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!

Free Blockbuster EXPRESS Rental Today Only!

Today only (10/25) you can get a free Blockbuster Express rental when you use coupon code BBXMDY at checkout.  To find a kiosk, just go HERE. For local readers, you can find them at most Randall’s locations now.
Sounds like it is movie night!  Thanks Saving with Shellie!

Fantastic Savings at HEB!

Usually I don't shop at HEB because I can find better saving elsewhere with coupons.  I decided to check out a rumor I've been hearing about a great deal on Vicks Vapo Drops (cough drops) there and was pleasantly surprised!

Vicks cough drops are priced at .99 a box at HEB.  Recently, there was a coupon in the paper for $1.50 off ANY Vicks product.  I logged onto Ebay and bought 20 coupons for less than $2 and went shopping.  I bought 8 boxes of cough drops and was able to get all the products pictured for $2.60!  The manager did have to do an override to allow the high value coupons but it took just a second and was no problem.  The .50 credit on each box really adds up!  I will have lots of cough drops to donate so everybody wins!  If you want to try your luck and possibly score an awesome deal on items that never have coupons, check it out! 

I did find some good sales while I was there.  I never by frosted cereal of any kind but their Frosted Mini Wheat Spooners were clearance to .50 so I couldn't pass up that sale.  Also, some of their packaged bumble bee tuna was .79 each.  With the .55 coupon I talked about here, it is the best deal you can get on tuna at .24 each!

Happy shopping!!

Walgreens and Kodak Picture Freebies!

Walgreens has another great photo freebie!  Today through October 23rd you can get a free 8x10 collage print by using the promo code 8X10TREAT when you check out!  You can also receive $10 off your $20 photo order when you use promocode ALLPHOTO when you checkout through Saturday.  Thanks to Chicks Dig Deals for heads up on this deal!

Also you can get a free 5×7 photo book from Kodak Gallery when you use coupon code TARGBOOK when you check out. You will have to pay $1.99 for shipping. New Kodak Gallery customers get 50 free 4×6 prints as well.  Great gift ideas!  Thanks to Saving with Shellie for this deal!

Kroger Sales 10/20 - 10/26

Kroger has a pretty good sale this week on several items.  My family loves tuna salad with apples and pickles and my husband is a fan of sausage bake.  It looks like we will be putting those on the menu.  Also essentials for holiday meals are going on sale now, so use coupons and stock up early!  I will add to this list as I find more good deals.

Bumble Bee Chunk White Tuna or Ready To Eat Salad (packet)- 10 for $10
     *.55/1 (coupons found near the tuna)
      10 for $4.50

Jimmy Dean Sausage (roll) - 2 for $5
     *$1.50/2  (Red Plum 10/10)  2 for $3.50 
     *If you "like" Jimmy Dean on Facebook you may be able to print out a $1/1 coupon if they haven't run out. (Hit the back button to print 2)   2 for $3

Mix and match 10 for $10 sale

No need to buy 10 of one item.  You can mix and match as long as you have ten participating products.

Campbell's Cream of Mushroom and Chicken Soup - 10 for $10
     *$1.50/3 printable coupon
     3 for $1.50
     *Kroger also has coupons on their website that you can download to your card.  I have one for $1.50/3 of any Campbell's soup.  I may be able to get 3 for free when both my printable coupon and e-coupon are combined!!

Jet Puffed Marshmallows - 10 for $10
     *Kraft coupon on display in the store $1/2. 
     .50 each

Don't Forget About Upromise!

For added savings, make sure you have signed up for Upromise and load your shopper cards with additional e-coupons on their website.  These savings will accumulate in your Upromise account and can be used for college or you can request a check and use the money as you like.

The Filippo Berio Olive Oil deal that I talked about here gets even sweeter when you load the $1 coupon from Upromise.  Olive oil for $2.39!  That is a great deal!

There is also a .40 coupon for Fleischmann's Yeast and when combined with the .50 printable coupon it could easily be free.

Check out the savings!  Every little bit makes a big difference!

Grocery Shopping - Round 2

We had just run out of milk so my shopping trip Saturday night came just in time.  I loaded all Shortcut and Cellfire coupons as well as loading my Randalls card with e-coupons from their "coupon link".  I went to Randalls first and found quite a few good deals.  I had a $5/$50 coupon from the Entertainment 2010 book which I was happy to put to good use!  I bought top sirloin steak, pork roast, smoked sausage, Hebrew National hot dogs, a gallon of organic milk, lentils, organic romaine lettuce, organic apples and so much more for a grand total of $51.95.  Over all I saved 57% on my bill!
The following are some of the best deals I found.
Banana Cheerios - super coupon in Randall's flier made them $1.99 - 2(.75) e-coupons - .75 printable coupon =  -.26...My daughter is quite happy with this purchase! 
Lays Chips - Bought 2 at $1.79 each.   $3.58 - $1/2 coupon (tear pad found in Randalls) = $1.29 each.  Great for picnics!
Reach Toothbrush - $2.24 - $1 e-coupon - $1 coupon (Red Plum 10-10) = .24
O Organic Apples - $3.99 for 3 lb. bag... Not a bad deal for organic.
Progresso Soup - Certain varieties for .88 each.  I bought 2 and 5(.50) e-coupons came off.  -.74 for 2 cans of soup!
Filippo Berio Olive Oil - $5.39 (25 oz) - $1 e-coupon -$1 printable coupon = $3.39

In the next few days, I'll be going to HEB and I'll let you know what kind of deals I find there.  Brookshire Brothers has cat fish  on sale for $3.49 a pound so I'll have to stock up there as well!

