Today is the day most Canadian Moms rejoice, while others sit at home or work wondering and waiting how their little ones day went. The first day back to school! Today I sent my youngest son to his first day of grade 1, that's right grade 1 where did the time go? And while I have butterflies in my tummy and nearly jump out of my skin every time the phone rings worried something may have went wrong I am happy for him.
So while I wait for my little man to get home I'd love to share with you my back to school tips that have saved us hundreds of dollars this year! How did we save hundreds? We didn't jump on the hype of buying all back to school things. Our children each chose one pair of indoor shoes for school and other than that we reused! Their backpacks and lunch bags were just like new from last year, a quick wipe down and their backpacks will look no different then those of the kids who's parents spent $20 for a new one in a weeks time! Their outdoor shoes are just their indoor shoes from last year that still fit, this we really lucked out on. And the biggest savings of all was the back to school clothes. I can never help but chuckle when I see people in stores loading up their carts with hundreds of dollars of back to school clothes, or struggling to carry dozens of bags out of the shops in the mall filled with back to school clothes, supplies etc. I have a little secret for all of those moms out there... are you ready? The kids really do not care if they have brand new back to school clothes! Let me share a little story with you.
Two years ago my husband and I were married and instead of a honeymoon we chose to do a family vacation to Niagra Falls. My youngest son was about to start JK and while we were on vacation our hotel was just doors down from a huge outlet mall! I totally bought into the hype of having to have everything new and brand names. So here I was just like those moms in the mall carting out bag after bag of expensive clothes. The first day of school outfit I can remember vividly, a really nice pair of Tommy Hilfiger jeans, a Tommy t-shirt and Tommy zip up sweater, black and yellow shoes for outdoors and black and red shoes for indoors. This is just the first day of school outfit not to mention the the hundreds of dollars I spent on the rest of his clothes, backpack, snacks, containers etc. So the first day of school comes and away he goes on the bus, a few tears are shed... ok, ok I used a whole box of tissue I was crying like a huge bubbling baby! And at 2:45 off my baby boy who isn't much of a baby anymore gets off the bus with two ripped out knees in his $45 Tommy jeans!!!!! And his response for the ripped out knees, it's ok mom it's just pants. And you know what, he was absolutely right, they were just pants so why in the world would I spend $45 on one pair of jeans that then became play clothes?? The answer is simple, I foolishly fell into the trap that leads parents to believe that back to school means new clothes and a boat load of other things are necessary!
So since that day I have learned a very valuable lesson that has helped pad our pockets every year since. We do not buy new clothes and certainly not name brand clothes. Of course the kids get a few new outfits for holidays and to fill in their wardrobe when I can't find the items they need second hand but for the most part the clothes every member of our family wears is gentled used. Value Village hosts 50% off days a couple times every year, generally right before school as well. Huge savings can be had at these sales and the best part of all, my kids have a wardrobe full of name brand clothing, in like new condition for a fraction of the price. There are some exceptions to my no new rule though, I will always buy new shoes, new undies and new socks and will never buy clothing that is dingy, stretched, or overly worn. I spend a lot of time checking over the clothes before buying to make sure it's really a good deal. A pair of jeans for $2.99 really isn't a good deal if you realize later it had a torn out knee, the button is broken or the zipper won't do up.
So be wise when it comes to back to school. The most important thing you can send your child to school with is confidence that they will succeed, all of the material items do not make a difference in the grand scheme of things. Have a safe and healthy school year.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Whats for dinner?
One of the quickest ways to blow your budget is on groceries and convenience foods. When we leave things to the last minute we tend to purchase take out or something quick that we can throw in the microwave. When we grocery shop while we are hungry we tend to throw all kinds of things we would not normally purchase into the cart. All of these things can add up each and every month and quickly take over your budget.
