Being Frugal.net » Frugal Tips

Kyle’s Coupons: Not-So-Common-Sense Money Saving Tips

Lynnae — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:00:33 +0000

The following is a regular feature by Kyle of Rather-Be-Shopping. If you like this post, consider subscribing to his blog’s RSS feed.

I like Lynnae’s tagline, “Live More. Spend Less.” This made me think of some of the more unconventional ways you can spend less money in everyday life. Most of us are already familiar with money saving tips like cutting back on the cable bill or stop driving through your local Starbucks for a $4 milkshake, I mean, umm, cup of coffee. Those are fairly common sense. But here are a few not-so-common sense ways to save money. Some of which I have done and some are courtesy of my very frugal Dad.

~ Water Plants With Recycled Water. This one comes from my Dad. He puts a 5 gallon bucket in the corner of the shower and when it gets full, he uses the water on his houseplants and plants on his patio. Plants can always use a little conditioner I guess.

~ Haircut For Less. This one is courtesy of my wife. She was going to a hair salon for a few months when she decided to ask if they had a “training day”. They did, and now she gets her hair done by a trainee, they always do a great job, and it costs a fraction of the regular price. Ask about this at your hair salon or look for a cosmetology school in your area that may offer training days.

~ Save Water In The Shower. Again, this one is from my frugal Dad. He gets in the shower, turns on the water to get wet, turns off the water, soaps up, then turns the water back on. He does indeed save water, but he has not had a warm shower since 1973. :-)

~ Brick In The Toilet. By putting a brick in the back of the toilet, you use less water every time you flush. This tip works best if you have an older toilet that uses a lot of water on every flush. The newer ‘low-flow’ toilets use much less water and would make a brick in the back less useful.

Do you think any of these tips are worth the time and effort? Please feel free to add your unconventional frugal living tips. Looking forward to your comments.

Now on to a more conventional money saving idea, online coupons. These coupons may be able to help you save money on things you need or maybe your early Christmas shopping. If your favorite store is not listed, please contact me and I will do my best to personally find you a coupon code.

Eddie Bauer.com
Get 20% Off your entire online purchase
Coupon Code: HOLRESTW9
Expiration: 11/09/09
See All: Eddie Bauer Coupons

Lands End.com
Free shipping on your entire online purchase
Coupon Code: NOV6 w/ the PIN 00009025
Expiration: 11/06/09
See All: Lands End Coupons

Mikasa.com
Get 20% Off the Highest Priced Item in your order
Coupon Code: TWENTY
Expiration: 11/22/09
See All: Mikasa Coupons

Melissa & Doug.com
Free Shipping on your entire online purchase
Coupon Code: freeship75
Expiration: 12/31/09
See All: Melissa & Doug Coupons

Old Navy.com
Free Shipping on your $50+ online purchase
Coupon Code: ONSHIP50
Expiration: 11/08/09
See All: Old Navy Coupons

Puma Store.com
Get 30% off your entire online purchase
Coupon Code: FANDF0911
Expiration: 11/07/09
See All: Puma Coupons

Sensational Beginnings.com
Save $10 off your $50+ online purchase
Coupon Code: MONEYSAVER
Expiration: 12/25/09
See All: Sensational Beginnings Coupons

Photo by stevendepolo.

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Tightwad Tuesday: Photo Christmas Cards

Lynnae — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:00:55 +0000

I like to send and receive Christmas cards. In today’s busy society, sometimes Christmas cards are the only time I update relatives on our family. And sometimes it’s the only time I receive updates.

But a few years ago, I found that my Christmas card routine was getting pretty cluttered…and expensive. I would buy the cards. Then I’d sign every one, with a short, personal message. Then I’d type up a longer family update in a family newsletter. I’d march the family down to a photo studio, for a Christmas picture. Then I’d have to cut out the pictures and stuff them into the envelope with the card and newsletter.

There had to be a better way.

These days I’ve changed my card routine a bit. We still write the Christmas letter, which we sign with our very own handwriting. Sometimes we attach a personal message too.

But instead of buying Christmas cards and paying for a professional portrait, I take a picture at home, and then I order photo cards. I stuff the envelope with the photo card and the family newsletter, and send them on their way.

Photo cards don’t have to be boring or expensive. A couple of our pictures from years gone by are:

The kids in front of the Christmas tree (I gave my son a present to hold, to keep his hands busy).

And the whole family in front of the tree in our matching pajamas.

I’ll admit that I’m not creative when coming up with Christmas picture ideas. A quick search of the internet will lead you to more ideas than you’ll ever use, though. The best ideas I came across can be found at Thrifty Fun here and here.

