December 26, 2009

2010 New Year Resolutions

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With 2010 less than a week away New Year’s Resolutions may be on your mind. What are your goals for the new year? Some of the most common resolutions are to save more, spend less, be more frugal, lose weight, get a better job, get out of debt, and spend more time with the family. You may have one or two of those items on your list or they may all be on your list.

When starting off the new year with your new goals the first step is to gather support. If you want to lose weight you may need to join an online support group, or find a friend who wants to lose weight right along with you. When it comes to spending less you may only need Wwhow to point you to your local deals.

Some goals may come hand in hand with other goals. Spending less may allow you to save more and/or get out of debt. My main goal this year is to spend no more than $200 a month on groceries for my family of 5. We were spending close to $600 a month including fast food and I have been able to cut it down to $300-400 a month including fast food. I want to take it a step farther and cut it down to my new goal of $200 a month. I have it worked out to $40 a week, with an additional $40 a month to cover school lunches for my 6 year old and to allow a cushion in case I slightly go over. Sounds crazy right? Feel free to follow along with my on my grocery blog.

No matter what your goals are this year, here are some simple tips that will help you save money, and hopefully allow you to reach your new goals:

  • -Clip coupons and comparison shop (.50 coupons add up fast!)
  • -Drive less, only run errands when you have several close by stops to make
  • -Take your lunch instead of eating out
  • -Downgrade your cable
  • -Switch to a cheaper phone plan
  • -Set your thermostat a few degrees cooler to save heating costs
  • -Use less of everything (cut out 1 can drink a day and you’ll have 7 extra a week)
  • -Re-use what you can (print on 2 side of the paper instead of 1)

Hopefully you’ll be able to keep your 2010 goals. Hopefully I will too. You still have a few days, so make a plan that will help you reach your goals and find your support groups. What are you New Year’s Resolutions? I’d love to hear about them! Please leave a comment if you don’t mind sharing.

 

December 13, 2009

Frugal Snack Ideas That Save Money

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As a stay at home mom of three we go through a lot of snacks. Snacks can be one of the main budget busters on your grocery list, as some snack foods are more expensive than regular meal foods. What’s a mom on a tight budget to do? Plan ahead and buy only lost cost snack foods.

Inexpensive snack foods include:

Popcorn-Comes in butter, light, seasoned, and more flavors then I could possibly list here!

Saltine Crackers-Available in salt, no salt, whole wheat, light, and more. Smear on a little peanut butter or add a little cheese for some variety.

Toast-It’s not just for breakfast! Eat it alone, with butter, jam, peanut butter, or anything else your kiddos might like.

Dry Cereal- It’s a great safe finger food for toddlers.

Bananas-They’re always less than .50 lb in my area, but I usually get them on sale for .35 lb. Serve them whole, slice them up, or dip them in chocolate and freeze them. Yum!

Pretzels-They come in HUGE bags and are super cheap when compared to chips.

Popsicles- They came in huge boxes and bags for just a few dollars. They’re a life saver in the Summer!

We spend the most money on snacks when we’re running errands I have forgotten to bring a snack along. I usually end up pulling through a drive through for a drink and something for each of my kids from the dollar menu. That’s $5 bucks out the drive through window! I realized I need to keep store brand granola or fruit bars in my purse at all times. They’re small, light, and the kids love them.

Buying plastic baggies for snacks on the go is convenient, but if you spent $3 a month or baggies, that’s $36 a year. $36 is a lot to throw away. A more frugal option is to buy cheap snack size storage containers from the dollar store. They last forever if you take care of them. Online you can buy fabric snack and sandwich bags for a few dollars that are super cute and also last a long time.

While snacks can take a chunk out of your grocery budget you don’t have to skip them altogether. If you choose low cost options you, your budget, and your kiddos can all be full happy snackers. Do you know of a great low cost snack or have a tip to share? If so leave a comment!

