Sense to Save

Hey recent grads: I want to tell you something

My husband and I graduated from college last May. It’s amazing that almost a year has passed since then! A ton of changes have happened to us since then–getting married, moving 400 miles from home, starting new jobs, etc. (and that’s a big etc.!).

I didn’t actually attend commencement.

I remember not wanting to pay the $60 or whatever to rent a graduation gown. I was unimpressed with the choice of commencement speaker. The kicker: Nobody would announce my name to the masses, and I would not walk across a stage in front of my family. I guess you’ll have that when you go to a large state school.

Anyway, it didn’t sound like a good use of my day, and I didn’t really want to put my family through sitting through a boring ceremony. I don’t regret not attending.

So. If there are any soon-to-be college grads reading this blog, I’d like to tell you a few things.

1. I’m really sorry about the timing of your graduation and the state of the economy. If you haven’t already found a job, it can be tough finding something suitable. Don’t settle for a career-type job doing something that you hate. If you do, you could be stuck there for awhile. Your life shouldn’t be spent in misery.

Instead, if you don’t yet have a job lined up, talk with your folks and see if they’d be open to you living with them while you job-searched. Work part-time somewhere to have some money coming in, and be sure to pay for your own food and kick back some money to cover some “rent.” Remember, this is a temporary situation, but it could help you avoid settling on a terrible job and/or going into mounds of debt while you job-search in your own apartment. On the surface, it could look like you’re wimping out, but really, it could save you a lot of hassle.

2. Once you’re hired somewhere, don’t spend your first paycheck before you get it. Don’t try to buy a new car just yet, and don’t move into the fanciest apartment you can find. Live cheaply for at least your first few months out of college, and I promise you won’t regret it.

3. While you’re bringing in a better salary, be aggressive and save an emergency fund and pay off all of your credit cards and tackle your student loans. These debts need paid, and it’s better to just get them out of the way as soon as possible and move on with your life. Definitely budget your money, and don’t allocate more than 25 percent of your take-home pay to your rent. Seriously.

4. Along with your debt-repayment and saving-money aggression, start throwing a large portion of your paycheck into a retirement account. You probably won’t miss the money at this stage, and thanks to compound interest, you could have quite a bit saved at retirement. Time is on your side. Exploit it.

5. If you’re moving to a new city, realize that it could take you 6 months to a year to get to know your way around. I’ve been in Pittsburgh for 11 months now, and I still regularly use my GPS around “tahn.” Pittsburgh is semi-big and really confusing.

Just keep in mind that for the first time in like 17 years of your life, you’re no longer a student. You’re going through a huge transition. You might feel lonely, especially if your friends become scattered across the country. Keep in touch with them, and also seek to make new friends in your new environment. Many of my college friends have said meeting people after graduation has been really tough. When we’re in school, we have a built-in social network. After graduation, you’ll meet people at all stages of life, who may or may not be looking for friends.

6. You’ll probably hear all sorts of advice right now. Feel free to ignore it–after all, you’re a grown-up and can make your own decisions. But remember, it’s much easier to learn from other’s mistakes than to waste time making them yourself.

May freebies at Walgreens

I got a few freebies at Walgreen’s today. Nothing complicated, since most of my coupons are just from today’s paper. I grabbed the Walgreens EasySaver catalog at the front of the store so I could see exactly which products are free after rebate this month.

In the past, I’ve had good success with simply getting the “free after rebate” items that I wanted. When you opt to put your Walgreens rebate on a gift card, you’ll get an extra 10 percent back. Gotta love getting free things AND earning 10 percent back! So, I’ll continue to combine coupons with those free deals, get the products I’ll use at some point, and use some of my leftover giftcard funds to get other things we need.

They are:

–Walgreens maxi pads 12-24 pack (check catalog to know which varieties) $1.99
–EARinse Ear Cleansing spray $9.99
–Walgreens standard light bulbs 4-pack $1.69 (The pack I got was on sale for .99)
–Kickers energy spray $3.29
–Oral-B Cross Action toothbrush $4.99 (mine was on sale for $4.49)(**I should have waited to buy this. I have a nagging feeling that there is/will be a coupon out for this thing soon)
–Orajel Kids plaque revealing rinse $5.79
–Nexcare cold sore lip treatment $8.99

Other deal of note: Pert Plus 2-in-1 shampoo is on sale for $3.50. There’s a $2.50 Walgreens rebate, and you can print a $1 off coupon here, making it free! I’ll probably pick up a bottle later this month.

I bought the pads, light bulbs and toothbrush. Also, I bought a 12-count pack of Breathe Right nasal strips for Shane. They were on sale for $5 and there’s a $3 off coupon in the Easy Saver catalog, so it was only $2. Even though it was called a “12-count” pack, there were actually two more strips as a bonus. Yay! I think later this month, I’ll pick up a few more boxes, as we have a snorer in our house. heh.

My total was $9.88, and I paid $1.19 of that with what I had left on my Walgreens gift card. Remaining balance was $8.69 out of pocket, and with the extra 10 percent gift card bonus, I’ll get $8.21 back.

Check out other Walgreens possibilities this week at Money Saving Mom, and a huge roundup of deals for tons of stores at BeCentsAble.

I’m drugstoring again

I’m going to start working the drugstore deals a bit harder for awhile, and get a big stockpile of freebies from Rite Aid, Walgreens and CVS.

I’m basically starting from scratch, as far as couponing goes. Most of my previous coupons have expired, except for a few that I’ve received in the mail. I bought a Sunday newspaper to get me going. I don’t have any CVS Extra Care Bucks, but I do have a few dollars on my Walgreen’s gift card.

Today, I went to Rite Aid to get a few freebies. I got:

–Listerine Smart Rinse mouthwash $2.99 and used a $1 off coupon in today’s newspaper. I’ll get $2.99 back via the store rebate, so that’ll be a net of $1.
–Citre Shine shampoo $3.99 and had a $1 coupon from today’s paper. This deal is only food for a few days. I’ll get $3.99 back, and I’ll net $1.
–Electrasol 3-in-1 powertabs were on sale for $3.99. I had a $3 coupon from the manufacturer, and there’s also a $2 rebate, so I’ll net $1.

The total sale price retail value was $10.97, plus $0.63 sales tax. After coupons, I paid $6.60 out of pocket. My rebate check will be worth $8.98, earning me those items plus an extra $2.38. Works for me!

To see all of this week’s Rite Aid deals, visit Be Thrifty Like Us.

The bad news is about $12 fell out of my pocket somewhere between my car and the store and who knows where. Most of the time, I use a debit card, and the one time I have cash, I lose $12. Ugh. Could have been worse, I guess.

I left my name and phone number with the store manager, but I doubt anyone will report it. Do you think anyone will? If you found $12, would you keep it?

I hope that if I don’t find it, it ends up in the hands of someone who needs it more than I do.