Miscellaneous

Tips to Packing a Healthy Lunch That You and the Kids Will Love

August 21, 2012 by Jenni 285 Comments

How many times have you forgotten about your own lunch when you’re scrambling to pack the kids’ lunch boxes in the morning? Did you know that 73% of moms have eaten their child’s snacks in a pinch. If you’re one of these statistics, then think about stocking up on snacks that the whole family will enjoy. That should alleviate THAT issue!

Dole Real Fruit Bites are a great addition to your family’s cupboard! These combine 3 healthy favorites among kids and adults alike – fruit, yogurt and whole grain oats – into one delicious taste. These are offered in three yummy 90-calorie flavors – apple, pineapple and mango, you and your family will be sure to find a favorite flavor.

Below are some additional lunch-packing tips to make the mornings run smoothly.

Leverage last night’s leftovers. Add instant rice to leftover chicken or transform leftover steak into a hearty chili
Share a smile. Cut sandwiches into different shapes with cookie cutters, or write a note on a napkin
Camouflage healthy snacks. Dole Real Fruit Bites are made from real dried fruit, coated with yogurt and sprinkled with toasted whole grain oats – Kids won’t be trading this snack
Keep it cool. Think outside the thermos, and try freezing a yogurt cup or a juice box
Snack attack. Grab snacks for your desk drawer or purse so you can have a quick bite

I’ll be in New York City This Time Tomorrow!! #BlogHer12

August 1, 2012 by Jenni 1,011 Comments

Wow…in 12 hours I’ll be leaving the house heading to the airport to go to New York City for a blog conference called BlogHer! I’m so excited and so nervous at the same time…plus add in a little sadness because I’ve never been away from Eli that long! Dale (the hubs) will be home Thursday and Friday so no babysitter needed and I’m sure they’ll have a ball of a man’s manly weekend, just the 2 of them!

I have SO many events and meetings scheduled with some pretty amazing brands and I can’t wait to get back and tell you all about them!! Plus, you can expect some pretty cool giveaways too ;)! Fun, right?! I’ll be meeting up with reps from Verizon, Hasbro, Wholly Guacamole, McDonald’s, 6pm.com, Dannon, CVS, and so many more!!

I am also SUPER excited to get to meet Ree Drummond from the Pioneer Woman cooking show! Love her ;)! I’ll take tons of pictures and plan to post a little bit each night that I’m gone. I’ve got everything packed and ready to go. I just need to finish up on a few little odds and ends, try to squeeze in a nice size nap, and spend some time with my guys before I leave!

Talk to you soon ~

Save Money on Attractions While on Vacation

June 29, 2012 by Jenni 56 Comments

Are you taking a vacation or a staycation this year? Either way, you’re bound to want to visit some attractions while you’re in a different part of the country or even in your own hometown. If you’re visiting my blog, then I’m guessing it’s because you want to save money, right?!

You can plan your vacations on the cheap…with just a little homework. There are some things that you simply can’t shave any savings off of, so make sure to take advantage of the things that you can. Attractions, shows, amusement parks are some of the things that you CAN save on if you just plan ahead.

Call ahead to the places that you’re planning on going and see what kinds of deals they are offering for the times you will be there. You should also consider using a place like theCouponGuide.net to get discounted tickets. This guide is also loaded with money saving tips and coupons and they offer tickets to popular attractions throughout the United States and Canada.

Whether you choose to vacay or stacay, just keep your options open and think outside of the box when it comes to saving money…that way you can splurge on the fun stuff!

Let us know where you’re vacationing at this year. I’d love to hear all about it!

10 Ways to Save Money for Busy Moms and Dads This Summer

June 1, 2012 by Jenni 715 Comments

10 Ways to Save Money this Summer!

Busy moms and dads tend to spend more money through the summer when the kids are at home! More food, amusement park trips, ballgames, and the like. Here are 10 surefire ways to save money this summer!

1. Ball Games: Bring snacks and drinks with you! Concession prices are CRAZY and if you have more than 1 child to feed then you can quickly burn through a twenty dollar bill in NO time flat! Add some ice and drinks to a small cooler and throw some snacks in a totebag!

2. Gas Station Squanders: When we’re in a hurry and we run in to a gas station to pay for gas, how many times have we grabbed a drink and some snacks or candy while standing at checkout? I know I’m guilty of that!! Try ALWAYS paying at the pump and never going inside. You’ll save yourself an extra $2-$5 every time!

