LITE Feed (non-deal) Posts

Melissa’s Walgreens Shopping Trip: Spent $8.38, Got $4 in Bonus Rewards back!

by Crystal on June 12, 2013

Melissa emailed me details on her shopping trip at Walgreens today:

Transaction #1

Neutrogena concealer — on sale for $7.34
Neutrogena primer — on sale for: $9.79
Butterfinger on sale for $0.59 (not pictured)
Used two $2/1 Neutrogena coupons
Use $2 Register Rewards from my last shopping trip
Used $5 Bonus Rewards Points from my last shopping trip
Total with tax: $7.96, Got $3 in Bonus Rewards

Transaction #2

2 Scrubbing bubbles Starter kit and caddy — on sale for 2/$6 on sale (The store let me substitute the Cleaning Gel since they were out of another starter kit.)
Used two $3/1 Scrubbing Bubbles coupons
Total with tax: $0.42, Got $1 in Bonus Rewards

So Melissa ended up spending a grand total of $8.38 and got back $4 in Bonus Rewards to use on her next trip. Great job, Melissa!

See the full list of deals at Walgreens this week here.

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48-Hour Giveaway: Customized Vinyl Banner from Signs.com (10 Winners)

by Crystal on June 12, 2013

Custom signs and banners are a fantastic way to celebrate something or someone — a birthday, an achievement, or just to say “I love you.”

Signs.com sells custom signs for just about every occasion. Whether you need a banner, yard sign, car and window decals, car magnets, or wall decals, they’ve got you covered.

Signs.com Alphabet Wall Decal photos from Live Craft Eat

The sky is the limit when it comes to creativity. You can use the Signs.com free online design tool or they offer free design services from professional designers.

Whether you need something for your home or business, Signs.com can do it. They offer custom banners which are fun for parties and celebrations.

They also create custom wall decals that you can use in your classroom, in your homeschooling, or in your home decorating.

Want to advertise your blog or small business? You can get a custom car decal to put on your car as a creative way to advertise to everyone you drive by every day!

Save 15% Off Any Order

Want to order from Signs.com? Use coupon code MSM15 to get 15% off any purchase from Signs.com. This coupon code is valid through June 17, 2013.

For more information and to be notified of specials and sales, follow Signs.com on Facebook and Twitter.

Win a Custom Banner!

Click on the graphic below and type in your name and email address and you’ll be entered to win a free custom banner (up to $25 value) from Signs.com. This equates to roughly a 2’ x 4’ wide banner. Ten winners will be chosen a posted on Tuesday. This giveaway ends Friday, June 14, at 11:59 pm, CST.

Enter the Giveaway

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Can a Warehouse Membership Save You Money?

by Crystal on June 12, 2013

Guest post from Victoria of Creative Home Keeper

Warehouse memberships can be a great way to really save money on your grocery budget. However they can also be a budget-buster if you’re not careful. Since joining Costco earlier this year, I have been able to buy a large portion of my groceries in bulk without breaking the bank.

If you are thinking about joining a members-only warehouse club, here are three tips to consider before you do:

1. Do your homework

Before you purchase a membership at a warehouse you need to do your homework first.

Take a tour

If your city has more than one warehouse to choose from, then you probably want to visit both. Where I live we have both a Sam’s Club and a Costco.

Before joining Costco, my husband and I toured both warehouses. Most warehouses will let you in on a visitor’s pass. You won’t be able to purchase anything without purchasing a membership, but being able to tour the store and take inventory on the type of products they sell will help you determine what warehouse to join, and if joining one is going to be cost effective for your family.

Know your prices

While touring, take a notebook, or your price book, to jot down the names and prices of the products you would buy. Note the price and how much you are getting.

For example, I can purchase a case of 8-14.5oz cans of organic diced tomatoes for about $7. That is about $0.88 per can. My price book tells me that this is the cheapest price for diced tomatoes. Not all prices at warehouse clubs are better deals then standard grocery stores so this is where knowing your prices, or having a price book, really comes in handy.

Also you need to factor in the yearly membership price into your cost breakdown. Does paying the membership (anywhere from $30-$100 per year) make sence for your family?

