Yahoo has done it again... Another of their lists! This time its of things to buy or not to buy at my FAVORITE store Target! Yahoo made some really good points so let me give you their buy and don't buy lists.
Don't Buy-
1. Furniture
2. Movies and Music
3. Exercise equipment
4. Shower curtains and some toys
Do Buy-
1. The Kindle
2. Green Cleaning Products
3. Groceries
4. Cosmetics
I agree for the most part with the things NOT to buy at Target. Although they are a mass retail company they shouldn't be expected to be at the forefront as far as furniture and exercise equipment. As far as shower curtains and toys. It depends on the item and coupons to me. But with movies and music I think that you can find some truly great sales! Think about all of their $5 movies!
Yahoo's list of things TO BUY are a little askew. Why a Kindle at the top of their list!? Here is my list:
1. Household cleaning items (with coupons!)
2. Clothes and Shoes- GREAT quality, great prices, and super cute clothes!!!
3. Hygiene/Cosmetics- this is with coupons also. But between coupons and sales you can SCORE BIG!!
4. Groceries- on sale and with coupons
I LOVE Target! I can go in with $10 to spend or $100 and I always feel like I got my moneys worth. I know that when I match sales and coupons for my trip I can have a HUGE amount of savings and feel even more satisfied with the money spent! Good luck Target Shoppers :)
Showing posts with label Budgeting and Saving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Budgeting and Saving. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
15 things that should always be free or darn close...
I read an article on Yahoo this morning about "15 things you should never pay for". Now I agree with some of what they had to say but I have a few changes for a truly frugal person :)
1. Exercise- Never pay a gym membership again! We have everything we need for a great wokout at home! If you have a good pair of tennis shoes then you are ready to go.
2. Tax Preparations- You truly don't need to go to all the trouble of spending a great amount of time and money on a tax prep service! We have used taxslayer.com they are great! They give step by step instructions and even better they make sure before you submit that your chances of acceptance the first time around is really high.
3. Shipping- If you make online purchases then I would suggest checking freeshipping.org for codes to your favorite sites.
4. Credit reports- As a quick FYI you should get an up to date credit repr annually, but you shouldn't have to pay for it! With annualcreditreport.com you get a report from all three agencies for free! Limited to once per year.
5. Anti-virus protecion- there are a ton of websites that offer fantastic ani-virus for free! We have Mc Afee and it works great for us... plus its free!
6. Books- with the price of a new book being SO high I encourage you to not pay it! Instead go to the library or Half Price Book Stores. You can either get greatly reduced or free books that way!
7. Budgeting- I know I have mentioned it before but Mint.com is amazing! I use it weekly or more to check our accouts next to our budget. We also are able to set up goals and know where we are on our debt freedom plan!
8. Cell phones- I don't necessarily think that getting a phone for completely free is a possibility but definitely check out your options! We were able to get a Blackberry for me and an Android phone for him two for the price of one! It was a great deal in my opinion!
9. Checking account- Why pay a bank to hold your money!? You can easily find banks that offer free checking, savings, online banking, and mobile banking too! Don't settle for a monthly fee.
10. Water- I have a hard time with drinking bottled water all the time when you can either drink tap water or buy a water filtration system for a fraction of what you would spend on bottles.
11. Pets- I know that not everyone agrees but why buy a full breed this or that when you can adopt an animal in need of a good family at the local pound?
12. Coupons- I personally think that the two dollars we spend each Sunday for our two newspapers is completely worth it considering the huge amounts of money those coupons save us! There are also other options too: smartsource.com, redplum.com, coupons.com, as well as many others and besides that there are many products that have coupons right on their website for us to print out! Savings Galore!
13. Health and Body items- with coupons and sales you should never pay more than a dollar or two for any body wash, shampoo, tooth paste etc.!
14. Activities- with a few bucks and an imagination you can do tons for cheap! Try learning about the area you live in, go to the park, the beach, the pool, but where ever you go have a great time!
15. Beauty treatments- You can mak trades with your hair dresser for cuts, ask a friend or husband to help color your locks, go to a beaty school, have a mani/pedi girls night, or even do your own... There are so many options to look good feel good and not pay a ton!
