Guest Post - Frugal Tips

Three Frugal Tips That Are Too Simple To Skip

Today's financial climate has inspired many things. With saving money on the forefront of everyone's mind, the internet is swarming with frugal tips and tricks. While some of these helpful hints are less than practical (toilet train your cat, really?), there are several incredibly simple tricks to frugality that can save anyone some extra cash. These three tricks are extremely easy steps you can take to help you save on your household expenses.

Many of us fail to realize just how significant the amount of money we spend on groceries really is each month. For most households, the grocery bill is the largest bill we pay. The easiest way to save money on grocery shopping is by writing a grocery list before you leave for the store. Go through your kitchen and pantry before you leave and write down all of the items that you are out of. Try to devise a meal plan for the week, so that you can go to the store with specific meals in mind. This way you can purchase the items you need for individual meals without forgetting items or getting items you do not need. All too often, we go to the store and buy whatever items we see on the shelves that look appetizing. This often leads to either buying things we do not actually need or want or having duplicate items in our pantry. Each of these situations leads to both a waste of money and a waste of food. The key to cutting back on unnecessary purchases at the store is planning a careful list before you leave and sticking to it. Do not deviate from your list. Also, beware of the store's discount marketing plans. Signs will often say "4 for $4" and people think this means that they must buy four items. Usually this sign means that each item costs one dollar a pop.

Next, cook large dinners in the evening and freeze the leftovers. Cook up a double or triple batch of casserole or pasta and put the remaining food in meal sized tuperware containers. You can then take these pre-cooked meals to work for lunch or serve them again for dinner some time later in the week. Although leftovers are never super popular with the kids, there are things you can do to spice things up a little. Try adding new and fresh side dishes to go alongside the leftover meal. Eating leftovers is a great way to save money and time for the busy professional parent. Eating out is a huge expense. While going out to dinner for a special occasion or celebration can be a lot of fun, it is usually very expensive and not particularly healthy. Eating leftovers can save you a significant amount of dough and a significant amount of time.

Lastly, (and I know this one is going to be less popular) try to eat less meat. Meat is expensive. Cut back on the amount of meat that you eat and notably cut back on your spending. Don't get me wrong. I love eating a delicious steak or a tasty fish filet. But, these dishes can be very pricy. At least once a week, on a day that you would have eaten a meat product, try replacing it with a delicious and inexpensive meatless meal. Pasta dishes, vegetarian chili, and hummus with pitas are all great choices, among dozens and dozens of others. I'm not suggesting that you become a vegetarian (although that probably would save us some money), but sacrificing some of your meaty meals can help you save quite a bit of cash.

Saving money takes a little more effort and a little more forethought. While these tips are not going to give you thousands more in the bank right away, they can help you save little by little. The key to living a frugal life is doing it one small purchase or practice at a time.

Author Bio:
Donna Reish, a freelancer who blogs about best universities, contributed this guest post.  She loves to write education, career, frugal living, finance, health, parenting relating articles. She can be reached via email at: donna.reish13@gmail.com.

Organic Family Garden Guest Post

How to Grow an Organic Family Garden

If you’re in the mood for fresh herbs and vegetables, the best way to get them is to plant your own garden. Most gardeners agree that vegetables taste better and are better for you when they’re grown organically. Even if you have a modest amount of time and space, it’s easy to grow an organic family garden. Here are some tips to help you get started.

What Is an Organic Garden?

An organic garden is a garden that is grown without the use of chemicals or pesticides. The organic gardener takes advantage of natural fertilizers and composting by using the decomposable material that might otherwise go to a landfill.

Most advocates of organic gardens say that not using chemicals or pesticides improves the taste of the vegetables and herbs and is also healthier. Organic vegetables have a high content of vitamins and natural minerals which have proven to be better for your overall health. Growing your own herbs and vegetables will save on your grocery bill, and if you store them right you can enjoy the bounty year round.

Space Is Not a Concern

Your family organic garden need not take up acres and acres of property. All you really need is a patch of soil and the determination to grow your own herbs and vegetables. In urban environments, some people’s gardens consist of nothing more than a few planters on a window ledge or patio. Your garden can be designed to feed your family for months or merely supplement their diet.

