Tag Archives: budget

Shopping For Your Kids on a Budget

This post is featured on behalf of Polarn O. Pyret.
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Buying clothes for your kids can be expensive, what with them growing all the time and changing their tastes in fashion as they get older. However, shopping on a budget is possible by knowing where to go for discounts, which outlets sell the cheapest clothes and when to buy.

Choosing the right time to buy clothes is imperative. January sales were great, as many retailers got rid of any clothes they didn’t sell from their winter collections, while before retailer release a new range, you can always buy end-of-season clothes for discounted prices.

Shopping a year ahead is something a lot of moms do by buying a size or two bigger. This can save time and money. Going to discount stores is great too, especially if you plan on buying ahead.

To save money entirely, you could always use clothes older kids wore as hand-me-downs. This might not be ideal for older kids, but if you have any toddlers, they’ll happily wear older clothes, especially when indoors.

Shopping online can help you to buy kids clothes on a budget. Swedish kids clothes retailer Polarn O. Pyret have a 20% sale on now on kid’s coats, something I wouldn’t have known if I didn’t do a Google search beforehand, and I didn’t even have to leave the house! They also have sales offers for their international stores too.

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I look at buying layered clothing, especially for the cold winter months. This stops the kids complaining about being cold, plus they last for a while. Hybrid clothing like jeggings are great too, as they can be worn indoors and outdoors.

To make more savings, I try to look for online vouchers. They can get me discounts of at least 5% on what I buy, plus they can be used with a variety or retailers. Some retailers also have their own membership cards which entitle me to further savings if I spend a certain amount online or in store too, which is pretty neat!

7 Tips to Save Your Family More Than $4,000/Year

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We all like to save money. What started out as a necessity in our household has become somewhat of a game for me. How much money can I save during this shopping trip? How can we save an extra $20 this month? Can we get by on $25 worth of groceries this week (without going hungry)? It’s my own personal challenge.

Here are 7 money-saving tips that save our family more than $4,000 each year.

I cut my spouse’s hair. Hubster needs a haircut every 4-5 weeks, and he’d spend at least $20 each time. We purchased a haircut/trim kit for $40 and now we save $200-250/year.
We eat at home. Unless we have a gift card, we dine in almost every night. Instead of spending $20 on a weekly pizza or $40 at a restaurant once/week, we save $1,000-2,000/year.
I grocery shop based on weekly sales. Except for the staple items (in our household: bread, milk, yogurt), I plan our weekly menu based on what’s on sale that week. We now typically spend $50/week or less on groceries instead of around $75+. That’s a savings of at least $1,300/year.
We purchase C’s clothes second-hand. Unless I find an amazing deal (like the Old Navy toddler slippers I just bought for $3.33!), I purchase C’s clothes at a store for used children’s clothing. I find name-brand clothes that look new for around $3-5 per shirt (retail: $8-20) and $3-6 for pants (retail: $7-25). I’ve even found shoes for him and they have never cost more than $8/pair. It’s a great deal! We save about $300-1,000/year this way, depending on the size of C’s wardrobe and how many sizes he grows out of each year.
We own one car. Luckily, we’re in a situation in which Hubster can walk to work. We’ve decided to share a car, thereby halving our insurance and maintenance costs. This saves us at least $1,200/year.
I coupon for diapers. If you want to learn how to coupon, see Couponing 101 and 201. The bottom line: I never purchase diapers unless I can buy them for less than 18 cents/diaper (they retail at 25+ cents/diaper). This adds up to an average savings of at least $150/year.
I stock up on essentials during sales. This includes cleaning supplies, toothpaste, deodorant, diapers, etc. I only purchase toilet paper 3-4 times each year. I love stocking up on things at Target, because they often run gift card promotions. Last week, I purchased two 24-packs of our toilet paper of choice. I found printable manufacturer coupons online and also received a $5 Target gift card for future use. Combining the sale, manufacturer coupons and gift card, I saved $8 and we won’t need to purchase TP until summer! Stocking up on essentials during sales saves us hundreds of dollars/year.

Another Day, Another Dollar

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It’s the beginning of a new week, which means that I have my coupons clipped, scouted the best deals, and sorted lists and coupons by store!

