Articles

Be Prepared…Put Together Your First Aid Kit And Save

If you have kids then you know how easy it is for scrapes and bruises to occur.  With 3 kids actively involved in lots of sports and activities, I keep a “Mama’s First Aid Kit” in my car at all times.  You never know when you’ll need to pull out a bandage, quickly cover up a cut, or bring down the swelling.  Here are some of the things I keep in my kit: thermometers (infant/and or child). children’s acetaminophen and ibuprofen, hydrocortisone cream, rubbing alcohol, antibiotic ointment, irrigating eye wash, saline nose drops, aloe, tweezers, scissors, sunscreen, nasal aspirator, an assortment of adhesive bandages, gauze rolls, gauze pads, adhesive tape, cotton balls, q-tips, non-latex gloves, oral syringe, hot water bottle and ice pack, and small flashlight.  For safety’s sake, store all this in a lunch box or tackle box or a zippered bag that’s out of reach of curious babies and children. Many items in a first-aid kit can be hazardous if left within reach of a child.

It’s important to keep this stuff or at least some of it with you when traveling or just heading to the playground.  I keep mine in the back of my car at all times.  So when I see coupons for some of the stuff I keep in my kit I always grab them.  Right now you can get $1.00-$2.00 off Band-Aids and Neosporin products.  You definitely need to have these in your kit.  You might not think you need it now, but trust me…you just never know. And,  it’s better to be safe then sorry and prepared then screaming and searching around for a bandaid.

It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of They Year…For Helpful Holiday Hints

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanza — it’s the time of the year for family and friends… A time for good cheer and good food.

I love hosting a holiday get together and cooking all my favorite things. Sure, it’s busy time of the year, but who can’t find a little time to spend with the special people in your life – and who doesn’t love to entertain?! I thought I would share just a few of my favorite go-to, quick and easy holiday hints from decorations to recipes.

Let’s start with decorations – keep it simple and tasteful. I like to set my table with fun, super easy decorations – like an empty flower vase filled with Christmas ornaments and/or candy or empty wine bottles with holiday stickers (nothing fancy for me).

When it comes to the food, I like to keep it bite-size, but tasty (and all of these dishes can be made ahead of time). I want people to be able to grab and go. Parties are a time to socialize and catch up, so you don’t want people stuck at a table eating. Keep them mingling and enjoying the company.

Around my table you will find simple, satisfying appetizers like piglets in the blanket, pepperoni rolls, and crab cups – just to name a few

Of course you can’t have a party with out the yummy desserts. My kids love to do the traditional sugar cookies – sure, I end up with more sprinkles and icing on the floor then on the cookies but its so worth it. And, the cinnamon sugar nuts are always a hit. (I also love to give these as gifts!) Another favorite are holiday wreaths made from corn flakes (I always made these with my grandma).

And, before you head out to the store to buy your ingredients be sure to check for coupons – there is nothing better then saving yourself some money! I’ve included some coupons here to make it even easier!

So during this time of year, take some time for yourself and for those you love. Enjoy the magic of the season and the spirit of the holidays.

Happy Holidays to All and To All a Good Night!

Eight Beginners Tips For Saving Money With Coupons

One of the most addictive aspects of the frugal lifestyle is of course couponing. What starts out as a minor curiosity soon turns into an obsession when people realize just how much money those little scraps of paper can save them on a weekly basis. It would also be difficult to come up with a more enjoyable aspect of the frugal lifestyle than entering a supermarket, coupons in hand, and taking home popular products completely for free. Should you be just starting out on your coupon journey, here are a few beginners tips that should help you to get off to a good start.

Stockpile Family Favorites

When you find a great offer, don’t be afraid to stockpile. Provided the product is something that you will definitely use and it isn’t going to expire within the time that it takes you to do so, there is no reason to limit how many you purchase. Doing so ensures that you save the maximum amount of money possible when you find a great deal on something that you regularly purchase.

Most Coupons Are Not One Per Person

An important part of stockpiling your favorite products is being aware that most coupons are not restricted to one per person. This means that if you have four dollar off coupons for a particular product, nobody is going to stop you purchasing four of those products and using all four of your coupons in a single supermarket visit. This might sound obvious but assuming that coupons are limited to one per person is an incredibly common beginners mistake.

Never Purchase What You Don’t Need

Just because you get a great deal on something that does not mean that you should automatically purchase it. If it is not something that you would normally purchase and it is not something that you genuinely need, there is simply no point in purchasing it regardless of how much of a discount one of your coupons gives you. It’s important to remember that the purpose of couponing is to spend less each week at the supermarket. Some beginners end up spending more!

