Blog'n CentsWelcome to Blog'n Cents - tips on saving money in a variety of ways! Blog'n Cents will allow you to be kept updated on new web pages for the site www.saving-money-makes-cents.com as well as a variety of quick tips. Blog'n Cents may also include a little about what I like to do so you get to know me a little better. To subscribe to my Blog'n Cents (no e-mail necessary), right-click on the orange RSS button (see bottom buttons to the left) and then paste the URL into your RSS reader. Or click on the My Yahoo! or My MSN button or Add To Google button if you keep a personalized home page there. If you are not sure what RSS and blogging is all about, click What's an RSS Feed? that is under the orange RSS button. Once you start, you will be amazed at what RSS can do. You can also click the Get Widget box to the right (if you don't see it scroll to the right a little or check the Home page for it) and add the Widget Box to your My Space, FaceBook, E-Blogger and more, and be kept up to date on whats happening at Saving Money Makes Cents - Blog'n Cents. Or you can share any page on the site by clicking the buttons at the bottom of most any page on the site.
Jan 26, 2012 SMART Goals for 2011 – Part 7
* Review Them Often. Resolutions/goals often fail because they are casually made once at the beginning of the year and then simply forgotten. So stay focused by writing and reading your goals every day. Repetition is one of the keys to re-programming your mental computer (mind) for success. Use the goal card technique, write your single most important financial goal on a small card, then carry it with you everywhere, read it several times a day, to keep you motivated.
Don’t forget to make your goals even smarter this year. A goal that’s not strongly sought after and kept in front of you every day will be soon forgotten. Stay focused, be SMARTER and expect success!
S - Specific
As always, Jan 19, 2012 SMART Goals for 2012 – Part 6
* Emotional. Goals may give you direction, but if you have strong emotions they can be the driving force that motivates you in that direction to keep those goals. Build up a desire by focusing on the emotional reasons why you want to achieve your goal. What is the most important reason for reaching your goal(s)? If you reach your goal(s), what will that do for you? What will your life look like then? How will reaching that goal make you feel? Write down your answers so you can review why keeping these goals is so important to you. Have a Wonderful Day!
As always, Jan 14, 2012 SMART Goals for 2012 – Part 5
* Timely. Create those goals with deadlines. Creating time limits are highly motivating and effective. When you don't set a time limit, there is no urgency for completion, and you keep pushing it further and further off. So instead set a few timelines for different goals. Set short term goals, those for this year, perhaps that short term goal is just paying off one debt or saving $250 in that Christmas or other savings account. Next set a long term goals as well perhaps for one year, five years and even longer depending on what your goal is. Just remember for all time periods, be certain that your deadlines are realistic. Now to recap your SMART Goals, make them:
S - Specific Let's make these SMART Goals even SMART-ER... the next couple posts we'll add to them. See you soon. As always, Saving Money Makes Cents
Jan 9, 2012 SMART Goals for 2012 – Part 4
* Realistic/Reasonable. Set goals that are attainable and maintainable. If all you can save is $10 a paycheck, you are doing great. Saving $50 to $100 a paycheck sounds great, but it is not typical, most people are already stretched to the limits financially and to try and save an unreasonable amount is nearly impossible to maintain and this will just set yourself up for failure, causing you to say I can’t do it. Just remember one of my favorite saying “Start small and watch it grow”. When I first started saving for retirement and putting money in a 457 Deferred Account, I started out only putting in $10 a paycheck, each year whenever I received a raise or cost of living increase I would increase my savings to the 457 Deferred Account (I did it as soon as I received the extra income so I wouldn’t get use to the extra money). I am now contributing a substantial amount towards my retirement (about 25% of salary). The same thing applies to debt, I like to pay off the smallest debt 1st, just because once that bill is paid off I see immediate progress and I have one less bill to pay. Being realistic does not mean paying off a bill and creating another one, if you do that then you have just defeated the goal of being debt free. Instead take the amount you were paying on the debt(s) you just paid off and add it to the next debt you want paid off, this will cause a snowball effect and before you know it you will have all your debt paid off. Have a blessed day!