Ready, Set, Save!

I’m so glad that I’m able to contribute to our finances with couponing. Standing at the checkout and watching my total come down with the scanning of each coupon is an awesome high. It’s like a game to see what I can get for $1 or less each week.

Since Hubster will be without a paycheck between grad school and his professional position (wherever that may be, and when he might start is still TBD), I’m stocking up on all the goods that we will need. My hope is that groceries will be our only expense during that period of time. I only need a few more things to complete our list!

Do you coupon?

Guest Post: 5 Nifty Thrifty DIY Tips!

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Today, we have a guest post from my dear friend Rachel, from Supermom In The Making. She blogs about the adventures of making it work with two hands and three babies. Rachel is a mom to three children under the age of two, including 10-month-old twin girls. Sometimes I truly wonder how she does it all! Below, she clues you in on some of her ultra-thrifty DIY tips. Enjoy!

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Rachel and Husband

Hi. My name is Rachel, and I’m a DIY addict. Before I married my Husband I was hopelessly and utterly lazy. I took every shortcut I could in order to save myself the effort of “doing it myself”, even if it meant spending a couple of extra bucks in the process.

This is where I introduce you to my husband. He comes from generations of DIY addicts. While we dated, I would laugh about his stories of making soap, candles and homemade wine with his granny. I’d shake my head at his household “snacks” of homegrown vegetables that came fresh, canned and even pickled.

After we were married and started having kids, I finally opened up to the idea of being “thrifty”. My goal was to save money, but I have grown to really enjoy these past times. Compared to my original addictions like fast food, TV and shopping, my DIY hobbies are healthier, more active and a wonderful way to express myself without having to spend a fortune.

So, without further ado, my DIY list:

Express Yourself

1. Decorating
This is a little vague, but I just couldn’t pick one specific thing here. Soon after buying our first home, I quickly realized that shopping for things like bedspreads, tablecloths, wall decorations, centerpieces and curtains was going to cost an arm and a leg… and probably another arm for good measure. I decided that it was time for me to get down and dirty and get creative. Sewing, knitting, quilting and crocheting took some practice, but it was well, well worth the time invested once I get the hang of it. Do you know how much a single curtain panel costs? No? Check out the home décor section at Wal-Mart. You’ll drop dead on the spot. The same can be said for hats, scarves and mittens for kids. In place of those things, you could easily buy yourself a brand new sewing machine, knitting needles and a few crochet hooks to boot. Take that overpriced fabric products!

Once you perfect your skills you can not only utilize them to make curtains, but you can patch old clothes, create new clothes, make stuffed animals, make decorative pillows (once again, O.M.G.so overpriced), make blankets and anything else your little heart desires. The possibilities are as endless as your imagination! I have saved hundreds of dollars by doing this, and in the process managed to make something that completely projects my personality rather than buying a poor imitation. Even if it’s not perfect, it’s mine and its one-of-a-kind. The same can be said for those crazy expensive pictures and paintings you can buy at craft stores. Those same stores sell paint, paintbrushes and blank canvases. Catch my drift?

New-to-You Furniture

2. Refurnishing/Repairs
Out with the old, in with the old! Refurnishing and simple repairs on furniture and baby equipment that you buy second-hand can save you an incredible amount of money. I can’t say it’s that out of the ordinary, but it’s worth noting for those that turn their nose up at “used” equipment and clothes. Between thrift stores and garage sales it’s seriously a parent and/or homeowner’s dream! To date husband and I have gotten two cribs, a double stroller, a six chair kitchen table set, three beautifully functioning car seats, a pack-n-play, gates, toys, nearly brand new baby clothes and so somuch more. All were at a mere fraction of their original cost because of a couple of loose hinges or parts needing replacing. This is where the “refurnishing and simple repairs” comes in. Ta da!

With a little elbow grease and some love you can almost always bring something back to nearly perfect condition. You tell me if it’s worth the extra effort.

Chop It Off!

3. Hair cuts
This is one of the few DIY things I’ve been doing myself since before I met husband. I’ve been cutting and dying my own hair since eighth grade (with very few exceptions). I now regularly cut Husband’s hair as well as our three kids. I also have a number of friends that ask me to dye and cut their hair as well. This skill has definitely taken quite a bit of practice over the years, but it has become a really fun way to express myself… for free!

