Saving Families Money Since 2007
Living So Abundantly shares how by patiently holding onto her $2/1 and $3/1 Target Women’s Top coupons, she was able to get five shirts for just $5.46 total.
I kind of feel badly because I got a little impatient and used my coupons to buy shirts for $3.60 each. Oh well!
Note: These coupons are no longer available. Target clothing coupons go quickly and often result in great deals, so I recommend printing them as soon as they become available.
Looking to up your breakfast game without too much time or effort? Try these amazingly delicious AND nutritious whole-wheat chocolate pancakes!
I made this recipe for the first time yesterday. Considering that there are only a few pancakes left and I doubled the recipe intending to freeze most of them, I’d say these were a hit!
1. In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, combine beaten eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, coffee and vanilla.
3. Add wet mixture to the dry ingredients and fold in with a spatula until just combined. Allow the mixture to set for a few minutes to thicken.
4. Heat a large non-stick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat.
5. Ladle 1/4 cup of pancake batter into the pan and cook until small bubbles begin to form on the surface.
6. Flip and cook one to two minutes more.
7. Transfer to a serving plate and repeat for the remaining batter.
8. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.
1. Lay cooled pancakes on a cookie sheet in a single layer and freeze for two hours.
2. Remove from pan and stack in a zip-top bag.
3. Seal tightly and freeze for up to a month.
TO REHEAT:
1. Remove desired number of pancakes from freezer bag.
2. Reheat in the toaster, the microwave for one to two minutes, or the toaster oven for 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Serve.
Make sure to share and save it on your favorite platform below!
Mornings just got so much easier with this FREE list of 50+ Easy & Cheap Breakfast Ideas for Busy Weekday Mornings!
Do you like to travel as a family? If you have young children, keeping an emergency box on hand is really helpful!
When you have young children, you always have to think in worst case scenarios. A diaper blowout, accident, or mess is bound to happen — maybe even multiple times. There will be sticky fingers, messy mouths, and probably some spills and boo-boos. Don’t get caught unprepared.
Think of all the things that might go wrong and items you’d want to have on hand if there is a diaper blowout, accident, mess, or someone gets sick. Pack these items into a tub to keep on hand — just in case. You might not end up using everything (let’s hope you don’t have to!), but you’ll likely end up very glad you thought ahead and brought at least some of these things.
For instance, we brought a thermometer and infant and children’s medicines. We were glad we did because all three children ended up getting fevers on a recent trip!
This time around, I actually packed two “Emergency Boxes” — one that I kept near the front seat and a medicine container I kept packed in the suitcase. Here are the items these boxes contained:
Plastic Bags (for trash or diapers)
Lysol Wipes
Tissues
Huggies Wipes
Ziploc Baggies
Hand Sanitizer
Lip Gloss
Lotion
Bandages
Infant Pain Reliever
Children’s Advil
Benadryl
Travel sizes of Shampoo/Conditioner
Excedrin
Sunblock
Thermometer
Motrin PM
Body Wash
Neosporin
Fingernail Polish Remover
Multi-Vitamins
Make sure your diaper bag is also packed with an extra outfit(s), diapers, wipes, plastic bags and a diaper changing pad, in addition to the items you usually keep in the diaper bag.
How do you prepare for emergencies on trips? Share your ideas in the comments!
A few years ago, I stumbled upon the Ziploc bag method of packing for a vacation and it’s revolutionized our organization on trips. It’s so simple that a picture is probably all you need to get how it works, but for those who like specific step-by-step details, here’s how it works for us:
Since we only have 6-10 outfits total for each member of our family, if we’re going on a trip longer than a few days, we have to do all the laundry in order to have enough clothes to pack.
As I’m folding the laundry, I make piles of matching outfits for each child for every day that we’ll be gone. I also lay out an extra outfit for each child and a few extra shirts for our child who tends to be messy. 🙂 In addition, I set aside socks and underwear, as well as pajamas.
I label a bag for each day of the week we’ll be gone, plus an extras bag, a socks & underwear bag and a PJ bag. If you have more than three children or your children are older, you may need to have individual bags for each child. Since we just have three young children, we can still fit their outfits into one ziptop bag per day.
Instead of having to rummage through a suitcase for clothes each morning, just set out the appropriate bag, along with socks, shoes and underwear the night before. It makes getting everyone ready a snap in the mornings!
If there’s a diaper blowout or a spill or other accident, you’re prepared with extra outfits for everyone!
We label the ziptop bags with tape so we can re-use them again and again. We store them in our suitcases to be at-the-ready for our next trip.
Coming tomorrow: How to Have a Successful Road Trip With Young Children: Pack an Emergency Box
How do you stay organized when packing for a trip? I’d love to hear your ideas!