As always, Jan 4, 2012 SMART Goals for 2012 – Part 3
So if your goal is to start a savings account then your chart would show your deposits to your Christmas or other savings account each payday. Or perhaps if it’s to pay down a specific debt(s) then you will create something like a chart that shows your beginning debt, what your regular payment is and then what you’re paying extra to pay off that debt. You’ll be surprised how a visual chart you can look at daily, weekly can help motivate and keep you on track. Your next SMART Goal tomorrow.... Have a great evening.
As always,
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Jan 2, 2012 SMART Goals for 2012 – Part 2First off --- Happy New Years!
* Measurable. Set goals that can be measured, for example if you’re want to lose weight you’ll want specify your goal in pounds, body fat percentage, maybe inches and/or clothing sizes. Is your goal to start a Christmas or emergency savings account? Your measurable goal would be what you want to have saved by Christmas if it's a Christmas savings account. Again be reasonable, take into account your current financial situation and where you can cut to save. If your goal is to pay down debt, don’t just say you want to pay off debt. Be specific which debt(s) do you want to pay off, how much is that? Be specific so that it is measurable. Till tomorrow.... Have a great afternoon.
As always,
 Good News SBI's Holiday Special 2 for 1 Held Over till Jan 3rd, 2012! Moms (and dads) what a great gift to give yourself, and to then give the second as a gift to your child(ren) in high school or college. They'll graduate with so much more than a degree, they'll have a real, money-making business. But hurry this 2 for 1 special is almost over. I wish I had discovered this when my kids were in high school. Dec 31, 2011 SMART Goals for 2012 - Part 1
Let’s start with the “S”. * Specific. Be specific, set your goals with clarity. If you’re vague then you can’t really say when a goal has been met. For example if you say your goal is to pay off a current debt and you’re paying it down/off but you go out and create more, then you’ve reached your goal. But is that what you really meant? Of course not. So if your goal is to be debt free, write down what debt specifically it is you want to be free of and what it will take to pay it off. For example if you have a credit card with a $500 balance on it, you can’t be debt free just paying the minimum or a few dollars more, you have to write down how much more each payment you’ll be paying to meet that goal. For example an additional $50 or more a month (this would be above the regular minimum payment) would help you pay off this debt this year. Just remember, don’t go out and create more debt because you paid off this one, remember the goal is to be debt FREE.
Perhaps your goal is to start a savings account or Christmas savings account. Be Specific, how much do you want to save? Do you have a goal date, write that down. Next how are you going to achieve that goal? Figure out how many paychecks you’ll get by your goal date and divide the Savings goal amount by the number of paychecks and this will be the amount you’ll want to save each paycheck. For example I want to save $600 from now until November 2012, which means I’ll have to save $25 a paycheck for the next 24 paychecks which puts me at my goal. I was clear – I want to save $600. Precise - my goal date is the middle or end of November. Specific - I will need to save $25 a paycheck. Reasonable - $25 a paycheck is a reasonable amount to save and will work in my budget. Be clear... Be precise... Be specific…. and Be reasonable.
As always,
Dec 26, 2011 Need a Last Minute Gift - Invest in Someone’s Future
Why SBI? Well besides being our favorite, SBI offers all the tools you need to get started PLUS it offers the best way to get started making the site all in one place. It gives you the Step by Step Action plan that guides you through making the site and helping you to choose what to make your site on if you’re not sure. This is the Perfect Gift for your young adult child – have a Jr high, high school or college age student – invest in their future and they can start working on their future today. For your spouse or parent(s) – who want to be home for their kids but want to help contribute to the household income. For Yourself – So You too can teach others how to be the perfect Last Minute Holiday Shopper. You and/or whoever you get the gift for can start on creating your site immediately if you wish. Once you decide to take advantage of this special all the tools are available right away. Also I just checked and it looks like this special ends tonight at midnight.