3. Amusement Parks: Don’t decide to go to an amusement park on a whim! You’ll pay for it if you do! Instead, go with a group for a discounted rate OR search out admission coupons! Also, pack snacks in a totebag along with sunscreen and bottled water or soft drinks. Those are great ways to save money + a cup of ice is cheaper than a drink!

4. EXTRA Busy Days: Plan plan plan your day!! Rushing around throughout the day if unplanned, can cost more money than an average day! You might pay more money at the gas pump when you didn’t notice that it was cheaper 2 doors down.

P.S. You can use a Free app on your phone to tell you which local gas stations have the cheapest price! One popular one is GasBuddy.

Okay…now we’ve got our gas but you forgot breakfast and you stop at a fast food place because you’re starving or you forgot something at home and didn’t have time to go back and get it so you just stopped at Walmart and grabbed a second one. Or went back home to grab it and wasted extra time and gas. We do THAT more often than we realize, or at least I have! I’m sure you can see how these are great ways to save money!

5. Festivals and Fairs: Make sure you and the kiddos eat something substantial before you go instead of planning to eat dinner there. Then you can just grab something fun like an elephant ear and split it! Go on the kiddie days…ride tickets are cheaper! Take more kids, buy bulk tickets, and let them split the rides!

6. Fast Food Stops: Keep any fast food coupons in the CAR! How many times have you been driving through town and remember that the coupons are at home! We get fast food coupons in the mail all the time, especially from these 25 Free Birthday Clubs you can join from places like Steak n Shake, Wendy’s, Starbucks and more!

7. Extra Clothes: Keep an extra set of clothes in a totebag in your car. You never know when a mishap might happen and it’ll keep you from having to make a Walmart stop when you don’t have time to head back home!

8. Last Minute Blunders: This goes for just about anything. If you wait till last minute to buy something needed then you won’t have time to watch for sales and match coupons for items whether it’s clothing, groceries, or even school supplies for the upcoming school year!

9. Fun in the Sun: Water filled days are FUN! Going to the local pools can cost money so plan on letting the kids swim at the neighbors or family members pools if you don’t have one! Just make sure wherever they go, that they’re well attended! Don’t forget to send sunscreen and snacks!

10. Sleep Overs and Slumber Parties: Summer comes with sleepovers and late nights with kids playing games, watching movies, and eating food!! Use Pizza coupons or snack food coupons to grab snacks and frozen pizza and have your cupboards full for when your kids’ friends come to stay over. Pizza is usually a given and most kids won’t CARE what kind of pizza you have so grab some frozen pizza when you find it on sale and stock up so you won’t be out the wazoo for the real deal from The HUT or another place!

How to Get Rid of Fleas Using Apple Cider Vinegar – All Natural & Thrifty

May 23, 2012 by Jenni 1,911 Comments

Photo Credit: Findavet.us

If you have pets that go outside regularly then more than likely, they have encountered a flea or 2…or 2000! I have a Rat Terrier dog, named Pepper, who has had her fair share of flea encounters! If you’ve had trouble with them, then you know how miserable it is for the poor pooches so I’m here to tell you how to get rid of fleas – the natural & thrifty way!

We live in the country where fleas are abundant!! I usually associate the word abundant with GOOD things, but fleas are – well…the pits!! We’ve tried all of the medications, shampoos, pills, and sprays known to man to help us get rid of fleas, but they kept coming back. I would even give her her monthly dose of “down the back” medicine a week early and it still didn’t keep them at bay!

I started doing some research and found that there is a little household staple that works in getting rid of fleas and I decided to give it a try. Within a week, she was FLEA FREE…literally!!! Apple Cider Vinegar! Yep…that’s it! Now, I will say that since we’ve been doing this (which has been for about 3 months now) I still see a flea or 2 every once in awhile when she’s been outside but they don’t stay on too long.

Fleas can’t stand the smell or taste of the Apple Cider Vinegar, however, for humans vinegar is a natural remedy for many ailments…some even say for Cancer!

Side note: check out this Health book on the Benefits of Vinegar…it’s crazy what all vinegar can do for our bodies!!

Personally, I use about a teaspoon a day of Apple Cider Vinegar added to Peppers food. You can also add it to their water, but I tried that and she wouldn’t drink it so I just started putting it in her food daily. Also, I have a small spray bottle that I add a 50/50 mixture of Apple Cider Vinegar and water to. I use it to spray her down sometimes before going outside to keep those little buggars from jumping on her.

