What? My check bounced? Frugal Life

We Have Moved!!!

2011-04-16T12:57:00.002-05:00

I fixed it! I hope!

Our new home is locted here

We are now part of Wordpress!

Did you see my new thermometer? Saving $800.00?

2011-04-15T17:24:00.001-05:00

I found this cute little visual tool over here. I am not selling fundraiser items, just using the thermometer to track my savings of $800.00.

Almost four years ago when the stock market was at its worse. I decided to jump into it and buy some Walgreens stock. I was able to get a loan from Walgreens to purchase 100 shares of stock. I have been paying off this loan through payroll deductions. I purchased this stock for around $2000.00. At about $20.00 a share.

When I called last week they said I owe $800.00 on the loan. Once the loan is paid I will be able to do whatever I want with the stocks including selling them. I have not decided what is going to be done with all 100 shares but some of them are going to get sold.

Today the stock closed at $41.87 meaning this is over 4 thousand dollars to me. There are things coming up that I may need that money for. I HAVE to have my surgery this year. I am shooting for Nov. That alone is 2,500.00 out of pocket for me. I need to have some type of Emergency Fund. I am not selling my stock to pay for the surgery.

So here is the break down on how I plan to come up with the $800.00 I need to buy out this stock:

1. My current ING account at $109.00
2. Payments that will be made through the payroll deduction: $138.00
3. Upcoming ING deposits I have set up every payday: $60.00
4. I won't pay rent in May or June (because $200.00 is owed to me): $200.00
5. Saving $200.00 out of paychecks

With these calculations I still need to come up with about $98.00 that I don't have a source that it comes from. So I am going to start making sure to Snowflake the little bits of money that I get. I will explain snowflaking in another post shortly.

So that is why I have set up the thermoeter on the side. So you can easily follow my progress. I have set a deadline of getting this done no later than July 31.

Update on Savings

2011-04-14T13:44:00.002-05:00

Today I was able to add to my ING account:
1. $5.00 Earned from Swagbucks
2. 8.51 added from Ebay Sale and monthly eanings on articles.

I now have $114.46 in my ING Account. This is the total for both accounts. I will be talking more about an upcoming plan in the next few days. I have been reading and planning to make this work. But when it does work I will be able to save more an pay off a few bills.

Paycheck not here but already budgeted and GONE!

2011-04-12T12:14:00.001-05:00

Paycheck that I will receive on Aprl 20th is already budgeted for and Gone! I hate that but it will put me where I need to get going.

My check needs to be $413.00 for me to JUST BREAK EVEN!
Loan: $186 (last payment)
Cell: $139
Internet: $43
Bus: $35 (for 2 weeks)
ING: $10

My friend paid me back $165.00 of the money she owes me. I am hoping she is also paying me the last $51.00 she owes me when she gets back in town. I am not even counting on the $51.00 till it in in my hand.

The $165.00 is being spent this way:
$50.00 Dentist
$50.00 Food
$25.00 My bi-weekly allowance
$21 - gift

$19.00 savings.

Also wanted to clear up the reason my rent is only $100.00. I moved home a few years ago. That is what I give my mom for letting me live in her house.

Money issues again or is it still????

2011-04-11T11:22:00.000-05:00

I have taken a huge look at my finances which are a mess again. Nothing major but just not good budgeting and lack of money coming in.

So I spent the morning revamping the budget and going to try something new.

If you think I forgot anything please send me a comment. I am trying to get this almost fool proof!

The budget:
Income: 765.00 (taking my last 2 lowest paychecks)

Rent: $100.00
Bus: $70.00 (can lower this by $6.00 if I can get money for a monthly pass)
Internet: $43.00
Food $75.00 (plus I get $16.00 a month in food stamps)
Medical/Dental Bills: $75.00
Cell phone $135.00 (this may be lower now that I am getting a Corporate discount) - This can't change as I carry 3 phones for now.
Personal Allowance: $50.00
Other bill: $40.00
Other bill: $40
Savings: $10.00
Student Loan: $18.00

So following this to the T should give me $109.00 a month left over. I want to have 54.50 go right into my ING account for savings.

I have noticed since I set up my ING account that I have a tendency to forget I have it. I have not ONCE pulled out the money that I have put into the account. I started in Feb. and already have $95.95 in the account. My goal for this year was to have $200.00 in the account.

I will keep that orginal goal for the first account and then start putting in the savings from my paychecks into a seperate account that I have set up there. It takes about 2 days for it to transfer back if needed. But the goal is to live within or below my means so that I do not have to transfer it back.

If my checks are more a month then the "extra" will go right into the ING account.

March 1 Spending

2011-03-02T10:28:00.002-06:00

Here is what I spent on March 1:
Yesterday Spending:

Fed Ex: 0.13 Copy For B
Pick N Save: $6.41 Grocery
Aldi: $7.16 Grocey
Smokes $7.00

trust me I know the smokes are a waste of money.

March Goals

2011-02-28T11:10:00.001-06:00

March Goals:

Track ALL spending - Honestly
Earn $50 for B's Dentist Bill - Guessing $260 that will come due in June or July
Make $109.00 Medical Bill payment by 3/31
Apply for 3 or more jobs a week
Stay with Budget
Track Coupon Savings
Begin Walking Program and Stay on WW
Lose 8 pounds by 3/31

These are the goals that I have set for myself to achieve this month.

I have a old medical bill (yes another one) that is $657.00. I was going to just pay $25.00 a month. Then I decided to challenge myself to pay it off in 6 months. So I need to come up with $109.00 every month in order to make that goal.

I also know my son has 2 dental appts. one in March and one in April. The Dentist does not bill us until they recieve all the insurance payments. I am guessing based on how long it took to bill me. That I won't see a bill for him till June or July. I am guessing his bill will be close to mine at $260.00. I have already started saving for it. But need to make some major progress on that.

If I am goig to pay for WW then I need to DO WW. What is the point of paying for the program if I am not doing it.

Job hunting must be moved to the front burner. So I am challenging myself to apply for a min. of 3 a week. That is 12 for the month. The only way to prepare better for the future is to get a better job.

I will be reveiwing these goals every Friday with an update of where I am.

February 2011 is almost Over!

2011-02-28T11:00:00.000-06:00

Can you believe we are down 2 months already in the new year? I was thinking today that I wasted 2 months on my weight loss journey. Then I said well good thing if was not 12 months. I am not one to beat myself up over the past anymore. What is the point? You can not change it all you can do is learn from it and MOVE on. Someone near and dear to me would say.... JUST KEEP IT MOVING!

So in Feb what I did wrong:

Slacked at doing surveys
Did not always use coupons
Did not Track Spending well

What I did RIGHT:

Made $323 in Cash
Saved Change
Made a Plan for March
Joined Profit Sharing at Work (okay in Jan.)
Watched our Stock prices better

This is the year that I want to be able to say on Dec. 31. I did A B C to make life better for ME!

Plum District - Free $10 California Pizza Giftcard

2011-02-25T11:29:00.001-06:00

Plum District wants referrals! And to get more people to sign up, they are offering you a $10 gift card to California Pizza when 2 people sign up under you! Yes, that is $10 for 2 people! All you need is two people to sign up under you.

Referrals must be new Plum District users to count towards your ability to earn Plum Rewards.
Referrals must sign up through your unique invitation (presented during checkout) and confirm their email address before the Plum Reward opportunity ends to count towards your ability to earn Plum Rewards.
I would love if someone would help me earn these 2 referrals this would go right into the Christmas Stash.

Join Here

Thanks Couponing to Disney

Grocery Prices are going UP AND UP!

2011-02-24T12:08:00.000-06:00

There seems to be a lot of buzzing out there about rising grocery prices. Not that we can all afford to spend more to feed ourselves or our families. Looks like we are not going to have a choice in the coming months. People are already seeing the prices of bananas, cold cuts and meat going up.

The rising cost of corn and soybeans along with gas prices means us as consumers will be paying more.