Forget About Brand Loyalty

When it comes to couponing, brand loyalty is a horrible trait to exhibit. Most coupons only offer discounts on specific brands and if you want to take advantage of them, you will need to be flexible when it comes to the brands that you purchase. After a while, you are likely to realize that most brands taste pretty much the same anyway.

Get Organized

When you start getting serious about couponing, the number of scraps of paper in your possession is going to begin to get out of hand. And if you cannot find the coupons that you are looking for when you are heading to the supermarket, it’s going to be pretty difficult to use them. A coupon binder is therefore well worth the investment. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, a small binder with transparent pockets that you can divide into different sections will do the job perfectly.

Focus on Small Sizes

Many coupons offer a fixed discount off a specific range of products regardless of which one you purchase. You should always aim to purchase the cheapest product possible because doing so leads to you experiencing maximum savings. For example, if you get a dollar off of your favorite brand of toilet paper, you should use your coupon on the four packs. That dollar off is likely to equate to a fifty percent saving on a four pack, whereas it might only lead to a twenty five percent saving on an eight pack.

Watch Out For Free Stuff

Another reason for focusing on small sizes is that occasionally doing so can lead to you landing products completely for free. When a coupon offers you a dollar off and that coupon can be used on any one of a range of products, occasionally you can find a product that is less than a dollar and use the coupon on that. Needless to say that when something is free, you should take home as much of it as your coupons will allow.

Learn About Coupon Stacking

Finally, a great way to get stuff for free with coupons is to learn about coupon stacking. Coupon stacking is how the experts really make a killing using coupons and it simply involves using more than one coupon on a single product. Although many types of coupons cannot be stacked, there are exceptions. The most commonly allowed stacking technique is combining a supermarket coupon with a manufacturer coupon. Doing so provides savvy shoppers with double the savings and often, completely free products.

This article is written by Martin Boston. He recommends Logbook loans for fast short term loans against your vehicle as it is becoming a more popular form of borrowing money.

Plan Your Meals and List Your Savings

When it comes to really saving on your grocery shopping all of the experts will tell you that it pays to have a plan.

Creating a grocery list the right way

Even if you don’t use coupons on your shopping trip, creating a list will help you stay on track and keep you away from the overpriced impulse buys where the grocery store makes most of its money. Obviously, if you want to save the most money then you need to create your list with the available coupons in mind and stock up in a sufficient quantity so that they will last you at least a month.

moon angel /Foter

You probably have went to the store for a single item in the past and came home with multiple bags of groceries and other trinkets that you didn’t even need. Sticking to a list will help you keep your focus and save you money.

Plan your meals and save

By planning your meals in advance you can make sure you have all the necessary ingredients for your dinners are ready in your pantry. This means, that you will have purchased all of your ingredients at the lowest possible cost if you’re smart coupon shopper.

One way to start your meal planning is to open up your refrigerator and take an inventory of what fresh ingredients need to be used quickly.  Many times this can give you a base for our meal planning and, as an added benefit, you make sure that none of your expensive ingredients in your fridge or in or go to waste.

If you’re having a hard time deciding on what meals to prepare for the week then you can always pick up your favorite cookbook, magazine, or food blog and try to gain some inspiration from the rest these you find there.

Once you’ve decided what meals your cooking for the week then it is a relatively simple process of creating a list of ingredients that you need to prepare those meals. You should always count on one or 2 days where your family can eat leftovers instead of preparing a fresh meal as their are generally left overs from some of your meals.

3 Tips to Improving Your Grocery Shopping Experience

To some people going to the grocery store is like a vacation. They look forward to it every week and can’t wait to bring home pile of groceries to feed their family and get the satisfaction of knowing that they paid less for all those products then their next-door neighbor.  Other people look at going to the grocery store like a view going to the dentist.  It is a necessary evil that must be performed to live day to day.

No matter what kind of shopper are you are you can still apply some basic principles to your shopping trip so that you can be a smarter shopper and save more money.  We will review a few helpful tips that can help you on the road to becoming a smart shopper:

1. Always set a budget for your grocery trip – Nobody likes to shop on a budget but the simple fact is that if you don’t start your trip with a budget in mind you will most certainly spend more than you intended to.  In addition, without a budget it is easy to buy brand-name products or specialty products that you would normally wouldn’t purchase and in fact don’t actually provide a better value than purchasing the generic product or the non-specialty product.