After you’ve taken (and possibly photoshopped) the perfect picture, you can either make up Christmas cards yourself and print them out, or you can upload the picture to a third party website, like Shutterfly or Snapfish to create Christmas cards for you. I don’t have photoshop, and I haven’t had time to learn Gimp yet (the free alternative), so I use whatever site has the best deals on photo cards at the time I’m shopping. Right now Vista Print has the best deal, so that’s probably who I’ll use.

If you give yourself enough time, you can create your own unique and frugal Christmas cards.

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Tightwad Tuesday: Favorite Cheap Rainy Day Activities

Lynnae — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:00:18 +0000

Yesterday it rained. And rained and rained and rained. The weather has gone from “play outside all day” to “hunker down in the house” in a hurry!

And since my kids are home with me all day, this presents a problem. My soccer-loving son can’t kick the ball around. My dog-loving daughter can’t work with the dog on her obedience training. So what do I do with the kids on rainy days? Lots!

Favorite Cheap Rainy Day Activities

Read Together. This is my favorite part of homeschooling. We grab a blanket and snuggle on the couch to read a good book. Then we get lost in worlds far away, as we read old favorites and new adventures. Right now my daughter and I are reading about the adventures of Eric Liddell. And my son is imagining life below sea, as we read Dolphin Adventure.

Watch a Movie. I honestly think the best money I’ve spent this year is a membership to Netflix and a $100 Roku box for the TV. On a rainy day, we don’t even have to leave the house to “rent” a movie. We just add an instant play movie to our Netflix queue, and watch the downloaded movie on our TV, via the Roku player. We’ve paid for the box already, with the number of movies we’ve watched.

This is especially great for rainy days (or even sick days), because we can change our lesson plan and add an educational movie to our day on a moment’s notice. If the weather stays nasty this week, we’ll be ditching the books for an afternoon to watch Chariots of Fire (to tie in with our Eric Liddell book…pretty clever, eh?).

Play Board Games. When the weather gets really nasty, I like to turn off all electronics, so I can hear the storm. So we gather ‘round the table as a family to play a board game. Sorry, Life, and Guess Who? are some of our favorites.

Bake. Have you ever noticed how kids love to help in the kitchen? Especially if it involves making something sweet. Baking on rainy days does triple duty. It provides you with a great snack, gives the kids something to do, and warms up a cold house. That’s why we love it!

What are your favorite rainy day activities?

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Tightwad Tuesday: 4-H

Lynnae — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:00:49 +0000

Since we’ve begun homeschooling, we’ve had more time to explore outside activities for the kids, than we did when they were in public school. In the past, we had only allowed the kids to do one outside activity at a time, in addition to AWANA.

But now that we don’t have homework to contend with, we’ve allowed the kids to pick more activities. And they both picked 4-H.

Our neighbor first suggested 4-H to us, when we adopted our dog, Chloe. She told us that if our daughter joined 4-H, she could participate in the dog training club and basically get a dog obedience course for next to nothing. And it didn’t matter that our dog is a mutt from the pound. 4-H takes all kinds of dogs.

Our daughter decided she was interested, and we signed her up. She had her first dog training session last night, and it went really well! And since 4-H costs only $25 for the entire year in our area, we can’t complain about the cost!

In addition, if my daughter wanted to, she could sign up for more 4-H classes, at no additional cost! There are clubs for beef, knitting, marine science, public speaking, and much, much more! I was not a 4-H kid, so this is all new to me!

We were so impressed with the dog obedience class, that we asked our son if he wanted to sign up for 4-H Adventurers, so he could explore the different areas of 4-H. Since he’s not old enough to participate in the traditional 4-H program, we figured this would be a great way to expose him to different things, so when he hits 4th grade, he can jump right into a regular 4-H club. And the Adventurers club is only $2 a year!

With the high cost of extra-curricular activities these days, we’ve found 4-H to be a high quality, low cost program, where our kids can learn a wide variety of practical skills.

Were you in 4-H? How about your kids? What do you think?

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Tightwad Tuesday: Frugal Halloween Costumes

Lynnae — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:00:06 +0000

Halloween is a mere 18 days away. Do your kids know what they are going to be?

Every year I ask my kids what they want to be, and then I try to make their costumes frugally. This year my daughter went easy on me. She wants to be a Black Cat. She already has a black leotard and tights. And she’ll probably wear the matching black skirt for a little modesty. We found an inexpensive cat mask (one of the old fashioned kinds that only covers your eyes and nose), and I’ll whip up a tail out of black fabric, and she’ll be set.