The Sun-Times out of Chicago ran this article concerning food prices. Read Here

What that means for me is:

Shopping only on double coupon days.
Using as many coupons as I can find.
Keeping my coupons organized.
Trying some meatless meals.
Eating less (okay not a bad thing)

What are you an your family going to do to keep your food budget in tact?

PineCone Research

2011-02-24T10:57:00.000-06:00

This survey company really does pay. In fact last night I did a survey and was paid for it this morning. Each survey is worth $3.00. You have the option to get a check or to get your payment by paypal.

Personally I do paypal as it is faster. This way I can transfer it right over to my ING account.

The only drawback to PINECONE is you can not just join. You either need an invite or have to find a banner when they are accepting new members. They only send you emails when they have a survey for you. I would say I get 2 or 3 a month, not a huge earner but that is still $3 or $6 I did not have. Surveys are very short and easy to do.

Keep on the look out for PINECONE banner. Another option is to email someone you know that is currently a member. Letting them know if they receive an email to invite others to keep you on the list.

$10 in Target Giftcards for The Christmas Stash and Cheap Food

2011-02-21T12:23:00.000-06:00

Hit the MOTHERLOAD at Target today. Some Target stores had in their ad buy 7 frozen food products get $5.00 GC.

So I found some coupons and headed out.
Here is the haul:

10 frozen WW meals (bought the $1.80 ones) $10.80

4 Tony's pizza for B $4.00

1 pack of Ice cream for mom (will get paid back) $3.50

1 california pizza for mom $2.54 (again pay back)

and a 20 oz pepsi

Had Coupons:

$3.00 off 10 WW Meals

$5.00 off 10 WW Meals (this was a Target coupon that has been pulled - I think)

$1.00 off 2 Tony pizza

$1.00 off 2 Tony pizza

Paid: $20.87 in cash
Got back:

$10.00 in Giftcards

$3.50 in ice cream money

$3.24 in WW meal money (mom taking 3 of them)

$1.00 from Target Clerk missed one of my $1.00 off coupons
SO I WILL HAVE PAID FOR MY 7 WW Meals and B's 4 Pizza's an my soda: $3.13
This is going to help with my March goal of taking my lunch to work every day!
GiftCards go in the Christmas Stash!

Check out Totally Target you can find the latest Target Deals there!

Updated Savings Page

2011-02-20T10:55:00.001-06:00

This morning I updated the Savings page with what I have saved so far in Feb. Most of that savings came from Taxes or money that was owed to me.

Here is where savings will be coming from in the future:

All sales from Ebay will be deposited into ING
All passive income such as money earned from articles deposited into ING
All PM money from my paychecks will be deposited into ING
Change jar when cashed in will be for my son's dental work coming up.

Goal for 2011 is to have $200 or more in ING by the end of the year.

Some of the money I am saving is being stashed in my house. I want to have a little bit of cash here in case of an emergency.

It is very important to me to really start savings. I know that some of this money will be used for interview clothes. Since I have nothing to wear WHEN I get that new job this year. So I need to get as much saved between now an then as possible.

2011-02-19T21:27:00.000-06:00

Picture from Budget Bytes

This is what I made for lunch tomorrow. I have to work at 2PM so I will be having this over some basmati rice.

This recipe comes from Budget Bytes a blog all about serving good meals cheap. This blogger has a ton of low cost recipes that look awesome.

I tired the Quick Curry Chickpeas because I so love my chickpeas. She also mentioned that this recipe reminded her of Chana Malsa which is one of my favorite dishes. I went to the store and bought what I needed to make this. It was in fact PERFECT. It tasted just like food I have eaten at an Indian resteruant here in town.

I plan on trying more of her recipes. As I need to eat well on a budget too.

Shredding Personal Papers

2011-02-19T21:20:00.000-06:00

Now is the time (TAX TIME) when we are all finding a ton of personal papers that just can not go in trash. We need to protect our idenity and shredding these papers is the only way to do it.

I am not one to sit and shred papers. One I do not own a shredder anymore and I find it to be a pain.

Office Max offers secure shredding for a reasonable price,59 cents a pound.

I decided to try it. I took in a paper bag full of papers. The clerk weighed the bag in front of me. I had 2 pounds worth of papers. She then took the papers out of the bag and placed them in a locked container right in front of me. Once we were done I paid for my shredding which was $1.23 and I was out the door.

That was not only painless but saved me a ton of time. Now I have a bag in closet. I throw in anything that needs to be shredded. Once it is full I will make another trip to Office Max.

Shopping Through Ebates

2011-02-07T10:17:00.000-06:00

The last few weeks there have been commercials on TV for Ebates. The place that pays you back for shopping online. I had not joined in the past becasue I do very little shopping online. But this year I decided since they were offering a $5.00 joining bonus I would sign up. Even though I won't shop online anymore than I have in the past. The little shopping that I do online I might as well get paid for it.

How does Ebates work:

If you are not a member click here to join
Every time you go to shop online go to Ebates first
You must shop through their link in order to get credit for your purchase
Every quarter you get paid. There are a few options on how you get paid. I chose Paypal.

Since I joined I have made 2 online purchases:

1. Old Navy

2. Barnes and Noble

I know that I will be shopping at:
Nike.com (have a $25 giftcard)

Some of the stores Ebates offers:

1. Barnes and Noble

2. Nike

3. Old Navy

4. Babies R Us

5. Target

6. Tanga

Just to name a few. I figure if you are going to shop online. Lets get paid to shop online.

Barnes N Noble deal through Groupon!

2011-02-07T10:03:00.000-06:00

Groupon.com is offering a $20 Barnes and Noble Giftcard for only $10.00!!

This can be used in the store or online.

How to get it:

If you are NOT a member of Groupon.com go here to sign up.
Otherwise just sign into your account at Groupon.com
Choose your city.
The deal is on the far right.

I ordered a book for a friend. Total out of cost was $12.08 (Groupon deal ($10) plus $2.08 for Tax and shipping).

Plus if you join Ebates you get cash back for shopping through them.

Click on button below to join!

So Broke - But it sure does feel good to be Broke!

2011-01-28T09:53:00.001-06:00

Wednesday was a interesting day around here. First it was payday!

I got up that morning early. Needed to do wash, pay some bills and work that day. So I ended up at the ATM to get some cash for wash. Then I came home looked at my paycheck stub and there is this funky line on it. I did not know what it was but thought I had better check it out. Last thing you want is the company coming back months later saying oh you owe this much money back to us.

While I was looking at stuff, I figured I had better look at the bank account. Since I had taken money out, paid bills I needed to see what was left in there. Well I almost fell off the chair. My balance was HUGE! I was like WTF and then it hit me. MY TAXES had hit 3 days early. I was expecting them to hit on Friday. There they sat in my account on Wed. WOO HOO! That was a happy day.

Normally, I do buy myself and son a gift with that money. Well this year there are no major gifts. This year it is all about paying bills and saving money. So I did put up the part I need to file bankruptcy later this year.

Then I did the following:
Paid off the $500.00 bill
Paid off the $65.00 bill
Bought 3 pairs of pants for work.(So happy to throw out the ones I have sewn so much I can sew them anymore)
Paid my mom the $200 in back rent. Caught up till March. 1. I owed $50 for Dec. $100 for Jan and I paid Feb. right away. She owed me $50 that is why she only got $200)
Paid the internet bill.
Paid off my other loan $275.00
Took care of some other things.

Saturday I will be taking the kid to lunch and buying him a wallet (that is his gift)
My gift those pants about for work.

I can't even explain how good it feels to have all those bills out of my life. To know that I don't have to try and pull money out of my checks to pay that. I am now going to be getting myself on a major budget. I want to also work on saving more. Actual cash that I have saved.

The BONUS of this post is I still have my State coming. So I have that money and I have to do an Amended Federal return. Since I had a few forms that did not come fast enough. But I had to file in order to get that $500 bill paid. So I should have another $1000.00 coming this spring.

And I am not really broke. I still have some cash left besides the bankruptcy stash. But it is not for free spending at all.

