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Money Saving Mom

Money Saving Mom®

Saving Families Money Since 2007

Summer Bucket List

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Money Saving Mom
Shared Mar 26, 2012 comment

Supermarket Savings Tip #12: Write and ask for coupons

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Supermarket Savings Tip #12: Write and ask for coupons

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Have a product your family loves and uses often? Take a few moments to shoot an email to the manufacturer through their contact form, tell them how much you enjoy their products, and ask if they can send you any coupons they have available.

Be polite, be concise, and be sure to include your mailing address. It only takes a minute or two, it costs you nothing, and the worst thing that can happen is that the company doesn’t respond or writes back to say that they don’t offer coupons.

But more often than not, companies will send high-value coupons or even coupons for free products–all because you took the time to ask!

Have you ever written to ask a company for coupons? If so, what was the response?

Find more Supermarket Savings Tips here.

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Money Saving Mom
Shared Mar 26, 2012 comment

This week’s gluten-free menu

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This week’s gluten-free menu

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.


Raw Cookie Dough Bites

Breakfasts

Cereal
Oatmeal
Scrambled eggs, fruit
Skinny Monkey Cookies, fruit, hard-boiled eggs
Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Waffles, scrambled eggs, fruit
Hard-boiled eggs, fruit, blueberry muffins
Baked Oatmeal

Lunches

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie, salad
Pumpkin Apple Pie Muffins, hard-boiled eggs, veggies
Chips, refried beans, veggies, fruit
Homemade Carrot Chips, Rice & beans
Salmon, veggies, fruit, corn chips
Leftovers x 2

Dinners

Frito Chili Pie, veggies
Marinated chicken, steamed veggies, fruit salad, rice
Goulash, tossed salad
Leftovers
Hamburgers, corn on the cob, steamed veggies, fruit
Dinner with extended family
Dinner out

Freezer Cooking/Make Ahead Projects

Marinated chicken
Baked Oatmeal
Grain-Free Coffee Cake (Does anyone know if there’s another flour I could sub for the arrowroot or almond flour?)
Carrot Chips
Sweet Potatoes
Chocolate Coconut Cups

What’s on your menu this week? Share details and/or your link to your menu plan in the comments.

Money Saving Mom
Shared Mar 26, 2012 comment

Target shopping trip

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Target shopping trip

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I stopped by Target last week and meant to post the great deals I got right after I went shopping. But you know how life goes sometime…

Since none of these were weekly deals, I thought I’d go ahead and share what I got for those who may be interested:

1 Up & Up Baby Lotion — $1.52, used $0.75/1 Target coupon (no longer available) = $0.77 after coupon

1 Up & Up Baby Body Wash — $1.52, used $1/1 Up & Up Body Wash coupon = $0.52 after coupon

2 single-serving Skinny Cow yogurts — $1.22 each, used 2 $1/1 Skinny Cow coupons = $0.22 each after coupons

1 18-count package of Kotex liners — $0.94, used $1/1 Kotex product coupon that came in a free sample = free after coupon

2 20-count packages of Carefree liners — $0.99 each, used 2 $1/1 Carefree liners coupon = free after coupons

2 trial-sized packages of Band-Aids — $0.97 each, used 2 $1/1 Band-Aid coupons = free after coupons

2 trial-sized bottles of Renu contact solution — $1.57 each, used 2 $2/1 Renu coupons = free after coupons

8 bags of Market Pantry frozen vegetables — $0.99 per bag, used 2 $1/4 coupons = $0.74 each after coupons

1 Revlon nail clipper at $2.24 plus 1 Revlon nail file at $1.27 — used $5/2 Revlon products coupon = free after coupon

Total with tax after coupons: $8.21

Money Saving Mom
Shared Mar 26, 2012 comment

10 goals for this week

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10 goals for this week

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Whew! It’s been a very full month of traveling and, while the trips were wonderful, I’m so thankful to have them behind me so we can get back to more normal life around here. I love quiet days at home!

Due to the extra tasks involved with the trips, I didn’t fare too well on my goals list last week. In fact, I ran a whopping total of two miles and only read one book.

But I did finish my talk and PowerPoint for the MomLife Bootcamp, host a reader meet-up in Texas, and enjoy two days of encouragement and fun at the MomLife Bootcamp. So that made up for it!

