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!