How to Plant an Organic Garden

Prior to starting an organic garden, do as much reading as you can on the subject. Ask friends and neighbors who are already experienced organic gardeners for tips. Most people who have been gardening organically will be more than happy to help you get started. Organic gardeners are like a fraternity--they believe in the practice and strongly advocate it.

You will also need to collect the seeds to be used. For a truly organic garden, you need to use organic seeds. This may sound silly, but there is a difference. Organic seeds come from plants that have been grown organically. They haven’t been genetically altered.

Many people use heirloom seeds and heirloom plants, because their seeds can be harvested and used in subsequent years. These are seeds and plants that haven’t been genetically altered and were not grown commercially.

Preparing the Soil

Soil preparation is also important in organic gardening. The better prepared your soil is before you plant the better your chances are of harvesting a good crop. Establishing a healthy root system is necessary for the organic plants to thrive, and nutrient rich soil is the key. The process of getting your soil ready to plant is relatively simple--but can take time.

It may be best to begin the process of preparing your soil a year before actually planting. Mixing compost and natural fertilizers will help draw out any leftover chemicals and revitalize the nutrients in the soil. You must also check the pH level with a soil testing kit, which can be purchased at most nurseries or hardware stores. The kit will come with instructions. If you’re unsure of how to test or how to interpret the results consult with someone you know who is more experienced than you are. Knowing how to prepare the soil is an art in and of itself. After you learn how to do it the benefits will be obvious when you harvest your first crop of vegetables or herbs. They will taste terrific.

Caring for Your Garden

After the garden is planted taking care of it becomes a necessity. Making sure it is properly watered and fertilized is a daily responsibility. Weeding should also be kept up. If weeds are left to go to seed, they can spread quickly. Since your garden is organic, you will want to avoid using chemicals and stick to weeding by hand.

Guest post from Bailey Harris, who writes about car insurance quotes for www.carinsurancequotes.net.

Staying Fit On A Budget!

I am the type of person who needs motivation to work out.  I think about it, plan on it and get busy and stay home.  If I take a class, it is motivation for me to actually go!  Since money is tight for a lot of us, it is difficult to find classes that fit a budget.

Here are some ideas for fitness on a budget that I came up with:

• Check out the fitness class schedule for your local community center.  You can generally get a resident rate and the classes are usually very inexpensive.
• Check out local churches.  Most churches have event calendars somewhere on their website.  You can check out what they have available and see if it fits your schedule.  The great thing about this is that classes at churches are generally FREE!
• If you are local to St. Louis there are FREE Tae Kwon Do classes available.  One is offered on Thursdays at 6:30pm at The Rock Church St. Louis.  The other is offered on Saturday at 10am at The Rock in Soulard.  Email for more information.
• Scout your TV for fitness programs throughout the day.  If you are dedicated to do workouts at home, this would be very convenient.
• Rent fitness videos from the Library.  This is FREE and you can check them out for as long as you want.  I have purchased videos in the past, used them for a few days and set them aside to collect dust.  This eliminates the cost!
• Swap your old dusty fitness videos for different ones at Swap-a-DVD.  I like variety when working out so this is perfect for me (If I can dedicate time to actually work out at home, major chore for me!).

I'm sure you have other great ideas for staying fit on a budget.  Post them here and share with everyone!

Register Reward News!

I just found out something really exciting today by trial and error. You know those wonderful register rewards we get at the stores we shop at? You know, the ones that say Manufacturer Coupon on the top next to the expiration date? They can be used at any store! You don't have to just use them at the store you got them at.

I never realized that I could use a Shop'n Save register reward at Walgreens! I had to get some things today at Walgreens and accidently handed the clerk my Shop'n Save register reward instead of my Walgreens one. She scanned it and the register took it and off I went! I did the same thing at Walmart!

No more worrying about using Walgreens register rewards on time at Walgreens, I can use them at Schnucks or Dierbergs also!!!! Of course you may run in to some clerks that won't want to take them. I suggest simply asking them if they will try to scan it. If the register beeps just take it and use it elsewhere.

If you have used your register rewards at stores other than where you received them, leave a comment here and confirm that it worked for you also! I am really excited!

Make Money Shopping w/ Ebates!!!

Hello Readers,

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Sign up with Ebates today and we'll each get a $5 bonus when you make your first purchase!

Click here to sign up!

Happy Shopping!