Last week’s goals:

Family/Mothering Goals

1. Finish reading Nate Saint plus read three chapters of Quest for Truth:Taken aloud to the children.

2. Continue our Countdown to Easter study as a family.

3. Write a love note to Jesse.

Personal Goals

4. Finish reading One of Us Must Be Crazy and I’m Pretty Sure It’s You, Unshaken: Rising From the Ruins of Haiti’s Hotel Montana, and Dawn of a Thousand Nights.

5. Complete week 8 of the Couch to 5K program.

6. Listen to at least one more hour of The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers.

7. Make a plan for Spring Cleaning our house.

Home Management

8. Clean out and organize all our homeschool stuff.

Business Goals

9. Host a reader meet-up in Texas

10. Finish my talk & Powerpoint for the MomLife Bootcamp at the end of this week.

This week’s goals:

Family/Mothering Goals

1. Read five chapters of Quest for Truth:Taken aloud to the children.

2. Continue our Countdown to Easter study as a family.

3. Write a love note to Jesse.

4. Grow Easter Grass with children.

Personal Goals

5. Finish reading One of Us Must Be Crazy and I’m Pretty Sure It’s You and Unshaken: Rising From the Ruins of Haiti’s Hotel Montana.

6. Complete week 8 of the Couch to 5K program.

7. Listen to at least one more hour of The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers.

Home Management

8. Clean out our bathroom drawers.

Business Goals

9. Finalize the details for the live webcast next week.

10. Start working on my talks for the Midwest Homeschool Convention.

How did you do on last week’s goals? What are your goals for this week? I’d love to have you share your progress on last week’s goals and your goals for this coming week in the comments. Of, if you’ve blogged about it, leave your direct link below. Let’s cheer each other on to live purposeful and productive lives!

You can download a free customizable weekly goal-planning sheet here.

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Money Saving Mom
Shared Mar 24, 2012 comment

How to Move Past Marketing & Advertising at the Grocery Store

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How to Move Past Marketing & Advertising at the Grocery Store

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Audrey of Mom Drop Box

When I go grocery shopping, I often feel bombarded – and at times overwhelmed – by advertising and marketing.  How do you sort out whether an item is really a good purchase, or just marketed as such?

Here are five easy steps to make sure that what you’re putting in your grocery cart is a good buy for your family:

1. Focus on needs.

Think about nutrition. What foods will help your family to be healthy? Focus on that, and (mostly) leave out the processed stuff.

2. Know the price per pound.

This is one technique has totally changed my shopping mindset. With package sizes all over the place, it is useful to think in terms of price per one pound (16 ounces).  This allows an easy comparison of costs between different types of food. Many healthy foods, including in-season vegetables and grains, often cost around $1 a pound.

3. Compare apples to apples.

Often, I’ll have a certain ingredient for a recipe on my list that I need to purchase that week, or I’ll just have a craving for something, like olives. It’s easy to compare the cost of different brands, even if they don’t have the same package size: just look at the cost per ounce, pound, or per unit shown on the price tag. Checking this out will ensure that you are truly getting the best price.

4. Don’t be distracted.

Try to go to the grocery store when you’re not hungry, with kids, or tired. Non–peak hours provide the most pleasant environment for taking your time and not feeling rushed.

5. Only buy what you’ll use.

If you’re not sure if you’ll be able to use what you’re buying, why not leave it for someone else, even if it’s a great deal? It can be a blessing for the next person who comes along.

How do you get past advertising & marketing to make sure you’re getting the best deal at the grocery store?

Audrey loves thinking about how to make motherhood easier, relationships better, and money more effective; so she blogs about those things at Mom Drop Box.  She works part-time as an urban planner, but her most important job is being mom to her two young kids.

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Money Saving Mom
Shared Mar 23, 2012 comment

Tip from ALL YOU: Be a hair model and get your hair done for free!

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Tip from ALL YOU: Be a hair model and get your hair done for free!

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I saw this tip in the most recent issue of All You magazine:

“I answer Craigslist ads looking for hair models to be used for salon interviews or for people who are building hours toward their certification. I no longer pay for hair cuts, straightening, hair color, or even highlights, and I always have nice results.” -All You magazine (April 27, 2012), page 117

I thought this was a very creative idea and wondered if any of you have ever tried something like this before? Do you have other tips for saving money on hair cuts, coloring, and/or upkeep? I’d love to hear!

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Money Saving Mom
Shared Mar 22, 2012 comment

We Paid Cash: Nursing Degree

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We Paid Cash: Nursing Degree

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

We paid cash!