 

December 2, 2009

Save Money With OAMC Once A Month Cooking

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OAMC or Once A Month Cooking is becoming very popular with today’s busy moms, dads, and caregivers. After working all day many parents just don’t have the time or energy to cook a traditional family meal and are turning to OAMC. Even stay at home moms are turning to this cooking method as in between cleaning, driving the kids around, and running errands they stay just as busy as working moms. 

If you are rushed this holiday season, spend a day making several freezer meals so that you can relax at dinner time for the remainder of the week. Those that are really strapped for time are spending one to two days cooking up meals for an entire month! While you don’t have to go to that extreme, you can give it a whirl. Cooking once a week or once a month can add up to big savings in several ways. 

If you choose to make meals that share common ingredients you won’t be spending as much at the grocery store. When choosing freezer recipes look make sure you go with something your family will like. There are a lot of choices out there, from casseroles to sloppy joes to soups to mini meat loaves. Skip over recipes with expensive ingredients and choose recipes that you already have some of the ingredients for. If chicken goes on sale at your grocery store, pick up ten pounds. Pick a day to cook up all ten pounds and turn it into several frozen dinners. You’ll save money by buying ingredients on sale. 

Another way to get a nice stockpile of foods in the freezer is to make a double batch at dinner and freeze half of it. Do this every night for a week and you won’t have to cook dinner next week. Leftovers can also be stored in the freezer and eaten a week or two (or three) later.  See the photo?  That’s 1/2 of the double batch of Mexican Casserole I made and froze.  It tasted just as good two weeks later as it did the first time. 

Tips 

Don’t store a big batch of food together if you aren’t going to eat it in one meal. If you make five pounds of mashed potatoes split it up before freezing in manageable sizes. This may mean single servings or family size servings. 

Focus on making one kind on meal at a time. Pick one day and make breakfast burritos, muffins, etc. Spend a different day cooking up that ten pounds of chicken. Don’t wear yourself out in one day, stretch your cooking sessions out if needed. 

Pasta will soften when froze. Freeze pasta slightly undercooked so it will come out perfect! 

Try to pick recipes that cook at the same oven temp. You’ll be able to cook several items at once and save money. It costs a lot less to cook three or four meals in the oven at once than to cook those same meals separately. 

Some foods don’t freeze well. Examples include egg whites, frosting, and fried foods. 

Now that you’re feeling motivated find some yummy recipes your family will enjoy and get to planning. Invite a friend to try OAMC with you for added fun! If you have a tip, suggestion, or just want to say “hi” please leave a comment!

 

November 25, 2009

Frugal Living: Use Up Those Thanksgiving Leftovers

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While many people are still in the process of planning for their Thanksgiving dinner, I am already gathering recipes to make the most of my Thanksgiving leftovers. Food isn’t free, you spent money on that turkey and throwing away the leftovers is the same thing as tossing out money. While you may have eaten more turkey than you want to think about, there are yummy recipes out there that will make you forget your main ingredient was once Thanksgiving dinner.

What about turning your tired leftover turkey into spunky turkey tortilla soup? There’s a recipe for that! Cut 3 (6 inch) corn tortillas into strips, fry them in some oil until crisp, and let them cool on a paper towel. Meanwhile, boil some chicken broth and salsa, throw in some turkey, leftover corn or other veggies if you have some, and whatever Mexican seasonings you have on hand. When it’s warmed put the soup in bowls and add the tortilla strips on top. I’m adding a little sour cream to mine and sprinkling cheese on top. Doesn’t sound like a traditional turkey dish at all does it!

Get creative with the leftovers you have on hand. You can use turkey in a casserole and mix in any leftover veggies, pasta, or rice you have on hand. If you aren’t feeling like a creative cook, Google leftover turkey casserole recipes and see what pops up.

Ways to use leftover turkey include:

  • -Soups
  • -Casseroles
  • -Simple sandwiches
  • -Rolls ups
  • -Stir Fry

My husbands very favorite thing about Thanksgiving is being able to make a “moist maker”. It’s a sandwich from an episode of Friends. Smear some mashed potatoes on a slice of bread, place a little turkey on top, and pour on a little gravy. For days after Thanksgiving my husband will say “I’m going to get a snack, do you want a moist maker?”

