Have you considered yourself lucky if you get $5.00 off your grocery bill with coupons?  I have to confess, that has mostly been my story.  I always wondered how anyone could get substantial savings with 50 cents here and a dollar there.  It often seemed like the store brand was cheaper than the name brand coupon so why bother?

Yesterday I went shopping with my daughter.  She has been working on learning effective couponing and what a difference.  My register tape ended up showing $16.00 vendor coupons, $1.59 store coupons, $20.33 advertised special savings and $1.22 advantage buy savings.  Better than that, these were all on things that I use everyday.  Yes, I stocked up some things but why wouldn’t you when you are going to use it anyway?

The secret is to buy what the store is advertising.  Use their coupons and pair them with manufacturer coupons for additional savings.  (You can pair a store coupon with a manufacturer coupon even if it says one coupon per item.)  I know it takes a little homework but there are ways to make it easier.  If you visit the Krazy Koupon Lady site , you can learn what is on sale and where to get the coupon for it.  You can also visit the Sunday Coupon Preview site to learn what coupons will be in your Sunday paper.  That way you save time clipping what you need.

I intend to learn more about how to cut my food bills and will post my progress here.  If you are new to all of this, let me know what is the hardest part for you and I will try to find the answer.  In this economy, we have to do whatever is legal to stretch our budget and couponing is definitely an option.

If you need some help, you might want to read an article I wrote titled Enjoying the Holidays In a Tough Economy .  Also, if you happen to be in Orlando on December 5th, my Chiropractor is having a Christmas Event.  He is gathering toys and such for Christmas boxes.  Even if you can’t fill a box yourself, you can find something to share with those who are less fortunate than yourself.  It’s a great way to kick off the Christmas season.  Visit Dr. John Bellomo’s Blog here for more information.

Find It Free

When you are seriously working on stretching your budget, you can’t beat free.  You can join the Free Cycle Network.  In it, people who have something they no longer want offer it free for the taking to anyone who wants it.  The problem is that things move quickly and it’s hard to connect for what you want.

The Second Rule of Couponing

My local store doubles coupons up to $2.00.  That means that if you have a manufacturer coupon for $2.00 and the item costs less than $4.00, you get it free.  Now sometimes the item costs a little more than $4.00.  In that case, you wait until the store puts it on sale so that you can still get it free.  I know it sounds crazy but I know people who buy10+ of the same item for free and smile all the way to their car.  (I think you still have to pay the tax on them but you can use a store coupon with a manufacturer coupon.)

Now, here comes the good part.  You don’t have to use the item that you ‘buy’.  My friend started doing this and ended up with a lot of stuff in her garage.  Her family kept coming over to ’shop’.  Finally someone urged her to have a garage sale and she made a bundle.  When you get stuff free, you can sell it super cheap and still make money.  She has been doing it long enough that people have gotten to know her and call her up to shop even when she isn’t having a yard sale.  Now that’s a good thing.  She takes the money she makes for these things that she doesn’t use and buys the stuff she wants.  All it costs her is time to clip the coupons, visit the store several times and then sell the stuff.

Listen, my friend had to quit her job because after childcare, she wasn’t making enough money to make it worth it.  Her couponing is adding to her family finances and she is doing it on her schedule while she stays home with her son.  Sometimes we get so caught up is what isn’t working for us that we don’t see the opportunities that are staring us in the face.  What can you do to make extra money?

Plan Ahead and Shop Around

Running from store to store to compare prices makes no sense.  You will use up more gas and time than you will save.  With the internet at your fingertips, there’s no need and comparison shopping is easier than ever before.

Last December I was in the market for a small countertop convection oven.  I wanted it to be big enough to hold a casserole or even bake a chicken or pan of muffins.  By searching Google, I found several sites that showed different models and prices.  The best part was they included customer feedback.  It covered everything from some models being hot to the touch, others were smaller inside than they looked or had maintenance problems.  I was able to narrow down exactly what I was looking for and figure out an online price including any shipping.  Then when I went to the store, I was armed with the knowledge to make a good deal.  In the end, I decided to wait until after Christmas and try to find a sale.  I found out that a store had donated a dozen ovens to my local food pantry and they were selling for half of what I expected to pay.  I love my Oster Convection oven and use it often.  It doesn’t heat up the kitchen like my big oven did and makes holiday cooking much easier.

