Guest Post - Living With Less Contest

I am excited to share a fun opportunity with you!

To celebrate the release of Hearts at Home’s newest book: Living With Less So Your Family Has More, by Jill and Mark Savage, the Hearts at Home blog is launching the Living with Less Contest.

Email Hearts at Home a story or money-saving tip that gives a peek into your daily experiences representing the humor, richness, or spiritual aspects of what it’s like to live with less.

Better yet, blog readers will benefit as many of the money-saving entries will be posted on the Heart’s blog throughout the month of February!

For contest details go here!

PURCHASE THREE MONTHS OF ULTRA CINCH AND GET THE FOURTH MONTH FREE !*

From January through June 2010 when you receive Ultra Cinch on AutoShip for three consecutive months, you will receive a fourth month of Ultra Cinch for FREE - up to a value of $353.75 SRP*.

Want to know more about how Cinch can help you lose weight? Click here to learn more about Cinch!

Offer Details:

First AutoShip order must be shipped between January 1, 2010 and March 31, 2010.

Second and third AutoShip orders must be shipped by May 31, 2010.

Fourth AutoShip order must be shipped by June 30, 2010.

One of the many benefits of becoming a Shaklee Member is that you get special access to product promotions like this offer!
To Get This Offer:
1. Join Shaklee
2. Log into our Shaklee Member Center (http://www.shaklee.net/)
3. On the top, blue navigation bar, click on 'Shopping', then on the left navigation click 'Packs & Specials'
4. Look for the UltraCinch promotion link, click on it, and you're on your way to great savings!

* Receive up to a $353.75 SRP credit on your fourth Ultra Cinch AutoShip order. $353.75 SRP is the SRP value for:

• 4 Cinch Shake soy protein shake canisters

• 1 bottle of Cinch 3-in-1 Boost

• 3 boxes of Cinch Snack bars

• 1 Box of Cinch Energy Tea

Terms & Conditions
This AutoShip promotional offer gives you credit equal to the actual purchase price for a 4-week supply of Ultra Cinch, after you have maintained an Ultra Cinch AutoShip order for three months. There is no PV on the FREE Ultra Cinch product, and shipping charges and applicable taxes apply. Limit two free redemptions per ID number. This offer intended for personal consumption only, not for resale. First AutoShip must be shipped between January 1, 2010 and March 31, 2010. Second and third AutoShip orders must be shipped by May 31, 2010. Fourth AutoShip order must be shipped by June 30, 2010. While supplies last. Offer terms subject to change without notice.

Friday Freebies

· FREE Eye Exam for Infants till one year old. See my article on The Infant See Program here.

· Earn FREE Rewards every time you surf the Net with Swagbucks here.

· FREE 6 Dairy Queen Blizzards

· Earn double the cash back on a different store every day at Ebates
Ebates pays you to shop online and with tons of stores and all the major retailers, you are bound to find great deals on places you already shop, so you might as well get paid for it! Click Here to sign up for Ebates to receive this great deal!

· FREE Racing Classifieds

· Print Free Grocery Coupons

· FREE Samples

· FREE Pair of Acuvue Moist Contacts

· FREE Pair of Acuvue Contacts for Astigmatism

· FREE Pair of Acuvue Colors Contacts

· FREE Pair of Acuvue Oasys Contacts

· FREE Baby Stuff

· Pampers is offering a 3-pack of Pampers Cruisers with Dry Max starting sometime today, January 29, 2010. If the sample you receive includes a diaper stamped with Team USA, you will win a year supply of Pampers diapers. Thanks, Freebie Blogger

· Free Original Grand Slam breakfast on your birthday at Denny’s Dine in only. Must show proof of your birthday.

· For you guys! FREE subscription to Maxim Magazine.

· FREE Music Download – The Biggest Loser & Subway workout mix

· FREE Grocery Coupons

· FREE Dr. Seuss Books

· FREE 25 Songs
· FREE Name Brand Samples

View ads below for even more Freebies!

Shaklee Lowers Price On Mighty Smart!

Shaklee, in it's never ending ways of great customer service has lowered it's price on it's Mighty Smart for kids!

They changed suppliers who had a lower price so Shaklee decided to pass that savings on to you!

In this day of higher prices and lower quantities, not many companies would do that!

My son who will be 2 years old next month, loves the Mighty Smart chews! He makes two fists and holds his arms out like a muscle bound man when I say, "What do vitamins do? They make you grow big and strong!" He laughs and holds out his hand for what he thinks is just a piece of candy. They do taste yummy. I know that it is helping his brain growth and eye health.

You can learn more about Shaklee's Might Smart here

Get 6 Free Dairy Queen Blizzards Throughout The Year!

