Saving Families Money Since 2007
My friend, Brenda, is hosting another Busy Bag Swap, this time a Math & Reading Busy Bag Swap.
We’ve participated in some of the Busy Bag Swaps she’s hosted and it has been a great experience. My children have all loved the bags of fun activities we received and these have provided hours of fun and entertainment for them.
You’ll want to read the details on how the swaps work here and then, if you are still interested, sign up for the Math & Reading Busy Bag Swap here.
I think I may have set some sort of record in my grocery shopping today. I went to six stores–which is very out of character since I rarely go to more than three at a time! However, I only had a short to-do list today and I got it done right after lunch. So my husband sent me out to go shopping on my own and told me to just take my time and enjoy myself. So I did!
Each of the stores ended up being out of some of the things I was hoping to buy, but I was still able to get some great deals. Here are the groceries I ended up buying:
And here are the different store transaction details:
5 cantaloupe marked down to $0.59 each (I gave one to a friend whom I ran into at Dillon’s, so there are only 4 pictured.)
Organic bananas marked down to $0.39 per pound (I’ll freeze these for smoothies.)
4 boxes of Rice Milk marked down to $0.99 each
1 box alphabet noodles (for alphabet mac & cheese that we’re making for a school project)
Total with tax: $11.71 (I can’t seem to find my receipt, but I’m pretty certain this is what the total was.)
Butter — $2.79 (ouch!)
Feta cheese — $1.99
2 packages of Multi-colored peppers — $3.18
Hebrew National Beef Franks — $2.49
Total with tax: $11.21
Walmart Shopping Trip4 bottles of Spic & Span — $0.97 each, used 2 $1/2 Spic & Span coupons
Total with tax after coupons: $2.16
Dillon’s Shopping TripMom’s Best Cereal — $1.50, used $0.55/1 coupon (“doubled” to $1 off), $0.50 after coupon
2 cartons of buttermilk marked down to $0.79 each (I stuck these in the freezer to use in pancakes.)
2 Luna bars — $1.09, used two $0.50/1 coupons (doubled to $1 off), $0.09 each after coupons
2 8-oz. packages of cheddar cheese — $1.88 each
Total with tax after coupons: $6.57
3 bottles of Simply Lemonade/Simply Orange — $1.27 each, used $1/1 coupons, $0.27 each after coupons
1 Rimmel Glam Eyes Eye Shadow — $2.49, used $2/1 Target coupon + $1/1 manufacturer’s coupon, free plus overage after coupons
Total with tax after coupons: $0.37
I stopped by Dollar Tree hoping to find some Nature’s Own bread. They were all out, but I picked up some fun activities for the children to do this week and for when we travel to Dallas later in the week.
Did you snag any great deals or bargains this week or save money in other ways? If so, be sure to post about them on your blog and leave your link below. Please remember that this weekly round-up is to share deals you personally got and/or money you were able to save this week. In order to keep this weekly round-up focused on helping and inspiring others in their efforts to save money, links which have little-to-no content other than promoting affiliate links, etc. will be deleted. Also, to make it easy for everyone to navigate quickly through the links, your link must link directly to your Super Savings Saturday post.
So, I somehow had this idea that my Freezer Cooking in an Hour Plan was very realistic today. I figured I could whip up the Homemade Uncrustables and Homemade Croutons in no time at all and then make the Pumpkin Scones and get the kitchen cleaned up before an hour had gone by.
I don’t know why I always forget that things usually take twice as long to do than I plan for them to (you think I would have figured that out by now?!). Here’s the play-by-play of today’s Freezer Cooking in an Hour:
I don’t have a circle cookie cutter, so I just used a glass for the Homemade Uncrustables.
12:30 p.m. — Our homeschool lessons are done for the morning and the children are ready for lunch. I get this “brilliant” idea to go ahead and start my Freezer Cooking for the day now and serve Homemade Uncrustables for lunch.
Note: If I would have been thinking, I could have made the complete sandwiches first (like this) and then cut them with the glass. But for some reason, that thought didn’t occur to me until some of you commented and suggested this!
