Money Saving Mom has put together a series about Saving 100% Down for their first home. They have been saving toward this and recently bought the house and moved in.
Paying for a house with cash seems pretty much impossible to me at this stage in my life (or any stage, for that matter!...that's A LOT of money to shell out all at once!)...but it can obviously be done! I have to say...I stand amazed and am very impressed by this accomplishment!
Anyway...go here to read the series of posts she put together. I know that we all come from different income brackets but I'm sure we can all learn how to save in different ways from her and apply it to our own lives. Every little bit helps...right!?
Showing posts with label money saving tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money saving tips. Show all posts
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Saving Money in the Laundry Room
For a long time I was using a homemade laundry soap, you can find the recipe for that here. You'll also find a homemade fabric softener recipe that I used just about as long as the homemade laundry soap. I believe using these recipes is a great way to save money on laundry detergent and fabric softener!! I used these for quite some time. We were trying to save money wherever we could and I would recommend it to anyone who is in a place where they don't have lot of extra to spend.
As I've gotten more and more into couponing and have a little more freedom in my grocery budget (because of stockpiling), I have been buying store bought detergent for several months now. I've mostly been finding All Laundry Detergent at a good price ($1.50 or less for a 32 load bottle) and Snuggle Fabric Softener for $1.00 or less!! Will I always be able to get these awesome prices?? I don't know.
BUT one thing I've noticed with using liquid laundry detergent is that I get somewhat careless when pouring in my laundry soap. I end up going past the appropriate line and using more detergent than necessary, or required. I was going through my detergent way more quickly than I should.
So I've been experimenting with my laundry detergent and liquid fabric softener and being very careful about making sure I only fill it to the appropriate line. If I over pour, I pour the extra back in the bottle rather than just dumping it in the washer. It is AMAZING how much longer the detergent lasts! Maybe you've all figured this one out already...but it doesn't pay to to be careless when measuring out your liquid detergent or softener.
And I've not tried this yet, but I've read where another blogger only uses half of what is quoted on the bottle per load...therefore making her detergent last TWICE as long as the bottle says. She says her clothes get just as clean. Have you ever tried this? Do you think it works well?
Do you have an money saving tips when it come to laundry?
Monday, March 1, 2010
Did You Know??
March is National Frozen Foods month...so be on the look out for frozen food coupons and good sales on these products throughout the month!! If this is something you buy, it is probably a good time to stock up!
Friday, January 8, 2010
Thrifty Tips for Freezing Food
I just came across this article from a person who seems to be pretty experienced in what freezes well and what doesn't. You can read the article here.
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Eat From the Pantry Challenge
Money Saving Mom and Life as Mom are doing an Eat from the Pantry Challenge for the month of January and are putting it out there for others to get involved as well. I think this is a really cool idea. I have very full cupboards and a VERY full freezer right now (currently defrosting my garage freezer...talk about creativity--trying to cram all of that into an above the fridge freezer! Wow!!). I use my stuff but with all of the deals I just keep adding...and adding...and ADDING! I think it would be great to use up some of the stuff that I have...and have the opportunity to get creative...and it's also a chance to save some money. Tonight I came home from the grocery store and Tim asked me if I'd bought a new freezer and fridge while I was out! LOL! :) I could not buy any freezer items due to our lacking a freezer right now but I would have liked to. And let's just say my fridge is a little cramped right now with all of the meat I bought.
So, I am going to give this a try. I don't know that it will be too hard considering my sister & I are doing a big cooking day on Thursday and filling our freezers with meals (hence the need to defrost the garage freezer). I might have to do it for February too to make it more of a challenge!?! Anyway...over the course of the month I know that I will need to buy milk (some people freeze milk...I cannot bring myself to do this), fresh produce and possibly bread. I may have the urge to pick up the deals that are free or nearly free though...kind of hard to pass those up! And if Skippy Peanut Butter goes on sale for a cheap price...I'll definitely have to break down and buy it. The peanut butter stash is getting really low.
Anyone else up for this??
