Poor Coupon Clipping Teacher

Mary Kay Beauty Consultant

2011-06-03T16:23:00.001-07:00

Well now I am trying to make extra money as well as save money with coupons. I became a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant in April. They were having a special $50 starter kit fee as opposed to the usual $100 fee. I guess I got suckered into the 50% off deal! I actually like their products and wanted something that worked well rather than using just what was on sale or free with a coupon. So far it is going well. I have sold mostly to my teacher friends and family. It is not my favorite thing to do one of "those" Mary Kay parties, but hopefully with word of mouth I can do okay.
Here is my website address www.marykay.com/lshriver1
If you would like to order I'd appreciate it and I will give you 15% off if you let me know you are a follower of my blog. (There is a place for comments or messages to me when you order) Thanks!
I have a friend who is selling Tastefully Simple too. Has anyone been successful with either of these two companies? Let me know!

shopping today

2011-04-03T16:32:00.001-07:00

I had a few Walgreen's deals to do today. I got Scott paper towels 6 for $4 and the free Colgate toothpaste with register rewards. Then I headed to CVS for BOGO Right Guard body wash and deodorant, $3 in CVS bucks. Then I went to Vons. They had done a promotion if you pay $75 you get a $10 catalina for your next trip. I tried to get as much as I could for under $10. I actually ended up paying $4.
Our tenant gave us 30 days notice. I am a little worried about finding a new tenant. The good news is we will be able to raise the rent. I just hope we get someone who will not destroy the house.

Going into business for yourself

2011-03-30T06:30:00.000-07:00

Due to the talk of salary cuts for teachers I've been thinking about how to tighten our budget but I've also been thinking about the possibility of doing a side job. I recently went to a Tastefully Simple party. They sell mixes for dips,drinks,dessert,etc. I also have a friend who sells Mary Kay and said she'd be happy to get me involved. I was just interested if anyone out there had experiences with this type of work and if they enjoyed it. Part of me doesn't know if I want to take on another "job" when I already have a full time one. Let me know...

2011-03-26T08:25:00.001-07:00

People are nice

2011-03-11T18:21:00.000-08:00

I just went grocery shopping for a few things tonight. Tostito chips was having a special coupon on the package that if you buy two chips you get a free liter of Pepsi. A lady in the aisle saw me getting the Pepsi and said she doesn't drink it, but she was getting the chips so she gave me her free liter of Pepsi. Thanks!

Free Shoes

2011-03-07T19:16:00.000-08:00

I went to Kohls yesterday to use my $10 Kohls cash. They had some little girl sneakers for $10. I was very excited to get them for free.
Does anyone know of a blog that isn't mostly deals from stores and coupons but more of a series of stories or articles on how they are paying off debt or saving money. I really like reading others experiences and what they might do on a daily basis to save money.

Things I've done to save money this week

2011-03-02T19:09:00.000-08:00

I've been really trying to tighten my belt when it comes to spending lately. I am preparing for a possible pay cut this summer. I'm hoping I can save up as much as possible so I won't feel the effects too badly. I am starting a small tutoring group after school next week. I am getting paid through grant money available to our school. It is about $20 an hour and I will make about $320 total.
I brought my lunch on Monday. Most of my coworkers went out to eat because we had a longer lunch time than usual. I also had a friend watch my children for free when they didn't have school and I had to work. That saved me about $50.
I am really trying to get on my children about turning off all the lights and TV when they leave the room. I am using the natural sunlight as much as possible. Our electric bill was only $95 last month which is pretty good for a winter month. I am using grocery bags for trash every once in awhile to make my large trash bags last longer. I have been making dinner and using the leftovers. Checking my coupons. I just got a coupon in the mail for free Cottonelle wipes. I also have a friend who is bringing me her coupon inserts from the Sunday paper. I'm avoiding Target and any other stores that I would normally take my children to and then get suckered into buying a toy or something "small".

February

2011-02-26T07:58:00.000-08:00

Since this is the shortest month, I've been trying not to spend money on anything that wasn't a necessity. When I did make some purchases, I used gift cards from Christmas. I do think I did pretty well on not going out to eat. We did go to McDonalds once and to Taco Bell. I forced myself a few times to make dinner when I really didn't feel like it. There is a lot of talk of budget cuts in the near future for teachers. My husband and I are both teachers so I am trying to save up as much as I can now by being frugal. I stocked up on some Ibuprofen from Target. The UP and Up brand is 97 cents, which is cheap to begin with but then the Target website had a $1 off coupon. I love free things! It makes me feel like I am accomplishing something... We have a rental property that we thought was going to be vacant after this month but the tenant decided to stay. I am glad about that but I am also going to raise the rent on him in June. He has been there for two years so I think that is fair.

