I'm making a grocery list today for a weeks worth of menus. The first thing I do is take inventory of what I have on hand. This way no food gets wasted. I have 2 whole chickens, smoked sausage, chicken tenderloins, shrimp, and some leftover ham I froze from Christmas to work with. I also have in the pantry cans of soup, and Kung Pao chicken mix. I then try to think of ways to use this stuff or if I have already exhausted my own recipes I use regularly then I start looking for recipes. Whole foods has great recipes, taste of home, pilsbury, and I love to use top secret restaurant recipes. For the chicken I don't usually use whole chickens so I will look for recipes for that. I bought several of them at Winco a couple of weeks ago when they were selling them for .64 cents a pound. It was an excellent price so I loaded up. When I go shopping I'm always looking for stuff that has been marked down to get rid of. I take it home and freeze it immediately so it's not a problem. This creates ways to find new favorites for your family. I remembered a recipe I haven't used in a while from my Yoshidas cookbook for smoked sausage. It's super easy and right up Ken's alley. (He's into easy) I found a potpie recipe for the ham on taste of homes website. (This one I will cook) Chicken cacciatore for the crockpock, oven fried chicken, shrimp and black bean tacos, Kung Pao chicken, soup and sandwiches, and Olive gardens chicken scampi. (Top secret recipes) I then make a grocery list of the missing ingredients for the recipes and off I go. I practically have a weeks worth of food already in the pantry/freezer so I will actually need very little at the store. While I am there I will take my coupons and look for sales. I stock up on what I can while I'm there. If you already know what you use regularly it's easy to keep your pantry well stocked at good prices on stuff you know you use all the time. Taking inventory also prevents you from wasting fresh fruits and vegetables. For example, I have avocados that need to be used so I will look for ways to use them so they are not wasted, like in the shrimp and black bean tacos.
Ok, I'm back from the store. I went to Vons because I needed to get Eli a new prescription for his toothache. I need to figure out how to save on that bill! Anyway I got a $30 giftcard for the new prescription, bought $72 worth of stuff, saved $24 on Vons club, Had a $10 off coupon when you buy $50 worth of food, another $3 in coupons less the $30 gift card so I paid $5 total. Not bad for a weeks worth of dinners!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Happy Monday!
Happy Monday! Here is my news and freebies for the week.
Jolly Time popcorn is offering a free grocery bag.
Send 3 upc's and your name and address to
Jolly time popcorn reusable bag
Box 178
Sioux City IA, 51102
Kmart for some bizarre reason decided to quit the double coupon promo in the middle of the week. Why, I have no idea, but I did write the corporate office a letter regarding this. I'm just glad I shopped early. I guess I will have to investigate the Kingsburg Kmart, or the Lemoore Kmart if they don't want to double in the future. Very disappointing!
Walgreens:
You can still get the Revlon lipstick, blush, eyeliner, and eye shadow free.
Printer Cartridge refill free after $5 rebate
Orajel free after $8.49 rebate or a profit if you have a coupon
Colgate toothpaste $2.99
Get $2 in register rewards, use $1 coupon and it's free.
Rite Aid:
Garnier Fructis shampoo/conditioner $2.99 free after rebate or profit if you have a coupon.
I got my hickory farms box today and boy is it impressive. I hope others did this deal as I checked today and it's over now.
If you ever thought coupons were not worth your time a lady posted on the internet the other day that she spent 1,800 last year on groceries Saved 1,390 with coupons and did another $309 in rebates. She then banked her savings. So if you ever thought your $1000 emergency fund was out of the question if you just put your coupon savings in the bank you would have normally spent it doesn't cost you anything out of pocket.
Happy Saving!
Jolly Time popcorn is offering a free grocery bag.
Send 3 upc's and your name and address to
Jolly time popcorn reusable bag
Box 178
Sioux City IA, 51102
Kmart for some bizarre reason decided to quit the double coupon promo in the middle of the week. Why, I have no idea, but I did write the corporate office a letter regarding this. I'm just glad I shopped early. I guess I will have to investigate the Kingsburg Kmart, or the Lemoore Kmart if they don't want to double in the future. Very disappointing!
