Getting Ready for the Holidays

HOLY CHRISTMAS BATMAN…ONLY 47 days until the BIG DAY!!

Well with the holidays right around the corner, I want to give you a few HEADS UP IDEAS to get you going and staying within budget!!

I will be super busy posting all sorts of deals and many will go quickly! So make sure you “LIKE” me on Facebook by going HERE or follow me on Twitter HERE or you may want to check the site more often than ususal so you don’t miss anything!

In a normal day, I may post 15 to 20 deals, but with the holiday deals coming out, I’m going to be typing like a crazy lady around here!! To visualize think of a hamster running full speed on a wheel!! Yeah…that will be me!! My postings may almost double to 25 – 40! The whole hamster thing making sense now???

I have already talked to the hubs about bringing in an IV Drip of Starbucks to keep me rollin’!

If you have been earning your Swagbucks all year…It is time to start cashing them in!!!
Swagbucks limits you to cashing in 2 gift cards per day, and ONLY 5 of the SAME Gift Cards per month. So basically if you are holding out on $5 Amazon Cards, I would start cashing them in RIGHT NOW, since Amazon Cards are posted after the 15th and 30th of each month. Other Gift Cards post faster, but you don’t want to miss the chance of using your gift cards to pay for the holidays!!! Most Gift Cards come in an Ecard format so you can use them for online shopping, however, if you are cashing in for Starbucks Gfit Cards, those come in the mail and take about 4 weeks to arrive, so I just want to make sure everyone is aware and starts cashing out!!

TIPS FOR STAYING ON BUDGET DURING THE HOLIDAYS

PUT YOUR HOLIDAY BUDGET IN WRITING:
It is so easy to overspend during the holiday season. The best way to keep yourself on track is to write out your budget and separate it into categories such as decorating, gifts, baking, entertaining, events, etc. so that you can see exactly where you plan to spend your money.

Go through all of your holiday expenses NOW and make your budget as COMPLETE as possible. One thing that I do is use separate envelopes for each category and on the front of the envelope I have my list of what I plan on spending and on who or what. For instance, I have one envelope for baking (not holiday dinner, but just baking items). On the front of the envelope, I list the items I plan on baking and I have a list of ingredients I will need on a paper in the envelope. I have given myself a total budget of $20.00 for baking ($10 for Thanksgiving and $10 for Christmas) so I am currently keeping an eye out for coupons and sales that meet my baking needs and putting them along with $20 cash into that envelope. I will do the same for gifts and all other categories. You might notice that I stated I put “cash” into the envelope! DO YOUR BEST TO BE ON A CASH SYSTEM so you don’t keep swiping your debit or credit card and then realize after the fact…you spent too much! Have an envelope labeled for unexpected expenses and put 5% of your total budget into that envelope so you have a little wiggle room! Also, make an envelope for day after Christmas. You know there are going to be a ton of sales and that is the best time to buy gift wrap and so many other things at deep discount prices, so make sure you budget for those items as well.

SET LIMITS:
Remember that spending more money does NOT make your Christmas any merrier. Set limits on your budget and the number of gifts you give. Being frugal means you will need to think outside of the box and get creative. The amount of money I spend on someone DOES NOT mean that I love them any more or any less. Creative gifts can be the most special gifts, because you have to put time and effort into them.

One thing I am doing this year is what I am calling a “Spa Gift Basket”! The baskets will include items that I was either able to get FREE or bought throughout the year on sale and used coupons, and the contents will cost me very little, but it makes for a nice gift. This is one of the reasons I love all those Bath & Body Works Coupons for FREE Travel size items!

MAKE YOUR GIFT LISTS NOW:
Just like having a written budget, having a gift list written down and full of ideas helps you stay on track to buy what you need for everyone on your list without having to make a last-minute run to the mall or place a last-minute online order with express shipping. Jot down multiple ideas for each person and know how much you want to spend on each person and include that much cash in their envelope.