Here is a great example for you, my husband and I budget $300 every month for groceries for our family of six. Many people think is this impossible or we must not be eating healthy, I assure you this is not true. But for now let me show you just how important it is to budget. So we have $300 to spend on groceries, but we have a busy day so we decide to order a pizza, for our clan of 6 we would need a queen which will sometimes leave some left over for breakfast but there goes $27.00 + tip for the delivery driver. So we would only have around $270 left for our monthly groceries, add in a couple more nights like that, a McDonalds run or Tim Hortons and before you know it over half of the budget is gone just in take out! What a waste of money!
How can you save money on groceries? It's simple, purchase fresh ingredients and cook them at home yourself. Make a meal plan, we generally plan for a month at a time but will do a weekly shopping to fill in for milk, bread and other produce. The meal plan will ensure you know exactly what you are cooking ahead of time to avoid take out disasters. If you want to be very adventurous you could also do a once a month cooking, which involves cooking all of your meals and freezing them for the month!
I tend to use the crock pot a lot, in the morning I will throw our dinner in there and let it cook all day and everything is ready to serve when my husband arrives home for the day. No extra mess or fuss and it allows me to get everything else I need to do for the day done.
Some other great tips include buying produce that is in season, check out your local farmers markets or fresh produce stands! You will be able to purchase some the most delicious fresh produce that you have ever tasted at a fraction of grocery store costs! Planning at least one meatless dinner a week will save on the budget as well, there are no rules when it comes to cooking so why not have a pancake dinner, breakfast for dinner, soup etc. The possibilities are endless!
I will be touching base in the near future on meal planning, this is such an amazing tool when it comes to saving money.
Here is a great example for you, my husband and I budget $300 every month for groceries for our family of six. Many people think is this impossible or we must not be eating healthy, I assure you this is not true. But for now let me show you just how important it is to budget. So we have $300 to spend on groceries, but we have a busy day so we decide to order a pizza, for our clan of 6 we would need a queen which will sometimes leave some left over for breakfast but there goes $27.00 + tip for the delivery driver. So we would only have around $270 left for our monthly groceries, add in a couple more nights like that, a McDonalds run or Tim Hortons and before you know it over half of the budget is gone just in take out! What a waste of money!
How can you save money on groceries? It's simple, purchase fresh ingredients and cook them at home yourself. Make a meal plan, we generally plan for a month at a time but will do a weekly shopping to fill in for milk, bread and other produce. The meal plan will ensure you know exactly what you are cooking ahead of time to avoid take out disasters. If you want to be very adventurous you could also do a once a month cooking, which involves cooking all of your meals and freezing them for the month!
I tend to use the crock pot a lot, in the morning I will throw our dinner in there and let it cook all day and everything is ready to serve when my husband arrives home for the day. No extra mess or fuss and it allows me to get everything else I need to do for the day done.
Some other great tips include buying produce that is in season, check out your local farmers markets or fresh produce stands! You will be able to purchase some the most delicious fresh produce that you have ever tasted at a fraction of grocery store costs! Planning at least one meatless dinner a week will save on the budget as well, there are no rules when it comes to cooking so why not have a pancake dinner, breakfast for dinner, soup etc. The possibilities are endless!
I will be touching base in the near future on meal planning, this is such an amazing tool when it comes to saving money.
So you like free stuff?
It's no secret so do I but I hate taking part in something only to find out it's a scam. The old saying if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is too good to be true. But sometimes I think it's worth taking a chance when it's free and will cost me nothing the chance that it just might be real is worth the few minutes that it will take for me to sign up. With that being said below are just a few offers which I have signed up for recently and I feel are worth the time to take to fill out the little bit of information they require.
pampersgiftstogrow.ca - this site takes your codes from pampers products (wipes, training pants and diapers) and you can turn them into rewards! I have ordered so many things from this site! Most recently I ordered the Dora potty seat for my youngest daughter as a Christmas present. I plan on picking up some cute undies and she will be tickled pink.. and how much did it cost me? The price of undies that is it! Even the shipping for the potty seat was free! So if you haven't signed up yet I suggest you do, ask friends and family to save their codes for you if they are not using them. This makes rewards add up even faster! With that being said I'd like to offer you some promotional codes that I have found that will reward you with pampers gifts to grow points, you didn't even have to buy any diapers to get these! How cool is that!
