Simple Savings: Bring that Gas/Electric Bill Down This Winter!

Who doesn't want to see their gas/electric bill go down, especially during the winter months!  So far we've been blessed with a very mild, sometimes warm winter here in Michigan.  Can't tell you how thankful we are for that since we've really been able to keep our bill manageable.  But, of course, we will still be seeing some cold, cold days and need to make the most of what we have.  Here are a few ideas on how to save a little money.  Some ideas you might refuse to try (like giving up my long, hot showers in the morning) and some are obvious but hopefully you'll find some that you might want to give a try!

*Turn Down the Thermostat - That's what sweaters and blankets are for!  Put on your slipper socks, layer up and turn down the thermostat!  My mom watches the girls on occasion when I have to work and she has learned to dress warm at our house!

*Block Drafts - Those drafty windows and doors can really take a toll on your wallet!  Break out the sewing machine (or a friend with a sewing machine) and make draft blockers for your drafty doors and windows!  It is amazingly easy (and cheap) to make!  We also bought energy efficient curtains (from Meijer - grabbed them on a 15% off general merchandise day) for the girls' room.  Not only does it block out the light but it also blocks out the drafts! 
Here's what Reader Tanya did:
Last year I pried up all of our baseboards, bought cans of spray foam, and went all along the bottom of every outside touching wall. I can not tell you enough how much that has helped the draftiness in our house!, I also sprayed around the door frames and windows on the outside. I think it cost me maybe $25.00 total.

*Put Plastic Over the Windows - You can buy plastic that you can put up on the windows and seal with a hair dryer.  The girls' room is the coldest room in our house (besides the basement) so the first year that we lived in our house, we bought some of this plastic and sealed the windows.  It really did help! (Thanks, Kristen!)

*Unplug Everything You Aren't Using - If it's plugged in, it's using energy!  We unplug just about everything we can think of.  Turn off the lights, unplug the tv, head upstairs to bed!

*Charge Things During the Day - Most people charge their cell phones before they go to bed but they don't need 8 hours to charge.  Plug them in when you get home from work or while you're making dinner.  Then, when it's done charging, you can unplug it.  Same goes for computers, iPods........

*Turn Off the Lights - Do I sound like your mother? If you aren't in the room, turn it off.  Use natural light when you can.  Saves you money and it's much more pleasant than the lights!

*Take Short, Warm Showers - Instead of long, hot showers.  I absolutely LOVE my hot showers in the morning.  It's my time and I drag it out as long as possible but it costs money to heat that water.  If you don't want to get rid of the long, hot showers completely, consider taking one every other day or making it a once or twice a week treat. 

*Take a Shower at the Gym - If you have a gym membership, take advantage of the showers!  You can take a long, hot shower and not worry about what it does to your gas/electric bill!

*Skip a Shower or a Bath - Unless you're stinky of course!  The girls usually take a bath every night or every other night in the summer but during the winter months, they don't get as sweaty or dirty so we might skip a night or two between baths.  And, I'll be honest, I usually skip a shower once week as well.

*Upgrade to Energy Star Appliances and CFL Lightbulbs - I'm not saying you should go out and buy all new appliances but as you need to replace them or as you save up the money, switch them out for Energy Star appliances.  Yes, there is a significant cost up front (for the appliances), but you will save in the long run!

*Wash your Clothes in Cold Water and on the Shortest Cycle - If you are just washing your regular clothes, there is no need to wash them on the heavy cycle.  It takes longer and costs more.  And switch from hot or warm wash to cold.  (Thanks, Karen!)

*Line Dry Your Clothes - Or do half and half.  You don't need a clothesline outside to try this.  Hang a clothesline in your basement or in your laundry room.  Or just use a clothes drying rack.  In the past I've given this a try and found my clothes to be a little stiff.  Now I let the clothes lay out to dry and before they dry completely, I throw them in the dryer to finish drying and fluff up a bit. 

*Fill Up Your Freezer - Apparently freezers are more efficient when they are full.  If you don't have the food to fill it up, fill up some jugs or bottles of water and add them to your freezer. 

*Move Frozen Jugs to the Refrigerator - Put jugs of water in the freezer overnight and transfer them into the refrigerator.  As they thaw, it makes the refrigerator run more efficiently.  Not sure where I read this but I think I might have to give it a try.