Monday, December 28, 2009
Grocery Stores vs. Walmart
If you've talked to me much about coupons and grocery shopping...or have attended one of my coupon classes, you may know that I'm not a big fan of shopping at Walmart anymore. I will admit, prior to my couponing days I would shop there quite frequently for groceries thinking I was getting the best deal. I have since found the total opposite to be true. If you're not using coupons and not watching sales, SOME items may be cheaper than a grocery store but definitely NOT all.
The fact is that if you shop at a grocery store that doubles coupons, you are most likely going to get a better deal at the grocery store over Walmart. Walmart will not not double coupons, they are only taken at face value. They will price match, but to me, that is probably more of a hassle than a help when you have to drag all of your ads in there and prove the price. Even though they price match, they will still not double your coupons.
I am not saying I never shop at Walmart, because I do on occasion, but not very often. If I do go there, it is very rarely for groceries these days. It is for household items, gifts or other miscellaneous items.
I came across this article where the author of the blog did some price comparisons between Walmart Supercenter and her local grocery stores. Check out her finds!
The fact is that if you shop at a grocery store that doubles coupons, you are most likely going to get a better deal at the grocery store over Walmart. Walmart will not not double coupons, they are only taken at face value. They will price match, but to me, that is probably more of a hassle than a help when you have to drag all of your ads in there and prove the price. Even though they price match, they will still not double your coupons.
I am not saying I never shop at Walmart, because I do on occasion, but not very often. If I do go there, it is very rarely for groceries these days. It is for household items, gifts or other miscellaneous items.
I came across this article where the author of the blog did some price comparisons between Walmart Supercenter and her local grocery stores. Check out her finds!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Should you keep it or get rid of it???
Do you ever wonder how long something will last in your fridge?
Do you have something in your cabinet that is expired but you hate to throw it away and wonder if you can still use it?
Do you wonder how long things will keep past their expiration date or sell by date...like eggs & yogurt?
You can find the answer to these questions and more at this site, StillTasty.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
LOTS of Clearance!
Today while I was out shopping, I noticed there is a lot of stuff on clearance at Meijer and Target. Meijer (Rossford) had a lot of toys and games on clearance. I also noticed a lot of household items. At Target, I noticed that it seemed to be mostly household items...towels, dishes, curtains, etc.
A key to saving money is thinking and planning ahead...so it's a good time to start thinking about Christmas!!
A key to saving money is thinking and planning ahead...so it's a good time to start thinking about Christmas!!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Great Post by Money Saving Mom!
I've been reading a frugal blog, Money Saving Mom, for a while now. Today she had a really good post, Making short-term sacrifices in order to achieve long-term goals. Check it out!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Zoo Membership
For those of you that live in the Toledo area...do you have a zoo membership? My kids LOVE, LOVE going to the zoo. It's something that they enjoy doing over & over again throughout the summer. I feel it is definitely worth buying! I think this is our 4th summer for having it and we've gotten lots of use out of it.
A family membership (admits 2 adults and children under 21) is $67/year. This includes free parking, admission into the zoo whenever we want for a full year, admission into the Lights Before Christmas and a few other things.
If we were to pay for each visit...our family of 5 would have to pay $52...for ONE visit with parking!
Visit the zoo's website for more info: www.toledozoo.org
A family membership (admits 2 adults and children under 21) is $67/year. This includes free parking, admission into the zoo whenever we want for a full year, admission into the Lights Before Christmas and a few other things.
If we were to pay for each visit...our family of 5 would have to pay $52...for ONE visit with parking!
Visit the zoo's website for more info: www.toledozoo.org
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Stockpiling
What is stockpiling?