12:33 p.m. — As I’m pulling out the ingredients, I realize we have a lot less bread and peanut butter on hand than I thought. So much for my visions of mountains of Homemade Uncrustables to stick in the freezer; instead I have ingredients enough to make a whopping 12. Oh well, 12 is better than none, so I forge ahead.
12:38 p.m. — The children are beginning to get really hungry. I set them to work “helping” me while I try to finish up the uncrustables.
12:45 p.m. — I glance at the clock and realize 15 minutes have already gone by and I’m still only halfway through making the uncrustables. Maybe this wasn’t as simple as I was envisioning?
And then I look around the kitchen table and just have to smile. The children are having so much fun “helping” that it’s worth the mess they are making.
12:55 p.m. — I’m finally just about finished with the uncrustables. Man, this has taken longer than I expected–especially since I don’t have much to show for my efforts! I feed the children lunch and set about making the Homemade Croutons with the leftover crusts.
The uncrustables ended up taking so much time and didn’t look pretty at all. I think if I make them whole and then cut them, it will go a lot better next time around. Lesson learned!
1:03 p.m. — I realize we’re out of oil, almost out of butter, and so I head to the computer to see if anyone has a recipe online for croutons made with coconut oil. I’m not finding much, but as I’m contemplating what to do, I glance into the cupboard and see a bottle of dipping oil my mom had given us awhile back. Perfect!
1:10 p.m. — I stick the croutons in the oven and realize that it’s time to get back to our afternoon homeschooling studies–well, after I finish cleaning the kitchen, that is. I really was looking forward to trying the Pumpkin Scones, but I decide I’ll save those for another week. And maybe next week I’ll remember not to try to do my freezer cooking session during our lunch break!
Finished croutons and a clean kitchen–it’s a beautiful thing, even if it never lasts for very long! 🙂
Note: The ideas for the Homemade Uncrustables and using the crusts to make Homemade Croutons were from Infarrantly Creative. Go check out her post as hers turned out much more nicely than mine and it’s very apparent she knows more about what she’s doing than I do!
Lana emailed me about how they saved a big chunk on car repairs by thinking outside the box. I loved her story and thought many of you would enjoy it, too:
We have a 2000 Chevrolet Malibu that we paid cash for about four years ago. It has been a great, reliable little car, but, we have been having trouble with the air conditioning turning itself off and thought we had a loose wire.
We took in to our mechanic who said we needed an air conditioning control panel and it would be $425. Ouch! We decided not to make the repair and just live with the aggravation since the vehicle is 11 years old.
Over the next few weeks I noticed that I seemed to always be fiddling with the A/C switch when I was driving that car and commented to my husband that we were going to end up rear-ending someone and that would cost way more than the repair. My husband thought maybe he could remove and replace the part himself and started doing some research online.
He found that the contacts get dirty on that part and then it has the problems we had. The site he found went on to say that replacing the part would only help until the contacts were dirty again in typically two to three years. He followed the instructions for removing and cleaning the part and it works like a new one now!
I am thankful for my husband doing the research and making the simple repair that took him only an hour!
Lana Dixon and husband Bill, live in Wellford, SC. They homeschooled their five children for 23 years. Two of their children are married and three are in college. They are proud Poppa and Nana to three grandchildren.
Testimony from Joy
In the summer of 2009, we bought a sturdy, 50-year-old house with a very needy kitchen. We had been renting for five years and saving for a nice down payment. Because of the imminent kitchen remodel, we kept back some of our savings for that project and paid just 20% down.
We made larger mortgage payments from the start but were also tucking a little more away for the kitchen project. And that plan was growing as we got different opinions and considered what would be the ideal remodel.
After ten months of consideration, we decided we weren’t ready to start a never-ending kitchen-remodeling-and-expanding-into-the-garage-etc. project. With that plan, we would have proceeded with a new phase only when we had the money in hand, so the total time and money required was overwhelming.
During our hesitation, we found an online mortgage calculator that allowed us to play around with numbers. We were already on track to pay off our mortgage 13 years early, but we realized that if we put our remodeling savings toward the mortgage, both with an initial lump sum and in increased monthly payments, we could pay off the mortgage in five more years—saving in interest close to the full amount of the principal!
