Frugal vs. Survival

Here at our house we have went into survival mode, as I am having extreme morning-noon-night sickness. With 2 2-year olds to keep up with, it is all about just getting the necessary things done. I cannot handle the smell of food cooking right now so the budget has really had to be adjusted. Breakfast is cold cereal, lunch is peanut butter and jelly, and dinner is at a restaurant/take out usually. This is a big change for us as I used to meal plan and make dinner each night. Thanks to our usual frugal ways we can afford to do this for awhile as a way of making life easier. And of course, the end result is worth it. As with a lot of things in parenting, it is only a stage. Soon enough we will be back to our frugal meals. There is a season for everything. I am a huge advocate for the frugal life but there are times when it is just about survival. With all that said, I am sad to say I will be saying good-bye to this blog. I will probably come back to it because I am passionate about frugal and debt free living but for now I need to take a break from it to simplify life. I hope you all have been inspired and encouraged.

Canning

Canning is a great way to eat produce for really cheap all winter. This year I have done plums, apples, pears, green beans, and blackberries. I don't have room for a garden in my yard but have been blessed with people letting me pick all their excess produce. If you are like me and don't have room for a garden consider posting a wanted produce ad on freecycle (of course be safe and never go alone). Many people have lots of extra produce they are not going to use. Freecycle can also be a great way to get canning supplies if you don't have them yet. Even if you decide to buy the canning equipment, it will more than pay for itself. The other thing I love about canning is that I know what is in our food-mostly organic and no preservatives.

Life Insurance

If you have minor children then you NEED life insurance. To find the best rate go to Zander Insurance where they will compair rates and find you the best one. We had life insurance through another company but are in the process of switching to the one Zander recommended because it is a substantial savings each month. You take care of your children while you are alive, make sure they are also taken care of if you were to die.

You NEED an Emergency Fund

This post is to show you that you MUST have an emergency fund if you want to get out and stay out of debt. Last night The Man was helping me with all my canning (sshhh...don't tell all his manly friends) and the stove started on fire! Thank God it was a small fire in one of the burners that stopped when we turned it off. After that-nothing-the thing is totally dead. The Man and I were talking about how a few years ago we would have been worried about how to buy a new one. We would have paid with credit and thought "of course we will pay it all off next month". Then the next month would have come around and we probably wouldn't be able to pay it all off. Hence, how we got into debt in the first place. It is so great to have money in the bank for emergencies like this one. If you want to become debt free, start with $1,000 in the bank for emergencies because I can guarantee you they will happen! That way you won't have to ever rely on credit again. After all, isn't it wonderful knowing YOU can take care of yourself?

Mommies Making Money

This week Dave Ramsey had a TV show dedicated to how stay at home moms make money. I am a huge advocate for moms staying at home as much as possible. Raising you children is the most important job you will ever have. I also know, however that a lot of families cannot survive on just one income. I am very blessed to have a job I love that is willing to let me work the days my husband is off. This is great for many different reasons. I can keep up my skills, get out of the house, and the Man gets regular alone time with the kiddos. If working part time around your husbands job is not an option, there are also other things you can do. The women calling in had some great ideas:

1. Cleaning houses

2. Selling home-made soap

3. Decorating cakes

4. Childcare

5. Freelance writing

Some women started up their own businesses from their homes. The main thing to remember when doing this is do something you have a lot of knowledge on and NEVER build a business with debt-pay cash as you go.

I also think of my frugalness and coupon clipping as a part time job. It is very important to handle the finances well and make your money stretch. If you are a stay at home mom, this responsibility will probably fall mostly to you. So get on a budget and stick to it, girl!

Coupons.com Reloaded

The coupons on coupon.com have been reloaded-Hooray! A couple of my favorite are the $1.50 off Tava (take to Safeway when they have it on sale for 2/$5 with your SDC only $.50) and the $1 off Kotex (take to Walmart for FREE panty liners). Remember hit the back button and print 2. Happy couponing!

A Thought For Married Couples

One huge reason that we have been able to become debt free and do pretty well handling our finances is that The Man and I are on the same page. 4 years ago when I suggested we take the Financial Peace classes, I have to be honest that The Man was less than thrilled about it. However, like a good husband he consented when I told him it was really important to me. There was one stipulation though, he said he would try it for one week and after that if he hated it he didn't have to go. After the first class though he was hooked. We got so excited about paying off debt and learning how to manage our money. I don't think you will win with your money if both partners aren't on the same page. The Man and I never fight about money as both of us agree on where the money will go each month and work as a team to reach our financial goals. Actually, now we love talking about our finances because we are so excited about the progress we are making.
I think it is imperative to have joint accounts if you are married. You need to be working as a team to achieve your financial goals. Both people need to be aware of and accountable for the finances. A great place to start would be to take some financial classes together, of course I recommend Financial Peace University. Also set aside time each month to talk about the budget, how things are going, and places that need to be improved. You will not win with money if both people are not committed to the same financial goals.

Questions Answered

I got a couple questions after my last post so I thought I would answer them publicly because others may be wondering the same thing.

Tonight I was telling my husband about this particular blog and that you got basically paid for getting stuff... He works in retail and is wondering how you are getting cash back on the items. He says most coupons will say "no cash value" or such on them...

I have never gotten cash back. You get overage when your coupons equal more than the product. I have heard of other people getting cash back but I don't feel right about this. So if I know I am going to get overage I get another product and then the overage covers that. As for the Walgreens deal, I get my FAR money put on a Walgreens card which I get at the end of the month.

So yesterday I paid:
$30.81
I will get $46.04 + 10% back on my Walgreens card
that is how I made $12.61

I didn't actually get cash back but I will get it on a Walgreens card which spends just like a gift card.

One more thing... where do I get the SDC?
You get the SDC in Safeway's ad. Most Safeways have a big stack of ads by customer service.

Money Maker at Walgreens for Friday and Saturday

Would you believe I MADE $12.61 by buying this stuff??? On days like today I feel like I am shoplifting-but it is legal! Here is how I did it:

*the olives with the .99 coupon from the ad and milk were just fillers to make my order more than $40 and the rest were FAR items:

Chemistry Shampoo or Conditioner or Treatment--prices up to $7.99
Use $3/1 coupon from August EasySaver booklet
Get full rebate from September EasySaver booklet
Free plus $3 overage after coupon and rebate


Buy 1 Nivea for Men Body Wash at $4.99
Use $1/1 coupon from the 7/20 SmartSource
Free plus $1 overage after coupon and rebate

Buy 1 L'oreal RevitaLift Anti-Wrinkle Concentrate at $16.49
Use $3/1 coupon from the 7/20 SmartSource
Free plus $3 overage after coupon and rebate

Buy 1 Crest Pro-Health toothpaste at $3.79
Use $0.75/1 coupon from the 8/3 P&G
Free plus overage after coupon and rebate

Buy 1 Revlon Nail Color at $4.79
Use $2/1 coupon from the 8/24 SmartSource
Free plus $2 overage after coupon and rebate

Walgreens Acid Controller Complete $7.99
FAR

You could also buy the other FAR items which my Walgreens didn't have in stock:

Excedrin Express Gels $3.99
FAR

LypSyl Stick $1.99
FAR

Pitcher Filter Replacemement $6.99
FAR

Good on Friday & Saturday only Spend $40 get $10 off. If FAR items bought later in the month you would still make some $ and get a bunch of FREE stuff but it wouldn't be such an incredible money maker.

