Monday, June 30, 2014

I found a new freebie site . Check it out

http://m.ilovefreethings.com/

New magazines came in the mail today . All free!

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Pinching the last penny til payday. We've all been there . Tips on how to stay on track & make it .

Last week I had 2 huge bills to pay . My rent & line of credit . Plus I had to waste $40 in gas money to go to my Jeep dealer and see what is wrong with my car for the 3rd time . Every month / week I make a budget to the T and know exactly what I can spend , I pay all my bills on time to increase credit , and I know exactly his much money I'm going to need until the following week. I need about $50 . 
If you absolutely need extra money and a bill may be late . Call the company ! I've called my insurance company before to take our my $$ a few days later. And it's not late . As long as you're current on all bills usually companies won't have a problem . 
Last week I sold a bed set for $100 . That helped me pay for my phone and some gas for the week. This week I  selling a gift card on EBAY . Every bit helps . 
I also Do Not shop for anything I absolutely don't have the $$ for or need . I wait for sales at clothing stores or shop online . 
Have an emergency fund for things that go wrong in life or you need a few extra bucks to make it through the week. I have 2 savings that I can't touch only if something drastic happens . And I have a line of credit up to $500. 
Keeping on track may limit what you can do or going out to eat . But I feel good when my bills are paid on time & I have food & can make it to work every day. 

Free day adventure . Go explore ! Get your picnic basket full, put your sneakers on & don't forget your camera.

Go hiking . Here's a pic in VT of a trail in Stratton. It's peaceful, get your workout , and find new pretty things . 

Happiness before work $1.50 . Yummy

Extra savings for Cascade by stacking coupons .

Turkey Spinach salad w/ cran raspberry dressing . For the 4th.

1/2 c whole berry cranberry sauce
2 Tbs raspberry vinegar 
2 Tbs seedless rasp jam
1/3 c olive oil 
 In blender combine all ingredients except oil . Blend until smooth . While blending gradually add olive oil . Refrigerate .

Salad: 
8 c fresh spinach , torn
3 med kiwi fruit , peeled & diced 
1 c fresh raspberries 
1/2 c whole berry cranberry sauce 
2 c diced cooked turkey breast 
3/4 c coarsley chopped macadamia nuts 

Toss all ingredients in a large bowl . Serve  with dressing 

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Getting the best price on everything ! Learn to negotiate & haggle.

Clothes: ask a store manager ( cashier probably won't know or have authority to save $$) . Ask about upcoming sales, or if there is any coupons . Be polite . If the store doesn't have a deal , you can probably find the same item online ( EBAY, Amazon, blue fly , etc). 

Antiques & collectibles: always treat antique shops like a yard sale. And the more you know what the item is worth the better you can haggle. But first chat up the dealer & show enthusiasm for the item you want. Then negotiate . You can also go to antique auctions or ask the dealer if there is any final day clearance . 

Cell phones : I did this last year ( and posted months ago ) . Call your carrier and ask for a better rate . I was paying as much as my car payment & called AT&T . I explained my situation and she looked at how much I used per month . I saved $60 then . After a few more months I thought it was still outrageous amount for a cell phone so I went to a pay as you go . I pay only $60/mo for unlimited talk/ text/ data. If your carrier isn't budging tell them you're going to switch companies . That usually works .

Home repairs & renovation : If you have a friend or your husband can DIY it . Even better ! Make sure that person knows what they are doing other wise you will pay double just to fix it . Otherwise shop around . Call 3 different contractors and get estimates for free. Go with the cheapest one. And look into home stores ( Home Depot , Lowes) for discontinued items . My parents bought ceramic tile flooring at Home Depot for $100. It tiled the whole down stairs ( 5 rooms). Or lumber liquidators  & habitat for humanity re-stores are great places to find super cheap items . Shop around .

Medical and Dental : call your insurance company and ask what they cover before you do any major procedure . And check into doctors offices & dentist for cheap but good care . I have a dentist in my town that is outrageous for fees & insurance doesn't cover all of it . But if I drive 1/2 hr away I can get the same work done and my insurance covers most if the visit. Try not to go to ER walk in clinics if possible . It will cost you up to $100 . Call your doctor and make an appt . Depending on your co-pay ( I pay $25) it will save you about $80. 