Another Huge Bill - GONE

2011-01-12T14:32:00.001-06:00

Managed to pay off a $244.00 bill today. Now will not have that one hanging over my head this year. It is such a good feeling to know that I am done with another one.

Update on my son

2011-01-11T23:17:00.000-06:00

He is home safe and sound. Picked him up from the airport a few hours ago and dropped him off at home. His flight was one of the few that made it out of Atlanta today.

Be safe everyone!

Great Deal on Vitamins

2011-01-11T15:02:00.000-06:00

You want to print this coupon for $5.00 off Vitamins. Pair it with a B1G1 Free sale and you can get vitmains much cheaper.

Use zipcode 93035 and look under Healthcare.
Click here

I have to take Vitamin D so this is going to help keep the cost down.

AMC Movie Ticket - $4.00 Never Expires

2011-01-11T14:51:00.000-06:00

You may have already seen this site before, but I just purchased 1 voucher for One Admission to Any Movie at AMC Movie Theatres That Will Be Mailed To You Within 3 Weeks. It is a great deal and 5% of the price goes to your school:

$4 for an AMC Gold Experienceâ„¢ Ticket. Good for One Admission (up to $11 Value)

Click here

This is going into my Christmas Gift Stash. Pair this with a giftcard to Subway or another fast food place. This is a great gift or stocking stuffer. Who does not love going to the movies.

Southern Winter Storm - Cell Phone Company

2011-01-10T13:33:00.000-06:00

As many of you know the south is getting hit with a horrible storm. Being a Northern Girl (Midwest) myself. We can handle this type of weather. Most of the time it does not shut down our schools, cities, or even workplaces.

However the South are not prepared for this stuff. And when my son is stuck in an Atlanta airport his mama is not prepared either. My son was suppose to fly out Sunday and finally at 4 AM Monday morning I got the call saying he was stuck. Although I had realized this way earlier than the airport officals did.

This morning I get a text message from the cell phone company. You have used 75% of your monthly airtime minutes. Which I figured we would come close this month with the kid traveling. So I called my phone company and asked if they could give me some courtesy min. until Jan. 12 when my minutes begin again. I explained that my son was stuck in Atlanta because of the storm. They gave me 300 free min. to use in the next 90 days. That is another reason why I love my cell phone company. They have helped me out in a pinch and gave me piece of mind that I can contact my son. He can call who he needs to call and all is good.

Now can he just get home in once piece please.

Weekly Walgreens Shopping

2011-01-10T10:45:00.001-06:00

This was a good week for me to stock up a bit: I am not letting Walgreens suck up all my money this year. I work there so I always seem to be buying something. No more. It is sales and coupons for me.

Here is what I bought:

2 Reach Floss
2 Boxes of Special K

Coupons:
2 - $1.00 off Reach
B1G1 Free Kellogg's Coupon

Paid: $3.69
Received: $2.00 Register Rewards

Then:
2 Stayfree Pads
2 Triumph Pens

Coupons:
2 coupons for 2.00 off pens - Free
B1G1 Free Stayfree Coupon

Total: $3.77

Next:
2 boxes of Special K
2 More Flosses

Same coupons as before

Total: $2.93
Recived $2.00 Register Rewards

NextL
EOS Lip Balm
Used 2.00 Register Rewards
Paid: .68
Received $2.00 RR

Finally:
Ajax
Scott Tissue
Orange Soda

Used:
1.00 Scott tissue coupon
2.00 Register Rewards

Paid: $5.18

Total Spent: $16.25

Total Savings: $55.99

On one transcation they forgot my discount. But I let it go as it was to much work to have it all redone. I was still saving a lot. Now we are set on cereal, pads, TP for a bit.

I may pick up another 12 pack of TP as that coupon expires Sat. And also those coupons are hard to come by.

All Coupons can be found:
http://moneysavingmom.com/
http://www.couponingtodisney.com/

Happy Savings!

OMG - Had to share this

2011-01-07T12:01:00.000-06:00

I had decided yesterday to part with one of my Coach bags.

1. I need the cash.
2. I don't really care for the bag. It does not sit the way I like.
3. So I put it on Craigslist this morning and on Ebay today.

Less than 5 min. after it was listed. IT SOLD! I got about 100.00 for it. After Ebay and Paypal fees. I am also paying for shipping because they did a buy it now.

Just waiting for payment. But this will help me in the crunch I am so in right now. Once my other bag is returned from Coach. I will be selling that one too. I am only keeping my bags that I truly love and not buying any unless I have a credit (from bag at repair center) or if they are bought with giftcards.

Coach Julia Hobo

Lots of 2011 Changes

2011-01-07T11:19:00.001-06:00

This is going to be a tough year financially! I am already dreading the brokeness I am going to feel for the next 12 months or until I get a better job. Which is a MUST do in 2011. By Dec. I will have a better paying job. I am making this happen.

Changes:
Carrying my son on the insurance -
Signing up for profit sharing-
Less hours at work

All this means I am bring home less than $850.00 a month.

Things I am going to have to do to make this work:
1. Bring lunch to work DAILY - can not spend more than 1.00 on days I don't bring. Say Ramen Noodles everyone!

2. Buy soda (2 liter) when on sale to drink at work. Much cheaper than even 1 20oz. bottle.

3. Do not shop at work unless it is a great sale and I have coupons. Or it is free.

4. Resign up for food stamps. At this point $17.00 will help a lot. (DOING THIS TODAY)

5. Find ways to earn extra money

6. Plan ahead for gifts (already started this)

Dental/Medical Update

2010-12-16T13:23:00.000-06:00

Got the bill from the few fillings I had a few weeks ago. Okay that was a lot of f's in that sentence. Well I thought my portion was $150.00. UGH!! Well they paid more than I expected. So I only owe $73.00! Plus a bounus is they also cover the gas that I have when getting my fillings down. I have 3 more to have done in Jan. but I will have FSA money to cover that bill.

At the end of this month I will have one of the huge medical bills paid off. I only owe them $14.60 and hope to have earned enough survey money to pay that off. If not it will come out of my last check of the year.

Feels good to have that almost done!

Going to be concentrating on paying off more bills in 2011.

Great Crayola gift for girls -- $1.99 at Walgreens till Saturday 12/11

2010-12-09T12:29:00.001-06:00

http://www.facebook.com/Crayola?v=app_17037175766

Like Crayola on facebook and print a coupon for $4.00 off a Pixie Crayola product!

These are on sale at Walgreens for $5.99

So you are paying $1.99 for a nice gift for a little girl on your list.

If you don't have a little girl how about donating one for Toys for Tots

HURRY RUN RUN! WEIGHT WATCHER MAG....CHEAP

2010-12-09T11:43:00.002-06:00

Tanga has Weight Watcher magazine on sale for just $2.99 a year! You can choose up to 3 years at this price. Just enter the code WEIGHT at checkout.

This is a great deal since you can’t even buy one issue for that price!

For some reason mine came up at $1.99! Perfect timing I just rejoined WW and my old subscription was going to run out.

Coke Rewards PAY OFF

2010-12-08T14:31:00.000-06:00

As you know I am a FIRM believe in the mycokerewads.com program. I drink Diet Coke Zero (YUMMY) but also have others saving me points. Well I have been saving them up and got this yesterday......

http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/?sitesrc=uslp=#l=shop,pdp,ctr-inline/cid-100701/pid-243137

A Men's Hooded Sweatshirt for $31.97 FOR FREE!!!

I cashed in my points for a $50.00 gift code to Nike.com. Got this for mys son for Christmas. You know I had to go to the clearance section and find a code for free shipping. I still have money left on the giftcode and if I can find the other $15.00 code we have. I will be ordering him something else before Christmas.

I am really low on funds this year. So it has been great to get him some quality useful gifts for low money.

He is getting:
2 proglide razors
face moisturizer (for after shaving)
the hoodie
colonge (have some survey money and Jingle cash from Walgreens)
and a gift card.

so he is FINISHED!!

I plan on being much better prepared next Christmas.