My Experience With Couponing

As promised, here’s my first couponing lesson.  If it looks a little obvious, remember that I’m learning the do’s and don’ts of how the experts shop.  Since I often learn more from my mistakes, I’m sharing them with you.  Eventually I’ll put them into their own Coupon Post for easy reference.

I had a coupon for “Buy one Get one Free” on toothbrushes.  The toothbrush was $2.19 which makes this a good deal.  I was shopping during double coupon days at my local store and heard that you could get both free when they doubled coupons.  At the checkout my coupon was not doubled and it took me a moment to realize why.  They only doubled coupons up to $2.00.  My toothbrushes were .19 over that so no doubling.   You can bet I won’t forget this lesson and will sure pay attention to price in the future.

(By the same thinking, if a store doubles up to $1.00, a 50 cent coupon will double but a 75 cent one won’t.  If the store doubles coupons that are up to $1.00 then both of them would double.  Yes, it’s a little confusing, but if you spend a little time learning it, there are big rewards.)

I think that is what shakes me the most about the bank bailouts and supposed health care reform. They all carry a hefty price tag and sooner or later, someone is going to have to account for it. If our paychecks are hardly covering expenses now, what makes us think we can budget for it later? Don’t worry, that is as far as I am going to comment on that stuff. We could fill the blog up with such rants and it wouldn’t help anyone. We need to figure out how to survive in today’s economy. If you haven’t ever had to count your pennies, that can be a real challenge.

A Word to the Wise

Many people go shopping to make themselves feel better. I personally know a woman who claims to have hit bottom financially and yet brings home new clothes every week. If you identify, you need to realize that what seems like comfort is really digging your financial hole deeper and creating more stress. If you can begin to enjoy finding a good deal or even something for nothing, shopping can still give you a boost but in a positive way.

My Experience

I’m taking another look at couponing.  Until now, it hasn’t made much sense for me to spend time clipping coupons.  Store brands near me are really good and often cheaper than the other brands with coupons.  In addition to that, most of the coupons I saw were for stuff my family doesn’t use.  I figured the companies were just trying to advertise new products we didn’t need so why bother.  That all changed last week.

It turns out that my neighborhad a yard sale and cleared almost $1,000 on that stuff that we never use.  She has learned how to clip a coupon, shop during double coupon days, be careful what she buys and often leave the store paying tax only for her purchases.  Yeah, I’ve heard about people like her but never been able to duplicate it.  She is promising to teach me her tricks and in turn, I’ll share them with my readers.  It’s time we shopped smarter and made our dollars stretch.

The old TV shows used to tell people to “tune in next week for another exciting episode.”  If you want to get the next installment of this series, why not add your email to  the form on the right.  That way these posts will find their way to your inbox and you don’t have to remember to check back.  :0)

Since my husband doesn’t like “spicy hot” dishes, I make my curried chicken very mild. The raisins and apples are a nice balance to the curry spice and seem to cut the heat a little. You can certainly spice it up to your taste. That’s one of the benefits of cooking it yourself. In any case, my children like this so it works for us.

I usually use boneless, skinless chicken breasts because they are easier to work with but you can also use dark meat. Feel free to adapt this to what you have on hand. If you want to use legs or thighs, you can bone and chop them after they cook and then add them back to your pan.

Glenna’s Curried Chicken

On a piece of wax paper, in a large plastic bag or in a shallow dish, combine
3 Tablespoons flour
1 Tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Coat the chicken with the flour mixture.

Heat about 1 Tablespoon of oil (I use olive oil) in a pan over medium heat. Add your chicken pieces and brown for about 4 minutes each side.

Add about 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is almost done.

Add some raisins (about 1/4 cup) and an apple that you have pealed and coarsely chopped. Cook until the apple starts to soften and chicken has finished cooking.

Remove the chicken from the pan.  Take about 1 cup water or milk and add 2 Tablespoons flour to it. (I usually use the water.) Whisk it into the pan with the drippings, the apples and the raisins. Stir until the flour is thickened and is cooked. Salt to taste.

At this point I often chop the chicken into small chunks but you can serve it in larger pieces. Add it back into the pan with the gravy mixture. I usually serve it over rice.