Enjoy a Tasty Home Brew

4. Home Brewing
Here’s one for the men. Home brewing has become something of an obsession for my husband. What started as a terrible soapy tasting beer on our first try has become some of my all-time favorite beers and wines. We literally have a beer/wine cellar for all of the different drinks we’ve made, ranging from beers like a Blood Orange Hefeweizen, an Oktoberfest or a Nut Brown Ale to Apple and Grape wine. All of it was made from scratch, and all of it is honestly better than most store brand beers and wines. I’ll be honest and say it’s kind of a long process from beginning to end, but it’s a fantastic hobby to get into. Check out your local home brewing store for more details. Oh yeah, did I mention it’s approx. $25 for ingredients for 5 gallons of beer? Cha-ching!

Grow Your Own Food

5. Gardening
This, ladies and gentlemen, is our bread and butter. Gardening started as a fun past time and turned into so much more for me. The seeds are incredibly cheap, and you always get more vegetables than you know what to do with. You can easily have 20+ tomatoes per plant for the price of a bag of seeds. Over the past two years we’ve lived here I’ve planted head lettuce, leaf lettuce, broccoli, green beans, peas, zucchini, dill, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, cabbage, carrots, [deep breath] cucumbers, onions, raspberry bushes, spinach, chives, cilantro, sweet basil and a few others. The vegetables were absolutely rich and delicious compared to store bought vegetables and I knew they didn’t have any preservatives or chemicals added. The best thing is that even if you don’t have a yard, you can still grow vegetables. Tomatoes and herbs have done well for me as potted plants.

When it was time to harvest, we picked, cleaned and stored the vegetables in a freezer and they lasted us most of the year. What we didn’t immediately eat or freeze, well, I learned that pickled vegetables and homemade jams really are quite the tasty household snack!

As a Mom, one of my favorite things about the garden is that I can puree a lot of the vegetables to feed to the kids once they were big enough to spoon feed. I knew for a fact the vegetables were organic. With so many preservatives, dyes and other chemicals going into food these days, it’s a comfort knowing exactly what’s going into their little bellies.

Couponing 201: Strategy and Cost Standards

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Here is lesson two in my couponing series! You can find the first one, Couponing 101, here. Today we’ll go more in-depth about couponing strategy.

I’ve found that it’s best to purchase two newspapers each week. Be sure to check to see if the coupon inserts are inside before buying your papers! There are people that steal coupon inserts or sometimes a paper gets missed in the stuffing process, but you don’t want to get home and discover that they’re missing. You can also find great coupons online via Answers.com coupons.*

I tend to cut out every coupon, with the exception of products that I will never find use for (i.e. pet food, because I don’t have pets). Once in a while, there may be an item on sale that you can turn into a moneymaker when you coupon. Matching your coupons from multiple inserts together will save time when it comes to shopping preparations. Next, I sort the coupons into categories and put them into envelopes for each category. For example, a few of my envelopes are: Baby, Makeup/Lotion, and Toothpaste/Toothbrushes/Mouthwash.

Each Saturday, I visit The Krazy Coupon Lady to view each store’s upcoming sales that will go into effect on Sunday. I have a couponing notebook, in which I write down exactly what I’m going to purchase, how much it is on sale for, the coupons I will use and the final price. I pull the coupons I need from my envelopes, then put them in separate envelopes corresponding with each store where I will shop. I like to shop on Sunday or Monday to ensure that the items I want are in stock.
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Now…let’s talk dollars and cents.

I’ve learned a lot in my past four months of couponing. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, too! After watching sales cycles for this long, I know what price point items need to reach before I decide to stock up. If you need certain items, you may not be able to wait for these price points; but once you have a small stockpile then you can be picky. I have about 4 tubes of toothpaste, and several deodorants and hair products on hand. That’s about as large as my “stockpile” will get.

Shampoo/Conditioner/Styling Products: $1 or less
My favorite brands are Dove and Aussie. I also use Pantene’s line of products for curly hair. The most I’ve paid for Dove and Pantene is 65 cents per product, and you can routinely find Aussie for $1 at CVS or Walgreens. There are many other brands that go on sale – I just haven’t purchased others yet, so I can’t recall the pricing of them! If you’re looking for a medicated shampoo, you’ll occasionally be able to find Head and Shoulders for $1.99.