If you need some ideas to spark your creativity, here are a few ideas.

Frugal Halloween Costumes

A Baby. This one is always popular with elementary aged girls. Put on footed pajamas, braid your hair, paint on some rosy cheeks, and stick a pacifier in your mouth. Kids always seem to prefer those candy pacifiers. :) Carry around a doll, if you like.

A Scarecrow. Wear an old pair of jeans, a flannel shirt, a straw hat, and some boots. Stuff straw or raffia into the sleeves and boots, so some is coming out around your hands and feet. It might help to wear a tight fitting shirt under the flannel shirt, so the straw isn’t up against your skin. Paint your face like a scarecrow, and you’re set!

A Pair of Dice. You’re going to need two people for this one. Paint two boxes white. Then paint black dots on them, in the formation of dots on a dice. Use string to hang the box over your shoulders. Easy peasy!

A Haggard Housewife. Wear a bathrobe and slippers and put your hair up in rollers (look for these at the thrift store….and wash them in very hot water before you put them in your hair). You could even add a bon-bon box for effect.

A Bag of Jellybeans. Cut arm and leg holes in a clear trashbag. Put it on and fill with balloons of all colors. Gather the bag at the neck and tie (but not too tightly). Viola!

If none of these ideas appeal to you, just put on your thinking cap. Often a pair of sweats can be transformed with paint, safety pins, glue, paper, and accessories that you can find at the thrift store. Halloween doesn’t have to be expensive to be fun. And truth be told, some of my favorite Halloween memories consist of thinking up a costume and using what I had on hand to make it happen!

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Tightwad Tuesday: Once a Month Cooking

Lynnae — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:00:52 +0000

My longtime readers know that the biggest problem I have in keeping a budget is in the area of cooking (or lack of) and eating out. Between homeschooling, blogging, and trying to keep up with cleaning the house, I hardly have time to menu plan.

In addition, we’re a super busy family. We have activities going nearly every night of the week, which makes it difficult to get a healthy meal on the table every night and very tempting to hit the nearest restaurant on the way out the door to soccer practice.

Until now.

Once a Month Cooking Family Favorites

Several weeks ago I was contacted about an opportunity to review Once-a-Month Cooking Family Favorites by Mary Beth Lagerborg and Mimi Wilson, and I jumped at the chance. Cooking only once a month seemed like it might solve a lot of problems I have in getting dinner on the table for the family.

I received the book a little over a week ago, and I was immediately impressed by the menu plans. There are 7 menu plans: Two one month plans, two regular two week plans, a two week gluten free plan, a two week summer plan that incorporates lots of grilling, and a two week gourmet plan.

A wide variety of recipes are included, including Chicken Scampi, Mediterranean Burgers, Lime Grilled Mahi-Mahi, and Four Seasons Pizza. The recipes average $2.16 per serving, which is a lot cheaper than dinner out at McDonald’s! Healthier and tastier, too!

Each plan comes with a chart that shows you the recipes, the number of servings, the meat used, the reheating method, what you need to serve the main dish, and a space to write what you’d like to serve on the side.

Also included with each plan is a grocery list, broken down by sections of the grocery store, and a pantry list, which lists items you probably have on hand that will be needed in the recipes.

Beyond the menus and recipes, Once-a-Month Cooking Family Favorites also includes tips and tricks, such as what equipment you’ll need, freezing tips, a section on how to get started, and much more!

I couldn’t wait to give it a whirl.

My Once-a-Month Cooking Adventure

Being new to once a month cooking, I decided to start with a two week plan. I set aside last Friday to shop and cook, which the authors don’t advise. They actually suggest shopping before cooking day, but I only had one day available, so I threw caution to the wind.

I followed the instructions for my menu plan, starting with processing the food. I chopped, grated, and sliced…a lot! I found myself very grateful to my husband for the food processor he bought me for my birthday a few years ago.

After processing came the assembly of the dishes. The authors really knew what they were doing when they wrote this book! The directions were very clear, and it was easy to move from one recipe to the next. I started with an egg dish and then moved on to all the ground beef dishes, followed by some pasta dishes, and I finished up with the chicken dishes.

It took me about 5 hours to do all the processing and cooking, but I finally managed to get it all done. I went to bed very tired, but very satisfied that my freezer was stocked with good food. Some of the recipes even made more than I knew my family would eat, so I split them in half to make two meals. So between weekly dinners at church on Wednesdays, our weekly ethnic meal to go with our homeschool lessons, and the 17 meals I have in the freezer, I have about a month’s worth of food.

