Money Saving Mom®

Classic View

Grid View

Shared May 23, 2013 comment

52 Different Ways to Save $100 Per Year: Price-Match at Walmart {Week 20}

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 23, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

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.

If you’re short on time and energy, but you want to cut your grocery bill, take advantage of price-matching at Walmart.

It’s simple and easy to do–and can save you a lot of time and money. According to Walmart’s price-matching policy, you don’t even need to bring in the competitor’s ad. However, I usually do, just in case there’s any question as to the advertised deal.

Here are three things I especially love about price-matching:

1. You Don’t Have to Go to Multiple Stores

Instead of running around to three different stores to get the best deals at each of those stores, just circle the best deals in the sale ads at each of those stores and take the ads to Walmart and they’ll match the price.

This saves you gas, wear and tear on your vehicle, and time. Plus, it just simplifies things.

2. You Can Get Great Produce at Aldi Prices

I love the produce prices at Aldi, but I sometimes find that the produce is really picked over or just not looking too fresh. Price-matching the Aldi prices at Walmart will allow you to get the low prices, while also getting fresher produce.

3. You Can Get the Good Deals From Stores On the Other Side of Town

Save yourself gas money and time! Don’t drive all the way to the other side of town for a great deal. Just price-match it at Walmart!

See an example of a Walmart price-matching trip here.

How Much Can You Save?

The amount you save will depend a great deal on how much you usually spend and how often you price-match. However, I can almost guarantee you’ll save at least $5-$10 per price-matching shopping trip — not to mention the time and money on gas it will save you. If that’s the case, if you price-match once or twice a month, you’ll easily save $100+ in a year’s time.

A Word of Caution!

If you’re tempted to buy things you don’t need when you run into Walmart for groceries you might find that price-matching doesn’t save you money since you fill your cart with other things you weren’t planning to buy. If that is a weakness of yours, you might be better off just sticking with shopping at your local grocery stores. 🙂

For more information on how to price-match at Walmart, check out my video blog.

Have you price-matched at Walmart before?

photo credit

Shared May 23, 2013 comment

Clutter-Busting Challenge Day #18: 9 more things to add to the donation/trash bag {and help me out! Where else should I look?}

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 23, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Every week day in May, I’m challenging my readers to try to find at least 7 things to get rid of. These can be big or small things, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you actually throw them out, sell them, donate them, recycle them, or find someone else who can use them. Think you’re up for the challenge?

I had a lot of trouble coming up with things to toss today. In fact, I went back over a few rooms that I’d already gone through and found almost nothing to toss. I guess that’s a good thing!

But I’m soliciting your help. What other great ideas do you have for places I should look for things to get rid of? I know I’m missing some spots so send any and all ideas my way. I realized tonight that I still need to go through the DVDs & CDs, sock basket, and a little bit of the garage. But after that, I’m rather stumped.

What places could I be overlooking? I’m positive there’s more stuff to toss lurking here, I’m just not readily thinking where to look — and I’ve got quite a few more days left in this challenge. 🙂

How did your clutter-busting go today? Link up your blog post and/or Instagram pictures below. Or, leave a comment telling us how many things you got rid of. Let’s clear our homes of clutter so we can be more productive and efficient!

Shared May 23, 2013 comment

How I Do It All — Or Not {Video Blog}

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 23, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

How do you do it all?

This is the question that many of you asked when I asked for questions you’d love for me to answer in a video blog.

In this video, I answer that question by sharing how I don’t do it all and I don’t do it all myself. I also give you an insider peek into how I currently plan my day and how it has freed me up from feeling overwhelmed every day.

Links mentioned in this video or related to what I shared:

Google Calendar

My Amazing Team

How to Create a Realistic To-Do List

My Top 3 Tips for Getting Stuff Done

If you have a question you’d love for me to answer in a video blog next week (or in the weeks to come), leave it as a comment on this post and I’ll pick one of your questions to answer next week!

Shared May 23, 2013 comment

Do It Yourself: Homemade Ranch Dressing

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 23, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

OlgasFlavorFactory.com shows you how to make homemade Ranch Dressing.

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.

Shared May 22, 2013 comment

You Don’t Have a Time Management Problem

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 22, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I had the opportunity to sit in on two of Heidi St. John’s sessions at the Teach Them Diligently conference this past weekend. And while I gleaned a lot of different things from both of them, one phrase she said in the time management session has etched itself forever in my memory:

“You don’t have a time management problem. You have a ME management problem.”