FREE Salad Dressing

Okay, not that I need more salad dressing but it is FREE again this week. Wishbone salad dressing is on sale for $0.99 (limit 4) at Safeway. Use the $1/1 Wishbone Bountifuls coupon here (you'll need to scroll down the list and find it) to get them for free after coupon.

Thanks, Heather!

FREE Toilet paper

Want some FREE toilet paper? Click here and enter your info. then print your $1 off toilet paper coupon (hit back and print 2). They are on sale this week at Albertsons 10 for $10 (you don't have to buy 10). Yeah, we won't have to do the family cloth! Just kidding. I'm not that green yet.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

"Money problems are not the problem, they are the symptom of something else inside of you." ~Larry Burkett

This is totally true.  If your finances are out of wack, so is something else.  Maybe you feel that to be someone you need to buy expensive things, maybe you have marriage problems and your money is manifesting that, maybe you are unorganized and need to get your bills and budget together, or maybe you are just being childish and need to tell yourself no.

Saving For College

This week we opened an Educational Savings Account (ESA) for the kids. Hopefully throughout the years we will be able to continue to add to it. ESA are a great way to save for your kids college, as they grow tax free. However, you shouldn't put saving for your child's education above becoming debt free and saving for retirement. It is very important to work the financial baby steps (see to the right of blog) in order. There are grants and scholarships available for college but not for retirement!

New Cars

When my husband and I were newly married we were somewhat naive about money. Probably like a lot of people. We got into debt but never worried about it because "we could always afford the payments". Making payments was what adults did. Or so we thought. A well intending but seriously mislead family member instructed us that you should always buy a new car. It is the best way to go financially. So, we bought a NEW car. Bad mistake. In fact it was the stupidest financial decision we have made.

Do you know that new cars lose 60-70% of their value in the first 5 years? What a horrible investment. We probably won't buy a brand new car again and we definitely won't buy a car that we don't pay cash for. Car payments are a great way to stay broke. Check out this video on how to drive FREE cars for the rest of your life.

Frugal Wife Scares Husband

When I read this post about a husband's reaction to his wife's new found frugal ways, I had to laugh. It reminded me so much of my dear hubby. At first he thought "this will be a great way to save some money" then he realized there was a lot more to it than that. One thing my husband has not been able to grasp is stockpiling. Just yesterday he said "Do we really need 20 bottles of italian salad dressing?" Well, when you get it FREE how can you turn it down? Seriously, if anyone needs some let me know or my extra will be going to the food bank to get my husband off my back. He does however love how little we spend on groceries but he draws the line at going with me to the grocery store. Which is fine with me because he is always sneaking snack food in the cart that we don't have a coupon to get FREE and ruining my frugal streek.

Walgreens $5 Off

Here is another great $5 off $20 purchase for friday and saturday at Walgreens. If you haven't yet done this month's FAR items this would be a great time to get FREE stuff and make $5!

We're DEBT FREE!!!

We're DEBT FREE!!!!! And it feels awesome!!! I don't think it will truly hit me until next month. Want to become debt free too? Find a Financial Peace class in your area to learn how.

As a debt free side note: In a poll of the Forbes 400 (the 400 wealthiest people in North America) 75% say the best way to become a millionaire is avoid debt.

Safeway Deals

This week there are some good deals if you combine the Safeway coupon with the MFC and the SDC:
Knott Lipton Sides: 4 /$4 with Safeway coupon- 2 $.75 off 2 MFC-SCD= 4 for $2.50
All Laundry Detergent: $2.99 with Safeway coupon -$1 MFC-SDC= $1.50-that is about 4 cents a load. You can get the Free and Clear which is what I use.
Skippy Peanut Butter: 2 /$3 -2 $1 off MFC= 2 for $1.50

All of these MCF can be found in last Sundays paper and the Safeway coupons are in the Safeway ad. Prices good until Tuesday.
Whenever a store puts out a coupon try and put a MFC with it for maximum savings and use a SDC for even more savings.

1 More Day

1 More Day until we are DEBT FREEE!!!!!!(except our house)!!!!!

2 More Days

2 more days until we are DEBT FREE!!!

FREE Bread

Sometimes a company will come out with a new product and give out FREE samples to break it into the market. Sunday's paper had a great FREEBIE. If you don't usually clip coupons you may want to clip this great one. The coupon was for a FREE loaf of Sara Lee Soft & Smooth bread. Luckily, I found 4 more of these in the recycling bin. Yeah-I won't be buying bread for awhile!

Update:This coupon was in the Red Plum coupon insert-not sure if all areas received this?

$.15 Well Spent at Safeway

This week our grocery budget has been super tight due to some unforeseen medical bills. We budgeted $10 for food for the week and would you believe we came in under budget?? I am amazed at how God continually provides for us. When we used to have a tight week we would just use our credit card to fill in the gap, always thinking of course we will pay it off next month, which we weren't always able to do and hence the debt we accumulated. Now that we don't use debt for anything except to buy a house I am amazed at how God always provides for us. Whether it be someone giving us some hand-me-down clothes or finding some great coupons. Today I went to Safeway and got all this for $.15! And yes, that is steak and shrimp for FREE! The check out kid has gotten to know me and my super saving ways and he had a good laugh when he told me I only owed $.15 and told me he had never seen anyone shop like I always do to which I replied "thanks"!

Christmas In August???

Yes, now is the perfect time to be preparing for Christmas, especially if you are on a tight budget. Actually, January is the perfect time to start thinking about Christmas so if you haven't already-you are behind! =) You don't need to spend a lot of money to show your family and friends that you care about them. In fact, I think homemade, personal gifts are often times more meaningful than something you can buy at a store.

Some Christmas Gifts we have made in the past are:
Homemade wine & Beer
Knitted scarves and hats
Handmade Cards
Candy & Cookies
Homemade Jam

With the exception of the candy and cookies, all the other ones are gifts you want to start making months in advance. All the wild berries right now are perfect for making jam, so I have been picking berries like a crazy woman. The Man and I had fun last night bottling our wine and it is nice to know that is already done.