START SHOPPING NOW:
The sooner you start shopping, the better off you will be and this will also lessen the stress of the season. TRUST ME ON THIS ONE!!!

I truly hope that this will be your merriest and most budget friendly Christmas ever!!!

3 Comments

11.6.10

DON’T MISS A DEAL!

Deals I post can be time sensative and I’m sure you don’t want to miss them!

You know, when you subscribe for EMAIL Delivery of Clippin’ with Carie – Saving Money In Missouri, you will receive just one email a day from me around 5:30 pm Central Time that lists all the deals posted in a 24 hour period!

You can also “LIKE” me on Facebook by going HERE or follow me on Twitter HERE!

HAPPY SAVING!!

WHAT’S ON YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING LIST??

Now that we are officially in November and the holiday shopping season is in full swing…I have to ask…

What’s on your holiday shopping list?

I am going to do my best to find deals on things I think you might be shopping for like toys, video games, electronics and men’s items, but to help me out, leave a comment letting me know what you are looking for this holiday season!

I know everyone has different needs/wants, so not every deal will apply to every person, but I want to try and cover as many items as I can so there are deals for everyone!

Help me out…What’s on your list???

46 Comments

9.30.10

What’s your stock up price?

I received an email from reader, Jennifer, asking me…”What price is your stock up price?”

Now, I know that Jennifer is local, heck she probably lives right down the street from me and doesn’t even know it…but everone may have a different price point where they feel is a good price to stock up on items depending on where they live and the stores they shop!

If I can get an item for at least 60% or MORE OFF the retail price (depending on the item) then I will consider stock piling it!

Items that I am strict about pricing are:

Toothbrushes – FREE – $.25
Toothpaste – FREE – $.25
Deodorant – FREE – $.50
Shampoo – FREE – $.50
Dishsoap – FREE – $.25
Razors – FREE – $.25
Bar Soap – FREE – $.25
Shave Gel/Cream – FREE – $.50
Dental Floss – FREE – $.25
Cereal – FREE – $1.25 (depending on the kind)
Kleenex or Tissues – FREE – $.50
Paper Towels – FREE – $.50 per roll
Canned Veggies – FREE – $.40

Most of the items listed above I actually have in stockpile right now, and was able to get most of them FREE, but I do have a limit on what I will pay for some items, so I wanted to list them, just to give you an idea!

So readers…what’s your stock up price on your favorite stock pile items??? Let us know in the comments section!

9 Comments

9.28.10

DON’T MISS A DEAL!

Deals I post can be time sensative and I’m sure you don’t want to miss them!

You can also “LIKE” me on Facebook by going HERE or follow me on Twitter HERE!

HAPPY SAVING!!

Protecting yourself on the Internet – PLEASE READ!!

First and foremost, I want to explain a couple things. There was a “Pringles Facebook Offer” a day or two ago (I DID NOT POST IT), but many other bloggers did. If you signed up for that offer on another site, the offer was a SCAM and now your facebook may have been compromised.

Let me explain my policy…I do my best to verify every offer I post! If something makes me “feel” uncomfortable or I can’t verify it, I don’t post it! In the case of the Pringles Facebook Offer, I personally went to sign up for it to verify as I normally do and before I got any further than the Facebook page where you were suppose to sign up…I got a real uneasy feeling and stopped. I decided to pass on this freebie and decided NOT to pass it along to you!

I am in no way trying to say that other bloggers are intentionally trying compromise your security. I know many of them and they would never do that! Sometimes things just happen.

If you signed up for the Pringles Facebook offer from another blog site, here are a couple of steps you need to take to fix your Facebook Account!

1. Log into your Facebook account and look at the top right hand side of the page where it says “My Account”.
2. Click on “application settings”
3. If you signed up for the offer, you will see Pringles under your application. Look for the little x on the right side and click that. It will remove the application from your account.
4. To be extra, super safe, I would suggest changing your password.