Some warehouses provide cashback bonuses; others provide services such as discounted prescriptions, eyeglasses, discounted gasoline, etc. Know the membership policies and compare to see which one will give you the best investment.

Pick the right warehouse

Once you have toured the warehouse and collected enough information to validate paying for a membership, then you need to pick the right warehouse to join if your city has more than one. Think about location. It’s not really going to save you any money if you have to drive a long way to get there.

Another factor to consider is how convenient it is going to be to get to the warehouse. My Costco is located just a few miles from my house near other stores that I shop. So I can easily do most of my grocery shopping in one trip.

2. Have a game plan

Walking into any warehouse can be very overwhelming. There is just so much to look at outside of groceries!

Know the layout

I suggest taking the time to know the layout of your warehouse. That way you know exactly what areas your items are located, and what areas to avoid. By knowing the layout, I can quickly get in and out of Costco without wasting time backtracking, which might lead to impulse purchases.

Make a list

Going into a warehouse without a list is an invitation to blow your budget. Make your list based on your meal plan and what stores have the best prices on those items (this is where a price book comes in handy).

Also just like any grocery shopping, it is best to not go into a warehouse hungry. Impulse purchases are much more costly at a warehouse than your standard grocery store.

3. Make sure you have storage space

One last thing to note before you even purchase a membership is to think about how you would store your food. Ask yourself: Do I enough freezer/refrigerator/pantry space? Coming home with a car full of bulk food will not save you any money if you don’t have any room to store it.

Victoria Osborn is a wife and stay at home mom to two little ones. She is passionate about encouraging women to live simply, intentional, and inspired at home. She writes about it every day at Creative Home Keeper.

photo source

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52 Different Ways to Save $100 Per Year: Follow a Local Deal Blogger {Week 23}

by Crystal on June 11, 2013

Every week in 2013, I’ll be sharing a different way you can save $100 this year. If you do all of these things, you’ll be able to save over $5,000 this year alone! Many of these things will likely be things you’re already doing, but hopefully all of you will pick up at least a few new ideas or some inspiration from this series.

One simple way to save at least $5 to $10 each week without spending a lot of time and effort is to follow a local deal blogger. This is someone who lives in your area who covers the deals at your local store, as well as who alerts you to special sales, clearances, and even free events and other tips on bargains in your city.

There are a few such bloggers in my area and I save a lot of money thanks to their tips. Plus, I love that they do all the legwork to match the coupons and sales at my local grocery stores.

Before I go shopping, I always check their complete coupon match-ups and it’s pretty much guaranteed that I’ll find a few deals that are going to save me at least $3-$5 extra dollars — often more! Best of all, I don’t have to spend time matching coupons and sales, so it saves me an amazing amount of time.

How to Find a Local Deal Blogger

When I talk about finding a local coupon blogger, the first question people always ask is, “Yes, but how do I find one in my local area?” I suggest starting by searching for your local city/town + “coupon matchups” or “deal blogger”.

If that doesn’t pull anything up, try searching for the towns around you. If you live in a very small town, you might not find anything, but if you live in a decent-sized town, there’s a good chance you’ll find someone — maybe even multiple bloggers!

If you still can’t find anything, then search your store’s name and “coupon match-ups” or “deal blogger”. You should definitely find something with that search. You can also check out our Store Deals section to find a blogger who is covering the deals at the stores you shop at regularly.

Once you find some bloggers who you think might be a good possibility, go ahead and sign up for their email newsletter or subscribe to their blog. Follow them for a few weeks and you’ll get a good idea if they are a good fit or not for the types of deals you are looking for.

Can’t Find a Blogger? Create Your Own Frugal Network!

If you can’t find a blogger in your area, don’t fret. Consider starting your own blog or just creating your own frugal network.

Ask some of your local friends who are interested in saving money if they’d partner together with you to share deals they find and pass along any bargains they come across. You could have an email list, private forum, or Facebook Page.

It’s amazing how effective working together to help everyone save money can be. Plus, you might take your frugal network a little farther and set up a frugal club. You can read more about how this might work here.

