Because I still want to give back and help promote causes I feel strongly about I have entered the ranks of volunteers for certain organizations.

As I’m beginning to prepare my tax deductions for the last year – I just discovered that I can use a 14 cents a mile deduction for driving my own car to a meeting or volunteer stint at a qualified charitable organization.

And if I am lucky enough to be going out of town as an official delegate to a meeting of a charitable group – my transportation and travel expenses can be deducted as well.

Donating used items to a charity?

1. Determine the value of each item

If you routinely donate items to an organization during the course of the year – here are a few things to keep in mind:  You should do your homework and occasionally go to a thrift store to figure out what a good used sweater sells for.

Itemize all of your items before taking them to the collection point and ask for a donation form where you can easily place the number of items and what you think they are worth.

If it’s a larger item, like an old but working car — protect yourself from a possible audit, by getting a qualified appraisal for the car from a used car dealer before handing over the keys – particularly if it’s worth over five hundred dollars.

Then and more importantly – follow the charity auction and get a receipt from the charity stating how much the auto actually was auctioned for. You’ll need these to back up your donation.

2. Always – always ask for a receipt

Starting in 2007 the tax laws changed and the IRS took the guesswork out of itemized charitable donations. Now, you must always have a receipt for ANY donations you make. Even the five bucks you drop into the red buckets at Christmas time. Ask the bell ringer for the mailing address of his charity and mail them a check. They will appreciate the donation just as much and you’ll have the cancelled check to prove the donation.

3. Attending a charity dinner or dance?

Finally, if you are like many of us we attend one or two charity fund raising events a year. Be sure you look at your ticket stub carefully. If the actual donation amount, as opposed to the ticket price, is not clearly stated on the stub – take the time to call the charity and ask.

The IRS only allows us to use the amount that actually goes to the charity after the event is over and paid for. Understand that those hors d’oeuvres and the advertising of the event may not have been covered by a corporate sponsor this year. Loosely translated – that means that only a percentage of the cost of the ticket goes back to the charity. Find out what that percentage is!

This guest post was written by Mary Ann Rosenthal, who is a grandmother to four beautiful children under the age of five. She is dedicated to helping her friends and family save money and works with her son Aaron at CyberMondayDeals.com. She is also an artist, writer and aspiring photographer living in Saint Augustine, Florida.

Photo Credit: Orin Zebest

It’s nice to see what real people’s grocery budgets are.

And it seems about half of you include toiletries and paper products in your budget, which means when you compare you budget to other family budgets, you might not be comparing apples to apples.

That being said, let’s get to the winner of the giveaway.

And the winner is…

Kerri S.

Congrats, Kerri! I will send you an email. Please respond within 48 hours or I’ll have to pick a new winner.

I never seem to have enough time left in the day, much less time for myself. And sometimes I skimp on sleep to get something done.

My husband thinks that I stay up late at night to watch movies. How I wish that were true! I honestly don’t have the time.

After I put my daughter to bed, I’m usually paying our bills, washing dishes, cooking, or working on Living Richly on a Budget.

How many of us feel this way? Whether you are a stay at home parent or work outside the home, by the end of the day, you’re frazzled. How do people accomplish things, especially when you have kids?

Last year, I stumbled across Amy Lynn Andrews’ blog BloggingwithAmy.com. I was intrigued by her writing and discovered that she wrote an e-book about time management called Tell Your Time.

Now, there are a lot of time management books out there but this one’s different because it’s only 30 pages long and it’s an e-book. You can download it instantly.

I ended up reading it fairly quickly and then shelved it on my computer. I did nothing about it. As a result, nothing changed in my life!

Fast forward a year later. I came across her e-book again. This time, there’s a new version of Tell Your Time. So I bought it again. It’s only $4.99 and a quick download.

This time, I have more of purpose going in. I really want to accomplish some goals. I don’t want days to end without having anything to show for it.

I dove in and read it quickly. In this new version, she has links to worksheets so I printed them and filled them out. In 30 minutes, I read Tell Your Time and filled out the worksheets. And now I have a framework for a time schedule that includes all the things I need to do and things I want to do.

Let me tell you, I feel so much better writing down my goals in a way that I can organize my priorities.

Amy guides through through this process so that you’re forced to determine what’s really important and what’s not so you can cut things out! Yes, I said it. It’s hard to say no to certain things. But when you do the exercise of filling out these 4 worksheets, you will breathe easier. You will have a reason to say no and not feel bad.

I also like that now I have set activities that I know have to get done and time blocked out for them. When things are written down on paper, it frees up my mind to worry and stress less. I won’t have to juggle things as much since I have a set time to do the things that need to be done.

What you’ll get out of Tell Your Time:

• Figure out your priorities.
• Be more productive and get more done with your time.
• Ensure that the things that need to get done will get done.
• Accomplish short term and long term goals.
• Dare to dream and reach lifelong goals.