Dockers

2011-02-13T09:01:00.000-08:00

Health Deals

2011-02-12T08:10:00.001-08:00

Quiznos Deal

2011-02-07T18:30:00.001-08:00

City Deals

2011-01-27T06:42:00.001-08:00

10% pay cut help

2011-01-26T06:42:00.000-08:00

I live in Nevada and the new governor is proposing a 5% pay cut for teachers. Since my husband is also a teacher that means 10% for us. Although I am optimistic that this will not happen, I am asking for some of your best money saving tips and how to cut back. It is times like these when I get obsessed with being frugal and reading all the blogs for different ideas. I already just bought some $5 shoes at Target for my son for next year and I'm working on my stockpile!

How to Shop for Free

2011-01-22T09:06:00.000-08:00

Has anyone read Kathy Spencer's How to Shop for Free?
I just purchased it (with a gift card I got for Christmas)I enjoyed reading it. I always like to read books like this to motivate me to get back into coupons and saving money. I feel like I go in waves when it comes to obsessing about coupons and Extra Care bucks, etc. I guess my biggest complaint about doing this sort of thing is not having the time. I do work outside the home full time and I do get lazy...
My other struggle is getting multiple coupons like these other ladies. I do have my Mom send me her coupons and everyonce in awhile I will buy multiple papers. I don't know if I'm ready to ask the neighbors to save their inserts yet. Maybe I need to find a recycling center close by. My biggest success lately in saving money is just to avoid the stores altogether. I always buy more than I should at Target and get suckered into buying a cheap toy for my children. I am going to spend some time today cutting out my coupons and sorting them.

Dockers Deal

2011-01-19T06:23:00.000-08:00

Not much at Target

2010-12-27T15:58:00.000-08:00

Target didn't have too many great deals yet. I did buy a couple of 50% off stocking stuffers for my son. My best deals were the Up and Up pantiliners for 89cents and a 75 cents off coupon. I got 3 of those and then the register gave me another 75 cents off and the cashier rang it again so I got an extra 75 cents off.

Winter Samples

2010-12-27T09:45:00.001-08:00

After Christmas Sales

2010-12-27T09:35:00.000-08:00

I am going to go out today to Target to see what they have on sale. I get excited about different food items with holiday boxing, like crackers that they mark down to 50 and 75% off just because it is holiday. There are two Target stores within 5 miles of my house so I will be back to post what I find!

Long time no post

2010-12-23T08:55:00.000-08:00

Now that I have some time off I guess I can catch up. I've been trying to follow the Dave Ramsey Money Makeover. So far I do have an emergency fund and I've paid off my credit cards( now the trick is not to use it again). My husband and I were fortunate to have received a large amount of money from an inheritance and have used some of that to pay off one of his student loans. Next step is another student loan, his car payment and then the mortgage. I have dreams of being able to retire in about 10 years and part of that dream would have to include the mortgage being way less than it is now. Good for me that I enjoy trying. I just ordered the How To Shop for Free by Kathy Spencer and How to Cut your Grocery Bill in Half by the Economides. Has anyone read these books yet? I like reading about other people's stories of saving money and cutting back. I am hoping since I am off for another week and a half that I will be able to stock up on some things and save money!

Throwing away money

2010-11-16T06:32:00.001-08:00

It surprises me how some people waste and throw away money. Twice now I've found coupons for free things left behind by someone else. Entering Target the other day I picked out a cart and noticed a receipt slip ( I think it is actually one of those Catalina things)still in the cart.It was for $2 off any purchase as a thank you from General Mills. I guess the person before me didn't see it or didn't want it. I was pleasantly surprised. Then after self checking out at Smith's yesterday, I noticed someone had also left their little Catalina thing in the machine. I took it out and it was for a free box of Idahoan potatoes. Sometimes I feel silly getting excited over little things but Free is Free!

