Schoola is hooking us up! Starting today, Buy a Sundress and Get Half Off Your Next Order!
Purchase a sundress between 6/6 and 6/12 and receive a 50% off code via email on 6/13! Oh, and it gets better with FREE SHIPPING!*
To get started, click here. New to Schoola- that’s cool too. Sign up here and score $20 in new to you clothes for you, or your kiddos! Schoola helps schools fundraise by selling gently worn clothes. You can learn about their mission here.
Here is your monthly reminder! A new month means new printable and electronic coupons!
Check out the following sites:
One of my favorite website is the Sunday Coupon Review. It helps me plot out scenarios in advance and I can email friends to ask for coupons in advance. Remember if clipping coupons isn’t your thing, but saving money is, check out my list of Smartphone apps that can save you the big bucks!
Here are just a few of the new coupons that have me excited:
One of the things I pride myself on is how we are able to quasi-control the toy mess in our home. It’s a lot of work, but we have a pretty good system, and it might work for you too.
Stage 1: Contain the mess! First of all, a few years ago, hubs bought a bunch of 20 quart Steralite containers with snap on lids at an auction for a song. So, we separated all of the toys by type and put them in boxes with a lid.
Obviously the Legos and Thomas the Tank Engine toys go into larger boxes because, well, we have tons more then will fit in the 20 quart containers. We also re-use random plastic containers, like these plastic jugs that hard pretzels come in, the large bottles that Nesquik powder comes in, and dishwasher tab boxes.
Stage 2: Label! We label everything. All of the original totes have Kidecals labels, but the newer /larger containers have different labels. I try to do labels that have drawings of the toys too, so it’s easier for non-readers to know what’s in the box without opening them.
I used the terminology that Lil’ Man uses for his toys. The box marked “Guy Men” has action figures and little toys (like his Sesame Street “guys”), and “Mean Animals” (Plastic/Vinyl animals of various sizes).
Some of the toys that don’t get a lot of play (or annoy me), are stored in the closet. I rotate the less frequently played toys through, so that all of the toys get loved.
Stage 3: Limit Access! Another thing that helps is that we have a three toys at a time rule. Lil’ Man can have three types of toys out at a time. Right now, it’s guy men, mean animals, and cars.
Most of us Costco shoppers love it for the good deals (and the samples- COME ON!), but ever wonder if there is a way to save more money at Costco?
First off, let’s be clear: Costco doesn’t accept coupons, other than their own. So don’t pick up a Sunday paper and get clipping thinking that you’re going to save a ton of cash at Costco that way, because… no. Not gonna happen. And most of the time, you don’t actually need the paper coupons from the Costco Flyer/Coupon book. The coupons come off at checkout OR the checkers all have the coupon books at their registers.
Here are my tips for saving money at Costco:
Talk Back: What are your tips for keeping the grocery bill down at Costco?
Here is your monthly reminder! A new month means new printable and electronic coupons!
Check out the following sites:
One of my favorite website is the Sunday Coupon Review. It helps me plot out scenarios in advance and I can email friends to ask for coupons in advance. Remember if clipping coupons isn’t your thing, but saving money is, check out my list of Smartphone apps that can save you the big bucks!
Here are just a few of the new coupons that have me excited:
If you’ve been around for a while, you may notice I post photos on Social media- a lot of it is stuff I’ve gotten for free.
If you’d like to fill your mail box with goodies, here are a few companies that have great, FREE programs where you can earn free stuff!
L’oreal USA: The makeup Giant wants women from across the United States 18+ to join and take surveys on products, daily skin care regimens, and test new products . When you take 5 surveys, you are eligible to receive a full sized L’oreal product (Of their choice)! They also do consumer product testing. They send you a product, you test it and complete a survey.
Vocal Point is a multi-faceted website. One of its greater aspects is that it’s connected to Proctor and Gamble (P&G), and they often times have new or improved products to test and share with consumers. The members of Vocal Point can opt in to receive these items, and them share their opinions with other members of the Vocal Point community.
