Taking tips from magazines may not be saving you money!

Some "mommy" magazines out there have great tips for saving money and most of the tips they have are true. But don't believe every tip you read because it could actually end up costing you money! Before you jump all over me, I am not a money-saving expert like others out there, but I do speak from experience.

I recently read a magazine article where it said to buy store-brand products rather than name-brand. In the long run, most of the products are just like name-brand but some store-brand items are sup-par to their name-brand counterparts. For example, Greater Value paper bowls are in NO way better than Dixie. My dad bought some Greater Value paper plates about a week ago, and I noticed some major issues with them. They are flimsy, making you use a clean bowl under the other bowl just to make sure you don't spill. If you don't, they will end up resembling plates halfway through the meal. Same thing goes for the paper plates. Unless you want food in your lap, buy name-brand when it comes to some paper products.

One thing that bothers me to no end is magazines telling their readers to get rid of their cable and go with Netflix or Hulu. They automatically assume that everyone has an HD television with whatever bells and whistles they come with. This is far from the truth. We have an analog television in the bedroom and an older HD television in the living room. Neither have the capabilities that newer televisions have, and we cannot afford to shell out $1000 or more for 2 new televisions. We would also have to pay a hefty fine for cutting off our cable before our contract is over with. Not to mention that our internet is bundled with our cable. It is not plausible for a lot of families, especially those on a tight or fixed income. You DO NOT have to get rid of your cable to save money. Instead, take a look at what channels you watch and don't watch. Then decide if it is better for your family to remove the channels you don't watch instead of getting rid of the entire thing.

Keep in mind that I am not an expert, so don't shoot the messenger. I am only speaking from experience, and what I thought of some of the "money-saving tips" I see in magazines. What works for some doesn't work for all. Figure out what works for your family and stick with it!