Quick Tip

I just wanted to give you a brief quick tip about broccoli. Being broccoli lovers, we have tried virtually every brand on the market. Every time I buy fresh broccoli, by the time I get all the stems and leaves cut off, I have about a fourth of what I actually paid for - not cost effective at all! Every brand of frozen broccoli I have tried has been at least (if not more) 50% stems. I have even emailed popular companies to ask them why, and gotten back various non-answers about the "proper stem to floret ratio." If I buy something, I want to use it all, not what they think the ratio of edible vs. non-edible should be! I have finally found the holy grail of cost effective, tasty broccoli. Walmart has a 5 lb bag of broccoli florets for less than $6. Did you catch that? FLORETS! You get all of what you pay for, and it tastes great. They also have other veggies packaged this way as well. Compare the price per pound to other brands and you will see that there is a huge savings to be had here. Yum!

Wal-Mart Straight Talk Cell Phones

A little over a month ago I decided to get a cell phone with Wal-Mart's Straight Talk plan. I was a little skeptical at first, and did my due diligence, reading numerous reviews about the program before I took the plunge. I wanted a phone that would allow me to access the internet, so I looked at what was available and decided on a Samsung slider. For less than $100, it's a nice sturdy phone that is attractive and easy to use. The only problem I had was that it was out of stock at every store in my area. I ended up ordering it online and had it in about a week. I ordered my phone card at the same time, then activated it online when it arrived. It was an easy process, and my phone was working within 5 minutes. One of the nice things about Straight Talk is that you can port your existing phone number, either cell or land line. I thought that was a great feature. So far, the service has been awesome. They use the Verizon network, which is the most reliable in the rural area I live in, and it has been exceptional. I did not sign up for the automatic monthly renewal, which was a mistake. I forgot to buy another month, and my phone was shut off at midnight on the due date. I was horrified, because the website says that you will lose your phone number if you let it run out. Much to my relief, when I renewed, I got my previous number back. I am now signed up for the convenient monthly autofill plan, so that won't happen again. I chose the $30 plan, which gives me 1000 minutes, 1000 text or picture messages, and 30 mgb data transfer. I wasn't sure this would be enough, but at the end of the first month I didn't even come close to using it all. They also have an unlimited usage plan that is $45 a month for all of prolific texters and callers. So far, the only drawback is that there are limited ringtones and wallpapers available, however, there is a site called My Tiny Phone that has them specifically for Straight Talk phones. I got some pretty good ones from them. As far as I'm concerned, you can't go wrong with Wal-Mart's Straight Talk cell phones. After all why give Verizon or Sprint $1200 more than you have to over the two year life of a contract, when you can get the same service cheaper?

Looking for low cost car insurance quotes?

In my constant search to find new ways to save money on things I have to buy, I think I have found the holy grail of cheaper care insurance. I always stayed with the company that has the little green lizard-type fellow, assuming that it must be the cheapest car insurance. Boy was I wrong! As a long time member of MyPoints rewards program, I decided to check out car insurance rates through their website. I used the NetQuote portal from their site to find car insurance rates better than I currently had. Talk about low cost! Almost all of the car insurance quotes were less than half of what I was paying. I was paying $65 a month through my previous car insurance company, and I found a policy that is only costing me $21 a month for the same coverage. MyPoints, of course, gave me rewards points for buying car insurance through them, to the tune of 5,000 points, which is almost enough for a $40 gasoline card. It’s like getting my first two months insurance premiums paid for. If you aren’t a member of MyPoints, you should be. If you aren’t interested in joining them, at least take a few minutes to check out NetQuote.com, you’ll be glad you did.