Where do all the FREEbies come from???

I don't know if you've noticed, but I LOVE free stuff. I mean, really - if I can get it for FREE why pay for it?

Plus getting free things in the mail is like my birthday every day!

So what's the secret?

Time. Seriously.

You need a facebook account and time to look through e-mails a lot.

Here are several ways to get some sweet free stuff:

1) Go to the product website and write to the company in their Contact Us feature. Either politely ask for a coupon or tell them how much you love their product. The FREE Michelina coupons below were sent to me because I very honestly told them that I want to try their snackers and would like to know if they had any coupons.

2) Join product insider groups. I follow The Krazy Coupon Lady, Deal Seeking Mom, and Money Saving Mom on facebook and they usually alert me to insider groups accepting applicants. All you have to do is tell your friends about their new products and they send you FULL size products. As a Coffee-Mate insider, I got to host a Coffee-Mate party and below is my Frito Lay welcome package!

3) Those facebook updates again - the same ones above let me know when products will be giving away free samples on their facebook page or their own website. These are usually limited time offers so you have to act fast!

4) Join BzzAgent - you get to try out free full-size products and all you have to do is tell your friends about them. It's really that easy.

5) Join House Party. You get HUGE boxes full of goodies and you get to have get-togethers with your friends and share the wealth. Again... really that easy. I'm getting ready to host a Velveeta Cheesy Skillets party right now.

6) Get e-mail updates from freebie blogs like Shop4Freebies and Woman Freebies. These are normally samples and not full products, though.

Hope this helps - enjoy your freebies!

Couponing 101: Part 4

This one is so easy it's going to knock your socks off. Or your flip flops if you're not a sock wearer. I'm not. A sock wearer, that is. Spring rolls around and Old Navy supplies me with an endless assortment of colors in flip flop style. Putting them away in fall may be one of the hardest things I do...

Did I mention I tend to ramble? : )

Numero Quatro:

BE IN THE KNOW. The Dish. The 411. 

I subscribe to several blogs via e-mail so that I can peruse the deals at leisure. The sign up link is usually on the right side of the page at the top. And it's free. Just sayin'. There are tons more out there - these just happen to be the ones I follow. They usually have the same deals posted and vary only slightly (but it's that slightly that sometimes brings in the great deals).

The Krazy Coupon Lady

Money Saving Mom Food Lion (and other regional stores) deals HERE.

Deal Seeking Mom

Coupon Connections

This Frugal Life

For limited-time coupons or when I'm on-the-go/homeschooling, I've 'liked' couponing pages on facebook. Then I discreetly check my phone when it buzzes during school and not-so-discreetly give a huge WHOOP!! and run to the computer to get a free full-size product. I really wish I was kidding... And I hate to admit it, but I've liked so many manufacturer pages on fb to get coupons that I now receive most deals ahead of the couponing blogs. Here are the facebook pages I follow (you'll need to already have a facebook account to like these):

I Heart Kroger

A Frugal Chick

"Cents"able Mom

Coupon Beat

Stockpiling Moms

Coupon Pro

You can also go like the fb pages of the blogs I mentioned earlier - blogs usually have an 'f' link at the top right for their fb page.

Couponing 101: Part 3

When I think back to before my couponing days I feel so embarrassed.

I was NOT fulfilling my role as a Proverbs 31 woman, wife, or mother.

It makes me cringe to think of the overspending I was doing by cooking just whatever I wanted to, buying things that were full price and without coupons, going OVER-budget with that spending... Now I'm saving us money off of our normal budget AND getting about 1/3 more in groceries and personal care items than I was before. Who WOULDN'T want to do that???

Now I know the feeling of happiness that comes with pairing a $1/2 coupon with a BOGO sale. Oh yes, the sweet smell of a deal... 

If you're a SAHM, then you likely have time to do this. If you're not a SAHM... you're probably not reading my blog. In the rare chance that I've reeled one of you in (cue evil plan music), YES, you CAN do this. I watch most of the deals on my phone (e-mail and facebook) and only go to the computer when I need to print coupons out.

I'm not saying that the desk is a lovely sight... or that all of my coupons are perfectly cut out and organized... but I'm still able to get er done. : ) That was for my Arkansas family that may be reading, btw.

So here's #3... HAVE A SYSTEM.

 Click HERE for image credit and an AWESOME tutorial on making your own pantry checklist

1) Budget.

- Have a SET amount (and be surprised when you come in UNDER budget!)

- Grocery shop when you're paid, not throughout the paycheck (you'll only get what you need) Stick to the list goes along with this.

- Control the cash flow

--- I've heard that taking cash in an envelope helps women take more note of what they have to spend. (I don't do this but hey, whatever works.

