So,  a mini update of my Hatfields & McCoys family. I'm still in touch with my sister in law. We're not exactly long-lost but I'm making the effort and so is she. Only time will tell.

I have lots of freebies and samples for you. I'm going to jump right in and get them and then I'll give you your much needed funny story fix that I know you really come here for.

Free samples of 5 flavors of Dunkin Donuts coffee. I only drink decaf, though. Can you picture ME with caffeine? ::shudder:: Perish the thought!

Free sample of Oxyfresh Toothpaste. Gotta get rid of the coffee stains, right?

Y'know those new rolls of toilet paper that are so big that they don't fit on a standard roller? Well, Charmin has a free toilet paper extender for you! I always loved Mr. Whipple when he said "Don't squeeze the Charmin."

REACH is offering a free personal flosser. It's great for the office or the car. I mean, who doesn't floss their teeth while driving 85 mph down a highway in rush hour traffic? It's still a good find though!

Sign up for a free 14 day supply of Nature Made Softgel Vitamins. I should order these, I am so Iron deficient that the doctor told me not to bother with a supplement. He said that even if I took the maximum dosage, it wouldn't bring mine up to acceptable levels. How comforting.

Remember, I love cookbooks. I bought one at a farmer's market in Boston last week. Can't wait to use it. Here is a free Bean Recipe Book from Bush's! Since I'm doing recipes and cookbooks, let me throw in a free issue of Cooking Light.

Ok, this one is useful. A free Child Safe Kit. There is nothing so scary in life as thinking you've lost your child. I misplace my car keys, I lose the remote to my TV, I have even left my purse in a carriage and left the store. Big deal. Last year my husband (can you believe he's STILL my husband?) misplaced our son at Water Country. They were floating down Lazy River and Chris went one way and Nick went the other. I see Chris come around but I don't see Nick. I say to him "Where's Nick?" He said "OH, he was just with me. I must've left him behind." You MORON. Ok, Mommy Survival Mode kicks in. You ain't seen NOTHING until you've seen a 5' woman running (I kid you not) through Lazy River. No floats, just running. I finally find him after 10 minutes just kind of swimming around waiting for me. I burst into tears and he's like "Wassamatta Mommy? Nicky is swimming." I congratulate him for not drowning or going with strangers (Thank you, God)..I threaten to divorce my husband, and the rest of the day was relatively normal. Unless you count the fact that I went into the wave pool with my cell phone in my pocket. Cell phones don't like water, in case you're wondering. 3rd one that month. Verizon actually told me I'd maxed out my insurance policy and had to buy another one at full price. HA. My contract was over. I went with Nextel. Either way, sign your child up. God forbid we ever need these things, but better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them.

Who doesn't love Legos? I still love them. I love seeing the masterpieces created by some people. Now that's dedication. I have a free 2 year subscription to Lego Magazine!

Ok, a rule of thumb that I learned early on while scouring for freebies is to ignore the sites that are all Google ads. They're usually just harvesting sites for your email address. However, I took a chance and signed up for these 2. They both came!
Free beer mug and free USB.

I love Caress Exotic Oil Infusions body wash. It smells amazing and it makes my skin so soft. I like the Asian one. Get your free sample!

Well, that's about it for today. I'm working like a maniac lately..I actually have a job. Most people think I sit around eating bonbons and doing my nails. I actually work, but don't let it get around, it's bad for my reputation. My husband always says "Honey, if you want to cheat on me, don't make him crawl through the bathroom window, if he can afford YOU, let him in the front door. It's only polite." LOL! He'd be so lucky to get rid of me.

Until next time...Happy Saving!

Did you all have a nice Easter? I did. My whole family went out to dinner at Bugaboo Creek. We're quite the noisy crowd when we're all together. My Mom was in her glory. All of her kids were there, all of the grandkids were there, and we didn't even throw food at one another. Definitely a successful day. So...how are you? I'm doing ok. I'm enjoying the sunshine that breaks through the clouds. Of course, it snowed last night and it depressed the ever lovin' life out of me, but this too shall melt!

I talk about my kids, Nick and Gabby. I don't know if I've ever mentioned it here, I doubt it, but Nick is autistic. April is National Autism Awareness month. So, if you don't know much about this disease you should check out the National Autism Foundation for lots of info. Education is the key to success. Want to see the kids? I rarely show pictures of them..I hate to be one of those insanely bragging Moms who drags out every picture of their child. I like to see other people's photos but I'm not interested in every single picture since they were born. My Prince Nicholas and Princess Gabrielle.