I have this thing about always being done shopping and having all my gifts wrapped by the first of December so that I can take the month of December to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. Since we are on a very tight budget this year a lot of people on our Christmas list will be getting homemade gifts so it is imperative that I start planning for Christmas months in advance.

If your budget allows you may also want to start setting aside money each month for Christmas. We used to go all out and just put our Christmas gifts on our credit cards (and still be paying them off by Easter!) but now we are done with debit! We don't buy things on credit so that is not an option for us. Last year was the first year we did this and you know what? We had a wonderful Christmas! Not to mention we paid for it with CASH so we didn't have to worry about getting the bill. This year I encourage you to PLAN AHEAD and do not use credit to have a Merry Christmas. I promise it will be much happier.

What are you planning to have a debt free Christmas?

Love Spicy Food?

I love Tobassco Sauce so I was excited that I was able to stock up this week on it for FREE. Print the coupon here and take to Albertsons this week with your SDC and get it for FREE.

Line Dry Yours Clothes-Save $ and the Earth

Inspired by my green friend KDK I have decided to line dry my clothes. Unfortunately, I only have one clothes rack so I am only able to do about half our clothes right now but that is better than none. When I stopped to think about it, isn't it ridiculous to be running the dryer when it is 90 degrees outside? It will be neat to see how much money this saves us but even more important it is a great way to conserve energy and be green-thanks KDK for the great idea!

Wild Berry Picking

One of my favorite things about summer in the Pacific Northwest is all the wild blackberries. They are delicious and FREE! I've already picked about 10 lbs of them and plan to pick a lot more. I will freeze them for smoothies (that I make my kids everyday), make jam and blackberry cobbler. Blackberries are usually about $3lb. so I am saving a ton of money picking them myself plus we will be enjoying berries all throughout the winter months.

FREE Chocolate

Who doesn't love to get paid to "buy" chocolate??? Go to Walgreens this week and you will.

Hershey's Bliss candy--$3 each
Buy 4 and use 2 $2/2 EasySaver coupon
Stack with 4 manufacturer's coupons hereGet a $5 rebate for buying $10 worth of Hershey's products (rebate #34)
Free plus overage after coupons and rebate

Honey Bunches of Oats

Click here for a $2 off Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal coupon (hit back and print 2). I love FREE cereal-doesn't it taste much better?

Frugal Fad?

I was reading an article the other day saying how frugality is a popular fad right now, apparently frugal is the new black. The author was saying that as soon as the economy starts looking up people will be back to their old ways.
First I thought, what the heck are they talking about? I don't see people really becoming frugal. The people who were frugal before are still and the people out using credit to buy things they can't afford are still at their old ways (with a few exceptions).
Then I thought about my own life. First off, I have only been an extreme shopper (that is what the media is calling people who shop like I do) for about 6 months. We used to buy things on credit but I thought we were doing fine, after all we could always make the payments. Then we took a Dave Ramsey class and it changed our lives. We got so sick of being in debt and realized how stupid it was. My whole outlook on money has changed. I am frugal so I can save more and give more. It has nothing to do with the economy being down.
I don't think I'll ever go back to my old ways. There may be times when I don't coupon with such intensity or times we spurge on something (always with cash, of course) but on a whole I love our new financial life. We have such freedom. I don't feel deprived, I feel in control of our money. I have peace about or future (since we are saving for it now). I don't worry about how we will pay the mortgage next month. I don't wonder where the money went. We tell our money where to go, based on what we value in life.
So what about you? Do you live frugally? What has caused you to? Do you think you will stick with these habits?

Pinch A Penny Till It Screams

"the philosophy of the simple living movement is the motto that says 'live simply so others may simply live'"
"Another aspect of successful frugal living is balance. We don't want to spend all our time on just survival. We want to be able to make a difference in the world, pursue our goals, and have some fun along the way....Everyone has to find the comfortable balance for themselves."
Pinch a Penny Till It Screams by Madeline Clive is a very quick read (it took me about a hour) and is a great place to start if you are new to the frugal lifestyle. However, if you have been practicing the frugal lifestyle for any amount of time you probably already practice most of her ideas, as they are pretty basic.

I'm Not Buying It (And Neither Should You!)

We all know there are tons of products that we are tempted to buy every day. Everywhere I turn there is an advertisement telling me why I can't live without what they are selling. Some things I am tempted to waste my money on but these things I am definitely not buying. Some of these things are just plain hilarious!
$5,000 Dog Robot- bought my Micheal Jackson

Kitty Wigs-thanks Kelley!

Weight Loss Pills-Seriously, if these worked wouldn't we all be skinny? I'll just stick to diet and exercise, thank you very much.

Dennis Kozlowski, the CEO of Tyco, bought a statue of David that pissed Vodka.

Build a Catapult in Your Backyard-I can't think of one reason I would ever need this.


$27,000 hand bag



Celebrity Wax Works-John Travolta is hot but I think I'll pass on this.

Cashing Out Your 401K

Don't ever cash out your 401K early. This is one of the top 10 stupidest financial decisions you could make. You will get charged a 10% penalty plus tax so basically you will lose 40%. That is insane! Whereas, if you left it alone with compound interest you will be given tons of money for FREE! Who doesn't love people just giving them money? So invest in your 401K each month and forget about it.

Ronzoni Bistro

Ronzoni Bistro is on sale for 2 for $4 at Albertsons. Click here for a $1 off coupon and combine with SDC. Only $.50! Click back and print 2 coupons.

100 Thing Challenge

Does anyone else just feel overwhelmed with clutter? I loath clutter but yet I feel that it is the ever present monster waiting to over take me. Sometimes I will get in this mood where I go through the house and load stuff up in my Goodwill donation bag as fast as I can grab it. I get so focused that I fear if one of my kids inadvertently leaps in front of me, they may get dumped. My husband has nicknamed the bee in my butt Busy. He will warn anyone in my way "watch out for Busy!"
Junk is just wrong on so many levels. First there is the the financial aspect-you spend money on this crap. Not to mention if you can't find what you need you spend MORE money to buy a replacement. There is also the moral delimna. Why do I have so much and waste so much when others have nothing?
Now a lot of times in this blog I tell you how to get things very cheap. That may seem counter intuitive. However, if you notice I talk about food most of the time, something we all NEED. It is sometimes hard to differentiate between a need and a want. Like right now I have been struggling with my NEED for a new pair of Danskos. I have had the same ones for 3 years. I wear them every day to work. They are faded. I NEED a new pair. No, I don't. I WANT a new pair. They are in great condition so I am not getting a new pair right now.
Have you heard of the 100 Things Challenge? Basically this guy lives with only 100 things. Sounds impossible to me. I'm not ready to do that yet but I am taking a real hard look at things before I buy them. Do I really need it? Can I afford it? Am I out of debt and going to pay CASH for it? Most of the time I realize I don't need it. I'm not saying you should never buy anything. I like nice things but I am trying to really think before I buy things now. I realize I don't need much to be happy. In fact not buying some things has made me a lot happier.