Car repairs : you almost always get better deals if you're a regular customer . They have an incentive to keep you coming back & be happy. And it really pays to know exactly what is going on with your vehicle . I've had mechanics not fix the problem and I still fork over the money . If you have a mechanic friend , even better! I do , he usually charges me $20. Or look it up on YouTube and inspire yourself ( I suggest small jobs ). 

Rent: I started renting again last August . I had all my ducks in a row ( finances , stable job, haven't moved around ) so I saved $35 instantly off my monthly rent . I also negotiated the security deposit . I asked if I could do a payment plan if I couldn't get all of it together ( I did ) . They had no problem . The company was willing to increase my rent for up to 6 months until the security deposit was paid. You could also negotiate your rent by offering to take out the garbage , mow the lawn, plow, or paint.


Outfit I wore this week. I paid under $25

I bought the blouse for 2.97
Jeans $14 
Leopard heels ( I wore flats) 6.97

Price chopper coupon for cake mix .88c starts 6/29

Printable coupons 6/29

http://www.coupongeek.net/2014/06/printable-coupons-and-preview-for-62914.html?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

Saved $44 at Old navy today !

4th of July events can be free if you know where to look.

Here's one in Stowe, Vt . All day is free for family . Go to gostowe.com for more info. I always look online to see what is happening in my area or towns I want to go to. Also the paper is a good place to look.

Saturday mail . Free mag & lot of coupons .

Chop suey for 7.97

Turkey burger 3.99
Pasta 1.00
Stewed tomatoes 1.19 
I had left over spaghetti sauce .

Pasta is .88c again at Price chopper ! Starting 6/29

Friday, June 27, 2014

Happiness that's free

The butterflies have been around my vehicle lately , the baby bunny is from my Dads , & the peony I picked ( smells Sooo good).

Coleslaw for the 4th !! Grandmas Recipe

Lettuce
Carrot
Onion ( very little , only to taste)
1 Apple 
Mayo

I use a food processor to shred everything . Make sure it's just shredded not soupy . 

Freebie from work! $25 Walmart gift card

Monday, June 16, 2014

Recipe for success on Father's Day

Pulled pork

2 tbs veg oil 
1 pork shoulder 
1 bottle / pkg chili sauce 
1 can sloppy joe mix
1/2 c low - sodium beef broth 

Put pork shoulder in crock pot . Mix all ingredients in a bowl & pour over pork . Cook for up to 6 hours or until meat falls apart .
Serve on hamburg buns.

Made supper for under $10 today

Kielbasa -4.75
G pepper -.10c
Onion - .10c
Potatoes -.69c

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Made dinner with leftover meat . Cost less than $2.00 to make this meal.

Meat $1.15
Orzo $ .15
Onion/pepper $.10
I put apricot jam & minced ginger in the pork . And cooked the orzo with veggies in some water & oil. 

Organic printable coupons.

My BFF has gone completely organic . In efforts to help her I did some research . Here are some sites to get printable organic coupons . ( also the Sunday paper has come out with healthy coupons so you can feed your family  on a budget & be healthy too) 
Whole foods
Mambo sprouts 
Common kindness ( put that in a earlier post on a new coupon website I had found)
Hopster 
Simple truth
Earth fare 
Health E-savers

Ready to fill up the stockpile!

I haven't got coupons in awhile . Usually I spend $30/ less in groceries. And that's every other week. Put the stockpile of body wash ,shampoo, shavers, laundry soap & food items are dwindling down to nothing . So it's time to gather coupons & stock up . 

I just E-mailed a bunch of companies for free coupons . I told each one that I enjoy their product & asked if they would send me coupons by mail?

Here's a list of companies I contacted : 
Birdseye .com
Armandhammer.com
Windex.com
9lives.com
Tyson.com
Freihofers .com

How I saved $200+ dollars on a bridesmaid dress for my brothers upcoming wedding in August.

EBAY ! I took 2 different bids on 2 dresses to get this one . I ended up paying $43 with shipping. 

Printable coupons from Coupons.com

http://www.coupons.com/coupons/

Price chopper weekly ad

http://www.pricechopper.com/savings/weekly-flyer/219/?page=1