Keeping up with your coupons

I took a little break from couponing and I've now returned to it. And while I was taking a break I was careful to at least file my inserts by date. If I have the time to collate and staple the inserts on Sunday afternoon it helps with cutting later as I need them.

So...your mission, should you chose to accept it, is to get a box with a few hanging file folders. Put in a stapler, some large paper clips, a pair of scissors, and a fat tip black marker. When you receive your coupons in the Sunday paper (preferably multiple copies) take two seconds and write the insert initials SS (for Smart Source) or RP (for Red Plum) on the front of the insert and the month and date (for example 3/28). If you don't have time for the next step then file at this point. Use the large paper clips to hold it all neatly together. If you have about 5-10 minutes more lay out the inserts and collate each page. As you collate look at the pages and staple what you think you MIGHT use. Put it all back together and file it. You then only have to cut once instead of multiple times for each "like" coupon. If you don't want to cut at this point then simple file the inserts. Use a coupon site like www.pinchingyourpennies.com to see what the deals are for each week. Then you simply pull your inserts and cut only what you will use that week.

It's a simple start that will save hundreds of dollars each month and several thousand dollars each year.

How can I make this kind of promise?

I do it each and every week!

And you can too!

And it's REALLY fun to save that kind of money!

A cheap haircut is NOT worth it!

OH MY!!!

I recently went to a new stylist for a haircut. My dh routinely has his hair cut by this woman but WOW she did a bad job on me! UUUGGGHHHHHH!!!

Lesson #1: Always trust your gut instinct regarding your hair.
Lesson #2 Always remember Lesson #1.

I don't believe that a good haircut has to be costly but if you have fine hair like me NEVER go to a quick cut for a cheap price place. They simply aren't willing to spend the time with fine hair. Fine hair shows everything. Good, bad and everything in between.

Enough said.

The blessing of The Pantry Challenge

I have been meaning to post this for a while but haven't had time.

In January I loosely followed The Pantry Challenge that was listed over at lifeasmom.com and moneysavingmom.com. I didn't find out about it until after it started but I am pleased with the results. The challenge reminded me to use up the leftovers and to rotate some of my storage.

My grand total for groceries/household needs for January was $208.42. I was $8.42 over my goal. I didn't try all that hard and I still cut my grocery budget in half. Not bad for a few minutes of extra planning.

A REALLY Fun Thing!

This morning I checked the moneysavingmom.com site and was reminded about the Free Grand Slam offer.

I learned about this a little more than a week ago and had put it on the calendar. Today from 6am to 2 pm Denny's is offering a FREE Grand Slam to everyone who walks through their doors. That's a fabulous deal if you ask me! When dh got up I reminded him and we decided to take the kids and have fun with it. One of our children LOVES Denny's. We made a point to not say too much until we were ready to walk out the door. I love surprising her like this. She's the type of kid that gets very excited over stuff like this.

When we got there we found a full parking lot and a little bit of a wait but it was reasonable. The staff was working super quick and it was pretty impressive. Plus we came away with full tummies and pretty decent coupons for the future. A home run in my book!

This has been a good week for free things. Yesterday I received a fun surprise. I had signed up for a free package coupon for the Oreo Golden Double Stuf cookies. I knew the coupon was coming and I was expecting one coupon. They sent me 2! So I used one and gave one to a friend.

FUN! FUN! FUN!

The Blessing of Hand-Me-Downs

I love it when someone calls me and says, "Hey, I was wondering. I'm cleaning out the closets and we've outgrown a bunch of clothes. What size is your child?" I have been the recipient of some pretty great stuff! One of my children has very narrow heels. Finding shoes that fit is an all day search. We go from store to store and often go home empty handed. A few years ago we got connected with a family that has a child about a year older with the same challenge. Voila! Prayers answered! We still shop for shoes but quite often after all we can do we'll get that magic phone call that some shoes have been outgrown. What has been soooooo surprising to me is that quite often the shoes still have tags on them! The family that passes the shoes on has some doting grandparents and this particular child is in no short supply. So much so that some things never even get worn before they are passed on.