I may sound a little biased but honestly when you have a limited budget you have to learn how to stretch it to the fullest.
1. Exercise- Never pay a gym membership again! We have everything we need for a great wokout at home! If you have a good pair of tennis shoes then you are ready to go.
2. Tax Preparations- You truly don't need to go to all the trouble of spending a great amount of time and money on a tax prep service! We have used taxslayer.com they are great! They give step by step instructions and even better they make sure before you submit that your chances of acceptance the first time around is really high.
3. Shipping- If you make online purchases then I would suggest checking freeshipping.org for codes to your favorite sites.
4. Credit reports- As a quick FYI you should get an up to date credit repr annually, but you shouldn't have to pay for it! With annualcreditreport.com you get a report from all three agencies for free! Limited to once per year.
5. Anti-virus protecion- there are a ton of websites that offer fantastic ani-virus for free! We have Mc Afee and it works great for us... plus its free!
6. Books- with the price of a new book being SO high I encourage you to not pay it! Instead go to the library or Half Price Book Stores. You can either get greatly reduced or free books that way!
7. Budgeting- I know I have mentioned it before but Mint.com is amazing! I use it weekly or more to check our accouts next to our budget. We also are able to set up goals and know where we are on our debt freedom plan!
8. Cell phones- I don't necessarily think that getting a phone for completely free is a possibility but definitely check out your options! We were able to get a Blackberry for me and an Android phone for him two for the price of one! It was a great deal in my opinion!
9. Checking account- Why pay a bank to hold your money!? You can easily find banks that offer free checking, savings, online banking, and mobile banking too! Don't settle for a monthly fee.
10. Water- I have a hard time with drinking bottled water all the time when you can either drink tap water or buy a water filtration system for a fraction of what you would spend on bottles.
11. Pets- I know that not everyone agrees but why buy a full breed this or that when you can adopt an animal in need of a good family at the local pound?
12. Coupons- I personally think that the two dollars we spend each Sunday for our two newspapers is completely worth it considering the huge amounts of money those coupons save us! There are also other options too: smartsource.com, redplum.com, coupons.com, as well as many others and besides that there are many products that have coupons right on their website for us to print out! Savings Galore!
13. Health and Body items- with coupons and sales you should never pay more than a dollar or two for any body wash, shampoo, tooth paste etc.!
14. Activities- with a few bucks and an imagination you can do tons for cheap! Try learning about the area you live in, go to the park, the beach, the pool, but where ever you go have a great time!
15. Beauty treatments- You can mak trades with your hair dresser for cuts, ask a friend or husband to help color your locks, go to a beaty school, have a mani/pedi girls night, or even do your own... There are so many options to look good feel good and not pay a ton!
I may sound a little biased but honestly when you have a limited budget you have to learn how to stretch it to the fullest.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Couponing
I personally have found that with a little extra time and a few coupons in hand I can save my family A LOT of money every month! It isn't even a huge amount of time once you get the hang of it either!
The Basic rules are:
* Match Coupons with your stores sale prices for a truly great deal!
* Use Store Coupons in addition to manufatures coupons for an AWESOME price!
* Don't Get overwhelmed
* Shop around- A little
Here is a breakdown of the stores I frequent and what I purchase at each:
CVS- I LOVE CVS!!! I get our families hygiene products almost exclusively at CVS. Also medicines and diapers/pull-ups.
The reason CVS is such a huge savings is because of their Extra Care Bucks! For qualifying items each week you earn Easy Care Bucks or ECB these will print out at the bottom of your reciept and you can use them like cash on your next visit! The goal, however, is to keep buying items that give you ECB's so that you can roll over your current bucks! So between coupons, CVS store coupons (printed from the wonderful little machine) and ECB you can keep your OUT OF POCKET cost extremely low! We are able to spend on average 10-15 a week and save more that 75%!!!
Target- I love that Target is reasonable in general, add in the fact that you can use their online coupons and stack them with manufactures coupons means you can save a ton! Target is great for cleaning supplies, Laundry supplies, some food items (with sales and coupons) and also clothes!
