I bought an iPod Touch last week and one of the first apps I downloaded from the iTunes store was the Amazon Kindle app, which allows you to sync your Amazon Kindle and your iPod Touch or iPhone. If you don’t have a Kindle, you can use your Touch or iPhone as a reader.

I borrow most of the books I read from the library, but there are times when I want to take a book with me when I travel, so this feature comes in handy. A kindle can also come in handy if you want to keep a book and reread it or use it for reference.

I wanted to try out the Kindle App on my iPod Touch, but I didn’t want to spend $10 on a book if I didn’t enjoy the reading experience (most best sellers are $9.99 at Amazon). So I looked for some free books to try it out. Most of the free books are older books where the copyright has expired, but there are some new books as well. I downloaded a couple collections of short stories and other books to try it out, and while reading a book on the iPod Touch is not the same as reading a  paperback book, or even a Kindle because of the smaller screen, it is a convenient way of carrying around multiple books. I read a couple stories from the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and downloaded the Bible for reference and I enjoyed it enough to download a few more books.

Free Books for the Amazon Kindle

You can download books for the Kindle from many places, but the most convenient location is from Amazon because you can order with one click and have it automatically uploaded to your Kindle, iPod, or iPhone the next time you have access to wi-fi service. The following list is of free Kindle books you can download directly from Amazon (Amazon features multiple selections for many of these authors).

A short selection of free classics on the Kindle:

• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
• The Art of War by Sun Tzu.
• The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.
• Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri.
• Dracula by Bram Stoker.
• Edgar Allan Poe’s Complete Poetical Works by Edgar Allen Poe.
• Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.
• The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells.
• The Journals of Lewis and Clark, 1804-1806.
• The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling.
• The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper.
• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving.
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare.
• The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci Complete by Leonardo da Vinci.
• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
• The Rough Riders by Theodore Roosevelt.
• The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas.
• Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.
• Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne.

And for the baseball fan:

• Spalding’s Baseball Guide and Official League Book for 1889.
• Spalding’s Official Baseball Guide – 1913.

Wow! Creating this list brought back memories of high school lit classes… Not sure if that is a good thing or not! There are hundreds of more free books for the Kindle, especially if you are willing to search from a site other than Amazon.com. There are thousands of books that only cost a dollar or two, so you can create an impressive library with a small amount of money.

Other places to get free books for the Kindle.

Again, I listed these books from Amazon because you can download it almost instantly to your Kindle, iPod Touch, or iPhone the next time you sign on. You will need to manually upload books from other sources. Some other great places to find free books that are compatible with the Kindle include Project Gutenberg (nearly 30,000 free titles), FreeKindleBooks.org, Fictionwise (A Barnes & Noble company, 43 titles),

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I’m a big fan of credit cards because I love the cash back, fraud protection, and other benefits. But I know that a lot of people don’t care to use them for various reasons. If you are one of those people, then I recommend checking out eBillme for your online shopping. eBillme is a free service that gives shoppers the ability to shop online without giving out any personal information, including your credit card or debit card number. This protects you from identity theft, fraud, and lost or stolen information.

How eBillme works

eBillme is easy to use – just do your normal shopping at any of the more than 800 online merchants that support eBillme, then select the eBillme option when you check out. You will then receive an e-mail with your bill, which you can then pay straight from your bank account using bill pay – just like you would a regular bill such as your utility or telephone. You can pay eBillme from over 17,000 banks and 75,000 walk-in locations.

Here is an illustration of how eBillme works:

Once you send your online payment to eBillme, they send the money to the merchant. It’s quick, easy, and free, and you don’t need to worry about sending any personal or financial information online.

Where can you use eBillme? You can eBillme is available at over 800 online merchants including Sears, Kmart, buy.com, tigerdirect.com, shoebuy.com, and others. For a full list of merchants, visit the eBillme.com Home Page, or go to the Debt Free Mall, which is the eBillme portal for online shopping.

Benefits of using eBillme

• eBillme is probably the most secure way to shop online. Because you don’t enter any financial information on any vendor website, you aren’t at risk of having your information lost, stolen, or intercepted.
• 1% Cash Back Rewards with eBillme. Just shop at your favorite online retailer, pay with eBillme, and start earning 1% cash back for every order at participating eBillme merchants. You can redeem the cash for purchases at eBillme merchant sites once you’ve earned $10 or more in rewards.
• Additional benefits: Best Price Guarantee, Satisfaction guarantee, Fraud Protection, Shipping Protection.

eBillme promotions

The 1% cash back on all purchases is an ongoing promotion and is automatically applied to each purchase. eBillme also offers a deal of the day at the Debt Free Mall, and periodic special promotions such as a flat percentage discount, additional cash back, and more.