*Use a Crockpot - This is also a great trick for the summer.  The oven gives off so much heat and uses much more energy.  Try the crockpot instead!  (Thanks, Lisa!)

*Close Off Rooms - If there are rooms in the house that you don't use often, close them up.  Don't pay to heat rooms that you aren't using! 

What do you do in your house to keep your gas/electric bill down during the winter months?

GlassesUSA.com: Get Your Glasses Online!

For those of us that wear eyeglasses, it is just one of those purchases we have to make.  Our prescription changes, we need new glasses.  Something breaks, we need to get a new pair.  Typically it's not one of those things that most of us look for a really good deal on.  Sure, we check out the less expensive frames, but we expect it to be expensive. 

But....there are ways to save!  Have you considered ordering your glasses online?  Currently GlassesUSA.com has some great coupon codes available as well as some easy earning opportunities:

::Buy any 2 pairs of glasses and get all 3 protective lens coatings AND U.S. shipping for FREE. Code: PERFECTPAIR.
::Take $25 off any order of glasses with Transitions lenses with the code: Trans25.
::Take 10% off any order. Code: Blog10.
::Refer-a-Friend program - Refer a friend and you'll both get $30! The more friends you earn, the more money you'll earn!
::Sign up for email updates and you'll get a $5 coupon instantly!

Here are some things you should know about GlassesUSA.com:
*They have a virtual mirror tool on the site so that you can "try on" glasses before you buy them!
*110% Lowest Price Guarantee.
*100% Satisfaction Guarantee.
*Facebook page: Stay up-to-date on all the latest happenings and deals available!
*Large selection of glasses, including sunglassess, rimless, vintage style, and many more!
*Clearance section with a lot of options!
*They provide a detailed how-to guide to order glasses on GlassesUSA.com

Head on over to GlassesUSA.com and check out all of the glasses they have to offer!

Disclaimer: This post is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of GlassesUSA.com.

From the Vault: Oh No.....Another Gift!!

Doesn't it always seem like we need to buy a gift for something!?! Birthdays.....Weddings.....New Baby......Graduation.....Christmas......Housewarming.....Mother's Day....and so on! Gifts can be so expensive! Especially when we buy gifts at the last minute!

So, how can we save when it comes to buying gifts?

Make a List/Spreadsheet.

.....of all of the presents that you buy in an entire year. And don't just think birthdays and Christmas. Do you buy gifts for Mother's and Father's Day? Will you have any weddings this year? There's a good chance that you will have at least one unexpected invitation this year! Will you be invited to the wedding shower as well? Do you have any pregnant friends/family members/coworkers? Some other gift giving events - graduation, housewarming.....Can you think of any else?

Buy Ahead and Keep Track.

You've made the list....now what? Keep this list handy and be on the lookout for gifts throughout the year! My daughter LOVES Dora so last fall, Target had Dora swimmies and a Dora inflatable tube on clearance for $.25 each. I just gave these to her for her birthday last week.

And don't forget to keep track of what you buy. It is easy to buy something in October for a birthday in May and completely forget about it. If you write it down on your list, you won't have to worry about forgetting!

Use Reward Programs.

Swagbucks is a great (and EASY) way to get great gifts for FREE! Jeff loves to download new music onto his IPod so I got him a $15 ITunes gift card for Christmas for FREE! Ellie loves to play with the magnets on the fridge so I used the Amazon gift cards that I had earned to buy her Leapfrog Fridge Phonics. She loves it!

If you are a Coca-Cola drinker, you can get some great freebies from My Coke Rewards as well! We get my parents and my in-laws a photo calendar every year for Christmas. I was able to get a credit for a FREE calendar from Snapfish by entering in Coke codes. All I'll have to do is pay for shipping!

Combine, Combine, Combine.

Combine as many sales/coupons/promotions as you can! Yes, it's great when you can buy something on sale but isn't even better when you can buy something on sale with a coupon and receive a store promotion like Kohl's cash all at once! Whenever I get a $10/$10 coupon for Kohl's I try to combine it with clearance items. I have been able to get three shirts for Cailynn on clearance for FREE with the $10/$10 coupon. Save them for her birthday and that's three FREE shirts for her birthday present!

Stock Up on Clearance.