Deodorant: 75 cents or less
In the past few months, we’ve stocked up on Old Spice, Irish Spring and Dove Men+Care for Hubster. I admit that I paid $1.50 when I started, but now I know better! Hubster has enough on hand right now that I can be picky and wait until it’s 75 cents or less. For me, I’ve held out for sales on Dove deodorant. I’ve seen many sales for Secret and Arrid, though.

Toothpaste: 50 cents or less
I used to purchase the cheap 74-cent toothpaste at Walmart, but now I realize that I can get Crest or Colgate for even cheaper. Match coupons with sales and store offers (Target gift cards, ExtraBucks at CVS or Register Rewards at Walgreens) and you can get name-brand toothpaste for less than 50 cents – and sometimes FREE! When a new toothpaste comes on the market, it’s basically a guarantee that you can find it for free somewhere.

Mouthwash: $1.50 or less
Hubster is currently using pink Barbie Listerine Smart Rinse for kids because I got it for free! He may not want to show off his Barbie mouthwash, but it was free and it does the job. :) Listerine Zero is a relatively new product, so you can expect to find some great deals on it right now. The best deals are typically on the 500 mL bottles, but once in a while you can get a large bottle for very cheap (especially in a different brand, such as Crest).

Toilet Paper: varies by brand
The best toilet paper deals are on Cottonelle. One week, I scored Cottonelle for about 12 cents/roll at Walgreens; but we hated it. I’ve decided to only purchase Scott Extra Soft. I wait until I can match a coupon with a store sale. Sometimes you’re just willing to pay more for certain items!

Feminine Products: $4.50 or less
Even with couponing, tampons and pads are still rather expensive. However, you can get some awesome deals at drug stores. I’ve been able to get an 8-pack of Walgreens brand tampons for free, as well as a 20-pk of Carefree liners at CVS. Keep in mind that these are with Register Rewards and ExtraBucks offers. You can also get good deals on name-brand products when you combine coupons with store sales and offers. Target often offers a gift card deal when you purchase a certain dollar amount in Playtex products. Walgreens and CVS also offer store rewards that you can combine with coupons and sales for a deep discount.

Dish Soap: 74 cents or less for a small bottle
Since I started couponing, I only purchase my dish soap at CVS. They regularly put name-brand dish soap on sale for 99 cents and there are often 25-50 cent coupons in the newspaper inserts. I have enough in my stockpile now that I will only purchase it when I have a 50 cent coupon to combine with the store sale.

Diapers: 16 cents/diaper or less
Target is hands-down the best place to find deals on diapers. I *love* Target. Target often runs a sale where you can get a $5 or $10 gift card for purchasing two or three packs of diapers (the $10 gift card is offered when the huge boxes are on sale). Sometimes they also have store coupons for diaper purchases. That means that you can combine a manufacturer coupon with a store coupon AND the sale – resulting in a huge savings. The best deal that I ever got was 8 cents/diaper on Luvs at Target; but other than that one occasion, I typically purchase Pampers or Huggies. I’ve found that couponing makes diapers cheaper than what I could get through shopping clubs or programs like Amazon Mom.

Baby Wipes: 0.0069 cents/wipe
My cost standard for wipes are the Up&Up brand from Target. The refills come in 240-count bags and cost $4.99 for a 3-pack. It is extremely rare to find a deal on name-brand wipes for less than that. My best wipes deal was using a coupon for $1 off a $3 or higher Up&Up item (found on Target.com). The 9-pack of wipes was on sale and I got that for $11-something after the coupon. AMAZING DEAL!

If you would like to hear cost standards for any items that I didn’t mention, please leave your request in the comments! I’ll be happy to help!

*Diclosure: I have been compensated by Answers.com coupons to include their link in this post. The opinions and information in this post are entirely my own.

Couponing 101

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By popular demand, I bring to you some basic couponing tips! A coworker of Hubster’s taught me how to coupon nearly five months ago and it has become a hobby of mine. The following are tips that she taught me as well as things that I have learned since I started couponing. Happy savings!