Wow! What a treat!
Get up to 6 FREE Dairy Queen Blizzards throughout the year when you join their fanclub.
You can even get one on your birthday!
Sign Up here: Dairy Queen Blizzard Fan Club

Review of Article on How to Live On 75% Less

Here’s an article that I found intriguing. “How To Live Happily on 75% Less”. It’s about a woman who had a high paying job that was laid off and decided to pursue her dream.

What I liked about the story was when she was working a temporary job handing out fliers, she ran into some old co-workers dressed in their suits while she was in a t-shirt. Oh how embarrassing that can be. I know, I've been there. I like that she decided to follow her dream and hopefully she will be able to expand it into a more paying career. It also highlights how being thrifty is not just a cute way of living for some, but is actually becoming the norm and a must for most people, even those who don’t necessarily have to cut back on expenses.

Though it was a good article in didn’t really give any advice that I didn’t already know or am already doing. I was rather hoping it would give me some advice on how to live on a lot less that I didn’t know and could apply. It talks briefly about unnecessary spending, which we all know about. It did however, show you can live on a lot less and still be very happy. Maybe even happier then when you had more.

Link to article: “How To Live Happily on 75% Less”

How Checking Out Other Websites Can Save You Money

In this How Checking Out Other Websites Can Save You Money series, I will share with you some of the websites I use to save money. I will tell you what I like and what I don’t like about the site and how I use it save money.

Today, I recommend trying the Coupon Mom.

Coupon Mom allows you to find the best grocery deals by the state you live in. You can click on your favorite store and on your city and find out what’s on sale that week. I have found that the majority of time they are very accurate. They give you the average percentage saved which is nice. You can also click on the percentage saved column and put it in the order by percentage to see more easily the products you are going to save the most on. You can also put the list in alphabetical order. I recommend only stocking up on items that save you 40% or more. You can also preview upcoming deals the Friday before they come out.

What I really love is their grocery coupon database. This database allows you to do a search by product name and according to the area you live, it comes up with the date and which coupon stack it came out in. If you date and save your coupons that come in the Sunday paper, you can easily find a coupon by using this database.

They also have free information in the form of articles and Ebooks on how to save the most on your grocery bill which is nice. You need to make time to read it though to maximize your savings.

Now for what I don’t like.

The site is very full of ads, which can make the pages look too busy, but the content is good if you don’t mind looking around for it. The home page just looks like one big ad. My links in this post skips over the homepage and takes you to the page where you can find the grocery deals by state.

If you scroll down on this page it gives you quick instructions on how to use your Sunday paper’s coupons. They also have links to online coupons and samples as well as forums and blogs. It can seem a little overwhelming at first, but if you use them mainly as a guide each week to see what’s on sale and just use their database, it can teach you how to use coupons easily and save more money.

How I do it is very similar to the way Coupon Mom suggests except I cut out most of the coupons I know I need. I write the date at the top of the coupons that came in the paper and file them away, so if I see a special sale on an item that is on sale I don't use all the time, but still may want I will check to see if I have a coupon for it. I can go to the database, look up the date and pull it out of my file.

Every week though I cut out the coupons for products I know I will use and file them in a binder that has individual slots like collectors put baseball cards in. I take that zippered binder to the store with me and when I see a great sale price on an item then I take out the coupon(s) for it to maximize my savings. Often times there are sales going on that were never advertised. I bring my binder with me on every trip just in case I see an item I can use that’s on sale and I have coupons for. This is how I stock up when I can get the item at its cheapest and save the most money off my overall grocery bill. You can read my other posts under Saving Money on how I use my coupons.

I ask though, that if you are wanting to check out the online printable coupons to please click on my Coupons ads. We all get commissions from your printouts and we greatly appreciate your support.

I hope you enjoy Coupon Mom and let me know your thoughts on it.

For the best deals in online printable coupons, check out ours below!

My New Grocery Budget

I had decided this New Year that I would set a new and lower grocery budget. In order to be able to stay home with my son and save enough money so we can move, more changes were in order.

I already use coupons on sale items to maximize the savings, but I needed to do more. With the high price of gas and time also in short supply I narrowed my shopping trips down to two stores. Unless another store has exceptionally good sales going on or a special triple coupons day, I reserve most of my shopping to the two stores I frequent most. Most of the stores are close in prices and they often times either take turns on the sale items or have similar sales at the same time. Checking the weekly ads is key. Also, keeping a record of what you paid for the items you use most is essential to knowing what is a good deal.

My new budget for groceries, etc. is $300 a month for three people. Keep in mind this is for more than just groceries. This is for diapers, shampoo, toothpaste, over the counter meds like headache meds and ointments, etc. $300 may seem like a lot or not much at all depending on your own circumstances. Many people are able to spend less than that or are able to make it go further with more people in their household. I’m not that good yet, but I’m working on it!