Current eBillme promotions:

• Sears.com Coupon- $20 off $100 When You Check out with eBillme. Use code: EBMSEARS1009 (Exp 10/31/09).
• Etronics.com Rebate: $25 off $100 When You Pay with eBillme Plus 1% Back! (Exp 01/05/10).
• Click Here for the latest Hot Deals from eBillme! (Exp 12/31/09).

Have you used eBillme? If so, I would love to hear your experiences.

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The common perception is that rechargeable batteries are better a better value than disposable batteries. From an environmental standpoint, I can agree with that statement. Rechargeable batteries reduce toxic waste and can be used for years. But from a price standpoint, rechargeable batteries are rarely cost effective.  There are many factors to consider when thinking about buying rechargeable batteries – mostly how often you use batteries, and what you use them for.

When it makes sense to buy rechargeable batteries

Up until a couple months ago my wife and I didn’t use many batteries. We pretty much only use batteries for a couple remote controls, a programmable thermostat, and an emergency flashlight. None of those items required new batteries frequently. So for us, buying a battery charger and a couple sets of rechargeable batteries was too expensive for our needs, and definitely not a frugal choice. Why? Because buying a charger and a couple sets of rechargeable batteries can easily run $60 or more ($30-$40 for a charger, and $20-$30 or more for batteries depending on your needs).

If your battery needs are basic, then you probably don’t need to buy rechargeable batteries (from a money saving standpoint; use your own judgment regarding the environment).  Since we only had basic needs, it was a less expensive option for us to buy disposable batteries. So what changed? We had a baby.

Consider rechargeable batteries if you have a baby

Shortly after we had our baby, we realized the baby toy companies were in a massive conspiracy with battery manufacturers. The majority of baby toys that require batteries don’t come with an AC adapter. So that nice vibrating bouncy chair and baby swing require expensive C or D cell batteries. There is no other way to power those items. You realize a battery charger and rechargeable batteries are a good idea the first time you leave the bouncy chair on vibrate overnight and come back to  a dead battery, or the first time you have to change out 3 D cell batteries. It gets expensive quickly!

So how much will I save? I haven’t run a full cost analysis on our battery purchase, and to be honest, I don’t care to. I know that over the course of several years we will need to recharge our batteries multiple times, and it should be more than enough to cover the initial cost of the batteries and the battery charger. There are other benefits as the less toxic waste and the convenience of having batteries whenever you need them instead of running out to the store.

Best places to buy rechargeable batteries

There are a lot of great places to buy rechargeable batteries. The best deals I found were at Wal-Mart and Amazon or All-batteries.com if you don’t mind shopping online. Best Buy was about 1.5 times as expensive as Wal-Mart, so I don’t plan on buying them there. As with everything, shop around and you should be able to find some good deals.

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• Why Fidelity Sucks.
• Don’t Forget These Last Minute Tax Breaks for 2009.
• The REAL Cost of Owning Wireless Mice and Keyboards.

This week’s carnivals:

• Carnival of road to financial independence #11 @ One Family’s Blog.
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• Baby Boomers Blog Carnival Sixth Edition @ Baby Boomers U.S.

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Like it or not, a cell phone bill is basically a requirement for most people. In fact, more and more people are dropping their landlines altogether and opting for a cell phone only solution. My wife and I are among the group of people who don’t own a land line and use cell phones and Skype for our phone calls.

But cell phone bills can be expensive – especially if you are one of the people who opts for every add-on the cell phone company offers. Thankfully, there are several ways to reduce your cell phone bill.

How to Reduce Your Cell Phone Bill

Look for corporate discounts. Many cell phone companies offer corporate discounts to large companies. They offer these discounts because the company signs an agreement to use their service as their official cell phone plan. The good news is that these discounts are often available to any member of the company, regardless of whether or not your company picks up the tab. Expect to save anywhere from 10% – 30% off your total cell phone bill.

Sign up for family plan. Family plans are a great way to save money on your cell phone bill. You can often get an add-on line for about $10 per line for shared minutes. This is much less expensive than paying full price for a new line. You can even share a family plan amongst friends if you are willing to agree to a contract and have a strong enough friendship to deal with any contract or payment issues that may pop up.