Money Saving Tips for the Beginner Part D: Samples & Rebates

So now that you know how to get coupons, which coupons to clip and how to get organized, lets talk about samples and rebates. Most companies and one point will offer samples or rebates for their items. Companies use samples and rebates to get their product out there for the consumer to use, fall in love with, and continue to purchase.

I myself, love to receive samples in the mail. I also like that many companies send coupons with their samples. The down side is trying to figure out what to do with all the samples you receive. You may want to ask yourself, "Am I going to use this sample when I receive it?" If you would consider the product then sure, request a sample and see if you like it. If you would not use the product then maybe consider not requesting a sample and letting someone who will enjoy it receive it. Companies only distribute a certain number of samples.

If you receive samples that you will not use, consider donating them. There are many organizations that would gladly take or even prefer sample sized products to distribute to those in need. That could be one way for you to put those samples to good use.

Another thing to consider is that whenever you fill out a request for a product, that company now has all of your information. They have your address, phone number, email, etc. They also have the rights to contact you at their will since you offered them your information. Many people think "Well, they will get my information from the phone book anyways so I might as well get something for FREE in the process." If that is what you think then this is not an issue for you.

Rebates, unlike samples, take a little more work. You have to print or hold on to the rebate form, fill it out, purchase the product, photocopy your receipt (very important to do in case the company "loses" it), clip UPC codes off the product, place everything in an envelope, address & stamp the envelope and mail it out. You have to remember all the cost involved. You have to purchase the product out of pocket, envelopes (~$.01 each) and stamps ($.42).

Here is an example of your total cost:

• Product Cost: $5
• Tax: $.40
• Envelope: $.01
• Stamp: $42
• Rebate: -$5

So for your FREE after rebate item, you will actually pay $.83! Now you have to decide if that item is worth all the work and the $.83. There is also the issue of timing. Mail in rebates have deadlines. If you miss the deadline, you will not receive your money back. So you are stuck with a product that you have now spent $5.83 and may or may not use.

One upside to mail in rebate offers is that you can use a coupon for the product when you purchase it. Say you buy a $5 scrubber. You use a $1/1 MFG for the scrubber. You will turn in the rebate for the total $5 amount (try to buy at least one other item in that same transaction or you may get the money back less the coupon). After using the $1/1 MFG, your item is truly FREE. In fact, you will make $.17 after all is said and done. That is really the key. If I do not have a coupon for a MIR item, I will probably not purchase it unless I know I will use it.

Hopefully you now have a greater understanding of what is really involved in requesting samples and rebates. If you have any thoughts or questions on the matter, please leave a comment here! Come back later for Part E: Combining Coupons.

Money Saving Tips for the Beginner - Part C: Coupon Organizing

On Monday, I touched on the topic of Coupon Attaining, then on Coupon Clipping. Now lets talk about Coupon Organizing. It is very important to be able to quickly find the coupons you are looking for. If you have them in some sort of binder or tabbed device, it will be so much easier. When you are first starting out you can simply use an accordian binder which looks like the below picture.It doesn't have to be the kind that attaches to the cart but you get the idea. In the accordian binder, you can label your different coupon categories. Usually there are only about 10 slots to label so here are some examples of categories you could divide to:

1. Beverages (including all drinkable items),
2. Breads (including breads, pastries, buns, donuts, crackers, croutons, etc.),
3. Canned/Fresh (including vegetables, fruits, soups, pie fillings, etc.)
4. Cleaners (including air sanitizers, candles, cleaning products, laundry soaps, etc.)
5. Cooking Ingredients (including seasonings, spices, sugar, vanilla, etc.)
6. Dairy (including milk, ice cream, dips, yogurt, pudding, etc.)
7. Frozen Foods (including fruits, vegetables, meats, ready-to-make meals, ect.)
8. Hygiene (including feminine care products, deodorant, shampoo/conditioner, etc.)
9. Medicine (including vitamins, pain relievers, band-aids, etc.)
10. Miscellaneous (including everything else.

These can vary but that just gives you an idea. You will find which categories really work best for you and you may change them a few times. If you find that your Dairy category is always really thin and your Medicine is huge, you may want to combine your Dairy with your Beverage and break up your Medicine into Medicine & Vitamin.

Once your coupon collection gets large, the accordian style may not work well anymore. My cousin uses the envelope style. You get a picture box or Rubbermaid container (like the picture below) and a pack of envelopes.

