Even More Coupon Resources & HOW To Use Them!

Now you’ve learned the easy peasy secrets to printing coupons from sites like Red Plum and Coupons.com I’m going to share even more coupon resources with you today.

Sunday Coupon Preview is an excellent resource to help utilize the national coupon inserts in the weekly Sunday papers.

Customized Party Invitations for Pennies on the Dollar!

This post is a re-run from the League of Super Heros and Villains Invitations post in 2009 with some significant improvements, clearer instructions and larger images so you can make your own party invitations too.

Last year J wanted a super hero slash super villain party theme. To keep things on the cheap, I had the kids arrive in their favorite Halloween costumes. Princesses can be super heroes too!

To save even more money on party invitations, I got really creative and made them from supplies I already had lying around the house. I downloaded the Star Wars font to add a graphic novel flair to the invites! I searched online until I found a graphic I liked. (Remember to check copyright and user agreements before using any image from a site.) I uploaded it on Photobucket to add some text but this can done in Photoshop or some other photo editing software.

 

Once the imagery is set up, onto wording the invitation. Wording the invitation is a critical step in establishing a great theme right off the bat! I searched the internet for phrasing ideas. This was the hardest part!

E-Mealz.com ~ Does it work?

Hubby heard Dave Ramsey talk about e-mealz.com on the radio yesterday to help families save money on their weekly grocery bill. In particular, hubby was fascinated to learn one family of seven was paying less than $100 a week on groceries using this service. Not too shabby!

My first thought was, “Great! Another coupon clipping site telling me I need to hit double coupons to get the biggest bang for my buck! duh” (Problem is, there’s no store within 100 mile radius that double coupons so this strategy is a bust for me!) It doesn’t seem to be anything like this. The program is NOT designed around clipping coupons.

Back To School DOUBLE Ebates!

Do you shop for back to school supplies online? I admit I often forget about online shopping except during the holiday season but there are plenty of online deals for the Back to School rush too! I already told you the Back to School promotion going on at SwagBucks this week but Ebates.com has a compelling deal too. They’re offering DOUBLE CASH BACK with their Back to School Savings promotion.

SwagBucks Back-To-School Promotions & Bonus Bucks!

Swagbucks is fighting the Back-To-School blues all this week with lots of fun promotions!

First, you'll have the chance to win five different limited edition back-to-school themed Swag Bucks - if you snag them all, you'll earn a 50 Swag Buck bonus! Take advantage of sales in the Swag Store on all School Supplies and Cookie's Kids Merchandise, make sure you follow Swag Bucks on Twitter and Like them on Facebook for more rewarding opportunities. Plus, they're having another Swag Code Extravaganza on Thursday, where you'll get at least 5 codes for extra bucks.

On Demand – It’s More than Movies!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Charter. All opinions are 100% mine.

When we lived in the city in Tennessee we were fortunate to have a selection of cable and satellite providers at our fingertips. I was a cable gal! I grew up with cable in our home. Oddly enough, Charter Cable was the primary cable provider in my hometown. Cable was VERY different back in the day. We actually had to call the cable company to order pay-per-view events. Then swing by the cable company the day before the big event to pick up the little gizmo that gave us access to the program! I remember cable when we had the bulky black cable box sitting on top of the television with the oversized dial for the channels. I think we got 100 channels, at most!

Swap Kids Clothes Nationwide!

You can swap clothes the kids have outgrown locally or across the country. You only pay a $13  flat rate shipping charge for the box you receive. Typically there are 10 items in a box. When you’ve collected enough clothes to ship out, it’s picked up for FREE! From what I can tell, there’s only one catch: for every box you receive, you have to ship a box of clothing…hence the SWAP concept!

Join the web's #1 kids clothing exchange for a FREE 2 month PRO Membership! Click Here to access the free 2 month Pro Membership upgrade.

Technorati Tags: kids clothes,swap,frugal,online swap,used kids clothes

Save Money at the Grocery Store – 4 Easy Tips

Saving money has become an increased priority in our home. Hubby’s transition from Worker’s Compensation to Unemployment benefits demand a serious restructure in our finances. Here’s a few of my money saving strategies you can easily employ in your shopping routine.