Drop the insurance. Cell phone insurance isn’t necessary for most people. The average cost for cell phone insurance is about $3 and up per month, depending on the carrier and the phone. Warranties usually cover the first year, so unless you lose the phone, you are out that money. Most people would be better off saving that money and applying it toward their next phone.

Examine texting habits. Most people send or receive at least a few text messages per month. At $0.10 – $0.15 per text, it can add up quickly. Most cell phone companies offer unlimited text plans for anywhere from $5 – $10 per month. Look at your last few cell phone bills. If the number of texts you send or receive covers the cost of unlimited texts, then pay for unlimited texts. Otherwise, drop unlimited texts and pay as you go or request the cell phone company block texts messages to your cell phone to avoid paying for any text mesaages.

Drop extras. See texting and insurance above. Also reconsider GPS, data, and other features that you may be paying extra for, but aren’t using.

Out of contract? Negotiate lower rate or shop for a new plan. Cell phone companies love it when you are in a contract because you are basically at their mercy. Once you are out of your contract you are free to go to another carrier. So shop around. If you find a better deal but prefer your current carrier, negotiate a lower rate. You may have to enter into a new contract, but you may be able to save a few bucks every month. You may also be able to get a great deal on a new cell phone.

Get out of your cellphone contract without paying fees. This is the ultimate in lowering your cell phone bill – get rid of it altogether! Here are tips on how to cancel your cell phone contract without paying early termination fees and how to transfer your cell phone contract without paying fees. These are only good options if you are looking to drop your cell phone coverage or find a cheaper plan.

10 minutes can save you money every month

None of these tips are difficult to pull off, and in most cases will take about 10 minutes or less. And the savings you achieve should make it well worth your time.

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A couple months ago my cable bill increased. We have a newborn and life has been busy, so I put off calling them to doing anything about it. The other day I finally got around to calling the cable company and negotiated a reduced cable bill. The result? I saved over $7.50 per month over the next 12 months, and I didn’t need to agree to a new contract. That’s $90 a year in savings for 10 minutes of work. Not a bad ROI!

How to lower you cable bill

Research pricing. Negotiating a lower cable bill shouldn’t be very difficult. The first thing you want to do is gather information. Find out how much you are paying for your service, then find comparable service levels from your cable company’s competitors. Visit the competitor’s website, watch for commercials on TV, look in your mail for fliers, or simply call them for pricing information. Just note that you will have more leverage if the competitor’s offer is advertised.

Find competitive deals. Dish Network is currently offering great deals, like this one: FREE DISH Network Satellite System: Includes FREE Receivers in up to 4 rooms and Upgrades to the latest DVR and HD receivers for FREE!

Call your cable company. When you call, ask for the retentions office and be nice to them. Being courteous will go much further than being demanding or threatening to cancel right away unless they lower your bill. When the customer service rep comes on the line, be up front and let them know you would like to negotiate a lower cable bill and give them factual information about the other service plans in your area. They will know all the advertised rates in the area, so don’t try to pull a fast one; you likely won’t get anywhere.

Be prepared to walk. If the cable company declines your request, express your disappointment and mention that you would like to cancel your cable service at the end of the billing cycle (even if you have no intention of leaving). This gives them a chance to come back with a lower “final offer” to try and retain your service. If the end of your billing cycle is several days or weeks out, they may call back before disconnecting your service with another offer lower than you are currently paying. If they don’t give you the offer you like, you can go ahead with your disconnection, or cancel the disconnection and maintain your service.

Doesn’t work? Try again later. You may not have as much success with this tactic if you have done it multiple times with the same cable company. They can always check their records for your billing history. If this method doesn’t work, try again in a couple months. The cable company may need to make certain quotas or have a different policy in place. If they say no again, you are out nothing but a few minutes time. If they agree to lower your bill, you can save a nice chunk of change.

This applies to multiple services. This tactic also works for satellite, Dish Network, internet service, telephone service, or other recurring services where you are not already in a contract.

Recommended financial and career articles

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• time to read the writing on the wall.
• 4 Ways to Save For Your Kids College Education. I currently use a 529 Savings Plan for my daughetr’s college savings, but the other plans may be better for your needs.
• How To Achieve and Maintain Debt Free Living. A goal for everyone to strive for.
• Google in China. This article is about how Google is trying to take over the search industry in China, but is second in search after Baidu, the lead Chinese search engine. An interesting read.
• Backpacking Basics. A nice little guide if you plan on backpacking in the near future.
• Carnival of Financial Planning 09-18-09. This week’s lone carnival entry.