So. You didn't come here to hear about my life. You want something from me, right? You want freebies, samples, and tips on how to live a more frugal life. Well, let's start with my favorite of the bunch...freebies! Off to our health and beauty department.

We have a free sample of Maybelline Mineral Power liquid foundation. I was blessed with good skin and I rarely ever wear make up. I'm going to try this out though. The older I get, the more I notice blemishes. Ok, there's nothing funny to say about this but it's a free sample of TENA Serenity Overnight Pads.  Now, here's a free sample I can wrap my head around. It's XCID Antacid. My husband suffers from horrible acid reflux/heartburn. He's always got it. I worry about it too. I'm ordering this as we speak. When the kids were babies I swore by Gold Bond powder. I can say that my kids never once got a diaper rash, even in the heat and humidity we have here in the summer. Here's a free sample of Gold Bond Ultimate. It's not powder, though. It's a cream. I don't have curly hair. I've always been intensely jealous of women who do have curly hair. I spent $275 on a perm once. Yep, came out looking like FiFi the wonder poodle and never went back. Redken is offering free samples of their products for curly hair. JJ Martin Clothing has a freebie of the day. Today it's a free sample of L'Oreal Color Juice Lip Gloss. Just send them your address and request the sample. Lovin' it! I wear glasses. Ok, let me rephrase. I am supposed to wear glasses. I lose pair after pair after pair. I don't bother anymore. Sign up at Windsor Eyes and get a free eyeglass case! I'm kind of weird. I have an incredible sense of smell. Shopping for detergents literally overpowers me because I have to sniff every one that I am considering..mostly to make sure that I find the smell appealing. I'm the same way with soap. Here's a sample of New-Formula Dial Antibacterial Soap. We have a free sample of Dove Ultimate Clear Deodorant. Choose from cool cucumber or grapefruit and lemongrass. Here's a free sample of Coty Beauty Fragrances. You get 12 free fragrance samples! Sometimes they're just those little pieces of paper like a scratch-n-sniff. I use them in the vents in my car..free air fresheners.

I live in Boston..or close enough that I can say "I'm from Boston." I am a huge Red Sox fan! Rock on Red Sox Nation! Opening Day is right around the corner. How about a free pack of Exclusive MLB Baseball Cards? I signed right up for them. I hate to give PETA even free mention in my little blog. I despise their methods. However, if you approve of their methods, you can sign up for a free No Fur PETA pin.

I have a free sample of NutraSweet Swirl. My Mom is a Type 2 diabetic and takes 3 shots of insulin per day. I am vigilant about sugar in her food. So, what do we put sugar in? We put it in COFFEE! Here's a sample of Seattle's Best Coffee. There are 3 flavors to choose from. I picked vanilla bean. After you've eaten and you want to wash your hands, how about using a sample of Klean-To-Go sanitizing wipes?

I am now a huge Trace Adkins fan. God, I just love that man. I'm a huge country music fan to begin with. After Trace's season on Celebrity Apprentice,  I'm even more in love with him. He was trying to raise money for a charity that deals with food allergies. Here is a Food Allergy Survival Guide. It afflicts millions of children every day. I was always pretty apathetic to it. The whole "it doesn't affect me, it's an allergy, big deal." Yep, Trace was a true eye opener and I am now a proud contributor to his charity!

My other favorite show is Top Chef. I blab about it every time I blog. Well, since I plugged Trace Adkins and his Celebrity Apprentice appearance, I will give you a cookbook for Australian Lamb. Now, I don't eat lamb. I may wear their sweaters but that's about it for me. On Top Chef there are always lamb dishes that the judges just adore.

My Dad loved to bird watch. I started putting up bird feeders last year. I love seeing the colorful birds sitting in my windowsills. You can sign up  for a Celebrate Urban Birds kit. It contains posters on how to identify birds and free seeds!

For you music fans, pre-order your free Walton Music Chorale Sampler CD.