When you just can’t stand to eat one more bite of turkey it’s time to freeze it! Store your turkey in an airtight container and bring it out one week when you’re running low on groceries. By then you’ll be over your Thanksgiving turkey issues and it’ll be a treat.

No matter if you have just a pound of turkey left or ten pounds it’s better to use your leftovers than throw them away. Do you have a great way to use up leftover turkey? If so we’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment with tips or even if you just want to say hi. Happy Thanksgiving!

 

November 20, 2009

Thanksgiving Dinner On A Budget

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No matter if you’re cooking Thanksgiving dinner for two or twenty, Thanksgiving food costs add up quickly. A delicious Thanksgiving dinner is possible on a shoestring budget if you shop around and plan ahead.

A beautifully cooked turkey is the main event in most families. The only problem is turkey can cost upwards of a dollar a pound. Before you fork over $15-20 for your Thanksgiving bird gather your local grocery store ads. Ads come out on Wednesdays, if you missed this weeks Wednesday newspaper pull the grocery store ads up online. In my area I have several great deals to choose from.

Kroger in my area had turkey for .33 a pound when you spend $20 on additional products. I was about to get a 12 pound turkey for just under $4, compared to the regular price of $12. You may need a smaller or larger turkey depending on the number of guests you are expecting. Estimate a pound of turkey per guest.

Sack N Save in my area offers a free turkey if you purchase a ham. Keep in mind that hams can be expensive. Another local store offers a free turkey if you spend $100 on groceries. Stores in your area may even have better sales on turkey than this, but you won’t know until you look at the ads and make comparisons.

Green beans are a staple at any meal in our house, especially Thanksgiving. Target has canned veggies on sale for .45 each with a limit of 12 per type. I bought 60 cans as this is a great deal. Target in my area also has cranberries and cranberry sauce on sale for around .50 a can, stuffing on sale for .79 a box, and cream of mushroom soup and chicken broth on sale for .49 a can. That right there covers the majority of our Thanksgiving dinner. I still either have to buy rolls to bake if I can find them on sale or my husband will whip up a batch.

Dessert is also a must have at our Thanksgiving. Almost every store ad I looked at had pies on sale. Some had a free pie when you bought ice cream and others had pies on sale for $1.99-2.99. If you can find pie filling and pie crust on sale feel free to bake one yourself, but for us it’s cheaper to spend $2.99 on a store bought pie. To make the sale even better I also have a pie coupon. It’s the little savings in life that get me excited.

No matter if you are cooking for just the two of you or your extended family, Thanksgiving dinner doesn’t have to blow your budget. Plan ahead, buy foods that are on sale, get a deal on your turkey, and even consider asking guests to bring a side dish or dessert. As with any family get together, it’s not how much you spend, but the quality time you spend together and the memories that are made that are important.

If you enjoyed these money saving tips be sure to leave a comment and say hello!

 

November 5, 2009

Save Money By Home Growing Vegetables

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missyredboots139You may think that it is too late to grow vegetables, but there are still a few that should do just fine.  If you walk through your local grocery store’s produce section you will notice that the prices on everything from lettuce to tomatoes has creeped up.

To counteract this budget strainer you should consider growing a few vegetables yourself.

What vegetables should you plant in November? It all depends on your local area. Contact your local extension office for a list of the plants that can still be planted. In some areas this may be broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, lettuce, peas and spinach. Now is also the time to consider and start making plans to plant fruit trees such as apples trees and peach trees.

After contacting your extension office you should start making plans. Where are you going to grow your veggies? Veggies can be grown in many locations including:

  • Home greenhouses
  • Windowsills
  • Pots on porches
  • Outside in a regular garden
  • In beds built up

If you decide to grow your vegetables outside consider using raised beds. Raised beds are simply planting beds that are raised higher off the ground. The raised beds stay warmer than the flat ground and can also help keep out unwanted weeds. If you decide to plan in pots make sure your veggies have enough room to grow. Always research the plants you plan to plant (say that five times fast) to make sure you are able to give them enough room to grow, water to drink, and adequate sunshine or shade. You don’t want to spend time and money on seeds only to be disappointed.

