With a family of four, I am always looking for ways to save money.  But I do not want to save on things I don’t need in the first place.  The HomeESP Savings Center has a calculator that lets me -at a glance- see how much I can save on meals and activities that my family and I will do anyway.  Using my recent years’ experience, I plugged in some numbers to see how much I could save for me and my family.  (It’s an easy calculator to use – see for yourself.)

I have friends at work who eat lunch out every day but I said that I would eat out lunch twice each week.  More than 1 person can use most coupons so if you have anyone else in your family that can use the coupons, be sure to add them in for bigger savings.  My family eats out about once a week and we are pizza junkies so  we order pizza once a week.  We also love bowling, minigolf and movies and seem to be able to pack up the family for a theme park road trip at least once each year.  My husband and I attend less shows than we would like to but will attend at least one show each year.  And my kids send flowers or chocolates to their grandmothers each Mothers Day.  If I plug in my numbers, which I believe are on the low side, my estimated savings adds up to over $1,000.00 yearly.  That’s huge.

And the calculator underestimates how much I can save with the Savings Center because it does not include the Saving Center Grocery Coupons.  The other day, I clicked on the Coupons tab and got to save money on butter, cereal and pet supplies at the supermarket.  The calculator also does not add the value of the big discounts you can get for your online or store shopping at places like Target, ACE Hardware or Walgreens, and many other big brand name local and national retailers.  They have deals on:

• Home & Garden
• Clothing - both Everyday & Special Occassion
• Consumer Electronics
• Fine & Casual dining
• Hotel stays and Car rentals
• Movie tickets & video rentals
• Indoor & outdoor recreation      ... just to name a few.

At last count, there were nearly 290,000 locations participating in the Savings Center nationwide.

Plug in your numbers and see how much you can save with HomeESP’s Savings Center.

To visit the Savings Center for immediate discounts and coupons (you must be a member), click here.
To become a HomeESP member and, among other things, get the exclusive membership benefits including the Savings Center, click here.

As a new member to HomeESP, I checked out the Savings Center to find discounts, both online and for stores where I shop.  Frankly, I always look for a good deal.
And saving money with the HomeESP Savings Center just got faster, easier and even more rewarding. This Product Search, the latest benefit in the Savings Center gives you one place to discover savings on millions of great products. Simply enter the item you want, and enjoy top deals from the world’s best brands.

I needed a couple of things and found the Saving Center's Product Search tab where I could easily compare what was available and at what price.  Maybe there would be some discount coupons as well...

You get what you pay for.  It’s as true today as it’s ever been.  When you buy an inferior product, it will cost less at the outset, but often has a short warranty.  Sometimes a lesser brand will add a long or lifetime warranty to improve its image and ability to sell its products, which can make a purchasing decision a little more complicated.  Buying a product with a lifetime warranty can mean a higher cost at the outset, but provides a measure of comfort and reduced total cost of ownership over time.  Higher quality can mean lower cost, when you take a long view.

Recently we had three product failures that required us to make a claim on lifetime warranties.  Here’s what they were and what we experienced:

Child’s trundle bed frame from Charles P. Rogers.  We have a Marseilles iron trundle bed that is 10 years old.  A weld on the headboard broke as a result of years of kids bouncing on the bed.  The tab that holds the headboard onto the frame rails separated from the headboard.  The people on the phone at Charles P. Rogers were very nice, service-oriented and helpful.  They pledged to honor the warranty and gave me instructions to drop off the frame or ship it (at my cost).  It took me about six weeks to get around to shipping the headboard, and they actually called me to find out if I still needed service.  Finally, I got my tools and took the bed apart, and after  $100 or so in packing and shipping expense and about a week and a half later, the headboard was returned, major (kid inflicted) paint chips touched up and with a bottle of touch up paint.  I feel compelled to give this company an “A” for overall performance and good customer service experience.  http://www.charlesprogers.com/

Down comforter from The Company Store.  Linens manufactured in this catalog merchant’s La Crosse, WI facility are covered by a lifetime warranty.  Our seven-year-old down comforter’s fabric became brittle over the summer and ripped as we made the bed one morning.  A call to The Company Store 800-number (800-323-8000)

Thanks to the energy choice program.  You can now choose where you purchase your electricity supply. Your utility will continue to deliver the electricity, read your meter and handle all billing and maintenance but now you could be paying less for the supply portion of your bill. It's the electricity you've always relied on at rates you have always wanted.

Simply become a customer and each month that you use over 250 kilowatt-hours we'll begin donating $1 to a charity of your choice. Typically, customers use over 750 kilowatt-hours per month so almost everyone will qualify each month.