Frugal but Great Meals For Your Family

One of the best ways to drastically cut your grocery bill is by planning your menu around what you have been able to get for cheap or FREE using your coupons and what is on sale. Sometimes I get in a rut and want to try new recipes. I just found this great website called recipematcher. You type in the ingredients you have and it brings up recipes you can make. I'm definitely going to try some new recipes using canned tomatoes since I have about 50 cans I need to use! Plus it has a whole section using my favorite kitchen appliance-the crockpot.

What to do with all the cheap school supplies?

A little while ago I talked about buying cheap school supplies for charity. Well, what is up with these stores just giving this stuff away?? I have come up with some other ideas for these supplies as well.
1. Stock pile it. I filled a drawer full of art supplies for my preschoolers to last all year.
2. Give as gifts or party favors to young children.
3. Buy now to put in your Christmas Shoe Boxes.
4. Get creative! I'm a leader at my local moms group and I think some of these items (pencils, highlighters, ect) will be a great gift to give the ladies in my group as a gift on the first day back in the fall.

Cereal Deal at Walgreens

Not reading the fine print carefully can end up costing you money. Since I started couponing I save about 60% off our grocery budget. Couponing is a learned talent and sometimes you are bound to make mistakes. I made a big mistake and it may end up costing me $10. It is driving me crazy but I am trying to cut myself some slack. After all, I still got the items for cheap, just not as cheap as I could have. Plus, it is stuff we will use and in the past I would have paid full price for it. In the end these are the 2 lessons I learned:
1. Read the fine print carefully
2. If you mess up, count it as a learning opportunity.

So here is the deal so you can do it RIGHT:
In the paper last week there were Kellogg's coupons and a $10 rebate by mail. You have to do the deal between 8/5-9/30. I messed up and did the deal too early.
Go to Walgreens who is having a sale this week.
Buy 10 participating Kelloggs products get $10 RR
Kelloggs products are on sale for 4/$10
Use 5 kelloggs coupons=
$22 for 10 cereals/cereal bars
-$10 RR
-$10 Rebate=
10 for $2

Cut Them Up!

If you ever want to win with money you MUST cut up your credit cards and be DONE with them. We got rid of ALL our credit cards 2 years ago and we will never have one again.
When people hear we don't have any credit cards I usually hear one of 2 responses:
How can you live without a credit card? Very well, actually. You don't need a credit card. Our debit card works for everything like booking hotels, renting cars, ect.
What about emergencies? That is why we have an emergency fund.
Many people also tell me "Oh, I pay off my credit card every month". First off, 70%of people don't pay off their balance every month. Second, studies show that if you pay with plastic you typically spend more than 40% more than you would with cash. Cash is harder to spend than cold hard cash.

Frugal Party

Okay everyone, would you believe I threw a baby shower for under $3 tonight (including the gift)? For everyone that thinks you have to spend a lot of money on parties this post is for you. I totally forgot to take any pictures though so you'll have to use your imagination. I knew I was going to throw this shower for the last couple months so I planned ahead using my coupons. That is a huge secret to saving money. You MUST plan ahead. If you have to buy something when you NEED it, then you'll probably have to pay full price. Here is the break down.

Diaper Cake: Diapers: FREE (using coupons at Walgreens) Ribbon: left over from Christmas last year. The diaper cake was the gift for my friend.

Planters Nuts: FREE using coupon

M&M's: FREE with coupon

Cupcakes: $.20 using coupon for mix, Frosting $.50 using coupon, topped with leftover blueberries

Sparkling Grape Juice: $1.50 stocked up when on sale

This was a little bit of a test for me. I wanted to see how frugally I could throw this party. I LOVE throwing parties but in the past it has been a big expense. This party has really motivated me to try to throw parties more frugally. I don't think anyone knew how little I spent on this party, I think it still had a classy feel to it. Without using coupons I think the exact same party, using the exact same products could have easily cost me $50!

Here are some frugal party ideas:
1. If your budget is really tight consider throwing the party at a non-meal time. That way you can just serve appetizers or dessert.
2. Use real serving wear. I like to use my china-I think it makes the event feel special. This is a win-win idea-it is FREE, and it is good for the earth (no paper plates sitting in landfills for hundreds of years).
3. Use what you have. I bought a huge thing of blueberries so we had a lot that I didn't want to go to waste and they worked great on dressing up the cupcakes.
4. PLAN AHEAD using your coupons and sales.

What frugal party throwing tips do you all have?

Free Potty Training Kit

I am pretty excited about this FREEBIE as we are in the thick of trying to potty train Little Man right now. Visit Pampers website for a great FREE potty training kit. Looks like their website also has some helpful hints.

Freecycle

Freecycle is a great way to get FREE stuff and recycle items. If you have something you want to give away you just post it and if there is something you are looking for you write a post saying you are looking for it. How many times do you have something that is totally usable (sometimes brand new) but you just aren't using it? This is a great way to get those things in the hands of someone who needs them and also you can get some FREE stuff you can use.

Inexpensive Home Improvement Ideas

Some of you had some great Inexpensive Home Improvement Ideas so I wanted to post them. I'll definitely be doing some of these in the future!

"Love that idea! I don't care for my gold house number's either. One of my fav curb appeal ideas are flowers. Every April our local high school horticulture programs hold large plant sales. They sell annuals, veggies, house plants, and a few perennials. Their prices are 50 - 75% off retail and they are gorgeous plants! Another place I like to go is Fred Meyer for annuals. You can get 4 four inch pots of annuals for $5.00. The plants are beautiful and they have a decent variety. As long as you water them and give them some occasional plant food, annuals will typically double to quadruple in size! Simple and inexpensive. I also find that caring for plants and watching them grow is kind of therapeutic. This is soooo easy to do!" - Heather

"We bought mis-tint paint to paint our house...and then painted it ourselves (with a lot of help from The Man!). We painted the whole house, including trim and tools, for under $100!" Kelley

"Recently I was growing tired of the windows in the living room ( yes, after only 3 months of living there! ) and decided they needed an update. This isn't a 'house' update, since I live in an apartment, but it made a huge difference in the way the living room 'shows'. Instead of buying pricy new curtains I went to IKEA and purchased twin sized flat bedsheets that were on clearance for $5 each. They already have the pocket at the hem so they are a 'no sew' project too! Sometimes finding multi-use items can be a cheap and easy solution for updating the interior or exterior of your house." ~Katie

Quick and Cheap House Update

Our house is for sale and everyone knows how important curb appeal is. It can also be pretty expensive though. Our house numbers were the ugly, dated gold. We took them down and spray painted them black. We also did the same with the gold trim around our fireplace. The before and after pictures don't really do it justice-it looks so much better. What inexpensive tricks do you have for updating your house?

