Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Organizing Coupons

Using coupons is becoming much more popular now as the economy is so bad. A cashier told me that not too long ago. She said it used to be just a few people here and there using coupons, but now many more customers are coming through the checkout line with coupons in hand.

How do you organize your coupons? There are countless ways to do it. But one thing is for sure: if you want to coupon you HAVE to have an organizational system or it won't work! Avid couponing can become frustrating very quickly if you don't have your coupons in order.

Today I will feature a few ideas and then on Friday I will talk more in depth about couponing....organization, how to do it, and how it can benefit you.

You can organize by expiration date, by manufacturer, or by product. There is no right or wrong way to organize your coupons. Do what is best for you and what works for your shopping system. I like to organize my coupons by expiration date in a large accordion file. I take it with my wherever I go. At home I keep all my inserts filed by date so if there is an extra coupon I can find it easily when shopping lists come out. I clip all the coupons I know I will use, think I might use, and will use if it may be free. All the others I don't clip...which isn't very many!

If you are going to be an avid couponer and use multiple sets of coupons, I recommend doing the binder method because you can carry more coupons with you. But here are some ideas if you are just getting started.

The accordion file is one option. This one attaches nicely to your shopping cart.


Here is your basic accordion file you can find anywhere, even the dollar store. You can organize by category or alphabetically.



Organizing in envelopes is a cheap option but not very efficient.

This is personally my favorite! The binder system. My friend Faye has lots of great info on her site about this.


And for all you die-hards out there....using a briefcase is always an option too!

How do you organize your coupons? What has not worked for you?


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Friday, December 26, 2008

Old Spaghetti Factory Anniversary

The Old Spaghetti Factory is having a 40th Anniversary celebration on January 6th 2009. The prices for dinner are incredible, for that evening only! Nothing is priced more than $3.95, and kids meals are only $1.95!

HERE are all the details. See if there is a restaurant located near you. Make it a fun family night!
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Frugal Living Friday: Using Free Samples

Welcome to Frugal Living Friday! Each week I will feature a tip that can help us stretch our budget and live more frugally! If you have a tip that you want shared on Frugal Living Friday, let me know and you could become a guest blogger for a day.


I have posted before about free samples. They are easy to get and very resourceful to have on hand! Starting in 2009 would be a great time to begin your collection of free samples to keep on hand for emergencies, 72 hour kits, traveling, stocking stuffers, and any other use you can think of. To save time and energy I won't repeat what I posted before, just go back and read it.

Here are two great places to get free samples! These are reputable websites and the samples do come.

Walmart
Start Sampling (you must register, & can order a free sample once every 24 hours)
Pinching Your Pennies (register and look in the Less Than a Penny Forum for great freebies!)

I organize my samples really simply....in small plastic tubs on my closet shelf. I used to organize them in Ziploc bags inside the tubs, labeled and everything...but as my sample stash increased that got too complicated and I was running out of room. So I just throw them all in there together. Sometime I will organize them better but it works for me right now. I have my laundry samples in my laundry room on a shelf in a container.

This year I used quite a few free samples as stocking stuffers...the Schick Quattro Titanium Timmer, shoe shine polish, mints, gum, body wash, shampoo.....my hubby got a great stocking and most of it was free! I am also updating our 72 hour kits in the next few months and I will have plenty of stuff on hand to do that.

Start getting free samples today! You will be surprised how many you can get.
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Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Freebies

A few freebies for the new year from Amy at The Motherload.

Have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Amy's Printable Weekly Planner (& more printables on MomAdvice)

Ziploc Home Organization House Party

Healthy Bones for Life 2009 Pocket Planner (National Institutes of Health)

2009 Women's Health Calendar (WomensHealth.gov)
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Friday, December 19, 2008

$5 in Old Orchard Coupons

Fill out this form to receive $5 in coupons from Old Orchard in the mail. Offer only valid while supplies last!
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Free Hair Dryer

On Monday, Dec. 22nd ONLY, Walgreen’s is offering the Conair Gel Grips Ionic Styler Dryer for $10 PLUS a $10 Register Rewards on your next purchase while supplies last (no rain checks will be available for this deal).

If you don't know what Register Rewards at Walgreens is, you get a coupon printout (called a catalina) at the register for $10 off your next shopping order.

This would make a great gift for a teen or even a donation to a women's shelter in your area.