Seeing those numbers, we were eager to delay a big kitchen/garage remodel eight or so years until able to do the full project all at once and with cash. So last summer we painted the walls and homemade cabinets and replaced the original, cracked counter top and the stained flooring, making my kitchen a happy place to be–all for under $1,000!
Two Recommended Number-Crunching Websites
Now I know people have purchased homes in different housing markets—regarding both location and economic times. The when and where of our home purchase helped to keep our total costs low. However, the decision to pay more toward the loan’s principal each month can save any home owner money.
I knew that truth theoretically, but until we were using a mortgage calculator, I didn’t dream the savings would be so great or the acceleration could be so fast. Anyone with a mortgage could benefit from number-crunching on a website like the ones we used.
DecisionAide.com — This link is the site we found most useful and flexible (though it doesn’t include specific dates, just numbered months). This site also has a full menu of other calculators that could “lend” some help in other financial considerations (including renting vs. buying and large vs. small down payments).
Mortgage-X.com: If someone wants to have the help of viewing specific dates and doesn’t have that much variety in extra payments, this calculator was the first, more basic one we used.
Joy employs her English degrees in numerous ways in the homemaking realm—but not by blogging! Her husband of almost 7 years, Joseph, serves as the assistant pastor for youth and music at their Midwestern church. Their three girls (4½, 3, and 16 months) and a new baby boy.
I posted a short tip from a reader a few weeks ago about writing for Demand Studio. Many of you were very interested in this opportunity and I wanted to share a spin-off writing opportunity–writing for eHow.com. Rachel from Jewish Mommie took the time to write up a more detailed explanation about how writing for eHow.com works:
Writing for eHow.com is a nice work-from-home opportunity that pays $15 (usually) for articles that are written on your own time and about your own interests. I have been writing for eHow for several months and found it to be an engaging and rewarding experience.
To become a writer for Demand Studios (owner of eHow), you’ll need to fill out an application and submit a writing sample (generally a how-to type of article) on their website, www.DemandStudios.com. If approved, you’ll usually find out in 48 hours and can get started writing articles almost immediately.
The way eHow works is this: writers claim titles from a database of over 20,000 available titles. These article titles are generated from search terms that people are typing into Google throughout the world.
Topics are as varied as “How to Run for Student Council in the 5th Grade” or “How to Apply for a Marriage License in South Carolina.” Many titles are very obscure or technical, so it can sometimes take a lot of browsing before you find a title you can claim.
Writers have seven days to complete articles, which must include thorough research and sourcing. A copy editor then reviews the article and will either accept it or ask for a rewrite. If a rewrite is required, the writer then has four days to address the copy editor’s comments and resubmit. If it’s still not up to par, the article gets rejected.
Most articles pay $15, but titles can range from $5-$25. Writers are paid through Paypal twice a week.
The first three articles are generally the most time consuming to write as you need to learn Demand Studios’ formats and requirements. You want to craft a well-sourced, engaging and accurate article to avoid rewrite or rejection, but getting the hang of it takes time.
Demand Studios estimates on their website that writers spend an average of 40 minutes per article, thus earning an average of $20 per hour. After writing for them for several months, I’m still spending over an hour and a half per article, but I hope to cut that time down with more practice and experience.
The key benefits of writing for eHow are that you consistently earn extra cash on your own time, you get paid to write articles and research interesting topics, you get to work with experienced copy editors who help you hone your craft, and you get online articles published under your name. It’s also fascinating to see the inside workings of an up-and-coming tech company and be involved in the creation of web content.
If this opportunity sounds like something for you, apply today as Demand Studios is currently hiring both writers and copy editors.
Rachel is an LA-based writer, wife, and mom. She blogs about cooking, mothering, and life in between at Jewish Mommie.
KWAVs shows you how you can make blessing bags for the homeless and needy. This would be a fantastic way to use some of your free samples and coupon freebies to bless others.
Many times, I’ll receive emails from people saying how they wish they could be in the financial position we’re in but it’s just not possible because they only make $20,000 per year. Not too long ago, making $20,000 per year would have been a significant pay increase for us as we were barely eeking by making $600 to $1,000 per month.
