Goodwill

I am thrilled because a Goodwill shop opened just a few blocks from my house! My mother-in-law and I went there this evening and I found a few toys for my little one. I am most impressed that I found a starter set of Duplo (Lego) blocks! I've been considering purchasing them for some time. I'll take $1.99 over regular price any day!

Updating the Wardrobe

Mr. Bean is pretty particular about String Bean's fashion. I get vetoed often on the choices I make for her wardrobe. I purchased some shoes and an Easter dress from Target the other day and Mr. Bean made me take them back today and purchase something different.

Luckily, I got the coveted 30% off Kohl's coupon this month. I dragged Mr. Bean along and was thrilled to be able to go and purchase all sorts of things for String Bean and me!

Here are a couple of things we got her. None of them are her Easter dress (wouldn't want to spoil our fun for Easter monring)!



Summery PJs since her room does not have air conditioning:


And some things for me:




(Those last two shirts ARE different colors even though they look the same here.)

How much did I spend on all 16 clothing items we purchased? The cost before sales was $350 (before tax) for the shopping spree. My subtotal after sales was $205.51. Then, I used my 30% off coupon and my final total was $143.85 (before tax). That's almost 60% off the original price! I love being frugal. If I had shopped clearance, I could have done better, but I don't need sweaters.

We ran out of time shopping for Mr. Bean, so we go back to Kohl's tomorrow to work on his wardrobe a bit and to check out that shirt I saw on the way out the door that I didn't have time to try on!

An Interview with Angie of BabyCheapskate

Don't forget to sign up for our giveaway which ends Monday, December 8 at noon!


I recently had the opportunity to interview Angie, the owner of BabyCheapskate, one of my favorite blogs. I actually respect her as somewhat of a superwoman. Besides being a mom, she owns several websites and forums including Freepeats, Blog Coach (which is a blog as well as a community of bloggers), and some off-shoots of BabyCheapskate including Cheep Peeps and BabyCheapskate Coupon Traders.

Angie is definitely on that list of people you should know. Not only is she the queen of "saving big bucks on baby stuff" (BabyCheapskate's tagline), she also helps other bloggers out (like me) with ideas for making their blogs better and more successful. Be sure to check out all the sites Angie has her hands in, you'll find some great gems there!

Angie and I have traded e-mails for the better part of a year now (she's really sweet and indulges me with answers to all my crazy questions), and here are some of the answers to my most burning questions!

We love reading BabyCheapskate for the tips on how to do all kid things frugally. When and why did you start this blog?

I started Baby Cheapskate shortly after my son was born in 2005. I was sitting on the couch poring over circulars to try to find the best deals on diapers and formula when it occurred to me that I could save other frazzled new parents time as well as money by posting my findings online. I looked around to see if such a site already existed and didn't find much at all, so I created Baby Cheapskate. At first my posts were primarily about sales on diapers and formula. I also wrote about how I saved money on baby gear and other items by shopping thrift stores and consignment stores and sales. Eventually I started including posts about great deals that I found online.

We know you have another site, Freepeats.org. What's that all about?

Freepeats.org is a way for parents to pass on gently-used baby, kid and maternity items (and coupons) for free to local families who can use them. So much of what we buy for babies and young kids is used only for a very short time--just weeks or months. And a lot of that baby gear is pricey, too! There's still plenty of life left in these items, and by passing them on we not only save other parents money, but we keep usable items out of the landfills. In addition to passing on their items, Freepeats members can also arrange to pick up free items they find listed on the board from other local families. [editor's note: be sure to check out the incentive for joining Freepeats during the month of December by visiting the Freepeats blog!]

Tell us about your favorite frugal moment.

I'm really into buying used items--and even giving them as gifts. I love it when I'm shopping for something specific at the thrift store and I actually find it! I get a thrill out of picking up a cute pair of $300 French shoes for $2.50. Or a hip, mid-century modern vase for $1. Or a wooden play kitchen for my son for $5. I could go on and on...

Besides saving money, what other passions do you have?

I teach high school ESOL and French part-time. It's a lot of fun. I also like helping other bloggers with their blogs at BlogCoach.org. Being my three-year-old's mom is my passion, too.