A testimony from Elizabeth

My husband, Christian, was a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), and wanted to further his career by becoming a Registered Nurse (RN). We had paid off his student loans completely from his LPN program and had no credit cards or debt of any kind. We had worked hard to be debt-free and we wanted to stay that way!

I have been blessed to be a stay-at-home mom (our boys were 2 and 4 at the time). Staying at home meant that with only one income, we’d have to be extra creative with how we would save and afford nursing school on top of everyday expenses. It took a lot of dedication (especially on his part!) to stay afloat.

Christian studied through Excelsior College of Nursing, a school designed specifically for working professionals. He would study the information required, and take each exam at a testing center. Once he completed all of the necessary exams, he had to fly to New York (a long way from Oregon!) and take a 3-day clinical exam (CPNE) that cost several thousand dollars.

There were many tuition fees, textbooks, exam fees, uniform costs, and travel expenses. There was a great deal of stress involved as well — especially since the CPNE only had a pass rate of 68%!

Normally the program would take several years or more to complete, as the student is working at the same time. With his amazing dedication, Christian accomplished it in only twelve months!

Here’s how we did it:

Working full-time, including a lot of overtime.

A lot of honest, hard work was involved for Christian! This meant evenings and weekends for study time (and not much time for anything else.) Almost every moment not spent at work was study time — dedication and focus was key!

Preschooling at home.

This meant no childcare or schooling expenses for the boys! Lots of frugal adventures to nearby parks or play dates at friends’ homes kept us busy!

Coupons, coupons, coupons!

I made use of couponing blogs (such as MoneySavingMom.com) to aid me in matching store sales with coupons in order to get the best deals on groceries and household items!

Sacrificing space.

We moved into a two-bedroom apartment, and doubled up our bedroom as a study space for Christian as well. We chose a “middle”, downstairs apartment to save a bit on heating/cooling bills, as well as the monthly rent amount.

Moving close to work.

We chose an apartment that was only one mile from his job, saving gas money and travel time (meaning more time to study)!

Owning only one vehicle.

We sold one of our two vehicles, cutting down on gas, insurance, and maintenance costs. Since we lived so close to his job, he was able to walk or ride his bike to work on the days that the boys and I had to go somewhere during his work hours. For the most part, his “study days” were the days that I would take the kids to go run errands/activities so that it’d be quiet for him to concentrate!

Garage sales, Craigslist and Amazon.com!

Throughout the summer months, the boys and I scoured garage sales for clothing in sizes that would fit them for the entire upcoming year. When they outgrew clothing, we sold it on Craigslist to make back our money! Once Christian was done with his textbooks, we were able to sell some of them to Amazon.com.

Getting work involved.

Once Christian’s boss learned that he was bettering himself for his profession, he offered to help a bit with the education costs. Every little bit counts!

Vacation Time.

During Christian’s 3-day clinical exam in New York, as well as several days reserved for studying, we used all of his vacation days saved up to carry us through.

Dedication, determination, focus!

I have never met a more dedicated person than my husband! He sacrificed personal time, sleep, family time, and so much more to be as efficient as possible at achieving our goals. God has blessed me with a husband who inspires me every single day!

As Christian wrapped up his RN schooling, we were able to purchase our first home. Being debt-free and not owing a dime for his Registered Nurse associates degree, it was quite simple to obtain our home loan! We’ve been in our new home for 10 months now and guess who’s back in school!

Christian has just begun school once again to earn his Bachelor’s degree in Registered Nursing (the associates’ degree was required first in order to work towards the bachelor’s degree.) We are now using all of our money-saving tips to make it through another round of school…. once again debt free!  🙂

Formerly a member of the Air Force National Guard, Elizabeth went from working on fighter jets to staying home to raise their two little boys. She and Christian, along with their boys Josiah (5) and Judah (4) live in Oregon and are working hard towards their dreams and goals — one debt-free day at a time!

Have you saved up and paid cash for something — large or small? Submit your story for possible publication here.

Money Saving Mom
Shared Mar 22, 2012 comment

Money-Saving Menu-Planning

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Money-Saving Menu-Planning

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Lisa of Cooking Up A Sale

Most of us know by now that more menu-planning equals less grocery spending. But it’s how we menu-plan that can really make the total on that receipt come down.