Other great printable coupons...
Quaker Oatmeal  $2/1
Florida's Natural Juice
$2/1 Hungry Man

Happy saving!

Checking on the Budget...

It has been nearly 2 weeks since my last big grocery trip so it is time to start planning the next one!  But first I've added up all my receipts for this month to see if I stayed in budget.  I spent $100.80 total.  I went over by just .80 so not too bad!  When I added up all the savings, I found that I saved $59.54 using coupons and using my store cards. A savings of 37% by using very few coupons!  Yay!  Time to start emailing more of my favorite companies and getting ready for my next shopping trip!

Time to Stock Up on Wine!

The Randalls near my house has a large selection of wine on sale for 50% off.  When you fill one of the wine carriers provided, you may receive an extra 10% off.  So if you need a little wine, now might be the time to stock up!  Check out your local Randalls!

3 Hallmark Cards for $1 at Randalls and Safeway

Randalls and Safeway are running a promotion right now on Hallmark cards.  Buy 3 and receive $5 off your next order.  The .99 cards are not part of this promotion but there are several $1.50 and $1.99 cards that are included.    If you buy the $1.50 cards, this could become a small money maker.  However, the $1.99 cards are still a great deal.  3 Hallmark cards for a $1 is a hard deal to pass up!  I will say that the selection of $1.50 cards is very small so you may have the best luck with the $1.99 selection.  I've heard that you can "roll" this deal.  This means you can buy 3 and receive your $5 and turn around and buy 3 more using your $5 catalina.  If you need to stock up on cards, now is the time!

Thanks to Frugal Chic Living for the heads up!

Randalls Rocks!

I went to Randalls today to see if I could get any good deals.  My baby LOVES soup of any kind so I decided to get her 3 Healthy Kids Campbells soup at $1.49 each.  I was hoping I had an e-coupon that would bring down the price a bit.  I also picked up some Skinner macaroni noodles for $1 and a travel size box of tide for .99.  After scanning my card, I scanned the 3 soups and suddenly 6 e-coupons came off my total!  I knew I probably had 1 but 6?!  The combined value of the e-coupons was $6.98.  So I ended up getting my whole order free plus I had a credit of .44.  I had saved 108%!!  When I tried to apply the $2.48 worth of paper coupons I had for all my items, the transaction closed out without accepting them and the machine spit out my .44.  I went to customer service explained the situation and asked if they would accept the coupons or if my luck had rut out.  Sure enough they took the coupons and gave me $2.48!  So all together I made $2.92 on top of getting all my items free!!  What a deal!  After being paid, I was able to get free eggs and still had money left over.  I was happy to make money and my baby thoroughly enjoyed her chicken soup for lunch!

So a reminder!  Load all the Shortcuts and Cellfire coupons that you can!  You never know when you'll get a free grocery trip out of them!  If it isn't an item you enjoy, you can always donate it and use the money you made to buy items that don't often have coupons available.

$100 Two Week Challenge

As you know, we have been taking Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University class.  Last week, after discussing budgeting at class and with a new month starting, we sat down and drew up a budget and gathered everything we needed to pay cash only for groceries.  Our budget is $200 a month for all food, cleaning supplies and health and beauty products.  It is the same budget I've had for the past year but using cash only is a LOT more serious!  Sometimes the last minute pack of diapers at the end of the month puts me over the top but I am determined to stay within the limits this month!  The only way to make such a strict budget work is to lay out a great plan and stick with it.  After looking at what was on sale, I wrote down 14 ideas for breakfast, lunch and supper and armed with $100 and very few coupons, started my shopping. 

I was so amazed once again at how far a $100 can stretch using just a few coupons!  I stopped first at Randalls and picked up lots of protein including sausage, lunch meat, steak, catfish, pork loin and sliced cheese.  I also picked up some potatoes frozen veggies and granola thins.  All together I paid $33.53.  The best deals I found at Randalls were for Jimmy Dean sausage and Hormel pork loin.
*Jimmy Dean sausage is $4.69 and is buy 1 get 1 free.  If you "like"  Jimmy Dean on Facebook you can print two coupons which are $1/1 any Jimmy Dean product.  If you apply both, the sausage about $1.35 each!
*Rancher's Reserve New York Strip Steak is $3.77/lb.  That is a fairly good price as well.
*I was able to purchase the Nature Valley granola thins for .24 after 3 (.50) e-coupons were applied as well as a .75 coupon.  For free granola thins use the three e-coupons from Cellfire and Shortcuts as well as the .50 printable coupon.