The most common coupon inserts are SmartSource and Red Plum. These come out weekly. P&G has coupon inserts every once in a while and they are packed full of savings.
Not every newspaper offers both inserts. It’s okay to check for the inserts before you buy; however, taking inserts is considered stealing.
Depending how committed you are to couponing, you may choose to purchase more than one paper each week. You’ll end up getting better deals when you buy more than one item. I purchase two papers and have only missed out on maybe two or three big deals in the past five months by not having more than two coupons for an item.
Clip every coupon. You may not think you will use that brand or item, but it may end up being a moneymaker one week. You can always give that item to someone else! (There are exceptions. For example, I don’t clip coupons for pet food, because we don’t have pets.)
If you’re committed to getting things for free or dirt cheap, you need to be open to trying different brands.
That being said, it is possible to get decent deals on brands you are loyal to, but the deals might only come along every few months.
Forget about monthly shopping trips. When you coupon, you shop weekly and probably at a few different stores.
Manufacturers love consumers who clip out a coupon and run to the store right away to purchase that item. Instead of saving only 25 cents, hold onto your coupons to match them with store sales. You’ll get deep savings this way!
Clearing a store shelf is not good couponing etiquette. This is a common complaint among the couponing community because it makes couponers look bad!
Most couponers are NOT like the ones on TV. You don’t need to build shelving in your home to store 8,000 boxes of cereal, and you won’t save 99% all the time. But you can easily save 50% or more.
Your grocery bill probably will not change much, unless you coupon for cereals or snacks. You don’t really find coupons for produce or meat.
The best times of the day to coupon are when it’s not too busy – early in the morning or at night. You’ll avoid hurried cashiers and customers.
Name brand items are often significantly cheaper than store brands when you coupon.

Here are some specific things I’ve found out through experience. Thought I’d save you some time and money as you learn to bargain-hunt!

If you’re paying more than 75 cents for toothpaste, you’re paying too much!
You can easily get toothbrushes for free. I have about 4 in our cabinet right now that I got for free.
I’m often able to stock up on feminine products for super cheap. If you get into shopping at Walgreens or CVS, you will be able to get free items at least once per month.
I never pay more than $1 for shampoo, conditioner or deodorant. (Exceptions: medicated shampoos like Head & Shoulders)
I never pay more than 15 cents/diaper. The best diaper deals can be found at Target. You can pair manufacturer coupons and Target coupons with a diaper sale and save BIG. I end up buying 2-3 jumbo bags or boxes at a time. My best deal was 8 cents/diaper at Target!

The Krazy Coupon Lady is the site that I use to find the best deals. You are able to use their site to search weekly deals at your favorite store. I subscribe to the site in my Google Reader and am able to quickly scan all new posts for things that I can use. Couponing has helped me to save a significant amount of money and contribute to our budget. It’s the equivalent of a part-time job and, as a SAHM, I love being able to contribute in that way.

Be sure to check out Couponing 201 for further couponing tips!

This Week’s Deals Around Town

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I’ve recently gotten into couponing and here are the deals that I found around town this week:

Target
Buy 10 SmartWater (20 oz) or VitaminWater for $10, get a 6-pk of 20 oz SmartWater free
There are B2G1 coupons on Target.com for VitaminWater. I chose to get SmartWater, so ended up getting 16 bottles for about 62.5 cents each. The savings will be greater if you use 2 of those coupons and get VitaminWater.

Pampers Swaddlers, on sale for $19.79
Used a Target coupon for a free $5 gift card when you purchase 2 boxes of 70-ct or higher Pampers
Used 2 coupons for $1.50 off any Pampers diapers
Final Price: $15.79 each

Sharpies, pack of 2, on sale for $1
Used Target.com coupon for $1 off any Sharpie item
FREE Sharpies

Scotch Magic Tape, on sale for $1
Used Target.com coupon for 50 cents off Scotch Tape
Final Price: 50 cents

CVS
Pantene Pro-V Shampoo, Conditioner or Styling Product
2/$6.97
Use $3 off two coupon from the SmartSource ad a few weeks ago, or the typical coupon in most weeks’ is $1.50 or $2 off of 2
Earn $2 ExtraBucks
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Final Price: $1.97 for 2
Final Out-of-Pocket Price: $3.97 for 2