When asked, many people haven’t a clue on what they spend or they underestimate their actual expenses. If you keep track of everything you spend money on a month you may be surprised at what you actually spend. Try it for one month by writing on a calendar everyday everything you spent money on and see.

Coupons used only on sale items, shopping when the items are at their best prices and not having brand loyalty are the main ways I save. Stocking up on items we use when I can get them at their cheapest is another way we save a lot. We are limited on space so I am unable to stock up as much as I would like. Though we are set on toothpaste, deodorant, plastic wrap, baggies and aluminum foil for the entire year! I also have about a 3 – 4 month supply of cereal, peanut butter and pickles. I buy several of these when they are at their lowest price of the season with coupons making them a fraction of their regular price. We don’t have a separate freezer to stock up on items than can be frozen when they go on sale though, which someday I hope to have one. Stocking up is essential on lowering your overall bill. It may appear that your grocery bill goes up, but not having to pay full price for the same item every week actually significantly lowers your bill in the long run.

Here is what I saved on the last grocery trip to Krogers. Believe it or not I only used two coupons! Usually I have a dozen or more!

I brought (8) of my own bags which saved me $.24

I had only $2.50 worth of coupons instead of the usual $15-$20, but I stocked up on Cheerios, Mt Olive pickles, organic milk, onions, potatoes and ground beef. The ground beef I will separate and freeze. Some I will cook up to have ready for spaghetti sauce, chili, etc. The register also spit out $10 worth of coupons on items I use so that was an extra bonus!

In all I spent $89.99 saving $18.08 on my bill. $15.00 over budget for the week, but I am stocked up on items I won’t need to buy for quite a while. Next week my aim is to spend $15.00 less, but I may spend a little more if I see a great stock up deal. Overall my budget should equal out to $300 a month though. Let’s see if I can do this! I challenge you all to try and do the same.

Even if you don’t have to do this, it is still a great way to find the extra money to do something extra for you and your family. Maybe you want to put extra money on credit card bills to pay down your debt. Maybe you want to be able to save extra money for a special vacation. Maybe you want to save more for your kid’s college education. Whatever your reason, learning to shop wisely is a great way to “find” that extra money!

In the near future I will be researching and sharing with you websites that can help you in your quest to save more, so check back often!

Don't forget about online coupons like the ones below! Most stores do accept them!

The Best Time To Buy

There is always something on sale. Knowing when the best time to buy is key to saving the most money.
The time of year determines when certain items, especially big ticket items are on sale.

For example, January is the best time to find deals for:

• After Christmas decorations, cards, wrapping paper, etc. Often times you can get items from 75% to 90% off! I always wait to buy my cards and more after Christmas.
• Sports & Exercise equipment. Everyone seems to make New Year's resolutions to lose weight and get healthy. Stores will then have their best deals on equipment because they know volume will be high. Often though February and March are good times to snag gym membership deals after many people have dropped out.

Check out this website below for the year long list.

Now there may be regional differences. If you live in a different region, you may be able to find a similar site in your area.

• Best Deals Ahead for 2010

Writer's Block

I have had writer's block lately.
I have been trying to find things that others want to read, things that help others save money and things that make you laugh at life.
So stick with me as I'm working on some things right now.

Are You Old Enough To "Get It?"

Here's a quote from Mark Twain for all you young people -

"When I was 17, my father was the most ignorant man in the world. When I turned 21 I was surprised at what the old man had learned in four years."

Do you get it?

Did You Ever Regret What You Feed Your Kids?

Whether you feed a diet of all the right things or feed all the wrong things, on occasion there are times where you regret what your little angel ate the night before.

Having a toddler who isn’t yet potty trained always seems to provide more versions of poop than I have ever imagined existed. Mine loves to eat most anything. I am happy that he’s a good eater and isn’t too picky, but it can have its draw backs. For you see, what goes in must come out.

For example, this morning I decided to watch a PBS cartoon with my little guy. So I curled up on the couch and held out my arms to help him up into my lap for some nice snuggle time. Due to life’s hectic schedule we don’t get enough of this close time, but I should have known he had set a trap for me. Once he was in my lap, I noticed the little brown cloud emerging overhead. Whew!! Last night’s meatloaf I made with just a little too much onion had made an early, fragrant return.

I was delighted I got to it before it made its second exit out the sides of the pull ups and onto the pants. My delight turned to horror though when I cautiously opened it up. When he giggles and says, “Aw, man!” a phrase I often say aloud when faced with these big loads, I knew I was in trouble. The meatloaf he couldn’t get enough of last night had made a hasty exit this morning. How did his digestive organs store and process all that? I should have put him on the scale before and after. I bet he lost 2 pounds!

Even though I wrapped it in a plastic bag and knotted it my house now smells like we all ate a sack of White Castle’s for breakfast this morning. Oh, just another one of the joys of Motherhood. Daddy though likes to handle these “joys” with his shirt pulled up over his nose. Yeah, like that works.