FREE Post Cards

I am totally excited about this FREEBIE! I have family spread all over the US and love to send out photos of the kids but it can get expensive. Now I can do it for FREE. I learned about this awhile ago but it sounded too good to be true so I wanted to try it and make sure it was legit and sure enough, it is! You go to the Hippopost website, load your picture and you get a FREE post card. Not a sweet enough FREEBIE? Well, they even pay the postage! My only requirement for all my friends is you must send me one. =)

Feeling the Love

I decided to write this blog for 2 reasons. First it is a huge accountability encouragement to me. Hard to write about debt free living and then go charge up your credit card, especially when a lot of your readers are also your friends! While I am a pretty frugal person I do have my own financial temptations and this blog has really helped me to be more aware of my spending.
The second reason I write this blog is to encourage and help other people live frugally and be debt free. This week I received some very encouraging comments and emails from some of you sharing how you scored some free stuff with your coupons or just managed your money better. That is so encouraging! Thanks for taking time to let me know how this blog has encouraged you-I love hearing how other people are saving money. I've also learned some great frugal ideas from some of you-so keep them coming.

Another FREE Starbucks Drink

July 25-26 get a free Vivanno drink with your Starbucks reward card!

*Thanks to Ashleigh G.
As with any promo you should always call and make sure your store is participating.

"Recession"

Today I was watching Dave Ramsey and he brought up a great point I want to share. If you watch the news at all-you probably have some anxiety. I'm always hearing about this "recession" we are in (which we aren't) and how bad things are financially. Yes, the economy has slowed down but seriously let's keep things in perspective.
Things are apparently so bleak but the movie Batman set a record of 155 million sales this weekend! That is the most any movie has made on opening weekend. And, we all know movie tickets cost a small fortune-but a lot of people spent their money on them.
You know who is to blame for your financial situation-YOU. The debt I am trying to get out of is my own stupid fault. Of course, it is easier to blame it on the economy or the president. But really I'm the one in control of my money. Do you need to increase your income? Work more hours, go to college, apply for a different job. Do you need to get control of your spending? Take a financial class, read a book, make a budget. Stop blaming the economy and control the only thing you can-you.
And you know a great thing about this economic slow down? Stock is on SALE! It is a great time to invest.

School Supplies

Right now is a GREAT time to stock up on school supplies. Office Max and Walgreens (get the coupon at the front of the store) all have $.05 school supplies. I know Walmart also has some very cheap supplies right now also. I went yesterday and got a big bag of stuff. My kids aren't in school yet but in a couple weeks my church is having a school supply drive for needy kids so all the stuff I gather will go to that. Sometimes when you get to the store they will be out of something-just get a rain check and you can use it when they restock the item.

FREE Yogart & Rice-a-Roni

Yesterdays paper had a $1 off 2 Darigold yogart-take it to Albertsons to get it FREE (20 for $10 sale ends Tuesday)
Click here for Rice-A-Roni coupon and use with SDC at Albertsons to get it FREE
I also used the Fred Meyer coupon for buy 1 get one FREE eggs and bread (you only need one coupon and can get both) at Albertsons.

FREE Jamba Juice

Buy 1 Jamba Juice get one FREE coupon here.

Summer Vacation

I'm taking a summer vacation from blogging-be back in a week!

FREE Silky Blanket

Princessa, like a lot of small kids loves the blankets with the silky ribbons on them. I didn't want to spend $20 on one so I came up with this great idea that was FREE. I cut off a bunch of silky tags from our clothes and had my MIL sew them all along the edge of a blanket someone had given us. She loves her blankie and I love the price! Next time you are tempted to buy something you think you really need, think outside the box. You not only will save money-you are recycling.

FREE Movie Tickets

I was so excited the Coupon Lady was on Dave Ramsey's TV show this week. One great idea she talked about was giving older kids their own coupons, helping them find the product and "buy" it for FREE with the coupons. Then take them to the food bank and let them give it to them. What a great idea to teach kids the value giving! Food banks are really low during the summer because kids are home from school who would normally qualify for FREE lunch progams so the parents have to supply more meals and not a lot of food drives happen in the summer. It is a great time to pass on some food you've aquired using your coupons.
Hope everyone is taking advantage of Albertsons buy 10 General Mills products get 2 FREE movie tickets. I used my coupons and got 10 boxes of cereal and 2 movie tickets for $10. You can barely buy 1 movie ticket for that price!

Winner!!

Either you all didn't want this stuff or you didn't like the question. Since Alison is the only one who answered the questions she is the winner! I loved her answer to what the difference between frugal and cheap is:
"Cheap is getting a good deal no matter the cost to others. Frugal is getting the most for your money without taking advantage of others."

20 Healthiest Foods Under $1

I love this article: 20 Healthiest Foods Under a $1. One of the great benefits of couponing is you have more money for Organic fruits and veggies in your grocery budget.

FREE slurpee

Get a FREE slurpee at 7 11 today. Great way to cool off.

ERRR Walmart!