How is your shopping coming along?

$29.00 Earned in Extra Money

2010-11-10T09:31:00.000-06:00

Just did a tally this morning. Not bad only the 10th of the Month and I have already earned an extra $29.00. Most of this money is from doing surveys. I have been very lucky to have gotten a lot of surveys that I qualified for.

Keeping track of this money is going to show me how much extra income I can possibly make in a month. Granted this is always a hit or miss. Since I do not know how many surveys I will be sent.

This money is going to help come Jan. when my budget is going to get extremely tight with the higher insurance payments coming out of my paychecks. In fact some days I am worried about how I am going to survive with these higher payments.

My Coke Rewards - Still Going Strong

2010-11-03T11:07:00.000-05:00

I am still savng my Coke Points. Now I even have a great hook up at a local business. They stock their coolers with coke products from 12 packs. So I asked what they do with the coke points. They throw them away. I asked if I could have them, they said YES! So now I stop in once a week on my way to work. And collect the points. Yesteday they gave me 340 points.

After entering today's points I have 499 points. I am hoping that Coke restocks the $25.00 Best Buy gift cards that are 500 points. I want to cash in and give that to my son for Christmas.

I usually get free soda from the points but have been saving them for the last few weeks. I did cash in for a Kmart gift card worth $10.00. I used that for some pants for work.

Coke is going to keep the program going into 2011. So I will be saving those points for more free stuff.

Survey Earnings since July 1, 2010

2010-11-02T11:35:00.000-05:00

The one thing I have been very dilgent about it keeping up with one survey company.They send me emails when there is a survey available for me to take. If I complete the survey I am paid instantly for most of them. A few of them are pending but 99% of the time I am paid right away.

So since July 1 I have made $107.30. Which is an average of $26.82 a month. Not bad considering all I have to do for the most part is sit at my computer for 40 min. at the most and complete the survey. Once I was even the lucky one to get a 2 part survey that included a full box of granola bars being sent to my home for us to taste test.

Cashing out is so easy. Once you have 50 points you can cash out for $5.00. You even have choices on how to cash out:

1. Have a check mailed to you.
2. Get an amazon.com code
3. Get a CITI bank Visa Code.

I choose number 3. With this option you also have the choice to order a card for $1.50. So I can either use the money to order something online or pay a bill online. Or I can use the card and put it towards something else that I may need.

This is my one of my two favorite survey places.

If you are not a member of Opinion Outpost then join here

The other survey place I have recently joined is Pinecone Research. This one is a little harder to get into. You either have to have an invitation or find a banner when they are accepting new memembers. I am paid $3.00 per survey taken. I have only been with them 2 months or so and made $6.00. The pay out is not as good as the first one but it is still free money. They pay out in checks until they invite you to select the option of paypal.

Yes I am posting to my blog

2010-11-01T09:01:00.000-05:00

I can't believe I have not posted since August. Shame on me and I would love to tell you all that I have been doing great Frugal and Financil living. But I can't. I did manage to continue to pay on bills but nothing else.

So now with Nov. here and my depression at bay I am ready to tackle all the frugal things again. I want to make 2011 the best year yet for me to improve on frugality and saving money (keeping it in the bank). I am really not good at saving and any tips would be wonderful.

Things that have or will be changing soon:
1. My son moved out.
2. I gave up my 17.00 in food stamps (it was not worth the effort to me)
3. Will be having the surgery in 2011
4. Insurance is going to cost me $140.00 a paycheck for myself and son
5. Need to find a new job (still)
6. I want to save $500 by June 2011

So today I started by doing some things that I know work for me:
1. Started back at blogging
2. Started going back to the blogs that have helped me save money in the past
3. Realized that it is important that I learn how to save money. This is a must.

So I hope some of my readers are still here and stick with me.

Good Will Finds

2010-08-05T22:08:00.000-05:00

Went to the local Good Will. I found a perfect pair of jeans for $4.99 and this really cute sweater vest (100% Lambs Wool) for $4.99. Plus my mom found a cute jacket for work that was brand new (had a tag on it for $109.00) on it for 7.99.

I need to work on going there at least every 2 weeks to find some Fall and Winter Clothes.

Once again slacking at the posting on my blog

2010-08-04T09:57:00.000-05:00

Okay so what have I been up to:

1. Paid off one loan
2. Reworking my budget since my hours again have been cut
3. Reorganizing my coupons. Started slacking in that area
4. Really paying attention to the survey site. Made $21.00 in July and already made $5 in August.
5. Have 1/2 of the money needed for the first dental trip at the end of the month.

Working on some articles to write for the next month. Going to try and make another $20 from that.

Having to find more ways to be frugal as the budget gets tighter.

The Survey site does pay

2010-07-12T13:34:00.000-05:00

I am always a little cautious when trying new sites. I so prefer the ones that pay you in cash or to paypal. So I had posted about a new one that I found.

So on July 9th a check was sent out for $5.00 (that is the least you can cash out at) and it was in my mailbox today. I also have another $10.30 to cash out.

Interested in joining....click here

Make Money at Youdata

2010-07-07T13:50:00.001-05:00

YouData.com is a site where you get paid-to-click different ads. These types of sites are frequently called GPT (get paid to) or PTC (paid to click). The concept is you opt-in to view ads on their site and they compensate you for doing so. These ads range from $0.08 to $0.25.

You have to have a paypal account. They also deduct the fee paypal charges you from the winning.Not a place to make a lot of money. But if you are like me and not using your paypal card for a bit, then every bit adds up. I would say I have made maybe $5 this year so far. It only takes me few minutes of my day to check the site and click the ads.

If you are interested in joining click here

Frugal Doings....July 7

2010-07-07T13:12:00.000-05:00

Happy Hump Day! And I can really say that since I am off on Sat.

Today:
1. Did 2 surveys at the new site. I can again cash out for $7.00. I have made $12.00 since June 25 when I joined. Granted I did not really get into it to about 5 days later. I am not going to cash out till the end of the month.

2. Went to the grocery store. Did not have any coupons but brought my own bag to save .05. Also most of the things I bought were on sale. I only picked up something for dinner. I am holding out on anything major till 1. food stamps are here Friday and 2. Payday is here Wed. This is a good time for me to use up what we have. I only spent $10.06 and paid cash. I got a turkey loaf for dinner, 1 can of juice, pack of lunch meat, 1 roll of TP and a whole watermelon.

3. Have lunch from yesterday at work. I was not hungry at lunch. Since my ex showed up and killed any mood I had for food. He is not a bad guy but not someone I need to be with. Bringing watermelon for some fruit today.

4. By passed buying a $1.50 soda at the store. Told myself you will be home get a drink at home.

5. Goal is to spend no money at work. I will stop at the gas station and get 2 sodas for $1.00. And then bring a water bottle to work.

Have not gotten the article written. Will work on that tonight and tomorrow. I am going to have to make mini goal of getting 1 article done a week. I don't know if I have time for more than that.

I also want to make a tab on the top of my page for where I am making extra money.

Frugal Doings....July 6

2010-07-06T13:40:00.002-05:00

Today I am back to work. I have been off for the last 5 days. I did get paid for 4 of those days though. So it won't hurt when I get my paycheck.

What I did today:

Cleaned the bathroom
Cleaned the livingroom
Made dinner

I am going back to writing/blogging all my daily spending.

Frugal Doings:
1. Cashed in at Mypoints.com for a $10.00 TJ Maxx giftcard (will use for son's b-day present)
2. Cashed in Bank points for $4.00. Will add to dental fund when I get it.
3. Worked on survey sites. Did not qualify for any today.
4. Listed 2 text books on Half.com (totally forgot about this place)

At work/after work:
1. Get FSA receipts ready to fax tomorrow
2. Look for more books
3. Write 1 article to be submitted Wed.

Same old blog but a newer look

2010-07-02T23:57:00.002-05:00

Tonight I decided it was time for a facelift. I mean after all for 3 years we have been looking at the same old blog.