2. Cash is King – One of the best ways to enforce your budget is to take only cash to the grocery store. Without having the backup of a credit card or a line of credit you will force yourself to use your budget wisely. You will miss out on a few airline points, but more than likely the savings you receive by staying on budget will far exceed a plane ticket you can use in 5 years.

3. Stay away from the fast food and cook at home – Not only is fast food more expensive then preparing meals at home, they are almost always more fattening and contain more preservatives then home-cooked meals. By preparing your meals at home you get to know every ingredient that is put into your food and can control the quality and the caloric intake of the food you’re feeding your family. In addition, there is the added benefit of getting to spend quality time with your family around the dinner table, which studies have shown that this quality time with families has been diminishing over the last 20 years.

Following just one of the above tips can change the way you shop and save your family money at the grocery store. Next time you’re heading out, simply try one of the tips out and see if it doesn’t help you.  My bet is that you’ll see exceptional savings.

What Makes You Tick at the Grocery Store?

You’re at the grocery store and you purchase an item that wasn’t necessarily on your list, ask yourself one simple question. What was the motivation for me to buy this product? The answer that you get back from yourself could be based on a number of different personality traits that you possess or it could have been the direct result of an advertising message.

Perhaps you’re the kind of shoppers that always likes to try new items and compare them with the regular items that you normally buy. Some people might call this type of behavior “variety shopper”. This type of shopper has a set list of regular items that they normally will purchase, but is also always looking for an additional product to replace the normal product. This works well for the shopper because he or she is always getting the best quality product available.

If on the other hand you bought the product because you heard an advertisement on the radio or saw an ad on television then you are responding to the direct marketing efforts of the product manufacturers who place their products in the grocery store. Advertisers preferred these types of customers because they are always looking for the newest product and will try just about anything wants.

There are is also another type of shopper who will purchase a product outside of their normal shopping list because the price is less expensive than their normal product and it compares in quality and function.

No matter what made you pick up that product that wasn’t on your shopping list it may lend some insight into your shopping habits if you can identify exactly what made you make a decision.

Saving Money with Printable Food Coupons

There are many different ways to save money, and many thrifty shoppers will find that they are able to save a lot of money on their grocery with printable food coupons. There are many different sites that are catered to helping grocery shoppers find the type of discounts and bargains that they need to make thrifty purchases on daily necessities. These printable food coupons are designed to allow shoppers to add a bit more variety into their budget and into their lifestyle as many top brands and smaller companies are looking to promote and advertise their products.

In order to find printable food coupons, it is important to look online for more information. These coupons can be easily found online, and the type of products that they are giving discounts off of can range from everything. There are many top brands that are promoting their product by having many great deals, and small companies that are trying to make it on the market also have many different coupons for thrifty shoppers to try out their products. These food coupons can range from anything in the frozen aisle to vegetables and raw meat! Depending on a shopper’s daily diet, there is a huge variety in the different coupons that are available.

The printable food coupons are extremely convenient as they are not only easily found, but they can be easily printed as well. Anyone can print the food coupons that they need, and the coupons can be printed from any type of computer with any type of ink. As long as the coupon is presented at the time of purchase, it is valid although there may be some restrictions regarding the location or area where the coupon can be used. It is important to read the fine print and description when printing out these free food coupons in order to get a better idea of the expectations that are surrounding the coupon.

Increase Your Savings With Manufacturer Coupons

Manufacturer grocery coupons are provided by the company that produces the offered items. They are meant to encourage shoppers to purchase their products and possibly continue to buy these same items in the future. The manufacturer strives to gain more sales from shoppers who try the product and like it better than one they might have used in the past.

Manufacturer coupons are typically available on the product package or in a coupon holder near the product on the grocery store shelf. Coupons directly from the manufacturer are also often available on the company’s web site and by email to those who sign up for a product newsletter.

The coupons offered by the manufacturer can be for a specific savings amount or for a free item with the purchase of one or more of the same product. Another type of coupon encourages consumers to purchase one product from manufacturer and receive a different product from the same company for a discount or free.

Consumers can save even more on products by watching coupons from the local or store ads and planning to use them along with the manufacturer coupons. Using the coupons when the items are on sale also helps shoppers increase the savings on their purchases. Shoppers should also keep in mind that each package they buy might have a coupon, but they can often only use one coupon for a purchase of multiple packages. They can keep the coupons from the additional packages for savings at a later date.

Another advantage of manufacturer coupons is that the duration of the discount offer is often longer than coupons from weekly newspaper ads and individual store sales fliers. Shoppers can use the product coupons right away or save them and watch for sales that will boost savings even more.

Manufacturer grocery coupons give shoppers even more opportunities to increase their savings.