I have a love hate relationship with Walmart. I love the deals I can get there but I hate dealing with the incompetent employees (notice the Walmart sign). Well, yesterday was the worst. I got all my groceries, went to the check out stand, put my coupons first like I always do, the checker scanned and bagged all my groceries, scanned all my coupons, I signed for my debit card and then the machine beeped. So she calls for a manager. It takes 20 minutes for the fake manager to come and meanwhile they have no other check stands open so everyone behind me is getting really mad. FINALLY the fake manager comes and tells me they don't take Internet coupons. Now I always preach to all my readers that you must know each of your stores policies so I KNOW Walmart takes Internet coupons because their coupon policies are on their website and I have read them. I tell her to get the real manager so he comes over (after another 15 minutes) and tells me the same nonsense. He tells me they just changed their policies yesterday to which I say I want to see it in writing. Of course he doesn't have anything saying this. Now the old lady behind me is pissed and starts yelling at the manager some very choice expletives telling me he better let me get my groceries. I tell him I have been standing in line for 45 minutes and my frozen groceries are half melted and he can't put them back on the shelf. He says he would rather throw them away then give them to me (even though I was going to pay him $82!). At this point I am so mad that I can see why people go postal so I decide it may be my time to leave. Before I leave though I tell him he can bet this will not be the end it and he is going to wish he hadn't done this (okay, at this point I am not really in a good place because I am so mad). So when I get home I call corporate and and tell them what a horrible experience the manager John created for me and how he doesn't know his own stores policies. They apologize profusely to me because, of course they take internet coupons and say they are going to look into it and call me back. Later that day I call John again (hey, I did warn him that I wasn't dropping it) and it seems after his corporate manager called him his tuned changed. Suddenly he was very apologetic, saying yes they take internet coupons and he was very sorry. I tell him sorry isn't good enough so he gives me a $25 gift card. The moral of the story is in addition to knowing each stores coupon policies have it PRINTED OUT and keep it with your coupons. I also have the district managers name and number should I ever have this problem again.
Along these same lines you do need to be careful about fraudulent coupons. Of course NEVER photocopy coupons (that is illegal). Some times fraudulent coupons can be hard to spot so freebies4mom has a great post with some tips.

FREE Soap

Great new Johnson & Johnson $2 off 2-take it to Walmart and get 2 Johnson's Buddies Easy Grip Sudzing Bar, regular price $0.94. We don't use bar soap but I will be saving them for our Christmas Shoe boxes.

Staples Deal

Staples Deal (from Julie!)

Staples is having a great deal on school supplies today through Wednesday (July 9). For one penny each you can buy 2-pocket paper folders (limit 10), 8-pack of Dixon #2 yellow pencils (limit 2), and 0.5 oz bottles of Purell hand sanitizer (limit 2). If you are a teacher, you can get 25 of each item for one penny each!

Putting the Fun in the Mail Again

I am loving getting my mail these days. Not only are we almost DEBT FREE (so we don't get many bills) but I've been getting FREE stuff in my mail almost every day! If you haven't already, check out these sites for all the FREE stuff that is available. The sample sized toiletries are great for traveling and it is fun to try different products.
freegrabber
freebies4mom

Another Give-away

Interested in this give-away? Leave a comment by friday stating what is the difference between cheap and frugal? I will randomly pick a winner and announce it on Friday. Sorry, this is only for my local readers as I am not shipping this stuff.

Nuts & Zantac Coupons

Here are some coupons I am loving right now:
Zantac $5 off hit back and print 2(page 3)-Walmart sells the 8 ct. for about $4 so you get $1 overage!
I end up with a lot of FREE medication using my coupons, most of which we don't use. My grandparents, like most elderly people are on a set income and take a lot of medications so I pass them on to them, for which they are extremely thankful. So if any of my friends aren't going to use this coupon can you print it off for me so I can give my grandparents more?
$3 off Planters Nuts-
#2 Nut Coupon
#3 Nut Coupon
Take them to Walmart and get the nuts for FREE. You do have to buy 3 other Kraft products but this is a great time to use all your Kraft coupons or buy something cheap. I think I will stock up on some pudding-my kids love to finger paint with it.

Freegan

I had a great conversation with a girl at work the other day. I think this girl could be my long lost sister because we had a lot of the same views. She was raised in another country and we were talking about all the waste in America. I have been to Mexico, Philippines, Guatemala, Africa and I have seen horrible poverty. I have seen people dying because of starvation. Let me tell you this forever changes you. It is hard to come back to America and see all the waste.
We were talking about how we would consider the freegan lifestyle except my husband would leave me if I ever did. To his credit, this man has put up with a lot of my against the cultural norm ideas but this is where he is drawing the line. Now men usually die before women so I have thought if this happens to me, I may just do this. (I am saying this with some of my dry humor although I actually have thought about it).
I know many of you are not up to the freegan lifestyle and I myself am not up for losing the love of my life but you can live with this mind set on a smaller scale. Think about things before you buy them. Do you really NEED it? What are you giving up by buying these things because you ARE giving up something. Maybe it is you have to work more and are then giving up time with your family. Maybe you are giving up saving for your child's education. Maybe you are giving up the joy of donating to someone who is trully in need. Don't just spend your money-tell it where to go based on what you hold in high regard.

Unfrugal

Inspired by Northern Cheapskates post, I have decide to do my own post about unfrugal things I do. Life is all about choices. While I usually am pretty frugal, there are some things I splurge on.
Scrapbooking- I love scrapbooking. I think it will be great for my kids to be able to look back some day and have all our memories preserved. Anyone who is a scrapbooker knowns it can be expensive but I think it is really worth it.
Shoes While I don't spend much money on clothes I think good shoes are a must. When I find shoes that fit good, I am a very loyal customer. Danskos are the only shoes I buy for work. Since I am on my feet a lot at work I am willing to pay the extra money for good shoes. I also love Crocs for my kids, although thankfully they have recently come out with some knock-off Crocs that fit just as good.
Buying Organic Meat Being healthy is more important to me than saving money so I am willing to pay more for Organic meat. A good way to save though is buy a part of a cow from a local farmer. We buy 1/4 of a cow about every six months. While it is more expensive than buying cheap meat at the store, I feel it is worth it to know that the meat I am feeding my families is not pumped full of antibiotics or fed blood meal (which causes mad cow disease).
Buying Organic Produce Along the same lines, I try to buy a large majority of our fruits and veggies organic because again, healthy food is a priority for me.
Eating Out This is our biggest budget-blower temptation. The Man and I love to eat out and if we aren't careful we can completely blow our budget. We have recently committed to only eating out one meal a week.
It is okay to do some unfrugal things as long as you are still spending less than you are making and you adjust your budget and spend less on something else.
What are the unfrugal things you do? Are they worth it to you? How do you adjust your budget to make it all balance?

Crazy Coupon Lady

My good friend informed me last night that I am now know as the crazy coupon lady. It is true; I've drank the cool-aid. I am so SICK of being in debt that I've taken drastic measures. I have found that, unfortunately in our culture it is very weird to be frugal and live debt free. I have saved so much money with coupons so I am a bit over the top. There are a couple misnomers about coupons however. First: Is couponing for everyone? NO. Second: Will couponing help everyone financially? No.

First off, not everyone should coupon. If you are a person that despises couponing, it is probably not for you. For me I love it. It is a game for me to see how cheap I can get things. Also to be REALLY great with coupons you need to be organized. If you are not a organized person you probably won't do that well with coupons. Lastly, if you work full time or are already feeling overwhelmed by the amount of stuff going on in your life, you might not want to coupon.