I gotta tell you. I love blogging. I am a little disappointed in the other ChaCha blogs lately. Where are our crafts for the Spring? I'm diligently waiting for them. Where are the new recipes for Spring Smoothies? Come on people, motivate! Use the coupons I give you for ideas and materials. In Family Fun magazine this month there is a club house for kids built out of cereal boxes. It is the neatest thing. We should be reading about it in our blogs!

Well, I've made lunch, answered a few queries, checked the mail, patted the dog...I think this is it for now. Until next time...Happy Saving!

Here I come! Sorry I was late. I'm often late. I try so hard to be on time. I budget my time the best way that I can and it usually is a massive waste of time..lol. However, I firmly believe in fulfilling my obligations. I promised I'd see you guys this week and as tired as I am, I have arrived. I have been through 3 bottles of Lysol, 2 bottles of Children's Tylenol Flu, 2 bottles of Pediatric Robitussin Cough Syrup, and still the kids are up all night. Literally. I took a nap the other day because Gabby was coughing and fussing. Thank God I took that nap. She was up from 11pm until 7am crying and coughing. She finally managed to fall asleep comfortably. How excited was I? Well, that lasted about 3 minutes when Nick came screeching down the stairs "Mommmmmyyyyyy...I am sickkkkkkk." ::sigh:: Ok, baby, come sit with Mommy.  So, I am a 12 cylinder car running on about 3 cylinders..lol. So, let's see what we have in store for you today. Freebies are a little on the lean side.

The Disney Store is having a 30% off sale and $5 flat rate shipping. Woooohhooooo,.

I love jewelry. I don't wear much of it but I love to look at all of the shiny baubles. I also love designer name brands. I recently discovered Bidz.com. I bought a $255 pair of Prada sunglasses for $24, a $415 diamond and platinum necklace for $21, a $375 pair of diamond earrings for $11 and a $2700 man's watch for $8. Shipping was extremely reasonable and I had my items within 3 days. You have got to go look. It's auction style but it's not half as bad as eBay. I am not a fan of eBay. If auction style isn't your thing then you can go over to Overstock.com and enjoy their 3 day 15% off jewelry sale. I've bought from them also and was always very pleased with the way it went.

Chadwick's is having a great sale. They're having a 40% off sale and then you can take $50 off an order of $150 or $25 off an order of $75.

Health and Beauty freebies are never in short supply. Let's start with a free sample of Garnier Nutritioniste Wrinkle Treatment. We also have a free sample of Dove hair care. There's also a free sample of Jergen's Natural Skin Care. I have a sample of Curel Life's Stages Moisturizers, also. That makes me laugh. At this stage of my life, moisturizing is the least of my problems. Here is a sample of FreshLook Colored Contacts. I was born with very green eyes and can't imagine wanting to change the color of them. If you do, more power to you! If you just want a free sample of regular contacts then you can check out the sample at Dailies. I just remembered I'm almost out of toothpaste. Here's a free sample of Aquafresh!

I am slowly getting addicted to reality tv. I always thought, "What a waste." Top Chef and Celebrity Apprentice and The Biggest Loser are now the highlights of my life. I watched Top Chef religiously last season. I wasn't rooting for Casey. Yet here she is, with a free sample of Glad Trash Bags.

This one is for all of you fans of the St. Pauli Girl. Ok, she doesn't make my pulse quicken but I'm pretty sure she does something for my husband. Every day they give away 400 free posters of her. So, run on over there are sign up.

I have signed up for this freebie several times. It always comes and it's actually kind of good. It's True Lemon and True Lime.

I love magazines. I get probably 30 a month. I read them all, it enriches the mind. So, here's an offer for 3 free issues of Cosmo Girl and 3 free issues of Seventeen. No obligations and no hassles.

I love my Sammi Sue. She is my 5 year old English Bulldog. She's a love and has the most incredibly sweet temperament that I've ever seen. Ok, so she snorts and snores but hey, I'm married, I'm used to it. Hill's Science Diet Nature's Best is offering a free sample.

More excellent news! ChaCha.com has decided to extend their free trial period for text ChaCha! Remember to text 242242 for answers to everything and anything! I love the service. If you're very very lucky, you will get me as your uber-awesome Guide.


 

Free sample of Post-It Notes. Love those things.