My next stop was Whole Foods!  I love getting as many organic vegetables and fruit as possible there.  I was able to get organic apples, oranges, grapes, romaine lettuce, carrots, cucumbers and celery.  I love their bins of organic cereal and grains.  I picked up some organic steel cut oats, muesli and wheat berries.  I found a great deal on Food Should Taste Good chips and bought those as well.  Of course, I also picked up a gallon of organic milk and a quart of half n' half.  This trip came to $34.30 and I left with so much healthy food!
There are some good deals at  Whole Foods.
*Valencia oranges are on sale for $1.69/lb.
*Fuji apples are $1.69/lb.
*Grapes are $1.99/lb.
*Food Should Taste Good chips are on sale for $2.  There is a $1 printable coupon which brings them to $1 each.  

I stopped briefly at Kroger on my way home and found a great in store sale on bacon and sausage.  Oscar Mayer thick bacon was on sale for $2.09 a pack and Jimmy Dean sausage was clearanced to $1.49.  I wished I had more coupons!  I didn't expect to spend that money but it was too great of a deal to not stock up!  I also picked up yams, pepperoncini, onions, garlic, organic raisins and several spices.  Altogether I spent $23.36. 

I think I did pretty well.  I didn't use very many coupons and still managed to get quite a bit of food.  For me, the most important thing is that we eat healthy foods and use products that aren't harmful to our bodies as well.  I am excited that we can accomplish those goals easily with a little planning and budgeting!

Restaurant.com is 90% Off Today Only!

If you are looking for discounts on dining, Restaurant.com is the place to find them.  Today only, Restaurant.com is 90% off when you use the coupon code WOW at checkout.  Their $25 certificates are just $1.50!  Check out the restaurants participating in your area.  Read the fine print as their may be a minimum purchase or other restrictions.  Also, remember to check for ratings on the restaurants of your choice before purchasing the certificates.  Happy saving!

Shopping at Randalls

I routinely find some of the best deals at Randalls so it is one of my favorite places to shop.  To get the biggest bang for your buck it is essential to sign up for a Randalls reward card.  Once you have your card, go to www.randalls.com and create a user account.  Having a user account makes it possible for you to load coupons from coupons.com directly onto your card.  Coupons loaded onto your card are "e-coupons" and loading as many as you can at www.shortcuts.com, www.cellfire.com and www.pgesaver.com will keep your grocery bill under control.  The great thing about the loadable sites is they often have some of the same e-coupons.  So after loading your card you might find that two of the sites had a .50 coupon for Cheerios.  When you buy one box of Cheerios, many times both e-coupons will be applied to the box giving you additional savings.  I always receive multiple discounts on an item using e-coupons at my store.  Each Randalls store treats e-coupons differently so buy a few items and see if your store is as generous with their discounts as mine. 

After you've loaded your coupons, gather your paper coupons.  To find specific coupons you may need check out www.hotcouponworld.com.  They have a very nice coupon database.  If there is a coupon for an item you plan to purchase, they will have information regarding where to find it there.  Paper coupons can be used with e-coupons to lower the price of an item further.  For example, the cheerios have already had two e-coupons applied but you can also apply a paper manufacturer coupon as well. You  can now buy the 1 box of Cheerios for $2.00 less than the sale price using all of the discounts.  As I mentioned earlier, Randalls stores vary in how much of a discount they will give for a coupon.  My store triples any paper coupon with a value of .39 or less and doubles any paper coupon with a value of .50 or less.  Check your local Randalls to see what discount is applied to paper coupons. 

Randalls puts out multiple store coupons every week.  These store "super" coupons can be found in their fliers and can be stacked with your manufacturer coupons to receive additional savings.  For instance, if they have a .50 Cheerio coupon, you can use it with your manufacturer coupon and receive a total of $2.50 off your box of Cheerios!  You can see how couponing can turn into a great money saving game!

My purchase at Randalls tonight illustrates some of these steps.
2 loaves of Nature's Own at 2/$4 - .1.50 (2 paper coupons) = $2.50
1 McCann's Oatmeal at $3.59 - $1 (e-coupon) -$1 (paper coupon) = $1.59
2 Bush's Chili Beans for $2 - $1 (paper coupon) = $1
Total:  $5.09      60% savings!

 

How to Get the Biggest Bang For Your Buck at Target

Target has some great sales but if  you know how to use your coupons you can achieve even greater savings.  When shopping at Target, you can stack a manufacturer's coupon with a Target coupon for the same item and double your savings. 
Where do  you find Target coupons?  Coupons can be printed them from Target's website or you may receive them in the mail.  Sometimes there are a few in the coupon inserts in the newspaper and occasionally some will print out as a catalina at the store.  Catalinas are coupons which are given to you with your receipt. 