Walgreens:
You can still get the Revlon lipstick, blush, eyeliner, and eye shadow free.
Printer Cartridge refill free after $5 rebate
Orajel free after $8.49 rebate or a profit if you have a coupon
Colgate toothpaste $2.99
Get $2 in register rewards, use $1 coupon and it's free.
Rite Aid:
Garnier Fructis shampoo/conditioner $2.99 free after rebate or profit if you have a coupon.
I got my hickory farms box today and boy is it impressive. I hope others did this deal as I checked today and it's over now.
If you ever thought coupons were not worth your time a lady posted on the internet the other day that she spent 1,800 last year on groceries Saved 1,390 with coupons and did another $309 in rebates. She then banked her savings. So if you ever thought your $1000 emergency fund was out of the question if you just put your coupon savings in the bank you would have normally spent it doesn't cost you anything out of pocket.
Happy Saving!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
My spending plan
Excessive Concern about Finances:
People in financial slavery are under such economic stress that they can’t get their finances out of their heads. At home, they worry about finances; at work, they think about their bills; driving the car, they calculate their bank account; eating dinner, they plan how they will make their payments. It makes them a giant bag of nerves.
This has often been me. For far too long I have been in financial slavery. What a relief it was to find out that God really did have a blueprint for money and that there wasn't something wrong with me. I was just a bad planner because I didn't have a plan. I started using the plan several years ago and I can't tell you how much better things have been since then as long as Ken and I stay on the plan.
Well it's finished. I completed my spending plan today, a little later than I originally planned but I'm a known procrastinator. I had to make some major changes as the cost of almost everything has gone up but I have also eliminated some of my bills so I was pleasantly surprised when I was finished. Now I wish I had done it a while ago. I hope with our new spending plan in effect Ken and I will do a better job of sticking to the plan. This one is more realistic than the previous one. I think it's hard to make sure you have a little money to go out with when you have so many other things that are essential to take care of. It's important to allow for that though so you don't end up feeling miserable. That is a hard lesson for me to remember. So anyway, I'm looking forward to rebuilding my emergency fund, and more careful spending this year. I can't wait to see how it turns out!
People in financial slavery are under such economic stress that they can’t get their finances out of their heads. At home, they worry about finances; at work, they think about their bills; driving the car, they calculate their bank account; eating dinner, they plan how they will make their payments. It makes them a giant bag of nerves.
This has often been me. For far too long I have been in financial slavery. What a relief it was to find out that God really did have a blueprint for money and that there wasn't something wrong with me. I was just a bad planner because I didn't have a plan. I started using the plan several years ago and I can't tell you how much better things have been since then as long as Ken and I stay on the plan.
Well it's finished. I completed my spending plan today, a little later than I originally planned but I'm a known procrastinator. I had to make some major changes as the cost of almost everything has gone up but I have also eliminated some of my bills so I was pleasantly surprised when I was finished. Now I wish I had done it a while ago. I hope with our new spending plan in effect Ken and I will do a better job of sticking to the plan. This one is more realistic than the previous one. I think it's hard to make sure you have a little money to go out with when you have so many other things that are essential to take care of. It's important to allow for that though so you don't end up feeling miserable. That is a hard lesson for me to remember. So anyway, I'm looking forward to rebuilding my emergency fund, and more careful spending this year. I can't wait to see how it turns out!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
$5 dinners
I ran across a website last night for $5 dinners. I don't know that I would do it all the time, but it does look like fun. www.5dollardinners.com
Monday, January 19, 2009
Kmart report
Well this trip was my best ever. Kmart is doubling up to $2 same rules as before. My best deals were ziploc bags .19 cents, Dawn dish soap .49 cents, Purina Beggin strips 6 bags for $5, Glade air freshener .19 cents, Fantastik .69 cents, Ragu spaghetti sauce $1. I also got my free dr. pepper from a while back. It pays to call companies when you are not satisfied with their products. I got a free Pur water filtration system today after I called to complain about the quality of mine. They sent me a coupon for a free system. Very nice. So not counting the free pur water filtrations system I saved $50, or if you count it I saved $80 total. I saved 65% off my bill. Better than my average 40%. Kmart has a coupon booklet in the front of the store that has some coupons in it too. I only used two of them myself but they were worth $4. You can combine them with manufacturer coupons.