Remember: Just Because It’s a Great Price, Doesn’t Mean It’s a Good Deal for YOU

Following deal blogs can save you a lot of money, but you need to be careful that you don’t spend a lot of extra money or time chasing “bargains”. It can be easy to get caught up in the excitement and forget to check to make sure you can afford something in your budget. In addition, when other people are all thrilled about a deal, it’s easy to forget to carefully think through whether you need to buy the item.

So just make sure that following deal blogs doesn’t actually encourage you to spend more money than you would otherwise. As I always say, just because something’s a good price doesn’t mean it’s a great deal for you.

Do you have a local deal blog? If so, tell us what area it’s for and share the link to it in the comments!

photo credit

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Gretchen’s Target Shopping Trip: 11 items for $6.85!

by Crystal on June 11, 2013

Target Shopping Trip

2 Mott’s for Tots Apple Juice – $1.99 each (price cut), used 2 $1/1 coupon from the 6/9 SmartSource insert – $0.99 each after coupons

6 YoCrunch Yogurts – $0.67 each, used 2 $1/3 printable - $0.33 each after coupons

1 Silk Almond Milk – $2.99, used $1/1 printable AND $1/1 Target printable - $0.99 after coupons

2 Benadryl Itch Relief Sticks – $2.39 each, used $2/1 coupon from the 6/9 SmartSource insert – $0.39 each after coupons

Total before coupons: $15.77

Total with tax (7.3%) after coupons: $6.85

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4 Ways to Cut Your Summer Meal Prep Time in Half

by Crystal on June 11, 2013


Summer can be a busy time of the year. And the last thing you want to do on a hot summer day is spend hours cooking and sweating in the kitchen. But your family has to eat — and eating out adds up very quickly!

Here are 4 ways to cut your summer meal prep time in half:

1. Stick With Simple Meals

Summer is not the time to be cooking six course dinners. Nor is it usually a great time to be trying recipes that require ten different prep steps.

Keep it simple by focusing on lean meats, whole grains, fresh fruits, and veggies. Many times in the summer months, our dinners will be something like marinated chicken, rice, steamed veggies, and chopped up fruit. A meal like this is filling and wholesome, but it requires very little time and thought.

2. Enlist Your Family’s Help

If your children have more time on their hands and and they are old enough to be helping out in the kitchen, encourage them to take over parts of the meal a few times per week. This keeps them productive, teaches them valuable life skills, and can help make dinner prep a little easier for you (well, provided they don’t make a massive mess in the process!).

Growing up, we sometimes would rotate who was on dinner duty — with each of us having one or two assigned nights each week to plan and cook dinner. This was a fun way to have lots of variety in our meals and to relieve my mom of having to always be cooking for us.

Simple meal options that are especially great for kids to help out with are: Homemade Pizza (they can chop some of the veggies), a salad bar (they can help with washing & tearing lettuce or dicing and slicing — if they are old enough), or Haystacks (shredding cheese, setting out the items needed, opening cans).

3. Fill Your Freezer

When you have a free day or a laid-back weekend, use some of that time to make meals and parts of meals to stick in your freezer. If you eat more snacks in the summer, things like homemade popsicles, homemade gogurts, homemade cookie dough, homemade muffins, and homemade smoothie kits are great to have on hand.

Also, think about what recipes you typically make and figure out if you can prep some of the ingredients ahead of time: making baking mixes with the dry ingredients for pancakes or waffles, putting together meat rubs or marinades for grilling out, chopping and freezing veggies to use in stirfry.

5 Crockpot Freezer Meals from Repeat Crafter Me

I also highly recommend doing some crockpot freezer cooking. Not only are crockpot freezer meals so incredibly easy, but they are also fantastic for hot summer days!

Tip: For lots of great freezer cooking recipes, check out my 4 Weeks to Fill Your Freezer series.

4. Create a Snack & Sandwich Bin

If you have a snack times every day, take a little time on the weekends to put together a snack bin. This will save you having to even think about what to serve for snack. In fact, you can just tell your kids to go pick out something from the snack bin!

You can also speed up lunch prep by stocking a sandwich bin in your fridge. This can have all the sandwich fixings available so you can whip up lunch in no time. If you want to save even more time, you can freeze peanut butter and jelly sandwiches ahead of time.