What parenting advice do you have to share with other moms?

I try not to give parenting advice, too much, but if pressed, I would tell parents that Google and parenting books will only get you so far. There's no cookie-cutter solution that's going to make your three-week-old sleep at night, and there's no book (trust me, I've looked) that's going to tell you when your child will finally poop in the potty. The best you can do is try what feels like it might work, and then try something else if it doesn't. That and realize that babies grow up so quickly that behavior that seems like it goes on forever now will seem like it lasted a mere instant a couple of years from now.

Thanks, Angie, for pioneering the way for so many of us looking for good deals, great advice, and a friendly ally in cyberspace! (And no, I'm not a crazy stalker...)

Christmas Cards

Don't forget to enter our giveaway which ends 11/30 at noon!

I personally feel sending out e-mail Christmas cards is tacky. Call me a traditionalist. I like to get that card in the mail and see the photo of the family. Today, we took our family photos for our annual Christmas card. I'm all about cheap, so here's what we are doing:

1. "Hire" a friend to take the photos of the family. Hire is a pretty strong word. We paid our photographer, Sahrie, in hugs. We had a good idea going into the shoot what we wanted and researched a few shots. Mr. Bean has an eye for the creative, so he was the "artistic director" for our shoot. Of course it helps if your photographer has a nice camera and a little know-how!
2. Take digital photos, not film. Taking your photos digitally means you can manipulate the images and fix some little problems. There is a cool program out there called Paint.net which is similar to Photoshop that you can download and use free! Google "Paint.net tutorials" to get started.
   
3. Owning your own photos will save you a lot of money. Photographers make money by owning the images they take for you. You pay them to print the photos and only go home with your photos, not the digital images. If you own the digital images, you can wait until a really great sale comes up and print them off as you wish.
4. Pick a template from Etsy. There are several vendors on Etsy who will make a really cool photo Christmas card for you for a flat rate. I love the Polka dot Christmas tree by lukecommasara. I am also a big fan of the Austin design by nounces. Be sure to read the fine print to know if you are getting a 5 x 7, 4 x 6, or a custom size photo. Many vendors let you request the size you want and will even do custom work!
   
5. Upload your photo to a printing service. You'll save a lot if you scour the internet for a coupon code. If you time it right, you can get your photos done for less than 12 cents (for a 4 x 6) each if you go through a 1 hour printing place (CVS, Walgreens, Wal-mart, etc.). If you have the luxury of time on your hands, you can get them for much cheaper if they are mailed to you (Snapfish, Shutterfly, etc.).

Viola! I hope you have a successful photo shoot this year. If you haven't already done it, you only have about a month until Christmas...get going!

Get Ready for the Holiday Rush

Don't forget to enter our giveaway which ends 11/30 at noon! As of this post, we have about 50 entries!!

If you are like me, you aren't made of money. If you are made of money, send me some or we can't be friends anymore.

So, if you aren't made of money, and you're still reading this, I urge you to get going on your Christmas shopping NOW! I've been watching the news and the latest report is that retailers are offering deals usually reserved for after Thanksgiving now. Also, stores are bracing for smaller than usual sales, so their inventory is low. Things like electronics and toys are expected to be sold-out earlier than usual which means finding that perfect gift may be more difficult to find this year if you wait.

Here are some tips for Christmas shopping in 2008:

1. If you don't already have a budget, set one. Remember it is not the amount of money spent, but the thought that goes into the gift that really counts. A gift that cost $20 can have the same impact as a gift that cost $100 if that $20 gift really means something to the recipient. Demonstrate to your loved ones that you really know them by giving a gift that will be treasured by them.
2. Spread out your shopping over the season instead of doing all your shopping at once. This tip will help you with your cash flow. Every pay period, I set aside some money to go shopping with. This year, I have 12 people I must shop for. I'm doing about 3 of them on every pay period so I can avoid using the credit cards.
3. Make a list and check it often! If you can plan out what you're getting for each person on your list, you can watch the sales and purchase gifts when they go on sale. Remember a lot of retailers are giving out coupons this year. The jackpot is purchasing that gift when you have both a sale and a coupon. This requires some planning, but will really save you a lot of money in the end.
4. Skip the card with the gift. Make a homemade card or just add a "to/from" tag instead. This could be a huge savings for your family. Line Hallmark's pockets on other holidays!
   