Things have changed since I started this blog:
1. I am not unemployed (under empoyled still)
2. My son is now an adult
3. My bills are going down.

I have learned so much over the past 3 years. I am still learning every day but I have come a long way.

I started a tabs at the top:
Now you can see what I am currently working on -- Dental Plan for example
Monthly goals and if I succeed or don't succeed. (not that there is room for failure)
More to come.

If there is more you would like to see on my blog - let me know.

Thanks for sticking with me.

Printable Starbucks Frap coupon

2010-07-02T23:47:00.002-05:00

http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?bt=vi&tqnm=zbblbag76263309&o=61470&c=SB&p=HoiVx5hZ

Found a new Survey Site

2010-07-02T21:07:00.000-05:00

I had read about this survey site. So between yesterday and today I gave it a shot. You need 50 points to cash out and every point is worth .10. I had enough to cash out today. So they are sending me a check. This will go right into the Dental fund.

You can email me at Brewcitygirl @ Hotmail . com and I will be happy to send you a link to the survey site. Yes it means I would get a referral, if you don't mind and are interested. It is one that pays cash and you don't have to have paypal.

Also got my $5.00 from swagbucks. So I now have $5.10 in my Dental Fund.

July Goals

2010-07-02T10:24:00.000-05:00

It has been awhile since I have posted. Still working on that frugal lifestyle. Now it is more neccessary that I keep it going. My hours at work seem to be getting cut every other week. Now I am getting 30 hours some weeks, where other weeks it is 35. So I need to prepare for smaller paychecks.

Last month I also found out I needed some dental work done.

Right side is $91
Left side is $100

Plus $50 for the gas on each side.

Then I will have to pay for one crown and the other will be done next year.

Pay Day Wednesday

2010-06-16T21:47:00.000-05:00

Yes that time has come again.....PAYDAY!!!

So up early I was to hit Kohl's. I had $10 in Kohl's cash to spend. However I forgot to brng it. But I picked up a new bra, water bottle and t-shirt for $31.00. I am going to see if they will adjust what I bought or if not than I will pick up some more of the t-shirts I bought.

Next stop Target. It has been awhile since I went there looking for deals. Here is what I got:

2 Shout wipes
1 tide travel size
2 packs of Wholly Guamole (had free coupons)
Kraft honey vingerette (clearance)
1 lb. of cherries (my treat)
2 boxes of eggo waffles
6 sobe waters
2 kotex pads
1 herbal essnece trial size conditioner

Grand Total: 6.04
Saved: 24.36

Next stop Grocery store:
41 items purchased
Fresh produce included
Spent: 44.21 ( I spent 40.50 --- Mom spent $6.00)
Savings: 39.70

My goal was to spend no more than $60.00 on groceries after coupons. Between both stores.

I spent $46.54

Very happy with that. It is so time consuming to do shopping this way but when I look at the fact that I saved 64.06 it is worth the few hours it takes me every 2 weeks. How do people NOT use coupons?

Summerfest is Coming

2010-06-10T12:01:00.000-05:00

I have been looking forward to Summerfest all winter long. It starts on June 24 (which also celebrates my 17th year of being divorced from an abuse ass). So my friend and I are going to be there ALL DAY! Sheryl Crow is doing a free concert. So it does cost money to get in. $15.00 however if you go on June 24 between 12 noon and 3 pm. Donate 3 cans of food it is free.

So yesterday when I was at the store. I picked up 2 jars of baby food and one box of baby cereal. That I had free coupons for. So really I am getting in 100% FREE! I will need money for food and drinks. Since 12 noon to 11 pm is a long day to PARTY! But I will eat a good hearty breakfast and bring 2 frozen bottles of water. I will watch what I spend. But this is one of my favorite outings of the summer.

Last year the kid got a turkey leg and could not finish it. We ate right after our water fight.

Here is how my shopping trip went

2010-06-09T22:25:00.000-05:00

Finally I got all the coupons printed from today and cut. Sorted out what I thought I would be buying. Made a list and off went to the store!!!

So I ended up buying 37 items. I won't list them all but here is the just:

1 pack of hamburger
2 packs of lunch meat
lettuce
tomato
2 cukes
small bag of fresh cherries
cheez its
yogurt
tuna lunch kits
sugar free kool aid

Got Free:
Baby food (2 jars and 1 box of cereal)
Tropicana orange juice

Before coupons: $70.49

After coupons and store sale: $36.19!! Savings of about 52%

Did not realize till I got home and was throwing out the ad. Not only was it double coupon day but they doubled up to 10 coupons! You know I had 10 and then some.

I still wish they would not let the crabby ass cashiers who do not want to deal with coupons! Work on Double Coupon day.

Skinny Cow Coupon

2010-06-08T11:01:00.001-05:00

Go to my weight loss blog here and find a coupon for $1.00 off Skinny Cow treats. Free this week with coupon at CVS!

Making Double Coupons work to YOUR advantage

2010-06-08T10:23:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is double coupons at Pick N Save. Right now they double 5 coupons after store sales and if your total after store sales are $25.00 or more. I only try and shop on double coupon days, which happen to be Wed. and Sat.

So I always do a few things:

Check the store ad for things on sale that we need.
Find coupons to match those ads
If I need more costly items that are not on sale...find a coupon
Use any free coupons I have on double coupons.

The reason I put number 4 in read. This is so important because anything you have a free coupon for is part of your $25.00 total. Since that coupon will not double (and it is not part of your 5) you get the benefit of the total cost of that product towards your total. Make sense?

Example:
I have free coupons for the followng:
tropicana orange juice up to $4.99
wholly guamole up to $4.99
Oscar meyer hot dogs up to $5.00

So right there if the products are not on sale and equal close to the allotted coupon amount. I am at $15.00. Only have to make $10.00 more after store sales and 5 coupons will double.

Tomorrow is double coupon day. I also get my $16.00 in food stamps. So I am going to see what I can turn that $16.00 into using some if not all of those free coupons I have above.

Will post the results tomorrow. If you have double coupons in your area I hope you are taking advantage of that. I save at least $20 every time I shop on double coupon day.

Chicken Coupons

2010-06-02T00:27:00.002-05:00

You can print or have them send you snail mail. Coupons for chicken. Remember if you print to do them twice.

http://www.goldnplump.com/

Hit Target this afternoon

2010-06-02T00:09:00.000-05:00

Thought I would take the Coupon binder and see what I could find at Target:

Here is what I got:
1 bottle of SHOUT
1 pack of Crystal light (free coupon from Kraft - for a bad one I bought)
1 French's mustard (came with free honey mustard dipping sauce)
1 box of Captain Crunch
2 Eggo Waffles
1 diet coke (free coke coupon)
1 4 pack of Activa yogurt
1 trial size of Cooper tone
2 trial size suave deoderants
2 trial size herbal essense
2 trial size Axe body wash
2 kotex pads
2 Nature Valley Nut Clusters

Grand total: 11.39
Savings: 21.18

Get Target coupons here
You can use a target coupon with a Manufacture coupon.

Everything I bought except for the sun tan lotion. I had a coupon for. For some items I had 2 coupons (one target and one manufacture)

Writing Companies about their products!

2010-06-01T13:01:00.001-05:00

In the last week I have chosen a few companies to write to about there products. I had read about this on another blog Couponing to Disney. She lists 5 companies to write to. Either telling them why you like the products they make or why you don't. So I jumped on the wagon. She mentioned sometimes she gets coupons for the products she is talking about.

So far I have received:
$4.00 off shaving cream (told them why I did not like the new cream shaving cream)
Receipes for using Jeni-O Turkey meat (me the burger loves the ground turkey breast)
1 free pack of Crystal light (after I opened a box and had crystal light all over my $$$ bag)

On the way:
Wholly Guamole coupons. They sent me an email saying they were sending them. If you have not tried this stuff. It is to DIE FOR. I had to freeze the rest so I did not eat it all.

I say go for it. You never know what you might get in the mail.

P.S. Today I wrote Kotex about the new U pads. Which I love by the way.

