It's like a diet

When you begin thinking about saving money, or living on a budget, or not spending... the FIRST thing you want to do is go shopping! It is JUST like dieting. You decide you want to diet.... but you wait til Monday so you can stuff your face all weekend. Thats how it goes. Money is no different. It takes a "get serious" kinda attitude.

When I first began talking to Jere about us going on a "financial diet" he said "lets go eat and hit the mall." Funy thing is, well I guess its not so funny, is that he was serious! He couldn't think about anything BUT going to spend money. And I get that... we all are that way to some degree. But at some point we have to REACH that point if we want to change.

It's baby steps... you can't do everything at once like I told you earlier and I was serious. It doesn't happen over night. Even if you quit spending, started saving, lived on cash, never ate out, no vacations for the year... you STILL are not going to accomplish financial freedom over night. So take it small...

Because its like a diet, as I told you earlier and in other posts, you HAVE to pick something. A really good first step would be to try and live on cash. Try paying your bills and cashing out the rest of your money. Whether its $10 left over or $5,000 take that money and do it the envelope system way. Put money in the "Grocery" envelope. Money in the "gas" envelope. and NEVER forget the "Fun stuff" envelope. That will keep you sane.

A lot of books I have read say start with the budget... and while that is HUGE....SUCH a large part of your financial diet... I believe firmly in starting with the envelope system.

Any questions about how to get started with budgets and envelopes? Email me at cararoxanne02@aol.com. Or leave a comment.

Oh-the cheapo things I do!

I like to say things like "I live frugally", or "I am a penny pincher" but some days I am just down right cheap! A lot of the things I do are to save money, and a LOT of the things I do are to keep me from having to go back to the grocery store! I hate that place.

I reuse my ziplock bags. If I put half an apple in it because I didn't want the whole thing...and I eat the other half the next day, I rinse it out, turn it inside out to dry and stick it back in the drawer.

I typically reuse aluminum foil. Again, its not that it is expensive its just one of those stupid necessitise that I hate to waste money on.

I save leftover pickle jars, spaghetti sauce jars, etc to use for crafting projects. I can decopauge them or let Ava do it and its a fun craft that I may end up chunking, but it was a fun bonding experience.

We buy a HUGE Folgers plastic tub thing for coffe. (Thats the ONE thing I can't convience Jere to get the off-brand)... anyway, I save those. One of them I keep for putting cookies in on the rare occasions that I cook. Or its still a good way to store any kind of goody or candy and it seals tight so they stay fresh. I saved one to put nuts and bolts, screws, hammer, etc in. Came in handy and I didn't have to go buy some clear plastic thing for $4 bucks. Saved me another trip to walmart.

 I don't buy plastic containers to store leftovers. instead I save my butter tubs, my sour cream tubs, yogurt or whatever. They work just as well and save me money. And its kinda like a "go green" thing to do since I am not buying additional plastic.

I buy a pack(usually there is 4 or 5 in it) at the dollar store. I save old Christmas cards that people gave me that had cool pics on it, cut those out, and Mod Podge it to the front. Or old birthday cards. The bags cost me a buck, the cards cost me nothing, and the bag REALLY does look cool.

Random things that I do. But hey, I save a buck here and there and more than anything I have fun doing it.

The Cheap Book

I mentioned that I would at some point get into some of my favorite books. There are hundreds out there and frankly a LOT of them say the same thing.

The book that is not only helpful, makes you think, and keeps you in check also happens to be one of the funniest finance books ever. It's called "THE CHEAP BOOK" by Robin Herbst & Julie Miller with illustrations by Mike Farley. This book will crack you up and make you think!

So I encourage you to go read this book. Check out your local library and settle in for a quick yet fun read.

Some of the things are simply silly, but if you read the WHOLE thing I promise you will walk away with at least 3 things that you will learn to make into habits and help save some $$$$.

Michaels week of January 31st-February 5th

Michael's has done it again :) they had a black out week last week and i was VERY dissapointed but they are back in action!