Gotta love Target toy clearance every July!  Did you score some great deals?  Be on the lookout for those clearance tags at all of the stores you shop at.  I often get Easter (and other holiday) books and gifts after the holidays to get them for as low as 90% off!  Same goes for seasonal merchandise!  It's not too early to start thinking about Christmas!!

How do you save on gift giving?

Make Car Payments.....To Yourself

Did you just finish paying off your car? Are you getting close to paying it off? Maybe you paid it off a long time ago and you are enjoying no car payment.

Jeff and I graduated college, got married, and before long, had to start paying the college loans that are so typical of most college graduates. After a few years, we were able to pay them off completely and become debt free. It was an incredible feeling and from that time on, we committed to living a debt free life. We realized that in order to live this lifestyle, we would need to plan ahead.

At the time, I was driving the car I drove in high school and Jeff was driving the car he bought his freshman year of college. We knew that we would need to buy a car in the near future. With no car payments, we started making a car payment to our bank account. Less than a year later, we bought our first van with cash! We continued making car payments to our bank account and replaced it with another van three years later. Again, we paid cash!

Here’s what we have learned through this whole process:

Before You Need a New Car

*Finish paying for your current car: If you have not paid off your current car, see what you can do in your budget to make higher payments so that you can pay it off sooner. If that’s not possible, continue making the payments. When you have paid off your current vehicles, transfer that monthly payment to yourself.

*Open a savings account just for your car payments: This is not something that we have done but I can see how it can be beneficial. Having a separate bank account keeps the money separate from the rest of your savings and will make it less likely that you will spend it on something else.

*Use direct deposit: If you have the option, have the payment go directly into the savings account. Not only does it make it easier, but there won’t be as much temptation to put the payment elsewhere.

*Drive your car until it costs more than its worth: Jeff still drives my car from high school to and from work. It works well enough to get him there and back.

Time to Get a Car
*Set a budget: Decide on a price that you are not willing to go above and don’t go above it. We had a price in mind that was the absolute highest we were willing to pay. We found a van that we liked but with taxes, it was $300 more than we wanted to pay. $300 doesn’t sound like much but it was higher than we wanted to pay so we decided to pass on it. We ended up finding a newer van with less miles for less.

*Don’t rush: If you can take your time and shop around, do it! We didn’t know a lot about prices when we first started car shopping so the longer we shopped around, the more we learned. And we were able to get the price we wanted for the van we wanted.

Time to Start Over Again

*Continue making payments to yourself!

Have you been able to pay cash for your car? Tell me your story. Do you have any other advice?

How Do You Save On Children's Clothes?

Photo Courtesy of Kristi

Yesterday on the Spectacular Savings Facebook page, I asked you how you save on children's clothes.  I thought I would share some of the great tips that people gave and see if you have any more to add!

1) Garage Sales/Mom to Mom Sales:  This is a great way to save on clothes and you can often find clothes with the tags on them or that have little wear and tear.  Personally, I prefer the Mom to Mom sales because I know that I will find a variety of sizes when I go!  I don't tend to have as much patience for garage sales.  But my friend did point out to me this morning that Craigslist has made that even easier!  Rather than hoping a sale will have your size, people are listing the sizes they will have at the garage sale.

2) Buying "Lots" on Ebay:  I have only purchased a handful of things on Ebay in the last ten years so I am not a great resource for this one.  Christina said that she never spends more than $1/piece.  And Jessica mentioned that many of the "lots" have pictures so you can see what you are getting!

3) Hand Me Downs:  Definitely don't rule these out!  My girls are lucky to have older cousins and anytime we have some gaps, their aunt helps fill them!  Also, check with friends.  Ellie just grew out of her sandals and I really didn't want to buy a new pair when summer is almost over.  We were able to borrow a pair from a friend until the summer is over!

4) Outlet Stores: While I think that the main part of store tends to be overpriced, they always have a nice section in the back filled with great deals.  And you can often pair it with a coupon!  You will also find the best deals at the end of the season.

5) Store/Credit Card Rewards Programs: Use the rewards and perks to purchase clothes! 

6) Grandma:  This was my favorite!  Grandmas are great for new clothes!  When it comes to buying clothes, I don't spend full price, but grandma does! 

Here are a few that I am adding:

7) End of the Season Sales:  My favorite end of the season sale is at Old Navy!  I have gotten the most adorable clothes for $1 or less!  Most of Cailynn's shorts this summer were from Old Navy's sale last summer!  I've also had great luck at Kohl's, JCPenney, even Meijer!