Second: Will couponing help everyone financially? You NEED to have your monthly budget WRITTEN down. If you are not sure how to do this or just want to learn some great financial tips I'd recommend going through Financial Peace University. Look at the things that you are spending too much money on. For us it was groceries and eating out. Yours might be different. Maybe you a driving a car you can't afford (if you are making payments and aren't close to paying it off-you can't afford it), maybe you are using your credit card to pay for vacations you can't afford, maybe you spend too much on clothes. You need to look at your own finances and decide where you need to cut. If you use coupons and then turn around and charge up your credit card for a pair of shoes, then it hasn't done you much good.

Saving money on groceries is only a small part of your financial situation. You need to know where your money is going each month and then cute the areas you think are excessive.

So with all that being said the crazy coupon lady will now leave you with a very summery coupon that I am loving right now.
Blue Bunny $1 off-take it to Walmart and get popsicles for $.50

Coupons 102

A few people have been telling me they have been having trouble with Winco taking computer coupons. If you notived I never tell you to take your coupons to Winco. I don't shop there so I don't know what their policies are. I don't find that many great deals their anyway so I wouldn't recommend taking your coupons there.
A basic thing about coupons is you need to know your stores policies. Each store is different and honestly I've found that a lot of cashiers are different. Sometimes they will take a coupon and the next person won't. Whatever store you shop at; find out their policy.

Lotto Anyone?

I'm sure all my readers are much too smart to be wasting their money playing the lottery but just in case, I ran into some very interesting statistics. Do you know that if you drive a mile from your house to buy a lotto ticket you are 12 times more likely to die in an auto accident than win with the lotto ticket? Don't waste your money on the lotto. Put it into a good growth stock mutual fund and you'll do much better.

More Cereal

Here is another great cereal coupon! Hit back and it will let you print twice. I went to Safeway and combined it with my SDC for FREE cereal. They let me use it for the Kashi cereal that was on sale for $2.50. You could also take it to Walmart and get it close to FREE but I'm not sure what their price is.

What to do with the excess?

I have decided I won't be posting all my great shopping trips because it is just too time consuming. Don't worry though I'm still getting great deals-just today I got 4 big bags of groceries for under $2. A girl at work went with me yesterday and she was ecstatic to get 3 bags of groceries for $.76! I have also heard from a lot of you that it is too confusing for you to follow how to replicate the deals I have been posting. So my best advice is if you are interested in couponing you should contact me and set up a time for me to show you how.
I have come across a new dilemma. I am getting so much FREE stuff I am needing to give some things away. I have been saving up non-perishable food because 2 times a year my church collects food for a food drive. My church also runs a free health care clinic so I give the extra medications to them. But this week I got 10 packs of post it notes for FREE and we have no need for that many. I hate to waste things but I wasn't sure what to do with these. My friend Bri had a great idea-give your extra school supplies to a teacher. Lots of students don't have enough school supplies and teachers don't have much of a budget for these things. So if you have any extra school supplies sitting around-give them to a good cause.

Saving on the Basics

You can live a long time on milk and bread. Actually I'm kidding, I have no idea how long you could live off milk and bread. All I know is we go through a lot of milk in our house. About 5 gallons a week. We should buy a dairy cow. Unfortunately, we have no room for one so I have had to be creative with how to cut costs in this area.
Every other week in the Fred Meyer ad there is a coupon for $1 for half gallon of milk. That is the cheapest I can find it on a regular basis plus the Albie's brand is from cows not treated with rbst. Since I usually go to Albertsons twice a week (to get all my FREE stuff using my coupons) I use those coupons then and stock up on milk for the next 2 weeks until the next coupon comes out.

I put what we will use for the next week in the fridge and the rest in the freezer. Now before some of you think "gross-frozen milk" you should try it. The Man was very opposed of me doing this at first so we did a simple test-1 glass of milk that had been frozen and 1 glass that hadn't. If he could tell the difference, I wouldn't freeze the milk. Guess what? We are freezing our milk. A couple things to remember about freezing milk-make sure you give it a few days to unthaw in the fridge, it will last about 5 days once unthawed, and can last about 3 months in the freezer. The milk will settle a little when you freeze it so just shake it before you pour it.

Every other week Fred Meyer also comes out with a coupon for their bread for $1.20. So I take it to Albertsons and they will let you get their brand of bread (Country Farms) with the coupon. Now this is the GOOD bread, 100% whole wheat no high fructose corn syrup. Normally this kind of bread is about $4. So I get enough to last us 2 weeks until the coupon comes out again. You could freeze the bread if you want but I haven't had a problem with it lasting 2 weeks.

Advent Bottles Update

Apparently everyone has questions about this. Sorry I don't all the answers as it seems to vary from store to store. BPA is a chemical found in some bottles that leeches into the formula and can be harmful. If you want more info on this you can google it. I don't know which bottles they are returning as each store seems to be making their own rules. My best advice is call ahead of time and ask. We were able to get in store credit for all our Advent bottles that we used even though I didn't have any receipts. Hope that answers everyones questions.

Avent Bottles

Today we went and exchanged all of our Avent bottles (due to the BPA in them) at Babies R Us. We spent a lot of money on those bottles so it was nice to get the money back, though you get it in the form of in-store credit. The kids were excited they got a sprinkler! I don't know how long Babies R Us will be doing this so if you have some you want to exchange you should do it soon.

Flea and Tick Control

I just got my FREE 3 month supply of Bio Spot Flea & Tick control for dogs. This is a great sample!

Enough Already

I am so sick of hearing about how gas prices have increased. Yes, I know already! Let me clarify, we have felt the pinch. My husband commutes 48 miles to work every day. I'm not liking the price increase either. But chances are the increase in gas prices is not what is killing you. Not living within your means and paying interest is a whole lot worse than the gas price. People are paying interest on credit cards, cars and everything in between-you are just throwing that money away every month. My husband works with a guy who, in response to the increasing gas price, traded his PAID FOR car in for a smaller car with a 7% intrest rate. Does this make sense on any level?
While we have limited driving, there is not a whole lot we can do about the increase in gas prices. However, most other things in your budget you can control. Would you pay $1 for bottled water (which you can get water for FREE)? That is $10 a gallon. Go to Starbucks and pay $4 for a coffee? That is $32 a gallon! I don't hear people up in arms about that. In fact Starbucks stock is up this week. Someone is buying it. Now I am not against Starbucks. In fact I love it. I used to work there in college and let me tell you the amount of money people spend there is rediculous. People would come in every day and spend about $5. That is $1,800 a year! I do love Starbucks coffee but I don't get it much because of the cost so I am pretty excited to try this recipe for iced coffee-just in time for summer.
Even though gas prices are out of our control-most of your budget is within your control. Little things add up to big costs. Stop blaming the economy and start taking control of your own financial situation. You need to know where your money is going and have control over your spending.