Go to Michaels website OR get a local Sunday paper for some good deals. Including a 25% off your entire purchase coupon AND a 40% off coupon for any one item at regular price.

The savings are BACK at Michael's! go enjoy and make something super crafty!

Cozi Family Calendar

Cozi Family Calendar is a lifesaver! It's free, its helpful, and its easy! And online calendar that goes week by week for your busy family! you can upload schedules, reocurring events such as dance practice, piano lessons, etc. You can keep an online shopping list, to do lists, AND you can have these reminders texted or emailed to you!

At first it may seem silly to get ALL of this set up because I felt the same way. But it is so convenient to get a text message that says "buy milk before heading home". TADA! :) Makes my day so easier.

So check it out. Try it for a month and if you don't like it then ditch it... but I can pretty much bet you will be a HUGE fan!

FREE brake evaluation

I'm not a car person by any means, but i do know that mainteance on your car is VERY important if you want to keep your car healthy and running well.

In today's SEARS circulation ad in your local paper (also can be viewed at Sears.com), they have a coupon for FREE BREAK EVALUATION. It's a $15.00 value and is good on most vehicles.

Since its free, what does it hurt to go in and have those breaks checked. If they say you will need new breaks in the near future then you have a warning and can begin saving today!

5 simple steps

I wish i had ALL the answers to helping everyone get out of debt, build wealth and NOT be broke... but I don't. I only know what I have read, what I have applied, whats worked and what dang sure hasn't!

I have read 36 books on fiances, debt, and building wealth. That's right... 36. And I will get into that later. I have some favorite ones that I want to share with you at some point but for now I am going to tell you 5 small steps to get you on the right track.

1. Skip Starbucks. That $5 bucks DOES add up.
2. Pack your lunch.
3. Quit the gym. (I didn't say quit working out, just quit paying to do it)
4. Turn off the lights. (Unless you have just watched a scary movie)
5. Cook at home.

Small steps--big payoff! Try those for 2 months and see the difference in your bank account!

Last day for Bath and Body Works Candle!

Bath and Body Works is giving away a FREE 1.6 ounce candle to their facebook friends! They are introducing new lines!

Yes I agree that a 1.6 ounce candle is NOT that big of a deal but its something free, fun, and smelly good :) You can save it and stick it in a stocking at Christmas, or come home and liven up your home with a fresh scent.

Click here on this ad, print it out, or order online. If you order online you will pay shipping. Today is THE last day for this. So head on over to your local mall!

Sweetheart of a deal!

REDBOX has a very generous give away going on during the month of February. If on any given night you rent TWO movies, then you will recieve a code for a free movie the next time!

After reading the rules several times I see nothing that says this is a one time deal. So... stock up on movies for the kids or for you and your sweetheart and enjoy a FREE movie on REDBOX!


Enjoy :)

Baby steps

One thing I have to remember, so I like to remind others, is that everything begins with baby steps. If you are used to eating out every night, shopping like a maniac every weekend, using credit cards for everything and ALWAYS buying the newest and latest whatever... well, you can't quit that all at once.

You have to decide what is important to YOU to stop first. For me it began with eating out. I love to NOT cook. :) I am not a fan of being in the kitchen BUT i began looking through my banking, and Jere's banking and realizing just HOW much we spend going out to eat. When you look at it that way it makes that dreaded to walmart to buy groceries seem not so bad.

Find one thing that you are willing to work on. Don't use your credit card. Or don't go out to eat. Or only shop once a month. Find something small that you KNOW you can manage. If you try them all at once you WILL FAIL! Maybe you keep doing everything you have been doing but decide that having a savings of only $500 bucks is something you'd like.

Start small...and you WILL end big.

Goodwill, good bargains!

Have you been to your local goodwill? Yeah, I didn't think so. You are not too sure about the location of town, or the funny smell that they ALL have. Well, I am going to encourage you to go NOW! I know it seems silly but if you only knew the bargains I have gotten there you would have left 20 minutes ago!!