Have a great evening!
As always,
 Dec 26, 2011 Merry Christmas!
From our Family to Yours!
As always, Dec 21, 2011 All Purpose Baking Mix Recipe, Great for the Holidays
The All Purpose Baking Mix Recipe is just that, it can be used for a variety of recipes. Use it to make biscuits, cakes, pancakes (I even included a simple syrup recipe). Check out the gift jars page for a couple gift jar bread mixes that you can use this recipe in also. The groceries it'll take to make this will be on sale during the holidays making this mix even cheaper to make (you may even have all the ingredients in your pantry. I've included a few recipes for the mix also. What recipes can you think to use it for? Have a great day!
As always,
 Dec 13, 2011 A Super Simple Gift Idea
Or you can go one step further & give them the ingredients & your favorite recipe for a dessert to go along with their dinner package. For example you could put a package of spaghetti, jar of pasta sauce, a small container of parmesan cheese, & perhaps a fresh vegetable, and include dessert, cake or brownie mix with some frosting. Put all of this in a pie pan or measuring bowl, include measuring spoons & or cups (optional). Have a great day!
As always,
Dec 7, 2011 Need Help With You Holiday Planning?
Included in this bundle are 11 resources (plus 3 bonuses)! There are recipes, tips and much more. Here’s just a couple that’s sure to be a favorite: "Christmas Planned for You" – Christine’s planned a complete Christmas menu and shopping list! There’s Printable Christmas Planning Sheets, and a "Kid Friendly New Year's Eve" ebook. And you know this one is my favorite “Frugal Cooking & Money Saving Tips”! Check the Holiday Bundle out for yourself here: Special Holiday Bundle. The Holiday Bundle is available for a short time at 85% off a great savings! Grab yours now so you can get the most out of it this holiday season – there’s resources in there you can start using Today! Don’t wait too long this special is only good until Friday December 9th. Be sure to take advantage of “The Menu Mom’s” : special bundle price (available through December 9th) - Only $15! This would make a great Christmas gift for someone or even break the bundle up and give each resource away separately giving you several gifts. Click here to see what all is in this great bundle.
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As always,
p.s. - Followup to yesterday's blog, go check out the cute but serious blog about scammers on my son's site. Dec 7, 2011 'Tis the Season
Twice in one week I've had issues, I extremely careful in my online and in store purchases. And for the first time I've been hit not once but twice. Thank goodness my bank watches out for me also. The first problem was when someone got a hold of my account and tried to charge over $2,000 on it. But today issue is the reason why I am writing. I received an email from who I thought was paypal and when I opened the email it even had my full name. But what tipped me off that it may not have been legit was the email it came from. Although at first glance you may not notice but it was misspelled, they added an extra 'l' on paypal. They even included a couple of links for me to click on to have my account verified. Of course I did not click on the links. But instead went into my account and got a legit phone number and called them to verify it wasn't from them, which it wasn't. So please, please remember to never click or call numbers listed inside emails from anyone asking for personal information. Always look closely at the email address and if it looks wrong, go through a trusted site or call and verify. My son put together a free guide (you have to sign up to get the guides & while there check out the 'Scam'N Ya' Meeting blog he put up, cute but serious) and youtube video (below) on gaming scammers but the tips in it and how to spot scammers can be applied to anything.
Have a great day!