We knew that we needed to increase our income if we were ever going to get financial traction, but we decided to go about it in non-traditional way: instead of focusing all of our time and energies on getting a better job with better pay, we looked for ways to build additional income streams outside the 8 to 5 traditional job. This has been the key to our financial success. The 8 to 5 jobs have helped to pay the bills, but the nontraditional income streams have allowed us to save aggressively and give generously.
In this series, I’m going to share some things we’ve learned over our eight and half year journey of entreprenuerial endeavors and failures. My hope is to help you see that you’re not stuck, no matter how bad of a financial situation you may feel like you’re in right now. There is always hope–especially if you’re willing to think outside the box.
So, let’s dive in with what I feel is a foundational principle for increasing your income and achieving financial success:
By now you probably know that this is one of the core facets of most advice I give. And there’s good reason for that: I believe that strategic and specific written goal-setting may well change your life–and your finances.
If you don’t know where you want to go, how will you know when you’ve gotten there? If you don’t live with purposeful intention, aimlessness will be the default.
One thing that has been amazingly effective for us is to set specific goals for our businesses: from the income we hope to generate in a week, month, or year to detailed projects we hope to accomplish in a specific time frame. We don’t just set big goals, we also break these down into bite-sized chunks.
For instance, I remember many years ago when I had an online book business, I set a goal to make $200 each week. This meant that I had to make $40 each week day. Once I had this goal on paper, then I started to brainstorm every free advertising option I could contrive. Some of them worked, some of them flopped, but had I not had that very specific goal, I doubt I would have been as driven to be creative.
Our business goals propel us to constantly be tweaking our processes so that we’re more efficient in running our businesses, they motivate us to look for out-of-the-box marketing ideas, and they challenge us to not be content with the status quo.
Where do you hope to be financially in a year from now? How about three years from now? What about five years from now?
Choose three to five specific financial goals for the next few years and start thinking of practical ways you can get there. What can you do outside of your 8 to 5 job to build additional income streams? What can you cut from your current expenses to allow you to save and invest more? How can you increase the return on your investment of what you’re already doing right now?
(By the way, if you have consumer debt, I recommend paying it off as quickly as you can. It’s a heavy chain around your neck that will bog you down and keep you from making much traction. In addition, if you are not on a written budget, make that your highest priority–far above and beyond increasing your income. You’ll probably find you give yourself an instant raise when you do so. Plus, if you can learn to live on what you make now, as your income increases, you can continue to keep your expenses low and increase your savings and giving instead.)
Once you have your big goals written down on paper, break them down into bite-sized monthly and weekly chunks. Don’t be afraid to be very specific. Even if you don’t come close to hitting them every week and month, you’ll be much farther along than if you didn’t try at all.
…to be continued next Wednesday
Guest post by JessieLeigh from Parenting Miracles
When I learned we would be moving from Indiana to Connecticut, one of my biggest fears was this: How will this impact my grocery budget?
Over and over I had read how expensive things were on the East Coast. So many times I had seen comments from New Englanders sighing over how they “couldn’t get those deals” or “match those prices.” Happily, it didn’t take me long to find my groove here and my budget hasn’t had to budge.
So… how can you save money on groceries when you live on the East Coast?
The cost of living is higher here. Our base prices are almost universally higher too. That’s just how it is.
Do not waste time and energy bemoaning the fact that you can’t get milk for $1.49 a gallon like someone in Texas or purchase quality beef for the price you’d pay in Kansas. It’s discouraging but, more to the point, irrelevant. Throwing your hands in the air and declaring it hopeless won’t help. Acknowledge that regular prices are high here. Then move on…
Here, in my neck of New England, I can get much fresher, and often more affordable, seafood than I ever would have found when I lived in Indiana. We also seem to get “new” products on our shelves faster than many regions.
And, while most prices here seem astronomical compared to when I lived in the Midwest, I have noted that dairy products like yogurt, cheese, and half and half frequently go on sale for better prices than I paid in “middle America.” Much more productive for me to focus on those things than the fact that I can expect to pay at least twice the price for meat here.
Do you want to know what floored me when I moved out here? Most of the major supermarkets double coupons up to and including ninety-nine cents. That’s fantastic!
