I am so sorry it has been so long since my last post!!! Life has a way of getting in the way of intentions. :)
Anyway, something that I have just implemented into my household this last week or two has to do with changing habits. And I see that it has the potential of saving my family ALOT of money.
How many of you drink pop? Well, I drink Ruby Red Squirt and in my area this costs me about $0.45 a can!! I was getting to where I was drinking anywhere from 1 to 3 cans every single day! I saw that this was a very expensive habit of mine and went on a mission to change that. I knew that I usually drank it because I was simply craving a sweet drink.
Well, my solution? Kool-aid!! I am now keeping kool-aid made up and in the fridge and it costs me about $0.53 for 2 quarts of it! But, then when I was doing my shopping this last week (another habit change I'll tell you about in a bit), I saw kool-aid was on sale at one of the stores I shopped at! That has cut my kool-aid cost down to about $0.31 for 2 quarts!! I can already see this is going to cut my grocery bill by quite a bit!!! I could drink a gallon a day now for less than the cost of 2 cans of pop (of course I won't, so that's even better)! Another idea would be sweet tea, my family also appreciates this sweet drink and it also is very inexpensive!!
The other habit changing that I am changing is how I do my shopping and meal-planning. I used to plan my meals and then go shopping, but I am now trying to do it backwards. Last week was my first week, so I'll have to let you know later if it is really working for us or not. I am looking over the sale ads for the local grocery stores and stocking up (not a ton, but enough) on the things that I know my family uses that are on sale. Once I have done that, then I will plan my meals around the ingredients I have on hand. There are a few items that you obviously cannot do this with, but I find that the majority (especially non-perishable) of groceries I can do this with. This last week I stocked up on bacon, pork chops, potatoes, napkins, trash bags, poptarts, canned pears, noodles, hamburger helper, bread and a few other items. I had also received some tomatoes and cucumbers from a neighbor's garden. So, today we had BLT's for lunch (lettuce was on sale last week too, so I got one head). Some other meals we might enjoy this week might be loaded baked potatoes, sweet and sour pork chops, hamb helper, tuna noodle salad (tuna was also on sale).
Anyway, these are a couple of ideas that I just implemented in my household this week with the hopes that they will save us a lot of money. :) I hope they can also help you! Have a great week!!!
Monday, September 21, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Christmas gifts
Does Christmas shopping get you down or the thought of it even scare you? Or does it just frustrate you that people tend to spend so much that time of year? How would you like to have some great ideas on how to save or maybe spend nothing on Christmas this year?
I have recently found a website that I am loving and one of my favorite areas so far is their forum and more specifically, the topic of "What if you can't afford Christmas?" There are members that have ideas on how to save money or even not spend any all the while, enjoying the season.
They also have a section on freebies and samples that you can request from different companies!! I've began contacting some and can't wait to start going to mailbox and feeling like it's my Christmas everyday!! :) And in the spirit of yesterday's post on helping others, if I find a sample that I may not use, I have a friend that puts together care packages to send to military serving overseas that can always use more items!!
Here's the address, this points you directly to the Christmas discussion, but definitely take a look around the whole site (there is so much there that I'm still wading through much of it): http://bit.ly/E9SoO. I wanted to note, this is a mommy's site, but anyone can roam around to get ideas!
Also, I wanted to touch on yesterday's post as someone asked why I didn't post a link there as a resource to save money. Don't get me wrong, it is a great place to save money, but I decided not to place a link due to the fact that it is also my business and I don't want anyone to think I am giving them information just to benefit myself. All the other sites I have given you, I have no relationship with other than they are places that I turn to. I would be more than happy to give the link to anyone who asks about it, but felt that it was in the best interest of my readers not to try to promote my business. I appreciate each and every one of you and want you to be able to trust that I truly am looking out for your best interest, not mine.
Have a fabulous Friday!!
I have recently found a website that I am loving and one of my favorite areas so far is their forum and more specifically, the topic of "What if you can't afford Christmas?" There are members that have ideas on how to save money or even not spend any all the while, enjoying the season.