If you want to accomplish more things with your limited time, check out Amy Lynn Andrews ebook Tell Your Time. It’s only 30 pages long and you’ll zip through it. And it’s well written and not filled with fluff.

Time is money. Don’t let it go to waste without you ever fulfilling your dreams!

Download Tell Your Time instantly!

This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting my site!

If you want to save money, it’s time to start planning so you won’t be forced to overspend to buy something at the last minute.

Flowers, chocolates, stuffed animals, cards, jewelry, and fancy dinners can all add up, if you’re not prepared.

According to the National Retail Federation, the average person will spend $126 on Valentine’s Day this year! That number includes spending on significant others, children, friends, and even pets.

Are you prepared?

Here are some tips to save on Valentine’s Day.

1. Plan ahead.

 When you take the time to plan ahead, you’ll always have more options. You’ll have time to look for the best deals and plan out what things you can make instead of buy.

2. Make your own cards.

 Handmade cards are not only cheaper but better since you made them! If you need ideas on cards you can make, check out these 10 printable Valentine’s Day cards. These also include cards you can make for your child’s class.

3. Bake treats.

There’s nothing that says love like a homemade chocolate cake, brownie, or cookies. For Valentine’s Day, why not make it more special by making heart-shaped cookies, brownies, or a cake? Mrs. Fields and other bake shops sell this but you can make the same thing at home with heart shaped molds.

4. Cook a romantic dinner.

Valentine’s Day dinners cost a premium at restaurants and you have to make a reservation ahead of time. Instead, cook a nice intimate dinner at home or order in. Then splurge on a decadent dessert.

5. Buy flowers from a discount source.

Check out places like Costco and wholesale flower markets that sell flowers at a discount. You’ll have to arrange the flowers yourself and go really early to get the best selection. If you’re comfortable doing this, then this is a great way to save. Otherwise, see the next tip.

6. Buy flowers other than roses.

Sometimes sending flowers on Valentine’s Day is a must. And if you choose this option, here is a way to save. If your significant other’s favorite flower is something other than roses, then by all means, get them their favorite flower, be it tulips, orchids, gerbera daisies, etc. Roses are in high demand and marked up the highest around Valentine’s Day. Make your significant other happy as well as your wallet by forgoing roses on Valentine’s Day.

7. Spend time together.

Retailers may hype up Valentine’s Day to make more sales but don’t feel like you have to buy everything that has a heart on it. Valentine’s Day is not about buying things. It’s really a day to spend time with your significant other. All that matters is that you do something to let your significant other know that you appreciate them.

This article was my guest post, originally posted at Mango Money.

Photo Credit: Muffet

If you’re looking to save on groceries, this is for you.

Enter to win a $25 gift card to any SuperValu grocery store and a free Jonathan Adler roll cover, sponsored by Cottonelle Clean Care toilet paper.

Supervalu stores include Albertsons, Lucky, Acme, Shop ‘n Save, Shoppers, Kornbachers, Jewel-Osco, Cub Foods, Farm Fresh, W. Newell and Co., Shaw’s, and Save a lot.

Cottonelle came up with an attractive way to store those extra toilet paper rolls. Introducing the roll cover, designed by chic interior designer, Jonathan Adler.

Slip an extra roll of toilet paper into this stylish roll cover and display it right in your bathroom! There’s no need to hide those extra rolls anymore.

There are 3 designs to choose from – Barjella Blue, Chevron Pink, and Clover Green.

When you buy an 18 pack of Cottonelle Clean Care Toilet Paper at participating Supervalu stores, you’ll receive a FREE Jonathan Adler Roll Cover (while supplies last). Here’s how it works. When you buy the 18 pack, you’ll get an offer code that you’ll use to order your free roll cover at Cottonelle.com. There will be a shipping and handling fee of $1.99 per roll cover.

You can also order a roll cover at Cottonelle.com for $3.99, including shipping and handling.

Or enter this giveaway for your chance to win a free roll cover and a $25 Supervalu grocery gift card.

How to enter:

Leave a comment below answering either of the following questions.

You may answer both questions in 2 separate comments for 2 chances to win.

1. Do you include toilet paper, cleaning products, and toiletries (toothpaste, soap) in your grocery budget?

2. What is your monthly grocery budget and for how many people?

Be sure to include your email in the email* field so that I can contact you if you win. Your info will not be shared.

Giveaway ends Friday, February 17, 2012 at midnight PST. I will use random.org to pick a winner. Must live in the U.S. and be 18 years or older to enter.

Full disclosure: I’m receiving a Supervalu gift card and roll cover to promote this contest.

It was great to hear your comments on what you would use this book for.

I love hearing from you!

A lot of you are interested in creating a budget and living on less.

I think we’re all in the same boat!

