Comments | moar_skills: Help/Info Post

eleganceroses in moar_skills

Help/Info Post

Jan 06, 2010 04:42

Whether you are saving up for something or just have it on your wishlist, please comment here for member tips on how to save money and get the best info about what you're trying to buy, whether it's a vacation, baby clothes, a wedding dress, a vehicle, a set of nice pots and pans... go for it. We'll help ( Read more... )

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Comments 9

Whitening Teeth eleganceroses January 6 2010, 12:50:49 UTC

I'm currently in the process of cleaning up my smile, which means wearing my retainers and full brushing and flossing to prevent build-up. Part of this process includes whitening my teeth, which are improving under Crest White Strips, which unfortunately retail for $50.

Does anyone have anything good to say about a no-name brand or a different, more cost-effective whitening method? The dentist locally charges $400 for the procedure.

If anyone has any tips for a whiter smile, please feel free to share!

Re: Whitening Teeth enjoiyourday January 6 2010, 13:52:34 UTC

the last time that I tried to whiten my teeth, I simply got a whitening toothpaste, just basic crest or colgate, etc. but I would brush my teeth no less than three times a day. within a few months, my friends were commenting on how white my teeth looked, and it didn't cost me anything extra.

I've heard that if you wear the white strips or similar strips, and go tanning, keep your mouth open, because the UVA and UVB lights will accelerate the whitening, but that technically costs more money to pay for the tanning.

Re: Whitening Teeth foulmouthangel January 6 2010, 14:37:06 UTC

I'd be afraid that'd weaken the enamel? Peroxide and baking soda mixed into a paste after brushing - brush with that, works as well as the whitening toothpaste. :) Sometimes if they're extra dingy (too much coffee haha) I put the peroxide/baking soda combo on a tissue and put it on my teeth for like 5 minutes. Works pretty well.

Baby stuff orbg January 6 2010, 14:51:27 UTC

Don't buy new! Except for carseats, nothing needs to be new. You can get bags of clothes on CL for the price of one new outfit. Babies don't need much besides love, food and shelter! Cloth diapering is definitely the way to go to save money (especially if you buy them used like I did!) Breastfeed! You save money on formula, plus your kid will be sick less often so less days of missing work. Do your research and have support in place before the baby is born. Only about 2% of women are truly unable to make milk. The majority you hear sayin that they couldn't make enough most likely could but didn't have the support or education they needed to make it work. It does take work, t might not be easy but it's the normal way children should be fed. Formula is far below par. (do not rant to me about formula. It's great for babies who need it but most people choose it out of bad information or laziness not true need ( ... )

iPod nano snapes_mistress January 6 2010, 15:14:29 UTC

Any advice for iPod nanos? I want the highest capacity I can get as cheaply as I can get. Ha ha. I live in Japan... the one I want sells for between 17,000 and 19,000 yen... roughly 200 bucks. I'm going home to the States to visit in May. My boyfriend lives in the UK. Should I just get one here in Japan, or get one from the US or the UK?

Re: iPod nano disassociation January 6 2010, 16:06:43 UTC

you might want to look into duty free purchases if you are flying internationally. the deals are not as great as they used to be before internet shopping became so commonplace, but sometimes you can catch a deal.

Re: iPod nano sooz January 6 2010, 19:47:52 UTC

the US for *SURE* .. i agree with trying duty free too.

cathouse_mary January 6 2010, 16:53:01 UTC

Comparison shopping! I'm in the market for a new laptop - my old one is a 2003 Averatec. So, I researched to find the laptop manufacturers with the best customer satisfaction within the first year. After comparing models between three companies, I settled on one, and started comparing models. Once I found a model, I comparison-shopped all over the internet - and found the one I wanted for $525.00 instead of $749.00.

Use layaway. Make payments until you can pick it up instead of paying interest to a credit card company. There's no instant gratification, but you are not paying out the nose to OMG have it now.

For saving money, nothing beats a change jar. Some friends and I are doing a change jar challenge. From Saturday to Friday, we collect our pocket change, and on Friday night, we put it in the change jar. We record in our journals how much we put in each week.

chapstickqueen January 6 2010, 18:34:57 UTC

My best savings tip: automate it!
Use your company's direct deposit to your advantage:
We deposit only enough for living expenses, student loan payments and about $300 extra into our checking account. The remainder goes straight to our ING savings account, where we have subaccounts for let's but a damn house, vacation/fun, emergency savings.