Archive for July, 2010
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Frugal Friday: Free Jeans, and a Nearly Free Lunch
This week was pretty good in the frugal food dept. I don’t think I cooked a meal for over $8!! And when you are serving it up for 6 that is a GREAT thing! Again.. I highly recommend the book Family Feasts for $75 a Week
. Last night’s dinner was Zesty Ramen Stir Fry, from the book and it was DELICIOUS!! (not to mention it cost around $6!)
The best meal deal this week was a lunch. A two cent lunch! And you can get in on it too! I rarely buy Chef Boyardee, so when I do it is a treat. This week it was a treat for my little guys, and a treat for my wallet. I printed up a few Target coupons off their site, for $1 off a Chef Boyardee item. I popped over to Target, and snagged a can. At that particular store it was $1.02, so that can cost me 2 cents. The next day I had an interview at another Target store, so I took the other coupon along. THAT store had the Chef Boyardee for 89 cents a can! So it was completely free! Hey that works for me! So my little guys got fed yesterday at lunch for a penny a piece!
If you don’t know it Target has a great coupon policy, Go to their website and check out their printable coupons . You can pair TARGET coupons with regular manufacturers coupons to double your savings too!
Now free jeans.. if you have not heard of Freecycle.org then click on that link and go now.. seriously, GO! It’s better than Craigslist! It’s all free!! It’s an organization dedicated to keeping usable items out of landfills. You have something you don’t use any more, and chances are there is somebody out there who could use that item. So you post your item, and give it away! It gets a new life, and stays out of a landfill! I have gotten a lot of things need this way, and given a lot too.
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It’s back to school shopping time!! Saving tips!
Back to School Shopping Tips
When the grocery store starts selling lunch boxes and school supplies, you know that the summer break days are numbered…
I can remember from my own school days the feeling of confidence and anticipation that came from going off to meet my new teacher and classmates with a new backpack, lunch box, clothes and shoes. And now that I am a parent, I want to pass on these same feelings to my kids but without breaking the bank. Costs associated with back to school expenses can be crippling for families if you spend before doing a little studying of your own!
So, as the lazy summer routines give way to more structure every August, this is when spending skills are tested for most families. Any change in routine can cause stress on the family spender and if left unprepared you may find spending can get out of control and leave you with the same old feeling of frustration. So, below are some tips to help make the shift go smoothly and with as little impact to the checkbook as possible:1)A little planning goes a long way. Before shopping for anything related to getting ready for school, spend some time with your kids discussing what is needed and when it is needed. This will give you an idea of the overall cost involved so you can plan accordingly. In about 3 weeks, revisit the list of things you classify as “Need Later” to see if you really need them. Get a sturdy clipboard and use the worksheet located on my website as a guide for each child.
2)Each child will have different needs since each grade has different supplies, clothing trends and lunch considerations. Check the school website for more information such as a grade appropriate supply list before shopping. Most kids can get by in the first few days with the basics, and then fill in the rest of the supplies after your student has met the teacher and knows what is expected.
3)Shop for categories of items separately to enable tracking your spending. If you lump all the shopping into one big trip for all your kids, it is much easier to loose track of your spending goals. For example, shop for all the lunch supplies on one trip and the next trip shop for the clothes, etc.
4)If you have more than one child to outfit for school, take advantage of sales for multiple purchases. For example, buy one get one free shoes, snacks and drinks. For the most savings, combine a store coupon with an offer like this.
5)Delay some of your purchases until after school starts. While there are lots of great back to school sales before school starts, try to hold off since often you will see even deeper discounts when overstocked inventory must go in a few weeks. Also, your child may change their mind about what they need based on seeing what the trends are at school.6)Use the internet to find store coupons and online coupon codes that are not available anywhere else. For example, www.alexscoupons.com lists a huge variety of coupons and by spending a few minutes surfing before shopping you can yield big savings.
Remember there will be other expenses incurred as you get into the school year, such as after school activities, school events, and gifts so if you plan ahead, you will be in a better position to manage the financial impact.
Amy Bergin, mother of three children, creator of THE COUPONIZER®. The #1 best selling coupon organizing and shopping system in the US and Canada. To find out more visit her website at SAVING is good.Also be sure to stop by my Frugal Finds page regularly for more money saving tips and links!
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Frugal Fridays: Weekly Update
So, since becoming unemployed we are on what we fondly call the ‘unemployment diet’ the good news is we have lost weight.. at least those of us who need it, and the ones who don’t have actually gained weight (go Jules!)
The diet includes LOTS of eggs. Hey they are cheap an good for you! On Frugal Fridays I will let you know my two best meal deals of the week. And my best frugal find! So here we go:
Frugal Find of the Week:
Cereal! Here we go I got 4 boxes of Kellogg’s and General Mills cereal for +$2.61 yep they paid me to get them!! Here’s how:
3 of the boxes were $2.50 one was $3.89 I had 2 free product coupons from Kellogg’s from the recent recall, and one $1.00 off and another $.75 off coupon which doubled to $1.50 . I also had a $2.00 off your order coupon as well! Top that off with the fact that Giant Eagle is also offering a bonus $.15 off per gallon (up to 30 gallons) Fuelperks when you buy 4 boxes of the cereal in one trip. Here’s the math:
I love getting paid to shop!
Meal Deals!
Now for the best meal deals of my week:
The tastiest was Grandma’s Mushroom Chicken from the book Family Feasts for $75 a Week
I spent $6.99 on the chicken $2.00 on the mushrooms, $.75 on the chicken broth and about a buck on other ingredients. Add $1 for the veggies on the side and about $.25 on my mashed potatoes and I get $12 total so for us $2 a piece and was it ever yummy!!
The best per serving deal was my mini pizzas. Got the English muffins free. Used about 1/3 of a jar of spaghetti sauce $1 a can of tomato paste $ .25 and some cheese probably $1.75 worth. That adds up to $3.00 so per person that is $.50 and everyone loved them!
What are your best frugal meals? Let me know and I will try them out!
And don’t forget to use those coupons!! I have a link to one of the online coupon spots I visit the most over on my left sidebar! Check it out I have saved alot of money printing coupons from this site! In fact two of the coupons I used in my cereal deal came from there!
Also stop by my Frugal Finds page regularly I will be adding links to deals I find there on a regular basis!
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Wordless Wednesday: An oldie for fun, 4 generations!
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Bookish Thursday Winner!!!
I revved up the random number generator.. 6 entries.. ooh do I ever draw a crowd!!
The winner is #5 comment that is Kathleen!!!
Kathleen snuck in her entry at the last minute! Lucky duck!! Look for two more giveaways coming up! I have two more audio books to give out!
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Look out!
I am fiddling with a new blog theme.. so Things will be switching around a bit the next few days as I sort it all out!! Let me know what you think!
Paying the bills…
Coming April 13th