And, according to Lania, she says "Sweet extra - the fine print at the bottom of the ad states "limit 2 coupons printed per offer" which should mean you can buy 2 at a time and get back 2 $10 register rewards (usually the limit is one). "
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Frugal Living Friday: Budget Goals for the New Year

Welcome to Frugal Living Friday! Each week I will feature a tip that can help us stretch our budget and live more frugally! If you have a tip that you want shared on Frugal Living Friday, let me know and you could become a guest blogger for a day.

Have you been thinking about how you will change your spending/saving habits in 2009? I have. I like to think I have always been careful, but there is always room for improvement. And with the economy situation, there are more and more people saying they are living on a 'budget.' I remember talking with a friend a few years ago who told me that then was the first time ever they were living on a budget. I was amazed...doesn't everyone always live on a budget? I think everyone should...because if you don't you could get into some serious financial difficulty.

  1. Sit down and evaluate your spending and saving habits. Write everything down...be specific! Decide on what you want to change. It is always a good idea to save more than you spend. Also to pay down debt load every month.
  2. Set up a plan to make the change happen. Once again, you must be specific. Write down how much you will spend (on groceries, clothing, debt, etc) and stick to it! Also be specific on how much you will save every month. Always save something, even if you can only save $10 per month. Something is better than nothing.
  3. Decide on your plan of action. Dave Ramsey has an envelope system many people like. You can also use money management programs like Quicken. I use Quicken and I love it. There are many other ways to budget your money. Pick one that works for you and your family situation.
  4. Don't get discouraged! As the months go by you will get in the habit of spending less and saving more.

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Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Free Christmas Music Downloads from Amazon.com

25 Days of Free! Want some new holiday tunes added to your playlist? Get 25 free music downloads from Amazon.com!

Every day through December 25, we're unveiling a new holiday song available to download free for a limited time. Check back daily to see what's next.

AMAZON LINK


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Sunday, December 14, 2008

Free Shipping on any order at Old Navy, Banana Republic or Gap!

Thanks PYP!

Last days to ship to get on time by Dec. 24: Standard Shipping by 11:59pm PT Dec. 16.
Express Shipping by 12pm PT Dec. 21.
Next Day Shipping by 12pm PT Dec 23.

DEALS!
From 12/14 to 12/16, Get Free Shipping on every order at Gap , Old Navy and Banana Republic

Use Promo code JOY at checkout.

PLUS at OLD NAVY : From 12/14 to 12/16, get 10% off $75 or more.

Use Promo code ONHOLIDAY at checkout.

Codes can be combined.
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Friday, December 12, 2008

Frugal Living Friday: Stretching Your Food Budget

Welcome to Frugal Living Friday! Each week I will feature a tip that can help us stretch our budget and live more frugally! If you have a tip that you want shared on Frugal Living Friday, let me know and you could become a guest blogger for a day.



With the way the economy is right now it seems almost everyone is trying to stretch their grocery bill as far as they can. But with food prices rising almost every time we go to the store, it is difficult. How can you do it?

I read a great article in my Jan 2009 Parenting magazine yesterday (one of the many free subscriptions I get) about this very topic. It is not available online yet so I can't link to it. But here was the gist of the article. (I am paraphrasing. As soon as the article becomes available, I will link to it).
  1. Make a menu list for the week. Notice the weekly sales at your store and plan your meals accordingly. Notice if certain things like chicken or eggs are on a great sale, plan a few meals around those items. If you have leftover corn, beef, or other veggies from the previous week, make soup for one meal. You get the idea.
  2. Cut coupons. It has been proven that spending the time to cut coupons and combining coupons with sales DOES save you money. According to Parents magazine, up to $6-$7 per shopping trip. I can attest to this. In over 5 years of couponing, I have literally saved hundreds of dollars per year. I have paid for my newspaper subscription many times over with the deals and freebies I have gotten.
  3. Choose shortcuts wisely. Purchasing yogurts in small containers is much more expensive than in larger tubs. Many convenience foods are just that...for convenience. And we pay for it. Consider purchasing the bags of full size carrots instead of the more expensive bags of baby carrots. Things like that add up.

A few more tips that they mention in the article are:

  • track your costs
  • scour the bargain racks
  • watch for package shrinkage
  • hunt high and low
  • beware of overcharges..watch the register!
  • be brand flexible..store brands are just as good as name brand
  • use less meat

One thing I try to do is plan my meals according to what I have on hand. I like to keep rotating my food storage so I try to have at least one meal per week where I incorporate my food storage somehow. My kids enjoy having breakfast for dinner so we do that a few times a month. When I use ground beef in a recipes, I never use the whole pound in one meal. I always split it up in half, and adding rice or wheat is also a good trick to help stretch your meat usage.