There are many things we take into consideration as we plan meals for our families. Some of us have to plan around sports schedules and others have to plan around food allergies. In spite of our different situations, there are a few things that all of us can consider while menu-planning. These three simple concepts will aid you in the ever-present “battle of the grocery budget.”

1.  The cheapest places to shop are your fridge, freezer, and pantry.

You probably have the ingredients in your house for one dinner, or at least most of one dinner. Maybe you just need to pick up a fresh vegetable to supplement the main course.

This also means checking your fridge drawers for any produce that needs to be used up this week before it goes bad, and scanning your pantry shelves for that box of instant potatoes nearing its expiration date. Make sure to include those items on your menu for the week.

2.  What’s on sale is what’s for dinner.

If chicken is on sale this week and there’s no ground beef in your freezer, don’t plan to make lasagna — unless it’s chicken lasagna! If there’s a new recipe you’d like to try or an old favorite you’re dreaming about, wait to add them to the menu until next week or whenever the main ingredients go on sale.

3.  Plan two-fers.

If most of the ingredients for your favorite ham casserole are on sale this week, make two of them. Eat one this week and freeze the other one for next month.

Another interpretation of the two-fer is to use your leftovers for another meal. For example, if you plan beef roast for Tuesday night, that means you plan vegetable beef soup, french dip sandwiches, or beef BBQ for Thursday night.

What money-saving ideas do you take into consideration as you plan your menu?

Lisa is a Michigan wife and mother who loves to spend time in the kitchen.  She enjoys the challenges of menu-planning around grocery sales and creating delicious food using on-sale ingredients. Lisa blogs about two of her favorite topics ~ FOOD and saving money on groceries ~ at Cooking Up A Sale. 

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Money Saving Mom
Shared Mar 21, 2012 comment

Supermarket Savings Tip #11: Set a target per-person price for the meals you make

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Supermarket Savings Tip #11: Set a target per-person price for the meals you make

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

One of the things that has helped me over the years in keeping our grocery budget low is to not only calculate the costs of meals, but to also set a target per-person price for all meals I make.

For instance, I try to have our breakfast and lunches cost no more than $0.50 per person and dinners cost no more than $1 per person. I don’t always follow these to the penny, but they are my ballpark figures for every meal I make.

Not only does it help us save money to stick with the target per-person price, but it’s also just fun to calculate things like this. Or, maybe I’m the only weird one who likes to tally up exactly how much dinner costs while I’m in the middle of making it. 🙂

Find more Supermarket Savings Tips here.

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Money Saving Mom
Shared Mar 21, 2012 comment

How to ruin a batch of Reese’s Peanut Butter Bars

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How to ruin a batch of Reese’s Peanut Butter Bars

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I feel like this whole dairy-free, gluten-free experiment is definitely challenging me in my cooking. I’m finding plenty of recipes that are DF/GF, but when I try to adapt a recipe to make it DF/GF, I don’t have a good track record. In fact, it seems like most of them have ended in failure.

But at least I’m learning a lot of things that don’t work. 🙂

After my allergy ordeal yesterday, I needed a chocolate fix and I knew just what would do the trick: these amazing-looking Reese’s Peanut Butter Bars. So I excitedly set to work making them, my mouth watering all the while.

I tried substituting coconut oil for the butter, crushed corn puffs for the graham cracker crumbs, and raw sugar for the powdered sugar. I think the corn puffs would have subbed just fine, but the coconut oil and the raw sugar pushed this recipe right over the edge into flopdom.

Oh well. They are still semi-edible, so we’re slowly working our way through the pan. I guess there’s one benefit that they didn’t end up tasting like the original recipe: at least it’s easier to have self-control! 🙂

Money Saving Mom
Shared Mar 21, 2012 comment

Reader Tip: How I “Found” $800 a Year!

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Reader Tip: How I “Found” $800 a Year!

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Sarah emailed in the following tip:

If there was a dollar bill lying on the ground in front of you, would you just step over it and keep going, or would you stop and pick it up? It seems like a no-brainer, right?

Wrong.  Let me tell you how my family was spending over $800 a year that we didn’t need to. That was “free” money that we were just walking right past every single day. It all started when I was complaining about my cell phone bill to my brother…  When I told him how much my husband and I pay per month, he remarked that the amount seemed way too high for the services we were receiving.

Upon a close inspection of my bill, he was right!  For example, we were paying $6.99 per month for insurance on my husband’s phone, which was eligible for a free upgrade in 3 months. It didn’t make sense that we had paid $6.99 for 9 months already for coverage that was only worth $50.

