There's lots to talk about today...
Everyone should begin getting there W-2's soon so be getting your tax docs together so that you can file early. I recommend taxactonline dot com. We have used it for probably 7-8 years and it's free for federal and works great! It's very easy and I do our taxes as well as some family member's each year. Why file early-- well, only if you are getting a refund--obviously...
File early and online with electronic deposit. It takes usually 7-10 days to get it in your bank--now I call that pretty fast! Who doesn't like some extra ca$h in Jan/Feb?
Also, one can never tell if a state or the gov't will run out of money and issue IOU's. I would rather have $$ than an IOU from the gov't--how about you??
I do practice what I preach. Our taxes will be filed probably within the next week or two. I have already gone to the above mentioned site and filled in everything (you can save it). My hubby's W-2 is already in hand!!
Don't forget to gather your receipts for energy tax credits on windows, doors, insualtion and such. We had some items that qualified and 40% back--I like that!
Other things...
I HIGHLY recommend lined roman shades and/or lined curtains. They make a HUGE difference. I think I can say that now based on 2 things. We have been experiencing negative temps now and they really, really block out the natural draft around windows SO WELL!! Also, we recently got our energy bill. This one is normally our highest one of the year due to all of our Christmas lights outside. I will admit, I was sweating it. Would you believe we used MORE electricity than last year, but LESS gas therms and the bill was $75 cheaper!!!!! The other large reason for the $75 decrease would probably be our closed in porch that connects the house to the garage. It makes a HUGE difference.
So, not everyone can/will build a porch, but you can try out the lined curtains/blinds (if even only in your bedroom or a really cold room). The warmth will be worth it!! Where to get them...mine were from Target, but I assume WMT has them and most other major retailers.
Craigslist is fun...it's nice to get rid of things and get some ca$h...try it out--great for buying/selling.
Can't resist talking about my great deals for the day. I went to 2 stores today (Kroger & Sears). I spent a total of $50 and had a cart full at each place! No coupons were used at all!!!!
Kroger: they had 3 boxes of Special K cereal marked at $1.29--little did I know that they also had a promo that you get free milk/$4 off your bill when you buy 3 boxes of Special K--so yep--those were free and a little bit more.
Sears: lots of great food items on clearance for $1 or less (Ritz, Minute Maid juice bottle 6 packs, bicycle seats ($1)--super deal!!
Much more...too much to list!
Well, gotta run!!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Why Clean Closets?
With my spare time following Christmas, I have taken some time to clean several closets/cabinets that need my attention.
The first one was my coat closet. It is the closet that also stores wrapping paper, boxes, and bags. We save bags from certain stores. The nicer (thicker) bags serve as trash bags in our bathrooms or bags for the litter. Simply put, some cannot be saved due to holes that occur on the way home from the grocery store (usually the Kroger bags). We organized it and threw away some trash and WOW does it look nice!
Next was our bedroom...we used the space saving hangers for J's stuff and made it less crowded. We were again low on hangers....that was taken care of as well.
The hall closet was where the "reward" began to come in...I found all kinds of things in there that I forgot we had. This is our closet where we keep towels, sheets, and other products like shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, light bulbs, etc... Yes, we have plenty of all of the above items! Everything looks so much better.
Upstairs in the vanity, I discovered a new bottle of lotion (yay--I was out) and so many other things that I am not remembering right now.
So, why organize and clean?? Simple...you find treasures that you forgot you had that you can probably use!
The first one was my coat closet. It is the closet that also stores wrapping paper, boxes, and bags. We save bags from certain stores. The nicer (thicker) bags serve as trash bags in our bathrooms or bags for the litter. Simply put, some cannot be saved due to holes that occur on the way home from the grocery store (usually the Kroger bags). We organized it and threw away some trash and WOW does it look nice!
Next was our bedroom...we used the space saving hangers for J's stuff and made it less crowded. We were again low on hangers....that was taken care of as well.
The hall closet was where the "reward" began to come in...I found all kinds of things in there that I forgot we had. This is our closet where we keep towels, sheets, and other products like shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, light bulbs, etc... Yes, we have plenty of all of the above items! Everything looks so much better.
Upstairs in the vanity, I discovered a new bottle of lotion (yay--I was out) and so many other things that I am not remembering right now.
So, why organize and clean?? Simple...you find treasures that you forgot you had that you can probably use!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
2010
I haven't posted in quite awhile! Sorry!
So, I don't make New Year's Resolutions. I set maybe a few goals and some include financial. Since I started doing this a few years back, we have attained each financial goal. It feels great.