I ran into a lady at Kmart I have seen before at Walgreens shopping for deals. It's so fun to see people out there saving. We both laughed when we saw each other. When I was at the Super Walmart a few weeks ago for the end of the year coupons I left everything I wasn't going to use on the shelves. By the time I checked out I had a few people following me! One lady finally stopped me and asked me where I got all my good coupons. Well I get most from the sunday paper, some I trade with other people for, and others come from magazines. I also get them in the mail by signing up with the companies. Some of them come from the rebates I do, or they are inside the packages of the products. You can get them on the internet too. Coupons are everywhere. You just have to look for them, although the sunday paper is the easiest and best source.
I ran into a lady at Kmart I have seen before at Walgreens shopping for deals. It's so fun to see people out there saving. We both laughed when we saw each other. When I was at the Super Walmart a few weeks ago for the end of the year coupons I left everything I wasn't going to use on the shelves. By the time I checked out I had a few people following me! One lady finally stopped me and asked me where I got all my good coupons. Well I get most from the sunday paper, some I trade with other people for, and others come from magazines. I also get them in the mail by signing up with the companies. Some of them come from the rebates I do, or they are inside the packages of the products. You can get them on the internet too. Coupons are everywhere. You just have to look for them, although the sunday paper is the easiest and best source.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Doubles at Kmart again
Kmart will do double coupons again this week today thru saturday. I heard they will double up to $2 this week, but you will have to go there to find out. I can't make it today like I would like to and I probably won't make it until Tuesday. There were $223 dollars of coupons in todays paper alone! Happy coupon shopping. Oh, and if anyone wants to go with me to see how I do it, let me know.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Walgreens and pepsi/fritolay
Walgreens has a great deal right now on pepsi and frito lay products. Effective 12/27 to 1/31/09 if you buy $20 worth of pepsi, dorritos, tostitos, products you get $10 back in register rewards. Then you can do the $15 rebate. I bought 8 bottles of soda, two bags of chips, and two jars of cheese dip for $26 today. I received $10 in register rewards, and I will send in the $15 rebate. Total cost out of pocket was a little over $1. That's an awesome deal! Here is the link to the rebate. Thanks to the Hickory Farms sale I bought a $75 box today for $17.55, so for under $20 I have plenty of stuff for a great super bowl party now!
Friday, January 16, 2009
wife swap today
Tonight they will show a money saving mom on the tv show wife swap. She subscribes to the same service that I do and her family works really hard at saving money. It looks like it will be a fun episode. In honor of wife swap refund cents will have a free weekend. Use the link under money saving links and the user id and password will be wifeswap for today thru sunday. There are so many money savers on there I hope my friends will be checking it out and working on saving big!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Financial Foundations seminar
FFI (Family Foundations International, the organization that provides the Ancient Paths Seminar) has just released a new financial seminar titled Financial Foundations! We are excited! Many people have asked us to put on the financial seminar and so we have scheduled one for February 27 and 28, here in Dinuba at Wellspring Church. We will be sending out the registration forms as soon as they are sent to us from FFI (within the next 2-3 days). The seminar will begin on Friday evening at 6:30 and end at approximately 9:30. On Saturday it will begin at 9:00 am, and end at approximately 6:00 pm.
For your information, January 12-17, It’s a New Day television will spotlight the new FFI Finance seminar in a week-long TV program. It’s a New Day has recently come to the USA through Direct TV channel 378 NRB network (11AM EST). You can also watch these programs online at www.newday.org.
If you have any questions, you may email us, or call us:
Margaret: 559-240-0428
John: 559-240-0448
We look forward to seeing you on the 27th!
We ask God to bless you mightily!!
John and Margaret Palms
For your information, January 12-17, It’s a New Day television will spotlight the new FFI Finance seminar in a week-long TV program. It’s a New Day has recently come to the USA through Direct TV channel 378 NRB network (11AM EST). You can also watch these programs online at www.newday.org.