Laundry Detergent

2010-11-13T17:23:00.000-08:00

I finally made my own laundry detergent. I watched them make it on The Duggars and seen it mentioned on many blogs and I finally decided to try it myself. I had some Fels Naptha bar soap in my house from awhile ago, I bought Borax and Washing Soda, Both were about $5. It was really quite simple and now I have a lot of liquid laundry detergent. I had saved two old Tide containers to put it in but I ended up needing more room. I found an old plastic containers from Sam's Club that had had pretzels in it. I have already tried it out for 3 different loads of laundry and it seems to be working fine. It doesn't have a strong fragrance which I am used to. I have read that you can add essential oils if you like.

House Party

2010-10-27T06:36:00.001-07:00

The Website for House Party is just www.HouseParty.com

House Party!

2010-10-27T06:31:00.000-07:00

I found the House Party website through other bloggers. If you have not heard of it yet... you can enter to win a party basically. A company sponsors the event by sending you their product, coupons for your party guests to try the product and a few other fun things. I have entered a few but have been unsuccessful until now. I was selected for the Hamilton Beach Brew Station party. I was sent a Brew Station, two coffee mugs, a tin of coffee and some small paper cups and discount coupons for the BrewStation. I was very excited. Those BrewStations go for about $60. I have started to use it at home and it is great. I will be having some people over for the
"party" in Nov. I am going to try and do a book club get together. The House Party people like if you have a theme or special idea for your get together.

Fun Test

2010-07-22T06:36:00.001-07:00

2010-07-09T18:57:00.001-07:00

Totally Target

2010-06-10T19:51:00.000-07:00

I've been checking out a website TotallyTarget.com for deals at Target
lately. I really like that you can combine the Target coupons with manufacturers coupons. I got a really good deal on 33ounce Maxwell House coffee. The price on the shelf said $5.50 but when I did the little self check for price it showed $5.04 I had a man. coupon for $1 and a Target coupon for $1.50 so final price $2.54.
Shout was listed for $2.44 I had a Target coupon for $1 and the Shout had a peelie coupon for 55 cents so final price 89 cents

Money Saving Challenge-Things I did this week to save money

2010-06-05T20:08:00.000-07:00

-Completed a CVS survery for $5 in extra care bucks
-Made my own coffee
-Did laundry with cold water
-Send Earnings-paid emails
-Keep the Air Conditioning off as long as possible. That is getting hard to do here in Las Vegas, it was 107 today
-Use grocery bags for trash
-Print coupons
-My Dad is visiting and had free buffet tickets so that was dinner Thursday night
-Washed hair every other day
-Save change- I do pick up coins I see in the parking lot :)
-Bring lunch to work
I did go shopping on Memorial day to buy a few new shirts. My favorite store Ann Taylor Loft was having a 40% off sale on everything!

May

2010-05-02T06:57:00.000-07:00

My goal for this month is to not go out to eat at all, especially fast food.
I feel that I am doing pretty well with savings but unexpected stuff always comes up.
We have a home that we rent out and the refridgerator broke. Fortunately we were able to get in on the Cash for Appliances program and we should be getting $200 back. I also had to buy 4 new tires for our SUV. That also should bring me a rebate of $100. Our tenants brought over mail from the past two months and unfortunately we didn't know that we were being fined for a dead lawn from the HOA. I sent a nice letter and we are planning to put in desert landscaping ($800) so I am hoping they will get rid of the fines for us or at least lower it.
I did make a few good deals at Target this week. I printed the Target coupon for GE Reveal light bulbs so I bought two for 50 cents each. They also had Crest toothpaste with a travel size on clearance so that ended up being 60 cents.
My daughters kindergarten tuition ends this month so that will be a savings of $300 a month! I guess it is always a roller coasting with money!

shop4freebies

2010-04-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

don't forget to check out this website each day for some great free samples!

CVS trip

2010-03-27T14:23:00.000-07:00

I bought Colgate Sensitive Enamel toothpaste with a coupon and got bucks back. I also printed out a free body wash coupon to use at CVS from another blog. The cashier said that the coupon didn't match my CVS card and asked if someone gave it to me. I said yes and he gave me the body wash for free anyway. I thought that was nice and would share since I always read about other cashiers being rude to people using coupons.

2010-03-24T06:32:00.001-07:00

Target Trip

2010-03-21T15:25:00.000-07:00

I went to Target and got the 10 for $10 of Sobe water. I used a bogo coupon and I could only print two of the SOBE target 50 cent coupons. Still a good deal with the $5 Target gift card. I used $4 Hasbro game coupon with $3 Target Hasbro coupon to get the Connect 4 game for free. Since I don't have double coupons where I live I really like to use the Target Qs with manufacturer Qs to save more money!