Cook from scratch! Cutting back on the prepackaged convenience foods is the single fastest way to dramatically reduce your food budget. There’s no denying prepared food or food kits cost more. It’s easy and healthy to cook many of these things at home. If you’re not a culinary goddess in the kitchen, no worries! Stop by the library, yard sale or the book store and grab a good basic cookbook to get you started. My favorite is the Better Homes & Gardens plaid cookbook.

Supplement your grocery bill with FREE products. Yes, I said FREE PRODUCTS. Sign up with programs like Kraft’s First Taste and Vocalpoint or other vendors to get coupons for free products or even free product samples sent directly to your mailbox. Recently I received coupons for FREE Ritz Crackerfuls, Digiorno Pan Pizza, Kraft Cheese Melt Downs, KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce and an assortment of other products.

Save Money on the Road with RaceTrac this Summer

I don’t know about you but summer usually means at least one road trip with the family. Traveling with kids in the car can easily send the budget OUT OF CONTROL. Drive thru meals, snacks, drinks, more snacks. It’s enough to drive you near bankruptcy. With a little planning you can save a considerable amount of money on this type of vacation.

• Pack plenty of individual sized snacks for the road.
• Stock a cooler for cool treats and picnic style lunches along the way.
• Make frequent stops at rest areas to avoid tempting the kids with sugary and caffeinated drinks
• Make pit stops at locations with a playground area or an open grassy space so antsy kids can run off some energy.

There’s now another way to save even more!

Saving Money on Baby Formula with Parent’s Choice

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.

Just a few years ago, my youngest son was on the bottle consuming what seemed like a small truckload of infant formula every week. Between the one truckload of baby formula and a second truckload of diapers, about half our income was focused just on keeping Wild Man fed and diapered.

It’s just insane how much it costs to feed, clothe and diaper a baby!

Tidbits: $160 P&G Saver THIS Sunday, Win a 32" Flatscreen TV + Rediscover the Joy of Coloring

Here's a few tidbits I thought you'd love to hear about.

Check Sunday's (March 7th) newspaper for a HUGE Proctor & Gamble coupon insert. Over $160 of savings will be in this Sunday's paper on products like Pantene, PUR, Tide, Venus, Olay, Swiffer, Pampers, and other popular P&G brands.

Bonus: For every coupon redeemed, Proctor & Gamble will donate a days worth of clean drinking water to a child in need through the Children's Safe Drinking Water Program. This is P&G's philanthropic cause aimed at providing clean drinking water to children in developing countries.

Click here to find a local paper that carries the P&G SAVER coupon book.

*Above information courtesy of One2One Network*
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NoBetterDeal is giving away a 32" Flatscreen TV as they celebrate their popular meme they started in December. (There's no #BetterDealThan _____.)

Simply complete the entry form and you are entered. Be sure to join them next week for a great Twitter party/contest/giveaway. March 12th at 9pm EST #NoBetterDeal tweets will enter you for even more prizes. Click here for the deets!

*This post is not compensated but it does provide me an entry for the Nintendo Wii courtesy of NoBetterDeal and Global Influence*

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Need to decompress? Try coloring pages for MOM. These are advanced style coloring pages that will allow you or your older teen children to get creative and rediscover the joys of coloring.

*Information courtesy of The Mom Blogs

Saving on Beauty Supplies with help from Coupon Mom

I just learned Coupon Mom has a web show series. That's right! A web show dedicated to teaching you and me the best strategies for saving money on everything from beauty supplies to groceries to pet supplies to party and office supplies to a variety of other things.

Not familiar with Coupon Mom? Stephanie Nelson is a real mom like you and me who found tremendous success saving money with the normal everyday shopping using savy saving strategies she has perfected. This coined her the name, Coupon Mom. She's been featured on the Early Show, Oprah Winfrey and the Today Show showing a national audience how to save money on their everyday routine shopping.