You can then label each envelope with your coupon categories. Since the envelopes are only so big and you want to make finding your coupons easier, you will need to expand your list of categories. Here are the categories I use:

1. Baby-Food
2. Baby-Diapers/Wipes
3. Baby-Medicine
4. Baby-Products (Bath, Clothes, Nursing Products, etc.)
5. Bags (Containers, Trash, Foil, Wraps, etc.)
6. Batteries/Film
7. Baking (Ingredients, Pie Crusts, Box Mixes)
8. Beverages
9. Breakfast (Eggs, Frozen Breakfast Meals, Oatmeal, etc.)
10. Candy/Gum
11. Cereal
12. Chips
13. Candles
14. Cleaners-All Purpose
15. Cleaners-Bathroom
16. Cleaners-Dishes
17. Cleaners-Disinfectant
18. Cleaners-Floor
19. Cleaners-Insect (Bug Sprays, Insect Repellents, etc.)
20. Cleaners-Laundry
21. Clothes
22. Dairy
23. Frozen/Fresh Veggies or Fruits
24. Health Foods
25. Hygiene-Deodorant (Deodorants & Body Sprays)
26. Hygiene-Face (Facial Cleansers/Moisturizers)
27. Hygiene-Feminine
28. Hygiene-Hair (Shampoo/Conditioners, Stylers, etc.)
29. Hygiene-Hair Dye
30. Hygiene-Lotion
31. Hygiene-Makeup
32. Hygiene-Shaving
33. Hygiene-Soap
34. Hygiene-Teeth
35. Meats
36. Medical-Bandaid (Neosporin, Bandaids, etc.)
37. Medical-Eye
38. Medical-Sinus/Allergy
39. Medical-Stomach (Antacids, Dietary Supplements, Laxatives, etc.)
40. Medical-Miscellaneous
41. Medical-Pain Relief
42. Medical-Vitamin
43. Paper Products
44. Pet-Cat
45. Pet-Dog
46. Sauces/Seasonings
47. Snacks

If you are more of a binder than a box person, you may choose to do what I do and get a 3” 3-ring binder and trading card plastic inserts. I was able to pick up a 3” binder at Walgreens for $3 and the trading card inserts at Wal-Mart for $.75 per 9-pack. Here are some pictures of what I use.

For me, this is easier to carry and sort through but you may prefer the box with a lid. Again, it is all about finding what works best for you but I think organization is definitely essential!

If you have another organization method you use or an idea for one and would be willing to share, please leave a comment here. Come back soon for Part D: Samples & Rebates.

Money Saving Tips for the Beginner - Part B: Coupon Clipping

Yesterday I touched on the important aspect of coupon attaining. Now once you have all these wonderful, money saving coupon books, how do you know which coupons to clip.

When you are first starting out, I would suggest that you only clip the coupons you think you will use. So, you will take your Red Plum, Smart Source, or P&G coupon books and you will scan through them first of all. This gives you an overall view of what products are represented. Next, you will grab your scissors and clip the coupons of items that your family will use. You will then place a sticky note on the front of the coupon book with the date and which type of book (Red Plum 8/10/08). This makes it easier to go back to these coupons later if you need to.

Be sure to hold onto these extra coupons. If there happens to be a great sale or by chance you will get something for FREE, you will be happy you saved these extras. I have found that the things that I would normally not purchase, end up being FREE or really cheap with a sale and I am willing to try them then.

When you get more comfortable with your coupon clipping, you may decide to clip everything. I have found that doing so works best for me because when I go into the stores and scan the clearance aisles, I can get great deals on the "other things" and want to have the coupons already clipped and ready.

You ask, “Do you bring all the coupons you have to every store?” Yes, of course! How do I know what could end up a great deal? I may not bring them all into the store but I definitely have them in the car and can run out there if I need one.

If any of you are on a tight budget, which happens from time to time, you may want to just stick to a list. You make a list of the deals that you want to get at the store and just stick to that (or print what I post for each store & highlight what you want/need of those deals). What works best for me is to have an envolope with the name of each store on the front. I will then place all the coupons that go with the deals for each of the respective stores. I will take these envelopes and the lists into the stores with me. I will get all these things and then check out. If you are sticking to a list, make sure you do just that. Do not browse the store or the clearance aisles. If you do this, you are bound to leave with more than what is on your list.