As always, Dec 5, 2011 6 Frugal Food Tips (continued)
(continued from yesterday) 4) Start a garden. Now’s the time to get it started! It doesn’t take much–find a spot in your backyard somewhere or in containers on the patio or windowsill even. There are books about every type of gardening imaginable at the library for free! You don’t need a gigantic field! 5) Try the dollar store. You know those stores where everything costs $1? Lots of stuff you won’t want, but I’ve seen spices there for next to nothing (2 for $1) and dairy and what-have-you just marked WAY down. Watch it though–some stuff is actually more than the regular grocery store–especially the canned stuff. 6) Really strapped? Have you checked out Angel Food Ministries? Unbelievable deal on a basket of food each week–$65 worth of food for $30. No choices, but your family will be well fed, check it out, www.angelfoodministries.com That’s all I’ve got for now, but listen…you cannot eat cheap if you don’t have a plan. And even if you do have a plan, you need to be flexible too! See my point #1 about chicken to see what I mean. Leanne Ely is a New York Times best-selling author and the author of the Saving Dinner series. According to Woman’s Day Magazine, she is the expert on family cooking. Her media experience includes multi-city book tours, satellite media tours, QVC several times as well as guesting on several national television shows, including HGTV’s Simple Solutions, ABC Family’s Living the Life, Ivanhoe’s Smart Woman, Small Talk for Parents and Talk of the Town. She has guest chef-ed on the cooking show, Carolina Cooks and has taught cooking classes all over the country for Bloomingdale’s.
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As always,
 Dec 5, 2011 6 Frugal Food TipsA great little saving article By Leanne Ely, C.N.C. In the economy of things, it’s our own home economies that may be taking as hard a hit as our own country’s! This may be true for you and people you know, but you know what my answer to that is! Take it out on your grocery budget! This is the ONE place that you can hit hard and make a huge difference. Here’s another list of 6 things you can do now to make a difference on this week’s food budget: 1) Shop EARLY. How early? Well, get there about an hour after the store is open and before the crowds get there. Why? This is when you get your choice of markdowns. I bought a package of 4 plump chicken thighs on sale for about $1 a package–they had a $2 off sticker. I bought all 6 packages and am using them in place of boneless skinless chicken breasts till they’re gone. Marked down produce is equally abundant early in the morning. It’s worth going early! 2) Make your own spaghetti sauce off of marked down tomatoes or BOGO canned tomatoes. Make your own everything–it doesn’t take much and it will save you significantly. It’s not hard to make chicken broth out of the roasted leftover chicken you had Sunday night and that will give you another meal in the form of soup! 3) Make your own baby food. Check out the savings on this one: 1 bag of carrots is about .89 at my grocery store. A jar of strained carrots is about the same price. You can get about 12 servings out of that bag of carrots! Do the math–huge savings! And we have a baby food menu to help you do this, too!
(to be continued) Leanne Ely is a New York Times best-selling author and the author of the Saving Dinner series. According to Woman’s Day Magazine, she is the expert on family cooking. Her media experience includes multi-city book tours, satellite media tours, QVC several times as well as guesting on several national television shows, including HGTV’s Simple Solutions, ABC Family’s Living the Life, Ivanhoe’s Smart Woman, Small Talk for Parents and Talk of the Town. She has guest chef-ed on the cooking show, Carolina Cooks and has taught cooking classes all over the country for Bloomingdale’s.
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As always,
Nov 29, 2011 Your Shopping List
Have a great day!
As always,
Nov 27, 2011 Combine the Two
Want to make some money for the holidays? Consider a home business. Here are a few fun ones to consider and who knows they could serve a dual purpose - gifts for family and friends and make a little money for the holidays and who knows you could turn them into a home business to help with the finances and more:
* Yummy Arts! Make and sell goodie baskets. * Veggie Bouquets - Free how to videos and a few recipes. Alot of folks love homemade gifts but just don't have the time to do it themselves. So the two above are great for selling and giving. Looking for some gift ideas check out the gift jars page or the Holiday Savings page for more money saving gift ideas. If you'll be making your gifts, start getting your supplies together now to make putting the gifts together easier over the next few weeks. These next couple of ideas can be all year long businesses (of course the ones mentioned above can be too). * Greeting Card Business or Just Add Sweat's Guide to Start a Santa Letter Business Go check them out and who knows you may get an idea for another home business.