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Most people don’t get a lot of time off and when they do, they tend not to go away. I always ask my friends and former co-workers why they this is and, almost uniformly, they always say it’s because they simply can’t afford to do so. Like most people, they see images of vacations on TV and internalize the commercials to believe that travel must be like it is on TV and therefore must be expensive. The only alternative is backpacking around in twenty bed hostels with shared showers and eating pasta.

But that is not true. Travel can be very cheap. You can easily travel far and wide without breaking the bank. Since this is a finance blog and we all want to see the numbers, I will use my recent trip to New York City as an example.

Transportation: If you live in the Northeast, you can take the Megabus or Boltbus (free wifi) for cheap. If you book early enough, you can even get $1 dollar fares. For my trip from Boston, it cost me $17 dollars to bus down to New York. If you have to fly, fly into LaGuardia or Newark. They are cheaper airports.

Since flying constitutes one of the largest portions of someone’s budget, I’d like to explain this a bit more. One important tip is that you should always look into secondary airports. Most cities have a smaller airport nearby (LA has Burbank, Long Beach, John Wayne and Ontario, Chicago has Midway, New York has the two above) with lower landing fees. Cheaper discount airlines fly there because of lower gate fees.

Moreover, book your flight 6-8 weeks in advance or look for last minute special deals. Buying your flight 6-8 weeks early ensures that airlines don’t have you over a barrel and gives you enough time to wait until the price is just right.

Hotels: I never stay in hotels unless Priceline can get me a rock bottom price. Why? They are never the cheapest (and sometimes the cleanest) option. When I was in NYC, I stayed at the Jazz Hostel. For $90 per night, I had my own private room with a double bed, free wi-fi, a TV, my own shower, clean sheets everyday while two blocks away from Times Square. Not a bad deal! Hostels cater to all ranges of travelers and are not simply for backpackers in 20 bed dorm rooms. Don’t over look them if you can’t find a hotel deal.

Sightseeing: Whenever I sightsee I do two things: Lots of research and visit the local tourist office. I never consult my guidebook. Guidebook information is outdated and doesn’t give you any tips on current deals. I go to travel blogs, city tourism websites, yelp, and tripadvisor to find out good places to eat, things to do, and places to see. Travel blogs are especially good to find little tips that normally get glossed over in the big guidebooks. Tourist offices also know the latest special events and usually have a few discounts available.

Eating: Eating out every meal is expensive, especially in major tourist cities like New York City. Remember that locals don’t eat out every meal and neither should you. For starters, always eat out at big restaurants during lunch time. Lunch specials offer much better values. Secondly, never eat in touristy areas as the food is always double the cost and half as good. Third, head to the supermarket and pick up some sandwiches. Picking up some sandwiches or stuff to make your own and heading outside is a great way to people watch. Go sit, eat, and enjoy watching the pulse of the city.

Saving money while you travel just requires you to break away from the normal thought of hotels, expensive meals, long lines, and expensive flights. If you think about what the locals do, then you’ll think about how to save money. Yes, traveling is more expensive than everyday living but it doesn’t have to break the bank. A few simple changes in how you travel can result in big savings. Next time you are on the road, think outside the box.

This is a guest article by Matthew Kepnes, who has been traveling around the world on a budget for over three years. He’s been to Europe, Asia, Australia, and Central America. You can find out more at his website, Nomadic Matt. If you want more travel tips, photos, and stories from his upcoming 3 month trip to Europe, you can also subscribe to his RSS feed.

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State sales tax holidays have long been a popular way for states to encourage commerce. State legislators know people are going to spend more money when there are sales and deals to be had, and since back to school is a traditional time that stores run sales, many states offer a tax holiday during the back to school season. Some of these tax free holidays last a weekend or longer.

Items eligible for tax free purchase typically include items students will need for going back to school, including clothing, computers, school supplies (pen, paper, pencils, etc.), and more*. Many states shelve state taxes, but some also include legislation that exempts local taxes during the tax holiday. That can equal a savings of 5-10%, depending on location, items, purchased, etc.

* Limits on some tax exemptions. Many states place a price limit for tax free status for items such as clothing and computers (for example, clothing under $100 is tax free). The idea is to help people who need to save money instead of subsidizing luxury items.