8) Stacking Coupons/Sales/Promotions: Just like with anything, the more deals you add together, the less expensive it gets!!  Several times a year, Kohl's comes out with a $10/$10 coupon (hoping to get one soon!).  Match that up with some clearance items and a 15% off coupon and get them for FREE or close to it!

9) Consignment Shops:  The picture above was Kristi's haul from a local consignment shop that was having an amazing sale.  She was able to get 37 pieces for less than $30!!

Do you have anything to add? 

Have a Wedding Shower Coming Up?

Looking for a gift idea?  Contrary to popular belief, you don't always have to buy off of the gift registry.  Sometimes the best and most remembered gifts are the most practical, useful gifts!  One of my favorite gifts was a storage container filled with wrapping paper, bows, ribbon, tape, and a pair of scissors.  I still use it to this day.  Was it on my registry?  Nope!

I went to a wedding shower a couple of weekends ago.  My gift.....a laundry basket filled with household cleaners.  I spent about $5 total on the gift but it was worth over $60! 

I bought this laundry basket for full price because I needed it now.  While I didn't spend a lot of money, I certainly could have gotten it for less if I had planned ahead.  I am hoping to snatch some up when the back to school/college stuff goes on clearance this year!

Do you have any frugal wedding shower gift ideas?

Invited to a Graduation Open House or Two?

Trying to figure out what to get as a gift? 

We have been invited to two open houses this year.  Both girls are headed to college in the fall so I bought a container that can easily be used for storage and filled it with items that they will need during the school year.  A gift that is useful, practical, and will save them some money!

And guess how much I paid for it......$0 but it is worth over $60!  All of the items inside the container were either FREE or made me money and I used a Target gift card that I earned on Monday to "buy" the container!  On sale at Target for $3.99 this week.

Are you invited to any open houses this year?  Do you have another frugal gift idea?  I would love to hear more ideas!

Oh No.....Another Gift!

 

Doesn't it always seem like we need to buy a gift for something!?!  Birthdays.....Weddings.....New Baby......Graduation.....Christmas......Housewarming.....Mother's Day....and so on!  Gifts can be so expensive!  Especially when we buy gifts at the last minute! 

So, how can we save when it comes to buying gifts?

Make a List/Spreadsheet

.....of all of the presents that you buy in an entire year. And don't just think birthdays and Christmas. Do you buy gifts for Mother's and Father's Day? Will you have any weddings this year? There's a good chance that you will have at least one unexpected invitation this year! Will you be invited to the wedding shower as well? Do you have any pregnant friends/family members/coworkers? Some other gift giving events - graduation, housewarming.....Can you think of any else?

Buy Ahead and Keep Track

You've made the list....now what? Keep this list handy and be on the lookout for gifts throughout the year! My daughter LOVES Dora so last fall, Target had Dora swimmies and a Dora inflatable tube on clearance for $.25 each. I just gave these to her for her birthday last week.

And don't forget to keep track of what you buy. It is easy to buy something in October for a birthday in May and completely forget about it. If you write it down on your list, you won't have to worry about forgetting!

Use Reward Programs

Swagbucks is a great (and EASY) way to get great gifts for FREE! Jeff loves to download new music onto his IPod so I got him a $15 ITunes gift card for Christmas for FREE! Ellie loves to play with the magnets on the fridge so I used the Amazon gift cards that I had earned to buy her Leapfrog Fridge Phonics. She loves it!

If you are a Coca-Cola drinker, you can get some great freebies from My Coke Rewards as well! We get my parents and my in-laws a photo calendar every year for Christmas. I was able to get a credit for a FREE calendar from Snapfish by entering in Coke codes. All I'll have to do is pay for shipping!

Combine, Combine, Combine

Combine as many sales/coupons/promotions as you can!  Yes, it's great when you can buy something on sale but isn't even better when you can buy something on sale with a coupon and receive a store promotion like Kohl's cash all at once!  Whenever I get a $10/$10 coupon for Kohl's I try to combine it with clearance items.  I have been able to get three shirts for Cailynn on clearance for FREE with the $10/$10 coupon.  Save them for her birthday and that's three FREE shirts for her birthday present! 