--- After I make a list of every SINGLE item I'm getting, I calculate the deals, coupons, and regular prices to ascertain what can be spent at each store. At the top of each grocery list (I normally go to FOUR stores!) I write the dollar amount I have to stay within... at the end of shopping, I add up what is in my cart (taking note of the cost as I go) and have even had to remove a few items! When I first started the whole couponing thing, I made a list of most things I buy and went on a price-finding mission to fill in that list with the prices at each store. Not fun, but it has helped me IMMENSELY!

NOTE: I have an awesome hubby who is willing to give up half of a Saturday every other week with me so that this can take place. If you are not in this lovely position, don't give me stink eyes.

2) Meal Plan

- Create a plan that lasts through an entire pay period (or longer, if you're adventurous)

- Base your plan on what's in your pantry, stocked up items, and deals of the week. If chicken quarters and bbq sauce are on sale, have bbq chicken! If you have tons of frozen veg stocked up, plan two meals a week with veg! If there's a box of rice-a-roni that's about to expire, use it now!


- DO be crazy and plan theme meals, breakfast for dinner and leftover nights.

- DON'T be a micro-manager and plan out the minute details of every bite that goes in your mouth. You'll stress yourself out!

-- Keep essentials for pb&j, grilled cheese, hot dogs, mac&cheese... on hand and you can mix it up for lunch. You know, playing it off the cuff... living on the edge... 

-- My children are all under the age of 6 so don't know to complain yet that I only give them fruit and milk for breakfast. HA! Fooled them! : D We do a hot breakfast on Saturday and cereal on SONday and a random day with muffins so it's not boring. Again, whatever works for you...

3) Eye-ball Your Pantry

- Create a list of items that you constantly use (every time I go shopping, I pick up a different stock item (flour, sugar, rice, cornmeal...).

--My list is laminated and backed with magnets, stuck to my fridge at this very moment. Whenever I get ready to go shopping, I refer to it to make sure I'm including everything.

 -- You can put little boxes on it and mark off items with a dry erase marker when you're running out of them, if you're so inclined.

- Watch for deals on those items specifically.

--- If toilet paper, toothpaste, paper towels, etc. are on your list of stock items, you would wait for a deal to come up then buy as many of that specific item as you can (not all in one trip, mind you... know your limits!)

Hope this has helped you... come back soon for more!

Couponing 101: Part 2

This may seem like the simplest thing in the world but people STILL aren't doing it!

BUY GENERIC!!!

Great Value is the Wal-Mart generic brand

(I do not own this image)

-- Buy generic items for everything that you can (unless you NEED Folgers like I do)... food, cleaning supplies, baby needs, paper goods, personal care... it goes on. They may not be in as expensive packaging and the diapers don't have that Huggies elastic strip, but they do the job and save you money!

-- Only use name brand coupons if they make the price lower than the generic (you'd be surprised how often they DON'T).

-- Often private labels like Krogers and Food Lion go on sale (while Wal-Mart generic does not). When canned vegetables are on sale for $0.40, I call that time to stock up!

If you're still having issues with buying generic, take a moment to evaluate the emphasis you place on image and esteem. A Walgreens brand diaper will catch just as much as a Pampers or Huggies, but it costs a fraction of the price. It IS possible to live within your means, save money, and present an orderly and well-disciplined image (which is more important than a costly one, I assure you). The next time you go to the store, compare the cost of name brand and generic milk, cereal, paper towels, french fries, mustard... and ask yourself if it's more important to be surrounded by status symbols or to assist your husband (you are a HELP MEET) in providing for your family?

Couponing 101: Part 1

New to couponing?

Not sure where to start?

Want to see hundreds of dollars melt off of your grocery bill?!?!?

 Image Credit

I regularly see around $250 in savings and I have a growing stockpile and a full pantry.

Yep, I'm amazed too.

It's possible and it's nothing like the Extreme Couponing show on TLC.

Start here at The Krazy Couponing Lady with her Beginners section. She's Joanie from that same tv show but she's real, helpful and quick to admit it if she's wrong.

Come back tomorrow for more tips!

From Oops to a Perfect Project

Have you heard of oops paint?

It's what happens when someone has paint mixed and then doesn't like it. It gets put back on the shelf but with a significantly lower price.

I call that reduced price happiness.

Image Credit

 

You can find these pretty much anywhere paint is mixed - Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart...

I always have a list of projects going around in my head and whenever I'm in one of those stores I do a drive-by of the oops section to see if any oops colors would work for one.


{Head on over to Living With Lindsay for more great tips on using oops paint}

Girl's Drop Waist Dress

You know those awesome $3 kid's clothes at Wal-mart? I was browsing through them the other day and saw some potential for clothes going out of season... and my daydreaming resulted in a cute little drop-waist dress for my daughter.