The following transaction is an example of saving by stacking coupons.
Huggies diapers big pack - $19.99 (receive a $5 Target gift card when you buy 2)
$19.99 x 2 = $39.98 - $6 Huggies coupon (1st box) = 33.98 - $1 Huggies coupon (2nd box) = 32.98
$32.98 - $5 off of 2 boxes (Target coupon) = $27.98
Spent $27.98 and received $5 gift card!

There are a few good deals at Target this week that require only printable coupons.

Market Pantry French Bread
Use $1/1 Market Pantry or Archer Farms Bakery Purchase *
Final Price = $0.29/ea
Kraft Cheese (blocks or shreds) - $2/ea
Use $5/5 Kraft Cheese or Dairy Products
Final Price = $1/ea WYB 5
  
*FYI...Should you decide to buy two of the loaves, you can only use 1 Target coupon for like items per transaction.  You have to buy the second loaf in another transaction and apply your second coupon.  

Fan Mail Pays Off!

Do you buy products that rarely have coupons?  I love Nature Valley and Oroweat specialty bread.  However, it is rare that I can actually get my hands on any coupons for these products and I am not fond of spending $4 for a small loaf of bread!  Writing your favorite companies and letting them know you are a fan can pay off!  I wrote Oroweat and Huggies and received the coupons you see pictured within a week of writing.  I would say Huggies definitely out did themselves!  I see a free pack of diapers in my future and some yummy bread!  Try it!

Free Admission on Museum Day - September 25th

If you are looking for something fun to do Saturday, you may want to check out the museums in your area.  Smithsonian Magazine is having their 6th annual Museum Day.  Check out smithsonianmag.com and print your free pass for two and find participating museums in your area.

Saving With Groupon at Dewberry Farms

If you haven't signed up with Groupon, you should check it out.  They have "deal of the day" discounts to various local attractions and restaurants.  Today's deal is half price tickets to Dewberry Farms.  They regularly charge $12 for admission.  I'm so excited about this deal because we were planning a visit to Dewberry Farms.  I know my little one will love all the activities she can do there and I'll love the savings!

Randalls Scrubbing Bubbles and Hefty Deal

I've been hearing that Randalls is having a great sale on certain cleaning products.  I stopped by today to see what I could find.  The promotion they are running is buy $15 of specific cleaning products and get $5 off your next order.  You can only receive one $5 coupon per transaction so if you want to do the same deal more than once you have to do multiple transactions.  Scrubbing Bubbles and Hefty trash bags are two of the products included in the deal.  There is another promotion running now for Scrubbing Bubbles as well.  Buy 2 get $2 off your next order.  This catalina can run several times in one transaction. 

My first transaction:
4 Scrubbing Bubbles at $2.50 each = $10.00
$10.00 - (2) $2/2 coupons*= $6
Receive 2/$2 OYNO (for buying 4 Scrubbing Bubbles) = $4 OYNO
To get a better deal buy 6 Scrubbing Bubbles and receive an additional $7 OYNO

Second transaction:
3 Hefty trash bags at $5.99 each = $17.97
$17.97 - (3) $2/1 coupons* = $11.97 -$4 OYNO (prev. order) = $7.97
Receive $5 OYNO

* All coupons can be found in booklets on display in the store.  I found the booklets in the health and beauty aisles.  

Changing My Stars...With a Plan

Credit cards... We can't live with them and unfortunately it seems there are times we can't live without them.  When polled, Americans say that debt is the most taboo subject and as a result it is estimated that 80% of Americans are in debt.  Living beyond our means and without a plan creates stress.  It's time for a debt revolution!

I recently discovered some interesting statistics on www.creditcards.com.  Regarding debt in the US, they estimated that the average credit card debt per household to be $15,788.  That is only credit card debt and doesn't include car and any other debts a household might incur.  An interesting side note is the three cities that were the biggest over spenders in 2009 are Miami, Tampa and Los Angeles.  This is one time that I am happy to be below average!!  I know how easy it is to get into debt.  Life happens and many times I am caught off balance (no pun intended).  But once again we are making a concerted effort to get out of debt and by attending Financial Peace University we plan to STAY OUT!  The best antidote for life's  unexpected and costly bumps is planning and saving.  Dave Ramsey lays out 7 baby steps in his course to get your finances back on track.  After just one class, and one baby step down, the future already looks brighter.  If you can follow these steps,  you will "live like no one else so you can give like no one else".  Now that sounds like a plan to me!

