any new Transformers or Nerf swords at Goodwill. But definitely keep the resale outlets in your planning, for such things as winter coats, dress-ups for girls, trikes and bicycles, those ubiquitous plastic child cars and play sets, etc. And it’s always possible to find one-of-a-kind items they just don’t make any more that would be perfect for someone on your list. Kitchen canisters, spice racks (may have to give empty), wooden utensil sets and many other things that are more opportunistic than planned as gifts.

The whole 50% off thing sort of reminds me of when I got a 2-day job in North Chicago while my husband was in A-School (Navy) many long years ago. I had small children and he was only there for 10 weeks, so getting a regular full-time job was very unlikely. It was at the area’s Carson Pirie and Scott department store for an upcoming late summer half price sale. One day helping prepare, and the opening day of the sale as floor help in Women’s Wear.

I showed up at the appointed hour, the store was closed in preparation for the sale. Turned out our job as temps was to replace the price tags on all the items in our departments – with the ‘original’ price doubled so the sale price underneath was exactly the same as full price was just yesterday. What a scam! Then the next day we braced ourselves against the huge crowd of revved-up shoppers who had been waiting for hours on the sidewalk. Nothing can really prepare you for watching a bunch of frenzied women with credit cards literally fighting over bras, sweaters, skirts, dresses, jeans and other items they only THINK they’re getting cheap. Clothes were flying everywhere, some things got ripped in half. It disgusted me enough that I never have trusted sales gimmicks ever since.

It wouldn’t hurt to check up on the going prices for some of those items you’re supposed to think you’re getting a great price on before you go to the big box stores to spend hard earned money. You might really be saving on that $20 item now going for $14.99, but you could be making it up on that peripheral item that’s been marked up to double. It might be a really pretty candy plate with angels and Aunt Ruth would love it, but if your experience suggests you could get the same useless item at the Dollar Store for $2, $9.99 is way too much. Retail is a little like a gambling casino. Sure, there are occasional winners, but the house always wins in the end.

My eldest grandson graduated from high school in the top 10% of his class a couple of months ago, for which we are inordinately proud – he was taking courses like advanced biology, pre-calc, physics and advanced literature/writing, which most kids around here avoid like the plague. Now we’re facing the costs of getting him through college, since we raised him and of course we will.

We have had to seriously crimp some of our expectations about how this could happen, as things have changed both personally and societally since our children were in college. First, they don’t give out full scholarships to incoming freshmen around here, no matter how well they do in high school. You have to start with your basic Pell Grant and complete at least two semesters before you’re eligible for scholarship or extra grant money. The Pell Grant won’t come in until the second semester because the process doesn’t even start until the student’s already enrolled, so tuition must be paid up front out of pocket, along with all fees and the cost of textbooks.

So for our grandson, we have made concessions. He will work for his father in another state through the fall, save up money to be put toward tuition, books and transportation (or one of those, since they’re all necessities). That means not starting college until January. That will give us time to save for the tuition.

We’ve also decided to begin his academic career at the area community college rather than the university his mother graduated from, because the first year or two is just basic requirements, the CC offers them in a straight transfer program, and the cost is less than a third what the university costs for a full-time student. That way if he does well, he can get into the scholarship system quickly, including those from university when it’s time to make the change.

Tuition at our Community College is less than $700 per semester, which leaves $300 from the basic level Pell Grant to pay for everything else. $300 won’t even buy him lunch, so saving on the cost of books – which can often add up to tuition for the course – is required. Luckily, the CC here knows it’s in an official “economically depressed region” and offers cool alternatives. Most courses have online sources for lesson material, so students needn’t purchase textbooks at all. There’s also a lively book exchange, a used book option, and even a lending library on campus. So we’re hoping to get by at least the first year without having to buy any books at all.