FREE Lunch Meat

Click here to get coupons for FREE lunch meat. Click on FREE LOF Taste Escape.

FREE Stride Gum

Play this game to get a FREE pack of Stride gum. Click on settle to end the game faster.

Learn to play the Walgreens game

For those of you who are not yet playing the Walgreens game maybe this will inspire you. I got all this for FREE at Walgreens this week. You can learn how I did it here.

FREE Cereal

If you haven't already print these coupons and take them to Wlamart for some FREE cereal. You could also use them at Safeway or Albertsons with your SDC although I'm not sure if you could get it for FREE unless you wait for a sale. Remember to hit back so you can print 2. Let me know if you have any problems with any of the links. Enjoy all your FREE cereal!
Kraft Live Active
Kashi Cereal
Kashi Vive Cereal
Honey Bunches of Oats
Honey Bunches of Oats #2
Honey Bunches of Oats #3

FREE Movie Rental

You can rent a FREE movie (thanks becentsable!) at the Red Boxes using these codes:
667HW0G
7RFSTWW
Not sure how long this will last so hurry!

Cheap Date

I hope you all signed up for the birthday FREEBIES I told you about here. We have been enjoying this month! Since 3 out of 4 of us have birthdays in June it has been a very FREE month. We went to Red Robin one night and I got a FREE burger and so did our daughter (which she split with her brother) so we got dinner for 4 for about $10! Tonight my hubby and I will be going on a date night-yeah!! He will be using his FREE birthday steak dinner at Black Angus and then we will be going to the movies for FREE. I won FREE movie tickets through the Dr.Pepper sweepstakes. You really should play sweepstakes because you never know what you might win. A full date for about $15 is pretty exciting. That and not having to cut up anyones dinner thanks to grandma watching the kids!

Don't Buy Things You Can't Afford

Seriously....What is the best way to get out of debt and save? Stop buying things, especially if you can't pay cash for it. Check out this SNL skit-Don't Buy Things You Can't Afford. Funny, yet sadly many Americans haven't grasped this concept.

Financial Wellness Score

Do you know that the average 20-something year old spends 125% of his income each month? We live in a generation that makes more than previous generation but saves close to nothing. How are your personal finances? Are you in debt? Do you spend more than you make? Are you saving for retirement? What about your children's college funds? I ran across this great Personal Finance Wellness Score. Check it out and see how you are doing.

Walgreens 2 FREE Power Toothbrushes

Inspired by Sienna's post, I have decided to try my hand at playing the Walgreens game. That is really all couponing is about,learning to play the game. When you figure out the rules for that store-it is fun to see what you can get for FREE each week. When I told my husband about my new adventure he said "Do you really need more FREE stuff?" PLLLLEAASSEE!!! Can you ever get enough things for FREE? When I can get all our food for FREE each month then I'll stop. No, okay that is probably a lie. Then I'll fill up the food bank pantry. Nothing I get goes to waste.
This week at Walgreens I got 2 Oral-B Power toothbrushes for FREE using my RR and the BOGOF coupon from last Sundays paper.

FREE DVD+R

I want to let everyone know about this great freebie. Fill out the form here and Office Depot will email you a coupon to take into their store for a FREE 10 pack DVD+R! Hurry though because this offer ends 6/21.

Enter to Win a Wyndam Family Vacation

I wanted to pass this along to you all. Enter to win a Wyndham family vacation(thanks to Freebies 4 Mom). I didn't win the grand prize but at the end it did give me a great coupon for Aunti Anne's pretzels. If you play leave me a comment and tell me what you got. Good luck!

Frugal Gift Giving Ideas

This is a blog inspired by Heather's suggestion. Let me first say I am so not the person who should write this. Gift giving is not something that I think I do well. It is not my love language and I don't put a lot of value on it. I LOVE giving a gift to someone when I know it is something they want. Usually, though I find I have no idea what they would want so I buy them something for Christmas/birthdays just to give them something which I really hate doing. I usually feel like I am just wasting money on something they probably don't really want/need.
Lest you all think I am just a cold hearted jerk let me explain. Growing up my family was pretty poor. We didn't receive a lot of gifts and most of the ones we did recieve came from the church or the food bank. There wasn't ever much emphasis put on gifts. We became very creative with gifts. So many of these ideas may seem way too frugal for you but hopefully you will understand where I am coming from.
1. Be CREATIVE-Last year one of my husband's favorite Christmas gifts was a jar of Peanut Butter that my mom gave him. The Man loves Jiffy but I only buy Adams since it is so much better for you (no hydrogenated oils) so my mom bought him a jar since she knows he never gets it.
2. Don't spend money-For about 5 years my sister and I have not bought eachother birthday gifts. Instead we have a journal that we pass back and forth with letters to eachother. These letters are much more meaningful to me than anything she could ever buy me.
3. Be Humorous- My husband and brother in law have been passing back and forth this hideously ugly wooden wall plaque as a gag gift for years.
4. Give of your time- I got to say, having small children, that free babysitting so my husband and I could have some quiet time would be just about the best gift ever! You could also make gift certificates for lawn maintance, house sitting, ect..
5. Use your creativitity- Last year in an effort to save money for Christmas I made all the women in my family greeting cards. We also have made some homemade wine to give to our friends. I think homemade gifts are the most special.
6. Last but not least do something RADICAL. This is not a frugal idea but I think it is the best, give a life saving gift in someone's name. Click here to find out how you can give a gift to change a life. You can feed a hungry baby for a week for only $9, buy a goat for $70 to provide a whole family with milk, provide someone with medication to cure them on TB for $15!
For me, I really struggle with the consumerism in America and I am trying to break away from it. What do I NEED?? Not much, yet I have so much when others have nothing. What I really want is just to know that my friends and family thought of me.
I would love to hear any ideas from you all so please leave your comments!

Start at the Back of the Store

Today I scored at Albertsons. While shopping don't forget to check the back of the store for majorly discounted products. Many times the only thing "wrong" with these products is the store has decided not to carry the items anymore. I got organic crackers, noodles, stuffing mix, and boxes of energy bars for only $.50 each! For organic food, this was a steal. If you live near me don't bother going to the Albertsons here because I bought it all! Remember when you find great deals to look at the expiration date and stock up on what your family will use in that time frame. I also like to get extra and donate the excess to charity.

Any Input?

I was wondering if anyone is finding this blog useful for saving money? If you are what sort of things do you want to see more of? Money saving ideas? Coupons? Freebies? Certain weekly store savings? My passion is to help others live debt free and save through frugal living and I want to make sure this blog is doing that.