Reduce, Reuse, RESALE

All the credit for this good deal goes to my SIL who told us about Radio Shack's trade and save program.  I've been wanting an I Phone 4 but not wanting to pay $200 for it.  After finding out that Radio Shack will take old electronics and give you store credit for them, Eric went to see what kind of discount he could get.  He took my  Blackjack, his old 3G I Phone and a Creative video and mp3 player into the store and received an amazing discount.  He ended up playing just $40 for my I Phone 4!!  Now that is a discount!  Don't get rid of your old electronics until you see if you can resale them on Ebay or get store credit at Radio Shack.  To see more about trade in values at Radio Shack go to http://radioshack.cexchange.com/online/home/index.rails .                                                                                                      

Organic Milk for $0.28!

I was out running errands today and on the way back to the house stopped in at Randalls to see if there was a good deal on organic milk.  I had a feeling I might find some on sale!  Sure enough when I checked there was one lone gallon of 2% organic milk for $2.50.  When I checked out, I remembered that I had a $2 coupon off my order that I hadn't used yet. So after running the coupon the tax adjusted and I owed only 28 cents!  Still can't figure out how that happened but I love it!  Looks like I'll be making a gallon of yogurt.  A gallon of organic yogurt for 28 cents!  You can't beat that!!

If you are local, Randalls is having a great sale on Fiber 1 and Nature Valley snack bars and Betty Crocker fruit snacks.    When you load the Cellfire and Shortcuts coupons to your Randalls card for these items and use paper coupons for them as well, you can get 4 boxes for .50 or even free.  When you buy 4 boxes of the bars, you will get a coupon back for $2.50 off your next order.  When you buy 4 boxes of the fruit snacks, you will get a coupon back for $2.00 off your next order.  I was able to get several boxes for free and donated them and received $2.00 back which I used for the organic milk.  Good deal!

Healthy Eating and Spending

If you haven't watched Food Inc. I would highly recommend it.  After watching the documentary, I began to make some big changes in my diet and my shopping habits.  I'm now shopping for more organic produce and dairy and skipping most of the middle aisles in the store with the boxed meals and snacks that are full of carbohydrates and contain too much soy for my diet as well.   Since buying organic meat can be ridiculously expensive, I have found ways to compromise and feel good about what I am eating.    The following are a few money saving ideas and I would love to hear any ideas you might have as well!

1)  Shop for local produce.  Local produce stands can be a great place to find good deals on quality produce.  While your local produce stand might not be certified organic, the local home grown produce will have been grown more organically than the regular produce at the store.   For locals, Katy Fresh Produce Market is a great place to buy fresh produce for great prices. 

2)  Take advantage of meat counter services.  I recently saved quite a bit on my grocery bill by having the butcher grind a package of brisket into hamburger for me.  The brisket was on sale for $1.99 per pound and hamburger was $3.00 per pound.  The end product was some fairly lean hamburger for a steal!

3)  Save on organic dairy by couponing and buying on sale.  Every grocery store has a clearance section for all the dairy products.  I have found gallons of organic milk  with  a week or more before expiration on sale for 50% off.  I usually buy it all and freeze what I can't use right away.  Once it thaws you can't tell it was ever frozen.  Making your own yogurt with the extra milk is an even greater savings!  We love yogurt and can go through quite a bit in a few weeks time.  We have saved quite a bit by making our own organic yogurt.  It is simple to make and can cost $5 or less for a gallon.  Many times you can find organic dairy coupons on company websites or in your grocery stores which will create greater savings.

4)   Make your own frozen dinners ahead.  You can make your own frozen dinners ahead of time with recipes you like and great ingredients.  Either make more of all  of your favorite recipes and freeze the extra or have a "freezer day"  and stock your freezer with healthy and affordable meals.  Check out this link for more freezer meal recipes.  http://www.freezermealsrecipes.com/  

Target Toy Clearance

Target is having their annual toy clearance right now and making room for new toys coming in.  Some stores have marked the toys to 30% off and others are 50% and 75%.  The store I shopped at today had only marked theirs to 30% off but the toys were flying off the shelves.  I bought a few toys but would like to shop more when they are 50% off in the next few days.  Having seen the heaped double carts today, I am not sure anything will be left! I've attached a picture of my $10 toy purchase. Check out your local Target!   This is a great time to buy for Christmas and birthdays! 

Randalls - Marie Callendar Dinner Promo

Randalls is having a great sale on Marie Callendar frozen dinners.  I usually don't buy very many boxed meals because I like to make my own with more nutritious ingredients. However, when I see a deal as good as this, I stock up so Eric has something for lunch on the days I don't have anything prepared.  It sure beats fast food!
Marie Callendar dinners - $2.54
Get .55 off with in-ad coupon                      $1.99
Get $5 off when you buy 5                              .99 each
Apply printable coupon $1.50/4                    .69 each WYB 5

Even if you can't print coupons, this is still a great deal using only the store flier coupon.

*Edit*  Your mileage may vary on this one.  They were priced at $2.79 at my store and the $5 promo came off before the in-ad coupon making it invalid.  So I paid around $1.50 per dinner after the coupon.  You may get a better deal... and it is only good on Marie Callendar dinners.