They also have a section on freebies and samples that you can request from different companies!! I've began contacting some and can't wait to start going to mailbox and feeling like it's my Christmas everyday!! :) And in the spirit of yesterday's post on helping others, if I find a sample that I may not use, I have a friend that puts together care packages to send to military serving overseas that can always use more items!!
Here's the address, this points you directly to the Christmas discussion, but definitely take a look around the whole site (there is so much there that I'm still wading through much of it): http://bit.ly/E9SoO. I wanted to note, this is a mommy's site, but anyone can roam around to get ideas!
Also, I wanted to touch on yesterday's post as someone asked why I didn't post a link there as a resource to save money. Don't get me wrong, it is a great place to save money, but I decided not to place a link due to the fact that it is also my business and I don't want anyone to think I am giving them information just to benefit myself. All the other sites I have given you, I have no relationship with other than they are places that I turn to. I would be more than happy to give the link to anyone who asks about it, but felt that it was in the best interest of my readers not to try to promote my business. I appreciate each and every one of you and want you to be able to trust that I truly am looking out for your best interest, not mine.
Have a fabulous Friday!!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Motivation
What motivates you to do the things you do every day? What motivates you to go above and beyond? I am motivated by helping others in just about any way I can, but many times it comes back to monetary help!
I have found a company where I can save money on almost 100% of my everyday purchases, but even better, I can help others while doing that every day shopping. I am not going to mention this compnay by name, as it is my business and I want you to know that I am here to help you, not push a business down your throat, but I do want to let you know why I am part of this company and how this can relate to you in other aspects of life.
I personally joined this company just looking to build a business, but then my whole perspective was turned upside down, it an absolutely fabulous way! Upon joining, I found that with every purchase I made, some of the corporate profits would be going to non-profits around the world!! And they have encouraged me to build a business for a favorite local non-profit too! During my time with this company, I have been able to be personally involved in bringing an African children's choir to the US to raise money to build an orphanage and school for them and their neighbors and friends!! This has been one of the best times of my life. After they left, I was still able to help them by shopping (usually some good sales) with my company using some of their profits to help set up college funds for these children.
I also had the chance to send books to a school that had very few and wanted to encorage more reading for thier students. I found many books at a school in my local town that was getting rid of some non-AR books in their library. I think I paid a whole $0.10-0.50 for each book and got over 50!! What a great way to help someone without spending very much money!
This company also helps me save money by letting me know of some sales going on in stores! I can find out some online stores that offer free shipping, and this is huge as I do 80% of my shopping online (minus garage sales!)!
All in all, I love to save money, but ultimately, I love to help others! I encourage you to find a way to help others while you are working on saving money! Maybe you bought a lot of 20 coupons, but you can only use 10 before they expire, why don't you give the others to someone else you know who could use them? Maybe you know someone you could share this blog with for ideas for them to save money also. There are so many ways you can help others while you are saving money and I'd encourage you to find your favorite way!!!
Have a great night all! Can't wait to share another cool website with you tomorrow...stay tuned!!
I have found a company where I can save money on almost 100% of my everyday purchases, but even better, I can help others while doing that every day shopping. I am not going to mention this compnay by name, as it is my business and I want you to know that I am here to help you, not push a business down your throat, but I do want to let you know why I am part of this company and how this can relate to you in other aspects of life.
I personally joined this company just looking to build a business, but then my whole perspective was turned upside down, it an absolutely fabulous way! Upon joining, I found that with every purchase I made, some of the corporate profits would be going to non-profits around the world!! And they have encouraged me to build a business for a favorite local non-profit too! During my time with this company, I have been able to be personally involved in bringing an African children's choir to the US to raise money to build an orphanage and school for them and their neighbors and friends!! This has been one of the best times of my life. After they left, I was still able to help them by shopping (usually some good sales) with my company using some of their profits to help set up college funds for these children.
I also had the chance to send books to a school that had very few and wanted to encorage more reading for thier students. I found many books at a school in my local town that was getting rid of some non-AR books in their library. I think I paid a whole $0.10-0.50 for each book and got over 50!! What a great way to help someone without spending very much money!
