Category Archives: cutting costs

Great Money Saving Site

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I just received an email informing me of my Ebates.com payout coming! If you do not use ebates.com to do your online shopping you are missing out on free money. All you need to do is go to the site and create an account and search the store you wish to shop at a list of coupons available and the cash back percentage you will receive will be listed. I earned $17.77 in the month of December simply by visiting them first! It may not seem like much but when you pair it with coupons and deal searching you can use it as another tool to cut costs. Love to see people save especially in these times.

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Thrifty Tuesday: Under $15 at Target

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As promised every Tuesday will be outlining some of the deals available. This is my shopping trip of savings this week at Target. I was really disappointed this trip so Target may be off the rotation for a bit!
These coupons were found at target.com and Target mobile which you can sign up for here!
Almay makeup remover $1.47 – $1.00 = $.47
Gray tank $6.00 -$3.00 off coupon = $3.00
Purple shirt $6.00 – 20% off coupon = $4.80
Cotton balls $.99 -$.50 = $.49
Pasta $1.00
Sauce $1.00
-$1.00 off both =$.50 each!
Coke $3.33 (someone must have been thirsty!)
Total = $14.36 savings of $13.69!

Fourth of July Pretzel Snacks

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Today was a great day of getting out of the house. We had a play date that ended in melt down city so when we came off to bed little one went to bed. I had an unusual amount of energy today though so decided to tackle this simple “recipe”.

Pretzel sticks Ingredients:

- Pretzel Rods

- White chocolate mmmm

- sprinkles

That is it yay.

You will also need wax paper and a baking sheet to set them on to chill.

1. Melt Chocolate in microwave 30 seconds for each square. Stir to smooth consistency.

2. Lick spoon.

3. Dip pretzel sticks in chocolate and let drip excess.

4. Sprinkle with super festive colors.

5. Lay on wax lined baking sheet and let harden in fridge. 30 minutes.

After they are hardened you can decorate. I used saran wrap and ribbon so they were easy to hand out.
Total time spent dipping, sprinkling, chilling and decorating about 2 hours. Total money spent around $9.00.

The First Weekend of Summer

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It is here! The reason for floppy hats, indulgent ice cream desserts and Fourth of July themed foods. The family and I decided to venture out and find some great deals.

First is was an Amish Farm Stand with the most beautiful tomatoes I have seen. The hubs does not enjoy tomatoes, eep I know, so I bought an amazing onion. It must be the growing baby in me but I wholly, maybe a little too much, enjoyed the smell of this onion. I am planning on creating some rings Sunday night to go with burgers on the grill. This baby appreciates quality!

We also found an abundance of pies and breads that were calling to me but I held back. Once the gentleman told us of watermelon coming next week I knew we’d be back! My husband picked out some honey in his unending quest to find real good honey for his tea. Over the course of our marriage I have gotten quite the giggle out of the varieties of the sugary substance that have graced our home. So far no winners…here’s hoping.

So that was our big purchase at the stand. We also stopped by Walgreens for a great deal they are currently having on select Suave hair products. They are priced a $1.00 each and if you buy 2 you get $2.00 register rewards. So I paid $2.00 and tax for the original purchase of shampoo and used my coupon to get to more free. There was a limit of one reward. I also scored free polish with a $1.00 off coupon! So goes my adventures of living in simplicity.

Since my family and I have learned/continue to learn to cut spending and limit wasteful purchasing the weekends are all that sweeter. Peace is found in the simplicity of life now instead of the excess. It also does not hurt to indulge in a snow cone once in a while…now THAT’S living! :)

How to Have a Successful Yardsale

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So the husband and I will be having a Yardsale this weekend and I would love to share some of my tips for a great sale.

1. I learned from our last sale that you must start early!This is so important since “salers” are early risers. They try to get out early to find the best items before everyone else. If you want traffic I advise a 7 am or 8 am start time.

2. Be organized! No one wants to dig. I thought I’d I grouped the baby clothes all together someone would look through them for the size they wanted. Nope they glanced and moved on quickly if they didn’t see what they wanted. So I learned the hard way to group the clothes by size, style and item. I sold much more much faster.

3. Talk. How ackward is it to browse a selection with a seller leering at you. A friendly disposition pays off in the end. And you might find a way to offer them more. “You have a son? I have a ton of boys clothes here.” It helps, trust me!

4. Have change. People rarely carry cash nowadays so if they have anything it’s probably fresh out of the ATM. If you don’t have change you’ll probably lose their money all together.

5. This I can not stress enough,
advertise. Signs just don’t cut it anymore. Still use them in addition to more new age attempts. Many towns have a yard sale Facebook page or Craigslist devotion. Utilize these.

6. Remember to price reasonably. People expect to get a deal. You do not have to give things away but think what you would pay second hand for these items.

7. Set a sale for several days. If you can have a Saturday and Sunday or Friday and Saturday sale. You will get different traffic on each day.

8. Be negotiable. Haggling is fun. Try it!

Good luck with your sale. I’d love to hear some additional tips in the comments!

Roast Chicken Repurposed Ten Ways

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Mmm…how I craved one tonight! I bought a small five pound bird for a small price and am already considering all the things I can make with the leftovers. As I stated in my guest post on moneysavingmom.com I love cooking chicken. It can be repurposed so many ways. Here are my top ten.
1. Sliced Chicken and gravy. This was one of my Mother’s third day leftover favorites. After serving the Chicken for two days she would often whip up her favorite gravy with flour, chicken stock and butter in a skillet on the stove. She would then simmer the meat for a few minutes to repurpose it into a whole new meal!
2. Chicken salad sandwich. There are a million go to varieties of this meal. My preferred having low fat mayo, diced red grapes and celery on a whole wheat roll.
3. Chicken soup. After picking all meat off the bone you can add noodles, a variety of vegetables and the chicken to stock you easily have a kitchen go to!
4. Chicken tacos. After having made these using a variety of spices I discovered my husbands favorite using McCormick’s spicy taco packets and very small pieces of diced chicken breasts.
5. Chicken fajitas. Again these can be made simply with a pre made spice packet in you grocery aisle and a few other ingredients.
6. Chicken and dumplings. Left over roast chicken is perfect for this recipe!
7. Chicken and enchiladas. Also a great use for leftovers for here.
8. Classic chicken sandwich. I love shaved chicken breast, mayo, tomato and lettuce on wheat bread. The real reason my “eating for two” self roasted a chicken tonight. Amazing!!
9. Chopped chicken salad. Veggies get a protein kick with this addition.
10. A chicken casserole. With the meat already made you can easily whip one up in less than 30 minutes in one pan. An ideal meal.

By buying a whole chicken instead of breasts you can save up to 50% off. With a little creativity and a few on hand ingredients you can serve the cooked meat many different ways before you family tires of frugality. What are your favorite ways to repurpose a chicken?

Kid’s Cowboy Party Idea!

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My little man turned one this week and I had so much fun planning his party. We were creative with the cowboy theme and turned some old cardboard boxes into an “outlaw city” that the kids loved. We also started up the fire pit for Smores that were a huge hit. I made almost fifty packages and had only one left post party!  The men folk had a friendly apple bobbin’ competition that brought lots of laughs and our dime store mustaches were a bigger hit than I thought they would be. It just goes to show you that you do not have to spend a ton to make big memories.

Do you have any great Birthday party tips or ideas? I would love to hear them!