Ok, if you want the truth, I do have a few more freebies. I'm saving them though. I always worry that if I give everything up right away, there may not be anything for next time. Then I'll be like the dorky kid in class drooling on herself when called upon to answer "What is the true relevance behind the story of Oedipus Rex?" As you can see, I have experience in this phenomena..lol! Life is good. I love being a Guide and a blogger. Much more fun than I anticipated. I hope you all have a great weekend. I'll slam you with some more this week, early. With Easter coming there will be more than usual. Until then...Happy Saving!

We meet again! There hasn't been much to share with you. I spent a few days shopping last week and I have to brag. I went to Kohl's with my Mom last week. I didn't need anything but she needed a bathing suit for her trip to Puerto Rico. Which, incidentally, I found her RT airfare and a hotel for a week for under $200! So anyhow, I go to Kohl's and they're having a 90% off sale. I bought 3 pairs of Vera Wang pants that are usually $185 a pair for...$1.40 each! It was totally unreal. I got some Ralph Lauren clothes for $2.60 each, clothes for the kids, clothes for my husband, and a few things I will never "need" but have always wanted! Sometimes, it's all in the timing. I made a KILLING that day. One good way to save money is to season shop. In the middle of the summer, stores will begin getting rid of their merchandise to make room for the next season. The same goes for every season. So, if you are wise, you will buy next year's clothing during this year!  Unless you're Elle, Cindy, Naomi or Carol, you don't have to worry about "What's Hot and What's Not" as far as fashion. Buy what YOU like, not what the fashion experts like.

So, here are the sales I've found this week. During the Christmas holiday season I was looking for a unique gift for someone. I didn't just want to grab the first thing off of the shelf. So, I went over to Things Remembered and found a neato and peachy keen gift. They're having a huge sale!

Another favorite store of mine is TJ Maxx. They're having a green sale. They're offering their new line of organic products at a huge discount. Check out the store nearest to you!

Attention K-Mart Shoppers! We have a 38-60% off clearance sale now going on. Stop by the blue light to see what type of savings you can find!

Do you need, want or love to shop in the Big and Tall stores? I will NEVER have to worry about shopping in the Tall store. More like I'd need a "Shorties R US" store. Yet, many people are not as vertically challenged like me. So, head over to King Size Direct for a 66% off clearance sale. Did you know, I have never opened their emails and thought they were a bed company? I opened it on a whim in a desperate attempt to find you more savings. I was shocked..lol.

Lee Jeans is having their annual 20% Spring Sale. 20% isn't much but it's better in my pocket than in theirs. I actually like the cut of Lee jeans.

Burlington Coat Factory is having their annual Men's 2 for sale. Buy 2 suits for the price of one. Now, I don't need to buy suits here. We're pretty casual people. So, I won't be taking advantage of this. However, if they ever run a sale on Buy 2 shirts that say "My Wife Works For ChaCha and All I Got Was This Stupid Mention" then I guarantee I'm on it!

Bluefly.com is having a 40% off sale on designer handbags. You can get a $600 purse for around $325..Sounds like a great deal to me. I go to the Coach outlet stores when I feel the need to feed my passion for handbags.

Brylane Home had a problem with their website last week. So, in addition to their rock bottom prices, enter code BHSORRY and receive an additional 25% off. Last week I got a free sewing machine, a free steak knife set, and a set of mixing bowls. All very cool and all very trendy.

You can save up to 50% at Chadwick's this week, also. They have a great selection of clothing.

One thing I try to do in my blog is to give you a glimpse into my life but not offer you an open door. It's always better to keep 'em guessing. I also try never to use it as a platform for my personal beliefs. Sometimes, it's unavoidable. I am throwing this in here merely for those of you that may have never even considered it. When a loved one passes away, there's nothing harder to deal with. Until you have to figure out how you're going to pay for their final expenses. My Dad passed away late last year. He had no life insurance, thought he was invincible. When I called his credit card companies, most were extremely wonderful. They offered sympathy and told me not to worry about the balances on the cards. They were minimal in today's world. However, there was one company. I shouldn't name it, it wouldn't be overly ethical. It rhymes with Fears, Hears, Wears, Bears...sounds like Sears to me! When I notified them that I had just lost my Dad the woman on the other end of the phone said to me "Well, what about his estate?" I said "Ma'am, there's no estate. There is nothing. I'm sorry." Her reply was "I am going to send someone over there and we'll take your furniture and your car to satisfy this debt." Ooohhhhh, you THINK so? Over my cold dead body will anyone EVER speak to me like this. Especially over a pathetic amount like $1200.  I could pay it. Why should I? It wasn't my debt. However, I was angry at Dad after that. WHY didn't he have life insurance? Why why why? So inexpensive and so easy to buy. I didn't buy those policies for the kids that Gerber offers when you're pregnant. I was afraid to jinx myself. Having been born on Halloween I am just full of superstitions. Now they've changed. My superstition is that if I'm stupid and don't follow through and buy these policies, we may not have them when we need them. So, for just one lousy dollar you can start a policy at Globe Life. One thing you can't do is put a price tag on peace of mind.