Ohamandaawgtg08
AUG2010FACEBOOK
GETSTARTEDNOW10
25GTGSUMMER2010
THRIFTYMOMMYGTG
GTGTENMONTHCODE
welcome2pampers
GTGGETREADYSOON
GTGFIVEMONTHS10
GTGSUMMERFUN5PT
GTGLEARNMORE089
15GTGSUMMERFUN
GTGPLAY3USA2010
WELCOME2GTG2010
welcome2village
Now if that doesn't get you excited, hold tight here are some more great sites that will reward you!
save.ca - this site is great to get coupons, but remember only choose the coupons for products you would normally buy. Combine those coupons with a great sale and you've just saved a bundle!
Two favorite sites of mine reward you with gift cards just for searching online, just like you would with google! Now why are these a favorite of mine? Well let me tell you! I have four children and we celebrate Christmas, we celebrate birthdays, Easter, Halloween, Valentines day... do you get my drift? These holidays get PRICEY but with these sites I am able to do my searches just like I would any other time and I am rewarded for that!
My absolute favorite site every is swagbucks! I discovered this about a year ago and at first thought it was a scam and didn't use it a whole lot. I began to get frustrated because it wasn't paying off until I finally earned my first 450 swagbucks and redeemed those for my very first $5 amazon gift card. That is when I got serious. I used it every day for my searches, even making it my home page. I do the daily polls, no obligation offers and trusted surveys all of which reward me with 1 swagbuck each every single day! For three little clicks I already have 3 swagbucks! Then I began to brag about how great this was to my friends and family and soon they were signing up under me. That was when the swagbucks really started rolling in and now I am redeeming 450 swagbucks every 3-5 days for a $5 amazon gift card. To date I have earned $140 in amazon gift cards and have already placed my first amazon order and received it! Free shipping too, pretty cool! I'll take pictures of my first order and post them here shortly. If you use the internet and are not already a member of swagbucks I highly suggest signing up, whether you redeem your swagbucks for amazon gift cards, pay pal or any of the other great rewards they have to offer you will be ahead of the game because it didn't cost you a thing!
[URL=http://swagbucks.com/refer/Wiserwithwords][IMG]http://prodegebanners.sitegrip.com/images/swagbucks-468x60Alt4.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/Wiserwithwords
If you are already a member of swagbucks then you know the thrill I am talking about when it comes to redeeming those bucks for something I really want. And sometimes we get greedy and wish we could be making those gift cards or pay pal even faster, well we can! There is another site that has come to my attention called Zoombucks. This site is very similar to swagbucks as you earn zoombucks for searching. Zoombucks however is more for those people who like to do surveys and complete special offers. Although there are special offers which you have to pay for to do there are many that do not cost anything, just read the offer before you click! I have only been a member of Zoombucks and I am already zooming along (ok corny joke I know) and almost at the half way mark of redeeming for my first amazon gift certificate. Now Zoombucks rewards are a little different than swagbucks. To redeem for your first gift certificate (they have many different options available) you must have 2000 zoombucks. Once you have your 2000 zoombucks you can redeem for your first $20 gift certificate, the value of zoombucks per dollar ratio is 100 zoombucks= $1 pretty good deal if you ask me! After you redeem that first $20 gift certificate they then allow you to redeem your bucks for gift certificates in $10, 15, 20 etc increments. If you are not already zooming I would recommend signing up for this, the Walmart/Amazon etc gift certificates that are available would be great savers for holidays, groceries or anything else that you may need.
http://zoombucks.com/join.php?ref=wiserwith
And now for some free offers! These have come to my attention and although I have not received the items yet I have signed up for them and think they were well worth the time to sign up. It only took a few minutes and cost nothing.