The goals have consisted of:
paying off J's school loans early (we did it over 3 years early) =)
paying off each of our cars early (mine in 1 1/2 yrs) J's in 1 =)
paying off cc debt several years back =)
and the list goes on.
This year's goals:
be even more wise about spending and save more
give more
pay down the mortgage so we can pay off early
Fortunately, since the garage sale glory days of summer, my mindset of buying has considerably changed. Don't get the idea that we do not indulge or get items we really want every now and then because we do, but I feel like for me I've come a long way. For instance, my purse buying habit has all but disappeared thanks to the super deals that I got this summer. We have purchased new clothes several times for both ourselves and the girls, but have gotten incredible deals on them and haven't had to purchase nearly as much due to the garage sale purchases.
Things I've had luck with:
Craigslist has become something I check more often. I have sold items with it and even purchased once. It works great for large items that you can't ship very easily.
Walgreens--Register Rewards and their clearance
You Tube--great for shows you normally would have to pay to watch on cable or dish...Usually, there's a fan or two of most of the shows that upload all of the episodes so people like me who haven't ever had cable or anything beyond regular channels can enjoy the shows. What's great --it's free!
Lowe's--nice clearance items (cheap too)
Finding cheap or free things to do as a family -- sledding, looking at lights (obviously seasonal), making cards (I've been pretty negligent), renting a movie, and playing with all of those fun Christmas toys =).
Oh yeah, sometimes people out there are really nice...
I returned several items with a receipt the other day (make that everything on the receipt including the free gift with purchase item since I wouldn't be meeting the minimum purchase requirements with the return). The lady was very nice and told me that she was going to give me the gift back and bagged it up for me to take with me. She informed me that I could give some of the items to my girlfriends if I wanted. How nice of her!
What to do this winter...I don't know. I'm not much of a winter person. I plan to pass some of the time by watching the Olympics. I am a fan of the Olympics. Other than that, hibernate and hope to stay warm!
So, I don't make New Year's Resolutions. I set maybe a few goals and some include financial. Since I started doing this a few years back, we have attained each financial goal. It feels great.
The goals have consisted of:
paying off J's school loans early (we did it over 3 years early) =)
paying off each of our cars early (mine in 1 1/2 yrs) J's in 1 =)
paying off cc debt several years back =)
and the list goes on.
This year's goals:
be even more wise about spending and save more
give more
pay down the mortgage so we can pay off early
Fortunately, since the garage sale glory days of summer, my mindset of buying has considerably changed. Don't get the idea that we do not indulge or get items we really want every now and then because we do, but I feel like for me I've come a long way. For instance, my purse buying habit has all but disappeared thanks to the super deals that I got this summer. We have purchased new clothes several times for both ourselves and the girls, but have gotten incredible deals on them and haven't had to purchase nearly as much due to the garage sale purchases.
Things I've had luck with:
Craigslist has become something I check more often. I have sold items with it and even purchased once. It works great for large items that you can't ship very easily.
Walgreens--Register Rewards and their clearance
You Tube--great for shows you normally would have to pay to watch on cable or dish...Usually, there's a fan or two of most of the shows that upload all of the episodes so people like me who haven't ever had cable or anything beyond regular channels can enjoy the shows. What's great --it's free!
Lowe's--nice clearance items (cheap too)
Finding cheap or free things to do as a family -- sledding, looking at lights (obviously seasonal), making cards (I've been pretty negligent), renting a movie, and playing with all of those fun Christmas toys =).
Oh yeah, sometimes people out there are really nice...
I returned several items with a receipt the other day (make that everything on the receipt including the free gift with purchase item since I wouldn't be meeting the minimum purchase requirements with the return). The lady was very nice and told me that she was going to give me the gift back and bagged it up for me to take with me. She informed me that I could give some of the items to my girlfriends if I wanted. How nice of her!
What to do this winter...I don't know. I'm not much of a winter person. I plan to pass some of the time by watching the Olympics. I am a fan of the Olympics. Other than that, hibernate and hope to stay warm!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Walgreens, a gift idea, & more
Sorry for my negligence in posting. We continue to stay busy!
In my last (long time ago) post, I mentioned shopping at Walgreens to earn Register Rewards. I wouldn't want to be guilty of not practicing what I preach, so I took my own advice and went.
It turns out, Wal's had some other great RR items last weekend as well. They had men's deodorant, toothpaste, and shampoo as well. All of them were items that you receive the full amount back in RR's for your next purchase.
Now, if you are wondering what in the world we would do with so many deodorants/toothpaste etc...well here's the answer.