Well, those are my savings for the beginning of the week. I'll try to find some more and post again this week! So, today seems to be "Story" Day. I have no short supply of stories about my life. Some of them are the funniest things you'll ever hear. Some are heartbreaking. All are true. I did promise a follow up to my trip to see John Edward. I have to tell you, I am always skeptical. I don't trust easily. Especially lately. It was general seating and we had great seats. For $225 a ticket he should've sat on my lap. I went with 2 of my friends. One of them lost her husband recently in a motorcycle accident. It was NOT his fault. Someone ran a light and hit and killed him. His name was Jerry. Her name is Jess. They have a 4 year old named Sandra Elizabeth. So, imagine our surprise when John came right towards us and said "Who are the 2 J names? Who is S..Sandy, Sandra.." I was whispering "Jess, stand UP." She didn't know what to do and some dork in front of us stood up and said "I think it's me. My brother Gary died 18 years ago in an accident. I work with a woman named Sandy." Yeah, ok Slick. Nice job. There's no doubt in my mind that John was talking to my best friend. Jerry died 2 days before my Dad. Jess didn't know what to say or do and she let opportunity go by her. She emailed John Edward after the show and asked if the reading could've been meant for her. She got an immediate reply that yes, it most definitely could've been directed at her. She was there at that particular show for a reason. My Dad had a dog named Ghost. We had him for 11 years. He was white with a black patch. He got nose cancer a week after my Dad passed away. We kept him for 2 more weeks and then we sent him to the Rainbow Bridge to be with my Dad. They were always together. Literally inseparable. Halfway through the show (2 hours long), John said "There's a white dog with a black patch running down the aisle." He supposedly stopped near me and John said "Oh, his owner just came to take him." So, was that my sign? I don't know. I want to believe it. My problem is that i didn't go there with any questions. My Dad died but we know how. There's no treasure buried under the floor in the garage, and I am 110% sure that he loved me. I don't need him to come back to tell me. I feel it every day when I think about him. I have to say that John Edward is amazing. He's right on target, he's friendly and outgoing and he is the FUNNIEST person. He made me laugh throughout most of the show. He read a woman directly in back of me. She had some serious family issues. She didn't look like she was believing it too much..until the end. He said to her "Mom says it's ok, buy the new microwave." The woman screamed and her knees buckled. She said "My microwave blew up yesterday and I didn't know if I should buy a new one." She was convinced..lol. So am I. I would love to see another of his shows.

Thank you for indulging me this week. I don't often talk about myself so specifically. It is my reward for working so hard to help you to learn to save money. So, until next time...Happy Saving!!

One of the fastest ways to watch your money become separated from you is to plan a family vacation. They love to take advantage of the one week a year we don't work and make it as costly as possible. In our infinite wisdom, my husband and I have decided to take the children to Disney World this year. I'm going to plan out my entire vacation in my blog so that you can save as much as I will save and have access to my resources also. What makes a vacation great is spending uninterrupted time with your family, what makes it even more fantastic than that is not going into debt to do it! So, as I always say, my way isn't for everyone. Some people like to contact a travel agent, give them the dates that they're looking to vacation on, and sign off with a credit card. I actually prefer to do my own planning because I know I can do this cheaper than a travel agent. I'm going to do it in two parts though (ohhhhh, a series!) because after awhile, your brain turns to mush. So today I'll cover transportation and lodging. I know our ChaCha guides write a blog for Disney also so you should most definitely check those out, too!

One of the best ways to save money on vacations is pick a time when you're are flexible on dates. I am self-employed so it's nothing for me to change my travel plans by a day or so in either direction in order to get a better rate. Do not try to go during a school vacation, it's twice as expensive and it's beyond crowded...Ok, let's get down to planning this vacation. All prices are going to be based on 2 adults and 2 demons..lol!