FAQ’s:

How does gardening save you money? You won’t have to buy fresh vegetables to serve with dinner, just pull one out of the garden.

Are homegrown veggies just as safe as store bought? Home grown veggies can be even more safe than regular store bought veggies as you know exactly how the veggies were made and what toxins they have been exposed to. Now is your chance to try out organic gardening and skip poisons altogether. Many families pay a fortune for their organic vegetables at the grocery store and you have the chance to grow them for just a few cents each.

Besides saving money, another perk of homegrown foods is the freshness. Fresh veggies taste better. When vegetables are picked they are at the height of their healthiness. The longer they sit on a store shelf and the longer travel time from garden to stores, the more nutrients and vitamins they lose. Not only will you save a bundle, your family will be eating healthier, and you may find gardening is your new favorite hobby. If you have any tips you’d like to share please leave a comment!

 

November 1, 2009

Frugal Family Dinner Ideas Under $5

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hot dogsHoliday shopping is just around the corner and if your kids are like mine they want one of everything. Gifts and toys are expensive, especially considering today’s tight budgets and not so perky economy. One way to ease the strain on your holiday pocketbook is to cut down on grocery and meal costs for a few months. By cooking inexpensive meals and buying items on sale you should be able to set aside the money you saved for the holidays.

Inexpensive meals can be just a yummy as more expensive options. The trick is to serve foods that your family will like so that no one realizes you are cutting costs. Many inexpensive meals are also very kid friendly.

$2 Basic Meals

Spaghetti! Pasta and sauce can each be found on sale at grocery stores for around $1 each and even at dollar stores. Change it up by changing the shape of your pasta. Serve spaghetti style noodles on Monday and bow ties or shells with spaghetti sauce on Friday. If $5 is your meal budget you can add homemade toast, salad, or meatballs.

Beans and cornbread. You can get a pound of packaged beans for around $1 and cornbread mix for around .50. Cook your beans in a crockpot and you can dump them in and forget about them all day. Beans are also yummy with shredded cheese sprinkled over the top.

Hot dogs! Kids love hot dogs as do most grownups. Purchase one of the lower priced brands like Bar S and pick up some $1 store brand buns for a quick and easy meal. Hot dogs can be cooked on the grill, boiled, microwaved, or cooked on top of the stove in a pan. If you don’t have buns, wrap hot dogs in biscuits and bake in the oven using the recommended temp for the biscuits until the biscuits are done. The $5 version of this meal is to ad mac n cheese, chips, fruit, or veggies.

Grilled cheese sandwiches can feed a hungry family with just a few minutes of work. The options are endless as you can use any type of cheese from block to pre-sliced to spreadable. Use white bread, wheat bread, potato bread, store bread, bakery bread, or even homemade bread. On colder days add a cup of soup to warm up your loved ones.

$5 Meals

Breakfast for dinner is super fun! Your kids will love the idea and really get excited. Pick up a dozen eggs for $1, store brand bread for around $1, and bacon. With a dozen eggs you can make omelets or scrambled eggs. Toast the bread and serve as a side, or have bacon and egg sandwiches. Substitute bacon for sausage or ham, and if you have an extra potato lying around shred it up for hash browns.

Chicken and stuffing skillet is a favorite at my house. It cooks up in just one pan to make cleanup quick and easy. Cook two boneless skinless chicken breasts in your big skillet with two tablespoons of butter, and then remove them from the pan when cooked. To your empty pan add one and 1/3 cups of water, a package of your families favorite frozen vegetables, and two tablespoons of butter. When it boils add in 6 ounces of dried stuffing mix, place the cooked chicken on top of the mixture, reduce the heat, and cook for 5 minutes or until done. I like to sprinkle cheese on top too and it‘s really good!