Safeway- I only get things on sale. But you can get a great bargain sometimes!
Winco- The prices are lower and I LOVE that! We buy a good majority of our food at Winco and are able to spend a very small price for a basket full of food! (Our weekly food budget is $60)
99cent store- I love going and finding items here... A lot of times they have great food products, household items, Dove soaps etc. for just .99 cents!
Dollar Tree- I find things here all the time! We get tons of art projects, decorations, party decor and much more and you CAN'T beat the price!
The Basic rules are:
* Match Coupons with your stores sale prices for a truly great deal!
* Use Store Coupons in addition to manufatures coupons for an AWESOME price!
* Don't Get overwhelmed
* Shop around- A little
Here is a breakdown of the stores I frequent and what I purchase at each:
CVS- I LOVE CVS!!! I get our families hygiene products almost exclusively at CVS. Also medicines and diapers/pull-ups.
The reason CVS is such a huge savings is because of their Extra Care Bucks! For qualifying items each week you earn Easy Care Bucks or ECB these will print out at the bottom of your reciept and you can use them like cash on your next visit! The goal, however, is to keep buying items that give you ECB's so that you can roll over your current bucks! So between coupons, CVS store coupons (printed from the wonderful little machine) and ECB you can keep your OUT OF POCKET cost extremely low! We are able to spend on average 10-15 a week and save more that 75%!!!
Target- I love that Target is reasonable in general, add in the fact that you can use their online coupons and stack them with manufactures coupons means you can save a ton! Target is great for cleaning supplies, Laundry supplies, some food items (with sales and coupons) and also clothes!
Safeway- I only get things on sale. But you can get a great bargain sometimes!
Winco- The prices are lower and I LOVE that! We buy a good majority of our food at Winco and are able to spend a very small price for a basket full of food! (Our weekly food budget is $60)
99cent store- I love going and finding items here... A lot of times they have great food products, household items, Dove soaps etc. for just .99 cents!
Dollar Tree- I find things here all the time! We get tons of art projects, decorations, party decor and much more and you CAN'T beat the price!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Need a way to keep your coupons organized???
MY COUPON ORGANIZER
I wanted to find a way to organize my coupons so that I could easily find them when was making my grocery and store shopping lists here is what I have found. This works great for my family and I am able to quickly add coupons on Sunday's from the newspaper and through out the week as I may get them as well.
I used a plastic shoe box that we had at home and then I labeled legal sized envelopes and cut index card into strips and labeled them with the following...
I used a plastic shoe box that we had at home and then I labeled legal sized envelopes and cut index card into strips and labeled them with the following...
Air Freshners/Candles (typically for Glade and Air wick)
Automotive (including the auto stores we go to)
Baby
Baking
Body Wash/Soap/Lotion
Bverages (juices, juice boxes, water)Breakfast
Canned Foods
Cereal (we ALWAYS have a ton of cereal coupons so I decided it needed its own envelope)
Cleaners (household)
Condiments
DairyFrozen
Food Storage/Batteries (ziploc bags, aluminum foil, plastic containers, etc.)
Hygiene -dental (tooth paste, tooth brushes, mouth wash)
Hygiene- other (razors, femine care, etc.)
Laundry
Makeup
Meat
Medicine
Office Supplies
Other/Alcohol
Paper products (toilet paper, paper towels, tissues)
Pasta/ Rice
Produce
Salad Dressing/Sauce/Seasoning
Shampoo/Conditioner/Styler
Snacks
Toys/Gifts/Movies
Then a few envelopes for the most often shopped stores-
CVS
Mall
Raley's
Safeway
Target
At the back I have two envelopes for-
Activites/Entertainment
Resturants
This system makes going through the cutting out and putting them away a snap! I also can easily go through and throw away unused/expired coupons too!
Friday, August 6, 2010
I ♥ CVS!
Ok... I have to tell you every trip to CVS and I am in completely shock at just how much I save our family! TODAY I bought:
4 pasta sauce
2 peanut butter
2 mouth wash
2 tooth paste
and a tooth brush
And you want to know how much I paid.... 7.35!!!! The total before coupons was nearly $50! I saved more than $40! Plus I made $13 ECB for my next trip!