Annie at The Bargain Junkie emailed in the following tip:
When I shop for things on eBay, I often deliberately misspell the item I’m searching for. There is always a seller who has inadvertently posted a typo. I wanted a Mexican silver bracelet, so I searched for “Mexican SLIVER bracelet.” I was the only bidder, so I got a $200 Taxco bracelet for 7 bucks.
A Simple Heart for Home shows you how to turn your baby wipe containers into plastic grocery sack storage containers. I love this idea!
You can find 50 more ideas for re-using baby wipe containers here.
I went to Dillon’s yesterday and picked up some great bargains:
3 packages of Sister Schubert’s rolls — $1.79 each when you buy 10 participating items, used $0.50/1 coupons (doubled) from the 4/17 SmartSource insert — $0.79 after coupons
4 jars of Santa Cruz Organic Lemonade — $1.25 each, used 4 $0.75/1 coupons (“doubled” to $1 off — there is a limit of one coupon per registration, but you can register multiple family members) — $0.25 per jar after coupons
5 boxes of Green Giant vegetables — $0.99 each when you buy 10 participating items
5 packages of Milano cookies — $1.99 each, used 5 $0.50/1 coupons — $0.99 each
2 Butterfinger bars — $0.50 each — used $1/2 coupon — free after coupon
StoveTop Stuffing — free with a coupon they sent me
Cottonelle — used free coupon
Suave Professionals — used free coupon
Two boxes of Tony’s pizza — used two free coupons they sent me
Total after coupons: $15.42
Guest post by Shannon from Mrs. Moneysaver
My washing machine hasn’t been working so well lately. When it runs through the spin cycle, it doesn’t spin fast enough and the clothes are still pretty wet when I take them out. This is especially true for loads of towels and jeans. It’s a good thing the weather here has been decent enough for me to use my clothesline or I would have worn out my dryer as well!
So, I contemplated buying a new washer. I’ve seen the front load washers and they look really nice. Plus, they can hold a larger load than what I can put in the machine I have now, which means less laundry time.
And then I found this deal at Surviving the Stores and would have made the purchase but the price was $450 each when I checked. And, when you buy a new washer, you’ve got to get a new dryer too if you’re getting a great deal, right? But, I missed out on the sale.
So, I started checking Craigslist. There were lots of front load washers in Denver which is about a 4-hour drive from here. But, driving all that way to pick it up? Nope, don’t want to do that.
Then there’s the dilemma of what to do with our old set when we buy the new set. The dryer still works fine and the washer does work — it’s just that spin cycle. It’s still worth something, isn’t it?
That got me wondering: If the washer is good enough to sell at a garage sale, isn’t it still good enough for me? We haven’t had any credit card debt for awhile, did I really want to start that again?
I started doing a little research online. I found out that the spin cycle problem could be one of a few things:
1. The pump isn’t working
2. The motor coupling is worn out (which is common because it works just like a belt)
3. The basket drive/clutch assembly has worn out
I knew the pump was working because it was draining the water out. The spin cycle just wasn’t spinning fast enough. I read that the basket drive/clutch assembly was expensive to replace and I would be better off buying a new washer. But since the motor coupling was only a $10 part, I decided to start with that.
I ordered the part online and it arrived yesterday. My husband (the great DIY’er that he is) replaced the motor coupling last night. It worked!
Just like new. Only $900 less.
Shannon is a wife and mother of six kids. She is also “Mrs Moneysaver” and has a blog sharing coupons, coupon match-ups, freebies, daily deals and money saving strategies.
I’ve finally got everything unpacked, the house and van back in order and the laundry almost done after our road trip last week. It was fun to be away as a family but it’s good to be home!
We have another full week with lots of fun things in store — like spending all day tomorrow at Amy’s house with Laura from Heavenly Homemakers (they say we’re doing a joint video blog; that should be interesting!) and then our two-day homeschool convention this Friday and Saturday (any readers going to be there? I’d love meet up, if so!).
Here’s our planned menu:
Breakfasts
Cereal, Pick-Me-Up Smoothies
French Toast Casserole (from the freezer), Fruit
Steel Cut Oats with raw sugar and milk
Breakfast Burritos, Fruit
Strawberry-Banana Smoothies, toast
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread (recipe coming Thursday), scrambled eggs
Whole-Wheat Chocolate Pancakes (recipe coming Thursday), scrambled eggsLunches
Leftovers
Lunch at Amy’s house (she’s kindly providing lunch for us!)
Apple Peanut Butter sandwiches, carrot sticks
Beans & Rice with cheese, peas, fruit
Lunch at Spangles with Stacie (using our Groupons!)
Cheese Quesadillas, fruitSnacks
Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Popcorn
Fruit/VeggiesDinners
Barbecue at extended family’s house
Meatballs, corn on the cob, fruit salad
Burritos, brown rice, steamed veggies, fruit salad
Steak on the grill, frozen veggies, toast
Tilapia, rice, steamed broccoli, fruit salad
Dinner out
Marinated chicken, frozen veggies, fruit, Chocolate Chip Banana BreadFreezer-Cooking-In-An-Hour Plan (I’ll share pictures/details on how this goes on Thursday!)