A seventy-five cent coupon, doubled, and paired with a sale makes cereal just as affordable here as it ever was in the Midwest. The fact that the small box of Cheerios regularly retails for $4.99 here doesn’t matter. What matters is that I can still get it for less than a dollar.
There are two major supermarkets in my town. I usually scan both ads to see if the deals are worth it. Most weeks, one is and one isn’t. But I don’t stop there.
Before even moving here, I searched for the closest Aldi; it’s forty-five minutes away. I can no longer “drop in” for a few things as needed like I did back in Indiana when Aldi was down the street. But I can plan a big monthly trip to pick up staples. (Aldi’s prices are very consistent on most items across the country.)
I also drop by a small neighborhood market on occasion. Their regular prices are ridiculously high, but they have good sales on a few items. In addition, I’ve gotten bunches of bananas, cartons of organic milk, and bouquets of flowers there for free; since they don’t have the turnover or brisk business of a larger store, they just wanted to get rid of it.
There are more ways to save than just sales and coupons. One of our supermarkets gives you a nickel off for each reusable bag you use. That adds up!
Some stores offer their own coupons in their ads or online. I have discovered an amazing reduced produce rack in the corner of one of our markets. The other sells gourmet cheese as “cheese ends” for a song. I even save money on meat, dairy, and more by scanning and bagging my own groceries as I shop at a local store.
Will all these options be available to you? Probably not. But you may have other unique ways to shave some pennies off that grocery total! Look around, ask around, and don’t be afraid to try something.
Finding deals in New England looks different from finding deals in the Midwest. If I were to focus only on the shelf prices, I’d probably want to crawl into a hole. But, by using the above strategies, I find I can most definitely save money here. It just required learning a new kind of savvy shopping.
JessieLeigh is the mother of a former 24-week micropreemie and two full-term blessings as well. She is a determined advocate for the tiniest of babies, including the unborn, and a firm believer in faith and miracles. She shares about raising such a precious, tiny baby over at Parenting Miracles.
My Baby Clothes Boutique offers adorable and unique baby clothes at a guaranteed lowest price. They offer baby clothes, baby headbands, baby hats, tutus, and more. Best of all, they offer free shipping on every order. I’m pretty sure that’s my favorite feature of their site!
Even if you don’t have little ones at your house, the cute children pictured in their clothes are their site make it worth visiting! And be sure to check out their Last Chance Clothing page for some of their clearance deals.
If you’re considering ordering something, they are offering a 10% off coupon code good on any $40+ orders. Just use moneysavingmom10 at checkout to get 10% off.
My Baby Clothes Boutique is giving away three $50 gift certificates to readers this week. You can use them purchase anything you’d like in their store. And let me tell you, after browsing their site, whoever wins this giveaway is going to have a blast doing a little online shopping at their site.
For more information, visit My Baby Clothes Boutique or follow them on Facebook or Twitter.
To enter to win a $50 gift certificate to My Baby Clothes Boutique, click on the graphic below and type in your name and email address. Three winners will be chosen and posted on Monday. This giveaway ends Friday, September 2, at 11:59 pm, CST.
Today’s question is from Carrie:
Our oldest daughter is starting kindergarten this year so it is going to be a real adjustment for us to get up and get 0ut the door in the morning. I was wondering if you had any suggestions for quick and easy breakfast ideas that kids will love? -Carrie
Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.
Guest post by Kyle Taylor from The Penny Hoarder
I started clipping coupons with my mom when I was just 10 years old. At the time it wasn’t just a fun hobby, but a serious way for us to help make ends meet. Nearly ten years later I started college and I really put my coupon clipping hobby to work to help pay for the costs of my schooling.
The only problem was that every semester my tuition bill seemed to get a little bit higher, until suddenly clipping coupons was no longer enough. I simply was already cutting every corner I could and I needed to increase the other side of the ledger–my income.
I already had a full-time job, along with school, so I had no choice but to get creative. I now blog full-time about my wacky adventures to make extra money and I think some of my favorite ways to make money are when you can leverage the assets and skills you already have at your disposal. For many people the biggest asset that they have is their house, so I wanted to share with you four of my wacky ways to use your house to make extra money.