If you have any questions, you may email us, or call us:
Margaret: 559-240-0428
John: 559-240-0448
We look forward to seeing you on the 27th!
We ask God to bless you mightily!!
John and Margaret Palms
Monday, January 12, 2009
laptop lunches
Do you pack a lunch for work/school? There is an amazing amount of money to be saved by packing a lunch, not to mention if you have children how much healthier the lunch will be if you pack it yourself. I have a link to the blog laptop lunches I just added on here. I bought myself and my son Derrick a lunchbox from them and I absolutely love it. Not the cheapest lunchbox I ever bought but I love it. It also helps me with portion control which isn't a bad thing either. They have tons of great ideas for a healthier lunch, and by using a reusable lunchbox you will also save money and contribute to reducing trash to the environment. Now don't you wish this was your lunch?
Sunday, January 11, 2009
news and freebies
On January 16th Wife Swap will show a coupon queen vs a money spender. It should be fun to watch. Hopefully they will do a nice job of showing how frugal living is a good thing. On Next Friday thru Sunday they will give free access on those days to refundcents website to try it out. This is a great website that gives daily updates on freebies, sales, rebates, and coupons. She has far more on her site than you can imagine. Totally cool. I'll post a link to anyone who may want to join.
Today there is over $141 in coupons in the newspaper.
On Jan 14 go to www.suave.com to get a free bottle.
Walgreens:
Orajel $8.49
easy saver rebate $8.49
Final price free or a profit if you have a coupon.
Auto Expressions air freshener. $4.99
easy saver rebate $4.99
Final price free
Revlon Matte collection lipstick Free after rebate
Bayer glucose monitor Free after rebate.
Today there is over $141 in coupons in the newspaper.
On Jan 14 go to www.suave.com to get a free bottle.
Walgreens:
Orajel $8.49
easy saver rebate $8.49
Final price free or a profit if you have a coupon.
Auto Expressions air freshener. $4.99
easy saver rebate $4.99
Final price free
Revlon Matte collection lipstick Free after rebate
Bayer glucose monitor Free after rebate.
Friday, January 9, 2009
21 ways to create an emergency fund
I found a really neat website today with lots of money savers. There is a great article on there on 21 ways to create an emergency fund. I'm going to add the link to this blog too. www.simply-saving.com
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Hickory Farms Sale
Hickory Farms is having a huge sale on all their stuff. www.hickoryfarms.com If you like their sausage and cheeses, now is the time to get it.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Sabotage already!
Well here I am ready to start on my new spending plan, and I only worked one day last week. Not a good start for the year. I'm not going to let it stop me though. I'm going to continue working hard on the spending plan and rebuilding my emergency fund. I'm also still looking for a new job. Hopefully something really wonderful is around the corner. It's funny, but when you are so ready for a change you feel so impatient to get there. I just have to keep reminding myself that you are always where God wants you to be. I do that a lot. Every time I miss an exit on the freeway, late going somewhere, etc. Reminder: You are always where God wants you to be. Isn't that nice?
So here are the components of the spending plan as recommended by Crown. The Tithe is of course 10% of your income, then you deduct taxes. The spending plan is the net that is left over.
Housing 36%
Food 12%
Automobile 12%
Insurance 5%
Debts 5%
Entertainment 6%
Clothing 5%
Savings 5%
medical 4%
misc. 5%
school/childcare 6% (If this category is used other categories must be reduced)
Investments 5% (if debt free)
You can get more details of the money map and spending plan on www.crownmoneymap.org and on destination one they have a detailed explanation of the spending plan and what goes into each category. You should keep a 30 day diary of what you spend before you start the spending plan to get an idea of what you are spending. Crown also has money map coaches that you may call for advice and they don't charge money for it.
I'm procrastinating on making a new one. It's time consuming, I have no idea how to estimate gas for the car right now, and I invariably get into a fight with my husband every time we do it. (He thinks there is too much money in my gift fund and I think he spends too much on gas and fast food.) At any rate, I will have it completed by the end of the week. Lets hope it's uneventful. I seriously am looking forward to a new plan this year. I am already seeing the benefits of just the effort I started putting in 6 months ago, so if I'm doing as well as I am right now, I can't wait to see what the end of the year looks like!