There you have it. It sounds a lot harder than it is to make and smells wonderful while it cooks. I hope you enjoy it.

My daughter wants a new baby sling so we are planning a yard sale. By ourselves we don’t have that much to sell so we are asking some of our neighbors to join with us. That’s too big of a subject to cover here but I will let you know how it turns out. Meanwhile, here are the rest of Robert’s tips.

10. Get a good refurbished computer about six months out of date when you need a new computer. Refurbished laptops and desktops have lasted longer with less trouble than the three new computers I’ve owned. I suspect that the refurbishing process is one more level of shakedown and inspection as opposed to factory processes that rush new tech to market. Same for most electronics. Cost is much lower, quality much higher for the cost and in a subtle way it’s far better quality because the refurbishers are very careful about their work and eliminate flaws. You got the survivors of that batch when they get refurbished.

11. Buy a good used car instead of a new car. I know, that won’t actually stimulate the economy, but it’ll cost a lot less and it has the same refurbish benefits as the refurb computers. You may even manage to get a good running one without making car payments and that could eliminate an entire bill from your budget.

12. For vacations, check out church retreats and club events where the members or congregation have done everything to cut costs and it’s not for profit. A weekend camping with comfortable cabins and meals might only cost $30 or $40 a person versus the usual costs of weekend vacations. Even longer vacations can be organized by a group you belong to with a theme or activity that you genuinely enjoy, among people you know. They are much more likely to be cheaper because the group gets group rates and can cut expenses while having a good time.

If you want to organize something like that, plan a year in advance. Get plenty of people signing up for it — it could be anything from a family gathering to a topical hobby week at a hotel. When hotels sell a certain number of hotel rooms in a package the rates drop real low, plus they throw in perks like free conference rooms and party rooms. The process of planning and organizing the event can be a good way to bond with your friends and have a good time working up to it.

13. Be patient. Instant gratification usually costs a bundle. When you plan a luxury event or purchase and take your time window shopping, weigh your priorities and choices and change them constantly, that is a pleasurable kind of planning. It’s not as painful as cutting back when it’s focused on “get the most for my money” and I spend lots of time hunting for bargains on — luxuries. Extras that I could live without but enjoy very much. It’s important to have at least some discretionary budget, not just for finding sudden clearance bargains but to keep out of a bitter hopeless sense of frustration. It doesn’t have to be much to be a lot of fun, but every financial counselor or money expert I’ve ever known has pointed out that entertainment budget is necessary for anyone to save money over the long haul.

So when you save money on any of these tips, you make that entertainment budget a little larger. Make sure to reward yourself for all this thrift. For everything that you like and put off till later, think of something cool that you want and will get later on — don’t break promises to self on this sort of thing or it’s too easy to go off the budget and crash.

I am making this article available by Creative Commons Attribution – No Derivative Works, as it is for public benefit. I have one specific condition you must abide by: if you are reposting this article, you MUST link to http://www.explore-oil-pastels-with-robert-sloan.com as well as my Qassia page. That is the one specific attribution I require for you to copy and distribute this article. This text is part of the article and should not be deleted.

(Gandree Continues)

I’ve known for a long time that a new car depreciates as soon as you drive it off the dealer’s lot. It doesn’t make that much difference if your new car is a year or two old. Just shop around for the best deal and love what you get.

As far as vacations go, one of the best ones we ever took was a week or two before Christmas. Here in Florida, the water is still warm, the weather is cooler, the kids are in school so the beaches aren’t crowded and the hotels aren’t booked up. It’s a perfect combination. I bet you can find a similar deal where ever you live.

I really appreciated Robert Sloan’s tips. You can tell that he has had some experience with having to save money and has done it with class. A lot of it has to do with battling the fear that tells you that you won’t make it. Usually going through hard times is not as bad as thinking and worrying about it. It always helps to know someone has successfully been there before. That is one of the reasons I write this blog. I hope it helps.

* * * Cheap Living Today is now listed in the JJAE Web Directory! * * *

Many people with grown children have extra rooms in their house. Consider renting one out. If you have a church family, you can often find someone there who needs affordable housing. You can make the terms as flexible as you wish. Include meals and laundry or not. It’s up to you and can help pay the electric bill.

Let’s continue with part 2 of our series.