Our church has different times of the year where they collect items for various people in need. A couple of items always on that list are deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes. I'm sure many organizations collect items like these. Our girl's SS classes also collect items at varying times of the year for children, Operation Christmas Child, and missionaries.
Anyway, I used my coupons and racked up some sweet RR's and was able to enjoy the bounty of my RR's by getting items that we use all of the time for almost free.
I used RR's and got Tide, toilet paper (big pack), York peppermint patties, yard spotlight stake and a couple of other items that now escape me for $1.90!!!!
Yesterday, I went and got $40 in stuff for $5.00!
I'm hooked.
Our 7 y/o received her Clubhouse JR. mag today in the mail. Her grandma purchased her a subscription for her birthday. She absolutely loves it and just reads and reads. I think a 1 year subscription was $20 and it included two Adventures in Odyssey Cd's. It is wholesome reading with great character buildling stores, a few clean jokes, cute artwork, little recipes and more. On top of that it helps to support a great organization (Focus on the Family). This is a great gift idea for children. They have different versions of the magazine based on age.
More ...
I signed up for a Sunday only subscription to the newspaper. The only reason I did was for the mass of coupons that come in it. It was 21.06 for 13 Sundays plus I got a $5 gift card to Kroger and a scratch off coupon card thing to use at places around town. This will help save even more $$ at the grocery store and Walgreens.
Think about it...the way you manage/spend your money can determine your wealth more than your the number of dollars you make. For e.g. someone who makes $25,000. and spends it wisely could have nicer things than someone who makes $50-$75k who doesn't know how to spend/manage properly. When you spend wi$er, you have/make more!!!
In my last (long time ago) post, I mentioned shopping at Walgreens to earn Register Rewards. I wouldn't want to be guilty of not practicing what I preach, so I took my own advice and went.
It turns out, Wal's had some other great RR items last weekend as well. They had men's deodorant, toothpaste, and shampoo as well. All of them were items that you receive the full amount back in RR's for your next purchase.
Now, if you are wondering what in the world we would do with so many deodorants/toothpaste etc...well here's the answer.
Our church has different times of the year where they collect items for various people in need. A couple of items always on that list are deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes. I'm sure many organizations collect items like these. Our girl's SS classes also collect items at varying times of the year for children, Operation Christmas Child, and missionaries.
Anyway, I used my coupons and racked up some sweet RR's and was able to enjoy the bounty of my RR's by getting items that we use all of the time for almost free.
I used RR's and got Tide, toilet paper (big pack), York peppermint patties, yard spotlight stake and a couple of other items that now escape me for $1.90!!!!
Yesterday, I went and got $40 in stuff for $5.00!
I'm hooked.
Our 7 y/o received her Clubhouse JR. mag today in the mail. Her grandma purchased her a subscription for her birthday. She absolutely loves it and just reads and reads. I think a 1 year subscription was $20 and it included two Adventures in Odyssey Cd's. It is wholesome reading with great character buildling stores, a few clean jokes, cute artwork, little recipes and more. On top of that it helps to support a great organization (Focus on the Family). This is a great gift idea for children. They have different versions of the magazine based on age.
More ...
I signed up for a Sunday only subscription to the newspaper. The only reason I did was for the mass of coupons that come in it. It was 21.06 for 13 Sundays plus I got a $5 gift card to Kroger and a scratch off coupon card thing to use at places around town. This will help save even more $$ at the grocery store and Walgreens.
Think about it...the way you manage/spend your money can determine your wealth more than your the number of dollars you make. For e.g. someone who makes $25,000. and spends it wisely could have nicer things than someone who makes $50-$75k who doesn't know how to spend/manage properly. When you spend wi$er, you have/make more!!!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
$ave $ome Dough
I would say that I am a deal finder who uses coupons. Usually, that means that I find wonderful things that we were going to buy anyway on wonderful clearance. Those items are not typical items that have coupons anyway.
I love using coupons, but I haven't honed my skill to the level of some--particularly at the grocery store. What I mean is, I have to learn this magical Walgreens coupon, RR, almost free experience.
A board that I visit has some regular Walgreens coupon experts and I am determined to do it!
From what I gather, I need to purchase some items (that are on sale and that have current coupons running from the paper) and earn Register Rewards. RR's cane be used on a future purchase like cash. Once I earn these, I can earn them on future purchases and get items for free or close to free.