Have a Wonderful Evening!
Saving Money Makes Cents Nov 25, 2011 Peanut Butter Brownie Mix / Blondie Mix Gift Jar RecipesPeanut Butter Brownie Mix / Blondie Mix Gift Jar Recipes Permalink -- click for full blog post "Peanut Butter Brownie Mix / Blondie Mix Gift Jar Recipes" Nov 24, 2011 Happy Thanksgiving
Have a Wonderful and Blessed Day! From Our Family to Yours
Nov 21, 2011 A Couple Tips to Help Curb Impulse Buying
Also if you think you will still do some impulse buying, take only enough money with you to buy what is on your list and leave your checkbook and/or debit card at home. Set a date also as to when you'll do no more shopping for the Holidays. Double check you're pantry (make sure you have everything you need for your Holiday cooking) and gifts a week before this date. Stay on budget and Say no to impulse shopping and you won’t over spend. I was probably the worst for trying to second guess myself on gift giving and yes I was an impulse buyer (that was part of what put me in credit card debt years ago, but no more). Have a Great Day!
As always, Nov 18, 2011 Online Shopping
If you are going to be doing any of your shopping online, now is the time to start looking for the sales. Everyone has them going now! Go check out your favorite sites now, and if you haven't done so, make sure you sign up for their email specials. You know shipping can be a bit costly, I seldom pay for shipping when I shop online. Make sure and sign up for the sites' email specials/newsletters, because now is the time they'll start sending out free or low cost shipping emails. Don't wait until the last minute to place your orders, you don't want to have to pay for expedited shipping in order to get your order in time for Christmas. And don't forget to check out the sale, clearance or bargain basement pages, who knows you may find the perfect gift there and save even more! Have a great day!
As always,
Oct 28, 2011 Did you hear....3 Will Win a Freezer
Saving Dinner is having their biannual Super “Freezer Frenzy” Blowout Sale on all of their popular “save you in a crunch” freezer menus, and they’re giving away a brand new Upright Freezer to each of 3 lucky winners! Go check out the contest and see what else you could win (oh yes, this ends next week, winners will be announced November 4th). Now if you haven’t checked out Saving Dinner before you really should, they have great recipes, tips, articles and more. Have a great day!
As always,
knowing the answer to the never ending "What's for dinner" question in your home. Subscribe to our weekly Menu-Mailer menu plan today! Oct 25, 2011 Online Shopping
Don't wait until the last minute to place your orders, you don't want to have to pay for expedited shipping in order to get your order in time for Christmas. And finally, don't forget to check out the sale, clearance or bargain basement page, who knows you may find the perfect gift there and save even more. Have a great day!
As always, Aug 27, 2011 Your Home BusinessYour home business, need a way to help with the finances consider a home business, work your hours around the kids. Permalink -- click for full blog post "Your Home Business" Aug 17, 2011 Healthy Dessert and Breakfast Recipes
My partners over at Prograde have done it again! They've just released this brand new ebook that you can download 100% free . Well, for a limited time that is. I've been told they will start charging $30 for it soon. So save some money and get your free copy now.
This e-book is packed with recipes for cookies, muffins, cakes, candies and more yummy sweets! As well as all kinds of healthy, tasty breakfast recipes! I grabbed my copy yesterday and they've got awesome breakfast, snack and dessert ideas in there you will LOVE. Do like cheesecake? I love cheesecake in fact it's a downfall of mine, there's a recipe in there for Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries, what could be better? Unless you love chocolate, there's recipes in there for you! You don't have to be a professional chef to make them ;-) Get your 51 Fat Fighting Recipes here before they start charging for the book. And don’t forget to let me know which one is your favorite! Enjoy!
Have a Wonderful Evening! Jul 21, 2011 Recycle – Make Money & a Cute Video
Check out this cute video – Merlin says “Grrrr-Recycle don’t throw it away”. (you may need to turn the sound up a little to hear Merlin) Enjoy! And if it made you smile and/or laugh don’t forget to “Like” and “Share” the video.