Stockpiling is buying more than you need…when you DON’T need it! I’ve always been one to buy more than what I need when it’s at a good price but not to the extreme that I am now. It has been very fun for me…I’ve been bringing home lots more groceries…but spending LOTS less! I do not have a lot of storage so this is a bit of a problem but I have my dad lined up to build us a pantry cupboard. I’m pretty excited!! :)
Stockpiling is taking advantage of great sales with or without coupons to buy what you need BEFORE you need it. You can stockpile almost everything except for milk & produce. When stockpiling, make sure that you are buying things that you and your family enjoy and will be used before the expiration date so that they will not go to waste. For example, a couple of weeks ago, Meijer had some Kellogg’s cereal on sale for $2.00 a box. I had several coupons for $1.00 off one box. I ended up buying 9 boxes of cereal for $1.00 each…and got 3 free pairs of sunglasses! This cereal does not expire until May of 2010.
Set aside a specific amount each week, from your grocery budget JUST for stockpiling so that you can keep your stockpile well-rounded. When you have a well-rounded stockpile you should only have to shop mostly for milk & produce. You should also continue to stockpile because you don’t want it to get too low and the goal is to keep it maintained.
Keep track of what you have on hand by keeping a running list so that you know what you have and what you should buy. I have been writing expiration dates on items with a permanent marker so that it is easily visible. When using the items from your stockpile, make sure you are using the items that will expire the soonest first.
Stockpiling is very beneficial for many reasons, here are a few:
1) It saves you time. When you have a good stockpile (and good meal planning), you shouldn’t have to make last minute trips to the grocery store.
2) You will have lots of options for meals and have a large variety of things to choose from. There is no need to eat the same stuff all of the time. My kids have especially noticed this when it comes to snack time and they love it!
3) You can have a night off from cooking when you’re tired, if you stockpile convenience foods.
4) It saves LOTS of money!!! Use the extra money toward getting out of debt, a new car, a nice vacation…and the list goes on!
I have been working on my stockpile for 2-3 months now and continue to work on it. I have a great start but will keep adding. I’ve been reading up on this topic quite a bit and have read that it takes around 6 months to get a good stockpile going. As I’ve been doing this, already I have been spending less on groceries and have been able to pay for things with my grocery money that I previously would not have been able to do…I’ve bought birthday gifts, needed clothing, etc. My goal is to get a well rounded stockpile and spend $50 a week on groceries for my family of 5! A couple of weeks ago this seemed unattainable to me but after my shopping trip last week I realized it’s really not that far off! :) I’m going to keep working at it!!!
Stockpiling is buying more than you need…when you DON’T need it! I’ve always been one to buy more than what I need when it’s at a good price but not to the extreme that I am now. It has been very fun for me…I’ve been bringing home lots more groceries…but spending LOTS less! I do not have a lot of storage so this is a bit of a problem but I have my dad lined up to build us a pantry cupboard. I’m pretty excited!! :)
Stockpiling is taking advantage of great sales with or without coupons to buy what you need BEFORE you need it. You can stockpile almost everything except for milk & produce. When stockpiling, make sure that you are buying things that you and your family enjoy and will be used before the expiration date so that they will not go to waste. For example, a couple of weeks ago, Meijer had some Kellogg’s cereal on sale for $2.00 a box. I had several coupons for $1.00 off one box. I ended up buying 9 boxes of cereal for $1.00 each…and got 3 free pairs of sunglasses! This cereal does not expire until May of 2010.
Set aside a specific amount each week, from your grocery budget JUST for stockpiling so that you can keep your stockpile well-rounded. When you have a well-rounded stockpile you should only have to shop mostly for milk & produce. You should also continue to stockpile because you don’t want it to get too low and the goal is to keep it maintained.
Keep track of what you have on hand by keeping a running list so that you know what you have and what you should buy. I have been writing expiration dates on items with a permanent marker so that it is easily visible. When using the items from your stockpile, make sure you are using the items that will expire the soonest first.
Stockpiling is very beneficial for many reasons, here are a few:
1) It saves you time. When you have a good stockpile (and good meal planning), you shouldn’t have to make last minute trips to the grocery store.
2) You will have lots of options for meals and have a large variety of things to choose from. There is no need to eat the same stuff all of the time. My kids have especially noticed this when it comes to snack time and they love it!