Weight Loss Blog - Up and Running

2010-05-31T23:08:00.001-05:00

If you are interested!

oops i ate the cookie

is where you will find 99.9% of my weight loss stuff. I am sure some will creep in here today too.

2010-05-31T12:28:00.000-05:00

Happy Memorial Day!

The picture above is from Wisconsin Memorial Park. They fly 1500 flags to honor our Vets! I thank each and every person who has served our country. Those who gave their lives so that I and others can have the freedom that we do. I pray for those families who miss those that they have lost to war. I pray for the POW's and their families that they may have some peace. Again I can not say Thank You enough to all of those who have served. May you all have a safe and blessed holiday.

Under $5.00 Spent at WAG!

2010-05-30T13:54:00.002-05:00

It is Sunday so you know I had to hit Walgreens up for the weekly RR deals. Remember my totals will be off from yours because I get a 15-20% Discount for working there!

Bonus:
kotex deal printed free always pad catalina

So here is what I got for $4.42!

Trans 1:
Ecotrin Asprin- $2.00
printable $2.00 coupon here

WAG A-Z Vitamins $2.00

Total paid: 1.48

Received in RR: $4.00 ($2 from each product)

Trans 2:
Kotex U Pads
printable $1 coupon here
Sobe water

Used: $2.00 RR from above
Used $1.00 U pads prinable

Received $2.50 IN RR

Total: 1.26

Trans 3:
2 Chex Mix
Ecotrim
Sobe Water

Used:
$2.00 RR
$1.00 Asprin Coupon (did not watch this should have been $2.00)
$0.50 Sobee water

Received $2.00 in RR

Total out of pocket: $1.10

Trans 4:
Arizona Tea
Kotex U pads

Used WAG tea coupon
Used $1.00 off Upad coupon above
RR reward $2.00

Received $2.50 in RR

Out of Pocket 58 cents.

So I got:
2 kotex pads
2 asprin
2 sobe waters
2 chex mix
1 vitamin

and still have $7 in RR to use

Surprise in my paypal account!

2010-05-29T00:21:00.000-05:00

Tonight when I came home I was checking email. There was an email that said ABC sent you $14.00. I did not have a clue of what it was. It was the last mystery shop that I did. Then I find another one that says CDE sent you $1.52 so I had to look that one up too. I came home to free money.

This coming week I am going to be testing out a few different placed I use to earn points or free money. I need to weed out the slackers and keep the ones where I am making the most. There are a ton of them out there but they can eat up a ton of your time too. So I am going to seeing what pays the best for me and sharing them with you. So be on the look out for that post.

I am also going to be starting a weight loss blog too. Look for that by June 1. Follow me as I go on my get fit journey. There is going to be a fun little surprise in that blog too.

I Just Won 14 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

2010-05-29T00:08:00.000-05:00

Yep I did it again.

I Just Won 14 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

I Just Won 33 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

2010-05-28T23:25:00.000-05:00

Back on the road to another $5.00 in paypal. This might be how I pay for my new shoes!

I Just Won 33 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

Couon for $1.00 V-8 Fusion Juice

2010-05-25T14:25:00.001-05:00

Click Here to print $1.00 off Coupon

You can print 2 per computer!

FREE $5.00 From Kohl's

2010-05-25T14:17:00.004-05:00

KOHLS! THIS WAS HARD TO SEE SO I AM BOLDING

Kohl's Department store is offering a free $5off $5 or more when you sign up for email alerts. They will also send you a 10% off to use online.

Go here : Kohl's

Hair coloring tip

2010-05-25T10:51:00.000-05:00

Okay it was long over due that I dye my hair. I hate doing it but after I paid $$$ cash and the shit did not last (sorry) back to home dying.

However I am the queen of mess. I mean I get it all over me, the walls sometimes the floor. I try and becareful but nope never fails.

Finally a solution:
I put a shower cap on my head after I have placed all the dye. So far so good. Sure the sink has some on it, as do my fingers but all in all a clean dye job.

Costs an extra $1.00 for the cap but I can reuse this one a bit. So if you are messy dye girl like me...grab a cap.

Walgreens Deals to share

2010-05-24T10:01:00.000-05:00

Yes it is that time of the week again! Time to see what Damage I did at WAG this week:

Started with:
Contact solution- 7.99
Good Barrettes -2.99
Dove deoderant - 99 cents
Dove Deoderant - 99 cents
Nivea lip stuff - 1.69
Nivea lip stuff - 2.80 (not actual price - my discount price)
Starbucks coffee- 2.12 (again my discount price)

Had coupons for:
Dove made those free
$2.00 off nivea

Spent: 13.82 and got back 11.00 in Register rewards

Total Savings: 11.37 (that does not include those RR I got)

Then:
Chex mix bars
2 packs of hot dogs
Chex mix
2 Tic Tacs
Box of cherrios
pack of turkey lunch meat

Had Coupons:
1.00 off hot dogs
1.00 off lunch meat
60 cents off chex bars
.86 off tic tacs making one free
1.00 off cherrios
55 cents off chex mix
3.00 register rewards

Paid: $3.75 out of pocket.

Total savings 19.84

I Just Won 11 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

2010-05-24T09:38:00.000-05:00

This put me over 700! So I am cashing in for $5.00 in Paypal! This is so easy. LOVE IT!

I Just Won 11 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

I Just Won 10 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

2010-05-23T12:08:00.000-05:00

Swagbucks rocks!!! I am 3 swagbucks away earning $5.00 in paypal money.

I Just Won 10 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

Blogging on the wayside

2010-05-23T10:26:00.000-05:00

Yes this past week I kept meaning to blog some of the things I have been up to. Busy life and then I got sick AGAIN! How can I get sick when the sun is out and it is warm and beautiful out. Oh buy I managed. Thursday I started coughing a few hours after my evening walk. One of those coughs when you feel as if a Lung is going to come up. Then by Friday I was hurting, fever, stuffy nose, cough...just miserable. Now I don't recommend doing this...but I had a z-pack that I was given by my Doc. earlier this month. I did not use it since I thought that my allergies were causing my stuffy nose. I talked to the Pharmiscist at work about taking it for the cough I had. Only because you could hear all the junk in my chest when I coughed. It was not coming up quite yet, but I knew it was going to be that green color when it did. So she said it would be fine for me to start taking it. Good thing I did. Since Sat. I woke up with a fever and still coughing (and now it was green) Ended up not going to work and slept all day long. Now today I am still running a fever but I feel so much better. I still have 2 days of meds to go and if by Wed. I am still with the cough and fever I will go see my Doc.

I did well shopping and using my coupons. Sorry I did not report all the savings. I can tell you I saved over $20.00 on groceries alone. Plus shared coupons with my mom and she saved $11.00.

Dove Coupon

2010-05-22T13:43:00.000-05:00

Go here to get a Dove coupon for $2.00 off! This can mean a free deoderant at Target or Walgreens for the trial sizes. Or hold out for a sale.

Wednesday Payday

2010-05-19T11:19:00.000-05:00

It is that wonderful day called Payday here again. I am happy to say that I did not overdraw my account. Even though it has been a good year since I have OD I am so happy that it does not happy. I am living paycheck to paycheck. So when the end is near I get nervous.

Since I got rides home from work I did not buy a bus pass. I made it on bus tickets. I had 3 to spare and use those for a few other trips I had to make. I am going to try and do that again these next 2 weeks. It means that I can save 35.00 a month this way.

So this paycheck was better. I had an extra day off and had them give me a vacation day.

So here is the plan:
L1 - $40
L2- $120.00
Laundry - $20
Bus -$17.50
Food- $100.00

Gives me $189.00 for debt and 2 week spending

So now I am off to do errands will report back on grocery shopping and Wag deals. Later.

Shopping is Therapy for me

2010-05-18T09:25:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was having a bad day. Fighting with my mom over stupid stuff. Allergies where kicking my butt and stressing over getting stuff done at home. So I said okay I am going to take $5.00 and go shopping. Sure shopping for therapy can be trouble, but for me it is how much can I get for $5.00 or less. So I grabbed the good old coupon holder and my purse and headed over to Target.