Every Thursday till the end of April, a new episode airs at Coupon Mom's Show page. There are also links for money saving coupons in her sidebars to help you kick start your coupon savings. Another fabulous feature of Stephanie's show - YOU can submit your very own challenge for Stephanie and maybe she will pick you to be featured on the show.

I don't use coupons as much as I could so her show's tips will definitely help me save even more $$$ on our family's budget. Here's how she helped on family save on beauty supplies for the teenage girls of the house!

#KmartBLS Teasers for 12/12 and 12/13

Here are the teasers for this weekend December 12^th and 13th:

· Essential Home Snug Sack 50% off (reg. $19.99)

· Jaclyn Smith Today Cashmere Blend Throw $12.99 (reg. $29.99)

· Kodak 7” digital frame $49.99 (reg. $79.99)

All day offers:

Saturday:

· Mens Boxed Gifts $5 (reg. 16.99-19.99)

· Die Hard Battery Bank BOGO Free (reg. $9.99)

Sunday:

· Fisher Price Fashion Separates $4.99 (Infant/Toddler) reg. $10.99-$18.99

· Hershey Snack size jumbo bags $3.50 (reg. $5.99)

I may have to get some Hershey's and snuggle up with the cashmere throw this weekend. It's suppose to be a cold one here!!!

Don’t forget to follow @KmartDealsnNews and use the #KmartBLS hashtag for a chance to win every day! For more info & rules: http://tr.im/KmartBLS. Good luck!

Holiday Spending ???'s for Jean Chatzky (+Giveaway)

Thanksgiving isn't even here yet but the buzz is all about Christmas and the Holiday Shopping Season. With unemployment nearing 10%, the economy is at the height of everyone's concerns. Budgets are thin with everyday living expenses. Now we have to add holiday spending into our already stretched budgets. What to do?

Jean Chatzky, NBC Today Show Financial contributor, will be offering some of her expert advice on how to handle the extra holiday expenses during a special audio-cast on Thursday, November 19th, 10 - 11 AM EST.

Key topics Jean will cover during the audio-cast are:

• How to save more for the holiday expenses.
• Offer advice on how much to spend for the holidays.
• Provide recommendations on how to get your finances back on track after the holidays.

Jean Chatzky and I want to know your top holiday spending/saving questions. She'll pick select various reader submitted questions to answer during her Q&A section of the audio-cast. Simply comment below with your topic related questions so I can forward them to her prior to the audio-cast.

For your participation, I have a special gift for one lucky Frugal Front Porch reader.

Jean Chatzky has graciously offered a copy of her go-to guide for paying off your debt, “Pay It Down!”, the Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek bestseller that Jean has updated for these troubled times. You’ll also receive a set of the Franklin Covey’s Jean Chatzky Collection, which includes tools and materials designed to help you get organized and stay on budget.

How to Enter?

Leave a comment with your questions for holiday spending, saving, or post holiday recovery for Jean to answer next Thursday. This is an UNLIMITED ENTRY contest. Submit one question per comment to maximize your entries.

Giveaway ends, Wednesday, November 18, 6:00pm CST. Winner will be drawn via random.org. A "prize winners" email will be send to the winner, who will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be drawn.

*Stay tuned to this blog for more details on Jean Chatzky's audio-cast later next week*

*Disclosure: I have been offered a copy of the Jean's book "Pay It Down" and a set of the "Franklin Covey Jean Chatzky Collection" for my personal use. This is for my efforts in forwarding your questions to Jean for use in her audio-cast. I have received no other compensation for this post*

Free Coupons - Is It REALLY Free?

The coupon process VERY simply stated:

1. Vendors issue coupons for their products.
   
2. Consumers use these coupons to purchase the vendor's product from the retailer.
   
3. The retailer sends the coupons to the vendor.
4. Vendor sends the retailer a check for the value of the coupons.
   

Lately I've been blessed with an abundance of free coupons. I get them through various programs like Vocalpoint, Kraft, and General Mills new program Pssst. Usually, I place the items in the cart with my regular grocery purchases and during checkout separate them by coupon, price match, and normal purchase to make it easier for the cashier. A happy cashier usually results in a price question swinging my way! Usually with the kids and husband in tow, I don't pay close attention to how the free coupons are processed. I mean, FREE means FREE right? You should get the price the store charges for the product credited back from the grocery bill. WRONG! It all depends on the stores coupon policy.