As we Americans accumulate more stuff, huge storage facilities have been popping up at a rapid pace. A few years ago, two veterans had the novel idea to start an online marketplace that gave homeowners the opportunity to rent out their extra space thereby creating a lower-cost alternative for storage seekers.
The result is a great website called Store At My House, where you can create a free listing to rent out your attic space, extra shed, spare closet, etc. As the renter, you get to choose who to rent to, what is allowed to be stored, and how long the contract will last.
A few years ago I worked for a non-profit organization that wanted to do some environmental work in Key West, FL. We had a very small budget and thought that we could save some money on a hotel by pitching a tent in the state park.
The only problem is that campsites in Key West are booked six months to a year in advance and we needed a space in a few weeks. Our solution was to contact one of our members who graciously offered up their backyard as a place for us to set up camp.
Camping in backyard ended up being tons of fun and a great way for us to save money. Well, it turns out the idea is not so novel because there is a whole website dedicated to letting people rent out their backyard to campers called Single Spot Camping. It’s free to list your backyard or extra lot. However there are several terms everyone must agree to so that your property is protected and the camper enjoys their stay.
Roommates aren’t just for college kids anymore. More and more families are taking in renters to make use of an extra bedroom or a mother-in-law suite. It’s a great way to make extra money and despite the connotation some of us have, it can be a fun experience to have someone new around the house.
If you do decide to rent out an extra room, be sure you run both a background check and a credit check before agreeing to rent. If you need helping finding a roommate there are several great resources online such as Roommate Locator and Craigslist.
If you live near a large city or in an area with limited parking, you probably know that parking costs are skyrocketing. This may surprise you but according to a new report the average monthly parking costs in downtown Manhattan are $541! Agh, can you imagine?
It turns out that parking garages aren’t the only ones taking advantage of skyrocketing prices, because you can actually rent out your driveway on site called JustPark.com. You also get to decide how much to charge and the terms of the contract. If you’ve got an extra lot on your property why not think about renting it out for special events?
For more information about ways to make money, visit The Penny Hoarder.
photo credit
Kikka emailed in the following tip:
We have found that if I cut my husband’s hair and he colors my hair, we are saving a minimum of $840 a year.
To get started you can watch free how-to videos on YouTube.com, look for a sale at your local beauty supply store (like Sally’s) to purchase what you need, do your research, and then give it a try! Just remember that practice makes perfect, or close to it. Also, the good thing about hair is that it does grow back! 🙂 -Kikka
Download free home and life management printable planners that Amy Bayliss has put together. I especially love the Personal Page!
We also offer a number of free printables you can download–many that are customizable.
My salad at lunch today
I mentioned on Saturday on my Facebook Page that I’ve been in a lunch rut. There were over 200 people who commented with great ideas and links. I’m inspired and looking forward to trying some of the different ideas over the next few weeks.
Breakfasts
Pick-Me-Up Smoothies, toasted bagels
Yogurt Bar (yogurt with toppings people can choose to sprinkle on)
Whole-Wheat Pancakes, cantaloupe
Whole-Grain Hot Cereal, fruit
Granola Bars, fresh carrot & apple juice
Orange Cream Smoothies, toast
Pumpkin Scones, scrambled eggsLunches
Taco Salad, apples
Homemade Uncrustables, carrots, peaches
Tossed Salad with chopped hard-boiled eggs & Homemade Croutons, toasted bagels
Cheese quesadillas, carrots,
Refried beans, cheese, chips, salsa, steamed peas
Leftovers
Lunch with friends (I brought bread.)Snacks
Granola bars
Fruit/Veggies
Chips/Salsa
Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana SmoothieDinners
Taco Chicken Bowls, fruit salad
Dinner with extended family x 2
Grilled Gyros (I’m substituting lamb instead of the beef), fruit
Whole-Wheat Pancakes, bacon, scramble eggs, cantaloupe
Crockpot Barbecue Chicken, Au Gratin Potatoes, frozen vegetables, fruit
Dinner outFreezer Cooking in an Hour
What’s on your menu this week? Share details and/or your link to your menu plan in the comments.