Whole-Wheat Chocolate Pancakes
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Brown Rice/Wild Rice
What’s on your menu this week?
A lot of people want to go on paid-for vacations, but few actually sit down and make a plan to make it happen without debt. Do you want to go on a three-day road trip in six months from now or a week-long cruise in three years from now?
Either way, you need to sit down and figure out how much it is approximately going to cost (I recommend rounding up the amount you think it will cost in order to give you some wiggle room in case it ends up costing more than you’ve planned on.). Once you have a set figure for how much you plan to spend on your vacation, break that down into monthly and weekly savings goals.
Let’s say you want to go on a three-day road trip as a family in December. If you calculate that it will cost you $500 ($250 for hotel, $100 for gas, $150 for food + attractions) and you have around six months to save, than you’ll need to come up with an extra $84 each month or $21 each week.
Once you’ve figured out where you want to go, how much it is going to cost and how much you need to save each week, you can devise a plan of action. What specific actions are you going to take to save the money for your vacation?
If you don’t have extra money in your budget to divert to a special vacation savings, think of things you could cut from your budget to free up the necessary money. To take our previous example, if you have a goal to save $21 each week for your three-day December road trip, that could mean giving up dinner out each week or shaving that money off your grocery budget by using coupons or playing the Drugstore Game.
If you feel like there’s no way you can squeeze any extra out of your budget or lower an of your expenses, there are still ways to save money for a vacation, if it’s something that’s really important to you. You could have a garage sale, sell some items you no longer need on Craigslist or eBay, mow lawns, babysit, take on a small cleaning job, start a side freelance business, teach classes… the possibilities are endless. Think about things you are good at or love to do and consider how you could earn extra income by investing a few hours each week into them.
When you set a goal, work hard and finally reach it, it’s very rewarding and fulfilling. And you can enjoy your vacation without having to feel guilty or worry about how you are going to afford to pay for it later!
Guest post by Alison
As much as I love getting free to cheap products, there comes a point when I’ve just simply got too much stuff. When I open my cabinets and closets, and toothpaste falls on my head or a shampoo bottle hits my foot, it’s probably a good sign that I might be going overboard.
Sure, I can give my mom the tenth bottle of laundry detergent I’ve given her in a month or give a friend the seventh bar of soap I’ve passed onto her in a week, but at some point, they start to question my sanity. So the question is, what do I do with some of this stuff?
More than ever, local charities are hurting and in desperate need of a myriad of items, many of which we’ve been able to stockpile. Check out their websites or give them a call to see what items they’re most in need of. Homeless shelters, rescue missions, women and children’s shelters and pet rescues are all great places to check.
While it takes a little more time, I like to thoroughly sort out which organizations need which items. I could throw everything in a box and bring it to the nearest charity or shelter, but I prefer to sort through the items. The homeless shelter probably doesn’t have a high demand for Pediasure, but the local Shade Tree definitely does. The rescue mission isn’t in dire need of cat food, but the cat rescue can definitely benefit.
Last year was the first year I participated in Operation Christmas Child, and I bought items right before Christmas. This meant not only did I pay full price for most items, I wasn’t able to pack as many boxes as I would have liked.
This year, I’ve learned to plan ahead and stock up during Target clearance and other coupon deals. It’s not even the middle of the year and I’ve got an entire box full of toys, school supplies and hygiene items set aside just for this purpose.
You might be surprised of the needs that go unmet even in our own communities. You can either donate these items to individuals and families or even arrange a swap.
I may not need any more baby wipes, but there might be someone who does that has some extra Excedrin that I need. I would always rather items go to someone who can use them than have them sitting in my closet collecting dust.
This may not be the right route for everyone, but it’s one that I personally love. Get together hygiene kits with the basics and keep a case of bottled water in your car. Pass them out when you see individuals in need.
It’s amazing how much of a blessing such a small gesture can be. The things we often take for granted are some of the basic necessities in life that not everyone has access to.
Those are just a few ideas of what I do to clear some space in my house, as well as help fulfill the needs of others. I’d love to hear your ideas, too!
Alison Rutledge is a work-at-home wife, student and mother to two crazy cats. She loves the Lord, serving others, volunteering, reading, staying active and, of course, shopping for the best deals she can find.
Testimonial by Heather from Family Friendly Frugality:
I started using coupons and living a frugal lifestyle out of necessity. I was sick of going over budget and knew I needed to drastically change the way that I looked at our finances.