I discovered this when I made a special trip to my local grocery store to use a few of my free coupons before they expired. I was alone and picked up a Diet Dr. Pepper and some M&M's along with my "free" items. What can I say, I was alone and pampering myself a bit! It was during check out when I noticed it. The cashier scanned my products as usual then she entered a coupon value lower than what I was charged. She entered the store's maximum reimbursement price listed in the coupon's fine print. Since the product was priced $1.50 higher than the vendor's maximum reimbursement, I was left owing the difference. A FREE coupon does NOT always mean FREE! Thinking she made a mistake, I asked about it. This is the store's coupon policy. I was stunned.

The next time, I went to a different grocery store. Used a few more of my free coupons. This time my purchase was free but the purchase price was below the fine print store's reimbursement value so I'm not sure if there policy is "FREE means FREE" OR if it's "FREE as long as we get reimbursed for it." This store scanned everything, products and coupons, so I'm pretty confident they coupon back the entire value of the product. I've worked at retailers where "FREE means FREE", even if the store takes a loss so I am surprised at this.

Needless to say, I will no longer shop at my local grocery store. The regular price of groceries are routinely marked up somewhere between 25% to 50% over other stores twenty minutes down the road. Forget competing with a chain store like Walmart, Hugos, or SuperOne! Because of this markup my free coupons are not really free so I'll gladly take my business to someone who will honor the "FREE means FREE" coupon policy!

My question to you, dear readers, "Should stores honor FREE coupons for their full retail price? Even if it means they won't receive a full reimbursement from the vendor?"

Shopping the Meat Sale Saturday

Sometimes it pays to hit the smaller stores. Wally's, a local grocery store, has quite a reputation for running fabulous sales on a regular basis. The store is about 45 minutes from my home so it's perfectly worth the drive since I hit the thrift shops, dollar stores, and a few other big saving stores.

I am quite excited to hit this sale on Saturday to restock my freezer. If you are near the Devils Lake or Grafton, ND stores this Saturday, the early bird gets the worm. Sale starts at 7am!!!

Saving on School District's Budget-My Suggestions

A few weeks ago I asked for budget reduction ideas to pass onto my school district. After much consideration and input from various sources and a few readers, here's my email to the school.

Good afternoon Mr Homstad.

I received the Budget Reduction Survey sent out with Joey's school registration paperwork. I applaud your efforts to engage parents and the surrounding community for ideas to better control the school's budget before it hits critical mass. I still feel like we're the new kid on the block but I have a few ideas that may (or may not) help achieve your goals. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Create and enforce an energy policy - Simple steps can cut energy costs by significant amounts each month.

• Reduce/eliminate vampire or phantom electricity. An electronic device turned off but still plugged into an outlet still draws vampire energy. Consider installing timer switches on various power switches. A timer switch will cut the power to that outlet reducing your vampire energy. This will automate the process making it easier on the teachers and staff, giving you more control over your school's energy consumption. If this isn't an option within the current budget, be sure everyone knows how important is in to turn off power strips and unplug electrical devices not plugged into a power strip. TV's, stoves, ovens, radios, computers, pencil sharpeners, paper shredders, etc can eat TONS of vampire energy every month.

Good Magazine created a chart of common household components vampire energy usage. I can only imagine how much these numbers would increase for a school.
Here is very interesting article about phantom energy usage along with some tips on how to control it, great links to learn even more, and a few products that may help eliminate it.

• Upgrade the kitchen equipment with new Energy Star ratings. (see Austin Public School's Project Study)

• Visit the US Department of Energy's Consumer Energy FAQ lists for more ideas than I can mention on controling heating/cooling costs, reduce water usage, and many other energy saving areas.