The Apple Cider Vinegar is very good for many other reasons…check out how I clean with vinegar! Getting back on track – if your dog has skin that is too dry or too oily, this will help in balancing the PH in their skin! It’s also great for dogs who suffer from arthritis or even dust mite allergies. When you give them a bath, put a drop or 2 in their ears and it dries up any excess water which can cause ear infections.

Extra piece of advice. If your dog has fleas bad enough that you’re finding them on your couches, in your carpet, or in your bed – lightly spray those areas with the mixture I mentioned above. After the sprayed areas dry, vacuum really REALLY well. Take your vacuum away from the house immediately AFTER you’ve vacuumed and dump the filter/canister so the fleas don’t get back out and any eggs don’t hatch. I recommend doing this EVERYDAY or even a few times a day until you see less and less, then eventually none!

If you’re tired of paying all those high prices for Flea medications and shampoos that just aren’t working…give this a try. I think you’ll have success like I have!! Be sure and let me know if this works out for you!

Top 10 Reasons I Don’t Like Couponing…YES, I Just Said That!!!

May 19, 2012 by Jenni 408 Comments

Photo Credit: STLToday.com

Okay, first of all before you go CRAZY let me explain! I LOVE to coupon! Couponing is my second job (besides blogging) and I do consider it a job because it’s keeping money in my pocket! But with everything that we LOVE, there are also things that we don’t like about them.

Here are the TOP 10 things I don’t like about couponing: (I’m sure MOST “get” this)

1. Shelf Clearers: These are people who buy the best deals…and they buy ALL that the store has, leaving nothing on the shelf for other shoppers. I understand the importance of stockpiling, but there is a way to get as many as you want and still leave plenty on the shelf for others. The best thing to do if you’re wanting to buy multiples of a certain product, is to call the store ahead of time and place an order for the amount you want. Stores are GLAD to do that because then they don’t have to write as many rain check or pacify other shoppers who are complaining that there are NO more items on the shelf.

2. Cutting coupons in the summer: My summers are filled with days outside and I rarely have time to cut and organize all of my coupons in the summer months. So, I tend to use the whole insert organizing method during the summer.

3. Letting my coupons expire (accidentally): This does happen, even to the PRO couponers! I don’t know how many times that I’ve went to use a coupon and it’s expired…usually the day before!

4. Cranky Cashiers: I know alot of people have bad days, we all do. But I’ve been to stores where I’ve had the same cashier over and over and they’re ALWAYS cranky. These are the cashiers that tend to give me a hard time with coupons. I always try to “kill them with kindness” because that works better than being cranky back at them.

5. Toilet Paper and Paper Towel Coupons: Simply, they are NEVER high valued enough to satisfy me! I can’t understand how I’m supposed to pair a $0.25 coupon with something that costs upwards of $6.99 – $10 and feel good about it! So…I buy my toilet paper in Bulk on Amazon or pair store coupons with manuf. coupons along with rewards deals at the drugstores. I also will use my ECB’s or RR’s from CVS and Walgreens to pay for those things…ugh!

6. Chocolate coupons: Any coupon for chocolate and I have that “love-hate” relationship. I love them but ohhh, they get me into trouble!! 😉

7. Being behind someone who’s paying full price: Ohhh, that just kills me. I don’t know how many times I’ve been standing behind someone in line who’s buying something that I know that they could get for FREE or at least 50% off with a coupon!! I’m not one to be pushy, but there have been times when I’ve given someone a coupon and said, “You can get that FREE with this coupon”. I’ve also been knows to give someone my business card ;)!

8: Buying Sunday Papers with NO coupon inserts inside: YES…I’ve done this a handful of times! Bought my papers to get home and find that someone’s nabbed the inserts out of it! NOW, I check to make sure that the inserts are inside before I leave the store!

9. Regional Coupons: I know that you’ve noticed many times over that I may mention a certain coupon value on the site. When you go to get that coupon, it’s for a different value OR you just don’t even have that coupon at all. One good thing about regional coupons is that if you DON’T get that particular coupon, you can always order multiples of it on eBay or a Coupon Clipping Service.

10. Okay…so this 10th one isn’t a reason. The title just sounded better than if I had said, The Top 9 Reasons I Don’t Like Couponing. So, what I want to say is that there are alot of things that can be bothersome as a couponer but the PROS totally outweigh the CONS! I save my family alot of money from one week to the next on groceries, household good, personal supplies, and the like.