On August 19th Subway will offer a free breakfast sandwich to Ontario, Canada citizens only YUM a free breakfast sandwich, I'm on it!
Get a free coupon for single serving Nestle tasters choice carton! I don't drink coffee but my husband does so this will be a nice treat for him. http://www.nestle.ca/en/products/brands/Nescafe/promo_TasterChoice.htm this is for Canadian residents only
Natura is offering a free bag of cat, dog or ferret food. Sign up here and receive the free coupon in the mail! Available to Canadians and US residents. https://www.naturaadvantage.com/coupons/new
How about a free box of Multi grain cheerios? My kids go crazy over these but at nearly $5 for a box we just skip buying cereal but for free I'll take it! http://www.facebook.com/LifeMadeDelicious?v=app_122547941093002
One tip I would like to offer when signing up for offers, coupons or doing surveys is never give your home phone number, I learned the hard way and wow do the telemarketers start calling. I would also suggest opening a email account just for doing offers, surveys and the like, it will save your primary email address being filled up with spam.
I hope that you enjoyed these offers and are able to make use of some of them! I love walking to the mail box and finding something free rather than another bill! Enjoy!
pampersgiftstogrow.ca - this site takes your codes from pampers products (wipes, training pants and diapers) and you can turn them into rewards! I have ordered so many things from this site! Most recently I ordered the Dora potty seat for my youngest daughter as a Christmas present. I plan on picking up some cute undies and she will be tickled pink.. and how much did it cost me? The price of undies that is it! Even the shipping for the potty seat was free! So if you haven't signed up yet I suggest you do, ask friends and family to save their codes for you if they are not using them. This makes rewards add up even faster! With that being said I'd like to offer you some promotional codes that I have found that will reward you with pampers gifts to grow points, you didn't even have to buy any diapers to get these! How cool is that!
Ohamandaawgtg08
AUG2010FACEBOOK
GETSTARTEDNOW10
25GTGSUMMER2010
THRIFTYMOMMYGTG
GTGTENMONTHCODE
welcome2pampers
GTGGETREADYSOON
GTGFIVEMONTHS10
GTGSUMMERFUN5PT
GTGLEARNMORE089
15GTGSUMMERFUN
GTGPLAY3USA2010
WELCOME2GTG2010
welcome2village
Now if that doesn't get you excited, hold tight here are some more great sites that will reward you!
save.ca - this site is great to get coupons, but remember only choose the coupons for products you would normally buy. Combine those coupons with a great sale and you've just saved a bundle!
Two favorite sites of mine reward you with gift cards just for searching online, just like you would with google! Now why are these a favorite of mine? Well let me tell you! I have four children and we celebrate Christmas, we celebrate birthdays, Easter, Halloween, Valentines day... do you get my drift? These holidays get PRICEY but with these sites I am able to do my searches just like I would any other time and I am rewarded for that!
My absolute favorite site every is swagbucks! I discovered this about a year ago and at first thought it was a scam and didn't use it a whole lot. I began to get frustrated because it wasn't paying off until I finally earned my first 450 swagbucks and redeemed those for my very first $5 amazon gift card. That is when I got serious. I used it every day for my searches, even making it my home page. I do the daily polls, no obligation offers and trusted surveys all of which reward me with 1 swagbuck each every single day! For three little clicks I already have 3 swagbucks! Then I began to brag about how great this was to my friends and family and soon they were signing up under me. That was when the swagbucks really started rolling in and now I am redeeming 450 swagbucks every 3-5 days for a $5 amazon gift card. To date I have earned $140 in amazon gift cards and have already placed my first amazon order and received it! Free shipping too, pretty cool! I'll take pictures of my first order and post them here shortly. If you use the internet and are not already a member of swagbucks I highly suggest signing up, whether you redeem your swagbucks for amazon gift cards, pay pal or any of the other great rewards they have to offer you will be ahead of the game because it didn't cost you a thing!