Transportation is the most expensive part of any trip. I have my choice of plane, train, bus or automobile. Ok, we're not even going to attempt automobiles. One of my deep, dark secrets is that though I own 6 taxi companies, I get violently car sick after half an hour. How's that for your daily dose of irony?

Greyhound:  For all 4 tickets round trip it is $632 and that is with a 7 day advance purchase. Not a horrifying price but the length of travel time is 1 Day, 7 Hours & 5 Minutes. I'm thinking that being trapped on a bus with 2 small kids for that length of time would make me wish I were dead.

Amtrak:  Ok, with the exact same info as used above, I got a price of $843! Now, to me, that's kind of steep. It does offer more amenities than the bus. Travel time is 1 Day, 3 Hours, 40 Minutes. It offers a dining car and more space than the bus but again, I think we can definitely do better for our money.

Skybus:  I absolutely LOVE this site. It has limited routes and I happen to live near one of them. They have fares as low as $20 per person round trip based on availability! Let's see what they can offer me. Ok, for 4 round trip tickets it will cost me $748...not bad but still...I know I can do better. They're definitely on my list of possibilities though. Total travel time: 2 Hours, 21 Minutes. That alone is worth the money!

SpiritAir: The ultimate in deals. Every so often they will offer fares for a nickel per person. I once bought us 4 tickets to go to Myrtle Beach for a needed weekend getaway for less than $40! And they don't disappoint! WOW..$664 for 4 round trip tickets from Boston to Orlando. Can't beat that..and, I found an online coupon for a free upgrade to their version of first class. We have a winner! It may not be the "best" price but it's the most practical. I spend $20 more but arrive 24 hours earlier. Yep, a definite plus.

On to hotels. Now, I'm not picky about a hotel. It has to be clean and since it's Florida, must have a pool. I don't care too much about amenities here because on vacation you'll spend relatively little time in your hotel room.

Radisson Worldgate Resort and Convention Center: It's a 4 star hotel. It has 2 swimming pools (YAY!), a refrigerator in my room, FREE shuttle service to Disney (which is only 11 blocks away), Starbucks in the lobby and a fitness center. All of this for $65 per night! WOW..not bad at all. I wonder if I'll find something comparable at a better price.

Country Inns & Suites:  Nice. They offer free breakfast as an amenity. They have a pool and a gift store. Nothing about free shuttle service though. The rate is $83.66 per night. Not so great, although the free breakfast is kind of a hook. Where else can you get breakfast for 4 people for $19? That's the price difference between here and the Radisson. I'm not convinced though.

Mike Ditka Runaway Beach Club Resort:  This is a different twist on a hotel stay. You can get a 1 bedroom suite with a full kitchen for $99 per night. Now, that may seem high, but ultimately, it will save you a ton of money. I'm no stranger to cooking. I have picky kids and eating in restaurants isn't that much fun. I'd rather grab a box of Eggo Waffles and a dozen eggs for breakfast than to go sit in a restaurant with the kids. Dinners could be done much more cheaply also. The amenities are incredible. Free shuttle, pool, fitness center (like I need to care about THAT), a sun deck overlooking a man made lagoon. How incredible does that sound? I think that's what I'm going to choose. I get free transportation, a DVD player in our room (great for small kids), a lagoon, a full kitchen, all for $99/night.

Knights Inn Escape: This truly fits the bill for frugal! It has a free continental breakfast, free shuttle, mini-fridge and they offer mini-suites for additional fee. The price blows me away..literally! Off-season is $32.95/day and regular season is $39.95/day. This may actually be the best deal out there. They offer a weekly rate of $199. I can't stay in my own house for $199/week. My mortgage is triple that every week. So, what I'd save at the Runaway Hotel with a full kitchen, I'd probably save just as much, if not more, at this hotel. Now I'm on the fence. I'm seriously going to have to sit down and figure out what I would spend on meals and see what my savings would be.

Ok, that's enough for today. I'll let you know what I've decided on my hotel in my next post..which won't be far behind this one. Must keep your interest! I'm off to the casino tomorrow, with enough luck, I can buy Disney! Until then...Happy Saving.