The Good Housekeeping Beauty Lab: The Beauty Lab needs female testers age 35 and up to help in our evaluations of beauty products. Some evaluations may require testers to visit the Good Housekeeping Research Institute at 300 West 57th Street in Manhattan, but for other evaluations, products can be sent by mail. There is no cost and very little time involved, and participants may keep beauty product samples.” If you’re interested in participating, please contact ghribeauty@hearst.com or 212-649-2408. I do 1-2
Bzzagent A WOM (word of mouth) website that helps spread the word on tons of great products. Sign up for campaigns when there are products that interest you, use them, and share your opinions (as well as coupons and samples!) with others in person or via the Internet. This sharing is called “buzz”, and the more you buzz and report your buzz, you earn Mypoints points, and chances for early invitations for more campaigns. I’ve been a Bzzagent for about four year, and I receive about eight campaigns per year.
Smiley360 is much like BzzAgent, in that it is also a WOM (Word of Mouth) website. Sign up for campaigns and you will receive samples to use, and coupons to share with friends. Report your sharing and earn points!
From their website, “Do you love to try new things? Haven’t you ever tried a new product and thought, “This would be so much better if…” Well, as a smiley360.com member, you can provide that kind of feedback directly to the source. Your opinion matters. And as a fringe benefit, you’ll earn status in the smiley360.com community, which has its own perks, rewards, and opportunities. It’s a win-win situation, really.”
Moms Meet- Read my post here.
Ralph’s Free Friday Download– Learn more here (one of their prior offerings that has info on the post about the program).
There are websites like MySavings that have a free sample section that is updated several times a day.
PinchMe offers free sample boxes once a Month- some months there are tons of samples, some months not so much, it just depends on your demographic and what they have.
Proctor and Gamble (P&G) offers samples once per quarter. Sign up here.
It’s back! After a long hiatus, I’m back to meal planning! If you are new to meal planning, check out my article on how to get started here.
This week I’m starting off by doing a quick fridge and pantry inventory, and making a batch of cookies.
Monday:
Tuesday:
Weds:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday:
Sunday:
Lil’ Man has started eating a small toasted bagel with cream cheese for breakfast along with yogurt and fruit. Mr. C has been eating Oatmeal (from a awesome recipe I found online and altered) every AM, and I usually have an HMR Protein Shake, or I’ll make myself a bagel too.
Lunches for Lil’ Man are usually a grilled cheese, yogurt, a granola bar, and fruit (cut up apple, orange, or banana). I have leftovers or a frozen entree, and Mr. C usually a salad or leftovers or an HMR protein shake (He did the program last year and really digs on the shakes), or he has a business lunch and opts for a salad and lean protein.
Now I’m off to make a big ol’ batch of cookies!!
This is one of the most popular recipes that I’ve ever cooked! It is a family favorite and is very popular for meal trains and freezer meal swaps!
I’m constantly tweaking and improving my recipe, so I wanted to share this recipe with you. I cook this all day in the crockpot and it makes the house smell sooooo good!
Ingredients:
Optional ingredients:
Directions:
Makes 6-8 servings. Sometimes I turn leftovers into quesadillas, or add more broth and some C&W Southwest veggie blend and it transforms into a hearty soup! It’s so versatile and easy to make!
SQUEE! It’s back! 50% off at Schoola! Just use Coupon Code SPRINGBRK at checkout. And in addition, if you are new to Schoola, they are offering $20 free and free shipping when you sign up here.
In addition to offering awesome gently worn kids clothes, Schoola also gives a percentage (40%) of each sale to a school. So you can feel good twice: Once while your saving $$, and again because you are helping support a school in need.
To get started, click here. And I can’t wait to see what you have scored!
Trust me, it can be done! There are lots of people who ask me about saving money, but they announce that they don’t want to bother with clipping coupons. They either lose them, forget them, or are embarrassed to use them. That’s ok. There are still ways to save money!
Here are a few:
