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.