Print RedPlum Coupons

2010-03-11T14:06:00.000-08:00

Free Sample Enfamil

2010-03-05T18:36:00.000-08:00

Children's Place 15% off coupon

2010-02-13T07:35:00.000-08:00

Free Recipes for Super Bowl

2010-02-03T06:12:00.001-08:00

Frugal February

2010-02-02T18:08:00.000-08:00

Since February is the shortest month of the year, it is also "no spend month".
I've seen a few websites advertising this concept so I've decided to try it. The idea is to not buy anything unless it is a neccessity. You still pay your regular bills and can buy food. The idea is to rethink your purchases. All those little trips to Target on things that can wait... need to wait until next month. I have started off well but it is only the 2nd.

Free Oreos

2010-01-25T18:17:00.000-08:00

I'm sure most have you have already taken a look at the Oreo Facebook giveaway. I just signed up and a free coupon is on the way. I figured that they would be gone by now since the giveaway started about five hours ago.
I just paid my February mortgage payment. I put an extra $100 towards the principle. I think I'm a little obsessive at times but I really like watching the loan amount go down every month. I had a good shopping trip to Von's on Sunday. They had ground beef on sale for 99cents a pound so we bought about 12 pounds! I broke it in to smaller portions and put it in our freezer in the garage. I guess I will be making a lot of chili, tacos, meatloaf, hamburger helper, etc...
They also had blueberries for 99 cents. I guess they freeze but I only bought 3.
I'm thinking a new savings strategy I might take on will be taking the exact amount I save in coupons and put that away in my savings envelope. I usually save at least $10 a trip so that would add up!

Amazon gift card

2010-01-22T06:35:00.001-08:00

Coupons are discouraging

2010-01-20T18:22:00.000-08:00

I just read an article about not getting discouraged when you see so many stockpile pictures from other people's blogs. I definitely could relate... I live in a city where they don't double coupons so I do wonder if that is the main problem...
My favorite deals are CVS and Walgreens register rewards. I always feel like I am getting free stuff with those. I have to say my best deals have been with toothpaste and deodorant. I haven't had to buy that in awhile. I did get a new printer for Christmas so I am trying to print a lot of coupons and buy a couple of papers at the dollar store. I guess I just need to be patient. I know it takes time. I think I also have some unrealistic goals with saving money. I want to pay off my mortgage early with the fantasy of being able to quit work in the next few years. My mortgage is about $350,000 -unless I win Publisher's Clearing house (which I did just enter) I need to realize that the mortgage pay off isn't going to happen anytime soon. My plan is to put about $100 extra towards the principle each month. My daughter is in a full day kindergarten at my public elementary school but I am charged $300 because it is full day. That will end in May so my next step is to put that $300 to savings and principle. I was thinking of doing the whole $300 to the principle but I'd rather have it in savings and be able to use it for a vacation or something fun also. Okay, well that was a big blog post. I'll vent some more later!

New Shelves

2010-01-20T17:28:00.000-08:00

Okay, here is the picture of the shelves that I bought at Christmas time. I have been really bad at blogging lately so I am trying to make it a part of my New Year's resolution to share more!

Shop For Freebies

2010-01-07T06:20:00.001-08:00

This is a site I check every morning for some great free samples or offers!

2010 Goals

2009-12-27T08:53:00.000-08:00

PAY OFF CREDIT CARDS-this should be taken care of next month due to some Christmas money from my Aunt Maggie and Uncle Joe!
KEEP COUPONING-I've been buying 2 Sunday papers a week but I may start doing 3, I was irritated last week when I didn't check and had two papers with no coupon inserts!
HOME COOKING AND HEALTHY MEALS- my sister bought me a crock pot cookbook which should help when I don't know what to make.
KEEP AUTOMATIC DEPOSIT FOR EMERGENCY FUND
PUT AN EXTRA $25-$50 TOWARDS PRINCIPLE ON MORTGAGE- my mortgage is huge right now but that's okay since I know we'll be living in this house forever. I just want to see the amount go down a little faster. I plan on increasing the amount when I stop having to pay for my daughter's kindergarten class in May ($300 a month)
TRY NOT TO BUY ANYTHING THAT I DON'T NEED- this will be hard for when I want a new outfit, etc. but I will try!
TAKE TIME TO EXERCISE