As always, Saving Money Makes Cents Jul 15, 2011 Saving Money in the Kitchen & Ice Cream
These bagged spices can normally be found on an end isle by the produce center. They are normally labeled as an ethnic product, but most are the same spices that are in the jars. Most of those packages are about 50 cents for the small bags and between $1 and $1.50 for the larger ones. Another great place to find these is at the dollar stores, just check the expiration date on the bags. So the next time you buy spices remember to check out the spice bags first. Click here for my favorite simple all round cooking spice.
Now for the Ice Cream! Hillbilly Housewife is running a fun special right now. She has a cool new e-book out called "Homemade Ice Cream and Other Frozen Treats". She’s having a little fun with the pricing she started the e-book out at $3 today (July 14th) but the price will go up by 50 cents a day until the book reaches its final price of $7.00. So if you’re interested in it now is the time to get it before the price rises and rises and rises…….
Have a Great Day!
As always, Jul 11, 2011 Extreme Couponer – Not Me!
And this past weekend was a great example. I bought $60 worth of items that we use on a regular basis and the final cost of the items was less than $4. I love when that happens. Of course, I utilized several things to make this happen. 1st the items were on sale; 2nd i used my rewards card to get the sale price as well as additional rewards coupons; 3rd I used clipped coupons and finally I utilized rebates, making my final cost less than 7% of the original price or to make it sound even better saving over 93% or I could say free only paying the taxes or less. Pretty cool. Now I don’t spend hours on couponing, in fact I spend less than 1 hour a week. When the ads come out, I take a quick look through them keeping a pad and pencil handy to write down anything we could use. I then check for coupons already clipped and any new ones in the weekend paper. I also don’t drive all over to save on the deals, that defeats the purpose, if I have to spend money on gas running all over I’m not really saving. So for example this past weekend, we stopped at one of the drug stores that was next to where we were having breakfast. And then because I knew the sale was ending that day and I had to pick up a prescription, we went to our regular drug store and made our next purchases, again utilizing clipped coupons, the rewards coupons (received earlier that day), sales and rebates. Making Saturday a great saving day. Not bad for less than one hour of my time. So which would you rather do spend your hard earned money or a few minutes of your time and save money? Have a Great Day!
As always,
Jul 9, 2011 Money Saving Tips – Part 2
4. Carpool. If you can, I know not everyone can, but try carpooling, not only do you save money on fuel, but you also save on the wear and tear on your vehicle. If you have to drive a distance to work, it's also nice to have the company and to also let someone else do the driving once in a while. 5. Buy on Sale/Use those coupons. You will be surprised how much you can save by buying what you need on sale and using coupons. Yes coupons can be a pain sometimes, so try sticking to coupons that save you a dollar or more. There are also some grocery stores that have the option to load coupons on their rewards cards. Which is pretty cool, and there are even times that I have been able to save with a coupon loaded on my card and a clipped coupon, saving even more. Another quick tip, buy items on sale that offer a rebate. I've used coupons with the rebate and actually wound up making money. Of course I have to wait for the rebate check, but I was going to buy the item anyways. For more ideas on how to save with coupons - check out this e-book on 101 Coupon Tips to save More at the Store Check it out here!. With purchase of the ebook you get 9 bonuses of several e-cookbooks --- one of them a crockpot cookbook. And the nice thing about ebooks is you don't have to wait for your books to arrive in the mail, you just download them to your printer or print them out at your leisure or just read them from your computer. Using just one of these tips alone may not save you much money, but when you combine several of these tips and others together and save, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised how much you're actually saving. Have a Great Evening! As always,Saving Money Makes Cents
P.S. If you haven't already signed up for Groupon's deals you really should. Today the special was 26 weeks of our weekend newspaper for only $10. My subscription was just running out so this was a deal I jumped on. I saved over 65%.