It will inspire some future posts on those topics.

Without further ado…

And the winners are:

Hilary Caudill

Laura Jewell

Congratulations! I’ll be emailing the winners. Please respond within 48 hours with your mailing address.

Thank you for participating!

Look out for another giveaway coming soon.

After all, you don’t want to run the risk of offending the employee or manager your dealing with and have the situation turn ugly.

A couple weeks ago I caught an old episode of 20/20 on ABC in which they had a segment titled ‘How To Bargain Anywhere, With Anyone’.

They talked about haggling for a better price, even at big chain stores like Macy’s, Home Depot, and Best Buy.

It was very interesting piece, and Teri Gault, the creator of The Grocery Game.com, gave some great tips:

Assume It’s Negotiable – Gault gave the example of big ticket items like furniture and electronics. In the segment, she went into a large furniture store and asked the sales associate what was the best price he could give her. He said it was not on sale, at which point she asked to speak with a manager who in the end sold the item to her for $40 off the sticker price.

Look For Imperfect Items – This would seem to work well in clothing and hardware stores where many items have imperfections. I have asked for a discount this way with good success. I used to work at The Home Depot and we were encouraged to lower the price for customers to move imperfect items off the shelf and out of the store.

Quantity Discount – This is the notion that the more you buy, the bigger the discount you should ask for. I did this at Best Buy a couple years ago when I was buying a TV and a DVD player. I asked the manager if he would give me $50 off the DVD player if I bought both today. He said “sure” faster than I could finish my sentence. Always worth a try.

Do Your Research and Compare Prices – You have a great negotiating tool if you know what other stores are selling the item for. Many stores have a price match policy or a 110% price match guarantee where they will actually undersell their competition. Knowledge is power.

There definitely is a science to haggling and choosing the right words to use. I’m not sure I would feel comfortable asking to speak to a manager just to see if he/she could lower the price on a single item that had nothing wrong with it. For me, that might cross the line into just being a pain in the rear-end. Have you ever tried this? If so, were you successful in scoring a discount?

Whether you are a haggler or not, hopefully these coupons can help you save some additional money shopping at some of the more popular online stores. No haggling required to get these discounts.

Abe Books.com
Free Shipping on your Entire purchase
Coupon Code: None Needed
Expiration: 2/29/12
See All: Abe Books Coupons

All Posters.com
Save 20% off your Entire purchase
Coupon Code: HEARTAPC
Expiration: 3/06/12
See All: All Posters Coupons

Crate & Barrel.com
Save 20% Off All Bedding and Bedding Essentials
Coupon Code: None Needed
Expiration: 3/04/12
See All: Crate & Barrel Coupons

Dickies.com
Save 20% Off your Entire order
Coupon Code: LOVE
Expiration: 2/29/12
See All: Dickies Coupons

Eddie Bauer.com
Save 25% off your online purchase
Coupon Code: SPRING12
Expiration: 2/15/12
See All: Eddie Bauer Coupons

PacSun.com
Save 15% Off $100+ + Free Shipping
Coupon Code: PACSUNVALENTINE
Expiration: 2/29/12
See All: PacSun Coupons

Sharper Image.com
Save $10 off your $100+ purchase
Coupon Code: AFF14980
Expiration: 3/31/12
See All: Sharper Image Coupons

Smart Bargains.com
Save 15% Off your Entire online order
Coupon Code: None Needed
Expiration: 2/24/12
See All: Smart Bargains Coupons

This guest post was written by Kyle James, who owns and operate a website called Rather-Be-Shopping.com which specializes in promotional codes for over 700 stores, organized in 25 shopping categories.

Photo Credit: evilsarah

And no, it doesn’t come from winning the lottery.

It’s about changing your mindset and outlook on life.

No matter what your circumstances are, you can be happy.

It’s all a matter of whether or not you choose to look at the positives or dwell on the negatives.

Do you tell yourself that you will get out of debt and have a more stable financial future or do you sulk and tell yourself that you’ll never pay off debt or get anywhere in life?

What you tell yourself in your head is really important. People who are successful in life think positively. They told themselves that they would reach their goals and they did.

How did we pay off over $10,000 in debt when my husband and I were living on one income and I was in and out of jobs from layoffs? It started with changing our mindset that we were going to pay it off.

Don’t borrow money.

In the beginning, out of pure desperation, I wanted to borrow money to get out of this hole. I felt like we were on a sinking ship and I wished so badly that someone would bail us out.

Believe that you can pay  it off.

My dad gave me a pep talk on how I could pay it off. And that was the boost that I needed to go for it.

Learn all you can about personal finance and budgeting.

So I read all the books I could find on personal finance at the library. And I would repeat Suze Orman’s mantra “I have more money than I will ever need”, whenever I felt like we didn’t have enough money that month.

Get your significant other on the same page.