How do you save on gift giving?
Need some graduation gifts?  Stay tuned for some inexpensive ideas!

Birthday Parties on the Cheap!!

Birthdays and birthday parties are all about fun and memories.  Not about budgets and saving money, right?  But, why can't you do both - create the great memories without breaking the bank!  As you know, I have had several birthdays in my house recently.  I would love to tell you that I'm going to share all of the things that I did to keep the birthdays and birthday parties at a reasonable price but that's not the case.  So I'm going to share some tips that helped me save money as well as some things that I learned along the way!

Plan Ahead!!

This will be the theme throughout!  Planning ahead is key when preparing for a birthday party.  And when I say ahead, I mean start planning the day after your child's last birthday party!  Write down a list of the things that you purchased for the party and some ideas for the next party.  After a party is the best time to make this list since it is fresh in our minds - things that were successful, things that need to be changed, and new ideas that may have come up during the party!

Location

*Have the party at your home! If your home is not big enough, have the party at a family member's house. Or maybe a friend's house. For Cailynn's first birthday (and second), we lived in a small apartment. It would have been impossible to have her party there. So, we had it at her grandparents house.

*If you have your heart set on having the party outside of your home, do your research and keep an open mind. If you have your mind set on a specific location, the price will be set. Look into a variety of options so that you can get the best deal.

Invitations

*Make your own!  What a great way to get your child involved.  Have your child help you create the invitations.  Or, make the invitations yourself.  My mother makes beautiful cards so, in the past, we have made the cards together.

*Look for deals, especially clearance items.  This is where planning ahead comes in.  Start scanning the ends of the aisles for invitations that have been clearanced out!

*Check for deals online!  Take advantage of FREE photo card deals that pop up during the holidays.  Rather than getting holiday cards, turn the photo cards into invitations!

Food and Cake

*Make your own cake!  When I called to order an ice cream cake for Cailynn and Ellie, I was told that the total was $35!!  I was shocked.  So, I decided to try making my own and it turned out great!!  Rather than spending $35, I spent just $7!

*Plan your menu a few months before the party so that you can look for sales on the items you will need.  Cake and frosting were on sale a couple weeks before the party so I was able to stock up for less than $.50 each!

*If someone offers to bring something, let them.  I had several people ask what they could bring and I gave them a few options.

Decorations

*Go easy on the themed decorations!  It can get expensive when you have to buy cups, napkins, plates, etc that follow the same theme.  If you want to have a theme, buy an one or two themed items and get solid colors to match.

*Look for sales, especially clearance!  At the end of the summer seaon, you should find some paper products on clearance.  Shop the aisles.  I was able to pick up Ellie's first birthday plates at Walmart on clearance about six months before her birthday!

*Blow up your balloons!  Because I went to get balloons at the last minute, I ended up buying 3 balloons and spending $5!  I could have bought a package of 24 balloons for $1.99.  This is another item to look for on the clearance racks!

Party Favors

*Are they necessary?  These bags are often filled with cheap items that get thrown away when they get home. 

*Shop the sales and look for clearance items.  If you decide to do favors, take advantage of sales so that you can get favors that will actually be used by the recipients.  I have been able to get several card games (Pictureka and Monopoly) for $.25 or less.  I have considered saving these to use as party favors when the girls are older!

*Instead of party favors, do a craft that the kids can take home!

The biggest thing to remember is that we plan birthday parties to create memories! 
The focus should be our children. 

Do you have any other suggestions on how to plan a frugal birthday party?

High Electric Bill? Me Too!

So what can we do about it?  We got our electric bill recently and it was much higher than we had budgeted for.  Since then, my husband and I have been trying to come up with new ways to keep it down.  Here are some of the things we are trying and some things we already did:

*Turn off the lights when you are not in the room - We all know this one so well!  Can you hear your mother's voice as you read it?  Or yours, as you are telling your kids!

*Unplug appliances you aren't using, like your cell phone charger - We have been unplugging the television before we go to bed as well.  And there are days that we don't plug it back in until the evening.

*Turn the heat down when you leave the house - This is something we just started!  I am gone with the girls most mornings so we don't need the house heated.

*Line dry your clothes - We are planning on putting up a rope in our basement to do this.  Take a look at the comments in this post to get some ideas on how to keep your clothes from being stiff!