So here are the components of the spending plan as recommended by Crown. The Tithe is of course 10% of your income, then you deduct taxes. The spending plan is the net that is left over.
Housing 36%
Food 12%
Automobile 12%
Insurance 5%
Debts 5%
Entertainment 6%
Clothing 5%
Savings 5%
medical 4%
misc. 5%
school/childcare 6% (If this category is used other categories must be reduced)
Investments 5% (if debt free)
You can get more details of the money map and spending plan on www.crownmoneymap.org and on destination one they have a detailed explanation of the spending plan and what goes into each category. You should keep a 30 day diary of what you spend before you start the spending plan to get an idea of what you are spending. Crown also has money map coaches that you may call for advice and they don't charge money for it.
I'm procrastinating on making a new one. It's time consuming, I have no idea how to estimate gas for the car right now, and I invariably get into a fight with my husband every time we do it. (He thinks there is too much money in my gift fund and I think he spends too much on gas and fast food.) At any rate, I will have it completed by the end of the week. Lets hope it's uneventful. I seriously am looking forward to a new plan this year. I am already seeing the benefits of just the effort I started putting in 6 months ago, so if I'm doing as well as I am right now, I can't wait to see what the end of the year looks like!
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Kmart double coupons
Today is the beginning of the Kmart double coupon week. It's better to go early as Kmart does not restock weekly so when it's gone, it's gone. I saved 40% off my bill today. Not bad. Kmart is hard because their prices are high so it you aren't saving at least 50% off the item I wouldn't buy it unless you need it. My best deals were Loreal kid shampoo .50 cents, Suave deodorant .16 cents, Juicy Juice .50 cents, sour cream .39 cents, (too bad you can't freeze it) They also have all their christmas stuff 50% off.
There were over $200 worth of coupons in the sunday paper today. All in all a great day to save!
There were over $200 worth of coupons in the sunday paper today. All in all a great day to save!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
12 New Year Money Savers
1. Don't cut out the internet if you are looking at ways to cut back. The internet is one of the most powerful money saving tools you have. You can save tons of money paying bills online rather than writing checks. I have never had my info stolen, nor have I ever missed a payment by it getting lost.
2. Compare bank rates at www.bankrate.com. Consider moving your savings to an online savings bank instead. Check your credit report for free. www.annualcreditreport.com Keep track of your spending. I use www.mvelopes.com for a fee through crown but I just found a free one at www.mint.com. Pay bills on time so you avoid late fees. If you use credit cards pay them off if you can or switch them to a lower interest rate. www.cardratings.com. Earn rewards for college at www.upromise.com.
3. Save on kids meals when eating out by using www.kidsmealdeals.com. It will tell you local kids eat free deals. Use www.restaurant.com to get great discounts on local restaurants. They periodically do 80% off sales where you can get $25 gift certificates for $2. Get the local entertainment book. There is tons of coupons for Buy 1 Get 1 Free. Stop going to restaurants. Try making your own instead. Have a Macaroni Grill night at home. It's really fun. You can get the recipes for free or very cheap at www.topsecretrecipes.com.
4. Stop using 411 on your cell phone. Try 1-800-373-3411 instead. You have to listen to a quick commercial but it beats $1.25 per info call. Use the internet at home for other numbers, or pick up a phone book at Save Mart. Consider changing your existing home phone to a internet phone or eliminating it altogether if you have a cell phone. You can try Vonage, Skype, or magicjack.com I use Skype for international calls always. It is way cheaper than anything else out there or even free if the other person has it. Cut your cell bill by having it analyzed at www.billshrink.com, and sell your old cell phones at www.cellforcash.com
5. Don't buy computers new, get the refurbished for much less. It comes with the same warrantee. Check out Dell, HP, or Apple. Don't buy Microsoft office, you can get all that stuff for free at www.openoffice.org. Download free antivirus stuff from avg.com, Free spyware from, lavasoft.com (Ad-aware) or safer-networking.org (spybot-search & destroy) and a free firewall from zonealarm.com.