3) You can have a night off from cooking when you’re tired, if you stockpile convenience foods.
4) It saves LOTS of money!!! Use the extra money toward getting out of debt, a new car, a nice vacation…and the list goes on!
I have been working on my stockpile for 2-3 months now and continue to work on it. I have a great start but will keep adding. I’ve been reading up on this topic quite a bit and have read that it takes around 6 months to get a good stockpile going. As I’ve been doing this, already I have been spending less on groceries and have been able to pay for things with my grocery money that I previously would not have been able to do…I’ve bought birthday gifts, needed clothing, etc. My goal is to get a well rounded stockpile and spend $50 a week on groceries for my family of 5! A couple of weeks ago this seemed unattainable to me but after my shopping trip last week I realized it’s really not that far off! :) I’m going to keep working at it!!!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
$3 coupon for Huggies Pull-ups
Go here to print your coupon.
I've read that Target is going to have a gift card promotion next week when you buy pull-ups so it might be a good idea to hang on to the coupon till next week. Please check the Target ad to verify the promo.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Meijer Sales & Coupons Week of June 7
Meijer has a lot of 10 for $10, get the 11th free this week!
Kraft Mac & Cheese Easy Mac Cups $1.00
-$1.00/2 printable
-BOGO printable
=$.50 each
Aunt Millie's Bread $1.00
-$.35 (double)
=$.30 each
Del Monte Fruit Naturals $1.00
-$1.00/2 printable
=$1.00/2...$.50 each
Shedd's Country Crock Spread $1.00
-$1.00/2 Meijer Mealbox
-$.55 printable
-$.25 (double)
=2 FREE!!!
Ken's Salad Dressing 8 oz. $1.00
-$1.00/2
=$1.00/2...$.50 each
Wishbone Salad Dressing 8 oz. $1.00
-$1.00/2 Meijer Mealbox
-$1.00/2
=FREE!!!
Aquafresh Toothpaste $1.00
-$.75 printable
=$.25/1
Keebler Right Bites $1.98
-$1.00/2 printable
=$2.96/2...$1.48 each
Kellogg's Cereal 4/$10 ($2.50 each)
-$1.00 coupons in this past Sunday's (6/7) paper
=$1.50/box
Hunts Ketchup $1.00
-$.20/1 (double)
=$.60/1
Kraft Soft Cream Cheese 3/$5
-$1.00/2 printable
=$2.34/2...$1.17 each
Tyson Boneless Chicken 2/$9 ($4.50 each)
-$1.00/1
=$3.50 each
M&M's 2/$5 ($2.50 each)
-$1.00/2 Meijer Mealbox
=$4.00/2...$2.00 each
Crystal Light Buy 2, get 2 FREE ($2.88 each)
-$2.00/2 printable, or here
-$1.00/1 printable, or here
=$3.76/4...$.94 each
Lysol Cleaning Products 1/2 price
(All Purpose, Kitchen Cleaner, Bathroom Cleaner and Toilet Bowl Cleaner)
-$1.00/4 Meijer Mealbox
-$1.00/2 toilet bowl cleaner (6/7 Sunday paper)
-$.50/1 (double) bathroom cleaner (6/7 Sunday paper)
-$.50/1 (double) all purpose, kitchen cleaner (6/7 Sunday paper)
=varied prices but CHEAP!! (When they've had these 1/2 price sales before, I've gotten cleaning products for less than $.40!)
Lysol Disinfectant Spray or Wipes 2/$4
-$1.00/2 Meijer Mealbox
-$1.00/1 disinfectant spray (6/7 Sunday paper)
-$1.00/2 disinfectant wipes (6/7 Sunday paper)
=varied prices but CHEAP!
Reynolds Wrap Foil 75 sq. ft. 2/$5
-$1.00/2 Meijer Mealbox
-$1.00/1
=$3/2...$1.50 each
As I was looking through the ad, I did see where if you still had some of the printables from Kraft available in your stash, now would be a good time to use them. A lot of them are no longer available to print.