Is Once-a-Month Cooking Worth It?

I say yes! The 5 hours I spent cooking weren’t very fun. It wasn’t too bad, but you all know cooking isn’t my favorite thing to do. I have to tell you, though, pulling out a delicious macaroni and cheese dish last night and throwing it into the oven was WONDERFUL! And since all I used was a casserole dish, cleanup was easy before we headed out the door for 4-H.

And my groceries were only $300 (and that includes a big Costco run and breakfast and lunch items). So I still have $100 left in my grocery budget this month to pick up fresh produce and milk as needed.

Once-a-Month Cooking Family Favorites gets five stars, in my book. It’s a great way to save time and money!

If you’d like to try before you buy, head over to the Once-a-Month Cooking website, where you can download a one week menu plan. And be sure to follow Once-a-Month Cooking on Facebook, too!

Have you ever tried freezer cooking? What did you think?

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Tightwad Tuesday: Anatomy of a Frugal Cleaning Cabinet

Lynnae — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:00:06 +0000

People often wonder what is in my cleaning cabinet. With the plethora of cleaning products available, it’s sometimes hard to know what a frugal person needs. Or rather doesn’t need.

My cleaning cabinet is very basic. I’ve found that with a few basic items, I can clean almost anything.

Essential Frugal Cleaning Supplies

Vinegar. I’ve written before about all the things I love to do with vinegar. From fabric softener to disinfectant, vinegar on it’s own can clean a lot of things. It’s even more powerful when combined with other things.

Baking Soda. Baking soda makes a great scouring powder. It also deodorizes carpets, refrigerators, and cat litter boxes. And when combined with vinegar, it can unclog drains. I also use it in my homemade laundry detergent.

Dawn Dishwashing Detergent. Dawn is great for breaking down grease. I like to use it in combination with vinegar to clean my bathrooms.

Rubbing Alcohol. This is great for cleaning computer and television screens. You can also use rubbing alcohol, vinegar, and water to make a glass cleaner. Just use a cup of rubbing alcohol, a cup of water, and a tablespoon of vinegar.

Olive Oil. Mix three parts olive oil with one part vinegar to make a great furniture polish. I confess I hardly use furniture polish, though. I just dust with a slightly damp rag.

Borax. Borax is a great laundry detergent booster, and I use it in my homemade laundry detergent recipe. It also works to get rid of ants.

Washing Soda. Another laundry detergent essential.

Fels Naptha Soap. My favorite soap for making homemade laundry detergent. On it’s own, it’s also a great spot remover.

Commercial Dishwasher Detergent. So far I haven’t found anything to replace dishwasher detergent, so this is the only commercial cleaning product I use.

That’s it. With these 9 ingredients, I clean my entire house and do the laundry. All of these ingredients combined cost less than $25. That’s a lot better than an overstuffed cabinet full of $100 worth of cleaning products, each used for a single purpose. I prefer to keep things simple…and cheap.

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Tightwad Tuesday: Fun & Frugal Fall Activities

Lynnae — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:00:18 +0000

I love fall. It’s my favorite season. The weather cools down from the triple digit temperatures of summer, the leaves turn beautiful shades of orange and red, and the aroma of fireplaces warming homes fills the air.

I also like fall, because it brings with it a variety of frugal activities to enjoy as a family.

Play in the Leaves

Playing in piles of raked leaves is always a favorite with the kids. And to tell you the truth, I love it too! Take a running jump and land in the soft pile. Throw them in the air and make it “rain leaves”. Bury yourself up to your neck in leaves. One year we put a big pile of leaves at the bottom of the slide and let the kids slide down into them!

Yes, you usually have to re-rake the leaves when you’re done playing, but it’s a small price to pay for an afternoon of free family fun. Besides, it’s good exercise.

Visit the Pumpkin Patch

You can find farm stands that offer activities for kids in lots of farming communities. The cost for different activities will run a wide range, so call the individual farm stands in advance to compare prices.

Activities at pumpkin patches include wagon rides, corn mazes, and tours of the farm. More elaborate farm stands might offer activities such as pumpkin launches, a hay hill, face painting, and more. We go every year, and our kids always have a great time!

Go to a Ball Game

School has started and with that comes fall sports. Soccer, volleyball, and football are all in full swing right now, and that brings opportunities to cheer on the local team!

High school football games are inexpensive and a great opportunity to hang out with others in your community. But even if you don’t want to pay the price of admittance to a football game, you can watch community games for free.