At higher levels, however, he’s going to WANT to purchase books – he’ll want to keep them forever, as source material he can readily access in his future life. So I have found a couple of sources of very good information on how to save a bundle on college textbooks. If you’ve got someone in or getting ready for college, the tips will serve you very well! Check them out:

10 Tips: Save on college textbooks
MSNBC: 10 ways to save on college textbooks

The New York Times reported on Monday, April 14 that Co-Payments Soar for Drugs With High Prices as the nation’s largest health insurers struggle to keep their profits high and their payments for health care low. The new pricing system forces patients taking name-brand medications to pay a percentage of the cost rather than a fixed co-payment of $10 to $30 a month for each medication they take.

The situation, and plans for a public demonstration in San Francisco during the AHIP annual meeting on June 19th are outlined in Insurers target the sickest: Say bye bye to $20 prescription co-pays.

This means that the burden of increasingly expensive health care now affects the insured, who may now have to pay thousands of dollars a month for medications in addition to their high monthly premiums and treatment co-pays and deductibles. America’s sickest citizens are once again being abandoned by a system that was originally designed to spread the costs of their care across a large pool that includes healthier people. Insurers say the new system will keep everyone’s premiums down, just at the time of year that Americans are discovering that they must pay double or more for the same health insurance they had last year. That’s not a very impressive system, considering that all other developed nations on the planet have universal health care.

Thus this installment of the series of inexpensive health care tips will offer some alternatives for obtaining drugs that may be beyond your ability to afford.

Because large public hospitals and smaller hospitals serving the public in smaller towns make up the backbone of the American health care delivery system are also being driven to bankruptcy by greedy insurers who increasingly refuse to pay for covered services [see Health Insurance Racket as Organized Crime and People of New York vs. Vampires], the gaps in our system are quickly widening and threatening to sink doctors, nurses, hospitals and clinics in the process.

The first place a strapped citizen should try to contact, even if s/he does not qualify for Medicaid or other subsidized health care plans is the Department of Health and Human Services in their area – the good ol’ Health Department (search for “health department” and your state or city). Most health departments offer both sick and well child services, just call ahead to find out what days they are available – you don’t want to be taking a well child in for immunizations or flu shots on sick child day, where they’ll be exposed to God knows what. Immunizations and flu shots are one of their specialties. The same services are available on certain days for adults, just make your inquiries ahead of time. If medications are prescribed, the patient is usually informed of generic alternatives, referred to pharmacies that partner with HHS for low cost, and some will give brochures for pharmaceutical company free drug programs if the medication is expensive or long-term.

Some localities also offer free or low cost clinics staffed by volunteer doctors and nurses a few days a week. Again, these physicians will usually know if there are generic drugs that can substitute for higher cost name brand drugs, and prescribe accordingly. Walmart offers $4 prescriptions on a general basis, and some states also have drug assistance programs. Often, just getting prescriptions filled at Walmart or another participating chain pharmacy is cheaper than using the deductible schedule, even for the insured or Medicare/Medicaid patients.

If you or someone in your family suffers from a condition for which the best drug treatments are solely brand name and very expensive (or you take a sufficient number of prescriptions to put a serious dent in your income), the big pharmaceutical companies offer free and low cost prescriptions directly via funded programs. If your doctor or health department doesn’t give you the information you need, you can search on the manufacturer’s name and go to their website. They usually have readily accessible links to their programs, or you can do an internal search. SelectCare Benefits Network has some programs and offers useful links for health care professionals as well as patients to get them started on finding free medicines and prescription assistance programs.

In the next installment in this series, we’ll take a look at ways to gain access to doctors, tests and (not prescription) treatments for conditions without going broke. Good luck to all out there as we weather the necessary growing pains that accompany our shift from private, for-profit health care to a modern system that offers health care to all citizens without fomenting class warfare. Keep your chin up, there ARE alternatives!