Here is what I ended up getting:
1 sports deoderant for the kid (trial size)
1 load of tide (trial size)
4 packs of Kotex panty liners (16 in a pack)
1 mountain dew (a filler)

after I gave the cashiers all my coupons. My total was 48 Cents!! Yep that is correct. I got my stress out and came home with things we could use. I had coupons for everything but the mountain dew.

Now this is becoming a game for me. How much can I get for little money. The tide's are my favorite because I have to go to the laundry mat and these are so easy to pack inside the clothes that I carry on the bus. Nothing to bring home. Just throw out the package when I am done.

I think I am going to try and do this once a week. Take $5.00 and see what I can get...of course I have to have coupons to go with the items.

Where I get my deals and coupons from?

2010-05-18T09:19:00.000-05:00

A reader asked last week "Where do you find your coupons?" Well here is how I spend my mornings and sometimes my late evenings.

When I get up in the morning I am on the computer look at a few of my favorite sites:

and

Both of these sites let me know about freebies, coupons and where some of the great sales are. They are updated through out the day. Usually not much on Sat. but I still check them anyways.

For coupons I do the following:
Subscribe to ALL YOU magazine the price of the magzine alone is paid for by the coupons I use.
Buy a paper usually on Sat. I sometimes only get 1 coupon insert but the paper is only 75 cents.
Check out the following coupon sites coupons, smartsource and redplum

These few places give me a ton of deals and coupons each week.

I Just Won 9 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

2010-05-17T09:17:00.000-05:00

I made my goal this weekend of hitting 500 or more swag bucks. I am at 517...getting closer to the 750 needed or my $5.00 in paypal.

I Just Won 9 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

Another Free Sample from Kotex

2010-05-15T00:00:00.003-05:00

Click on the link below to select your sample package. There are 4 that you can choose from.

http://www.kotex.com/na/free-sample

I Just Won 5 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

2010-05-14T23:04:00.000-05:00

My goal is to hit 500 Swagbucks by Monday and 750 by the end of the month. I am at 476 right now.

I Just Won 5 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

Dog Ate My Finances

2010-05-12T10:25:00.001-05:00

Sending out a Plead for you to send me an invite to your blog. I love reading about your life and learn so much from you. I hope you see this so I can continue reading. Thanks

I Just Won 11 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

2010-05-12T00:12:00.000-05:00

New total is 413...getting closer to that paypal money!

I Just Won 11 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

WAG Deals under $5.00

2010-05-10T21:20:00.001-05:00

It all started with the Razor!

The Razor was on sale $7.99 with a $5.00 RR. There was a manufacture coupon in Sunday's paper for $5.00 off the razor. So the razor was free! Total OOP: $2.18

Took the $5.00 RR and bought the following:

2 infusium conditioners. Using 3.00 off coupon from newspapaer and ALL YOU magazine. Plus 2.00 WAG coupon - made these 99 cents each
Kleenex on sale for 99 cents
Dish soap on sale for 99 cents - also had manufacture coupon
2 Dove trial size deoderants - had manufacture coupons made them free.
Shaving Cream - free after RR
Gummy Bears 39 cents filler
4 pack of soda 1.29

Out of Pocket Cost: $1.09

Got back $3.00 RR to use next week on Body Wash that is free after RR.

Come Back next week for another $5.00 WAG Deal.

P.S. Remember I get an employee discount so my OOP will be less than most people!

Free Samples!!!

2010-05-10T20:32:00.000-05:00

Go ahead and sign up for these free samples. Remember if you can't use them, sign up and donate them to shelters or churches.

Secret Clinical Strength

Old Spice Body Wash

Dove Deoderant

John Frieda Root Awaking

I Just Won 13 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

2010-05-10T20:21:00.000-05:00

1/2 way to another $5.00 in Paypal. Love me some swagbucks!

I Just Won 13 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

I Just Won 17 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

2010-05-07T21:39:00.000-05:00

I am back up to 257 swagbucks since I cashed in last week for $5.00 in paypal. I love this program! So easy to get swagbucks just by searching.

I Just Won 17 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

Is it that serious?

2010-05-07T15:19:00.001-05:00

My 18 year old asked why I was taking reuseable shopping bags to the store? I told him they are each worth 5 cents when I use them. He then said "Is it that serious?" Um....YES it is that serious.

So here is my break down at the store today:

Mott's Apple Juice
Kraft Ranch dressing
Little Debbie Oatmeal Pies
2 liter Diet Coke
2 Gatorades 32 oz bottles
Bread
Orieda Frozen Potatoes
2 packs of Chicken nuggets
2 cucumbers
lettuce mix
2 tomatoes
2 red baron pizza by the slice

Total spent: $17.71
Total Saved: $16.99

Plus will send in red baron rebate: Should get back 3.33 for each

I used coupons for almost everything or it was on sale. The only thing not on sale was the Little Debbie Oatmeal pies.

No coupons or bags and I would have spent: $34.70 for the exact same grocery. Sounds serious to me.

Since I only budgeted $54.00 for food for the next two weeks. Yeah coupons are a must in this house.

New Huggies Little Swimmers Coupon = Cheap at Target and Walgreens

2010-05-07T14:56:00.001-05:00

If you have a little one this will be perfect for the summer.

New Huggies Little Swimmers Coupon = Cheap at Target and Walgreens

Health and Beauty aids

2010-05-06T14:00:00.000-05:00

We are stocked here on:
Body Wash
Deoderant
Shampoo
razors

So from now on I am going to use any coupons I have for free HBA to start a donation box. I will get these things when they are pennies and donate them to shelters in my city.

Today I found coupons for 1.50 off dove. So I can get 2 trial sizes to get started with. When I have a small bag full, I will take them down to the rescue mission or give them to a guy at work for a church that he donates food to. Or maybe take it a step further and make small lunch bags full of these products and hand them out by the food pantries that I know of.

It is my small way of giving back.

Pay Day Wednesday

2010-05-05T13:02:00.000-05:00

Today is Wednesday and it is Payday:

Check amount: $498.00

Paid:
Cell phone: $159.12 (so glad this bill is going down next month)
Bill #1: $77
Bill #2: $40

Envelopes:
$20 laundry
$70 food (this does include my $16 from food card)
$35.00 bus (going to see if tickets work - since I can walk and get rides home)
$16.00 to kid to replace ID - LAST ONE I AM BUYING

$96.88 is left. (part is in bank, part in envelope)

Waiting on:
DSL bill

So these next 2 weeks are going to be tight. But I know I can do it. Bank card is out of my wallet and left at home.

Swagbucks does pay!

2010-05-04T13:10:00.000-05:00

As some of you know I cashed in my swagbucks to get $5.00 in paypal money. Well it was in my account today. I am already on my way to another $5.00. I have over 150 swagbucks in my account. All I do is search for the sites I am going to anyways. So if you are not a Swagbucker click on my side bar to sign up. For those of you who are signed up keep earning those swagbucks.

$5.00 added to my $16.00 in food stamps and I have enough to buy this:

1 lb Hickory Double Smoked Bacon

2 pcs Pork Ribeye Grillers

3 Homemade Italian Sausages

1 Whole or Cut-up Chicken

1 lb Ground Chuck

2 Chicken Patties (pre-cooked)

That is meat for us!

Find a Blog in your area

2010-05-04T10:29:00.001-05:00

Frugal Map

Find frugal blogs in your area. I found 2 for WI and going to add mine also.

May Spending to Date

2010-05-04T09:54:00.001-05:00

As of right this second I have spent 31.73. I am keeping track in my excel sheet.

May Savings

2010-05-04T09:29:00.001-05:00

This month a friend and I have decided we want to see how much money we save:

The rules are simple:
Whenever we shop try and save as much as possible.

Right now she has saved roughly $45.00
I have saved: $66.02

I am adding this all to my speadsheet.