Crest Toothpaste
$1.99
Use 75 cents off coupon from this week’s SmartSource
Earn $1 ExtraBuck
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Final Price: 24 cents
Final out of pocket price: $1.24

2 Oral B Indicator Toothbrushes
$1.99 each ($3.98 total)
Use $2 off 2 coupon from this week’s SmartSource
Earn $1 ExtraBuck on each ($2 EB total)
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Final Price: 2 cent MONEYMAKER!
Final out of pocket price: $1.98 for 2

Walmart
Duncan Hines snack size brownies, 94 cents
Used a SmartSource online coupon for 50 cents off any Duncan Hines brownies
Final Price: 44 cents

Did you find any fabulous deals this week?

I Love Coupons

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I think couponing is a way of embracing my new role as a stay-at-home mom. While I do work from home, I also recognize the need to save money and keep a tight budget since we don’t have two full-time incomes. Diapers are expensive, aren’t they?! ;)

Usually, I plan our meals around the weekly sales at the grocery store. This week I took it a step further. We went through our freezer and are planning on using up everything that we have in there. It’s amazing what you accumulate and forget about. I only purchased produce that was on sale. In fact, with the exception of a couple items, everything that we purchased was on sale this week. After I handed over the coupons – get this! – I saved $20! TWENTY DOLLARS! I was SO excited!

One of Hubster’s coworkers is really into couponing and offered to teach me some strategies before she moves away to take a different job this summer. I’m pumped to learn more about saving money for our family.

Do you have a shopping strategy?

Pregnancy Pillows

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In the past month or so, insomnia has been getting the best of me. Lying in bed for up to four hours before finally drifting off is just torture. Now I’m also starting to get aches and pains in my hips and back, which certainly don’t help the sleeping situation. Ever since twelve weeks or so, I’ve slept with a body pillow…but that’s not even helping anymore!

This week I scoured the internet looking for reviews on various pregnancy pillows. They’re so expensive that I wanted to be sure to make the right choice! Some of them were too bulky for our queen bed, others had poor reviews from users who are short, and still others were said to be too itchy. I finally ordered one that was slightly less bulky, should work for my 5’3″ frame and looks to be breathable. It arrived today and I cannot WAIT to try it out tonight! I’ll provide a full review, including the name of the pillow, after trying it out. :)

Daycare Costs

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Yesterday I did some research that many moms-to-be likely do: how much will daycare cost if I go back to work once the baby is born?

Unlike some moms-to-be, I don’t currently have a job that I can go back to after maternity leave. I lost my job as a by-product of my miserable morning sickness for the first 14 weeks of my pregnancy. As a graduate assistant, I had to keep six credits of classes in order to keep my job. Too sick with the dry heaves and intense nausea to sit through class, I had to drop two of my three classes due to attendance policies. I couldn’t keep my job. It was a very tough thing to have to withdraw from school and lose my job, but I’m so relieved now in retrospect. There was no way I could have kept up with it all. Trying to stay healthy during that period of time was a job in itself. Looking forward to my third trimester, I can’t imagine having to waddle across campus to my old office. It was really far away.

I feel well enough at the moment that I could probably work. The problem is that, in this economy, no one would hire a visibly pregnant woman when they would have numerous other candidates that could fulfill those same job responsibilities.

The hubster and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to go back to work before having the baby, but it was still up for debate whether I would go back afterward. The average costs of daycare, however, are so high and the job market in our area so poor that I would probably end up working full time only to bring home about $50-100 per week. That would be just enough to pay for gas, work clothes, etc. Not worth it!

While I would love to go back to work to earn money for our family to live more comfortably, I can’t imagine leaving my little boy in the care of strangers to work in a job that I would possibly hate in order to bring home $50 or less (after expenses) per week. I guess I’ll be staying home with him for at least the first year. After that, the hubster will be finished with graduate school and we’ll be moving to a different area where he’ll be starting a full-time position. At that point in time, maybe going to work would be worth it. I just can’t believe that daycare is so expensive compared to wages – and how poor the local economy is!