At the end of the day, coupons save my family’s budget by thousands of dollars each year! So, I’m willing to put up with shelf clearers, cutting coupons in the summer, letting {some} coupons expire, cranky cashiers, the lack of good paper goods coupons, chocolate coupons {YUM}, giving people coupons and business cards, paying for Sunday Papers with NO inserts, and those regional coupons!!

I’d LOVE to hear your comments on these subjects….let me know what you dislike about couponing! This should be fun!

How to Save Money on Gas

May 16, 2012 by Jenni 32 Comments

Some people live in big cities and have the luxury of being able to walk to work. I live in a rural area and we drive everywhere we go! Saving money is one thing that we strive to do from one week to the next, and with gas prices rising and rising, that means we have to “pinch” in other areas!

The following is a guest post from LookBeforeSpending.com. Thanks Zack, for these great tips on How to Save Money on Gas!!

Are you looking to save money on gas and reduce your amount of fill-ups?
Let’s review some gas saving tips. Some of these you may have seen before but if you’re like us, you could use an occasional reminder to keep you on track.

– Air Conditioner
There is a general feeling that the air conditioner burns up gas. Well, that is somewhat true. It does use gas. However, did you know that you could be burning more gas if you are driving with the air conditioning off and the windows down? On most cars, at around 45 mph, the drag created by having the windows down causes more gas usage than turning on the AC and shutting the windows.

– Brakes – Use them less (safely of course!). If you begin coasting to a stop sooner, you’ll be getting double benefits: you’ll use less gas and you’ll use less of your brakes. The average brake repair is $250-$400, so why not try and make that happen as less often as possible!

– Daytona 500? – Unless you’re running from the cops, or driving a woman in labor to the hospital, you probably don’t need to be driving like it’s a Nascar race. Did you know that your optimum speed MPH is around 65? Every MPH you go faster than that, you are burning gas quicker. Also, the slower you accelerate, the more gas you save.

– Tires
Make sure your tires are properly inflated. If your tires are too low, it increases the friction between your tires and the road, thus decreasing your gas MPG. Also, having your tires at the proper pressure decreases your chances of having a blowout. Check your tires, it should say right on them what the ideal PSI pressure should be. The difference between under-inflated tires and optimum tires is as much as 3%! Also, keeping your tires properly inflated will increase the life of the tire!

– Cruise Control
Whether you realize it or not, if you are driving on the freeway for a distance, your foot is moving, causing your speed to slightly fluctuate. That can decrease your MPG. When (and if) you can, use cruise control to keep your car at a steady pace.

– Idling – Sitting in your car while it is running can burn up gas really quick. Do you live by train tracks? Turn off the ignition while you wait at the RR Crossing instead of just keeping your foot on the brake or putting it in park. Not comfortable turning it off and on? At least shift to neutral to save a little bit. Do you still warm up your car for a long time? A lot of people have the idea of “warming up the car” from their parents, or from back when they had a 1972 Pontiac Firebird or something. The truth is, most newer models of cars don’t even need to be warmed up. Think about going into the restaurant instead of using the drive through. I know we’ve all been stuck in a drive through for 10 minutes or more. You might not think about (or even want to know) how much gas you’re burning up while waiting for your burger!

– Maintenance – Keeping your car well maintained can have a major impact on your gas usage. A simple tune-up can get your engine optimized and clean your air filters. That can lead to a big change in MPG. Air flow is key to optimal gas usage, so at the very least, clean and maintain your air filters.

– Storage Unit?
Are you treating your car like a storage unit? If you’ve got a bunch of unnecessary stuff sitting in the trunk, take it out! The less weight your car has to pull, the less gas it will use! Another note here is to wait until you’re close to empty to fill up. Did you know one gallon of gas weighs around 8 pounds? This means if you have an 18 gallon tank, the difference between full and empty is 145 pounds! That’s like a person! Now obviously you can’t drive around on empty all of the time, but this is just something to take into consideration.

– Plan Your Trips – Planning can help save on gas as well. This tip won’t actually save you WHILE driving, but can help you do less of it. Plan out your day/week ahead of time. Do you need milk? Is there a grocery store right next to the bank you’re already going to? Even if you know they sell milk for $1 less at Walmart, you’re losing that $1 anyway if the Walmart is any more than 3 miles out of your way. You’ve really got to consider gas expenses as part of your coupon shopping. Is it really worth it to drive 15 miles round trip ($2.50 or more in gas) to get 1 free tube of toothpaste? It’s not really even free then, because you used up $2.50 in gas getting it. So a little planning goes a long way in saving gas!