New Stuff

2009-12-21T20:20:00.000-08:00

I am off for the next two weeks and so I have been obsessed with decorating my home. I found a really cute blog sight www.allthingsgd.blogspot.com
She has a really cute home so I am going to try and copy a few of her ideas. I am starting with the shelf display she has for photos. I went to Pottery Barn and bought 3 of them. Although there was a special, they were not cheap. I figure that's why I try to save money on groceries so I can splurge on other things...
My parents came to visit this afternoon so I am going to have them help me set it up and I will post a before and after. My next goal will be to find some inexpensive accessories to put on the shelves.

Kashi Cereal

2009-12-16T18:55:00.000-08:00

I saw that Walgreens had Kashi Go Lean cereal on sale 2 for $5. I had two $1.50 off coupons- so $1 a box!!!

Flipsides at Target

2009-12-07T18:29:00.000-08:00

I haven't printed coupons in awhile but there was one for $1 off 2 Flipsides crackers. I happened to be at Target and they are on sale for $2 so I got them for $1.50 each!

Register Rewards burn a hole in my pocket

2009-11-28T13:36:00.000-08:00

I went to Walgreens on Thursday for their register rewards deal. I got just about everything they offered except toothpaste and shave cream. So today I went and bought toilet paper, milk, sugar, mascara and some candy for free! Then of course I felt like I had to go back and get a few more of the deals before it ends today. I went back and I had wanted some more of the Infusium shampoo but they ran out. I got some body wash and deodorant. I wonder how long I will hang on to these register rewards before I feel the need to buy something else!

Smith's deals

2009-11-04T13:09:00.000-08:00

Smith's is having a promotion on buying 10 of a certain item and getting $5 off.
I got everything in this picture for $27 plus 5 Lean Cuisine meals that are already in the freezer. The 10 Gatorades were 49 cents each. I had a coupon for the yogurt, Lean Cuisins and CheezIts making them a better bargain. My receipt said I saved 50%

menu planning

2009-10-15T06:51:00.000-07:00

I just signed up for the Relish! program that I advertised below. It looks pretty good. It is $21 for a 3 months subscription. I get to pick 5 weekly meals and they give me the recipes and the grocery list. They also have a list of freezer meals to pick from and you can access past menus. If you are looking for some new meal ideas which I am this seems like a good program to try. I'll keep you posted after I make some meals...

RELISH MENU PLANNING

2009-10-12T18:41:00.000-07:00

This might be good for those of you who have trouble with menu planning and saving money. It gives you recipes to choose from and a shopping list. It looks pretty good. I have a friend who just signed up for Ezmeals which seems similar. Check it out!

Lots of Coupons

2009-10-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

I'm finally feeling like I'm actually becoming good at stockpiling after many months. Now that I have access to a lot of coupons through work I have been able to cash in on some deals. Bumble Bee tuna pouch was on sale for $1 and I had 6 coupons for 55cents. I got six for 45cents. V8 Splash was on sale 2 for $4 and I had a coupon $1 off for 2, so I got six of those. I received a Kashi coupon for $3 from Vocalpoint and it was on sale at Smith's for $3.59 so 59 cents for healthy cereal. I'll try to take a picture one of these days

Buy one get one free

2009-10-03T09:01:00.001-07:00

Gevalia Coffee

2009-10-02T19:34:00.001-07:00

If you are looking for some early Christmas gifts, this might be a good one. I'm thinking of getting it for my mother in law who loves coffee!

Money Saving Challenge

2009-09-29T07:03:00.000-07:00

I made a list of things I am doing to save money this week to remotivate myself... here it goes
-Save change in a jar
-Eat all meals at home
-turn down the AC or off when I'm gone
-Clean and organize the pantry so I know what I have
-sign up for free samples
-Click on paid emails from Sendearnings
-Cut coupons
-Menu plan
-Go through closet so I won't buy new clothes.
-I have also decided to pay a little more towards principle on my mortgage payment. Our rental property payment goes down by about $50 so I decided to put that towards our current home's payment.
I am also rereading America's Cheapest Family. I had lent it to a friend and just got it back.

V8 Juice

2009-09-22T19:30:00.002-07:00

I got about 6 V8 Splash juices from Albertson's. They had a 2 for $4. I took some of my $1 off of 2 coupons and got the juice for $1.50. I was excited to have multiple coupons for once!