Shopping Kroger Mega Deal

So I ran out to Kroger tonight for some peroxide to get rid of any  mold we may have lurking in the bathroom before we continue renovation and picked up a few more items that were a part of their mega sale.  For those who live close to a Kroger, this is a great sale especially for Kraft cheese products as I posted earlier.  I picked up 5 cream cheese that were .99 each and after the $5 catalina printed out those items were free.  The cheese had blinkies dispensing nearby so I was able to get $2 off of 5.  Crest and Oral B tooth brushes are on sale for $1 each and with the coupons in the 7/4 P&G insert the toothbrushes are free and the tooth paste .25.  Altogether both orders came to $9.73 and I saved $37!  Fun shopping trip!

Rebates

I used to pass up rebates because I thought the savings wasn't worth the time and effort to mail the information to the company and because the rebate wasn't large enough to make the item worth buying.  Lately I've learned how to use rebates to score some very good deals.

Rebates when used alone save some money but generally not enough to  entice me to buy an item.  When you combine coupons and even a sale to the same item, suddenly you have a great deal that you have to stock up on.  Right now Olay has a rebate out which is $10 off a purchase of $30 worth of selected products (http://www.olay.com/PublishingImages/offers/rebate/june302010/crossbrand/10_Olay.com.pdf).   While this will help to get a better deal on Olay, it is not the "rock bottom deal" I am looking for.  When combined with a coupon for $4 off 1 Olay body wash, suddenly it becomes a fantastic deal.  At Target, we can purchase a bottle of Olay Total Effects body wash for $5.79 (not on sale) and after the coupon it is only $1.79.  To prepare for this deal, I purchased 5 Olay coupons from a seller on eBay for $1.50.  (Coupons can be bought on eBay as long as the seller is only asking for money to cover shipping and handling costs.)  I went to Target and purchased 5 of the body wash and then decided to buy 1 bottle of Pantene shampoo to make up the $30 worth of products.  After coupons, my order came to $13.34.   My total for this order is $13.34 + $1.50 (coupons) - $10 (rebate) = $4.84 total!  Great savings!  To score an even better deal:  purchase 5 coupons for Ivory soap.  They read, "buy one Olay Total Effects body wash and get one free Ivory body wash, bar soap or hand soap".  With this coupon you should have 10 bottles of body wash and a Pantene shampoo for $4.84!

The most important tip for rebates is send your rebate form out right away!  If you wait too long, you may miss the deadline!

Saving on Your Grocery Bill

The average American family spends about $300 a month on groceries and about $200 per month eating out. (http://www.visualeconomics.com/how-the-average-us-consumer-spends-their-paycheck/)  I think the eating out average is a little high...however unless we have a budget we are trying to stick to, the grocery bill and restaurant bill can get way out of hand.  I've had so much fun figuring out how to get great savings at the store.  Today, I shopped the sales at Randalls, used coupons and saved 80%.  I bought 4 boxes of General Mills brand cereal, 1 package of Pampers diapers, 1 box of Nature Valley Granola bars and 2 Banquet entrees.  Altogether I spent $5.65!  The following are a few tips for achieving amazing store savings!
 
Do not buy on a whim.  Base your shopping list and menus on sales.  Plan your menus based on the sales for the week.  Make a list of what you need and stick to it while you shop.  Buying in the moment can  wreak havoc on a budget.  Kraft cheese is on sale this week at Kroger for $1.88.  This is an item I might buy but if I have a coupon as well the deal is a bit sweeter.

Use coupons for your favorite brands.  With list in hand, check to see if you have any coupons for any of the items.
Coupons can be found in your local paper, in the store next to a display, catalinas (coupons that print with your receipt) and you can print them from manufacturer's websites or www.coupons.com.  Many stores offer loyalty cards and on their websites have coupons available to be loaded onto those cards. Other loadable sites include www.shortcuts.com, www.cellfire.com, www.pgesaver.com and www.upromise.com.  There are many coupons for Kraft cheese.  One is $1 off when you buy 2.  This makes the cheese $1.38 per package which is a much better deal.

Check for additional savings.  Additional savings would be rebates or some catalinas.  For example, Kraft put out a catalina at Kroger for their cheese.  Buy 5 and get $5 off your next order.  This makes the cheese price too good to pass up.  I can now buy 5 bags of cheese  for $1.90!  I would have paid $9.40 for the cheese if I had just gone with the sale.  I will save $7.50 using all of these steps.

Stock up on rock bottom priced items.  Once you find an item that you use frequently at a rock bottom price (such as the cheese), stock up!  Otherwise you will be back in the store in 2 weeks buying more at the regular price.  You can buy 10 bags of cheese and freeze what you cannot use right away.  Cheese that has been frozen looks and tastes just the same as cheese that has not been frozen.  