5. Consider gifts that last a lifetime. Last year, our daughter was 6 weeks old on Christmas Day. What do you get a 6 week old? Instead of getting her a toy she'd never remember, we purchased her a precious gemstone. This is a gift that will last a lifetime for her; however, this was a lot more expensive than a normal budgeted gift. This year, since she's just 1 and probably will not remember what we got her, we are getting her a donation to her college fund. This is a great gift for little ones who will outgrow those clothes or toys you're tempted to give them.
6. Don't forget charity. Keep room in your budget for charity this year. With the economic downturn, many charities are having to cut back this holiday season. Since many charities help those who can't afford Christmas this year, consider doing your part to spread Christmas cheer. Some great Charities that you can give to are: Toys for Tots, the Salvation Army, and your local food pantry or church. This could be a great new Christmas tradition for your family.
   

Got great tips for Christmas shopping this season? Let us hear them!

Couponing 101

My friend Christy recently wrote a blog post wondering how to save money with coupons. This blog post was an inspired response to her recent post. (You'll also find this article that I wrote at AFullCup.com.)

Couponing 101
If you are like most people, you clip a coupon here and there and feel great about saving your 50 cents. You probably have also seen those die-hard coupon clippers in front of you in line at the grocery store who have a coupon for everything. Have you ever wondered to yourself, “How do they find all those coupons and save so much?” Today is your lucky day. Here are the keys to couponing success!

You obviously need to take the time to match your coupons to items you buy. Maximizing your savings means matching the coupons to items when they are on sale. If you save 50 cents off Ziploc bags, it is a better deal to save that 50 cents off the sale price than full price!

Horde all the coupons you can find! Coupons are found in more places than just your Sunday paper. Look for coupons online, at the grocery store, attached to products you recently bought, attached to bottles of wine (this varies by state), and through coupon clipping services. If you horde all the coupons you find, you’ll be able to trade away coupons you’ll never use for multiple copies of ones you will use. I don’t have any pets, but I love to trade those coupons for diaper coupons to keep my little one dry! A great resource for finding coupons you’re looking for is AFullCup.com. Since the membership is free, it is a great one-stop shop for all your savings needs (and not just at the grocery store)!

Stockpile items that have a long shelf life. Shampoo, razors, canned goods, soda, soap, laundry detergent, diapers, perfume, gifts, lotion, cereal, the list could go on and on. When a good sale pops up, get a fistful of coupons and go stock up! When cereal went on sale $10 for 10 boxes, I got 30 boxes, matched a coupon to each, and watched the cashier’s jaw drop. 3 months later, I’m still enjoying it!

Rebates are the frugal couponer’s dream! The triple threat: sale, coupon, rebate! Partial rebates definitely add to the savings and sometimes combined with the coupon and sale actually end up being full rebates. Find an item on sale, clip the coupon, send in the rebate. I often get items (like my contact solution) for the cost of one postage stamp!

Sometimes spending more means saving more. My local grocery store often hands out dollar off coupons if your total is higher than the stated amount. Recently, the amount was $180. For a family of three, I rarely get $180 worth of groceries at one time. However, if I am getting $20 off of $180, why not take the time to see if there are some areas of my stockpile getting low and add them to my grocery cart to bump my total up so I can save that additional $20 I would not have before? Don’t let this be a trap. Only get what you have a coupon for and what is already on sale!

Don’t be loyal to one store. It is so tempting to save some time and shop only at one store; however, this mentality keeps you from maximizing your savings by having multiple sales available to you at once—after all, not all sales are created equal!

Ask for the coupon policies at your store. Some supermarkets double coupons. If yours doubles up to $1, a .50 cent coupon (which can be doubled) is more worthwhile than a .55 coupon (which will not double) for the same item. My local supermarket takes expired coupons up to 6 months old! Maybe yours takes competitor’s coupons!

The more you coupon, the more you save. It is an investment of time, but just like most things in life the more you put in, the more you get out! The more you coupon the better you get at it.