August 2011
The Beginner’s Guide to Savings {Week 8}: Make More Money
Part 8: Make More Money Here’s the good news: you’ve made it to the end. It’s week eight and you have arrived, you’ve followed through, you’ve worked hard and made huge strides. You truly deserve a pat on the back. Way to go, you! (If you are new to my blog or missed out on the last seven weeks, you might want to start at Week 1: Stop Spending before reading any further!) So here’s the bad news, at least for some of you: After delving into your finances and taking a long hard look at what you are earning versus how much you want or need to spend, you have realized ... read more
A Little Hospitality {Live Love All The Time}
One of the things I love about my church is the genuine warmth and friendliness that emanates from the congregation. Despite all my reservations, that warmth is what kept me coming back. From our very first visit, we were always made to feel like we belonged. Our church’s theme for the month of August was Hospitality. I thought I was taking it to heart until a few Sundays ago, when my pastor challenged each of us to step outside our comfort zone and talk to people we don’t know. He wasn’t talking about the world at large in some general or theoretical sense. He was talking about other people right ... read more
sunday shopping 8-21-11
It’s hard to believe it is Monday already–our weekend really flew by. We hosted a very fancy Princess Tea Party on Saturday, which I promise to share with you very soon, and then on Sunday we headed to the Pirate Fest at Fisherman’s Village, a local tourist spot. Our girls weren’t really into the pirates but they did love the live mermaids! This week I decided to skip Staples but I did make a quick–as in left-my-kids-and-husband-waiting-in-the-car–stop at both CVS and Walgreens after church. There wasn’t a lot I wanted at CVS besides milk & cheap olives, but the magic coupon machine surprised me with a $5 ECB Beauty Club ... read more
audry & ulric giveaway winner
The lucky winner of the $40 gift certificate (+ free shipping) to Audry & Ulric is…. Nora G. (#45), who said: “I would get the Sweet Pink Feather Headband for my old high school girlfriends daughter. Today was her first day of school and her mommy was so proud! She’s always talking about being a princess and this headband would be a great accessory to her princess outfit.” Congratulations Nora!
thursday shopping 8-25-11 {& weekly shopping linky}
One of the most common questions I hear from new couponers is “why aren’t I saving more on food?” The thrill of free toothpaste and deodorant–while still fun–loses a bit of luster the moment we realize we still have to eat. It is super important, especially at the beginning, not to fall into the trap of unrealistic expectations. Shows like TLC’s Extreme Couponing make it seem like there are people out there who never pay more than $5 anytime they go to the grocery store, and that is simply not true. While there are a lot of things that you can get for free, there will always be a lot ... read more
The Beginner’s Guide to Savings {Week 7}: Save for the Future
Part 7: Save for the Future The Future. Big. Undefined. Non-immediate. Nebulous. Scary. If you’re anything like me, saving for this vague entity known as “the future,” is the hardest part of all. After all food, clothing, vacations, housing, and yes, even shoes are all real. They are tangible and immediate. Saving on–or for–those things affects us right now. (Before we go any further, if you are new to my blog or missed out on the last six weeks, you might want to start at Week 1: Stop Spending before starting this week’s assignment!) Saving for far-off things like retirement or college or putting money aside for an emergency fund is ... read more
006 Spy Party {A Boy Birthday Party Idea}
I am a mom of girls. The older they get, the more I am beginning to realize that girly stuff is all I know. We live in a world of pink & purple, of princesses & tea parties, of Barbie & Dora & dress-up. Every once in a while I will get an email from a reader asking for some fun BOY party ideas, and I always feel woefully inadequate. It’s not that I don’t want to help, it’s that I don’t even know where to begin. My friend Bonnie is in the opposite boat! She has two little boys, almost the exact same ages as Princess & Trouble. This ... read more
sunday shopping 8-21-11
Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. On Saturday we attended a very cool “Spy 006″ themed birthday party for the son of some friends (who turned 6–get it?) Everyone had a blast. You know the sign of a good party is when none of the guests will leave! Coming from GirlWorld, it was so fun to see some very creative ideas for a boy’s birthday party & I asked my friend Bonnie if she would mind me some taking pictures to share with all of you. Come back tomorrow to check it out! As far as shopping goes, I wasn’t overly excited about any of ... read more