[URL=http://swagbucks.com/refer/Wiserwithwords][IMG]http://prodegebanners.sitegrip.com/images/swagbucks-468x60Alt4.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/Wiserwithwords
If you are already a member of swagbucks then you know the thrill I am talking about when it comes to redeeming those bucks for something I really want. And sometimes we get greedy and wish we could be making those gift cards or pay pal even faster, well we can! There is another site that has come to my attention called Zoombucks. This site is very similar to swagbucks as you earn zoombucks for searching. Zoombucks however is more for those people who like to do surveys and complete special offers. Although there are special offers which you have to pay for to do there are many that do not cost anything, just read the offer before you click! I have only been a member of Zoombucks and I am already zooming along (ok corny joke I know) and almost at the half way mark of redeeming for my first amazon gift certificate. Now Zoombucks rewards are a little different than swagbucks. To redeem for your first gift certificate (they have many different options available) you must have 2000 zoombucks. Once you have your 2000 zoombucks you can redeem for your first $20 gift certificate, the value of zoombucks per dollar ratio is 100 zoombucks= $1 pretty good deal if you ask me! After you redeem that first $20 gift certificate they then allow you to redeem your bucks for gift certificates in $10, 15, 20 etc increments. If you are not already zooming I would recommend signing up for this, the Walmart/Amazon etc gift certificates that are available would be great savers for holidays, groceries or anything else that you may need.
http://zoombucks.com/join.php?ref=wiserwith
And now for some free offers! These have come to my attention and although I have not received the items yet I have signed up for them and think they were well worth the time to sign up. It only took a few minutes and cost nothing.
On August 19th Subway will offer a free breakfast sandwich to Ontario, Canada citizens only YUM a free breakfast sandwich, I'm on it!
Get a free coupon for single serving Nestle tasters choice carton! I don't drink coffee but my husband does so this will be a nice treat for him. http://www.nestle.ca/en/products/brands/Nescafe/promo_TasterChoice.htm this is for Canadian residents only
Natura is offering a free bag of cat, dog or ferret food. Sign up here and receive the free coupon in the mail! Available to Canadians and US residents. https://www.naturaadvantage.com/coupons/new
How about a free box of Multi grain cheerios? My kids go crazy over these but at nearly $5 for a box we just skip buying cereal but for free I'll take it! http://www.facebook.com/LifeMadeDelicious?v=app_122547941093002
One tip I would like to offer when signing up for offers, coupons or doing surveys is never give your home phone number, I learned the hard way and wow do the telemarketers start calling. I would also suggest opening a email account just for doing offers, surveys and the like, it will save your primary email address being filled up with spam.
I hope that you enjoyed these offers and are able to make use of some of them! I love walking to the mail box and finding something free rather than another bill! Enjoy!
How do we save money? Let me count the ways!
Well as a family of 6 it is tough to save money in some aspects! Water for example because no matter how much you conserve doing other things there is always dishes, laundry and showers that must be had! But rest assured that there are ways to save your hard earned money each and every month following some simple tips that we have used over the past year. Now I am just going to touch on a few of the things that we do to cut our costs and keep our money in our pockets. I will however have more individual posts elaborating on each of the topics posted in the near future.
So what do we do to save money you ask? Well the first thing that is guaranteed to save everyone money is buying ONLY what you need and what you will use. It doesn't matter if there is a sale on milk for .5 a bag (which we have found in the past) if you buy more than you can use you will just end up wasting it and your money! So here are some money saving tips to get you started!