Put the money you've saved to better use.   When you spend carefully, the money you save can be put into savings, used for vacation, renovation or put towards any other of the million things on your list.  This is what makes saving so much fun!

 

Au Naturale Shampoo

At the risk of sounding like a totally crazy health nut, I am writing about saving on beauty products.  It is interesting to me that some of the more healthy and "green" products as a bonus are also much more cost effective.  It is also good to know that many of the products we buy can easily be substituted by combining a few ingredients that we have in our pantry.  I have been researching what ingredients are in commercial shampoo.  I'm skeptical of any products that most of the big companies put out as they tend to add ingredients to their products and food which are not good for the consumer.  It turns out shampoo is no exception.  While none of the ingredients are life threatening, they certainly are not helpful and supportive of the way our body is designed.  It seems that they basically coat your hair and scalp in many cases with mineral oil while stripping your hair and scalp of the natural oils which nourish the hair.  This coating of oil also prevents your body from getting rid of toxins as it was designed to do.  Because of the damaging effect on our hair, it becomes necessary to use conditioner with every wash.  There are other ingredients in shampoo that are questionable at best.  If interested, you can read more at:  http://www.natural-forces.com/essays/poofree.htm

The following are a couple of different recipes for making your own all natural shampoo solutions.  I have not made the big switch yet but I intend to experiment with both of these recipes in the next few weeks and will report back.  If you are brave enough, join me!

Shampoo: 
1T baking soda
1c of warm water
Shake up, pour over hair and wash as usual.  For longer hair you may need slightly more soda but not more than 3T. 

Conditioner:
1-2T apple cider vinegar mixed with 1c of warm water.  Apply to wet hair and rinse with cold water.

Your hair may go through "detox" for the first few washes but stick to it.

Herbal Shampoo: (http://www.methodsofhealing.com/how-do-you-make-your-own-shampoo/)
4 oz. of castile soap any scent that is available
About half an ounce of rosemary
About half an ounce of lavender
About half an ounce of sage
About half an ounce of nettles
2000 mg of what is known as Organic sulphur or MSM
An empty plastic bottle of around 8 ounces

Put all the herbs in a jar which has a lid. In the mean time take around 2 cups of distilled water and bring it to a boil. Add around 3 heaped tablespoons of the mixture of herbs into the boiling water. Let it rest for around half an hour or more. Add the organic sulphur to this mixture, after it has cooled down. When the organic sulphur has melted, which should be around 30 to 40 minutes later, use a strainer and strain the herb mixture. Put this into a bowl and add around two to two and a half cups of herb tea that has been strained. Add this into the plastic bottle. The 4 ounce of castile soap needs to be added into this bottle as well. Put the cap on and shake well. And Voila your shampoo is ready to be used.

Go Green and Save Green!

Recently my mother in law lent me a book entitled, "The Detox Strategy - Vibrant Health in 5 Easy Steps". It is such a great book that goes into detail about the toxins that can be found in so many products and items that we use everyday. These toxins can build up in our body and cause many health issues over time. Of course, cleaning products are full of chemicals and are very toxic so the author offered suggestions of natural ingredients which can be used to replace the more toxic (and expensive) bottled cleaners.

My husband can attest to the fact that I love to clean and love the smell of walking into a clean house.  But I have become more aware of how many harsh chemicals I clean with and have begun to notice how strong they smell.  I'm rethinking what "clean" actually smells like!  My baby is generally under foot when I clean, wanting to be involved and breathing in the Lysol vapors in the process. I have decided to replace my bottled cleaners with as many natural cleaning products as possible so she is not exposed to so many chemicals. My main motivation for changing my cleaning products is for health reasons but the savings is a great added bonus.

In general, you can make most of your own cleaning product at a tenth of the price of buying them and most of them take very little time to put together.  After doing some research, I found that you need very few ingredients to make most cleaners. Lemon, distilled white vinegar, baking soda, washing soda, a good liquid soap (castile soap can be found in most health food stores) and tea tree oil are fantastic cleaners on their own and can be combined for a more powerful cleaning solution. Below are a couple of recipes that I have found to be excellent and more can be found at http://www.aboutmyplanet.com/daily-green-tips/cleaning-products/.  Check out the following website for great step by step instructions to make a non-toxic cleaning kit.   http://www.care2.com/greenliving/make-your-own-non-toxic-cleaning-kit.html .



Toilet Cleaner
1/4 c. baking soda
1 c. white vinegar
Pour into toilet and let sit for 5 minutes before scrubbing with a brush.


Counter top Cleaner
Cut a lemon in half and dip the cut side in baking soda. Rub on counter top, rinse and dry.


Window Cleaner

1/4-1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent
3 tablespoons vinegar

2 cups water
Spray bottle

Put all the ingredients into a spray bottle, shake up and use. 

