Donate a Canned Good and Get a Free Manicure, Pedicure or Haircut!

If you have a Remington College nearby, they are offering a free manicure, pedicure or haircut when you donate a canned good.  This offer is good until November 30th.  Just in time for Thanksgiving!  For more info on locations check out their website.  Thanks Swaggrabber!

Holiday Giveaway Bash

Starting tomorrow there will be a Holiday Giveaway Bash hosted by 12 different blogs.  There are quite a few great items that will be given away November 8 - 12.  Visit Stretching a Buck Blog to find out more and win some great gifts!

Awesome Savings on Hefty One Zip Bags at Randalls

I went to Randalls tonight to see if I could pick up the "Big Thanksgiving Coupon Book"  that I've been seeing other bloggers posting about.  I finally found them (in the condiment section) and upon looking at the coupons found a great coupon for $1 off of 1 Hefty One Zip bag.  I had already put two boxes of Ziplock bags in my cart which would have cost me $4 for 2 after I used the coupon I had.  I decided to see if I could get a better deal on the One Zip bags.  I was not expecting the great deal that I found!  Hefty One Zip bags are on sale for $2.99 and when you buy 1 you get 1 free.  I decided to buy 2 boxes and apply 2 $1 coupons.  .99 for 2 boxes of One Zip bags is a great deal!  When I checked out, only one of my coupons was accepted and the other was not.  I asked the checker if I could apply the second one and he said it shouldn't be a problem and pushed it through.  Then he noticed that there were .15 peelies on the boxes and said that those should be applied as well.  I was sure they would not go through since I had already applied a coupon to each box but the first one went through without a problem and tripled giving me .45 off!  The second one did not and he said it should and went ahead and applied it as well!  After all the coupons had been applied, my grand total was .42 for two boxes of Hefty One Zip freezer bags!!   I thanked him profusely and he said, "No problem!  My job is to make sure the customers get a great deal!"  I definitely got a fantastic deal!  Now you can see why Randalls is my favorite place to shop!  And to think I almost spent $4 on 2 boxes of Ziplock bags...

Christmas on a Budget

As I mentioned in previous posts, we have been taking Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University  course.  Of course, budgeting and staying on budget are essential to success with his method.  With Christmas just 51 days away, I've been looking into what gifts I can give on a budget.  The following are a few ideas.  I'm sure you might think of even more!


Watch for fantastic sales both online and in the store.  There are sales and then there are great sales!  Buyers have to be very selective and ready to move on if the sale isn't good enough for their budget.  There are many promotions for free (after coupon) or very low priced  items online.  The key is to be aware and pounce at the right time.  For example,  Snapfish has a promotion right now through 11/8.  Buy 1 8x11 photo book and get 2 more free when you use the code 1BOOK2FREE at checkout.  This would be an excellent, inexpensive gift for family.  There are also websites like www.groupon.com and www.mamapedia.com that have daily local deals or nation wide sales that could make a more expensive gift budget friendly.  Following or subscribing to money saving blogs is helpful in alerting you to potential inexpensive gifts.

Of course, Black Friday is an excellent time to catch some sales that are too good to pass up both in store and online.  There are several websites which have previews of the sales you can expect at many different stores and www.black-friday.net is one of my favorite.

Making your own gift is another option.  Whether it is jams, baked goods, or crafts, hand made items have a personal touch that is very special.  It is amazing what you can do with a little time and materials that you might have right at home.  One of the best websites that is full of simple craft ideas is The Crafting Chicks.  I plan to make the legwarmers they talk about here for my baby.  If you don't feel crafty, but like the idea of a homemade gift, check out Etsy.  There are many talented crafters selling some great items for very reasonable prices.  Offering a night of child care, handyman services or computer services are also great gifts.  Who says you have to spend money?? 


Make your own card or use Smilebox.  If you have very many cards to send, the cost can add up quickly between the card price and postage.  Many times I end up paying for cards that don't reflect my personal style or what I would like to say.   Smilebox is an excellent alternative.  They offer a variety of  designs and templates to which you can add photos, personal message and music and email to friends or post to Facebook.  Some basic designs are free however you do have to pay a few dollars if you want more options. 

 You can also make your own card or write a note.  It doesn't have to be time consuming or labor intensive.  A simple card with a personal meaningful message is priceless.

There are many, many more ways to save.  Stay in budget and see how creative you can be! 

Monthly Grocery Expense

October has come to an end and a new month is beginning!  Time to see how well I did this month on my crazy $200 budget.  My total spent on groceries this month was $200.58.  I went over by .58 but I did get a lot of mileage out of the money I spent.  I added up how much I saved using coupons or a store card and the total was  $257.87!!  I saved 56% on my groceries this month!  This is quite good savings when you consider that I was not buying boxed or prepackaged food and was buying all organic fruits and vegetables.  This month I will have to set a new and better record!

To prepare for the next month, I wrote several companies one night and have posted a picture of the responses that I received.  Today I received additional coupons from Hefty and Rotel that included a free $3 item from Hefty!  Yay!  Some of these coupons I will not use because I don't buy that company's products but I will use them to trade for high value coupons I do want on Hot Coupon World.  For 30 minutes of emailing, I've received quite a return and I'm sure I'll be able to get some great deals with these coupons!

Free Photo Calendar from Vistaprint

Yet another photo freebie!  You  can get a  FREE photo calendar from Vistaprint right now.  You have a choice between the Wall Calendar or the Desk Calendar.  You do have to pay shipping which is $5.67.  Sounds like another great Christmas gift!

Thanks Faithful Provisions!

Great Saving at Kroger on Hebrew National Hotdogs and Polaner Preserves

While shopping at Kroger today, I noticed that the Polaner sugar free raspberry preserves were on closeout for $2.02.  Right next to the preserves was a blinkie with $1/1 Polaner preserves coupon!  If your Kroger has not sold out, you may be able to score some cheap preserves and sugar free at that!  I was needing some raspberry preserves to make vinaigrette for my spinach and feta salad!

I was also able to get an amazing deal on Hebrew National hotdogs as well.  I found some coupons on Ebay for $1.50 off of any 1 Hebrew National refrigerated item.*  Although they have another store logo on them, they are manufacturer coupons and are accepted at Kroger.  I purchased 15 for less than $2 and was able to use them today at Kroger.  Kroger's Hebrew National hotdogs are on sale for $3 each.  With my coupon, I was able to get them for $1.50 each!  I am a hotdog snob and all we will eat are Hebrew National so to be able to get them at such a good price is awesome.

  *When buying coupons on Ebay, you are paying only for the seller's time, expense and shipping in providing the coupons.  Buying coupons on Ebay is a great way to get additional savings for the products you use most!