The first big item that I'm going to try this on is the Dove deodorant that is going to be on sale on Black Friday for $3.99 with a $4.00 RR on each one. I have some $2.00 off coupons (and there are printable ones available online as well). I will pay $1.99 cash for each one, but I will get $4 per item in RR to use on a future purchase. I will come out $2 ahead on each one. I can't wait!!
We have a Walgreens very close by and another right across town. This is very convenient!
Our trip to Walgreens the other day was profitable. I was only going to get lawn bags for leaves and we found several great items on clearance.
Target is getting BIG into the coupon game as well. They now have their own coupon printers at the register. We noticed that once you swipe your debit/credit card, the coupons begin spitting out based on your buying habits. The cool thing is that Target lets you stack coupons (which I've mentioned before). The other day we used $50 in coupons there and another $5 off coupon spit out of the coupon printer which they used on that order as well =).
I will also add that Target is really competing BIG TIME in the toy price war. Not only do they have toys on sale, they have published coupons ON TOP OF the sale price!! From what we have seen thus far, they are cheaper than Toys 'R Us and Wal-Mart (at least on the items we have been looking for. Toys 'R Us does not price match and W didn't carry a few of the toys we were looking for that Target had. The problem now is they are running out so quickly.
Word is that it is better to buy toys before Thanksgiving rather than wait for Black Friday. I have already seent this to be true as our local Target was sold out of several items.
Anyway, go save some $$. You can always use the extra!
I love using coupons, but I haven't honed my skill to the level of some--particularly at the grocery store. What I mean is, I have to learn this magical Walgreens coupon, RR, almost free experience.
A board that I visit has some regular Walgreens coupon experts and I am determined to do it!
From what I gather, I need to purchase some items (that are on sale and that have current coupons running from the paper) and earn Register Rewards. RR's cane be used on a future purchase like cash. Once I earn these, I can earn them on future purchases and get items for free or close to free.
The first big item that I'm going to try this on is the Dove deodorant that is going to be on sale on Black Friday for $3.99 with a $4.00 RR on each one. I have some $2.00 off coupons (and there are printable ones available online as well). I will pay $1.99 cash for each one, but I will get $4 per item in RR to use on a future purchase. I will come out $2 ahead on each one. I can't wait!!
We have a Walgreens very close by and another right across town. This is very convenient!
Our trip to Walgreens the other day was profitable. I was only going to get lawn bags for leaves and we found several great items on clearance.
Target is getting BIG into the coupon game as well. They now have their own coupon printers at the register. We noticed that once you swipe your debit/credit card, the coupons begin spitting out based on your buying habits. The cool thing is that Target lets you stack coupons (which I've mentioned before). The other day we used $50 in coupons there and another $5 off coupon spit out of the coupon printer which they used on that order as well =).
I will also add that Target is really competing BIG TIME in the toy price war. Not only do they have toys on sale, they have published coupons ON TOP OF the sale price!! From what we have seen thus far, they are cheaper than Toys 'R Us and Wal-Mart (at least on the items we have been looking for. Toys 'R Us does not price match and W didn't carry a few of the toys we were looking for that Target had. The problem now is they are running out so quickly.
Word is that it is better to buy toys before Thanksgiving rather than wait for Black Friday. I have already seent this to be true as our local Target was sold out of several items.
Anyway, go save some $$. You can always use the extra!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Christmas gift idea for smaller ones
We already have the girl's Christmas shopping completed, but it is always nice to have an idea for whomever may ask what they want for Christmas.
Last year, Wow Wee came up with the live cubs. A was absolutely sure that she wanted the lion. They were and still are $59.99. We purchased hers for like $38.99 so I felt pretty good about that. She was delighted to get it. I never felt like I wasted one penny on it because that child played with it daily for five months... and I mean PLAYED. The playing slowed down once the weather got nicer and once a sweet kitty named Tufsey came to our home. That said, A's lion "Bouncy" still sleeps with her each night.
This year, Wow Wee has live cub mini's. Of course, the girl's are wanting them. Having learned from last year's hunt to find one when the cubs were close to sold out...we went and found them locally a few days ago. They range from $14.99 to $19.99. That's a pretty decent price if you ask me. Our girls are in love. The white tiger, leopard, and lion were their favorites. We picked them up for gma/gpa to give to them.
I must say, they are pretty adorable. I like the fact that it is a toy suitable for both boys and girls. Personally, I think there are way fewer items for boys than girls when it comes to toys and clothes. I don't know why that is, but it the girl's toy aisles far outweigh the boy aisles.
My advice: buy early and find it on sale rather than having to purchase on ebay or amazon when the price is sky high closer to Christmas.