Saving With a Baby

While babies are so much fun, they can also be incredibly expensive. From birth, to diapers, clothing and baby food, the list of necessities goes on and on! As the expenses add up, finances can get out of control if you are not careful what you spend your money on. I've begun to question how many of the "necessities" are truly necessary. Is there a cheaper way to achieve the same result and how can I make my money work harder for me. The following are a few ways I have been able to save with my baby. All of these ideas may not work for you since every situation varies but take what is helpful for you.

1.) If at all possible, avoid buying formula. I say if at all possible because in some cases it just can't be helped and thank goodness for formula in such cases!  However, if breastfeeding does work for you, stick to it! One year of formula can cost around $1500 and even more when you purchase the bottles, liners, nipples and etc. that are also needed. I was blessed to have a supportive family and the help of a great lactation consultant when I had Maddie. She was born 7 weeks early and breastfeeding was exceedingly difficult. She had to mature just a bit more before she was able to get the hang of it. In those few weeks I was very tempted to quit but I'm so glad I didn't! Besides the monetary savings, breast milk is specifically designed just for your child in a personalized way that formula never can be. It is the optimal way to feed a baby.

2) Never pay full price for disposable diapers. I try to pay no more than .10 per diaper. This requires buying only when the diapers are on sale and using coupons at the same time to bring the price down. Huggies and Pampers put out lots of coupons in the Sunday paper and in online coupon sites such as www.coupons.com. I've had great success with going to the Huggies website and either emailing them or calling them with a compliment. They will send coupons if you contact them. Some of the coupons they are just a $1 but others are $5 and will be a huge help in getting a great deal. Of course, if you plan on having more children, cloth diapers are your best option. They have come a long way since I was a child! No more pins and crackly plastic pants! My favorite ones are Fuzzi Bunz One Size diapers. Maddie had some of these and they have fit her for months! Definitely the cheapest option and much better for the environment!

3) Make your own baby wipes! Why pay $3 for a tub of wipes that is gone before you know it?! For about .50 you can make wipes using a half roll of paper towels, 1T Aveeno baby wash (or whatever baby wash you use), 2T baby oil (or olive oil) and 2 cups of water that has been boiled. Store the wipes in an empty wipe container or just buy a nice container that works for you. I think the homemade wipes smell and work so much better for me! If you want to go green, you can put the wash solution in a spray bottle and use cloths for the wipes. I think I'll stick to paper towels!

4) Take advantage of garage sales and thrift stores! Thanks to my generous sister, Rachel, passing on her children's baby clothes to me I have not needed to buy many clothes at all. I have begun going to more garage sales on the weekend and checking out what kind of baby clothes or toys people are trying to get rid of. I have found awesome bargains but wasn't always prepared with enough cash with me to fully take advantage of my find. One particular garage sale the lady was selling boxes of very nice kids clothes for a $1 an item. I got some name brand name clothes that looked new for just a few dollars! At another garage sell, I bought a tub of Lincoln Logs and another huge tub of Mega Blocks for just $8. If you have a good thrift store nearby, they can also have great deals on clothing and toys.  Also if you have items you no longer need you can sell them there and use your store credit to buy more that you can use.  The biggest thing to remember in buying for a child is to buy ahead, in the off season to receive the biggest bang for your buck.

5.) Try to buy as little baby food as possible.  When Maddie was a baby, I started out buying a good deal of baby food.  I eventually realized that the small jar of sweet potatoes that I was buying was costing me so much more than just buying a sweet potato and making my own!  A baby can eat a long time on just 1 fruit or veggie.  Puree and freeze the extra and you will have baby food to go for a good while.  As the baby gets older, some soup filled with lots of healthy veggies is great to freeze and have on hand for any meals you may have that aren't conducive for babies.  For more great baby food ideas, go to www.nurturebaby.com.

There are so many more great ways to save.  What are some of your favorite?

Not Your Average: Thrifty And Proud Of It!

In March, the Huffington Post wrote an article entitled "43% of Americans Have Less Than 10K For Retirement". The article went on to say that the recent economic downturn has caused more American workers to cut back on retirement savings in just the last year. About a year ago, Visual Economics put together a very interesting diagram, "How the Average U.S. Consumer Spends Their Paycheck". The diagram shows that when the percentage spent on food and the percentage spent on entertainment are totaled, they become the second largest expenditure for the average American household. While Americans spend 5.4% on entertainment, only 1.9% is spent on education and 0.2% is spent on reading. There seemed to be no category at all for saving in this diagram. For a closer look at this article check out this link. http://www.visualeconomics.com/how-the-average-us-consumer-spends-their-paycheck/
My goal in keeping this blog is to inspire you to become better than the average American, to be thrifty, look at how you spend money and save anywhere you can. I have been inspired and encouraged on so many fronts to change my habits and begin to become a better saver. Russel Peter, a comedian, recently joked that while many nationalities are so proud of being cheap and thrifty, Americans seem to be some of the only ones wanting to be known for how much they can spend! I am determined to become an above average saving American that is thrifty and proud of it!