*Seal your windows - Stop those drafts from entering your house.  We did this in Ellie's room because it would get so cold at night!  We also rolled up a blanket and put it across the bottom of our slider. 

*Wash your clothes in cold water - Even your whites.

*Don't use the heat dry option on your dishwasher - It might take a little more time for your dishes to dry but it will save you money!

*Buy energy efficient appliances - When it is time to get new appliances, make sure they are energy efficient!

*Keep your freezer and fridge full

We know many of these ideas but they can be good reminders!  Do you have anything to add?  I would love more ideas!

Need to Save Money? Part 7

If you are just joining us and want to read the first 26 money saving tips, check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6. This week's Need to Save Money is going to be more like last week's.

#27......Use a Credit Card that Gives You Perks!

Whether it be cashback or airline miles, if you use a credit card, use one that gives you some sort of perk! Our main credit card is Discover. We often use our cashback bonus towards gift cards. When we have a wedding or wedding shower to go to, we often get the Bed, Bath, and Beyond gift cards. To thank a friend for doing our taxes, we sent him a restaurant gift card. And, most recently, we created a Christmas gift basket for my husband's boss around a restaurant gift card. Here is a picture of the gift basket we made before we wrapped it up:

Make Your Own Baby Food!

I didn't make baby food for my oldest daughter.  I didn't even try because I assumed that it would be too time consuming and, at that time, I was working full time. Boy was I wrong !  Not only is it easy, it really doesn't take a lot of time at all.

Now it's time for my youngest daughter to start solids. I decided to start with sweet potatoes. Why? Because I had read that they were inexpensive at Walmart. I only bought 2 because I had no idea what I was doing. We don't eat sweet potatoes and there was no sign so I wasn't even positive that I was buying sweet potatoes! I will tell you later how much I actually spent!

Now, let me explain just how easy this was! I started out by poking holes in them, wrapping them in tinfoil, and putting them in the oven for about an hour (while watching tv with my husband).

When they were soft, I cut them open down the middle and spooned the insides out. I put them in the food processor (the one that we got for our wedding six years ago and had never used!) and added a little breastmilk (water or formula works too). I wasn't sure how much liquid to use but I just kept adding a little until it was thin enough.

Then, I spooned it into the ice cube tray, covered it with plastic wrap, and put it in the freezer!

The results......a happy baby! And a happy mommy!

Total cost: $.48!

I used this wonderful website to guide me!

If you are just joining us and want to read the first 20 money saving tips, check out Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4. Many of these ideas are things that my family currently does or have done to save money but there have been several that we are now trying or hope to try! I have found these posts to be a good reminders!

21. Combine Your Cable, Internet, and Phone Services -

Many companies are offering lower rates when these services are combined. Plus, you have the convenience of a single bill! So, if you use all three services, this is the way to go!

22. Avoid Missed Payments - Create a system that helps organize your bills and your bill payment so that you don't miss payments. I write down the bills and the date they are dueon my calendar and check them off as a pay them. Pretty simple but it works for me. If you do miss a payment, call and see if the company will remove the penalty. Most companies will the first time!

23. Drive Your Car Longer - One of the cars that we drive was purchased used during my senior year of high school. Seriously! We decided that when it began to cost us more than it is worth, we would get a new car. So far, it hasn't so we keep it. For the most part, it is only used when my husband drives to and from work but it serves its purpose. It certainly isn't the best car and we would love to have a nicer looking one but, by driving this car, we save money. And, to us, a nice, new car is not a priority.

24. Plan a Meatless Meal Each Week - My husband's response to this was, "What's the point?" He loves his meat! But meat is expensive and adding a meal or two without meat to your menu does save money!

25. Rent DVDs from Redbox - Redbox DVDs are only $1 and, for the most part, you can find a code to get it for FREE. Sign up at Redbox.com and get a code for a FREE DVD on the first Monday of every month.

Do you have any more tips? Or can you add something to one I've already mentioned?

Need to Save Some Money? Part 4

Did you get any new ideas from Part 1, Part 2, or Part 3 of this series?I'm sure that most of these aren't new to you but, for me, they've been a good reminder of things I used to do or have wanted to try! Every penny helps as far as I'm concerned! Here are 5 more ways that we have saved a penny here and a penny there.