Gulp.

How often I want to blame being behind and disorganized on the lack of time, the overloaded schedule, or the alarm clock that failed to go off? I’ve got a dozen excuses, but very rarely do any of them involve ME.

A bad system is not the problem.

An unreliable clock is not the problem.

A too-full schedule is not the problem.

I am the problem.

That’s bad news, but it’s also good news. You know why? Because if I’m the problem that means I’m also the solution.

Fixing my time management issues doesn’t start with a new system, a better clock, or a less-full schedule. It starts with me.

Once I own that I am the problem, I can then begin implementing a solution.

For more helpful time management tips and suggestions, check out my Time Management 101 series and my ebook, 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life.

photo credit

WANT TO SAVE $100 FAST?!Join the FREE 14-Day Savings Challenge!

Click here to sign up!

Shared May 22, 2013 comment

Gretchen’s $31 Grocery Shopping Trip and Menu Plan

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 22, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Local Health Food Store

6 Oranges @ 3/$1 – $2 total

2.25 lbs Gala Apples @ $0.99/lb – $2.23 total

Organic Cucumbers (2 pk) – $0.79 total

Organic Green Bell Peppers (2 pk) – $0.79 total

Carrots (2 lb bag) – $0.79 total

Total with tax: $7.08

Aldi

1 Gallon Milk – $1.99

1 Roma Tomatoes – $1.19

Total with tax: $3.41

Dillon’s

1 Dillons Bread – $1

2 Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Pasta – $1 each, used $1/2 coupon from the 4/28 SmartSource insert – $0.50 each after coupon

1 Fruttare Frozen Bars – $4.99, used Free Dillons e-coupon (no longer available) – Free after coupon

1 Sargento Sliced Cheese – $2.50, used $1/1 catalina coupon – $1.50 after coupon

1 Kroger Shredded Cheddar Cheese – $1.67

1 Kroger Butter – $2.29 (that’s cheaper than Aldi right now!)

1 Yoplait Trix Yogurt (4 pk) – Marked down to $1.19 (I wished I would have had a coupon for this.)

1 Dannon Activia Yogurt (12 pk) – Marked down to $1 (Amazing price for a 12 pk!) 🙂

1 Nestle Hot Chocolate – Marked down to $1.59 (I needed this for a get-together I’m hosting.)

1 Post Great Grains Cereal – $2.69, used $1/1 catalina coupon – $1.69 after coupon (My Mom gave me this coupon as she knows this is one of my very favorite cereals and since I haven’t had it in months, I couldn’t wait for a better deal. Yum!)

French Yellow Mustard – $1.25, used $0.50/1 coupon from the 5/12 SmartSource insert (doubled) – $0.25 after coupon

2 Yakisoba Ramen Noodles – $1 each, used 2 $0.50/1 coupon from the 5/19 insert (doubled) – Free after coupons

1 U by Kotex Liners – $1.49, used $2/1 printable (no longer available) – Free after coupon

3 Special K Cereal Bars – $2.99 each, received $3 instant savings at register for buying 3, used 3 $0.70/1 printables – $0.99 each after coupons and instant savings

1 (5 lb bag) Potatoes – $1.99

1 can Kroger Black Beans – $0.69

Total before coupons and sales: $47.38

Total with tax after coupons: $20.72

Total for all grocery items: $31.21

Menu Plan for this Week

Breakfasts

Oatmeal, Toast, Cereal, Fruit, Yogurt, Cinnamon Roll Cake

Lunches

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Carrot & Zucchini Bars (I’ll be slightly tweaking this recipe), Leftovers, Yogurt, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Fruits & Veggies

Dinners

Spaghetti, Sliced Oranges, Steamed Broccoli, Toast

Broccoli & Cheese Quiche, Steamed Cauliflower, 30-Minute Rolls

Mini German Pancakes, Grapefruit (from my mom)

Cheesy Enchilada Casserole, Tossed Salad

Chicken & Rice Casserole, Apples, Green Beans

Shepherd’s Pie, Biscuits, Sweet Corn, Tossed Salad

Date Night (eat out)

Shared May 22, 2013 comment

How a Split-Second Mistake Cost Me $500

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 22, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Two weeks ago, I was scheduled for a 6:30 a.m. flight to Pennsylvania to speak at the CHAP conference. I set two alarms — one for 4 a.m. and one for 4:15 a.m. — and then went to bed.