With the support of my husband, I learned how to stretch our budget by picking up tips and techniques from blogs MoneySavingMom.com. Once I finally got the hang of shopping strategically, it was absolutely thrilling to see how much money we were able to save every week. I was determined to keep up this frugal lifestyle for the rest of my life, how could I not?
The best comparison I can think of is starting a new diet. You begin losing weight and investing in your health and you feel great! You know that you will maintain this lifestyle for the rest of your life. Until you stumble upon a brownie and you quickly backslide back into your old ways.
Next time you try to hop back onto the healthy eating train, you know it will be harder. You will already have that negative self talk going on in your brain saying, “Well you failed last time, what makes you think this time is going to be any different?”. This same cycle can repeat itself over and over again, and each time you end up with a few extra pounds more then you started off with.
The same goes for living a frugal lifestyle. It was too easy to get complacent. After awhile I began to realize that I was leaving my coupons at home more often then I was taking them with me. I began to realize that I hadn’t been to the drugstore in months and I was starting to shell out full price for the items I knew I could easily get for free.
I was backsliding.
I knew that’s not what I wanted for myself, and it definitely wasn’t what I wanted for my family. At the moment I realized where we were headed, I made the choice that not only was I not going to allow us to become complacent, but that I also needed accountability.
Have you ever noticed that people who have lost a lot of weight and kept it off often end up in some kind of support role? The act of teaching others to lose weight is what helps them stay accountable.
So, I decided to teach — to share what I had learned about saving money and living within my means! I knew that by sharing my enthusiasm for saving money, it would ignite the passion in others to go for their goals!
I also knew that I could never be a hypocrite. I knew I needed to practice what I preached.
Teaching others to save money and to live frugally holds me accountable. I can’t backslide. There are too many who need to learn that there is a more fulfilling way to live then hopping from paycheck to paycheck, and I’m ready to teach.
Heather Shaw is a wife and mom of two living in the great state of Texas! She teachers others to live a frugal lifestyle on her newly redesigned blog, Family Friendly Frugality.
So many of you continue to ask for specific ways you can help those devastated by the tornado in Joplin. Here are some more needs I found out about today:
If you will be heading to Joplin in the next 24 hours, The Bridge is urgently needing: Neosporin, hydrogen peroxide, pillows, cleaning supplies, bandages, pain medicine, sunscreen, razors and tarp. They will be opening up tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. They are located at 3405 S. Hammons Blvd (right off of I-44), Joplin, MO 64804. Their phone number is: 417-206-6886. They also would gladly accept any volunteer help.
There were a number of homeschooling families who lost everything (including all their homeschool curriculum and supplies) in the tornado. Light of Faith (a book company based in Joplin, MO whose owners are personal friends of our family) is working with a local homeschool mom to collect homeschool donations for these families. If you have homeschool or educational materials (new or used) that you would like to donate, please contact homeschooltornadorelief @ gmail.com (remove spaces) for details on where to send your items.
Convoy of Hope is working in conjunction with a team from Central Bible College to go door-to-door to help supply residents in Joplin with whatever they need.
I talked with Denise today, who is working on the ground with Convoy of Hope in Joplin, and she said they would welcome mailed material donations and are especially needing:
::Box tape
::Plastic totes
::Knee pads and work gloves
::New socks and underwear
::Tylenol and pain medication
::Canned foods
::Things for children: sidewalk chalk, bubbles, bouncy balls, crayons and coloring books, etc.You can send donations to:
Convoy of Hope
330 South Patterson
Springfield, Missouri 65802
To read more about Convoy of Hope and how they are helping those in Joplin, visit their Facebook Page.
Thank you for all you are doing to help these needy folks. They continue to express their humble and overwhelming gratitude for how complete strangers are reaching out and helping them get back up on their feet.
I didn’t go shopping this week. Instead, we took a family road trip to Oklahoma City and Tulsa. We had a specific budget we’d set ahead of time for our trip and we had fun creatively sticking with it — while enjoying some fun and memorable experiences, too.
(I think my driving “skills” freaked the guy out who was manning the segway booth. He would not let go of it for the life of him!)
We had some fun firsts on the trip. We rode segways, fed turtles and touched a shrimp, sea cucumber, shark, starfish and sting ray.
Feeding turtles
And there were some not so fun firsts. Like our first time of being straight in the path of a tornado and thinking we were going to experience a direct hit.
We hid out in the hotel’s storm shelter and guess who was there with us? The executive producer for Discovery Channel’s Storm Chasers show.
Needless to say, the fact that he and his team believed we were also going to sustain a direct hit was not too comforting! Eight minutes before the tornado reached us, it changed directions and then petered out. We all breathed a huge collective sigh of relief, but were so sad for the many others who were in the path of the storm. 🙁
Next week, I’ll be sharing posts on how to pay cash for a vacation, how to get a great deal on a hotel and how to stay organized and save when traveling with young children — along with more pictures from our trip. Stay tuned!
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.