Though I need an air freshener, I still wouldn’t trade it for anything. :)

No, I Haven’t Made Any New Year’s Resolutions

Why? I really don’t know for sure.
Maybe it’s because I’m too busy living life and visualizing what I want to be. I have always considered myself a “Work In Progress”. The changing of the calendar doesn’t change that. Just because I hang up a new calendar and try to remember to write the correct date doesn’t mean I automatically start changing my ways. I’m always trying to change!

My brother Mike said he doesn’t have New Year’s resolutions, he has goals. His main goal is to spend more time with family. I think that is a pretty good goal. One I’d like to have as well. It’s simple, to the point and an easy one to start with.

I have personal goals, professional goals, financial goals, health goals, parenting goals, etc. You name it, I probably have a goal for it. In the past I have written some of them down like you are supposed to, but I then get so busy I lose the paper they are written on. They don’t do me much good unless I keep up with them. I do need to re-write them though. Oh, I guess I need to make that a goal of mine – to re-write goals.

The problem I’ve noticed is when I write my goals down and contemplate them I tend to try and completely change my life in every aspect all at once. Though I certainly need improvement in every aspect of my life, it’s just too overwhelming. I need to pick just one area at a time and concentrate on that. It may be sad that everything I am and do needs improving, but at least there is no fear of ever running out of ways I can improve myself. Being bored is not a problem I face.

Writing your goal down is an almost must, just don’t write them all down at once. To keep from being overwhelmed, just pick one or two things that are a top priority to you to change and write them down. Pick a goal date, actions that you need to do to get you there and break those actions down into little steps. It’s the little things you can do every day that will help you reach your goal.

So, my goal? To pick which goals are my top priority. Guess I better write that down, huh?

AT&T To Phase Out Landlines

It was only a matter of time, I guess. Still, I wonder what some of poorer, rural areas of the country will do.
Read the article here: AT&T to phase out landlines

102 and She Just Retired

(Lauren R. Harrison, Chicago Tribune) She sits on a brown suede couch, one leg folded under the other, one tiny canvas Oxford shoe dangling above the wood floor. Hunched over a spiral-bound notebook, nose nearly touching the paper, she looks for the 22nd page of her story. Raising a large black-rimmed magnifying glass -- a trusted reading companion the last decade -- she moves it over each word, enlarging the cursive lettering by five times. At times squinting her eyes, more gray than blue, Merle Garton Phillips reads aloud the newest passage of "Beautiful Pebbles," her book in progress…….

Read how this remarkable woman has lived and chronicled her life and shows no signs of slowing down!

102 and she just retired
Friends marvel at Merle Phillips, who's busy writing her 11th book

December Recalls

December's Recalls

Here are December's product recalls by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Unfortunately, there are many children's items...toys, clothing, cribs.
Please be sure to check the entire list at the CPSC's website for any items you may have purchased recently.
If you have purchased one of the listed items, stop using immediately and click on that item's blue link. It will then tell you what action to take - where to return it or order a repair kit to modify it.
Click here for complete list: December Recalls.
We need to start banning the sale of children's toys by companies who have violated our lead paint ban.

• Dorel Juvenile Group Recalls Play Yards with Bassinets Due to Suffocation Hazard
• Wooden Toys Recalled by Kendamaspot Due to Violation of Lead Paint Ban
• RC2 Corp. to Pay $1.25 Million Civil Penalty: Thomas & Friends™ Wooden Railway Toys Recalled Due to Violation of Lead Paint Ban
• Fall Hazard Prompts NHTSA, CPSC and Dorel Juvenile Group to Announce Recall of Infant Car Seat/Carriers
• Children’s Hooded Sweatshirts with Drawstrings Recalled by Jason Evans Associates Due to Strangulation Hazard; Sold Exclusively at Burlington Coat Factory
• Child’s Asphyxiation Death Prompts Recall of Toy Dart Gun Play Set by OKK Trading
• CPSC Announces Voluntary Recalls to Repair Millions of Roman Shades and Roll Up Blinds by Multiple Firms
• Timberland Recalls Children’s Boots Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard
• Window Covering Safety Council Recalls to Repair All Roman and Roll-Up Blinds Due to Risk of Strangulation
• Toy Trucks Recalled by Variety Wholesalers Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard
• Children’s Plush Books Recalled by Simon & Schuster Due to Choking Hazard
• Evenflo Recalls Cake Toys on Children’s Activity Centers Due to Choking Hazard
• Infant Suffocation Deaths Prompt Recall of Amby Baby Motion Beds/Hammocks
• Snap Beads Recalled By Edushape Due to Choking Hazard
  
  
  

Two Great Days

There are 2 great days in a person's life. The day we are born & the day we discover why.