My friend Rachel is ALSO a fellow Goodwill lover. She has gotten some of the cutest things at the Goodwill. Clothes, home stuff, plates, antiques. AWESOME stuff!

You have to think about it this way... the people that drop off stuff at Goodwill tend to have really good stuff. They are people that don't have the time to go through everything, don't want to have a yardsale, they don't want to take the time to take their nice items to a consignment shop. They don't need the extra money so they drop it off. And that is why WE go by there :)

I have gotten name brand clothes WITH tags on it, cute home decor items, SCENE IT dvd game for $2.00 bucks. A light brite for Ava with ALL of the pieces and it was the updated version for only $3.00. I have bought brand new coloring books for a quarter, plates that I bought for 50 cents that I was going to use to decopauge anyway!  I bought Ava a brand new bike for Christmas for $15.00!! it was a disney princess bike that was in PERFECT shape.

So why wouldn't you go by? It's worth the digging I promise. The treasures you find for next to nothing make your day!!!

Make it a game. Go by with a limit of $10 bucks and see what you can find!!! you will be SO glad that you did!

Our journey

This may be a volume 1, 2, 3 and 7! :) Who knows how long it will take for us to make it on our financial journey.

Jere and I combined our lives when we got married. We have my daughter, his 2 sons, his business, my job, his debt, my debt... and ALL of the expenses that come with having children that are 5, 19 and 21. Childcare, college, cars, insurance, toys, clothes(Ava goes through a size a year seems like), Christmases, birthdays...you can only imagine what its like!!!

So when Jere and I got married we decided to keep things separate. I had my job, my child, my debt and he had his. But at some point that didn't work anymore. We are married afterall, and I don't feel the need to "protect" myself from him it just seemed like the right thing to do at the time. But like everything in life...things change. What worked at one point may not work at the next. So... our journey begins with combining our finances.

If you follow my other blog than you are aware that Jere and I see a marriage counselor. we have seen one since long before we got married. It helps... it helps when we have breakdowns in communications, helps when we have arguments, helps with the adjustments that come with everyday life. But it ALSO has helped us figure out that one of the reasons we have a "wall" between us at times is because we keep our money separate. *SIDE NOTE*... I will ALWAYS have some of my "own" money. If i want those shoes, then I want to buy them and not feel bad. If I want to buy Ava something special its not up to Jere to tell me no. So don't hear me say I am giving up my financial independence.** BUT when it comes to being a married couple there are some things that should be combined and in my opinion finances is one of them.

Our journey starts with a small step. We opened a joint bank account. TADA! I am so proud :) It's a small step for most but a large step for a second marriage. I was left in a huge financial rut when I got divorced so trusting someone again is very hard for me. I want to let him in, but keep myself protected. Can you do both? i'm sure going to try.

First step--combine our finances. Go over our monthly expenses. Figure out how much money we HAVE to have. Decide what percentage of each incomes go into the joint account. Thats where we are now... follow us on the journey of paying off debt, saving money, paying cash for a vacation, and becoming financially FREE and independent...as a team ;)

For the ladies

It's probably not every day that someone tells you that you can buy tampons really cheap... but i'm gonna break the mold and tell you anyway.

This week at KROGER Tampax and Always products are on sale for $2.99. BUT it gets better. Go to http://www.kroger.com/, set up your kroger card online, upload the coupons to your card like we talked about before and BE amazed!! There is a $2.00 off any tampax product coupon AND a $1.00 off Always pads. That means that you could buy a box of tampons for $2.99, subtract the $2.00 coupon, and WALAH :)

Okay so you probably are not super pumped...but here's the way I look at it. You are saving money, you are bargain hunting which is ALWAYS fun, AND nobody wants to waste money on tampons. You'd rather have that money for savings, or shoes or SOMETHING besides, well, tampons. So be happy. And go to kroger.

PERFECT gift!

Ok guys,today on GROUPON.com the daily special is Bath and Body Works promotions! You can pay $10.00 and get a $20 gift card to B&B, or pay $15 and get a $30 gift card. The gift card itself is a GREAT gift BUT... what if you kept the gift cards and went shopping with it. Hold onto the cards until they have one of their HUGE sales and then WA-LAH! You just racked up!