happy birthday princess {& audry & ulric giveaway}
Princess turned 5 years old on Thursday. My kids’ birthdays freak me out a little because as much as I love any excuse to throw a party, it is very bittersweet to see them growing up so fast. Her party won’t be held for a few more weeks, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a fun day. It started with breakfast in bed, an inspired idea courtesy of my friend Jen. Princess is one of those kids who never wants to wake up and would probably stay in bed all day if we let her, so she was in heaven. The look on her face when we walked in with ... read more
thursday shopping 8-18-11 {& weekly shopping linky}
I had no idea last week’s shopping trip would be so controversial! Okay, so maybe 2 slightly snarky comments does not a controversy make, but you guys are usually so overwhelmingly positive that it did throw me for a loop. Mostly because last week’s shopping trip was actually fairly “normal”–bread, eggs, yogurt, frozen pizza–at least in terms of extreme couponing. I figured that if any shopping trip would’ve elicited a negative response, it would’ve been the week I bought 18 cans of Chef Boyardee. You just never know! But for those of you who are new to my blog or new to coupons, I think it is important to point ... read more
The Beginner’s Guide to Savings {Week 6}: Save on the Special Things
Part 6: Save on the Special Things Vacations. Birthdays. Holidays. We know they’re coming and yet it is so easy to blow our budgets just because “it’s a special occasion.” If you’re still with me after all this time, you should be starting to feel pretty good about your budget. After all, you’ve been able to make a distinction between your wants and needs, you’ve set a budget for yourself and hopefully found ways to save some money on the big things (like housing & insurance), the necessary things (like utilities & groceries), & even the fun things (like shoes!) (Before we go any further, if you are new to ... read more
becoming….who I want to be
As much as I love writing my blogs, the most important thing I did yesterday had nothing to do with saving money. It wasn’t posting a matchup or hot coupon list or responding to emails. It wasn’t cleaning my house or balancing my checkbook or doing the laundry. The most important thing I did yesterday was spend the afternoon playing with my daughters. We went swimming, we built an elaborate train track and played with blocks, we sang songs, we cuddled, & we yelled at the top of our lungs for no good reason at all, just because it was fun. I’m ashamed to admit how infrequently I just play. ... read more
sunday swimming
I hope you don’t mind, but I decided to skip shopping altogether yesterday. Sundays are normally a pretty busy day for me between all the new coupons, store ads, & hitting the drugstores, but after 3 days away, my priority was family time, not bargains. Instead, we spent a very relaxing afternoon by the pool. Princess swam underwater for the first time ever–a HUGE deal for a girl who was terrified of the water up until two months ago–and Trouble, being Trouble, took a header into the pool. As luck would have it, I just happened to catch it on video…. Both moments were priceless and I can’t think of ... read more
Baked Tofu {Recipe}
Let’s face it: Meat is expensive! One of the easiest ways to lower your grocery bill is to cut out meat, at least some of the time. It’s not that there aren’t ways to save on meat–there are–but ultimately even meat bought on sale or in bulk is still pretty darn expensive when you consider the alternatives. Tofu is one of those weird foods that seems to scare people away, but I think it just has a bad rap. It’s relatively cheap, healthy, and full of protein, and, provide it is prepared well, seriously delicious. The problem is that when it’s not prepared well it tends to be little more ... read more
the DealPro CASH giveaway!
Just a little reminder that the DealPro Cash Giveaway ends TONIGHT!! 1st place winner: $500 CASH 2nd place winner: $150 CASH 3rd place winner: $100 CASH Enter the DealPro Cash Giveaway: Simply “like” all of the pages listed and fill out the form below. The Thrifty Couple Beauty and Bedlam Bargain Blessings Frugal Finders Cuckoo for Coupons Dealicious Finds Little House Living iGoBOGO The Prudent Patron I Heart the Mart LWSL My Litter SWSL A Frugal Chick Saving Dollars&Sense If you are reading this via RSS or through email, please click here to fill out the entry form. The giveaway will run through August 13, 2011 at 11:59 pm ... read more