1- unplug EVERYTHING that is not in use, tv's, kitchen appliances etc, anything that you are not using unplug. Even though it may not be turned on it is still drawing electricity and costing you money
2- make sure your freezers are full, if you have two freezers and one is 3/4 full and the other only has a tiny bit in it reorganize your freezer so they all fit into one. Not only will you save from the electricity that you were using on the second freezer but your full freezer will now be more energy efficient and will save you money in the long run!
3- turn that dryer off and hang dry your clothes! Your whites will be whiter and your electricity bill or gas bill will be much lower! Your clothes will smell like the natural summers breeze and you will be lining your pocket with money in no time!
4- wash your clothes in cold water, there is really no reason to wash in hot anyhow. You will save money on the electricity or gas that your hot water tank uses. While we are talking about washing clothes I'd also like to mention something else. You know those lovely little scoops that laundry detergent companies give you in the box of soap saying you need to use a full cup for a full load. Well I'll let you in on a little secret... their lying! Yup that's right, if you use half of what they tell you to use on your regular load of laundry your clothes will still come out as clean and your detergent will last twice as long! Try it, I dare ya! And fabric softener, oh how it smells so good with all the newest scents they are always releasing but it's not necessary! No siree, if you use a dash of vinegar that you can buy at a fraction of the cost your clothes will be static free anyhow and just as soft! Pretty cool eh!
5- try out your green thumb! Really I insist! Turn up a spot in your backyard, get some pots or make a raised bed and start growing your very own fruits and veggies! They will be tastier, last longer, be chemical free (no need for any fertilizer or sprays) and you will have the pride of knowing that your hard work and love went into feeding your families. You can fill your freezers, can to fill your pantries and enjoy fresh produce all summer long for a fraction of the grocery store costs!
6- clip coupons only when it makes sense to. Don't waste your time clipping coupons for products that you don't generally use, it doesn't make financial sense. Same goes for buying items just because they are on a really great sale. If you don't normally use them, then don't buy them. Also check out generic brands, many times they are just as yummy but are much more grocery budget friendly.
7- shop yard sales, thrift stores and consignment shops in that order! Why pay full price for children's toys and clothing when they are just going to outgrow them quicker than your credit card bill can be delivered! Yard sales often have children's clothing priced under $1 per piece and if you search you can find name brands in excellent condition. Your child could be the most stylish child in school and only you would know where those clothes really came from! Thrift stores are great for all year around bargain hunters. Their items are usually priced a bit more than yard sales but much less than retail. Many thrift stores often have 50% off days or in store specials which are always worth checking out as well. And if all else fails check out your local consignment shops, their prices are usually twice the price of thrift stores and yard sales
8- check out your local websites for money saving deals! I frequent kijiji, freecycle and other local classifieds to find items that we need without buying new. Very seldom do we buy new, it not only saves me trying to get things out of the package for a hour but I am saving that extra packaging going into the landfill and buying like new items for a fraction of the price. This is great for buying Christmas and birthday gifts, trust me kids don't even miss the packaging and love being able to dive right into their new gift without having to wait to get it out of the package. Some other great sites include craigslist, and other yahoo groups- check out what is in your area
9- meal plan and budget this has saved us literally thousands of dollars yearly! Our budget has made our money work for us and go directly where it needs to instead of spending on a whim. Meal planning ensures that we know what we are making each and every night instead of ordering take out because we don't know what to make. If you design your meal plan around what is on special in your weekly flyers or what you already have in your house you will save even more! Who doesn't love a home cooked meal?
And lastly stock piling. This can be tricky because we all love a good deal but it doesn't have to be. If you are going to be successful in stock piling you have to follow a few simple rules- buy only what you will use before expiry and buy only what you already use. It's simple, watch your flyers, write your list of exactly what you are going to purchase that is on special and buy only those items. To be really successful with this you need to know your prices. If the brand of bread you normally buy is $1.99 and is on special at a store that is 45 minutes away for $1.60 you probably are not going to save enough to make the drive worth while. BUT if the brand of bread you normally buy is $1.99 and is on special at your local grocery store that is 10 minutes away for $1 your savings could be significant! Especially if you have the room to freeze the excess that you purchase. If you buy 50 loaves and no where to freeze it, chances are it will mold and have to be thrown away along with your money.. not a wise money saving option!
