Saving money is actually better than making money. If you earn $15 you’ll typically be left with $10 or less to spend at the store once taxes, SS and medicaid, and tithe are taken out of your earnings. That means saving $10 is like earning $15+! One simple and often overlooked way to save money is to give manufacturers feedback in hopes that they’ll send you high dollar coupons. No, you don’t have to send a letter in the mail {Read More}
Target Summer Toy Clearance Finds 2013
August 8, 2013 by Leave a Comment
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The big clearance price drop on toys at the Tyler Target finally happened this morning. The past 3 years it’s happened the 4th Thursday in July. They threw me a curveball by waiting an extra two weeks this year. Since I have Bible study on Thursday mornings I wasn’t able to get down there early enough to get the best pick, but I still ended up with a good group of items to help restock my gift closet on {Read More}
2013 School Supply Shopping Trip Savings
August 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment
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Yesterday I made a quick trip out to Office Depot and Office Max. Since I had both kids with me, the trip took a bit longer at about 45 minutes. When I took a look at my weekly sale price comparison chart for school supplies, I could see there were several things worth making the effort to get on sale. I’m going to show you a break down of costs and compare that to the prices at Target or Walmart. {Read More}
Planning a Disney World Trip – Choosing the Best Week
March 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment
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A trip to Disney World is a big occasion for most families. The biggest decision you’ll need to make is which week to go. It’s important to not base your decision of when to go solely on your vacation days. If you want to make the most of the time you have in the parks, it’s vital that you pick a week that is typically less crowded. Who really wants to wait in line for 2 hours with 2 children {Read More}
Becoming a 1 Car Family – Sort Of
February 21, 2013 by 2 Comments
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The decision to become a one car family took nearly 2 years to make. My husband travels a lot and has a company vehicle for traveling, so for me it was nice to have a back up in case mine didn’t start (it’s happened on several occasions). Just having an extra vehicle parked at the house made me feel a bit more secure when he was gone. When I traveled to teach classes or for speaking engagements it was great {Read More}
How a Gift Closet Saves You Money!
January 24, 2013 by 2 Comments
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Last week I shared some tips for giving nice baby gifts without breaking the budget. This week I’m going to let you peek into my gift closet and give you some tips for children’s gifts without breaking the budget. First, I should say that I haven’t always had a gift closet. It began as one box in the closet where I’d store gifts I found for family throughout the year. As my sister began having children, it expanded to 2 {Read More}
4 Ways to Give a Great Inexpensive Baby Shower Gift on a Budget
January 17, 2013 by 1 Comment
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When you have children or know lots of families having babies, birthday parties and baby showers can be a huge – and unplanned for – drain on your spending budget. There are a few ways to help keep costs down while still giving a nice gift. This week I’ll share some tips for giving inexpensive yet great baby gifts and next week I’ll share some tips for children’s gifts. Give homemade gifts for baby showers. If you’re crafty, then by {Read More}
December 2012 Getting Out of Debt Update
January 10, 2013 by Leave a Comment
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Spending budget: $400/mo. + $59.70 left over from November’s budget = $459.70 We bought $583.99 after some returns, made $76.40 selling some items and cashed in for $50 cashback award from Discover. Total spent in December: $533.99 – $76.40 – $50 = $457.59 – whew, barely made it! Right now we have a total of $1208 in the Disney fund: We added $215 from Christmas gifts. We also received $40 in Disney gift cards to spend while we’re there! Our $400 {Read More}
Buying Something With a Gift Card Doesn’t Make It Free
December 27, 2012 by Leave a Comment
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It’s easy to look at a gift card as free money. But when the gift card is empty you’ll be spending money out of your own pocket again, so don’t blow that gift money on the first pretty thing that catches your eye. Be sure to make sure the items you’re buying with it are worth the sales price. Register Rewards and ECBs need to be looked at in the same way. A $10 item purchased with $10 ECBs/RRs that {Read More}
2012 Christmas Bonus Gift Card Promotions
December 20, 2012 by
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If you have money to spare in your budget, consider pre-buying gift cards from restaurants and retailers that are offering promotional gift cards or coupons for purchasing a gift card. Many stores are offering a free $5 gift card for every $25 that you purchase before Christmas. That’s a 20% return on your money! I’m not suggesting that you go on a wild and crazy shopping spree for gift cards, but do take a look at the promotional offers available {Read More}