2009-09-22T19:30:00.001-07:00

Coupon Gold Mine

2009-09-18T06:34:00.000-07:00

I am excited! I work at an elementary school and we get the local paper delivered to us on certain days. Well yesterday I was looking through and it was an issue that contained SmartSource coupons. There was a stack of about 30 papers in our lounge. I took about 7 and of course offered others to my fellow teachers. I just hope now I can find a good match up with some of those particular coupons!

New Bed

2009-09-12T07:57:00.001-07:00

I have been saving cash to buy my son a twin bed. I finally bought on on Labor Day weekend. I was glad to have saved up the cash and not have to put it on credit card but now I am alittle sad that I have no "cash stash". OH well... I start again on the savings for something else...

Coupons

2009-08-18T08:07:00.000-07:00

It Pays to Give

2009-08-13T08:16:00.001-07:00

I went to Vons yesterday and bought a couple of things. They were doing a campaign for Muscular Dystrophy and asked if I would like to donate. I said I would give a dollar and in return they gave me a booklet with $40 worth of coupons. It was a nice surprise. The booklet was from Tom Thumb, Safeway, and Randalls for those of you who don't have Vons.

Building up the Stockpile

2009-08-12T11:52:00.000-07:00

Smith's is having a pretty good sale on some things this week. They had Kellogg's cereal 4 for $6. I also had a $1 off coupon so got the cereal for about $1.25. Lean Cuisine were 5 for $10 and I had a coupon which made them $1.60 each. 4 for $6 fruit snacks with a Catalina coupon. They also had Flipside crackers which I love with the 4 for $6 sale. I feel like I am finally getting back in the swing of things after vacation and guests this summer.

Coupons

2009-08-05T06:25:00.001-07:00

Parentricity

2009-07-29T06:43:00.001-07:00

Swagbucks Question

2009-07-24T06:41:00.001-07:00

So dummy me booked a hotel room through hotels.com without going through the swagbucks link. Does anyone know if you can somehow go back and enter your information to earn your points? Thought I'd ask just in case nonetheless I will have a nice getaway!

Albertson's Gift Card

2009-07-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

I sent an email to Alberston's as suggested by another blog GROWING UP GABEL. I requested that they start doubling coupons. I got a nice letter back that they would take it under consideration and they sent a $5 gift card to use at their store!

Electrasol Deal

2009-07-12T15:02:00.001-07:00

In this Sunday's paper there is a $2.50 coupon for Electrasol Finish. At Target, they are on sale for $3.49- so about $1 each!

Couponizer

2009-07-03T12:29:00.000-07:00

I just received my new Couponizer in the mail today. I need to start my new collection of coupons. I've been printing a few from online and I plan on buying at least two Sunday papers at The Dollar Store this weekend. I'm very motivated to save on my grocery shopping. I have to say my husband isn't always cooperative. He does like to get fast food for lunch. I'm just going to try to be really good about menu planning and making something for dinner every night.

Win Disney Resort Trip

2009-06-30T15:32:00.001-07:00

Back From Vacation

2009-06-28T07:17:00.001-07:00

My whole family ( Mom, Dad, sister and brother and their families) just got back from Florida. We rented a beach house and had a great time. I now am back to reality and need to get back to my frugal ways. I did bring my coupons to go grocery shopping while their and saved a little bit, but not everyone wants to eat whats on sale and matched with a coupon-oh well... On a sad not I left my coupon holder at the beach house. I guess this gives me an excuse to buy a nice new one. I was getting pretty low on coupons anyway...
I am still off from teaching for about two more weeks. My plan is to do some menu planning and make good use of the stockpile, paint our family room and as always organize the kid's rooms and the rest of the house!

Kraft First Taste

2009-06-15T06:42:00.001-07:00

I just signed up for the Kraft First taste. They are going to be sending a coupon for two free Velveeta macaroni and cheese cups!

Home Scanner

2009-06-12T18:24:00.001-07:00

I just tried to sign up but they don't need any people in my area. See if you can be one of the lucky few and click here...

