Ideas to Save $$$$$$$$

Vendor's License

Get yourself a vendor's license from your state, costs about $25-50 per year. With a vendor's license, you can do two things that save money:

1) You can legally ask companies for a retailer's discount, which can be as high as 60%.
2) You can qualify for tax-exempt status for most purchases you make.

If you buy books from Half-Price books and then sell them, you are a retailer. Since you are purchasing items for resale, you should be tax-exempt on those purchases. If you write advertising flyers for your business on notebook paper, that notebook paper, and the pen you used, are advertising expenses, 100% tax-free and 100% deductible from your taxes. Do all your sales from computer? That computer is a valid equipment expense, also deductible. You might have to collect and report sales tax each month (even if you're a tiny "business"), but, since the buyers pay the sales tax, it doesn't really cost you anything more than some time and some postage. Your taxes might be slightly effected, but, as spouses of doctors, you should have an accountant doing your taxes anyway.

Winter holidays are coming around and I am buying all my kid's toys tax-free and at 50% off.

Just my two bits!

When making any kind of major purchase (over $100 for me!), get at least 3 different quotes from 3 different places. I recently bought a refrigerator and some blinds. Costs and installation and delivery vary as much as $50.

In terms of home improvement costs, Home Depot usually pops to mind but when I bought my blinds I found a Wallpaper/Blind store that actually cost less, was much faster, and overall better customer service.

Same in terms of home repair. Had to have furnace looked at and called 4 different people before I found one that just didn't automatically charge me $50 for just coming out.

And if you aren't satisfied with a product or service, report it and you can get compensated. The delivery guys damaged our kitchen entry way and after a few phone calls, I got a $250 check.