These types of scams happen all the time. I do my absolute best to verify everything I post. If you visit multiple websites/blogs, you may notice that I have fewer postings for FREEBIES than others, and the reason for this is that I would rather bring you quality than quantity! To me…it’s worth letting a few FREEBIES go by, so that you don’t have to mess around with trying to fix your facebook account, etc…

Here are a few internet safety tips that I use and hopefully you will consider them as well!

1) “Junk’ Email Account- I have a completely separate email address that I use when signing up for things online! Freebies, coupons, whatever…I use my “junk” email account! There is nothing I hate more than having to sift through a jazillion junk emails to get to one of my reader emails. Gmail, yahoo etc offer free email accounts, so please consider getting a “junker”

2) They want my Phone Number?? – I NEVER, EVER, EVER give out my real phone number. Not even when I do online shopping, I figure if they need to reach me due to a problem with my online order…they have my email address or I know their phone number! I don’t need some fool calling me at 2 in the morning trying to sell me something I don’t want. Trust me, fool…If I want something, I am capable of finding it and buying on my own during non sleep time hours! (can you tell I made this mistake once??) ALSO, NEVER, EVER, EVER give out your Social Security Number!!!

3) Separate Facebook Account- I personally have a separate Facebook account set to PRIVATE that I use when signing up for Facebook FREEBIES! If you have been a reader of mine for a while you may be familiar with my dog Gauge…well uh, yeah…let’s just say he “LIKES” a lot of things on Facebook!

Most importantly…If something doesn’t feel right to you…move on, there is always another great deal right around the corner!!

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3 Comments

9.2.10

REPOST: ARE YOU READY FOR CHRISTMAS???

I have previously posted this, but with all the new readers that have joined us in the past couple weeks, I thought I would share again!

I know this sounds ridiculous, especially since September just begun and the kids just went back to school, but this is the time of year to really start thinking about Christmas!!

Have you ever sat down at the beginning of January and said to yourself “What just happened??? We spent way too much on Christmas”

It’s best to start making lists and thinking about your Christmas budget NOW, because before you know it, Christmas will be here and if you are not prepared, you will blow through a lot more money than you may have wanted to.

HERE ARE SOME TIPS and TRICKS, TO START YOU ON THE RIGHT FOOT!!

PUT YOUR HOLIDAY BUDGET IN WRITING:
It is so easy to overspend during the holiday season. The best way to keep yourself on track is to write out your budget and separate it into categories such as decorating, gifts, baking, entertaining, events, etc. so that you can see exactly where you plan to spend your money.

SET LIMITS:
Remember that spending more money does NOT make your Christmas any merrier. Set limits on your budget and the number of gifts you give. Being frugal means you will need to think outside of the box and get creative. The amount of money I spend on someone DOES NOT mean that I love them any more or any less. Creative gifts can be the most special gifts, because you have to put time and effort into them.

START SHOPPING NOW:
The sooner you start shopping, the better off you will be and this will also lessen the stress of the season. TRUST ME ON THIS ONE!!!

OTHER TIPS TO HELP SAVE ON THE HOLIDAYS:
Make sure you are signed up with reward programs!
I personally love Swagbucks and MyPoints. I can earn all year long and receive Gift Cards that I can use to buy Christmas gifts… meaning a little bit of my time now can be traded for Gift Cards that I can use for Christmas shopping later! Both of these rewards programs are great because they offer Gift Cards for stores that I use such as Target, Amazon and more.

Save up some of those $5 Target Gift Cards!
I am a big Target Shopper so I love the Target Gift Card Promotions! Throughout the year, Target offers FREE Target Gift Cards with certain purchases. You can use coupons for these purchases and spend less money out of your pocket! Many times, when I get these Gift Cards, I put them in the safe and save them for Christmas! The Target Gift Cards that you get with these promotions are just that, Gift Cards and they do not expire!

Trust me, if you prepare now, you will be able to enjoy your holiday and your family much more!!

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6 Comments

8.26.10

SAVING MONEY BUYING MEAT, PRODUCE & MILK

I am trying to get through all email questions I have received following my segment on KSDK News, so if you are already saving money on these products, simply scoll down to the next post.