So these are a few money savings tips that I have for you right now. This is just a small fraction of what we do to make our money work for us. In my next entry I will enlighten you on how to make money when saving just isn't enough. I will also be posting more on how these tips can be made to work for you and some budgeting tips as well.
So what do we do to save money you ask? Well the first thing that is guaranteed to save everyone money is buying ONLY what you need and what you will use. It doesn't matter if there is a sale on milk for .5 a bag (which we have found in the past) if you buy more than you can use you will just end up wasting it and your money! So here are some money saving tips to get you started!
1- unplug EVERYTHING that is not in use, tv's, kitchen appliances etc, anything that you are not using unplug. Even though it may not be turned on it is still drawing electricity and costing you money
2- make sure your freezers are full, if you have two freezers and one is 3/4 full and the other only has a tiny bit in it reorganize your freezer so they all fit into one. Not only will you save from the electricity that you were using on the second freezer but your full freezer will now be more energy efficient and will save you money in the long run!
3- turn that dryer off and hang dry your clothes! Your whites will be whiter and your electricity bill or gas bill will be much lower! Your clothes will smell like the natural summers breeze and you will be lining your pocket with money in no time!
4- wash your clothes in cold water, there is really no reason to wash in hot anyhow. You will save money on the electricity or gas that your hot water tank uses. While we are talking about washing clothes I'd also like to mention something else. You know those lovely little scoops that laundry detergent companies give you in the box of soap saying you need to use a full cup for a full load. Well I'll let you in on a little secret... their lying! Yup that's right, if you use half of what they tell you to use on your regular load of laundry your clothes will still come out as clean and your detergent will last twice as long! Try it, I dare ya! And fabric softener, oh how it smells so good with all the newest scents they are always releasing but it's not necessary! No siree, if you use a dash of vinegar that you can buy at a fraction of the cost your clothes will be static free anyhow and just as soft! Pretty cool eh!
5- try out your green thumb! Really I insist! Turn up a spot in your backyard, get some pots or make a raised bed and start growing your very own fruits and veggies! They will be tastier, last longer, be chemical free (no need for any fertilizer or sprays) and you will have the pride of knowing that your hard work and love went into feeding your families. You can fill your freezers, can to fill your pantries and enjoy fresh produce all summer long for a fraction of the grocery store costs!
6- clip coupons only when it makes sense to. Don't waste your time clipping coupons for products that you don't generally use, it doesn't make financial sense. Same goes for buying items just because they are on a really great sale. If you don't normally use them, then don't buy them. Also check out generic brands, many times they are just as yummy but are much more grocery budget friendly.
7- shop yard sales, thrift stores and consignment shops in that order! Why pay full price for children's toys and clothing when they are just going to outgrow them quicker than your credit card bill can be delivered! Yard sales often have children's clothing priced under $1 per piece and if you search you can find name brands in excellent condition. Your child could be the most stylish child in school and only you would know where those clothes really came from! Thrift stores are great for all year around bargain hunters. Their items are usually priced a bit more than yard sales but much less than retail. Many thrift stores often have 50% off days or in store specials which are always worth checking out as well. And if all else fails check out your local consignment shops, their prices are usually twice the price of thrift stores and yard sales
8- check out your local websites for money saving deals! I frequent kijiji, freecycle and other local classifieds to find items that we need without buying new. Very seldom do we buy new, it not only saves me trying to get things out of the package for a hour but I am saving that extra packaging going into the landfill and buying like new items for a fraction of the price. This is great for buying Christmas and birthday gifts, trust me kids don't even miss the packaging and love being able to dive right into their new gift without having to wait to get it out of the package. Some other great sites include craigslist, and other yahoo groups- check out what is in your area
9- meal plan and budget this has saved us literally thousands of dollars yearly! Our budget has made our money work for us and go directly where it needs to instead of spending on a whim. Meal planning ensures that we know what we are making each and every night instead of ordering take out because we don't know what to make. If you design your meal plan around what is on special in your weekly flyers or what you already have in your house you will save even more! Who doesn't love a home cooked meal?