16. Unplug Your Appliances - If you take a look around your house, you would be amazed at how many things are plugged in! Take another look and see if there are some things that you can unplug. Do you need to keep your cell phone charger plugged in when you aren't charging it? What about the toaster? Go even further and unplug your computer at night. Charge your cell phone in the evening so you don't have it plugged in all night. Get really drastic and have an hour a week with no electricity. My husband and I did this shortly after Cailynn was born. Every Sunday we would spend an hour in the evening with nothing plugged in (except the fridge) and no lights on.

17. Walk Around the Outside of the Store - That's where the clearance items are! When I run into Target, I never walk down the main aisles. I walk around the outside of the store or at the ends of the aisles to see what great clearance finds I can get! By shopping the ends of the aisles, I have gotten a Leapfrog Tag Reader for $2.48! Crest toothpaste for FREE! Among other things.

18. Reuse - Drink water throughout the day? Don't grab a new glass every time, use the same glass again! Wash out the ziploc bag and use it again (this is something I don't do and should!). The aluminum foil isn't dirty....fold it up for another time. What things do you reuse? I would love to get some new ideas!

19. Get a Quote - You may be paying too much for your car insurance so why not get a quote to see if you can get something cheaper. It is amazingly easy! And you might be amazed at how much you can save a month.

20. Get a Slow Start - When you are driving, pay attention to how quickly you speed up. Make it more gradual. When you are coming to a stop, start coasting a little earlier. Take advantage of the hills. Be more aware of how you using your accelerator! It might surprise you how much you will save on gas!

What are you doing to save a little money? Have you tried any of these?

Need to Save Some Money? Part 3

Did you get any new ideas from Part 1 or Part 2 of this series? Some reminders? I actually did! Here are 5 more ways that we have saved a penny here and a penny there.

11. Join a Babysitting Co-op or Swap with a Friend - Babysitters can get expensive, yet it is important to be able to get out with your spouse or with friends. If you have a friend close by that has kids, swap babysitting nights with them. They watch your kids one night and you watch theirs another night. Another great resource is a Babysitting Co-op. My mom's group recently started one and it is great. If I need to run a lot of errands or if I have a dr's appointment, I can drop my kids off at another member's house for a few hours. If you would like more information about creating a babysitting co-op, please email me or leave a comment!

12. Shop at Thrift Stores - We have all gone in to that thrift store that smells, has items that are stained and worn out, and just doesn't seem to have anything worth looking at. But there are some quality thrift stores around. You just have to take a little time to find them. And they will save you SO much money. My daughter just started potty training and we had bought her a potty from Target for $10. Not bad but I knew I could do better. On a whim, the next day, I ran to a local thrift store and found a great potty, in great condition (yes, I sanitized it!) for only $2.50! That is a savings of $7.50!

13. Hang Laundry to Dry - Now this is something that I don't do and would love to get input on this. In the past, I've dried our kitchen towels on the drying rack and they got very stiff so I gave up. But my mother-in-law mentioned that she dries her tshirts on a rack with no problem. So, do you have a trick to drying your clothes on a rack successfully (not stiff as a board!)?

14. Plan Ahead - If you are shopping for a Christmas present or a birthday present a couple days before the event, you will have to spend whatever price is on the package. But if you plan ahead, you will be able to watch for that item to go on sale and look for coupons to bring the cost down. Make a spreadsheet of all of the people you buy gifts for year round and as you find great deals on quality gifts that your friend or family member would like, grab it! MoneySavingMethods has a great post on how she does this!

15. Eat From Your Stockpile - If you have been couponing for awhile, or even just a couple months, you probably have a stockpile started. Try eating from your stockpile for a week. Plan all of your meals around what you already have. And don't go shopping that week, except for milk, eggs, and bread - the staples.

Do you have any great money saving ideas? Have you tried some of these?

It Never Hurts to Call!

We recently got charged an overdraft fee on our checking account. A payment that wasn't supposed to be pulled because we had canceled the coverage, got pulled, and it caused us to go over. We have always been very aware of our accounts, how much we have, when we need to transfer, when a deposit will be made or a withdrawal will be taken out. But this was unexpected. So, I called my bank. Told them the situation and they agreed to waive the $58 fee. $58 is not a small chunk of change! This is more than a week's worth of groceries. My point is.....if something like this happens to you, it never hurts to give them a call. The worst they can do is say no.