What a great trip!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
The Museum of Modern Art (FREE EVENT!!!)
Today we went to a FREE event in SF sponsored by Target! There were different events throughout the Country. There were actually about 6 different museums within a few blocks participating in San Francisco! Not only did we get COMPLETELY FREE entrance our older daughter also recieved a really neat bag of activities and free future admission! They also had different hands-on art projects just for kids! We had a great time admiring work from Freida, Andy Worhal and many, many others! THANKS TARGET for a great afternoon on a budget!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Party Planning on a BUDGET
I know that most of you think that in order to have a birthday party or other event you have to accept the fact that there is going to be big money involved. Well I am here to tell you not exactly. You can plan a great party on a small budget and make it GREAT!
1. My biggest advice is to plan ahead! Not a week or two BUT a month or two! Allowing yourself the time to plan and watch sales and go to more than one store will payoff BIG in the end!
2. Set a budget... AND stick to it! Whether its $50-100 or $300 know how much you intend to spend prior to shopping. Also if your child is dead set on a specific theme such as Disney Princesses, Toy Story etc. that is going to be a lot more expensive than a tea party or truck or luau theme. This is another thing that needs to be taken into account when deciding on a theme.
3. Decide who your inviting. Are you having a small family affair you are able to be more laid back. You won't necessarily need invitations and you can easily have a potluck without offending anyone.
If you have decided to have a larger party or a party with your children's friends you'll want to choose a time. If you are wanting to save some money while still having a larger party choose a time before or after a meal time so you can serve either just cake or cake and small snack items.
4. Don't buy party items at the Grocery Store. You are going to end up paying WAY more! Consider the Dollar Store and 99 Cent Store, party store's when you can catch a sale, also shop online! There are great deals out there!
5. Think outside the box! If you are wanting a tea party and need tea cups check thrift stores. You can get great deals on items that you will only use once!
6. Lastly... Don't spend more on things no one will notice anyhow. Ultimately everyone will be more interested in conversation and eachothers company to care if you have every one of the clings, balloons, and party plates that perfectly match a theme. Mix and match and stay with what you can afford!
Enjoy a fantastic party and don't stress out! Just prepare for a great day! :)
1. My biggest advice is to plan ahead! Not a week or two BUT a month or two! Allowing yourself the time to plan and watch sales and go to more than one store will payoff BIG in the end!
2. Set a budget... AND stick to it! Whether its $50-100 or $300 know how much you intend to spend prior to shopping. Also if your child is dead set on a specific theme such as Disney Princesses, Toy Story etc. that is going to be a lot more expensive than a tea party or truck or luau theme. This is another thing that needs to be taken into account when deciding on a theme.
3. Decide who your inviting. Are you having a small family affair you are able to be more laid back. You won't necessarily need invitations and you can easily have a potluck without offending anyone.
If you have decided to have a larger party or a party with your children's friends you'll want to choose a time. If you are wanting to save some money while still having a larger party choose a time before or after a meal time so you can serve either just cake or cake and small snack items.
4. Don't buy party items at the Grocery Store. You are going to end up paying WAY more! Consider the Dollar Store and 99 Cent Store, party store's when you can catch a sale, also shop online! There are great deals out there!
5. Think outside the box! If you are wanting a tea party and need tea cups check thrift stores. You can get great deals on items that you will only use once!
6. Lastly... Don't spend more on things no one will notice anyhow. Ultimately everyone will be more interested in conversation and eachothers company to care if you have every one of the clings, balloons, and party plates that perfectly match a theme. Mix and match and stay with what you can afford!
Enjoy a fantastic party and don't stress out! Just prepare for a great day! :)
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Back-to-School Blues
UPDATE :) We are done with our back to school shopping! A month ahead of time and spending just $15!!!! That includes everything for our daughter and for a lss fortunate child as well! I am SO excited to have one thing checked off our list! Now we just need to finish buying back to school clothes.
