Frugal Ideas

The holidays are slowly approaching us and that means many of you will be dishing out money for presents.  When it became all about the presents I have no idea but with the way the economy is finding that money isn't going to be easy. Billshrink.com has a few tips to help us find more money for the holidays... or really for anything.  Here is another tip... Tip #2 Bottled Water = $78 savings over the next few months Water is one of those things that you should try not to pay for. With 2/3 of the world covered in water and filters that convert “tap water” to filtered water (such as a Brita) for about $20, you should stick to filling up a water bottle rather than shelling out $1-2 for...

The holidays are slowly approaching us and that means many of you will be dishing out money for presents.  When it became all about the presents I have no idea but with the way the economy is finding that money isn't going to be easy. Billshrink.com has a few tips to help us find more money for the holidays... or really for anything.  Here is the first tip... Tip #1 Lay Off the Starbucks = $160 savings over next few months A tall coffee at Starbucks approaches $2.00. If you drink one of those every weekday, you’re spending $10 a week, $40 per month and roughly $520 per year. (And this is one of the cheapest items at Starbucks!) If you absolutely need a caffeine fix every day, consider...

A guest post by Beeb Ashcroft who is also known as Super Coupon Girl.  Her blog name fits her well.  She is amazing with using coupons and I love seeing her pictures of her shopping trips and hearing how much it cost her, or didn't cost her!  She's extremely inspiring.  She even shares pictures of her meals showing exactly how she uses all the products she buys. Recycling Centers: How I Get So Many Coupons For Free One of the questions I get asked a lot is, “Where do you get all of these coupons from?” When people see me buying 24 boxes of pasta, it’s natural for them to wonder how I’m doing it. After all, it wouldn’t be very cost effective to buy 24 newspapers every week. There are lots...

Mary from Couponers United recently posted about how to make liquid soap out of bar soap. We are a liquid soap family but it's not always the best deal. I never knew you could turn a bar of soap into liquid soap until I read this post. And it's so easy! Since you can get bar soap really cheap sometimes, this would be a great way to cut the cost of something you use everyday! Supplies needed: 1 bar of soap, pan, grater, 2 cups of water Grate the bar of soap into pan Add 2 cups of water and melt over medium heat Allow to cool..you can fill two to three hand soap dispensers!  Super easy. I will be trying this as soon as I get back from BlogHer.  I have so many bars of soap that I got for FREE...

.... What do you do with it all? A guest post by Kristen from Frugality In The Making If you are reading Karen's blog, then there is a great chance you know about all of the wonderful items you can get for free. And, if you are a couponer, I am sure you have a stash of items that you will never use!  Hey, we all have them. They were free, or even better they Made you money!  How could you walk away from a deal like that? So, now you have them. But what do you DO with it all? I have been stockpiling and shopping the money makers for 4 years now and these are some ideas that I have come up with for those less desirable (to you) items: Donations- You can donate so many items to shelters and...

Make sure when using your coupons you check the fine print.  If it doesn't say "not good on trial size" then you can use it on the trial size.  There are so many items you can get for FREE when using the coupon on the trial size.  Manufacturers put restrictions on the coupons so if it's not there then it's perfectly legit! Target and Walmart both have a huge trial size section.   Actually my CVS does too.  If the coupon is for $1.00/1 any size (or no restrictions) and the trial size is $.98 then you can still use the coupon.  It will beep at the register and the cashier will have to override it.  Most store policies will state that they will change the value of the coupon to the amount of...

I'd like to explain some of the benefits of having a stockpile. You almost NEVER have to pay full price for something when you need it because you are stockpiling when things are on sale, and hopefully with a coupon. You almost always have something on hand to cook for dinner, make for lunch or to put together a quick snack.  And if you happen to have bad weather, you'll be all set for food. Stockpiling DOES save you money, if you do it slowly. Don't try to get everything in one shopping trip. It could take months to build up a good stockpile. One thing to remember is that just about everything has an expiration date. When my mother first began her stock pile, she quickly realized she...

How about saving $387.03 & avoiding the gym this year, but still getting in shape? Here are some tips from esurance.com on how you can do just that! Americans waste more than $15 billion a year on unused gym memberships. That's a whole lot of money for absolutely nothing. The average gym membership costs $480 per year, but if you're determined to get in shape this year, we put together a short list of affordable gym alternatives. Stick with the following suggestions and you could save $387.03: Medicine ball – $36.99 Medicine ball exercises help to build muscle and burn fat, and you can do them almost anywhere. Suitable for all ages and fitness levels, medicine balls allow for improved...

At least once or twice a year it's good to sit down and look through your monthly bills to see if there is a way to save some money.  As things change in your life, the cost may go down on certain bills like your insurance.   It's worth it to take some time and look into possibly lowering your rate. Here are 8 Tips for saving $$ on auto insurance courtesy of Esurance.com: Ask your friends if they like their auto insurance companies (Facebook is one good way) What are your needs? Answer a few questions and find out at Esurance Coverage Counselor. Do you really need towing coverage? You may already have it from an auto club or credit card. Why pay twice? Drive safely. Speeding tickets and...

Guest Post by Shel Horowitz When I travel, I usually stay in the home of a total stranger-a member of the homestay network I've been part of since 1983. Why? You get a much stronger sense of a place and its people; you live as they do for a few days, in a real neighborhood You get steered away from tourist rip-offs and toward fascinating, offbeat destinations you might have never known about on your own You sometimes make new friends Sometimes, your host can hook you up with key contacts in your interest areas (we've hooked visitors up with mediators, body workers, local historians, art gallery owners-and when we've traveled, our hosts have connected us with peace and environmental...

Guest Post by Melissa Hasan Last minute hotel deals are often some of the best you can find. While hotels may offer specific discounts ahead of time, the real deals are booked just before your stay, often within a week or two. These deals are perfect for the more spontaneous traveler. They could also be used to extend your vacation if you are having a blast and want to stick around to take advantage of a good bargain. Why do these last minute hotel deals exist? Well, there are a few reasons that hotels may offer them. Cancellations It’s not uncommon for wedding parties, family reunions and convention groups to book a block of rooms for a specific date. If they later cancel, the hotel...

Guest Post by Bethany North You may be surprised at how easy it is to save money around the house when you put your mind to it! The first change that my boyfriend and I made was to go down to a single car within our home. Not everyone has this option, but my boyfriend works about a mile away from our house, and I work at home. It is always convenient to have two cars, but one of our cars was constantly sitting there useless because we didn't use it. We sold our second vehicle on Craigslist, and we didn't even make a profit off of it. We just sold it at an amount where we could pay off what was owed on it so that we wouldn't have to pay that car payment any longer. This idea isn't for...

Saving money can be a lot of work, especially when you first begin.  I've received several emails from readers that recently found me after an article I was mentioned in, and a lot of them don't know where to begin and feel extremely overwhelmed after going through my blog. It's OK if you feel this way, you should!  If this is all new to you then I don't expect you to be able to go out to a store tomorrow and save $50.  It's just not possible for most to start out that way. I will say this.  Figure out what you want to do, where you want to start and how much time and effort you want to put into it.  You can begin by making yourself a money saving guide and include areas you'd like to save...

Here's an opportunity to ask me questions that you have about saving money, shopping, using coupons, becoming frugal, shopping online etc.  I will try to answer them as best as I can. Please fill out the form below.  This is completely optional and only I will see the results.  Thanks!  I look forward to reading them. If the box does not appear below, please go here to fill the form. If you are new here, please take a moment and fill out my Reader Survey here. Thanks!