Swagbucks

2009-06-09T06:23:00.001-07:00

Okay, I've finally decided to sign up for Swagbucks. I've read about a lot of other bloggers getting some good things with the points. Click on the button to sign up with me or let me know what you have received with your points...

been awhile

2009-06-03T19:26:00.000-07:00

I haven't had too much to blog about lately. I've been using my stockpile of toiletries and not going to CVS or Walgreens. Our new tenant has been paying in cash which I like. I am going to try to get back to the envelope system for groceries. I did use Redbox for the first time on Monday. I have always wanted to try the free code but just never got around to it. It worked really well and I may have to make Monday my movie night!
I am going on a family vacation in a couple of weeks to Key West, Florida. I am in charge of the grocery shopping. Does anyone know what grocery stores they have down there?

Shop 4 Freebies

2009-05-19T06:18:00.001-07:00

If you haven't signed up already this is a pretty good link to some daily free samples.

Great Link

2009-05-15T06:57:00.000-07:00

greatmusic
I know I already mentioned this in my last post but I didn't do the automatic link. Now it will be easier for you to check out. I know this has nothing to do with saving money but I think he is an underrated singer and I want more people to know about him.

Good News!

2009-05-12T06:29:00.000-07:00

Well I am happy to say that we now have some very nice tenants for our rental home- what a relief!
Another happy note for me is that my favorite singer, JR Richards (lead singer of Dishwalla) just released his new solo CD. Check out his music if you've never heard it. He has a great voice.
http://www.myspace.com/vocaltrix
and then you can order his CD at www.jrmerch.com!!

Coffee Deal!

2009-05-08T06:23:00.000-07:00

Here is another great offer for coffee. Try it out.

CVS surprise

2009-05-07T10:13:00.000-07:00

I went to CVS and had to buy baby wipes but I also wanted to try out Aveeno daily facial moisturizer. It costs $19.99 but I had some CVS bucks to use. After my transaction, I received $10 more bucks from buying Aveeno. I thought you had to spend $25 worth of Aveeno products- I guess not...

Saving Money...

2009-05-05T18:04:00.000-07:00

Well, we are actually spending a lot of money fixing up our rental house. The last tenant destroyed the carpet so it is all being replaced. We did get a good deal from a friend so that is nice. We are painting and fixing it up so hopefully we will have a renter in June.
I was tempted to go to Taco Bell for lunch today because it was Cinco de Mayo, but I reminded myself that every little bit counts. I ate what I brought for lunch from home(a hot pocket)
It is Teacher Appreciation week and I work at a very generous school. Tomorrow the Principal is treating us to lunch from Olive Garden. The students brought us flowers and there have been some coupons for free coffee from McDonalds and a few other things...

Money Saving Challenge

2009-04-30T09:22:00.000-07:00

Although I haven't posted too much about it, I have been trying to participate in the money saving challenge. Here are a few things I have done lately...

1. Turned of AC/fans when I go to work and the house is empty.
2. Leave lights off and open blinds
3. Used food in freezer and pantry.
4. Potty training continues for son...we are using a few less diapers a day!
5. grocery bags for garbage
6. Drinking water
7. Make list for grocery store and only buying necessities
8. In the mail I received free sample toothpaste and garbage bag

Survey

2009-04-30T06:55:00.001-07:00

This survey was about cereal for me. Not too bad...

Bisquick Recipes!

2009-04-28T06:58:00.001-07:00

I signed up for this myself. It is a really simple form.

Sweepstakes

2009-04-24T11:30:00.001-07:00

Sunday Paper

2009-04-19T16:10:00.000-07:00

I am so excited and I don't know why I didn't know this before...I just went to The Dollar Tree store and they sell the Sunday paper for $1. I'm so excited to save $1.50 every week!

More Mother's day stuff

2009-04-17T14:02:00.001-07:00

Mother's day

2009-04-17T14:00:00.001-07:00

Parentricity

2009-04-13T17:00:00.001-07:00

How much is enough toothpaste?

2009-04-10T08:30:00.001-07:00

I went to Walgreens and bought the Colgate Total with a $1.50 coupon and I got the $3.50 in rewards. my husband makes fun of me because I have about 8 toothpastes in the closet. I figure if it is free I might as well keep getting it. What items do you stockpile and how much is enough? I keep thinking one of these days I will not shop for any toiletries for awhile, but then what if a good deal comes up- I'd have to get it right?! I am starting on my toilet paper stockpile now. I used the $3.50 at Walgreens to purchase some TP. Does anyone know if there is a limit to getting the register rewards at Walgreens? They don't have a card like CVS so I was wondering how they would know if you went back few times and bought more toothpaste.