First things first..MILK!

I personally have found that Aldi has the best milk prices around! Depending on where you normally shop, Aldi milk prices can usually beat the “regular” grocery stores milk prices up to $1 per gallon.

Saving money on produce is very important to my family especially since we have been trying to live a healthier lifestyle and have been downing produce like we never had before!!

I have found that either ordering through a co-op like Community Helping Produce or local Farmer’s Markets can save me big bucks on produce! Also, Aldi has great prices on some of their produce, they just don’t have a huge selection (at least at my local store).

NOW FOR MEAT:

When I shop for the meat that my family will eat, I personally buy most of my meat at Schnucks or at Mannino’s. (Just my personal preference). You can just check your sale ads and see which stores have the best per pound prices for items that you buy and when the prices are really good…stock up and throw it in the freezer.

Schnucks marks their meats down 25% off a day or two before the sell by date! At Schnucks, I have found that if I shop early (like before 10 or 11 am), I find the best selection of “marked down” meats and there is a wide variety available.

Now you will see in picture #1 (you can click on any of the meat pictures above to get a good look at the type of meat and the price mark down), for instance, I can buy a better quality of ground beef when I buy it a day or two before sell by date. So the 1.06 pounds of Ground Sirloin Tip which is normally $4.86 per pound is about the same price as ground beef that may contain a higher ratio of fat, which by the way you can get at 25% off when they have it available.

I also, go to our local-ish butcher shop, Mannino’s, they can have good prices on fresh meats as well. So check out your local butcher shop and compare price per pound!

Anyway, my point here is that when you find a great deal on meat…stock up on it and freeze it!!

If you have great tips to share with other readers on saving money on milk, produce and meat, please share in the comments section!!

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5 Comments

8.25.10

DO YOU FOLLOW A BUDGET?

My question for you today…
DO YOU HAVE A BUDGET? DO YOU FOLLOW YOUR BUDGET?
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We had worked out our budget, then re worked it, then re worked it again over the past two years…seems to need fine tuning every now and again, plus additional expenses always seem to arise. We had been inundated with medical bills, which set us back quite a bit, so the budget had to be reconfigured for that kind of thing!
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Budgeting, basically in a nutshell, HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: How much income is coming into the house and what you are spending money on every month before you sit down and figure out a budget! It can be very helpful to use a journal and write down everything you spent money on in the past few weeks or month. This includes items that maybe got charged to a credit card. Knowing WHAT you spend your money on will really help you figure out ways to cut back and decide if something is a NEED or a WANT!!
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What are your fixed expenses (bills) are each month
(Can you find excess in your bills that can be trimmed back?)
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How much are you currently spending on life?
Groceries, Gas, Dining Out, Entertainment, Clothing, Gifts, Misc. (This is where journaling can save you tons of money!!)
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Do you consider savings a bill?
What I mean by that is, are you putting a certain amount of money away, either in savings or retirement, every single month without fail as if you were paying a bill every month?
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We are used to budgeting at my house!
Bills get paid, Savings get deposited every month, then lastly, there is life!
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As far as life expenses go, we use a jar system at our house.
What this means is that we have six jars and each jar is marked with a different category.
BASED ON ONE WEEK:
Groceries/Personal Care/Cleaning Items $60
Clothing & Gifts $25
Dining Out/Entertainment $50 (includes my starbucks habit)
Gas/Transportation $40
Miscellaneous $25
Left Over $0

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Each week, cash is put into the jars and that is all we have to spend for the week! Now sometimes we have to juggle jar to jar, like if I spend more on Groceries then the jar allows, then I sometimes will take money from the Dining Out/Entertainment jar. So that we only spend the alloted amount of money each week! The Left Over Jar is for at the end of the week, any money left in any of the jars, goes into the Left Over Jar and we save the LEFT OVER money up to use on other stuff, like a new storm door or mailbox. We DO NOT touch the money in our savings for items like this.