I need to make up roughly $100.00 a month since that is what I lost in Food Stamps. I will share on of my great saving days in a seperate post.

Great freebie from Kraft -- HURRY!!!!

2010-05-03T23:36:00.002-05:00

http://www.facebook.com/KraftFoods?v=app_10442206389

After doing so, click on the “Sign Up Now” button and you’ll be able to sign up for one of the free smaple packs pictured above. It looks like they’ll be sending free product coupons for the items shown.

I Just Won 10 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

2010-05-01T07:42:00.000-05:00

almost back to 100 Swagbucks after cashing in the other day for my paypal money!

I Just Won 10 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

New Oscar Mayer Coupon: $2/1 Lunchmeat – Heads Up

2010-05-01T01:42:00.000-05:00

I found this this morning it is 1:45 AM CST and printed my coupon.

Hurry and take this to WAG today and get lunchmeat for 30 cents a package.

I was able to print 2 coupons!

New Oscar Mayer Coupon: $2/1 Lunchmeat – Heads Up

May Day is almost here! Time for some goal.

2010-04-30T12:42:00.002-05:00

The one area I really struggle in is setting and finishing goals. I have so many good intentions each month but seem to get lost in time. I don't know if I make to many and then get lost trying to fullfill them all. Or if I just give up to soon. But I am going to make 3 goals for the month of May. I am going to finish them!

1. Track spending daily on blog
2. Stick to my budget
3. Earn extra money $50.00 goal

So that is it.

The One Thing in Life - I will always put off

2010-04-30T12:39:00.000-05:00

The one thing I hate most in this world.....going to the dentist. I mean seriously growing up I would cancel the appointments my mom would make for me in high school. I can not stand the sounds the smell nothing about it. Totally just grosses me out.

So today I made me and the kiddo dentist appointments. He has no issues going at all. None!! In fact is ONE and ONLY cavity he had filled with no novicane. His mother would never do something like that.

Since the kiddo loses his dental insurance come Aug. It is time to get his teeth cleaned, any cavities filled and if those wisdom teeth are ready -- pulled. Because we all know dental bills are CRAZY!!!

Me I have dual insurance. Private that I carry through work and then state insurance. So no matter how much I hate the dentist. I will be having cleaning and filling done this summer also. Since it will mean very little or no out of pocket costs to me. After finally paying off that root canal. I don't plan on buying one of those again soon. So off we go.

We are trying a new dentist. Mine does not take the state insurance so it would mean out of pocket costs to me. And the kiddo would still have to go elsewhere. I may return to my old dentist next year but for now we are going to the one that costs me less.

Extra Money made in April

2010-04-29T15:17:00.001-05:00

For the month of April I made a total of: $104.86 in extra money.

How did I make this money:
Sold cell phone: $50.00
Sold Coach items: $35.00
Article written: $2.33
Performance payment on articles: $2.03
Ebay items: $15.50

This paid for most of my new monitor!

Lots of Free Money for me today!

2010-04-29T12:53:00.001-05:00

Okay so many lots of free money is not true. But I got some free money today.

My cell phone company sent me a $25.00 gift card for being one of the BEST Customers. I guess that means having 3 phones and paying my bill every month.

Then I got enough SWAGBUCKS for $5.00 in paypal money. So now I am down to 9 swagbucks and will keep searching to earn more. It was easy money.

With the $5.00 added to my account. I will have $7.00 and some change.

Gotta Love Free Money!

Now if my sale shows up today for $10.00 then I will have covered my monthly medical bill payment for May.

I Just Won 12 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

2010-04-28T21:03:00.000-05:00

I Just Won 12 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com

More about my Vent for the baseball game.

2010-04-28T20:14:00.000-05:00

Sorry I think I made some people misunderstand my post. I was not sneaking in food. We are allowed to bring in anything that is in plastic bottles to drink (no alcohol) we can bring in any type of food to drink. They just check to make sure you have no cans or glass bottles when you go in. You can bring in a soft cooler full of drinks and food. I have done that for many years when the kid and I would go.

My mom was saying that the section we were sitting in (very expensive seats) was that if a potential employer (someone I might interview with) saw me bringing in food they would look down on me for not paying for food at the game. Not that I was breaking any rule.

So the game was good all 14 innings. Even though we lost. Thanks to Coach Tucker! He should of had Edmond stop at 3rd.

I did bring in a soda, candy and peanuts. I did buy a sandwich there $4.50. So it was all good.

I did sell my old phone for $50.00 today too.

Warning Vent Post

2010-04-28T09:01:00.000-05:00

There are not to many vent posts on my blog. However this morning I am ready to string up my mother by her toes.

So today is the baseball game. We have good seats. I mean REALLY good seats. Now she was gotten me to the point this morning where I do not want to go.

The plan:
Bring in sodas (they are $4.25 for a 20oz at the game) PLEASE I can get a 6 pack for that money.
Bring in subs (Again not a huge savings but still $4.00 for a hot dog)

She told me since we are sitting in Wait staff area I have to buy food there. Since a potential employer might be there and it would look bad if I bring in my own food. Personally if this employer would not hire me because I chose to bring in my own sandwich and drink is not someone I want to work with to begin with.

I can not believe how she can be so pertentious. I am not saying lets bring in a 3 course meal. I am not saying that we should be sloppy drunk and curse out the players (not my style). But because I want to bring in a small meal, that makes me look bad.

Lord I hate to see what they would say...because I catch the bus, use a laundry mat, cut coupons and look for online deals, order free samples.

Once again I swear I was adopted! Thanks for letting me vent.

Swagbucks!

2010-04-28T00:14:00.000-05:00

If you don't do swagbucks really think about joining. I am 25 swagbucks from earning $5.00 in paypal. I have 675 swagbucks and need 700. The only way I earn swagbucks is by searchin on their site. I don't shop or sign up for special offers (unless free) I am going to search online anyways so I use swagbucks for a chance to win swagbucks. I want to say I earned 31 today alone. So think about if you are not a swagbucker yet. See my side bar for a link to join.

Those of you in Canada can join too

here are some of the prizes:
450 swagbucks - amazon.com e-certificate for $5
1250 swagbucks - 10 barnes and noble giftcard

Starbucks
Macy
Target
Just to name a few others. So go and check it out!!!

Coupons Coupons oh How I love Coupons!!

2010-04-28T00:06:00.000-05:00

Before I went to bed last night, I sat and organized all my coupons. There are all now nicely in my coupon holder. Oh how I love the coupon organizer. No more piles of coupons on my table.

A friend and I went down to Walmart. I wanted to get a hamper for the kid. We need a supersize one. Well I took the new coupon organizer. I figured just in case. Before I left I also took a copy of Walmart's coupon policy. This Walmart is notorious for denying internet coupons. So I wanted to be ready!

Got the hamper but I also found some good deals:

Bic Disposable Shavers (3 pack) 2.88 ( had a 2.00 off coupon) So I got 3 of those. Gave my friend a coupon so she could get one.

BBQ sauce - 1.42 (had a 1.00 off coupon)

Cookies 2/$4.00 (had a 55 cents off coupon) Not a great deal but I don't buy cookies to often.

York candy pieces 2.50 (1.00 off coupon in hand) these are for the game tomorrow

There were a few other things too. Between my friend and I we saved a total of 10.00. We spent $52.89

So when I go to the store the coupon organizer comes with. I would have missed razors for 88cents had I not had them with me.

Oh and the cashier did not say anything about the internet coupons. She just rolled her eyes at the coupons in general.

Recyclable Shopping Bag Article

2010-04-26T20:42:00.001-05:00

Here is the article I wrote about how I use some of my bags.

Drying Clothes without a dryer or a clothesline

2010-04-26T20:40:00.000-05:00

A friend asked me to find her a place that sells racks like mine. I found the place and also decided to repost the entry about the racks. The one they now sell is the large one. I still have both and use them every chance I get. I can not wait to be able to put the large one out on the porch so I can dry my clothes outside and save that money.

Click here for the website

Drying Rack Post