And lastly stock piling. This can be tricky because we all love a good deal but it doesn't have to be. If you are going to be successful in stock piling you have to follow a few simple rules- buy only what you will use before expiry and buy only what you already use. It's simple, watch your flyers, write your list of exactly what you are going to purchase that is on special and buy only those items. To be really successful with this you need to know your prices. If the brand of bread you normally buy is $1.99 and is on special at a store that is 45 minutes away for $1.60 you probably are not going to save enough to make the drive worth while. BUT if the brand of bread you normally buy is $1.99 and is on special at your local grocery store that is 10 minutes away for $1 your savings could be significant! Especially if you have the room to freeze the excess that you purchase. If you buy 50 loaves and no where to freeze it, chances are it will mold and have to be thrown away along with your money.. not a wise money saving option!
So these are a few money savings tips that I have for you right now. This is just a small fraction of what we do to make our money work for us. In my next entry I will enlighten you on how to make money when saving just isn't enough. I will also be posting more on how these tips can be made to work for you and some budgeting tips as well.
Welcome to my blog
First off I'd like to welcome everyone to my blog and tell you a little bit about me. I am 25 years old and a married mother to four amazing kids. My husband and I have been married for two years, and he truly is my soul mate. My children are 9, 6, 5 and 3 years old, the eldest two being boys and the youngest two girls.
Our family is pretty picture perfect in all ways but one! Money, yup that's right that evil little thing called money that we just can't ever seem to get enough of and that haunts us in our dreams. Money stops us from so many things, that is until now! We are on a mission to control our lives, not let money control us. Now while we take part in this journey we are inviting you along for the ride! I am going to write about how we are clearing up our debt, how we make a budget, how we feed our family of 6 on very little and about many freebies that I find along the way. I am committed to taking over my life and not letting money hold me back any further.
Now while we take part on this journey there is one other aspect that we are going to be paying very close attention to and that is our impact on the environment. Sure we all want to save money, but if the result of saving money means putting a harsh impact on the environment then that really is not worth it to me. Luckily all of the many ways I am going to tell you about how to save money will be positive towards the environment! We will make a difference in the amount of pollution and waste that goes into our ozone and landfills and hopefully do our part to make our earth a better place for our children to grow up.
So this is me, a country girl living the big deal of taking over my life, living a simpler lifestyle and being happy! Buckle up your seat belts and get ready to go for a ride!
Our family is pretty picture perfect in all ways but one! Money, yup that's right that evil little thing called money that we just can't ever seem to get enough of and that haunts us in our dreams. Money stops us from so many things, that is until now! We are on a mission to control our lives, not let money control us. Now while we take part in this journey we are inviting you along for the ride! I am going to write about how we are clearing up our debt, how we make a budget, how we feed our family of 6 on very little and about many freebies that I find along the way. I am committed to taking over my life and not letting money hold me back any further.
Now while we take part on this journey there is one other aspect that we are going to be paying very close attention to and that is our impact on the environment. Sure we all want to save money, but if the result of saving money means putting a harsh impact on the environment then that really is not worth it to me. Luckily all of the many ways I am going to tell you about how to save money will be positive towards the environment! We will make a difference in the amount of pollution and waste that goes into our ozone and landfills and hopefully do our part to make our earth a better place for our children to grow up.
So this is me, a country girl living the big deal of taking over my life, living a simpler lifestyle and being happy! Buckle up your seat belts and get ready to go for a ride!
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