Jul 7, 2011 5 Money Saving Tips – Part 1
1. Stop shopping at convenience stores. Convenience stores are famous for being more expensive, compared to grocery stores. If it isn't worth the trouble to go to a grocery store, you probably don't need the item anyway. Make a list weekly when you do your shopping so that you can avoid having to run to the convenience store. And remember shop only once a week. You’ll be surprised how much you’ll save with this one little tip. The more often you shop the more you spend. 2. Avoid those late fees when paying bills. Pay your bills on time! It’s amazing how those late fees add up and how much you are charged. If the problem is a lack of organization or just plain forgetting, set your bills up for online auto pay (you set the day of month you want them paid). Just remember if you put your bills on auto pay to make sure you have the money in your account, this is where having a budget/financial plan is great. If you don’t put your bills on autopay then how about programing a reminder into your phone, or use a reminder service like the Google's calendar feature that can send you a text or email to let you know when due dates are coming up. 3. Save your change. I’ve said it before, but this really is an easy way to save money. Make it a habit to put all that pocket change in a jar at the end of each day. Use cash to pay for most things and instead of trying to give the right change, only use the bills. When you get home, drop those coins in a jar and watch it fill up. You will be surprised at how quickly it adds up. We have filled jars several times a year and used the change for mini weekend getaways. (to be continued) Have a Great Day!
As always,
Get the 2011 Entertainment Book for just $8.99 plus Free Shipping. Valid through 7/13/11. Jun 1, 2011 Fun and Frugal Family Outings - #2
Parks are great for day trips. Those with playground equipment can keep the little ones entertained for hours. Some parks even have hiking trails which are great for exercise and exploring. Many also have picnic areas, so you can pack a lunch or have a barbecue instead of eating out. Check ahead of time and see if they have a day fee, most of the time if they do it is minimal. Wildlife refuges are also a great place to teach the kids about nature and get some great pictures. Normally these are free to tour and have a drive and walking route. Again don't forget to take your cameras and see how many different wildlife you see. We have a couple in our area that we just discovered. It's just wonderful to drive around and take pictures of the beautiful landscape, flowers & of course the wildlife. Well this month has been mainly about saving money while on vacation or traveling. I hope these tips and suggestions have helped. Have a Great Day!
As always,
May 29, 2011 Fun and Frugal Family Outings - #1
For example even a simple afternoon or evening at the movies, by the time you buy your tickets, popcorn/snacks and drinks, can add up to $50 or more bill for just 2 or 3 people. Using coupons can help if you can find some for the movies, but how about some cheaper things to do for family outings. Here is one idea and watch for another one or two in a couple days; Nature Outings The great outdoors offers a treasure of possibilities for family outings. Camping is a wonderful activity for families, and it doesn't have to be costly. It can be as simple as pitching a tent in the back yard or rent a space at a campground. Bring the grill and some hamburgers or hot dogs for lunch & dinner, or catch some fish to fry. Did you know that once or twice a year the fish & game department offers a free fishing day, you don't need a fishing license. This would be a great day to introduce the kids to fishing. If you don't want to use the fish you catch for dinner, then just teach the little ones about catch and release. This is our favorite way to fish, when we want a day away from it all we go to one of our favorite fishing spots and fish all day, releasing what we catch to live for another day. Have a Great Day!
As always, May 27, 2011 More Traveling Saving Tips
Don't forget to check out the hotel's information binder in your room also, sometimes you'll find a coupon in it for dinning out or even local attraction. And don’t forget when you're checking in, see what coupons / flyers are on the check in counter or on their information wall. So as you can see you can have a great vacation on a tight budget with a little pre-planning. Hope these tips have been helpful.
Have a great evening!