This company also helps me save money by letting me know of some sales going on in stores! I can find out some online stores that offer free shipping, and this is huge as I do 80% of my shopping online (minus garage sales!)!
All in all, I love to save money, but ultimately, I love to help others! I encourage you to find a way to help others while you are working on saving money! Maybe you bought a lot of 20 coupons, but you can only use 10 before they expire, why don't you give the others to someone else you know who could use them? Maybe you know someone you could share this blog with for ideas for them to save money also. There are so many ways you can help others while you are saving money and I'd encourage you to find your favorite way!!!
Have a great night all! Can't wait to share another cool website with you tomorrow...stay tuned!!
Monday, September 7, 2009
Gift Cards
Well, yesterday we talked about buying and finding coupons in order to save money. Today, I would like to direct your attention to a site where you can save money by purchasing gift cards!
How many of you have ever heard of an auction site called BidCactus? I just recently found this site and love it! I have to admit, I haven't made a purchase yet, but plan on doing some of my Christmas shopping here! I have done a bit of bidding, but to no avail yet. :(
BidCactus is different though, and you can wind up getting gift cards for way under the face value of them if you pay attention to what you are doing! Here are a few highlights of how BidCactus works:
-Regisration is free
-You purchase your bids
Bids cost $0.75 each and come in packs of 25, 50, 100, 250, and 500.
-You bid on an item
Each time you bid on an item, one bid will be deducted from your account and the auction price will increase by $0.10 (or $0.01 for penny auctions). Note that once you place a bid, it is considered "used" and will not be returned to you.
-There's an auction timer (hh:mm:ss)
Shows how much longer the auction will be open. When the clock nears zero, each bid will add 20-30 seconds back to the clock to allow you or other bidders to respond.
Auction Tips for BidCactus
Be patient and observe the site before you bid. Watch a few auctions as they come to an end and develop your own strategy.
It's better to bid late in the game. Wait until there are ten seconds or less on the clock before you place a bid.
Watch for our slower times and take advantage of them. When everyone is off enjoying their morning coffee or stuck in rush hour traffic, you can walk off with great deals.
Look for hidden opportunities. If everyone is buzzing around the TV, then scoop up the $50 Visa card and splurge on something wonderful.
Check it out at www.bidcactus.com and let them know you were referred by inthelordsarmy! Hope to see you there!
How many of you have ever heard of an auction site called BidCactus? I just recently found this site and love it! I have to admit, I haven't made a purchase yet, but plan on doing some of my Christmas shopping here! I have done a bit of bidding, but to no avail yet. :(
BidCactus is different though, and you can wind up getting gift cards for way under the face value of them if you pay attention to what you are doing! Here are a few highlights of how BidCactus works:
-Regisration is free
-You purchase your bids
Bids cost $0.75 each and come in packs of 25, 50, 100, 250, and 500.
-You bid on an item
Each time you bid on an item, one bid will be deducted from your account and the auction price will increase by $0.10 (or $0.01 for penny auctions). Note that once you place a bid, it is considered "used" and will not be returned to you.
-There's an auction timer (hh:mm:ss)
Shows how much longer the auction will be open. When the clock nears zero, each bid will add 20-30 seconds back to the clock to allow you or other bidders to respond.
Auction Tips for BidCactus
Be patient and observe the site before you bid. Watch a few auctions as they come to an end and develop your own strategy.
It's better to bid late in the game. Wait until there are ten seconds or less on the clock before you place a bid.
Watch for our slower times and take advantage of them. When everyone is off enjoying their morning coffee or stuck in rush hour traffic, you can walk off with great deals.
Look for hidden opportunities. If everyone is buzzing around the TV, then scoop up the $50 Visa card and splurge on something wonderful.
Check it out at www.bidcactus.com and let them know you were referred by inthelordsarmy! Hope to see you there!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Coupons
Okay, I know, everyone always hears "Use coupons if you want to save money, especially on your grocery bill." I want to talk today though about ways to get the coupons you use the most.
Do you buy the Sunday paper only to find that there are 5-10 coupons that your family would actually use, but the rest are just not for you? Well, unfortunately, I do that way too often. But there are some items that I buy alot of and could use multiple coupons for those specific items, also hard to find in one paper.