When I woke up the next morning, I immediately realized something wasn’t right because it was light outside.

Then, I looked at the clock and saw that it was 6:30 a.m. Neither of my alarms had gone off and I was supposed to be on a flight right then!

I jumped out of bed and started to dash to get my things together when it hit me that it was pointless to try to get to the airport as soon as possible as the flight certainly wasn’t going to wait on me. 🙂

Jesse graciously got up and made some phone calls to get me on another flight while I showered, got dressed, and finished packing. I just prayed that I’d be able to get on another flight, because I was scheduled to speak the following morning at 8:30 a.m.

I was so relieved when he came in and told me he’d been able to get my tickets transferred to a later flight… to the tune of $500!!! That was our only and cheapest option. So we had to take it.

Yes, my irresponsibility in not turning on the alarms (I’d set the time on the alarms, but hadn’t flipped the switch to actually turn them on!) cost us $500. What was done was done. I couldn’t go back and fix the mistake, so I just had to cough up the money and pay dearly.

It was worth it — as I was so blessed by my time in Pennsylvania. But from here on out, I’m setting three alarms when I have an early morning flight. And I’ll probably triple check them, too!

Nothing like having to learn a lesson the very hard way. In fact, I think this is one of our most expensive frugal failures so far — much more expensive than even our $145 suitcase mistake.

Have you had any frugal failures recently? Hopefully it wasn’t as costly as mine was!

Shared May 22, 2013 comment

Clutter-Busting Challenge Day #17: We found 10 more items to get rid of!

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 22, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Every week day in May, I’m challenging my readers to try to find at least 7 things to get rid of. These can be big or small things, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you actually throw them out, sell them, donate them, recycle them, or find someone else who can use them. Think you’re up for the challenge?

I’m still digging over here and still finding things every day — even though it seems like I’m getting to the bottom of the barrel. One of my friends jokingly offered to drop some of her items off on my driveway if I run out of things to get rid of. 🙂

Today I found some lids in the garage that we no longer had the bottoms to, two kids’ books, a pair of shoes that Silas outgrew, and a part of a broken hanger.

How did your clutter-busting go today? Link up your blog post and/or Instagram pictures below. Or, leave a comment telling us how many things you got rid of. Let’s clear our homes of clutter so we can be more productive and efficient!

Shared May 22, 2013 comment

Donate your Pampers Gifts to Grow points to Oklahoma victims

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 22, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Here’s another way donate to the Oklahoma tornado victims for those who are on a tight budget.

Pampers is sending relief kits to Oklahoma to help those families with babies and small children. If you’d like to donate toward these relief kits, you can donate your Pampers Gifts to Grow points here. Every 10 points donated equal $0.10 donated toward the Oklahoma relief kits.

If you’ve not signed up for Pampers Gifts to Grow, you can sign up here and get 100 free points. You can also add an additional 10 free points to your account here.

Thanks, Sarah!

Shared May 22, 2013 comment

Meet Beth, A Woman Who Inspires Me to Choose Joy

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 22, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Remember how I blogged about meeting Beth, the mom of seven who has leukemia, at a homeschool conference recently? {Read this post here if you missed it.}

Since many of you asked if she had website or anyway you can follow along with her treatment, she graciously gave me permission to share a picture her son took of the two of us (above) and also a link to her Care Pages site (note: you’ll need to login or set up an account first in order to be able to view her page).

If you were inspired by what I wrote about her, would you take a moment and leave her a little note on her Care Pages site? I know it would mean so much to her.

You can also see pictures of her beautiful family on her Caring Bridge page, too.

OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!

Click here to download!

Shared May 22, 2013 comment

Ask the Readers: Organic versus conventional groceries?

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 22, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Today’s question is from Carrie:

I’m a stay at home wife and my husband and I just started Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover this year (we’re on baby step 3). We’ve definitely become much more conscious of our spending now that we’re paying cash at the grocery store and I’m shocked to see that we’re spending about $600 a month on groceries for 2 adults (that’s strictly food not household stuff)!

We do meal plan and eat at home most meals, however I’d really like to bring that number down. How do you decide what’s worth buying organic versus conventional? And how do you decide what’s worth buying brand name versus store brand?

Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.

Shared May 21, 2013 comment

Perspective Changes Everything

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 21, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Sunday afternoon, a huge storm blew through Kansas. Our area got pummeled with hail up to the size of golf balls.