My husband and I had lots of talks about our finances and we decided that we had to be on the same page. This is probably the hardest part about paying off debt, getting your significant other to work with you, not against you.

Start a debt payment plan on Excel or paper.

Then I started an Excel sheet of all the debts we had, the interest rates, minimum amounts due, and due dates. Every month, I would look at this sheet and decide which debt to “attack”.

Pay off the smallest debt first and celebrate small victories.

I heard about Dave Ramsey’s Snowball Method of paying off the lowest debt first, instead of the one with the highest interest rate.

And paying off the smallest credit card debt and not having to think about it ever again, felt like a huge burden lifted off my shoulders! It freed up more money to apply to another debt. And it felt good to cross that debt off the Excel sheet and not have to think about paying it the next month or ever again.

Use windfalls to pay off debt faster.

When we had a windfall, we would pay off more of the debts. One by one, we paid off each debt until all of it was gone!

And we’re going to have to start paying off debt again, medical bills. It seems insurmountable again. But I will start the same process of a debt Excel sheet again. And pay off these debts. We did it once and we will do it again.

Need inspiration?

Here is an uplifting video by Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage, a book I want to read. He is speaking at the exclusive TED conference on how to be happy.

It’s worth watching because he’s not only entertaining but he drives his point through, on how you can change your life around and be happy. If you need a motivator, this is it!

Photo Credit: Jessica.Tam

It’s easy to get caught up in the thrill of having a newborn and the overwhelming desire to provide them with anything and everything they could ever possibly need.

A lot of times we don’t consider that they aren’t going to remember or care about those fancy outfits you put them in to parade them around town.

While some things are worth the splurge, not everything is and it’s important to realize when it’s time to step back and save money instead of spending, and what’s worth shelling out a few extra bucks.

1.      Baby furniture

Before you go out and buy a brand new changing station, dresser, and rocking chair for your new child search through Craig’s List, Ebay, garage sales, or any other places like that where you can find like-new items for a heavily discounted price.

You would be amazed how much stuff you can find that has barely been used but people are selling for a fraction of the cost just so they can get rid of it.

2.      Diapers

Obviously diapers are a staple for your newborn, so it makes sense in this case to visit a wholesale warehouse store that sells mass quantities of the item for cheaper than the usual grocery store finds.

3.      Baby clothes

Take a second to browse the clearance racks at stores, look on websites like Ebay, and even work out a clothing swap with friends. Your baby is only going to wear the clothes for a very limited amount of time – they outgrow clothes extremely fast in the first months being home – so you don’t need to waste money buying everything brand new.

4.      Multiple Car Seats

You may think you need a car seat for each car your family owns but it’s really just money that you could be saving instead of spending. Instead just move the car seat from car to car. Most of the time you can purchase an extra base that will fit the car seat so moving the seat is easy and fast.

5.      Know When to Splurge

There are some items you should go ahead and splurge on though, and those are usually the crib, car seat, and stroller. You want to make sure that you’re not buying something that may have something wrong with it unknowingly and the best way to do that is to buy it new instead of second-hand.

Not everything has to be brand new and name brand for your new baby – you can often buy the generic brands for baby food, diapers, wipes, and formula to name a few and still get the same quality products, and your baby will have no idea if what they’re wearing is a designer label or not.

But you should also know when it’s ok and even necessary to splurge in order to keep your child safe and sound.

This guest post was written by Heather Smith, who is an ex-nanny. Passionate about thought leadership and writing, Heather regularly contributes to various career, social media, public relations, branding, and parenting blogs/websites. She also provides value to become a nanny by giving advice on site design as well as the features and functionality to provide more and more value to nannies and families across the U.S. and Canada. She can be available at H.smith7295 [at] gmail.com.

Photo Credit: cascade_lily

If you’re not familiar with Crystal Paine, check out her blog MoneySavingMom.com.

You can also read my review of her book 7 Lessons from the Money Saving Mom’s Budget.

It’s a great book for those who want to start a budget, manage time better, declutter more efficiently, and be more frugal.

Are you ready for another giveaway? Here we go!

I’ve updated the ways to enter from when I originally posted to make it simpler.

4 Ways to Enter:

1. Leave a comment about how this book would help you. Make sure to leave your email in the email* field.

2. “Like” Living Richly on a Budget on Facebook and leave a comment below with your full name so I can find you on Facebook.

3. If you already “Like” us on Facebook (Thank You!), then just share this giveaway on Facebook http://www.livingrichlyonabudget.com/giveaway-the-money-saving-moms-budget-book and leave a comment below with your full name so I can find you on Facebook.

4. Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment with your Twitter username.

Please be sure to leave your email in the email* field so that I can contact you if you win!

Giveaway ends February 9, 2012 at midnight PST. Good luck!

We will use random.org to pick 2 winners. Must live in the U.S. and be 18 years or older to enter.