Once you get started cooking frugal meals it’s hard to stop. If you don’t enjoy being budgety just remember that you only need to do so until you have saved enough to help out with your holiday shopping. I like to cook frugal meals year long and pocket my savings for things like family road trips and unexpected bills.  If you have a yummy cheap recipe or cheap meal ideas be sure to leave a comment!

 

October 24, 2009

Bake Your Own Fall Desserts To Save Money

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cake_mixtureIMG_0067Fall in these parts is one of the most flavor rich times of the year. There’s parties and festivals with pies, cakes, cookies, cobblers, and breads. Buying these scrumptious desserts pre-made in stores and bakeries can eat up your weekly grocery budget in the blink of an eye.

What’s a mom on a shoestring budget to do? Investing in baking staples and whipping up yummy homemade goodies the day before will not only impress your fellow party goers, but can taste better too. The cakes in the grocery store are filled with preservatives and could have been sitting on the refrigerator shelf a week or two. To make matters worse they could have been baked several months beforehand, frozen, and recently have been thawed and decorated. Sounds yummy right? Your fresh made with love cake can beat out a store bought cake any day!

Even buying baking mixes can be costly. You can find cookie mixes on sale for $1, but how many cookies do you get? The package may say 36 cookies, bat that’s if you make teeny tiny cookies. In “real life”, you can get 12-16 regular size cookies. The refrigerator cookie dough is almost $4 and you get to break apart dough to make 12-24 depending on cookie size. Spend $5-10 on cookie ingredients and you can fill your kitchen with cookies again and again.

Baking recipes typically need the same ingredients. Some recipes will take almost every item from this list and other more exotic recipes may call for more exotic ingredients. Traditional baking items include:

  • -Flour
  • -Sugar
  • -Brown sugar
  • -Eggs
  • -Butter
  • -Salt
  • -Shortening
  • -Milk
  • -Evaporated milk
  • -Vegetable Oil
  • -Baking Power

Most of these items you may already have. The ones you have to buy can be used repeatedly for many desserts and breads. If you end up spending $10 on ingredients, that’s okay. If stored properly ingredients other than milk and eggs can last quite a while and bake you up a kitchen full of goodies. Always check store sales ads and try to use coupons to get your costs as low as possible. Store brands are also just as good as name brands. 

When planning your desserts and recipes you can also substitute in healthier options. Some people use apple sauce to replace sugar, while others use sweeteners such as Splenda. The sites listed above also have healthier options just a search away.

If you know of any other great baking recipes websites please feel free to help others out and list them in the comments. Do you have any baking tips? If so feel free to share those also, as we LOVE your comments!

 

September 27, 2009

How To Use Weekly Sale Ads & Coupons!

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My first time to use coupons.Do you ever see that lady at the grocery store buying up all the sale items and using a huge stack of coupons? If you are stuck behind her in the checkout line, her total is above $100 but then after coupons she ends ups paying like $30? That’s me! Me and a million other thrifty shoppers who know how to get the most for our dollar and feed our family for much less than we budgeted.

On TV and in magazines they try to sell you grocery shopping instructions, like coupons are some kind of secret. There is no reason to purchase one of those $100 sheets of paper as everything you need to know is readily available on the web. I am even a member of several online coupon communities. We all help each other find the best grocery and coupon deals, just as WWHOW does.

Every Sunday in my house is known as “Coupon Sunday”. Sunday is the day the coupons come out in the paper as well as sale ads for retail stores. The first thing I do is sit down and clip out the coupons. You don’t have to clip every coupon, but if there’s even a slight chance you might want to buy the item one day, clip it be on the safe side.

Next I look at the retail store ads. You will be surprised how many items you just cut out coupons for are on sale. Keep in mind that grocery store ads come out on Wednesday, so you will need to remember to grab up a set of those too. If I notice that biscuits are on sale at a store and I have a coupon, I whip out my notepad and write ‘Name of store: biscuits .99 ea (coupon .50 off)”. I start getting excited when I have five or more things in my notepad for one store. You will have the longest lists for grocery stores, and maybe only one or two items listed for most retail stores.  If the one or two item stops aren’t worth your trip, either don’t go or take the ad to a store that meets other store’s sale prices.