When is the last time you watched preschoolers play soccer? It’s a blast! And if you head to your local park or YMCA on a Saturday morning this time of year, you’re sure to find a multitude of soccer games! And if football is your thing, how about checking out the middle school team? The kids are glad to have the support, and you’ll be able to see the high school star player…before he’s discovered!

Now that you know some of my favorite things to do in the fall, let me know what you like to do!

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Photo by *Mickey.

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Tightwad Tuesday: A Quick & Cheap Breakfast

Lynnae — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:00:36 +0000

Now that school has started, one of the biggest issues in a busy mom’s life is what to serve for breakfast? Even though I don’t send my kids off to school every morning, I remember the days when I did. It was difficult to find something quick, healthy, and cheap. This is one standby that fits the bill!

Breakfast Burritos

These are easy to make in bulk on the weekends, so you have a quick breakfast on weekday mornings. And breakfast burritos are very versatile, so you can mix up the taste from one batch to the next.

Here’s the basic version. Layer some scrambled eggs, cheese, and salsa on a tortilla, fold it up, wrap it in plastic, and throw it in a freezer bag in the freezer.

Cost breakdown:

1 dozen eggs: $1.32
2 lb block Cheddar Cheese: $4.99
16 oz. Salsa: $2.00
12 ct. flour tortillas: $2.49

Assuming each breakfast burrito uses 1 tortilla, 2 eggs, and 2 tablespoons each of cheese and salsa, the price of each burrito comes out to just 57 cents! Add an apple or banana for some fruit, and a cup of milk, and you have a well rounded breakfast!

To make it even healthier, you could add veggies in season. Change the type of cheese you use to vary the taste. Both of these options would raise the total cost a bit, but with a base cost of 57 cents, it won’t break the bank!

That’s my Tightwad Tuesday tip! What’s yours?

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Tightwad Tuesday: Quick & Easy Ways to Make a Little Cash

Lynnae — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:00:23 +0000

One of the best ways to pay off debt more quickly is to snowflake money toward your debt payment. Finding little ways to earn some quick cash can make your debt disappear much faster!

I’ve been involved in the following three programs for a while, and while you won’t get rich off any of them, each provides a way to earn a few cash or gift card rewards in your spare moments.

Earn Money With Cash Crate

When you sign up for Cash Crate, you get paid for completing offers, taking surveys, and referring other people.

The best way to get started after signing up is to select offers that are 100% free and then sort by rating. That will give you the easiest offers and surveys to complete, and you don’t have to worry about getting randomly charged for things. I never do offers that require credit card input. That’s just asking for trouble.

I also like to do surveys. They don’t pay much, but even if you make a dollar a day, that’s $30 a month that you can use to snowflake toward debt repayment!

If you do sign up for Cash Crate, I highly recommend that you get an email address that you use exclusively for surveys and offers. You will get a TON of email, and you don’t want it cluttering up your regular inbox.

Earn Gift Cards With MyPoints

I’ve been using MyPoints for a long time. With MyPoints, you don’t directly earn cash, but you earn points that you can redeem for gift cards from a wide variety of businesses. In the past I’ve selected gift cards from Target, Walmart, Amazon, and Bath & Body Works.

In order to use the gift card money to pay off debt, I select a card from a place like Walmart, use the money for food, and transfer the equivalent amount of money to my bank account to make a payment on debt.

Earning points from MyPoints is really straightforward. If you shop through their site with one of their partner stores, you earn points. In your spare time, you can open their emails and click through to the partner sites for points. No purchase necessary. And you can also take surveys for points.

The points you earn add up surprisingly fast. It doesn’t take long at all to earn a $10 gift card!

As with Cash Crate, though, you’ll want a separate email address to use with MyPoints, because you’ll be receiving a LOT of email.

Earn Prizes and Gift Cards With Swagbucks

Swagbucks is much like MyPoints in that you earn points (or swagbucks, as they’re called), which you redeem for prizes or gift cards. It can be a great way to save up for a needed purchase or for purchasing gifts for people.

The easiest way to earn Swagbucks is to do internet searches, using the Swagbucks search engine. It doesn’t cost you anything, and you’re probably already doing internet searches, so it doesn’t take any extra time. Each time you search with the Swagbucks search engine, you have a chance to win Swagbucks.

I use the Swagbucks search plugin for Firefox. I just keep my search box set to Swagbucks, and every time I do a search, I have a chance to win Swagbucks! In fact, I have over 1500 Swagbucks sitting in my account right now, and I can’t even remember how I got them!

You can also earn Swagbucks for shopping with their partners or recycling your old cell phone or video gaming system. I love a company that rewards me for recycling!

Do you have experience with any of these programs? I’d love to hear about it!

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