So there you have it. Some of these may seem like they will make a very small difference. That is true, if you do them alone. However, even if each tip above only gives you a 2% increase, you’ve got more than a 15% savings on fuel usage right there! That’s a significant difference and can keep a decent amount of money where it belongs – in your bank account.

How to Save Money at Starbucks

March 14, 2012 by Jenni 12 Comments

Are you a Starbucks Junkie?? If so, you probably spend more money there than you care to admit!! There are some tips that you can use to save yourself some dough while splurging at the same time. My friend Lori, over at Simple Couponing has made a post about this very subject. She loves Starbucks and I’m happy to admit that I myself, don’t have one near me!! If I did, I’d be in BIG trouble ;)!!

Be sure to check out her post: 8 Ways to Save Money at Starbucks! You’ll enjoy the read and you’ll pick up a few tips to keep some extra cash in your pocket while enjoying some nice Starbucks…on the cheap!

Blessings~

Would You Still Use Coupons if You Were a Millionaire?

February 23, 2012 by Jenni 43 Comments

Just a fun question??

If you had all the money in the world and could buy anything you wanted, would you still use coupons? I know that most would probably yell a big fat NO, but I’d still like to think that a few would say, uh…Yeah!! Of course I’m no millionaire, nor do I ever expect to be. You have to pay to play (according to the Lottery commercials) and we don’t pay except for the occasional ticket once every 6 months ;)!

So, I’d like to hear what your answer would be! Comment below and give us your 2 cents!! Would you still coupon if you were a millionaire?

Blessings~

How to Stockpile Things for FREE or Rock Bottom Prices with Coupons

July 2, 2011 by Jenni 1,429 Comments

One thing that I teach in my coupon classes is how to stockpile. I think that it’s the SMART thing to do only when you’re stockpiling things that you can get for FREE or as cheap as that item can get. AND, by stockpiling…I mean getting LOTS of a particular item or items! LET ME define “lots”! By that I mean getting enough that your family will use before the expiration date and/or enough to last until that item goes on sale again and you can get it for AS cheap as you just got it for.

I don’t believe in stockpiling hundreds of toothbrushes or other things like that! You’ll never use them all, so unless you’re going to donate them INSTANTLY then I would only grab a few to last your family a year or so, if they’re FREE! You can get FREE toothbrushes all the time.

I DO believe in stockpiling things that your family uses alot of. Food items, laundry detergent, body wash, toothpaste, things like this. I still don’t advise anyone to get hundreds of these items like you see them do on TV, but enough to last you till the next GREAT deal which could be a few weeks to a few months away.

Now you ask, “How does anyone get enough coupons to be able to stockpile?” Well, there are many ways to do that from dumpster diving, buying several papers every sunday, collecting friends and families unused coupon inserts, and many more ways but that’s not what I do.

I actually only buy 2 or 3 Sunday Papers every week and that is sufficient for our family. However, if there is a store deal that comes around and something is priced just right and a certain coupon will make that item FREE then I will purchase multiples of that particular coupon on Ebay so I can get ALOT of that item for FREE. Keep in mind, that I only do this with items that we will use or that I can give away quickly. Really, to be honest, the only way that I would stockpile things that I don’t use is if it’s a Money Maker and will give me alot of overage at checkout that I can use towards my other purchases and then these items will be given away.

YES, it does cost money to buy coupons on Ebay but only cents on the dollar. You have to determine for yourself if the cost of the coupons is going to be worth it. If you figure in the cost of your coupons and subtract that from what you’ll be paying out of pocket for your items and it’s still saving you TONS, then yeah it’s worth it.

Here’s a deal that I did several months ago. Kroger had StarKist Tuna on sale for $0.99 a pouch. There was a $0.50 off coupon that was in the Sunday Paper and I knew that it would score me some Tuna for free because Kroger doubles my $0.50 coupons to $1.00 off. SO – I bought (30) coupons on Ebay and paid around $5 for the coupons. Those coupons allowed me to get (30) pouches for FREE so figuring the $5 cost of the coupons, that’s all I paid for all of that tuna!!!!!

I would suggest that you have storage space ready to hold your stockpile before you begin or you’ll wind up with bags of stuff just sitting…and that’s NO fun!

Do YOU have any suggestions that you’d like to comment about?? We’d love to hear them!!

Blessings~

10 Ways to Save Money this Summer!

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