You could get enough presents to cover a few birthdays, or gifts for teachers at Christmas, stocking stuffers, etc.

The list of things you can do with that gift card is endless... but you better hurry. This one will go FAST! Also, if you look at their website by clicking above one of the FIRST things you see is that their soaps and wallflowers are majorly on sale!! :)

HAPPY SHOPPING! :)

Valentines

This year I decided to make my daughters valentine cards for her school party. We have so much construction paper at our house, scissors, glue, paint, glitter pens, TONS of candy, pencils... what have you! We have it ALL!

So... I began googling ideas for how to make valentines for children. It's become a project that Ava can help with. I'm not spending a dime, the kids will think they are SUPER cool, its been a fun bonding experience for Ava and I AND it's given me a reason to have something crafty and frugal to blog about.

check out http://www.familyfun.go.com/. LOTS of great ideas for every day fun, cheap, even FREE things to do with the kiddos!

Enjoy! I'll post pictures as soon I get a presentable one ready :)

Your weekly planner

Yes its true...weekly planners make EVERYONES lives easier AND it helps protect your bank account. :)
It's a lot of work, time consuming, involves going through recipes, going through cupboards, googling helpful hints... its a TIME consuming process. But it is OH so worth it! Everyone has their own way of making their list. I make mine 4 weeks at a time. And it actually isn't as bad as it sounds.

I come up with 5 meals to cook for each week.
 Here's what the top of my sheet would look like...

Dinner:
tacos
spaghetti
grilled cheese/tomato soup
grilled chicken and sausage
chili -2nights

I know that chili will last for 2 nights at LEAST, and probably even a few lunches. I try to keep that in mind when planning my meals that way I know how much "other food" to buy such as frozen pizzas, lunch meat, etc.

Then I write what we will have for lunch during that week.

Lunch:
tuna
lunch meat and cheese
leftovers

 Then I start my list...I have to think "What will I need to make those meals happen?" That comes FIRST on the list. I also out to the side write the price I know it will be (from keeping a few old receipts) or the prices I think it will be (shoot high).

So my list starts out like this...
hamburger meat x3    $2.08 each
spaghetti noodles       $1.00
kraft cheese               $2.50

and so on and so forth. I know that you REALLY don't care what my list looks like but I want it to make sense. :)

So I go through ALLLL of the ingredients I need to make these lunches and dinner happen and then its on the regular items. milk, eggs, bread, peanut butter, toilet paper...

IF you are only going to go the grocery store once a week then you need to keep up with what weeks you buy what. You won't need to buy a 16 roll of TP every week, but you should put it on the list for every other week, or 3rd week, depending on how many people are in your house. Try to break up the monotiny of meals... breakfast in particular... its SOOOo easy to get stuck in a rut. Make your list and get bagels one week, cereal one week, waffles one week... make it fun!

What weeks do you need tooth paste? Detergent?

Keep ALLLL of that in mind when making your list. Please don't hesitate to ask for tips!!! I'd LOVE to help!!

Magazine $1 for a year!

Barnes and Noble has an AWESOME deal for you. You can buy PARENTS magazine, a one year subscription for $1.00 if you use THIS code...

K9B9J4H

Click on the above words Barnes and Noble and be directed there. It will show up as $9.97 for a year subscription but when you get to the part of the check out where you can enter a coupon, enter the above code and there ya go :)

Make it a gift for someone. What an AWESOME present to a parent! enjoy!

Living Social

This website is a LOT like groupon. In fact, they are practically the same. Anyway... today's special on LivingSocial.com is an Amazon gift card. You can purchase a $20.00 gift card for $10.00. SO... this would be perfect if you have an item that you REALLY want on amazon but have been waiting for it to go on sale. OR, if you have a gift to give in the near future. EVERYONE loves gift cards.

http://www.livingsocial.com/

check it out!

Way to go Kroger!