Hello lets face it, living cheap these days are a thing of the past, as we all know most Americans use coupons when grocery shopping to cut down on price, for this post we don't need to think about them. I will have many more posts for retail shopping and mass merchants so watch for those! We will also look at buying non food items for clearance and selling for profit in another post.This is my fist post to my blog so i apologize if it seems a bit rough. Something that will come in handy now that you are a reader of my blog is an extra freezer.You can check for a local Internet trading-selling group for a free or cheap freezer, old or new any kind will work, throw it in the garage or basement and get ready to fill it up. You will have a lot of groceries to store up when we are done! If this is not your ideal way to save on groceries come back for more ways in the future. 



    Today we are going on a journey to the supermarket in search of the elusive clearance and discontinued items! Some of these products are close to being expired but when you go home and put some meat in the freezer its usually expired by date anyways by the time you get to it! As long as it is frozen the day you buy it it will be just fine. The grocery cannot sell food that is not fit for human consumption, so if its still on the shelf consider it good. First what we need to do is make a general shopping list so you don't go overboard and buy a lot of what you don't need. Choose general categories such as snacks,breads,meats etc.. Keep in mind what your family will eat. Now lets step into your local grocery store and have a look around. The key here is to look, a good place to start is in the produce department. Here you have to keep and eye out for managers specials or similar tags. These products are usually marked with a bright tag and easy to spot once you look around a bit. They tend to be in the end of cases or displays. A few weeks ago I snagged up some dehydrated fruits in a small round deli style container in produce. Original price was $5.99 they were marked down to $0.25 a container, so you see that was a significant price drop. I bought a lot of them for my toddler to enjoy and that he did! You can also find a lot of nice snack like pre-cut fruits on clearance and bagged salad mix. With produce you cant usually freeze them but if you know your family will eat the fruit by its expiry date go ahead and grab some up! The possibilities are endless and that is just one department to look in.

 Moving on to meat department. Once again look at the ends of the cases for the managers special tags. Here is where you can really stock up and save and freeze the products you buy. You can find roasts and steaks for about %50-%70 off the original prices. A few weeks ago I got two new york strips original price was $9.00 per steak my price was around $4 each. I took them home and froze them immediately and thawed them when ready and oh were they yummy! You can usually find a good selection of meats that are not expired by any means yet very cheap. Now something i don't recommend is buying fish products that are on managers specials. If you smell the package and it smells of fish don't buy it. You want to pick fish that has little or no smell. I have found a few items that were acceptable but not many.

Now lets journey to the deli department. In the deli I would stay away from lunch meats as they tent to go bad very fast anyways but there is a lot there that you can still buy cheap! Look around for pre-packaged potato salads and deli style side's. They are usually good but use them within a few days of buying them and don't stock up to much on these items as they aren't usually freezable. You can also find fresh baked breads and rolls on clearance if you look around. Breads are freezable so stock up if you can. Also look for cookies and cakes, those are great because you can freeze them or if you need some snacks for a function buy them up and save a lot. Another great time to look is after Christmas or other holidays where themed holiday foods are being sold. After the holiday is over all the products go on sale very cheap.

Now some stores have a certain isle  or table for general clearance items like bagged snacks and wine's and candy. These areas also can have some hidden jewels for mom. You can find makeup or hair products, deodorant or some vitamins.

Baby isle is always a must check place. I have found diapers on clearance and also wipes but most important is baby foods. Some stores will stop carrying certain flavors and brands of baby foods so they put them on sale for very cheap to get rid of extra stock. A few weeks ago i found some berger graduates diced green beans for $0.13 a jar orig was nearly $0.50 a jar. So you know i cleared it out I looked at the expiry date and calculated how many jars i thought he would eat in a week and went by that. Then i looked up above that on top shelf and they had Oral B toddler tooth brushes with training toothpaste for $1.00 each they were pushing $6.00.

So as you see this is just a start to the world of pinching pennies to the maximum. Using these ideas will not only allow you and your family to save money you are able to eat more,spend less, have more money for bills and have name brand food instead of bland generics. In the end you can really save on food items and not even have to touch a coupon. Just set a trip twice a month to search for clearance foods, stock up and enjoy! Everyones local grocery will be different, but if you look you are bound to find some real hidden treasures! I hope you enjoyed my first post to my blog, now get out to the store for some AFTER holiday food shopping, grab up that %50 off pumpkin pie or some holiday cookies after all everyone likes some festive holiday foods for new years!