The phone bill was just the start. Once I realized that there could be ways to cut charges, I attacked all our other monthly bills. Here’s how I saved:

Phone Bill: Downgraded texting & voice plan to one that reflects our actual usage. Amount Saved: $10/month

Landline Bill: We eliminated this altogether after we realized we didn’t use or need it. Amount Saved: $35/month

Cable Bill: Got rid of second receiver for a TV on the third floor that we rarely use. Amount Saved: $10/month

Newspaper Delivery: Switched from daily to weekend only. My husband gets a paper delivered to his classroom everyday, so instead of discarding it at the end of the day, he brings it home. Amount Saved: $7/month

Movie Service: Cancelled Netflix. You can read why here. Amount Saved: $4.99/month

Lesson learned: Even though I consider myself a pretty frugal gal, I couldn’t believe how much extra money I “found” just by looking over the bills and making some easy adjustments that don’t affect our quality of life.

These small changes add up to $887 per year!!

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Shared Mar 21, 2012 comment

A swollen face, an allergic reaction, and how meeting Laney has changed my perspective

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A swollen face, an allergic reaction, and how meeting Laney has changed my perspective

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I woke up yesterday morning and immediately knew something was very wrong. My face felt hot and swollen and I was having trouble opening my eyes.

I ran into the bathroom to look in the mirror and check out what on earth was going on only to be startled by my appearance. My eyes and half of my face were very swollen.

A wash cloth with ice cold water did little to alleviate the swelling and we ended up heading into the doctor. After examination, they determined I’d had a severe allergic reaction to something. We’re not sure what, but the allergy medication has slowly been reducing the swelling and relieving the pain–gratefully.

It was inconvenient, it looked bad, it was a little disconcerting, and it was definitely painful. And yes, I’ll admit that I worried about seeing someone I knew when I was at the doctor’s and I also worried about what my swollen face might look like when I head to Texas on Friday!

But truthfully, it was hard for me to stay stressed out about my swollen face. Instead, I kept thinking of Laney–one of the moms in our CSP that I met in the DR last week.

She’s a mother of three and lives in the home pictured above. Her home does have an outdoor toilet, refrigerator, and stove, but it provides little protection from the elements–and it’s only a little ways from the dump.

{One of Laney’s adorable daughters}

Her home was hot and fly-infested, but Laney didn’t seem to notice. Instead, she talked about how thankful she was to have a part-time job and three children.
Her face beamed as she told us how thankful she also was to have a leg. I was having trouble understanding through the interpreter until she pulled up her pant leg to reveal that a large section of her ankle and calf was missing. She had been in a motorcycle accident and had almost lost her leg.

I also noticed her face had a large scar on it. I assumed this was from the motorcycle accident, as well. But she told her us it was from her husband–he had been really abusive and had bit her one night. He left two months ago and she hasn’t seen him since.

As I stood in front of the mirror yesterday morning looking at my swollen eyes, I looked at them with new perspective. Instead of being stressed about what was going on, I realized what blessings I have: money to visit a doctor, a husband who cares for me, health, clean water, access to medicine… the list is endless.

A swollen face is a small problem to deal with in light of the burdens and difficulties so many are struggling with right now.


Money Saving Mom
Shared Mar 21, 2012 comment

A simple way to give: A handwritten note

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A simple way to give: A handwritten note

Published: by on   |  This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I’m over at RooMag today sharing about how I’ve recently been rediscovering the lost art of writing handwritten notes. Here’s a snippet:

Back when I was much younger, I was a voracious letter writer. I had upwards of 50 penpals from around the world and spent hours of my life penning letters. Looking back, it seems a little excessive–and it probably was!–but these days, sometimes weeks will go by without me writing even so much as one handwritten note.

And I’m guessing I’m not alone. In this culture of texting, Facebook, and email, writing a handwritten note is almost a lost art. Sure, texting or emailing might be faster and more efficient, but there’s just something special and meaningful in receiving a handwritten note in the mail every once in awhile.

With this in mind, I set a goal to write two handwritten notes each month in 2012. To be honest, when I set that goal I wondered if I’d be able to keep it. Afterall, I’ve gotten really lax in writing notes in recent years. To my surprise, I’ve found that it’s not been difficult at all. In fact, I’ve enjoyed it so much that I’ve been writing more than two notes each month.

Read the full post at RooMag.com.