Internet coupons are a tricky aspect. I touched on internet coupon sites yesterday. The first of every month coupons are added and deleted from these sites, but not all. The tricky part is knowing which ones will be deleted. Unfortunately, there is no way to know this. What makes this tricky is that once you print the coupons, they are only good for a limited time. Once you print them twice, you have reached your limit and will not be able to print them again.

Say for instance, you print your two coupons for Dove bodywash, hoping to find a great deal. The coupons you printed say they expire on 8/23/08. You wait and watch and 8/23/08 comes and goes and there were no great deals. Now your coupons have expired and on 8/26/08, you find a great deal for the Dove bodywash. What a bummer! The coupons you could have had you do not now because you printed them too soon! Now you have to find a friend who will let you print the coupons from their computer to have them.

What I do is just wait until I need the coupons before I print them. That way they do not expire before I can use them. First of all this saves paper from being wasted and secondly they will be valid when I need them. There has only been a few instances when I wished I would have printed them because they were removed from the coupon sites and were not there when I needed them.
So now we touched on how to get coupons and which ones to clip. If you have any other ideas on Part B, please comment here. Come back tomorrow for Part C: Coupon Organization.

Money Saving Tips for the Beginner - Part A

If you are just starting out in the couponing world, I have a few tips for you. I have learned many things through trial and error but am still learning. There is always something else to learn or try for greater success.

The most important necessity to money saving is attaining coupons. There are several ways of doing this:

1. Receiving the Sunday paper is the easiest way. You can either get a subscription to the Sunday paper or go to a local business that sells them and purchase one every week. In the St. Louis area, the most inexpensive place to purchase the Sunday paper is at Dollar Tree or Big Lots. They are still $1 at both of these places (last time I checked). The first Sunday of every month usually contains 3 coupon books (Red Plum, Smart Source & Proctor Gamble) so you may choose to buy more than one paper.
2. Another way to get coupons is to ask friends and family to save you theirs. Many people receive the Sunday paper and only take a few, if any, coupons out of it. Ask them to give you what they have left after they clip. I do this and find that the coupons they take are not the ones that I end up using anyways which works out great!
3. Ask local businesses if you can have the papers that they do not sell every week. In some regions this does not work because the newspapers collect the remaining ones on Monday. Here in St. Louis, that is the case. The St. Louis Post collects their remaining papers from the businesses for credit. It is worth a shot though. Call the gas station near your house or the local market and ask what they do with the Sunday papers that they do not sell. You just might get lucky! You will have to be able to pick the papers up from the stores first thing on Monday, they do not want to hold on to them.
4. Another method is to dumpster dive. You go to your local newspaper recycle bin and dig through the papers people leave behind for the coupon books. Sometimes this pays off, other times it is very disappointing. Don't drive a long way to get to a recycle bin in the chance that you may do it for nothing. Stop at one in passing. The key to success in this method is to find out when the bins get emptied and go the day before.
5. Next is to find and use internet coupons. Most stores take internet coupons but there are a few that do not so this method is not always the best. There are several coupon sites that you can go to to print coupons. You can find the ones that I find the most helpful on my blog so start there. Most of the coupons sites have a cap of 2 prints per coupon per computer. If you know you need 8 coupons but only have 2 computer, find a friend or family member that will let you come over and print coupons. You can also visit your local library. You are able to print coupons from the library for their sheet charge which is usually around $.10. Also be sure to come back and visit my blog. I post several internet coupons on my deals postings every week so you do not have to search for them yourself.
6. Grab blinkies or tear offs at the stores you visit. There are little blinking machines or tear off pads throughout many stores. When I see a blinking machine, I usually take a minimum of 4 coupons. For tear offs, I just grab a bundle of them. Even if you think you would never use them, it does not hurt to take them. You just might be surprised how handy they come in!
7. Finally, sign up for FREE samples! A lot of the time if you sign up for a sample, the manufacturer includes coupons also. This is not always the case but I have received many great coupons this way!

If you have found other ways of attaining coupons, please post a comment here and let us know how! Don't forget to come back here tomorrow for Part B!

Money Saving eBooks!

I was able to get these eBooks from The Coupon Mom on saving strategies. They are supposed to help the average person cut their grocery bill in half. If you are interested in these, get your copy! I am always willing to read up on new ways to save money, how about you!!!
Drugstore Tips & Tricks

Grocery Store Tips & Tricks.