6. Find the best price on cars at www.cars.com or cartango.com. Find the cheapest gas at www.gasbuddy.com, cut your insurance costs by comparing rates at www.insurance.com. Find the middle meeting place for friends who live far away at www.happymedian.com
7. Fly cheaply by buying your ticket online. Look for the lowest prices at www.bookingbuddy.com. Sign up for airfare alerts at www.airfarewatchdog.com, and get advice on when to buy your tickets at www.farecast.com.
8. Find hotel specials at www.hotels.com or name your price at priceline.com. If you want to go to Disney try www.mousesavers.com Also for homeschoolers. There is often discounts everywhere for amusement parks. Legoland and Marineland give the best deals I've ever seen. Check them out!
9. Use coupons for groceries. Subscribe to the newspaper if you don't get it already for the Sunday paper which is where most coupons are. You can also get coupons online at www.coupons.com but make sure your grocery store takes them as not all of them will. Winco for example does not accept them. You can get a discount on the subscription at www.discountednewspapers.com. Walmart carries a magazine called All you magazine that has lots of coupons and money saving tips. Do not be brand loyal. Believe me when I tell you that your clothes wash the same, your teeth clean the same, your dishes wash the same, etc. with different brands. I'm not brand loyal to anything except mayonaise. Consider subscribing to a service like refundcents.com which is where I get a lot of my money saving tips. Do meal planning, and shop with a list, and stick to the list. Check what you have on hand when you plan your meals so you can use up fruits and vegetables before they go bad. Do the rebates. Lots of them are in the sunday paper or even online. I got a $25 movie card recently for a rebate which became a christmast present. Awesome!
10. Buy your magazines at www.bestdealmagazines.com. I can't believe the discounts and they change all the time. Never again pay full price.
11. Start looking for grants and scholarships. There is tons of free money out there for everything imaginable. College scholarships, programs for summer camp kid programs, etc. There are grants for your home, you name it, it's out there if you look for it and take the time and effort to write it. We have gotten several grants for summer camp. We just got an awesome grant for our home and it cost us nothing but a little time to write it and gather the information requested.
12. Use the library. I spent half my life at the library as a kid. If I hadn't become a nurse, I defintely would have been a librarian. They have books, magazines, and movies for nothing. No you may not get the latest and greatest, but they hit the library eventually and the cost is nothing. Not to mention they have wonderful kid programs every summer at no cost as well.
2. Compare bank rates at www.bankrate.com. Consider moving your savings to an online savings bank instead. Check your credit report for free. www.annualcreditreport.com Keep track of your spending. I use www.mvelopes.com for a fee through crown but I just found a free one at www.mint.com. Pay bills on time so you avoid late fees. If you use credit cards pay them off if you can or switch them to a lower interest rate. www.cardratings.com. Earn rewards for college at www.upromise.com.
3. Save on kids meals when eating out by using www.kidsmealdeals.com. It will tell you local kids eat free deals. Use www.restaurant.com to get great discounts on local restaurants. They periodically do 80% off sales where you can get $25 gift certificates for $2. Get the local entertainment book. There is tons of coupons for Buy 1 Get 1 Free. Stop going to restaurants. Try making your own instead. Have a Macaroni Grill night at home. It's really fun. You can get the recipes for free or very cheap at www.topsecretrecipes.com.
4. Stop using 411 on your cell phone. Try 1-800-373-3411 instead. You have to listen to a quick commercial but it beats $1.25 per info call. Use the internet at home for other numbers, or pick up a phone book at Save Mart. Consider changing your existing home phone to a internet phone or eliminating it altogether if you have a cell phone. You can try Vonage, Skype, or magicjack.com I use Skype for international calls always. It is way cheaper than anything else out there or even free if the other person has it. Cut your cell bill by having it analyzed at www.billshrink.com, and sell your old cell phones at www.cellforcash.com
5. Don't buy computers new, get the refurbished for much less. It comes with the same warrantee. Check out Dell, HP, or Apple. Don't buy Microsoft office, you can get all that stuff for free at www.openoffice.org. Download free antivirus stuff from avg.com, Free spyware from, lavasoft.com (Ad-aware) or safer-networking.org (spybot-search & destroy) and a free firewall from zonealarm.com.