Back to school computer special from Apple: FREE iPod Touch with Apple Computer purchase.

2009 State Sales Tax Holidays

The following is a list of state sales tax holidays and the amount of sales tax exempted. For more information regarding the items exempt from taxes or other details, visit the list at Kipliner.com or the state’s website

Alabama

• When: August 7-9
• How much: 4%

Connecticut

• When: August 16-22
• How much: 6%

District of Columbia

• When: August 1-9 and November 27 through December 6
• How much: 5.75%

Georgia

• When: July 30 through August 2
• How much: 4%

Iowa

• When: August 7-8
• How much: 6%

Louisiana

• When: August 8-9
• How much: 4%

Mississippi

• When: July 31 through August 1
• How much: 7%

Missouri

• When: August 7-9
• How much: 4.225%

New Mexico

• When: August 7-9
• How much: 5% to 8.5625%

North Carolina

• When: August 7-9
• How much: 7%

Oklahoma

• * When: August 7-9
• How much: 4.5%

South Carolina

• When: August 7-9
• How much: 6%

Tennessee

• When: August 7-9
• How much: 8.5% to 9.75%

Texas

• When: August 21-23
• How much: 6.25% to 8.25%

Vermont

• When: August 22
• How much: 6%

Virginia

• When: August 7-9
• How much: 5%

West Virginia

• When: September 1 through November 30
• How much: 6%

In addition to state sales tax exemptions for back to school items, some states are offering tax free exemptions on Energy-Star appliances.

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There is a lot to be said about being a frugal person. I try to save money whenever possible – I use coupons, buy quality items, and shop with a plan. But that doesn’t mean I am cheap or afraid to spend money. I have no problem spending money, so long as I make the conscious decision to spend. I don’t like the idea of buying things out of habit.

Spending Consciously

I try to avoid spending money for the sake of buying the newest gadget or out of boredom. When I spend money, I want to receive value and pleasure from the action. Let me give you an example.

Eating out. Once a week I go out to eat with a coworker or with my wife. It is a planned event and it certainly isn’t a big splurge for my wallet or my waistline. I have no problem spending money once a week for a change of pace, to socialize, and to get out of the office. The rest of the week I prefer to brown bag it. I enjoy eating leftovers – they often taste better than eating out and are healthier for my waistline and wallet. I enjoy going out to lunch, but I don’t think I would enjoy eating out everyday. Now let’s look at a different situation.

I have a coworker who eats out for lunch everyday. Is that a problem? Not for him. I asked him about it one day and he responded, “I’m in my fifties. I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, I don’t fool around with the ladies. This is my vice.”

I’d say on average, my coworker spends $10 or more on each lunch (he never eats fast food). That comes out to well over $200 per month, and probably close to $3,000 per year. But that is not a problem for him because he budgets for it, he enjoys it, and he does it consciously.

Unconscious Spending Causes Problems

Spending money is not bad – it is designed to be spent. But unconscious spending can cause big problems. It would bee a big problem for me if I ate out every day, spent several thousand dollars every year, blew my budget, and didn’t derive any pleasure from it. But it’s not a problem for my friend who budgets for it and enjoys it.

So long as you are sticking within your budget and aren’t spending yourself into debt, then you shouldn’t be afraid to go out to lunch every day, or spending money on another habit. If it is important to you, then find a way to fit it into your budget. Just make sure that when you place those items on the counter and reach for your wallet that you are doing so consciously, and not out of habit.

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My wife and I have been gearing up for our first child, who is still a couple months away from joining us in this world. We have already made our baby registry, and my wife will have her baby shower in a couple weeks. We’ve also been researching different baby websites and resources – there is a lot of great information out there! We’ve also been introduced to the world of baby coupons, which can be a great way to save money on essential baby items like diapers, formula, clothing, toys, magazines, and more. There are a ton of great sites out there,so I thought I’d share a few of them today.

Baby Coupons, Free Samples, and Discounts

BabytoBee.com. Babytobee.com offers new parents an assortment of products and information. At BabytoBee you can receive gift vouchers, coupons, trial offers, free magazine subscriptions, diaper coupons and samples, and more. They also have a blog, parenting information, and many other helpful links.

BabiesOnline.com. BabiesOnline.com is another great site that offers freebies, discounts, and more. They even offer parents a free webpage for the new addition to their family!