Need to Save Some Money? Part 2

Did you get any new ideas from Part 1 of this series? Or maybe it was a good reminder? Here are 5 more ways that we have saved a penny here and a penny there.

6. Use Less - This one is a simple concept but it is hard to remember in the moment. How many of you pay attention to how much shampoo you use in the shower? When I don't pay attention, I use way more than I actually need. When you are making a sandwich, use one slice of cheese instead of two. Pay close attention to how much toilet paper you grab or the amount of dressing you put on your salad. Pay attention and use less.

7. Plan a Weekly Menu - This is something that I'm still working on but when I create a menu and stick to it, it works! We don't go out to eat as much or pick up dinner on the way home. We plan on our meals based on what is on sale and what we already have in the pantry. With a menu plan, we don't have to run out at the last minute to buy a missing ingredient that, of course, isn't on sale. Have you tried it?

8. Eat Your Leftovers - How many times do your leftovers get pushed to the back of your fridge and get discovered after it is edible? That happened way too often for us! So, my sister-in-law suggested keeping track of all leftovers on a whiteboard on the fridge. Anytime we put something into the fridge, we write what it is and the day we put it in there. It has helped A TON!! We often use our leftovers for lunch and it is easy to see what we have available!

9. Create a Budget - This is HUGE! We have used a budget on and off since we've been married and we always spend more money when we aren't budgeting. Since we decided for me to stay home, we have been on a budget and it has helped make it possible. I encourage you to read what MoneySavingMom has to say about budgeting. And visit Dave Ramsey's site for help in creating your own budget!

10. Take a Brown Bag Lunch - With all of the deals that you are getting at the grocery store, it is much cheaper to take a lunch made at home than grabbing something from a restaurant.

Need to Save Some Money? Part 1

In this economy, more and more people are becoming interested in finding ways to save money. My family included! When I became pregnant with our second child, my husband and I decided that it would be best for our family if I stayed home with our girls. We knew that in order to make this work, we would have to make some changes in our lives and in our spending habits. So, we started looking into simple ways to save a few cents here and there. A penny here, a quarter there....it begins to add up. So, I thought I would share some of the ways that we've saved as well as some things we haven't tried yet!

1. Matching Coupons to Sales - This is something I mention a lot throughout my blog so I won't spend too much time on this. It is simple: If you use coupons with a sale, you are maximizing your savings to the fullest! So hold on to those coupons until that sale comes around. After you've been doing it for awhile you will start to become familiar with how often specific products go on sale!

2. Stockpiling - This goes along with #1. Buy enough of a product to last you until it goes on sale again. That way you won't run out and have to buy it when it is full price. When a product is free or nearly free and it is something that doesn't expire, buy as many as you can (without clearing the shelves). I literally have 11 Crest toothpaste tubes in my closet. I have gotten them all for free. Because I have so many and it doesn't expire, I will not have to pay for toothpaste for a VERY long time. But if toothpaste is free (only if it is free!) next week at Rite Aid or someplace else, I will grab some.

3. Cut Cable - What!?! Cut cable! I can't do that! We did and it is amazing how little we miss it. It has been tough on my husband from time to time (specifically when the Bears are on) but it is nice not hearing the constant hum of the television when we are in the living room. We were horrible about keeping it on as background noise. And, did you realize that you can watch most television shows on the internet? No, you won't be able to watch Grey's Anatomy on Thursday evening with everyone else but it will be available for you to watch the next night!

4. Visit Your Library - Using the resources at your local library will help you save in a variety of ways!! First, you can check out books rather than paying the high prices at the bookstore. Second, you can rent movies at most libraries now. Isn't that crazy?! What a great resource for entertainment when you cut your cable bill! :)

5. Drink More Water - Juice, coffee, pop, and other drinks can get expensive! If you limit yourself each day or each week and add more water, you will be surprised at how much you save! Plus, water is good for you! To help make this a habit, write down every drink that you have each day for a week. It might just stop you from pouring that glass of juice or grabbing that can of pop! And, eventually, drinking water will become a habit. This is an area that we struggle with in our household. We like our pop! So, I plan to write down what I drink each day and will post it at the end of the week! Maybe I can even talk my husband into it as well!

Have any of these worked for you? Do you have anything to add to what I've mentioned?

Stay tuned for 5 more ways to save next Saturday!!