Last year, Wow Wee came up with the live cubs. A was absolutely sure that she wanted the lion. They were and still are $59.99. We purchased hers for like $38.99 so I felt pretty good about that. She was delighted to get it. I never felt like I wasted one penny on it because that child played with it daily for five months... and I mean PLAYED. The playing slowed down once the weather got nicer and once a sweet kitty named Tufsey came to our home. That said, A's lion "Bouncy" still sleeps with her each night.
This year, Wow Wee has live cub mini's. Of course, the girl's are wanting them. Having learned from last year's hunt to find one when the cubs were close to sold out...we went and found them locally a few days ago. They range from $14.99 to $19.99. That's a pretty decent price if you ask me. Our girls are in love. The white tiger, leopard, and lion were their favorites. We picked them up for gma/gpa to give to them.
I must say, they are pretty adorable. I like the fact that it is a toy suitable for both boys and girls. Personally, I think there are way fewer items for boys than girls when it comes to toys and clothes. I don't know why that is, but it the girl's toy aisles far outweigh the boy aisles.
My advice: buy early and find it on sale rather than having to purchase on ebay or amazon when the price is sky high closer to Christmas.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Be Intentional
Our self-imposed "cook at home" challenge is going well. Here is what we have done to be successful.
Two posts ago, I mentioned that I added up what we spent on eating out and my jaw hit the floor. Since then, I resolved to eat many more meals at home. What kept playing over in my head was that I have to "be intentional" to do this.
I sat down, made a list of meals that we like (we tend to be picky). I made a second list of items that we needed to make things on the list. There were only probably five or less items needed to make the list. Since the day I made the list, I have added new dishes to the list--yay! Variety is the spice of life!
The next thing I did was to set a goal to meet on the eating out front. It is to eat out twice per week--once fast food and once sit-down. This may seem like a lot of eating out to some, but truly it does cut back a lot for us. It wasn't uncommon for us to eat out all meals on Sunday (or at least two). Since we have a good 7 or 8 roasts in the freezer, it is time to use them for those Sunday meals.
Josh laughed at me tonight when I told him to google "dinner ideas". He was no longer laughing and glad once we clicked the first link. It was chicken/potato bake. We did modify it a tiny bit. If I remember correctly, it was on kraft dot com. The dish was super easy and a huge hit!!! The modifications we made...we used chicken breast which I cut into cutlets and I used more italian dressing (in packet) and spice than called for. In order to make sure everything cooked in the time recommended, I kept it covered until the last 10 minutes as well as cut the chicken and the potatoes into small pieces.
Thus far, we are successful this week.
A few other tips:
I have always hated dishes and that keeps me from cooking with busy schedules. We use foam plates for many meals to cut down on dishes.
I try to think of things that we can make where we like the leftovers so that we can eat those for lunch/dinner on the fly. For us, lasagna is great for that purpose.
I know these are not new tips by any means, but this is something that is working for us right now.
Two posts ago, I mentioned that I added up what we spent on eating out and my jaw hit the floor. Since then, I resolved to eat many more meals at home. What kept playing over in my head was that I have to "be intentional" to do this.
I sat down, made a list of meals that we like (we tend to be picky). I made a second list of items that we needed to make things on the list. There were only probably five or less items needed to make the list. Since the day I made the list, I have added new dishes to the list--yay! Variety is the spice of life!
The next thing I did was to set a goal to meet on the eating out front. It is to eat out twice per week--once fast food and once sit-down. This may seem like a lot of eating out to some, but truly it does cut back a lot for us. It wasn't uncommon for us to eat out all meals on Sunday (or at least two). Since we have a good 7 or 8 roasts in the freezer, it is time to use them for those Sunday meals.
Josh laughed at me tonight when I told him to google "dinner ideas". He was no longer laughing and glad once we clicked the first link. It was chicken/potato bake. We did modify it a tiny bit. If I remember correctly, it was on kraft dot com. The dish was super easy and a huge hit!!! The modifications we made...we used chicken breast which I cut into cutlets and I used more italian dressing (in packet) and spice than called for. In order to make sure everything cooked in the time recommended, I kept it covered until the last 10 minutes as well as cut the chicken and the potatoes into small pieces.
Thus far, we are successful this week.
A few other tips:
I have always hated dishes and that keeps me from cooking with busy schedules. We use foam plates for many meals to cut down on dishes.
I try to think of things that we can make where we like the leftovers so that we can eat those for lunch/dinner on the fly. For us, lasagna is great for that purpose.
I know these are not new tips by any means, but this is something that is working for us right now.
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