Here are some more examples of freebies offered on BabiesOnline.com:

• Free Online Birth Announcements
• Free Baby Coupons & Product Samples
• Free Photo Prints
• Free Baby Web Page
• Babies Online Toolbar (for web surfing to find parenting sites and coupons)

Special offer from Babies Online: Click Here for a Free Subscription to Baby Talk Magazine!.

CoolSavings.com: CoolSavings.com offers free samples, baby coupons, online discounts, , printable grocery coupons, travel offers, entertainment offers, and more.

PlanningFamily.com. PlanningFamily.com is similar to these other sites and offers trial offers, samples, coupons, and a lot of other great resources including a pregnancy calendar, pregnancy and birthing information, and other articles and resources.

Recommendations when signing up for free coupons

Protect your e-mail account. I always use a sign up for dedicated e-mail account for these free sites (you can get a free e-mail account from G-Mail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc). There are two main reasons – frequency of e-mails and to protect against spam. Some companies sell your information to other companies. I haven’t experienced that with  these companies, but I try to err on the side of caution when giving out my information.

Be careful what you sign up for. Some comapnies offer a free trial offer, which then turns into a paid subscription. There are many free items on the websites mentioned in this article, but there are also some subscription offers. Always be sure to read the fine print before agreeing to anything.

Do you have any other baby sites to recommend?

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Mother’s Day is only a week away, which means it is time to start thinking about a Mother’s Day gift. Flowers are always a popular gift for Mother’s Day, so I thought I would share a few tips on how to save money when buying flowers for Mother’s Day or any occasion. I separated the tips into buying online or buying in person, because the tips are very different. I always prefer to buy flowers in person, but since my family lives too far away, that isn’t an option for me.

How to save money on flowers online

Buy flowers through Ebates. Ebates is an online rebate site that gives shoppers a rebate by shopping through their portal. Ebates has an arrangement with many online companies to host coupons and special offers through their site. On top of the savings from special deals, you also get a rebate with each purchase. Rebates commonly range from 1% – 20%, depending on the store or item. Flowers are a popular rebate item!

• Here is an Ebates review for more details, or
• Sign up for Ebates and get a $5 bonus on your first order!

Shop around online. You can find a ton of great deals online – all you need to do is look around for some great offers. Buying flowers online is a great option for people like me who live far away from most of their family. Some great online options for buying flowers include:

• From You Flowers.
• Honest Florist.
• Flowers Fast.
• 1-800-Florals.
• Flower.com.

How to save money on flowers at a florist shop

Get to know your florist. Being a loyal and frequent customer can get you great deals throughout all seasons, especially if you get to know your florist personally. Get in the habit of asking if the florist has any flowers that are “past their prime.” Most of these flowers can no longer be sold for full price because they will only be fresh for a couple more days. Since they are likely bound for the trash, you can probably get them for a song. I don’t recommend giving these as gifts,  but if you are in the habit of buying these kinds of floral arrangements from your florist and you have an established relationship, you are much more likely to get a discount when you need a nice bouquet for a gift.

Buy seasonal flowers. Many flowers are less expensive when they are in season. You can save a lot of money if you go to the florist with a color scheme in mind instead of a particular flower. Giving the florist the option to choose the exact flowers can save you  alt of money.

Reuse vases or baskets. You can save a lot of money by reusing vases, baskets, or other presentation items. You can also consider buying your own and bringing it to the florist if you don’t have one at home.

Ask for arrangements with larger flowers. Larger flowers create a striking arrangement, but often require fewer stems per bouquet, which can cut the price.

Order early. The earlier you place your order, the easier it will be for the florist or flower company to plan and fill your order. If you wait until the last minute, you will probably find prices up to 30-40% higher than if you would have ordered earlier. This usually applies with both online shopping and buying flowers at a florist.

Ask for a discount. You probably won’t be able to get a discount from a big box retailer like Wal-Mart or your local grocery store, but you may be able to receive a discount from your local florist. It helps if you have an already established relationship.

Use coupons. You can often find coupons on the back of receipts, in your local paper, or online.

More Mother’s Day gift ideas:

• 8 Frugal And Cheap Gift Ideas For Mother’s Day.
• 10 Unique Gift Ideas.
• 15 Inexpensive Mother’s Day Gift Ideas.
• Get Your Mom The Gift Of Time For Mother’s Day.
• Way’s To Save On Mother’s Day.

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