6. Take up a real sport or outdoor activity instead of joining a gym for your health. Unless you are so passionate about gym stuff itself, such as bodybuilding as a hobby, it will become both a time and money sink. You can get better health if you take up something like plein air painting, marathon walking, softball or some physical activity that gives great enjoyment but can be organized just by meeting others who are interested in sharing it. Most times the fees for sports clubs and so on are a lot cheaper than gym memberships. If there isn’t a club for what you want to do, put up flyers and online notices in your area’s local website to start one and give your contact information.

7. Cut back or cut out convenience foods in favor of raw ingredients. Baking your own bread is healthier with whole wheat flour. Oatmeal, the normal kind, cooks as fast as instant and costs pennies on the dollar versus instant packets, even if you put in the raisins, brown sugar, apple bits and so on.

Breakfast cereal is a huge offender for not being cost effective, it’s expensive and vanishes fast but hasn’t got nearly the nutrition that hot cereals made at home do. Turkey is a good bargain for cost of meat and quantity of good meat, either ground turkey or just roasting a whole one with all the trimmings and eating on it for a week. By eliminating overpriced processed convenience foods, you can afford to buy at organic food stores and improve quality.

If you don’t have a lot of time for cooking, plan for crock pot meals and choose a weekend day to cook several big dishes at the same time. Save individual servings in Tupperware in the fridge and eat all week without stopping to cook. A benefit is being able to customize that to exactly your own tastes. Even a person living alone can save money cooking in bulk rather than spending hours on just one meal (except special occasions).

8. Shop online. The overhead for almost anything you can buy online is a lot lower than businesses supporting more employees, rent in a good location and utilities for a shop. Retail prices are based on costs of running “brick and mortar” shops — so online businesses routinely sell way below retail. For the patience of waiting a few days for the item to arrive, you may get it at half price or less. I’ve applied this to art supplies and my studio setup is worth about three times as much as I’ve invested in it over the years. I get the best of everything by watching for Clearance sales and email coupons from my favorite suppliers. Windowshopping at physical stores and then buying online can be a way to have fun.

9. Shop at thrift and secondhand shops. If you enjoy the process of shopping as many people do, it’s as much fun going to a thrift shop with a set cash budget in pocket as it would be to cruise through a mall with a credit card. You are still getting personal, respectful attention from salespeople and getting to make choices on the spot. That is the real pleasure of in person shopping.

So take it to a flea market and spend only cash that you really have and already budgeted. You’ll start getting into bargain hunting and improve everything from your wardrobe and furnishings to books, hobbies and tools at a fraction of the cost.

(Glenna’s Comment)

OK, cost saving ideas on cooking and bargain shopping are right up my alley. :0) I have been making large portions and eating several meals off them. I find my husband gets tired of the same thing more than 2 or 3 times but I can freeze part and serve it a week or two later. I often do this with soup or chili. It’s nice to have something to grab when you are too tired to cook or need something in a hurry. I don’t have a big freezer but if you are going to eat something within a month or so, you can still do it with a smaller one.

I’m looking forward to more of Robert Sloan’s cheap ideas to save money in my next post. Meanwhile, if you are curious about him, you can visit his Qondio profile.

Cheap Ideas For Saving Money Part 3

***Congratulations to us! We’re now listed in the Directory Storm Directory.***

This week I am sharing 13 Tips for Tightening Your Budget By Robert Sloan. It’s quite a lengthy article so I am going to break it up over 3 days. He has some practical ideas that might help stretch your dollars and that’s always a good idea!

* * * * *

13 Tips for Tightening Your Budget

In the current worldwide economic crisis, many people are forced to tighten their budgets. Those with jobs feel a need for less debt and more savings. Those without are adjusting down to unemployment benefits or trying to stretch what resources they have as far as they’ll go. Even those in good shape economically can benefit from tightening their budgets.

So here are some tips in no particular order that may help you shorten your monthly expenses and have more for savings or luxuries that you want.

1. Only spend money you actually have. Don’t use credit cards unless they are completely empty and you can pay the purchase in full within 30 days. Interest on credit cards is so ruinous that if you keep going on minimum payments you can wind up paying for everything you bought four or five times over before going bankrupt. The debt is real but the terms are so ludicrous that if all you do is avoid and eliminate credit card debt, that is the single biggest money saver you can do.