You buy the Sunday paper looking for coupons, right? So why not just buy the coupons you will use? I know it may seem silly to buy coupons, believe me, my husband was super skeptical when I first mentioned this, but you can still save alot of money doing this.
I frequently visit ebay.com to look for diaper coupons, spray 'n wash coupons and any other items that I know I may be purchasing in the near future. You can often find a lot of 10 or so coupons and pay the face value for 1 or 2 of the coupons, meaning you are still going to be saving the total amount of 8 or 9 items (usually anywhere from $2-for $0.25 coupons to $13.50-for $1.50 coupons). Plus, if you shop somewhere where they will double your coupons, you have definitely got your money's worth to buy coupons.
Some other coupon sites to check out (some provide free printable coupons, while others provide coupon codes for online shopping, and yet others offer requested coupons to be sent to you):
http://clipandsave.tripod.com/index.html
http://www.coupons.com/
http://www.bargainist.com/coupons/
http://www.retailmenot.com/
I hope this can be of some use to each of you money-savers out there!!
Money is something you got to make in case you don't die. Max Asnas
Do you buy the Sunday paper only to find that there are 5-10 coupons that your family would actually use, but the rest are just not for you? Well, unfortunately, I do that way too often. But there are some items that I buy alot of and could use multiple coupons for those specific items, also hard to find in one paper.
You buy the Sunday paper looking for coupons, right? So why not just buy the coupons you will use? I know it may seem silly to buy coupons, believe me, my husband was super skeptical when I first mentioned this, but you can still save alot of money doing this.
I frequently visit ebay.com to look for diaper coupons, spray 'n wash coupons and any other items that I know I may be purchasing in the near future. You can often find a lot of 10 or so coupons and pay the face value for 1 or 2 of the coupons, meaning you are still going to be saving the total amount of 8 or 9 items (usually anywhere from $2-for $0.25 coupons to $13.50-for $1.50 coupons). Plus, if you shop somewhere where they will double your coupons, you have definitely got your money's worth to buy coupons.
Some other coupon sites to check out (some provide free printable coupons, while others provide coupon codes for online shopping, and yet others offer requested coupons to be sent to you):
http://clipandsave.tripod.com/index.html
http://www.coupons.com/
http://www.bargainist.com/coupons/
http://www.retailmenot.com/
I hope this can be of some use to each of you money-savers out there!!
Money is something you got to make in case you don't die. Max Asnas
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Welcome
First of all, I'd like to thank you for coming and reading my blog!! Second, I'd like to ask you to bear with me, as I am very new to blogging. :) I hope that this blog will provide some useful information for each of you.
The purpose of this blog is to give ideas and examples of ways to save money. Some may be very obvious while others may not be so obvious, some may save a lot of money while others may only save a "little" bit. Please remember though, when you add up a lot of little things, they can become big! Some ideas may not be for your household, but they might work for someone else. Also, please note that most of these ideas will come from my time of searching elsewhere on the internet, I am not super creative and always need a jump start to think of things. So, I may read and tell you about something I saw, but that might also get me thinking to come up with something else to do too!
I hope to add one or two new ideas each day or every couple of days, but I am human and I do have a family to care for, so please forgive me if I don't post each and every day. :)
And please feel free to share this blog with anyone else you know that might be appreciate new ideas for saving money!
The purpose of this blog is to give ideas and examples of ways to save money. Some may be very obvious while others may not be so obvious, some may save a lot of money while others may only save a "little" bit. Please remember though, when you add up a lot of little things, they can become big! Some ideas may not be for your household, but they might work for someone else. Also, please note that most of these ideas will come from my time of searching elsewhere on the internet, I am not super creative and always need a jump start to think of things. So, I may read and tell you about something I saw, but that might also get me thinking to come up with something else to do too!
I hope to add one or two new ideas each day or every couple of days, but I am human and I do have a family to care for, so please forgive me if I don't post each and every day. :)
And please feel free to share this blog with anyone else you know that might be appreciate new ideas for saving money!
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