Okay I am pumped about this!! Kroger has now gotten super awesome. Instead of downloading software to your computer so you can print coupons you can NOW sign up at Kroger.com and register your kroger card to have coupons instantly added TO YOUR CARD! How cool is that??

You can pick the coupons you want to be sent to your card. So if you pick a $3.00 off Charmin coupon (which I personally was PUMPED about) it is automatically on your card. So if I go to kroger tonight and buy the toilet paper they scan my card and the coupon takes off the $3.00!

WAHOOO! :) No more printing and organizing trying to keep up with coupons and experation dates, etc... how nice? Kroger has saved me money AND simplified my life!

Just $3 bucks

If you save just $3 bucks a day that equals $1095 at the end of the year! EVERY day saving $3.00. WOW How easy is that?!?!

At the end of the year you will have a nice cushy savings, or money to have a HUGE spending spree and buy clothes and presents for an entire YEAR! OR pay for that vacation you want... or pay off that card that you have WAY too much on.

$3 bucks... I always hear people say they don't have the money to save. You have $3 bucks... I KNOW you do.

Try it... what will you spend with YOUR money?! I personally am going to go on a HUGE spending spree and buy clothes for Jere, Ava and I for a whole year AND buy Christmas presents for the next year. Having cash always saves you money!!!

My cheap craft :)

I love crafting. It's so fun but it can get expensive. I bought these plates at the dollar store, scrap book paper was on sale for .29 cents a piece at Michaels, and the mod podge I bought a few months ago. I had a coupon for 50% off one item. The bigger bottle was more expensive even with the coupon but it will last 3 times as long. So it was a much better deal!!!!

I am not a very good scrapbooker. It takes too long and frankly i'd rather have my photos in an album without all the cute-sy stuff around it. It looks good, but I grew up in the family that just did photo albums so thats my preference. :)

Here is what I made...

Paper

Plates

Cut up the paper into whatever shapes or use different designs then use mod podge to put them on the plate.

Then pick a picture that you want in the middle. And mod podge that too it as well!!!

Total spent:

.19 cent picture from Walgreens

1.00 plate from Dollar Tree

2 .29 cent pieces of paper

TADA :)

Free Fun for a MONTH!

Yep, I said it. We are starting ONE month of free fun on February 1st. I know its lazy of me and makes me a procratinator to not start TODAY, but we already have a few things planned for the next few weeks so... anyway. Bad excuse I know.

Ok so starting February 1st we are having a month of FREE fun. Going to parks, walking downtown, taking Ava to the museum (since that pass is already paid for), we are going to use our coupons we have to restaurants, rent movies ONLY with our Redbox code, watch movies we already have, have friends over for game nights... ONE whole month where we don't go out and spend any money on entertainment. I am betting for the best month ever AND... I will be so happy to see at the end of the month how much money we have NOT spent!

Try it! I'll be sure and let you know how this goes :)

Hooooray for Ebay! :)

Ebay has exciting news. I guess it actually has been going on for a few months BUT in case you haven't heard you can sell on ebay and not pay a listing fee. You only pay if the item is bought! How great is that?!?!?!

Try ebay if you haven't already. It's a GREAT way to sell items and of course purchase some. BUT I will say that you can usually do better at a consignment shop IF you are looking to buy clothes.

So go, sell something on ebay :) And be glad that the bargain hunting mommy informed you about the fee changes :)

Did you know?

Did you know that if you grab a lunch costing $5.00 on an average of 5 days a week that is $1200 a year?

So...what if you transferred $30 bucks a week into savings instead? That would mean you have $1200 at the end of the year JUST by bagging a lunch. So... go on, try it :)

I eat lunch at home every day but Jere isn't so good to pack his lunch. SO... we have made a conscious decision to bag a lunch EVERY day for him. Think of the money we are about to save! YAY :)

SAVE IT!

Ok so I recently almost fell into this trap.I recieved a letter from Glamour magazine saying that I could get 2 years subscription for $15 bucks PLUS a free bag! WOW! WHat a deal... almost.