Links:

Discount Drug Company Assistance Programs
Department of Health and Human Services
Walmart $4 prescriptions
SelectCare Benefits Network

Previous Posts About Health and Health Care:

Inexpensive Health Care Tips – Intro
Inexpensive Health Care Tips – 2
Inexpensive Health Care Tips – 3
Medical Rationing and Medical Tourism
Basic Health Maintenance: Part I
Basic Health Care Maintenance: Part II
Shoestring Budget: Nutrition Posts

If you enjoy Selena’s video, don’t forget to check out her blog! There’s plenty more knowledge where that came from…

Previous Posts About Thrifting:

Thrifting: It’s An Art Form!
Credit Crunch: How to Survive the Recession
Living on Less: The Alternative Economies
The Payoff: Thrifting and Re-Selling
Free Yourself from Debtor’s Prison
Tips for Avoiding Pressure to Shop
Craig’s List: Great Resource or Scary Place?

We’ve covered the subject of thrifting, or purchasing second hand, but there are times when you’ve just got to have new. Shoes, socks and underwear, new clothes, winter coats, household items, art and craft supplies, whatever. If your budget is tight, before you go shopping you might wish to find out where the factory outlet stores and discount outlets in your area are.

These are retail outlets that carry factory-direct items, seconds, and clothing, shoes, coats, bedding or household items in discontinued styles or colors. The prices are significantly lower than can be found at most stores, and the products are usually made in America.

Living on a shoestring budget requires a person to be resourceful, and it doesn’t hurt to remember some of the things you were taught in Home Ec classes, like how to sew. Many community colleges offer evening classes where you can learn the basics for a small fee. Schools, churches and businesses often offer evening classes in crafting, where you may find that you’ve a real flair for making things yourself.

For instance, my daughter and grandson went shopping at an outlet store last weekend. He bought a nice pair of goth-style pants for $8 because they were missing a drawstring on the hem of one leg. He got a dark green collared shirt with shoulder tabs for $4 because it’s a discontinued style. And my daughter got a nice pair of black slacks for $1 because one of the back pockets is stitched closed. You have to inspect factory seconds carefully before you buy, make sure that what’s wrong is something you can live with or fix yourself. If the zipper is broken, you should know how to install a new zipper. If the arms in that shirt are two different lengths, you probably won’t want it (unless your arms are two different lengths).

I’ve seen winter coats at the coat factory outlet for $10 in discontinued styles that will keep you plenty warm and look very nice. I’ve bought shoes for $10 or less that last just as long as $50 shoes and are every bit as fashionable. In many cities a group of factory outlet stores can be found all together in a strip mall. And because I live in an area where there are several textile factories, there are outlets for fabrics and accessories as well. At one, there is a bin of stuffed comforter fabric that goes for $3 a pound – all it needs is binding on the edges and a pound is enough to spread 2 full sized beds.

Getting supplies for crafts and useful items (like comforters) at deep discounts also allows you to make gifts for people that are very much appreciated. Weddings and showers, Christmas and birthdays, baby things. You’d be surprised how much money people spend on gifts over a year’s time, and there’s always an occasion coming up where someone would be thrilled to get something you’ve made yourself.

It takes a little investigative work to find the outlets in your area, but they should be listed in the local yellow pages. With a plan of action and an itinerary you won’t waste any gas getting around, either. Many craft and wedding supplies can be purchased at deep discount over the internet direct from the factories, supply warehouses or on eBay. When money is tight you don’t have to do without, you just have to restrain the urge to make impulse purchases or shop at higher-end stores. There’s no reason to pay a hundred dollars for a winter coat at the mall when you could buy the identical coat at a factory outlet for $25.

And the big up-side to learning how to buy at discount and make things yourself is that your family, friends and neighbors will notice. Before you know it you could be organizing fun shopping excursions with your friends, and might be earning a little money by creating centerpieces, door prizes, wall wreaths and silk arrangements for other people’s weddings, banquets and baby showers!

Links:

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Household Solutions

Peak Directory: Online Discount Outlets

Discount Craft Supplies

Anything Crafts