As always, May 24, 2011 Go Ahead Signing Up Is Free
> The first is Groupon – they will send you daily or weekly coupon deals that are for your area. You decide if any are what you want. I have tried them out once so far and they worked real well. For our trip later this year, I went ahead and signed up again under another email address for that city, just in case there are any Groupon coupons we could use. How Groupon works is you pay the discount price for a coupon to use saving normally 50% or more. > LivingSocial.com, I signed up for this one but no offers in our area yet. I believe it works the same way as Groupon works.
This one is not free but you can’t beat the price -- the 2011 Entertainment Book for just $15 plus Free Shipping! Offer valid through May 26.
Have a great evening!
As always, May 22, 2011 Vacation Savings
This last week I was talking with a coworker about couponing and we were discussing the extreme couponing show on TV and the different ways we save with coupons and rebates. And the subject came up on how to save while on vacation. Her tip which I never thought about, but is along the same idea of the coupon books, was once she knew where they would be staying, she would go online and see what restaurants were close by and then check out their websites and look for coupons or specials like ‘kids eat free’. She was telling me how they, a family of 4 (on a very tight budget), with two growing boys (and we all know how growing boys can eat), were about to have a 5 day vacation for around $500. Now that is extremely cheap, when you consider this paid for travel, hotel, meals and attraction tickets. So with a little creativity, research and pre-planning it’s amazing how much you can save. Have a vacation savings tip you’d like to share, email me.
Have a great evening!
As always,
May 15, 2011 Lists and Saving
What about that upcoming vacation, you plan where you want to go, but do you plan how much you want to spend and on what? By making a list when planning your vacation you can list how much you want or will need to spend on each aspect of your vacation. You may find that in order to buy those souvenirs you may need to cut back on something else. Or on your vacation planning list you may have listed to look for coupon saving books for your vacation. Or even sign up for specials with hotels in the area you may be vacationing. We discovered that by purchasing a theme park's annual pass that most give additional coupons you can use while there (and of course on future visits). I don’t know about you but I don’t like to rush my vacation and even if it includes a theme park, it’s nice to just take our time an perhaps go 2 or 3 days, making that annual pass well worth the money. Don't forget to start that vacation savings account also so you don't have to wonder how your going to cover it all at the last minute. Plan ahead, make that list and save some money.
Have a great evening!
Hotel Savings Alert! Save up to 50% on Your Hotel with Travelocity. Apr 5, 2011 Cakes, Cookies and Candies, Oh My!
Well you can, here’s a great site to check out if you’re interested in making and decorating cakes, cookies and candies. They have online training videos (and I love learning from videos) and a community of many others, who, like you are interested in decorating cakes and other goodies. They have stories, recipes, pictures and much more. This is a membership site, which means you'll learn new tips every month. You get over 100 Step-by-Step "How To" Videos which are available members 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, right from the moment you join. Free step-by-step how to videos are added to your library every month! Full-length "Video Tip of the Week" on Cake, Cookie or Candy Techniques. Access to hundreds of Cake, Cookie, and Candy articles and answers to your questions. They even have special members only contests and giveaways and much, much more. Not only would this be great for impressing your family and friends on those outings and functions, but you could start a home business making cakes and other goodies. How cool would that be?! Ok, enough of my jabbering go check them out here at ===> Yummy Arts! And don't forget to check out some of the cute cakes and candies some of their members have made.
After you make your first (or 2nd or 3rd or....) goodie from your lesson drop me a line and let me know what a hit it was. Have a great evening!
As always, Dec 22, 2010 Goodies - Gift Jar RecipesGoodies - Gift Jar Recipes - free gift jar recipes for cookies, cakes, muffins and more..... Permalink -- click for full blog post "Goodies - Gift Jar Recipes" Dec 10, 2010 Pumpkin Bread Mix, Pecan Bread Mix, Peanut Choco Chip Bread Gift Jar Recipes: Pumpkin Bread Mix, Pecan Bread Mix and Peanut Chocolate Chip Bread Mix Gift Jar Recipes, make your own gifts and not only save money but make your gifts unique..... |