I was at the library the other day which by the way is my FAVORITE place to be... and realized that they have EVERY single magazine there. You can sit and read them while your kids play, or just go on a lazy rainy day by yourself. No you can't take it home but how many times do we get magazines and read the once, then chunk them. So... why not save that $15 bucks and just read them at the library? Not only that... they have way more than glamour. They have EVERY magazine thats EVER put out.

Ya know what I did? I transfered $15 bucks into savings since I was kinda planning on spending it anyway. No, 15 bucks isn't a LOT to put in savings, but its something.

Save your money and hit up the library. OR read it online. Most of the articles can be viewed without paying AND a lot of the articles can be found by simply googling. Every website and magazine uses the same material anyway.

Just another tip from the bargain hunting mommy.

Chuck E Cheese

http://email.chuckecheese.com/hostedemail/share.htm?h=7e2a5a76fadf0cf0a200cb6baaf987b4&CID=12514885992&ch=B5FFF5D75A3615878B429D2EC7735A62&show=1



i know this is a long link but its worth it! This is a Chuck E Cheese coupon for a LARGE pizza and 75 tokens for $25 bucks. If you haven't already signed up for Chuck E Cheese coupons, go to their website and do it! Its totally worth it... I have used these SEVERAL times. But keep in mind when you get there to look at OTHER options... you want to get THE best deal, not just be pumped to use a coupon.


Be smart about it! And hey, its the weekend...have a little fun!

BUDGET tools!

http://www.betterbudgeting.com/

Best...website...ever! Okay guys... I am a huge fan of Dave Ramsey. BUT... he is beginning to charge for things. It probably IS an almost deal to spend $90 bucks a year to have access to an online site that is like the CORE of Dave Ramsey's financial wizard mind...but when I look at trying to save money, I can't justify spending it. SO... go to http://www.betterbudgeting.com/. You can print off ANY kind of sheet you can imagine. If you budget for the year, for the month, a weekly spending sheet, a monthly spending sheet, track your savings, debt pay off... they have it ALL for free. And lots of very cool links to help YOU budget and get your money back on track.

With my husbands permission of course, I plan to start taking you guys through OUR journey as we combine our finances (we haven't done that yet) and acquire each others pains, pasts, and payments. :) We own a business, I work on straight commission, we have debt, and we want OUT! Out of the bondage that holds us back SO... hopefully I have his permission to start you guys on that.

But I can TELL you that our journey started with talking about it, and with using this website. Or at least it WILL start with that when we get home and I can show my wonderful husband all of the "home work" we have to do this weekend.

The dreaded grocery store...

I DESPISE going to the grocery store. It used to be fun. But now it seems like it sucks up all my money and takes away an evening... and as I mentioned in my other blog (which you should also be following) I am very much a homebody so any time doing stupid things that takes me away from home makes me mad.

so... I go in and probably over spend. Now I am on a new mission... and some would say this is foolish. Its foolish to drive to 30 stores to save a buck-that I AGREE with. BUT... its not foolish to take one afternoon and go to the different stores in town and compare prices. Here's what you do...

make a list of those ALWAYS BOUGHT ITEMS. The ones that you buy every single trip to the store. For me, its cream of mushroom soup, milk, eggs, velveeta, and hamburger meat. So if I spend time going to every store to find the best deal and then WRITE down the prices I see, its an afternoon well spent. What about toilet paper? Essential.. I think so. I can find it 2 bucks cheaper if I go down the road to Family Dollar. So I don't make a special trip there, b/c that cost me gas, but when I pass by, I run in.

So do it. Make a list of what you ALWAYS buy and compare shop. It only takes one trip. Don't look at the sale prices look at the EVERY day prices. Then make your list of what to buy where. If it saves more than 10 bucks in a grocery bill and costs you less than 2 in gas... its worth it. That 8 bucks will add up! Thats 32 bucks a month. Think of what you could do with that. Thats a Christmas present. Thats a pair of jeans. Thats a tank of gas....

Be smart. Cut coupons. Buy at the cheapest places. We are ALL throwing away our money for nothing.