Thank you for reading and I hope you come back and learn even more of my methods for living cheap and happy!

We just bought around 5 products and already saved $50.93!!!!

     Well, the holiday season is winding down...so, instead of some online deals today, how about some tips on how we save money here in my household? There's nothing better than having decent things AND money left over after buying it.

     I am a carb hound. I love carbs and don't even understand how people can actually cut breads out of their diet. I could live on a loaf of bread and a stick of real butter for 3 meals a day if I had to do so. I love bread from the bakery at my local grocery store. I do not like to pay full price for it though. They bake it on Sunday night and put it out fresh on Monday morning for $3.50 a loaf. So, I wait until Tuesday and I buy it as "day old" and they take 50% off. They also do this with birthday cakes that weren't picked up and other pastries. I figure, I was going to make pasta on Wednesday and make French garlic bread. So, isn't it "day old" on Wednesday even if I bought it fresh (at full price) on Monday?


     I was reading one of the other Frugal Living Blogs..they all write such excellent articles. One that really caught my attention was the one about serving leftovers! She had some totally great ideas for that. My way here though is that I don't make enough to HAVE leftovers. If you can't package it up pretty in this house to serve it again, I guarantee no one is going to eat it a second time. When you're shopping, buy just enough for each meal. If you cook using recipes, figure out serving size and buy your packages of meats and vegetables accordingly. You may end up with one extra piece of chicken but ultimately someone will eat that during the meal and you won't have leftovers.

     One thing I do like to do though, is when I grocery shop, I buy a lot of "store brand" items.  Store brand is nothing more than the same as a "premium" product but at a lower price. There are only 2 items I flat out refuse to purchase the store brand and one of them is mayonnaise . I was raised on Cain's All Natural and I will  never again try store brand. Ick.  I also buy packages of meats that are much bigger than I'd need and when I get  home, break the packages down to smaller packages and freeze them that way. I will buy a whole cut up chicken and then separate it into freezer bags with the right amount of meat for a meal. In my grocery store you can buy "previously frozen" hamburger. Nothing personal but since I'm going to take it home frozen, stuff it in the freezer, shouldn't I be GLAD it's been previously frozen? I can usually get around 4 pounds of hamburger for around $5. That can last for a whole lot of meals in this house. Shopping store brand is really smart. I remember my Nana sitting on her porch doing piece work for a very large jeans manufacturer. They had sent her 500 pairs of jeans and 500 labels. One batch of the labels was to a major jeans company and the other was to a much lesser known jeans brand. Notice I said brand and not "company?" There's a reason for that...it was the same company! Ever since that day I haven't been skeeved out by store brand. Well, except that mayo thing. Some things you just can't compromise.

     To save money on your electric bill you need to turn out the lights in the room that you aren't using. Buy a small night light if the kids need a light on at night (this is the voice of experience!) and don't leave their closet light on, which will save you about $75 a month. Just trust me on this one. You don't really need the bathroom light on at 3 o'clock in the morning. Keep a small battery powered flashlight
on your headboard. It sounds stupid, but it works. I was getting electricity bills of almost $350 a month. I was not impressed with this. When I was single, my light bill was always around $40 a month. Imagine the shock I went into the first time I saw triple digits. So, we started turning off the lights in rooms not in use, turning off the extra televisions upstairs that no one was watching and keeping the air conditioning a little lower. My light bill is now back down to around $180 a month. I figure for 4 people and 6 taxi companies working out of here, it's not bad at all.
     As I've mentioned, I have 2 small kids, and with that brings video game consoles. They fight over everything (one boy, one girl) so we tend to double up on everything in order to avoid Ninja Baby Toddler Wars. So, instead of buying 2 of the same new  video games I hit GameStop and buy the games used. Instead of paying $40 or $50 per game, I buy them used and spend around $10-$20 a piece. They have a great selection this week with their weekly deals. You should check them out..I still need 2 stocking stuffers, so I guess this was a good reminder.

     Well, I'll be out for the next couple of days doing that whole holiday thing with my husband and Bonnie and Clyde..lol...So, keep the comments coming, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Chanukkah and anything else you may celebrate. If you don't celebrate, happy day off. Until next time, Happy Saving!