$2 beauty coupon

2009-04-07T09:55:00.001-07:00

Feeling Lucky?

2009-04-06T07:54:00.001-07:00

If you like to enter contests or sweepstakes here is a good link.
Here in Vegas megabucks is up to 32 million. I might have to go play!!

Spring Break

2009-04-04T07:34:00.000-07:00

I'm off for a week and very excited to go through the house and organize-again!
I am also going to try to meal plan and focus on cutting the grocery bill. I've been a little off track lately.
To get back on track I am trying to keep a list of things I did to save money today as does my blogger friend at Frugal makes Cents. So I guess I will share for yesterday...
Things I did to save money today-
1. Reading motivating frugal living articles on line.
2. used plastic grocery bags for trash rather than the big trash bags ( I read about a woman who does this, I thought I would do this everyonce in awhile because I have a lot of grocery bags.)
3. brought lunch to work
4. heat turned off
5. made dinner- rice and beans
6. made grocery list that I will stick to when going to the store.
7. Potty training- I can't wait to be done with diapers!
8. Turned TV off

Inexpensive Carpeting?

2009-03-31T11:29:00.000-07:00

I will be needing to replace some carpeting in our rental home and would like to do it cheaply. I was planning on going to Home Depot or Lowe's, does anyone know of a cheaper place to get carpet installed?

Earth Day Disney Contest

2009-03-26T06:27:00.000-07:00

Here is a contest to win a trip to California for the premiere of Disney's new movie
Earth Day. Sign up!!!

Send Earnings

2009-03-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

Send Earnings is a way to earn a little extra money slowly depending on if you shop a lot online. You can complete surveys for cash and click on their partner stores to buy things on line and get a percentage of what you spend added to your earnings. One thing I signed up for was Netflix and I received $8 in my account. I cancelled my membership with Netflix a few months later. They will send you lots of emails to click on and you'll get about 2 cents for each email you read and click on. Once you hit about $30 you can get a check sent to you.

Win a Colorado Vacation

2009-03-18T09:40:00.000-07:00

This is an easy entry form to fill out. You can win one of two trips to Colorado. A golf vacation or a family vacation which includes hiking and fishing. I signed up for a chance to win the family vacation because I don't know how to golf!
Good luck!

Some free stuff

2009-03-17T11:18:00.000-07:00

I went to CVS and bought the Colgate Max toothpaste 6 ounces for 2.99 and received 2.99 in ECB's. I also bought the Dry Idea deodorant for 2.99 and there is a coupon for $2 from the coupons.com. You also get $2 in ECB's when you buy it.
I also went to Walmart and got the Free Rimmel mascara- the coupon was from All You and I also got $3 off the Thumbelina movie. I think that coupon was in last months All You.

Shop 4 free

2009-03-16T07:25:00.000-07:00

Here's another deal I signed up for. When you click on the link it gives you a few freebies to sign up for like a spatula and coloring book. Then you sign up for daily freebie notices in your email. Check it out.

Smith's for under $50

2009-03-13T13:49:00.000-07:00

I went to Smith's today. They were having a promotion, when you buy 10 of certain items you get $5 off your entire purchase. I ended up participating in that deal because I had a few coupon items which made it even better.
Overall I spent $46.36 and used $18.85 worth of coupons.
Here are a few of the good deals-
Ken's salad dressing on sale for $1.99 (part of the 10 for $5- so $1.49) (I calculated 50 cents off of each of those 10 items.) I had two $1 coupon so 49 cents each.

Dixie Napkins also 49cents after $1 coupon- same deal as salad dressing

4 free Johnson's Bath Buddies soap after coupons.
Here is a picture, since I haven't done that in awhile.

Ideal Bite

2009-03-12T07:44:00.001-07:00

I actually have been signed up to Ideal Bites eco tips for awhile. They give you short tips on how to be more ecofriendly. Many times these are ways to save money as well. They also give a fun little fact on the side and the writers are very funny at times.

Free Always pads

2009-03-10T08:43:00.000-07:00

I had sent away for the free sample of Always infinity pads from Wal Mart. I ended up getting two in the mail. I just opened one of them. It came with a maxi pad, a liner and a cleansing wipe. It also had a coupon in it. The coupon was for a free box(18 count) of pads. I was very excited. I checked the other sample and it just had a coupon for $1 off. So if you haven't opened your sample yet-go check it out. I'm not sure if there was two different promotions or only a few free giveaways.