Create a Green School Club

• Involve students, parents, and teachers to create green policies and challenges for students. Growing food in a greenhouse or containers indoors, creative recycling projects, even green science projects (making solar panels, using wind energy, etc).
  

Clean up & Clean out-Eliminate Storage Costs

• Clear out unused, old, and/or damaged furniture and equipment from storage areas. Sell any salvageable items for a one time revenue boost. Recycle unsellable items to free up space for better usage and eliminate monthly storage fees (if any).

Purchase Local Fruits and Vegetables

• Find a local farmer's market or establish relationships with local farmers to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables to reduce lunch room food costs. (see article on the White House's farmer's market)
  
• Earn revenue by working with the community, students, and staff by creating a Lancaster School Farmer's Market. FFA or 4H could assist with his project. (link to Simon Kenton High School Farmer's Market and an article about it in the Kentucky Post)

Increase the school day
A more dramatic idea is to increase the number of daily school hours but decreasing the school week to four days. This will save enormously on bus fuel, lunch room expenses, and energy also leaving the extra day open for other community or school uses.

Increase Revenue

• Sell advertising space on the outside of buses and at sporting events. Renew every school year, every game, or every sport.
  
• Sell unused property or vehicles
• Charge the non-school community for personal use of hallways and fitness equipment. Exempt students or offer student/family rates for use of school facilities.
• Rent cafeteria for banquets and/or parties
• Get as many grants as possible to ensure we're getting all the federal funding available.
• Check into the President's Stimilus package for education. MN received over $47M for Title 1, $102M for IDEA and $6M in Technology. Make sure we're getting our piece of the stimilus pie!
  

Other Websites of interest:
Green School's inititiave help school's go green and save on their energy costs.

Again, since we're still relatively new, I'm not quite sure which of these ideas, if any, will be applicable to Lancaster School but here's what I've come up with. I realize you asked to receive these ideas by the 25th but I wanted to ensure I provided you with thorough information.

Thanks again for your time! Please let me know if you have any questions!

I recieved an email the next day stating a few of my ideas were already in practice but the remainder would be presented to the school board. I am hopeful my farmer's market idea will become a reality. This is something we don't have in our community and would be a welcomed addition. Regardless, I anxiously await to see what they decide!

Need Ideas: How to reduce our school district's budget

I received a letter from my son's school asking for suggestions to reduce their budget without sacrificing the quality of education they provide the kids. Here's what the letter said:

Dear Patron of the Lancaster Public School District:

Minnesota Public Schools will continue to be underfunded during the next biennium. To address these funding concerns, the Lancaster Public School is in the process of gathering feedback from the district shareholders on budgetary reductions. This information will be compiled and presented to the Lancaster Board of Education for consideration. We're asking you to take a few minutes and give us some feedback on how the Lancaster School can most effectively reduce costs yet still allow us to offer a first-class education for all of our students. Please be specific and cite examples wherever possible.

I would like to thank you in advance for your input and on-going support of the Lancaster School. Your input is appreciated and your voice will be heard.

Supt. Homstad

We are in a VERY small school district. Only one school, K-12, with a total of about 350 kids in the entire school. Staff reductions and consolidating schools aren't an option since there's only one building and one teacher per grade (except for Senior High). Our school remains open during extended day hours for community use. The hallways are used quite a bit as a walking track during our subzero winters-we'd like to keep this option viable.

I've got a few simple ideas but wasn't sure what other ideas might be floating around out there. The incredible ingenuity of all you wonderful bloggers and readers are needed. If you've got any suggestions to help our school reduce it's budget, I'd love to hear them.

Here's what I've got on my list:

1. Install time switches on the power system to automatically turn off/on at specific times. This should significantly reduce the vampire electricity used by computers, forgotten lights left on, stoves, ovens, radios, tv's, etc.
2. Install digital thermostats to better control heating/cooling costs.
3. Upgrade to low flow toilets to reduce water consumption and save on utilities
4. Sell any stored unused/older equipment or furniture. This will eliminate storage costs plus bring in a bit of income for a special project.
5. Increase the length of the school day and move to a four day school week. This will reduce school bus fuel costs, lunch/breakfast expenses, electricity, maintenance, as well as many other areas. Yes, this is a more drastic measure but if finances become a serious issue in the future, it may be the better option.
   