Kraft Mac & Cheese Easy Mac Cups $1.00
-$1.00/2 printable
-BOGO printable
=$.50 each
Aunt Millie's Bread $1.00
-$.35 (double)
=$.30 each
Del Monte Fruit Naturals $1.00
-$1.00/2 printable
=$1.00/2...$.50 each
Shedd's Country Crock Spread $1.00
-$1.00/2 Meijer Mealbox
-$.55 printable
-$.25 (double)
=2 FREE!!!
Ken's Salad Dressing 8 oz. $1.00
-$1.00/2
=$1.00/2...$.50 each
Wishbone Salad Dressing 8 oz. $1.00
-$1.00/2 Meijer Mealbox
-$1.00/2
=FREE!!!
Aquafresh Toothpaste $1.00
-$.75 printable
=$.25/1
Keebler Right Bites $1.98
-$1.00/2 printable
=$2.96/2...$1.48 each
Kellogg's Cereal 4/$10 ($2.50 each)
-$1.00 coupons in this past Sunday's (6/7) paper
=$1.50/box
Hunts Ketchup $1.00
-$.20/1 (double)
=$.60/1
Kraft Soft Cream Cheese 3/$5
-$1.00/2 printable
=$2.34/2...$1.17 each
Tyson Boneless Chicken 2/$9 ($4.50 each)
-$1.00/1
=$3.50 each
M&M's 2/$5 ($2.50 each)
-$1.00/2 Meijer Mealbox
=$4.00/2...$2.00 each
Crystal Light Buy 2, get 2 FREE ($2.88 each)
-$2.00/2 printable, or here
-$1.00/1 printable, or here
=$3.76/4...$.94 each
Lysol Cleaning Products 1/2 price
(All Purpose, Kitchen Cleaner, Bathroom Cleaner and Toilet Bowl Cleaner)
-$1.00/4 Meijer Mealbox
-$1.00/2 toilet bowl cleaner (6/7 Sunday paper)
-$.50/1 (double) bathroom cleaner (6/7 Sunday paper)
-$.50/1 (double) all purpose, kitchen cleaner (6/7 Sunday paper)
=varied prices but CHEAP!! (When they've had these 1/2 price sales before, I've gotten cleaning products for less than $.40!)
Lysol Disinfectant Spray or Wipes 2/$4
-$1.00/2 Meijer Mealbox
-$1.00/1 disinfectant spray (6/7 Sunday paper)
-$1.00/2 disinfectant wipes (6/7 Sunday paper)
=varied prices but CHEAP!
Reynolds Wrap Foil 75 sq. ft. 2/$5
-$1.00/2 Meijer Mealbox
-$1.00/1
=$3/2...$1.50 each
As I was looking through the ad, I did see where if you still had some of the printables from Kraft available in your stash, now would be a good time to use them. A lot of them are no longer available to print.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Double Coupons up to $2 at Kmart this week!
Just wanted to let everyone know that Kmart is doubling coupons this week up to $2, so check out your coupons! $2 equals $4! Last time they did this I got lots of deodorant for about 25 cents each, lots of dog treats for a little bit of nothing (our dog is still loving us for that shopping trip!) and lots of other things for either really cheap or free!!! You can only use 10 coupons in one trip...so either let your kids go through the line with part of your stuff (Ha!)...or make multiple trips!
Happy Shopping! Feel free to share your great finds on here!!!
Happy Shopping! Feel free to share your great finds on here!!!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Using Coupons at Meijer and Other Deals I found
UPDATE: I added the links to print the coupons for the items listed below. I didn't have time when I posted this last night. I don't know that I mentioned this one below or in Monday's post...at Meijer, Chex Mix is on sale right now for $1 a bag. Go here to print a couple of coupons, and you can get it for FREE!!!
I did my grocery shopping for the next couple of weeks tonight and found out that Meijer will only double two of the same coupon. For some of my items I had four coupons and they would only double two of them. I have not noticed this before and I'm pretty sure I've used more than two of the same coupon. So for future reference...to get full use out of all of your coupons, if you have more than two of the same, make multiple trips. Or, I wonder if they would let you do two separate orders??