How do you budget?

Do you have a calendar? an online planner? a sheet of notebook paper?

Well, I have always had the trusty ol' legal pad but its a new year, and one thing I want to do is be MORE organized. I have discovered http://www.mint.com/. This website is a LIFE saver. Now it does bother me somewhat that I put in my personal info into the system...bank account numbers etc. BUT by doing that I get emails when I am running low on money. I get emails when its time to pay the electricity bill! Its VERY VERY handy!

If you are one of those people that lose sheets of paper, and rely on post its to get you by every month, its time to start something fresh and new. Its free to use mint.com, its EASY so if you aren't super computer savvy you can still use it, AND it has a safety link that guarantees your safety and privacy. And frankly... how is this any different than online banking? you run the same risks.

So its a new year. Get on TRACK! Pay those bills on time. Make 2011 the year that you live like a bum. The year that you save every dime. Don't go to the movies, don't eat out as much... make this the year that you make FREE memories at home with your family and your friends. Have a board game night, instead of a night out on the town. Rent a movie using your free redbox code instead of going to the movies.

So go. try it. Lemme know how you do!

The time has come

Rhea Lana's childrens consignment event is coming SOON! Keep an eye out on their website for EXACT details but it tends to be between February and the first of March. So...that means its time to lay those kiddos out and start having a fashion show! Make it fun. My daughter NEVER knows when I am cleaning out her closet she just thinks its fashion show time. So lay everything out, and Rhea Lana's will want it to be IN season or relatively close to season. (Its a pain when you are getting ready to consign but as a shopper... it is SO nice to see only clothes that are in season).

Wash them, go ahead and get them up on hangers. Get those toys, books, baby beds, etc READY to rock and roll!!!

http://hotsprings.rhealana.com/

My most visited website

ww.lifescript.com

This website is free. Loaded with TONS of info and helpful tips on sex, marriage, parenting, dealing with in laws, cooking, activities for kids... you name it... its COVERED!

Also on the side bars you can ALWAYS find links to coupons. This website makes my life easier and it gives me a small joy every day to look it up and see what helpful tips I can find.

so go, check it out. and click on an ad before you go. thanks.

Accessorizing on a budget

This one can be tricky... but a whole lotta fun :)

In Hot Springs we have "Charmed". It's an awesome jewelry store where everything is $1.00. Well the jewelry is a buck...the purses are more. Anyway, $1.00 for jewelry and there is a TON to chose from! So i can go in there and spend 6 dollars and get 3 new pairs of earrings. A new braclet and 2 necklaces. Its just awesome! Sure its cheap stuff...but I also have so much fun jewelry to chose from every day because its cheap enough that I can buy a lot.

Here's what YOU have to decide and I won't knock you either way. BUT... you have to decide if you want to be the lady with a TON of fun, funky-chunky jewelry... or the lady with the pandora bracelet. Pandora is nice, and a cool rendition to the old charm bracelet. But its also an investment. So either way you have to figure out how to accessorize... but you ALSO have to figure out what YOU want.

I know that I ALWAYS want to be the girl with the fun jewelry. That has big earrings, cool necklaces, and fun bracelets. Thats just me.

figure out what you want to do and BUDGET for it!

Chunk it!

Ok so this bugs me... when people keep EVERYTHING! Now I TOTALLY get not throwing away a birth certificate, or PROOF of car insurance but does anyone ever really need to keep their water bill from 3 years ago? Probably not necessary. Ok I know its not necessary. so why do it?

I understand having a filing system. And actually its very appropriate to keep up with bills for a certain amount of time. But come on you pack rats... it is just simply not necessary and it makes you a candidate for hoarders. SO... after I have offended you I will say i'm sorry, and now I will offer other options.

If you switch to paperless billing then you can keep your bills for YEARS because they can be saved under a tab in your email called "BILLS". Then no one has to see them or rearrange the closet for you. TADA. simple.