If you have access to a printer you can check out printable coupon sites. Many times the coupon value on internet coupons are a little higher than the newspaper value. Also print out any buy 1 get 1 free coupons you find! If the item goes on sale in stores buy 1 get 1 free and then you use your coupon, you end up getting both items free.

After I make my shopping lists I organize my coupons. I have way too many coupons, so I use a photo album that holds three 4×6 photos per page

 in little clear slots. Some professional coupon shoppers use sport card books, but unless you have one sitting around they can be expensive to purchase. If you are just starting out a plastic coupon organizer from your local dollar or discount store may be sufficient. You can organize your coupons however you like. I organize mine by type of food and keep household items completely separate. Other people organize their’s by isles in the store or grocery departments alphabetically. You can personalize your coupon organizing as you wish as long as it works for you!

Before you head out to the grocery store make a list of every item you plan to purchase, how much it is on sale for, subtract the coupon, and see your total price per item. You will know how much you are saving, how much you are spending total, and if you need to get a second coupon so you can buy two of the item. I always take a small sandwich baggie to the store also. When I add an item to my cart I put the coupon for the item in the baggie. It makes it easier at checkout not to have to pull coupons out from different slots in my photo album, and they don’t get all scrunched up in my pocket.

At the checkout watch and make sure your items ring up on sale. When the cashier says your total hand over you coupons and watch your savings add up (or subtract) from your total. This is the fun part! Look how much you saved!

The first time you get your coupons set up it may take you an hour or two, but after that you will get faster. If it takes you an hour, and you save $20 by buying items on sale and using coupons, you just made $20 in that hour!

There are a few other things I do to maximize my savings. I try to shop at stores that double and triple my coupons. Several chain stores in my area triple coupons up to .35 and double coupons up to .50. That means if I buy the .99 sale biscuits, and have a .50 off coupon, my coupon is doubled and my biscuits are FREE, plus I get an extra penny back!

The main grocery store I shop at not only doubles and triples coupons, but they also have a loyalty card. Their card not only gets you the sale price, but you can load electronic coupons on to it! I use sites like Cellfire and Shortcuts.com and add electronic coupons on before I head to the store. Often, the electronic coupons are for the same items as the ones in the paper. With my .99 biscuits I used my doubled coupon to get $1 off, and them my electronic coupon to save an additional .50! They end up paying me .51 for those biscuits! With each item you can use a manufactured coupon and your electronic coupon. Remember that your electronic coupons are loaded onto your member card, so you don’t even have to keep up with them.

See the photo? That was from my very first couponing trip. I was shy about using coupons and wanted to start out with just a few things to give it a try. I had 22 items and my total was over $40. After scanning my member card for the sale prices and electronic coupons, and handing over my newspaper coupons, my total went down to $14.44!

Have I inspired you to give coupons a try? If so please leave a comment! I would love to hear from you!

 

August 7, 2009

Money Saving Mom Has Some Great Offers!

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kraftLet me start out by saying, who doesn’t want free groceries? This goes for anyone on the planet, especially moms, and if you are in need of some free groceries, then you have to check out Money Saving Mom. This is a fantastic bargain blog that currently has a post offering you a link to Free Groceries from Kraft. This deal is good at numerous grocery stores until August 23, and it is going to give you $25 worth of Kraft products, which will definitely feed your kids for a few days or so.

This blog also does include more everyday deals, like being able to get a free soft drink and hot dog at Quik Trip. This may not seem so fancy, but you better believe that it is an everyday necessity for anyone on the go. Who doesn’t want a free lunch? I love all of the variety that this bargain savvy mom has to offer on her blog, and she must be an expert because she has three children. She blames her own mother for her coupon obsession, but it has served her well because now she is spreading the love by offering all of us fellow bargain lovers these fantastic deals!

 

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