Well I don't know about all of you but for my family this time of year can become nearly as expensive as Christmas. Back-to-School is a huge amount of time and money for us... At least it has been in the past. This year, however, we have made a conscience effort to make it less stressful and more importantly less expensive! Before we would easily spend 150-200 on school supplies, homework supplies, back packs, lunch boxes,and donations for the class not to mention the unavoidable back-to-school clothes needed! Our goal for this year is to spend no more than $50 for all supples, donations, and a new back pack and lunch box. We also intend to buy double of everything for a child that cannot afford their own school supplies. So now you are asking how we are planning on achieving this seemingly impossible mission right!? Coupons, and sales!!! Think we are still crazy well hear me out...
This week alone there are fanastic deals!
TARGET-
Rose Art Markers or Colored Pencils $.50!!!
Glue Sticks (2 pack) $.20!!!
STAPLES-
2 pocket folders with fastners $.01!!! (max of 10) and with a $5 purchase
8 pack of #2 pencils $.01!!! (max of 2) and with $5 purchase
For $1 each you can get...
* BIC Atlantis BallPoint Pens 4 pack
* Staples Mini Stapler
* Staples Pencil Box
* Staples Hypel Grip Highlighters 6 pack
* Westcott 5 inch Scissors 2 pack
* Staples Glue Sticks 4 pack
* Post-It Novelty Shaped Notes 2 pack (these are my favorite…they are super cute)
* RoseArt Colored Pencils 15 pack
* Scotch Magic Tape
* Quartet 8.5″ x 11″ Dry Erase Board
* Staples Pull & Seal Envelopes 25 pack
* Staples Photo Supreme 8.5″ x 11″ Paper 50 pack $14.99-$13.99 easy rebate = $1
CVS-
Bic pens- $.99 with .99ecb making them FREE!!! (limit 1)
Caliber 5" scissors $.99 with >99ecb making them FREE!!! (limit 1)
ALSO... Children's Place is currently having a great sale! For those of you who like to purchase clothes ahead of time and put them away until school begins like me. :)
With prices like these our goal of $50 is defintely attainable!
Well I don't know about all of you but for my family this time of year can become nearly as expensive as Christmas. Back-to-School is a huge amount of time and money for us... At least it has been in the past. This year, however, we have made a conscience effort to make it less stressful and more importantly less expensive! Before we would easily spend 150-200 on school supplies, homework supplies, back packs, lunch boxes,and donations for the class not to mention the unavoidable back-to-school clothes needed! Our goal for this year is to spend no more than $50 for all supples, donations, and a new back pack and lunch box. We also intend to buy double of everything for a child that cannot afford their own school supplies. So now you are asking how we are planning on achieving this seemingly impossible mission right!? Coupons, and sales!!! Think we are still crazy well hear me out...
This week alone there are fanastic deals!
TARGET-
Rose Art Markers or Colored Pencils $.50!!!
Glue Sticks (2 pack) $.20!!!
STAPLES-
2 pocket folders with fastners $.01!!! (max of 10) and with a $5 purchase
8 pack of #2 pencils $.01!!! (max of 2) and with $5 purchase
For $1 each you can get...
* BIC Atlantis BallPoint Pens 4 pack
* Staples Mini Stapler
* Staples Pencil Box
* Staples Hypel Grip Highlighters 6 pack
* Westcott 5 inch Scissors 2 pack
* Staples Glue Sticks 4 pack
* Post-It Novelty Shaped Notes 2 pack (these are my favorite…they are super cute)
* RoseArt Colored Pencils 15 pack
* Scotch Magic Tape
* Quartet 8.5″ x 11″ Dry Erase Board
* Staples Pull & Seal Envelopes 25 pack
* Staples Photo Supreme 8.5″ x 11″ Paper 50 pack $14.99-$13.99 easy rebate = $1
CVS-
Bic pens- $.99 with .99ecb making them FREE!!! (limit 1)
Caliber 5" scissors $.99 with >99ecb making them FREE!!! (limit 1)
ALSO... Children's Place is currently having a great sale! For those of you who like to purchase clothes ahead of time and put them away until school begins like me. :)
With prices like these our goal of $50 is defintely attainable!
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