Thursday, April 29, 2010

How I save money...

Time to add a little meat to this blog. All these fluffy giveaway posts are annoying, I know.

I operate on a very small budget. When I say small, I mean SMALL. We are pretty much broke, pretty much all the time. We are still a happy little family, but by no means financially well off. lol.

This means that I have to save every penny I can on whatever I can, as often as I can...so I am pretty cheap. I very rarely spend any money on myself, even when I grocery shop I buy the things that everyone else in the house wants to eat, and usually skip my favorite stuff because it just doesn't seem to make any sense to buy things for just myself.
At the Grocery store, I always have my coupons with me. I have a binder organized by types of products (Frozen, dry goods, dairy...etc) and I always check all of the grocery ads and make a list of all of the sale items, I match what coupons I have for what's on sale so I know what the cheapest items are going to be, then I make my grocery list based on whats on sale. I don't buy much brand name stuff, because the Store Brand is cheaper, and usually tastes just as good. I don't impulse buy. I hate taking other people shopping with me because I have a shopping system and any disruption to my system can cause me to miss something on my list, and usually means stuff that isn't on my lists ends up in the basket. I hate that.
Gf is the worst about that. I HATE taking her with me when I'm trying to stick to a budget because she will see something she wants, and figure "it's only a couple dollars.." and toss it in the cart. Then when we get in the car, she is irritated because I went twenty dollars over budget. Well DUH! When I have someone else grabbing five or six things that AREN'T ON MY LIST that messes with my budget!
If the stores that have things on sale aren't doubling or tripling coupons, then I go to Super Walmart and admatch. They will match the lowest advertised price of any regular grocery store. Sometimes they have the lowest price on things, but the few cents saved on all the things that aren't lowest really add up.
On average I save at least 35% but usually more by watching the ads and using my coupons. It takes time, but in the end my bottom line shows the effort is worth it.

Another way that I save...is by not buying things that I can get for free. I'm lucky to have friends with daughters a year or two older than mine, because the hand-me-downs are great! It saves SO MUCH MONEY to not have to buy new clothes every time the weather changes, or the girls change sizes. Not to mention that things get even more use since my younger daughter, all though five years younger than her sister, is tall for her age, so the clothes that my oldest outgrow fit my youngest fairly quickly. It means saving things and packing them away for a year in between uses...but it's worth it.

Some of my friends laugh at me because I don't buy things that I think aren't cheap enough. I haven't bought a new purse for myself in years. It's a good thing my Mother in Law bought me one for Christmas this year or I would be carrying around a diaper bag for a purse (my youngest is 4 so I can't really get away with it anymore...lol). I don't buy clothes unless they are on sale...and I have never spent more than $25 dollars on a pair of shoes IN MY LIFE. I don't buy new shoes often because I don't really go anywhere but the grocery store and the occasional outing to a Sports Bar with a friend...and I don't dress up for those things. My good ol' Converse work just fine.

So those are some (but not all) of the ways I save...how do you?

Great Giveaway from The Bragging Mommy

http://www.misikko.com/hana-elite-flat-iron.htmlLike I've mentioned...lol... I've been a giveaway whoore lately and I found another chance to win the awesome Misikko Hana Elite 1” Ceramic Flat Iron. 

Check out The Bragging Mommy and  all of her awesome reviews and giveaways! 

Cross those fingers for me that I win this Flat Iron...I really need it!

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Thrifty Wifey rocks!

Yet another awesome giveaway from my favorite Review blogger!

Thrifty Wifey is giving a way a Hamilton Beach Food Processor from CSN Stores!


Another plea for crossed fingers!



I am such a giveaway Whoore lately. lol

I have been feeling very uncreative lately so instead of knitting/crocheting and blogging about that...I'm entering giveaways lol.


I found another really cool giveaway this morning over at Thrifty Wifey (and I love her blog because it's name is so similar to mine. lol). She is giving away a really cool purse hanger from Joey Junior.

You all should go check her blog out, she's always giving something awesome away, and she gives great product reviews.

Monday, April 26, 2010

I want it. SOOO bad.

In my blog cruising yesterday I found a most amazing giveaway. Over at Frugal & Fabulous they are giving away an item from DownEast Basics. I LOVE their clothes, and was super sad and upset when they closed the kiosk that they had in the mall here, and jumped at the chance to win something from them!

This is what I'm hoping to win...  Cross your fingers for me!

Knitting and Crochet Blog Week...Day 1

It is Knitting and Crochet Blog Week!

The topic for Day 1 is Starting Out.

I learned how to crochet from my grandmothers when I was in elementary school. I was awful at it and gave up and didn't want to do it anymore. I learned to knit when my oldest daughter was born, from my grandmother...and was totally hooked. I made hats and baby blankets and potholders, but I still wasn't very good at it. It was something to do when I was stuck in the house with a newborn, and something to keep my mind and hands occupied. After a while I got bored with it, and put the needles away.

Then a couple of years ago I picked it back up when I was pregnant with my younger daughter. I got super SUPER into it, and surprisingly enough, I was pretty good at it this time around! I've kept at it pretty regularly, but only this year have I attempted difficult projects like my first pair of socks and a few sets of baby booties.

I also started Crocheting again. I've become a hat crocheting MACHINE. lol. Whenever I'm bored and have a couple hours and a few balls of yarn handy... I whip out a beanie hat. I also have an afghan that I've been working on over the last few months. It's my "bed project" I work on it when I'm laying in bed watching TV. The pattern is pretty repetitive so I don't have to think much about what I'm doing.

Anyways...thats my story.

I'm off to go read everyone elses!

Sunday, April 25, 2010

Ooooh...pretty!

In my search for giveaways and contests today I found one that made me do the "aaaahhhh" with my hands out and mock halo thing.


I have been lusting after this flat iron for FOREVER. I WANT IT!

Check out Linny's Vault . It's an awesome blog with awesome giveaways!

Cross your fingers and hope I win!

I am feelin LUCKY!

I've been feeling lucky this week, so I've been cruisin the Mommy Blogs today lookin for a Giveaway worth blogging about. I found it!

Have you ever been in someones house and seen they had those really beautiful stenciled lettering on their walls? The ones that say Family, or a Bible verse or something? I am always jealous when I see those... I don't have the steady hand to paint them... I hadn't even thought of the fact that they might be stickers!

On Thrifty Wifey  they are having a giveaway from Scribblin Sisters, it's great!

Go check out their blog, and all of their other awesome contests and reviews!

Friday, April 16, 2010

American Cancer Society: Relay for LIFE!

On May 1st my teamates and I will participate in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.


I am walking to honor my baby sister who BEAT her cancer, for my Grandmother who WILL BEAT her cancer, and the members of our family we will always remember who lost their fight.

If everyone I knew donated ONE DOLLAR I could double my fundraising goal. Who doesn't have ONE DOLLAR to spare for a good cause?

American Cancer Society Relay for Life: Team Glow On!

For every donation of ONE DOLLAR OR MORE you will be entered in our Pampered Chef Giveaway...details to come later.