About a year ago I made a big effort during one month to not spend any unnecessary money. With careful shopping and meal planning, I only spent about $260 in one month for groceries for our family of 5. It can be done!

When there are really good sales, I really stock up! Then I know I don't have to pay regular price for awhile. With prices changing so frequently, it pays to make sure you know the prices at different stores. I have notices in my area lately that Walmart is not always the cheapest place to get groceries anymore. Not that you have to run all over town to different stores, just plan your trips accordingly. Sometimes it is worth it to get everything in one stop, even if you pay a little more.

What do you do to help your grocery budget?


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Friday, December 5, 2008

Frugal Living Friday: Keeping the Holidays Simple

Welcome to Frugal Living Friday! Each week I will feature a tip that can help us stretch our budget and live more frugally! If you have a tip that you want shared on Frugal Living Friday, let me know and you could become a guest blogger for a day.

We always have great aspirations of keeping the holidays simple, don't we? Then when they get here it can be a different story. What is important to remember is that we are in control of our own environment. If those around us choose to make the holidays overly crazy and tiring, you don't have to choose that. Simplicity is a choice, although not an easy one most of the time.

Here are a few things you can do to make the holiday season a little more stress-free, simple, and budget-friendly.

  1. Make gift giving simple. There are many ways to do this. Forgo the big extended family gift exchange and donate all the money that would have been used to a shelter or other needy establishment. You can decide to all give homemade gifts from the heart. Have a contest to see who can give the most meaningful gift. Instead of having a minimum for family gift exchanges, have maximums, ie, don't spend over $10. These are fun and creative, not to mention less stressful approaches to gift-giving.
  2. More isn't always better. Spending lots of money on countless toys and gifts that don't mean anything to the recipient has two problems: wasted money on the giver's part, and a receiver who doesn't really want the gift. It is better to give one or two meaningful gifts (even to children) instead of several. I am a firm believer in not giving my children lots of toys at Christmas. Too much causes more chaos, fighting over the gifts, and just more gluttony...they always are looking for more. Teach them to appreciate what they do have, and less can become more.
  3. Forgo the Christmas cards. Going one year without sending out Christmas cards isn't the most horrible thing you could do. It will be one less thing to worry about, and it really is no big deal. If sending out cards is important to you, then plan ahead so your holiday season can be less stressful. I keep a list every year and update it as I get new cards. This way I already know who I am sending cards to without hunting for names and addresses.
  4. Don't do a lot of baking. I am not boycotting baking here, since I enjoy it at the holidays also. But it is one thing you can cut out to allow more time to spend with your family as well as save you calories on your waistline. If you really want to bake some goodies, try baking after Christmas, around New Year's. It is still the holiday season but the rush of Christmas is over.
  5. Save ahead for your gifts. It is obviously too late this year for this tip, but try saving for Christmas all year. That way when it is time to go shopping, you have some money saved up. Much easier on the budget, and it will give you peace of mind as you shop. Always set a limit and don't go over it.

Hopefully you can sit down and relax during this holiday season with a cup of hot chocolate by the Christmas tree. Take time to soak in the wonders of the holiday season and remember all the other stuff isn't as important...but the feelings, traditions and memories created stay.


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Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Free Photo Cards

Sorry I haven't posted much lately. There has just been a lot going on at home. I hope you understand. I will keep trying to keep this blog updated as best as I can right now. I can't post every freebie/deal I come across or hear about, but I will do my best to keep you as informed as I can.

Here is a great freebie for the holiday season. 20 Free holiday photo cards free when you buy 10. So you can get 30 holiday photo cards for about $3.50 shipped! The stackable codes are listed below. Awesome! Thanks PYP for posting this deal.

Code: Buy 10 Photo Cards, Get 20 Free 20FREECARDS - exp 12/24/08

*appears to stack with code tryus3 for 10 FREE Holiday Cards

Link to Photo Cards Promotion @ KodakGallery.com

NOTE: If you are having trouble with the tryus3 code, use either of these codes to still get a great deal:

4UCJ08 20% off a $20 order (your order total should be around $5 with this code)
HOLIDAYGREEN free shipping on $30 or more
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