When the wind and hail finally subsided, we emerged from our basement to discover leaves and broken limbs scattered all over outside. Every home in our neighborhood suffered some kind of damage — whether it was siding that was punctured with hail marks, screens that were ripped up, windows that were broken, fences that were blown down, cars that were dented, or trees that were partially uprooted.

Our home was spared some of the worst, but our shutters and siding were pretty pummeled, our front garden looked trashed, and two of our windows were broken (we’re still waiting to hear whether our roof was damaged or not). In addition, our children were pretty shook up about the whole experience since the wind and hail sounded so ferocious.

However, in light of yesterday’s tornadoes and the destruction they left in their wake, the damage in our neighborhood is so inconsequential. Our lives were never in danger and while our house might be a little beat up, it is still standing strong.

No matter what you might be going through in life, no matter difficulties you might be experiencing, it likely pales in comparison to what those in Moore, Oklahoma are going through today.

My heart broke as we watched the footage last night. I couldn’t even begin to imagine.

Truly, perspective changes everything.

If you have a sturdy roof over your head, a closet with some clothes in it, a little food in your fridge, and family and friends to hug, you are very blessed today. Remind yourself of that the next time you feel like complaining or wishing you were in someone else’s shoes. I can almost guarantee you that someone wishes they were walking in your shoes.

Would you like to help those in Moore, Oklahoma? Check out this simple idea here and also click through for this long list of places to donate to here. If you know of other legitimate opportunities, would you email me or leave the details in the comments?

Shared May 21, 2013 comment

Help! How Do I Get This Pot Clean?

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 21, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I had a cold a few weeks ago and my nose was completely stuffed up one of the days. I was cooking up a big pot of something that day and got busy working on something else in the kitchen while it was simmering.

About 30 minutes later, Jesse arrived home from work and about choked when he walked in the door. He gave me a funny look and then looked at the stove and gasped, “How can you not smell that awful burning smell?!”

Then we both started laughing because we realized that I couldn’t smell a thing. Which was good — since the kitchen now reeked of burnt smell. But it would have never smelled like that had I been able to smell since my nose would have alerted me quite awhile before to turn the burner off. 🙂

At any rate, we aired the house out and have been working on trying to redeem the burned pot ever since. We’ve soaked it, scrubbed it, scraped it, run it through the dishwasher, and soaked it some more.

And it’s still a mess.

Anyone have some amazing tricks and tips for getting stubborn burned-on gunk off a pot? Let me in on your secrets in the comments and you’ll be my hero. 🙂 Thanks so much!

Shared May 21, 2013 comment

Today’s Health Food Store Shopping Trip

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 21, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I stopped by the health food store when I was out and about today and here’s what I picked up:

Health Food Store Shopping Trip

2 dozen organic eggs — marked down to $1.99 each
3 2-lb. bags of carrots — $0.99 each
5 grapefruit — $1.67
4 organic cucumbers — $1.58
1 tub of hummus — marked down to $0.99
1 loaf of Rudi’s bread — marked down to $0.99
Total with tax: $13.07

Shared May 21, 2013 comment

Donate 5 Free Box Tops for Education to Moore, OK Plaza Towers School

Published: by Crystal Paine on May 21, 2013 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Want to do a little something for those who were devastated by the tornadoes yesterday? Here’s something that everyone can do — even if you don’t have any extra money to give.

Head over to the Box Tops for Education Facebook Page and claim 5 free BoxTops for the Plaza Towers Elementary School (one of the schools that was destroyed by the tornado). Just enter zip code 73160 and choose Plaza Towers School.

Also, be sure to sign up for the Box Tops 4 Education email newsletter to be eligible for a free product sample every month.

Thanks, Family Savings!

Summer Bucket List

Summer Bucket List

FREE Summer Bucket List!!

1. You Don’t Have to Go to Multiple Stores

2. You Can Get Great Produce at Aldi Prices

3. You Can Get the Good Deals From Stores On the Other Side of Town

How Much Can You Save?

A Word of Caution!

Have you price-matched at Walmart before?

Links mentioned in this video or related to what I shared:

WANT TO SAVE $100 FAST?!Join the FREE 14-Day Savings Challenge!

Local Health Food Store

Aldi

Dillon’s

Menu Plan for this Week

Breakfasts

Lunches

Dinners

OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!

Health Food Store Shopping Trip

Footer

Sign up for myHot Deals Newsletter