Any ideas, links to articles, or testimonials will be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to privately email me with any details or links you don't want shared publicly. As always, your comments are welcomed and appreciated!

Back to School Savings Tips

Back to School Sales are in full swing in many areas. Some are already in school while others, like us, don't start school till after Labor Day. After speaking to friends who've already began school, I'm reminded of a few tips to help prepare my kids for starting school without crushing my budget.



Get the teacher's supply list as early as you can. Many teachers have a specific supplies required for their classrooms outside the normal markers, crayons, pens, pencils, & notebook requirement. Knowing your child's complete school supply list will aid in your hunt for the lowest priced items.

Tip: Try calling or emailing the school's secretary or principal a month before school starts to find out who your child's assigned to. If student/teacher assignments have not been made then ask when the assignments will be completed so you can get an early copy of the teacher's supply list.

Reuse last year's supplies. If last year's scissors, rulers, pencil sharpeners, etc aren't worn out then reuse them for this school year.

Tip: I combine several bottles of unused white glue into one bottle. Instead of buying two or three bottles of glue, I buy just one!

Buy regular school supplies year round. You know you're student son/daughter will need notebooks, pencils, markers, crayons, glue, a ruler & pencil sharpener. Buy those items when they're on sale at the office supply store, yard sales, thrift stores, etc. What ever is not used for school will surely come in handy for home craft projects or even in a classmate's birthday gift bag.

Tip: Don't forget dry erase markers, red pens, etc for teachers. Teachers go through lots of supplies they pay for directly out of their pockets. If you find a 2-for-1 on dry erase markers, chalk, or some other teacher-esq supply, pick it up. You're child's teacher will appreciate it!

Get THRIFTY! Check out all the local consignment and thrift stores for the back to school wardrobe. Goodwill, Plato's Closet, Salvation Army, and Once Upon A Child are great places to search for bargains on clothes. Hit the mall during killer sales and save even more by shopping during your county or state's Tax Free Weekend.

Tip: Routinely buy a size bigger when you shop to stay ahead of the last minute back to school shopping rush.

Stock up on Freebies!!! Many county fairs, conventions, and businesses give pencils, pens, and other office/school supply items as promotional gifts. Snag as many as you can to avoid buying those items for school. Check for online freebies and promotions too!

I've shared my tips. Now it's time to share your back to school savings strategies.

Toys for Baby + Discount Code

Have a new baby in the family? Need a toy for the littlest one of the bunch but you're just not sure WHAT to choose? Look no further, Ebeanstalk is dedicated to a baby's development. And they select the best baby toys matched to a baby's development. To see great information on how a baby grows up, check out the info on their baby toys page.

Picking toys for a baby is not as simple as it sounds. Here are some quick baby facts:

• Toys for a newborn baby: A newborn baby is briefly looking at objects and attempting to imitate facial expressions. They can follow objects with their eyes and usually quiet down, when they are picked up.
• Toys for a three month old: They will enjoy ‘frolic play', reaching for objects and will repeat enjoyable activities. Believe it or not, they will respond to ‘no' (about half the time) and will start babbling.


• Toys for a six month old: They'll search for hidden objects (object permanence). They'll reach for themselves in the mirror, play peekaboo, crumple paper, roll from their stomach to their back and even respond to their name.
• Toys for a nine month old: They are pushing toy cars, playing pat-a-cake and looking for hidden sounds. The baby toys they are playing with are also getting more fun.

Whether you're looking for toys and gifts for infants, toddlers, or bigger kids, Ebeanstalk is a great resource to find the perfect item for the special kid in your life.

Just for you-my lovely readers-here is a 15% discount on your first purchase at ebeanstalk — TGS345 — just enter the code at the shopping cart.

Happy toy hunting!