6. Find the best price on cars at www.cars.com or cartango.com. Find the cheapest gas at www.gasbuddy.com, cut your insurance costs by comparing rates at www.insurance.com. Find the middle meeting place for friends who live far away at www.happymedian.com
7. Fly cheaply by buying your ticket online. Look for the lowest prices at www.bookingbuddy.com. Sign up for airfare alerts at www.airfarewatchdog.com, and get advice on when to buy your tickets at www.farecast.com.
8. Find hotel specials at www.hotels.com or name your price at priceline.com. If you want to go to Disney try www.mousesavers.com Also for homeschoolers. There is often discounts everywhere for amusement parks. Legoland and Marineland give the best deals I've ever seen. Check them out!
9. Use coupons for groceries. Subscribe to the newspaper if you don't get it already for the Sunday paper which is where most coupons are. You can also get coupons online at www.coupons.com but make sure your grocery store takes them as not all of them will. Winco for example does not accept them. You can get a discount on the subscription at www.discountednewspapers.com. Walmart carries a magazine called All you magazine that has lots of coupons and money saving tips. Do not be brand loyal. Believe me when I tell you that your clothes wash the same, your teeth clean the same, your dishes wash the same, etc. with different brands. I'm not brand loyal to anything except mayonaise. Consider subscribing to a service like refundcents.com which is where I get a lot of my money saving tips. Do meal planning, and shop with a list, and stick to the list. Check what you have on hand when you plan your meals so you can use up fruits and vegetables before they go bad. Do the rebates. Lots of them are in the sunday paper or even online. I got a $25 movie card recently for a rebate which became a christmast present. Awesome!
10. Buy your magazines at www.bestdealmagazines.com. I can't believe the discounts and they change all the time. Never again pay full price.
11. Start looking for grants and scholarships. There is tons of free money out there for everything imaginable. College scholarships, programs for summer camp kid programs, etc. There are grants for your home, you name it, it's out there if you look for it and take the time and effort to write it. We have gotten several grants for summer camp. We just got an awesome grant for our home and it cost us nothing but a little time to write it and gather the information requested.
12. Use the library. I spent half my life at the library as a kid. If I hadn't become a nurse, I defintely would have been a librarian. They have books, magazines, and movies for nothing. No you may not get the latest and greatest, but they hit the library eventually and the cost is nothing. Not to mention they have wonderful kid programs every summer at no cost as well.
Another Blue light special
KMart will double from 1/4 - 1/10, Up to $1 face value, limit 25 coupons per person per day. No internet coupons. There will be 5 inserts in this Sundays paper of coupons. Shop early because the shelves emptied out quickly at Kmart during the last double coupon event.
Also at Walgreens there is a $2 coupon for Garnier Fructis Shampoo in their easy saver catalog. Some of the Walgreens have it on clearance for $2.19 but not all of them do. You will have to shop around or wait till this Sunday since there will be a $1 coupon in the paper making it free anyway.
Also at Walgreens you can get Revlon Matte collection lipstick, Matte collection eyeliner or blush, and Matte collection eye shadow free after rebate.
If you haven't had enought chocolate yet you can get the Russell Stover boxed chocolate for $2.99 a box rather than 10.99. You need the $1 coupon from the easy saver catalog and the $1 coupon from the sunday paper. Very nice deal!
Also at Walgreens there is a $2 coupon for Garnier Fructis Shampoo in their easy saver catalog. Some of the Walgreens have it on clearance for $2.19 but not all of them do. You will have to shop around or wait till this Sunday since there will be a $1 coupon in the paper making it free anyway.
Also at Walgreens you can get Revlon Matte collection lipstick, Matte collection eyeliner or blush, and Matte collection eye shadow free after rebate.
If you haven't had enought chocolate yet you can get the Russell Stover boxed chocolate for $2.99 a box rather than 10.99. You need the $1 coupon from the easy saver catalog and the $1 coupon from the sunday paper. Very nice deal!
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