Okay I being sarcastic and I have some readers that hate sarcasm so I apologize. :) Sincerely. BUT....it is irritating. You need to do everything paperless and keep everything for years safe in your email. Or you need to have a BETTER system. You do not need a file that says "Water bill", or "Electricity bill"... you need a file that says JANUARY 11. FEBRUARY 11. That way if there is ever a bill in question, you go back to that MONTH not going through a file of 47 electric bills.

I stick with my theory of keeping that stuff is ridiculous. The bank can always pull up proof you paid, you have a check registry and online banking allows YOU to print out your own checks. So on top of saving money, I also like saving headaches and space. I have a small house... I don't want bills from 1997 standing in my living room.

CHUNK IT! don't keep unessential items. And bills are not an essential item.

Swiffer makes my life easier

It just does. Swiffers are awesome. No buckets of dirty water, no getting your hands nasty... they are clean, sanitary and easy. oh and quick. Anyway but the one thing they REALLLLY are is expensive. It's an investment to save time and be cleaner. SO... go to this website. They constantly have coupons and promotions running. ALSO be sure and look on the inside of any box containing a swiffer product. The past few times I have done that there has been an additional coupon.

Enjoy. Go clean your floors with your awesome swiffer but please click on an ad before you do.


http://www.swiffer.com/en_US/promotions.do?utm_source=swiffer_home&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=Save%2BOver%2B15

you may have to copy and paste but the link is accurate.

Extreme Couponing

Did you see that show on TLC last week? Pretty sure it either comes on again tonight or tomorrow night. Anyways...this show is insane. People were going in buying $1400 worth of groceries and spending $75 out of pocket! WHOA! Let me jump on that board... kinda sorta.

These people were no doubt getting a STEAL...but they were not buying reasonable-sensible items. They were buying 75 toothbrushes, and 46 bottles of deodarant. Isn't that a bit... I dunno, excessive? I expect to see these people on HOARDERS in a few years. Yes they were getting bargains...or were they?!?

If you don't need the item, even if its free or cheap it is NOT a deal. How many times do I have to say this? Geesh people. Having a "stock pile" in your garage of more toilet paper than the Holiday Inn has is NOT a bargain. It is like a disease. Not one of these people that were followed went into a store, bought items to make healthy meals, paid nothing for them and left. NOPE! They bought random household items that you do not need to have on backup.

Point of all this... if its an item your family uses, and will CONTINUE to use and you can get an awesome bargain on it? Then GET IT! But do not buy 100 items of something that you now have you go rent a storage building for, have insurance on it and think you are getting a deal. That does not make sense.

COUPON RULE? Never forget this... if the off brand is STILL cheaper than the regular brand with a coupon...buy the cheaper one!

Thanks for reading and please click on an ad before you go. It helps me buy groceries since I have to PAY for mine. :)

pen and paper

Sometimes we all need refreshers... well, I need one too! Around the holidays its so easy to run in and grab this, and oh wait that too... and it DOES add up. So I decided that I was putting myself on a financial diet as well as a food diet. I have been writing down everything that i'm eating...and I wanted to do the same thing with spending. I never feel like it ads up, but it does. So... I learned some things about myself. I get "debit card" happy around the holidays and then it becomes habit. I can't not have my debit card. I already don't own a credit card so thats the only way I can book flights, book hotels, etc. Getting rid of the debit card is not going to happen but my eyes were opened when I saw how many times I have 'Swiped' in the past 45 days. Its insane. Now they weren't big things, but they dang sure weren't all necessities.

Its a new year. Time to get back to the basics. time to get back to the simple steps of budgeting, keeping up with what you spend, using cash and PLANNING AHEAD! I have been doing so good at saving... and I would LOVE to reward myself. But that reward will come when its time... it will come when I need a new tire, or a new battery, or Ava needs something specific... and I won't be broke.

Make out a plan. And I am NOT a planner but when it comes to finances, well sometimes you have to be willing to change. I have watched my savings grow, I have slept better, and I just feel better. So its a new year. Try it. and PLEASE let me know about your success stories.

thanks for reading. As always please click on SOMETHING before you go :)