Obviously, families have different needs and situations so your numbers would look totally different from mine, but the important thing is that in order to put money away in savings or if you have credit card debt and you want to become debt free, you need to create a budget and stick to it to reach your goals!!
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This way of budgeting works for our family, but it is not for everyone…I am just curious…
DO YOU FOLLOW A BUDGET?
If so, what kind of system do you use?
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Let us know in the comments section, maybe you can help another reader find a way that will work for them!!!

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7 Comments

7.19.10

BUDGETING: GRATIFICATION MANAGEMENT

“I WANT IT NOW”

Have you heard the term Gratification Management?

I heard that term for the first time this morning on the Today Show! I guess I practice this all the time and didn’t even know it, but today…was forced into it! So what is it?

Basically, in a nutshell, Gratification Management is putting off the purchase of something you really want until it either goes on sale (saving you gobs of cash) or until you have taken the time to think about it more and budgeted the cash to buy it.

NO IMPULSE BUYING… NO THROWING IT ON THE CREDIT CARD, JUST BECAUSE YOU WANT IT!!

How was I forced to practice this today? I went to Home Depot to pick up a pair of Shutters that we had ordered a while back, (we ordered 3, but 1 set wasn’t right). Anyway, while I was waiting for them to bring them to the front, I was walking around just checking some things out and I found myself in the tile section! For some reason, I have this thing about tile! I like how it looks!! And OH MAN, I saw like four different styles that I would love to have to replace the back splash in the kitchen and also to replace around the tub in the Master bath. I mean I was really wanting it!!!

But did you notice I said replace? Yeah…I don’t really need it, but I LOVE IT!!! I called my husband and asked what he thought about “REPLACING” and he reminded me that we had not budgeted for it and this is not a purchase we would make by taking money out of savings! Oh yeah…OOPS (BOO…PARTY POOPER!!)

So NO new tile for me today….but mama’s re-working the budget, someday I will have it!!

I just have to be patient!!

ARE YOU PRACTICING GRATIFICATION MANAGMENT? WHAT PURCHASE ARE YOU BUDGETING FOR??

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4 Comments

7.14.10

FREE BUDGETING ASSISTANCE WITH MINT.COM

I am really big on tracking spending and budgeting, it just helps our family stay on track!
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Well, I signed up back in May with Mint.com, which is a FREE service that helps people create a budget, track their spending, save money, and make their bank account much easier to manage. It has lightened my load when it comes to managing our money and working our budget, but I have to be honest, I have not had the time available to use it to the fullest! I am getting there slowly…I’m a busy girl, what can I say!
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Over 1,000,000 people already use Mint.com (I always knew I was 1 in a million…LOL ) and it’s been featured on nearly every morning show, in newspapers, and magazines. They download and categorize your balances and transactions automatically, making it so stinkin’ easy to see graphs of your income, spending, balances and so forth.
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Check it out for yourself HERE! If you are a Mint.com user, let us know what you think,…leave a comment!

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5 Comments

5.10.10

NEWSPAPER TIPS

So we all know that our paper is a great way to get our coupons, but did you know that some people actually read their paper?? Who’d of thought!?!
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I buy multiple copies of the paper each week! So what do you do with all those papers after you have sorted though for your coupons, other than throw them into the recycle bin??
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Last year, I used my papers as a weed barrier in my flower beds!! Before I put the rock down, I lined the area with old newspapers! It helps keeps weeds out, and hold moisture for your plants. (Don’t use the glossy ads, as they may hold chemicals that may be harmful for your plants)
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Other uses for your newspaper:
Cage Lining: Shred and put in a hamster cage
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Fire Logs: Wrap papers tight, tie a knot around it and use as firelogs
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Odor Absorber: Newspapers absorb odor in shoes, suitcases, trunks, etc.
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Clean and polish your windows
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Dry your shoes: Place crumpled paper in them overnight! Will help dry them out and deodorize as well.
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Ripen Tomatoes: Wrap them individually and leave them out at room temperature.
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Crafts???