I have never felt that clothing my children had to cost a lot of money. Each of my children gets a few brand new things each year. Mostly from grandparents. But I have never felt that my children were not well dressed when they are wearing the, "pass-a-longs". When we receive something it is usually in really good shape. I have gotten in to the habit of going over each item carefully. I'm pretty picky. There are a few guidelines that have helped keep the standard of quality high. The first thing I ask when I look at something is, "How is the color? Does it look tired?" The second thing I ask is, "Are there obvious stains?" Then follow the questions about buttons and zippers and holes. By following these guidelines my children are clean, neat, and relatively in style.

When it's time to pass things on to someone else I look over each item and ask the same questions. I want to be sure I am giving someone a quality item. If I wouldn't want to see my child dressed in it then I don't pass it on. Over the last few days I have been purging out the too small clothing. And I was truly amazed at something. My child was passed a cute little coat that has worn so well that now we're passing it along again. It was made by London Fog and the person who originally purchased the coat paid a pretty penny for it. It has gone through 2 kids that I know of and I'm sure at least 1 that I don't know (the original wearer). The color is still bright. The trim is in good shape. The fabric shows almost no sign of wear. I didn't know a child that needed that particular size so I passed it on to our local thrift store. I'm sure that little coat will be a great find for a cash strapped parent. And maybe they will feel a bit of encouragement that they were able to find a good quality item for a fabulous frugal price.

The Pantry Challenge

For a good part of January I have been following The Pantry Challenge over at the lifeasmom.com site. She's been doing a cross site challenge with Crystal over at moneysavingmom.com. The challenge had some pretty broad guidelines and allowed you to tailor it to your family. I had a great time coming up with some great pantry meals. My grocery bill was cut drastically. I was able to rotate some things that needed to be eaten and my family was pretty much none the wiser;-)!

Next month they are doing a Freezer Meals Challenge and I'm excited to start putting some pre-made things away for the busy days that are my life. I'm going to be posting a few of my tried and true freezer recipes. I have a wonderful recipe for biscuits from my Amish cookbook. I love having these ready in the freezer because they're way better than Pillsbury and have no preservatives. They cook from pre-cut and frozen to perfect and delicious in just 15 minutes. I also have a fabulous recipe for Red Enchilada Sauce that is simply wonderful.

If there is one thing I love to do........it's COOK!

Hurray for February!

Debt Busting

Over the years we have accumulated some debt. I think most people fall in to the debt trap with out even realizing it. It's taken some time to start seeing this clearly and I am now turning the page.

I see it and now I am taking the necessary steps to eliminate it. Our income fluctuates and is now evening out a little. I just recently finished reading Dave Ramsey's book, "The Total Money Makeover". I thumbed through it a few years back but didn't get serious with it. Why? Because our income was not predictable. I figured that in order to make it work we would need a regular income. If I had examined it more closely I would have learned that he had a proven way to deal with our situation of unpredictability. Oh well. Live and learn.

Over the last few years I have learned some great ways to be frugal and happy. Now I'm going to apply those things while doing a Total Money Makeover. This is exciting! The thought of (as Dave says) "living like nobody else so that later you can live like nobody else" is encouraging to me. We don't have credit card debt but we have some lingering medical bills that need attention. Before thoroughly reading Dave's book I felt that these debts would have to wait. Now I see that I can really work on them right now. Well, after Baby Step #1 is completed. Right now I am looking for ways to build an emergency fund. I see the wisdom in it. Many people live with a steady salaried type paycheck and it's a different thing altogether to deal in the realm that we do.

I was reminded of Dave Ramsey's book over at the moneysavingmom site. She told the story of how they have saved 100% down for a house. I was really inspired by what she said. She talked about how she had been taught when she was young to work carefully with money. At the beginning of 2009 they had 33% of their goal. At the end of 2009 they had reached their goal of 100%! I was blown away to say the least! Hurray for them!

So, as I embark on this Total Money Makeover journey I will post about my progress.

The thought of being debt free seems far away but after reading Dave's book and seeing that other real people have gotten rid of their debt it gives me courage that I can do this.

I paid off a small debt a few days ago and it felt great!

Onward and upward!