You’ll be surprised at the difference it makes actually living within your means. One less bill a month at a time and then retire the cards in favor of a debit card. Or keep one and treat it AS a debit card. That is dangerous because you could wind up going into debt with an emergency, but if you don’t use it as credit even in emergencies you can still collect the perks and inducements credit card companies use to hook people in.

Don’t try using it as debit unless you really can stick to it. Do NOT think of your credit line as money you have available. Most of the people I know including me, who have made this work, went cold turkey and cut up all the cards before paying off the balance or going bankrupt. If you do this before going bankrupt you can do a lot more with what you have than you thought you could.

2. Cut back or cut out on eating at restaurants unless it’s a business meal that may get you important commissions or a date that may get you a good mate. If you’re already in a relationship, prepare a romantic meal yourself at home with candlelight and flowers, it’s cheaper and more personal. A good restaurant meal can cost as much as a week or even a whole month’s food budget and when it’s over, you have nothing to show for it but the memory of the experience.

Likewise, cut out or cut down drinking in bars. If you enjoy alcohol socially, most bars don’t have much social interaction. They’re just places people sit and drink or cruise for dates. You can have a much better social experience if you purchase a bottle of liquor and for the price of one drink, invite friends over for a party.

Sure, it means cleaning up your home before and after, but it’s also a reason to clean up where you live and make it more livable. Also you have more control over who’s there and what’s going on at a party you host. If you like a weekly drink at the end of the workweek, turning that into a gathering of friends as a regular event can be just as familiar and pleasant as stopping at a bar — and you can rotate who’s buying or hosting.

3. Find hobbies that pay for themselves or make your main hobbies pay for themselves. Any hobby that you’re good at has some potential for income — projects you make can be sold on eBay, Etsy and other online markets, skills you have can be shared by writing online for websites that pay for articles.

Even if your passion isn’t something obviously easy to monetize, you can go to http://www.sitesell.com and invest in an SBI website. The business plan and Site Build It software will turn any passionate interest into an ad-supported topical interest website that usually at least pays for itself and most often winds up making a real profit on the time you’d spend hanging out online writing about your favorite topic.

Other venues for topical nonfiction don’t take the $299 investment of SBI! so you can start in a no-capital way with http://www.ehow.com, http://www.helium.com and other pay for posts sites.

4. Purchase games that you own instead of getting into pay-for-play online gaming. The quality of home games makes them a good bargain for amount of entertainment time you get, but pay-for-play games add another bill to your budget.

5. Bank at a credit union. You will get better service because your “share” account is exactly that — you’re a shareholder in that financial institution and they will cater to you as shareholder as well as customer. Credit unions often offer better terms and are not going to run the ripoffs that a bank whose main interest is stockholder dividends will pull. You get a better deal and better service with less sales pressure to participate in high risk or high interest financial activities.

* * * * *

(Glenna’s Comment)

There you have our first 5 cheap ideas. I would add to his ideas on buying games that you can often find games at your local library, yardsales, Craigs List or even online. New is not necessarily better. When you are working to incorporate cost saving ideas into your budget, talk to your children. Let them know that all of you have to cut back but that doesn’t mean they can’t have any fun. If they insist that their socializing revolves around a certain online game, find ways that they can make money and pay for it themselves. (ie, What they can sell or do to make money) You might be surprised at their creativity once they realize how important their contribution is.

I’ll share more of Robert Sloan’s cheap ideas in my next post. Meanwhile, if you are curious about him, you can visit his Qondio profile.

Cheap Ideas For Saving Money Part 2

The other part is one of those cost saving ideas that makes sense to us here at Cheap Living Today.  If you know that you are going to shop at a particular store, you can buy a discounted gift card and apply it to your purchase.  It’s like an instant coupon.  You can boost your savings by adding other coupons or shopping sales.  This is especially nice if you have to buy a big ticket item.  It’s really worth your time to check out the Plastic Jungle and see if they have something that fits your need.

The reason I like this so much is that it really is a win/win situation for all involved.    PlasticJungle.com verifies the validity of the card so you are guaranteed to be getting what you purchase.  When the original card holders can get some cash for a card they don’t want to use and other people can buy that card at a discount, what’s not to like?