Money Saving Mom's Budget Review

About a year ago I was looking for ways to save my family money so I began reading and following Crystal Paine's blog Money Saving Mom.  I follow quite a few frugal, money-saving blogs but I have always been a big fan of Crystal's wonderful advice.  In the first few weeks of following her blog, I scoured all of her past posts and read every article she had written on the blog.  I was beyond impressed and intrigued.  So, you can imagine my excitement when I received an e-mail several weeks ago letting me know I was receiving a pre-release copy of Crystal's book The Money Saving Mom's Budget.

You can pre-order Crystal's new book here for $11.09!



After reading Crystal's blog for a while, I was afraid that the book would just be a repeat of the information available on her blog.  Still, knowing how much I love Crystal's blog, I knew it would be a great book to read and was thrilled when my copy came in the mail.  Crystal's book did not disappoint!  She is an excellent writer who draws the reader into the material in an interesting and engaging manner.  I was pleasantly surprised to find lots of ideas, tips and tricks that I had never seen on Crystal's blogs.  I was also thrilled with the fact that it was such an easy read.  I was so intrigued and interested in the book that I finished the entire thing in 3 days.  I loved the tips and stories from Money Saving Mom that she has scattered throughout this book.  Crystal shows you how to set up attainable financial goals, both for the short-term and the long-term.  She helps you take baby steps to setting up a workable budget.  She doesn't sugarcoat it or try to tell the reader that getting out of debt and setting yourself up for financial security will be easy.  She does offer no-nonsense, straightforward advice, from goal-setting, to couponing, to using your freezer to save money that I am looking forward to applying in my own life.

I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for help on setting up a realistic and attainable budget for yourself!
 

Yard Sale Finds

One of the ways our family saves money is by shopping at yard sales.  Many of our family and friends know that we are big fans of yard sales so I was happy to get a phone call from a good friend letting me know about a great yard sale she had stumbled upon.  I quickly finished getting the kids ready and headed over--I just wish I was able to get there earlier!  Here is what I got:

For my daughter:

• 1 pair of jeans
• 1 pair of capris
• 1 pair of Danskin shorts
• 1 skot
• 2 shirts

For my son:

• 3 hats
• 1 pair of jeans
• 2 onesies
• 2 like-new zip front sweaters
• 1 sweater
• 1 button-down

Plus, I also picked up 6 children's books for my daughter.

And my grand total?  You'll never guess....

$4.95!

Can't beat that!  What money-saving strategies do you have to share?



My Carpet Cleaning Trick

The other day I was cleaning my bathrooms and made a major boo-boo.  When I carried the toilet bowl cleaner into the master bathroom, I didn't realize it was leaking.  After I finished cleaning the bathrooms, I stepped into our bedroom to find a trail of this:

Six bright blue dots from the hall closet to the bathroom.  I pulled the carpet cleaner out and went to work.  I went over the spots probably a dozen times.  This picture was actually taken AFTER I ran the carpet cleaner over the spot.  Oh no!

I thought this was surely a lost cause--if the carpet machine didn't get it up, nothing would--but I wasn't ready to give up yet.  I was out of spray carpet cleaner but I thought about the common household product I often use to clean the bathroom and kitchen...baking soda.

I tested on an inconspicuous spot to make sure it wouldn't ruin my carpet and it worked fine.  I just put a little baking soda on the spot and scrubbed with water.  For good measure, I ran the carpet cleaner over it a couple more times.  Worked like a charm:

No more blue spot!

If you decide to try this, PLEASE test on a hidden spot first as I'm not sure what kind of effect it might have on other types of carpet.

What inexpensive and easy cleaning tricks do you have up your sleeve?





Where I Find the Best Deals

I have always been pretty frugal.  Even in college, I had a budget that I stuck to no matter what.  I love a good deal and I've been known to get very upset if a deal doesn't work out the way I would have liked.  Just last night I lost out on a REALLY good deal because the cashier did not know about a change in Wal-mart's coupon policy and refused to honor some of my coupons. 

Because of my frugal ways, I have quickly learned where I can find the best deals on certain products.  I am not one to shop at 10 different stores each week.  I like to minimize my errands as much as possible in order to maximize my time, so I seek the best deals possible at the places where I shop.  Here is my list of where I've learned I can find the best deals on particular products over the years:

Grocery stores--I almost always buy my meat at grocery stores.  Some people keep a price book where they keep track of regular and best sale prices for certain items.  Ground beef and chicken are the two meat items I purchase the most.  I know that $1.99/lb is a good deal on boneless chicken breasts or thighs, $.99/lb is my good deal price for drumsticks and $.79/lb is the best deal for whole chickens in my area.  I also know that anything under $1.99/lb is a good price for ground beef.  I used to purchase meat at warehouse clubs but realized that I could get a better deal on sale prices at grocery stores.  When I find meat on sale for these prices, I stock up and fill my freezer.  I've also been known to break out my calculator to find out how much I would be paying per pound on discounted meat that is about to expire.  Sometimes the discount meat is a great deal--the other day I got chicken for $1.79/lb!  But oftentimes the discounted price ends up not being a great deal. 

I also purchase cereal, condiments and snack items at the grocery store using coupons.  Since my grocery store doubles coupons up to $1 on Wednesdays, I often get these items for cheap or very inexpensive.

Warehouse Clubs--We shop at BJ's in our area, but many locations also have Sam's or Costco to choose from.  I will occasionally buy meat from BJ's if my grocery store does not have what I need on sale.  We stock up on cheese, milk, large bags of chicken nuggets/marinated chicken and large containers of seasoning at BJ's.  I buy big containers of garlic salt, Montreal steak seasoning and Ranch seasoning in bulk because I use a LOT of these seasonings.  Large cans of tomatoes for homemade pasta sauce are also a great deal at warehouse clubs.

Drugstores--I purchase nearly all of my toiletries from drugstores and spend very little money.  I have 12-15 tubes of toothpaste in my cabinet and I have spent no more than $.50 for each tube--many have been free.  I also have 5-10 bottles of shampoo and conditioner and a number of feminine hygeine products.  I play the drugstore game by combining coupons, rebates and Extra Care Bucks (CVS) or +UP rewards (Rite Aid).  I often purchase toilet paper and paper towels using these deals.  You can find more information on Rite Aid's program by visiting Centsable Momma and CVS's program at My Frugal Adventures.

Amazon--Unless I find a great deal on diapers through drugstore deals, I almost alway buy diapers on amazon.  If you register for Amazon Mom, you will receive a 15% discount on diapers and wipes.  If you also choose the subscribe and save option, you will save a total of 30% (you can always cancel your subscribe and save account later--read more at my How to Save Money Using Amazon post).  Plus, they are delivered directly to your door in just a day or two.  Awesome deal!

Where do you find the best deals?