1 t-shirt, one size too big
1 skirt, two sizes too big (or waist size matching shirt girth)
ribbon
embellishments

First, I cut off the elastic from the perfectly good skirt...

Then I took the shirt and folded it inside out.

Leaving the skirt right-side out, place it inside the (inside out) shirt and align the ends. Pin in place.

Here's an inside look of what's going on. My husband says I confuse people by waving my hands around... hopefully that doesn't translate to blog.

Sew a zig zag along the seam. I went back and sewed straight down one side of the zig zag, but that's not absolutely necessary.

Trim the excess, turn the dress right-side out and sew some coordinating ribbon on. Mine only coordinates a little... but I'm okay with that. I also made a fabric flower out of some scrap fabric but a bow made out of the ribbon would have looked good too. 

Put it on your daughter and it will look even cuter. : )

Becoming a Frugal Meal Planner

    If you haven't heard, we're in a recession... which probably has nothing to do with the fact that we're living on one income, have a fourth baby on the way, and own a home. It certainly doesn't help that we're no longer a military family, which means paying state taxes (Welcome to Virginia!) and medical bills. The shape of things has forced us to rethink the way we spend and even the lifestyle we've had (eating out is a definite treat now). When it started to look like we wouldn't be able to make a car payment, I started clipping coupons (and a few other things). So far, it's working for us...

1) Meal Plan. The first thing I did was listen to the advice of a much more knowledgable friend and start making meal plans. I already had a grocery list made up or I would recommend that first (this is a list of every thing you normally have in your pantry and fridge... helping to only buy things you need instead of making impulse buys). I was already halfway there, but made a HUGE mistake. I was keeping our pantry stocked, but it was OVERstocked. So I listened to a friend and started the meal plans. They're only on a two week basis (every paycheck) and if I stick to the grocery list, we only buy the things that we need.

• Add in one night a week for leftovers and one night for breakfast-for-dinner
• For breakfast, eat healthy - fruits, eggs, toast, and non-sugary cereals (the bulk generic variety)
• Our kids love classic staples like grilled cheese, pb&j, half-sandwiches with chips, ravioli/spaghettios, and sometimes leftovers. It's easy to keep up with all the sandwiches if you look out for bread savings at your grocery store - our Wal-Mart often has $75 bread put out.
• Check out sites like http://www.allrecipes.com/ or http://www.cooks.com/ to find recipes by ingredient.
• Pick up some old cookbooks from yard sales or check them out from your library to get more ideas.
• During the winter, soups are just what you need to stay warm - on our rotation we have: crockpot chili, potato soup, chicken stew, beef stew, black-eyed pea gumbo, tomato soup, and even Campbell's Chunky canned soup (with a $1 off/for 3 coupon).
• Shop your meats from a wholesale source or butcher (more willing to give you certain cuts) or find a farmer's market like I do - a huge pack of ribs is only $9 as compared to a smaller pack for $20 at the commercial grocery store. I'm trying something new this go round by purchasing bulk from a wholesale vendor and letting the meat last through a couple paychecks.

2) Frugal Cooking. The next step happened when I looked at everything I was buying - high priced meats and tons of ingredients that were bringing the prices up. I was raised in the South and thought that I wasn't doing my job if we didn't have meat-and-potatoes type meals every night. But my husband was practically begging for healthier meals (though he loved the heavy stuff) and the kids love the light stuff. So I started having soups, stews, chili and gumbo several times a month (change it out and it won't get boring). I'm also getting out of my comfort zone by making homemade tomato soup, a new chicken stew, and crockpot chili. All of these are either vegetarian or use inexpensive meats like chicken pieces, stew meat, or ground beef. Taco or Fajita nights are also on the inexpensive list. One or two nights a week I throw in those heavy meals and it doesn't break our budget because of how few there are.

3) Clip the Coupons. This is pretty self-explanatory... weed out every name-brand thing you buy (If you're not buying generic already, you may have a hard time with this) and find coupons for as many as you can. Look in your newspaper or online at sites like http://www.coupons.smartsource.com/ (all you need is a printer). The product sites also have newsletters you can sign up for to get occasional savings e-mailed to you. I remember my grandmother keeping a little file folder full of coupons and thought that it was a complete waste of time but now I'm absolutely certain that she's the kind of homemaker that I want to be.

    Back in the beginning of December, I had already started meal plans but hadn't added in the coupons or the pared-down, frugal meals. I was already saving then by spending $359.16 (whereis I was spending close to $400 before) but now I'm only spending $193.30, including the meat purchase. I'm sure that as I get used to clipping coupons it will be an even greater saving, but I'm already happy with the $400 I'm saving a month and I finally feel like I'm learning how to be the frugal helpmeet that I should be.