What are your favorite ways to speed up meal prep in the summer?

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Q&A video: What are the first steps you should take when starting a business?

by Crystal on June 11, 2013

My husband and I had the privilege of getting to spend a day in Nashville with Robert D. Smith and his team. They are amazing folks who do incredible things. And they graciously shared counsel and wisdom with us from their years of experience.

{You can see a few pictures of our time with them on my Instagram page. Yes, we started the morning by following Robert’s mantra to eat dessert first!}

We spent a little time filming and recording in Robert’s studio for some upcoming projects he’s got cooking (I’ll be sure to let you know when they are available — they’ll be free!). And they were kind enough to let me take the interview reins for a bit and ask Robert a question that I’m often asked: “How do I start a business and actually make money?”

Watch the short video above for his wisdom-packed answer. I think you’ll be inspired!

Be sure to check out my review of Robert’s book, 20,000 Days & Counting. My husband just finished this book and was also very inspired by it. Also, read Robert’s guest post on How to Never Be Short on Money Again.

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Part-Time Virtual Graphic Design Job Available

by Crystal on June 11, 2013

Aaress from DuoParadigms Public Relations & Design, Inc. emailed me today and said:

I am the co-owner of a graphic design and public relations firm (DuoParadigms Public Relations & Design, Inc.) in Houston that specializes in working with Christian ministries and businesses.

We have an opening for a virtual graphic design assistant and I thought it might prove to be something of interest to your readers. It’s a part-time job at $20.00 per hour, and might be perfect for someone who is looking to work from home and make some extra money.

The details about the job are here.

For more work-at-home ideas, be sure to check out my series on 31 Ways to Earn Extra Cash.

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Do It Yourself: Reversible, Full-Coverage Children’s Aprons

by Crystal on June 11, 2013

AllOurDays.com shows you how to make homemade reversible, full-coverage children’s aprons.

Do you have a fun and frugal DIY idea to share? I’d love to hear about it! Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.

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Freezer Cooking in an Hour: Sweet Barbecue Chicken, Single Serving Chocolate Chip Cookies, Whole Wheat Pancakes (and why you were SO right!)

by Crystal on June 10, 2013

I finally had another Freezer Cooking in an Hour session, after taking a few weeks off from doing much freezer cooking. I made the Sweet Barbecue Chicken and would recommend being careful when sprinkling the cayenne pepper on it. :) I ended up having to wash the pieces of chicken off — and it was still spicy!

We served half the recipe for dinner and I froze the rest for another meal. I think next time I’ll leave the cayenne pepper out entirely since it was on the spicy side for some of us.

I was anxious to try the Perfect Single Serving Chocolate Chip Cookies since the pictures of these looked SO good online.

Unfortunately, my end result looked quite pathetic compared to the original pictures. But it was still yummy.

However, I thought it was a lot of work for just a few cookies (the recipe said it only made two, but it made 5 for me — maybe I made them a lot smaller?). I think it’s a better use of your time to just make a big batch of your favorite cookie dough or cookies and freeze it.

Did you notice something out of the ordinary in this photo?!?

Yes. I finally got a griddle — thanks to my husband surprising me with one even though I was sure I could survive just fine without one. (I’m the kind of person who will basically never buy anything or replace anything when it comes to kitchen stuff. I’ll just make do with whatever I have for as long as I possibly can!)

But oh wow! Every one of you who have been encouraging me to get a griddle for months and months and months were so very right. I cannot believe I waited this long to get one. It only took one time of making pancakes to have me completely and utterly sold on the practicality of this appliance.

We had to move around some of the kitchen drawers and cupboards to make space for it, but it has been every bit worth it. I can now cook 4-6 pancakes at one time!!! I’ve been doing them one at a time for so long that I just complete forgot it was possible to do them so much faster.

And not only that, but the pancakes turn out so much more beautifully than my other pancakes ever did. Plus, they aren’t constantly burning!

So yes, I should have listened to you all years ago! I would have saved myself to much time and effort!

Recipes Made:

Perfect Single Serving Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sweet Barbecue Chicken
Whole Wheat Pancakes

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