Here are some other deals I found:
Nabisco 100 Calorie packs 2/$5 ($2.50 each)
-$1.00 printable (from all of the Kraft coupons that were offered)
-$1.00 Meijer mealbox
=$.50 per box
Betty Crocker Fruit Roll-ups 2/$3 ($1.50 each)
-.50/2 printable (doubled & used 2 coupons)
-$1.00/4 Meijer mealbox
=$3/4...$.75 each
Betty Crocker Frosting 2/$3 ($1.50 each)
-.50 printable (doubled)
=$.50 each
Quaker pancake mix $2.69
-$2.00 printable
=$.69
I did my grocery shopping for the next couple of weeks tonight and found out that Meijer will only double two of the same coupon. For some of my items I had four coupons and they would only double two of them. I have not noticed this before and I'm pretty sure I've used more than two of the same coupon. So for future reference...to get full use out of all of your coupons, if you have more than two of the same, make multiple trips. Or, I wonder if they would let you do two separate orders??
Here are some other deals I found:
Nabisco 100 Calorie packs 2/$5 ($2.50 each)
-$1.00 printable (from all of the Kraft coupons that were offered)
-$1.00 Meijer mealbox
=$.50 per box
Betty Crocker Fruit Roll-ups 2/$3 ($1.50 each)
-.50/2 printable (doubled & used 2 coupons)
-$1.00/4 Meijer mealbox
=$3/4...$.75 each
Betty Crocker Frosting 2/$3 ($1.50 each)
-.50 printable (doubled)
=$.50 each
Quaker pancake mix $2.69
-$2.00 printable
=$.69
Restaurant Freebies & Coupons
I've recently registered on some restaurant websites for their email clubs. As a result, I've received several coupons via email.
Today I got a coupon from Applebee's to get a free entree with the purchase of another one. The downside for me is that it is for dine-in only. We tend to use the "carside to go" option more often. I've also registered at Red Robin...Zoe just got an email for a free kid's meal for her birthday. Chilis has also been sending me some good coupons. I just got one for free queso dip & chips.
So check these sites out:
http://www.chilis.com/
http://www.applebees.com/
http://www.redrobin.com/
http://www.arbys.com/
Arby's has also had some good deals. Tim has been getting some free lunches. I just received an email today about free stuff on Wednesdays all summer long.
Are you signed up to receive emails from any restaurants? Please share!! :)
Today I got a coupon from Applebee's to get a free entree with the purchase of another one. The downside for me is that it is for dine-in only. We tend to use the "carside to go" option more often. I've also registered at Red Robin...Zoe just got an email for a free kid's meal for her birthday. Chilis has also been sending me some good coupons. I just got one for free queso dip & chips.
So check these sites out:
http://www.chilis.com/
http://www.applebees.com/
http://www.redrobin.com/
http://www.arbys.com/
Arby's has also had some good deals. Tim has been getting some free lunches. I just received an email today about free stuff on Wednesdays all summer long.
Are you signed up to receive emails from any restaurants? Please share!! :)
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
JCPenney & Kohls Coupons
Go here to print a $10 off $25 purchase at JCPenney. Some exclusions apply. Coupon is valid through June 2.
Go here for a printable coupon to be used at Kohls. It is valid tomorrow (May 30, 2009) ONLY. The coupon can be used to save 15% on any purchase OR 20% off any purchase of $100 or more.
AND....did you know that you can sign up for Kohl's sales alerts by email, and you will receive a coupon for $5 off your next in store purchase??? Who can't use $5 at Kohls??? :)
Monday, May 25, 2009
Some New Coupons
I've been checking out www.coupons.com more frequently lately because it seems they keep resetting stuff and I'm able to print more coupons. Today I went on there and there were a few new coupons that were not on there yesterday. Thought you all might want to check it out in case it's something you use.
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