Stretch Your Savings

Merry Christmas! I thought I would share some of my newest free stocking stuffers with you. These things are adorable, free & will create fun memories with your kids.  What more could we ask for? Click on the link below to be able to save & print your Christmas Coupons. Follow this link to pinterest & enjoy!  I printed out a set for each kid & I know they'll love them. Have a very Merry Christmas Eve & God bless!  Love, Janie

I love this time of year!  Back To School deals are popping up all over the place! My favorite so far has to be this: Click here to read a post on SouthernSavers.com !  It gives the details on how to get 2 backpacks at Office Max for just a penny each! I can't wait!  We love donating as many school supplies as possible each year & this is the perfect way to start. Walmart has the basics on sale right now & there are some coupons that match.  We've found good deals on crayons, markers, colored pencils & pens so far.  I imagine that the rest will go on sale soon.  Keep your eyes peeled!

I am still dreaming of the day I am out of the Las Vegas ant farm.  I feel claustrophobic (and a little creeped out) with my neighbors basically on top of me when I'm in our backyard. My hubby and I want to grow our own food.  We do the best we can with the tiny yard we have here, but we want acres!  Enough food to feed us, our extended family, friends and whoever's in need. These Kansas farmers made a parody to "I'm Sexy And I Know It".  They sing, "I'm Farming And I Grow It"!  I'm glad they're proud of what they do.  I'm proud of them. The average age of a farmer is surprisingly old (with the majority of them being in their 70s!).  We need more young, enthusiastic farmers like these guys.  Enjoy! Click here for the video!

Believe it or not, Dave Ramsey and your Grandmother have a lot in common. Sometimes Grandmas share crazy wives' tales so we just smile and nod...then secretly roll our eyes.  But other times they offer timeless wisdom that's invaluable...and we should be taking copious notes. A fella named Dave Ramsey has also shared some timeless wisdom, but is the first to admit, "I'm not telling you anything different than what you're grandmother would tell you.". I am one of Dave Ramsey's Financial Coaches and he's a pretty smart cookie.  He's also paid his fair share of what he calls "Stupid Tax" over the years when he's ignored the simple financial principles he teaches today.  (Haven't we all!) But, fortunately, he's come a long way & so have we.  All because of some timeless wisdom.    Click here for a cool video of Grandmothers ...and consider taking some notes!  Turns out Dave Ramsey AND your Grandma are pretty sma

One of my favorite chefs, Jamie Oliver, made today Food Revolution Day!  It's about eating real food instead of the processed junk that I (way too often) fall back on just to save time.  Over 600 cities around the world are participating by focusing on real food today.  Some people are having dinner parties, restaurants are holding events...WE went to the Orchard & picked our own  food!  Yes.  In the Las Vegas desert. I can't wait to concoct something scrumpty tonight!  The little ones at carrots & apricots with their lunch & couldn't get enough.  It is VERY true that kids will try more foods if they're involved in either growing, picking or cooking them.  I can't wait to try 2 new kinds of squash tonight: Starburst and One Ball.  Who knows what they taste like, but I'm happy that we get to find out! If you haven't visited The Gilcrease Orchard yet, you need to!  They charge $3 entry fee per car or you can park outside & walk in fo

It might sound silly, but people tend to have surprisingly strong opinions on whether or not to buy store brands.  One camp says you should always buy them because (legend has it that) they're made at the same factories & are an obvious way to consistently save money.  Another camp says to avoid them & buy name brands whose high value coupons make them a better deal. I, however, live in neither of these camps.  Why?  Because I have been given a foolproof way to determine which store brands are indeed produced by the exact same folks that make the fancy, schmancy name brands.  Pretty awesome. Read this article to learn my secret method.   Fortunately, it's as simple as reading the label...& knowing exactly what to look for.  Mystery solved!  ...& having one less thing for the couponing world to quarrel about means more time to shop!  :)

Hi, everyone!  I need some help & would love it if you'd share your opinions with me. I made a 10-question survey that's super-quick to take!  It will provide invaluable information as we refine what services to offer through our Financial Coaching.  Thanks for your help!  I realize that your life is probably at least as busy as mine & that your time is extremely precious.  If you're interested, I'll post the results once they're in. Have a great week! Click here to take the survey.

My Mom has sent me some handy new books about quirky household & money-saving ideas. So far, I've found out that fabric softener & the sheets are pretty darn multi-functional. * You can spray your broom with 3 parts water & 1 part liquid fabric softener to reduce the amount of dust it kicks up.  I WILL be trying this at work (at Starbucks) because simply re-arranging the dust in the cafe is annoying to everyone. * You can apparently dust your TV & computer screens with a used fabric softener sheet to get the dust AND static off. * An unused fabric softener sheet can be used to clean up pet hair.  Just wipe it on the sofa, carpet, your dog...anywhere the hair's stuck to. The name of the books are Who Knew? and they've published 3 volumes so far.  They're written by Bruce & Jeanne Lubin & I plan on sharing a lot of their hints with you. Have a great week!  :)

Well, folks...I think it's finally happened.  After 80 long weeks of price matching which has cost me countless hours of combing through grocery ads, there is finally an easier way! I found a website (whose services are now free!) that I've been using to price match all of my grocery & household items for the past few weeks.  They're unlike any other site I've been using & I'm hooked.  Here's why: *  The prices are good.  They don't just lazily post every price in the weekly ads (because some of those prices are downright highway robbery).  I know if the price is on this site, it at least deserves a second glance. *  The dates are accurate.  They're very quick to update the info, so you aren't seeing a 2-day sale price that expired 3 days ago. *  They include most of the ethnic markets whose prices are MUCH better than traditional grocery chains. *  You can arrange the departments in the route you specifically travel around the stor

Drumroll, please!  Here are the results from our latest Money-Saving experiment.  I was pleasantly surprised at what happened! ...despite a bumpy start. I heard that green onions will keep regenerating themselves in water.  So, I headed to the fridge to grab some (that I got for 20 cents thanks to some price-matching prowess ),  filled a canning jar with water & stuck 'em in.  Here's what they looked like after a few days : Not great, but notice all the new growth! There were 7 or 8 new onions growing up from between the old ones.  To be honest, this was an older, semi-slimy bunch of onions to begin with, so I wasn't expecting stellar results.  I was just impatient (as usual) & wanted to get started right away with whatever I had on-hand.  (I also stripped the slimy outer layer off of these before placing them in the water which turns out to be a mistake since the new onions grow out of the 'cracks' between the current ones.  Leave them as much of t

Well, Pinterest strikes again!  I swear, I adore that site.  I found a healthier, easier recipe for fried pickle chips.  My little sister's coming into town today and we WILL be making these. For those of you who are unfamiliar with these crispy, salty bites of Heaven, you can find them at Smashburger in Las Vegas.  They're the perfect side dish for a spicy burger.  For my Southern readers, you're probably already addicted to these & are currently opening a jar of pickles in anticipation for this recipe. That's me in New Orleans last year...recovering from an infamous bout of the stomach flu.  Really infamous.  A foodie like me being queasy in the Big Easy was torturous.  BUT, as soon as I felt human again, I hit the fried pickles!  These were at a little dive oyster bar & they were especially heavenly.  (I wasn't brave enough to assault my poor tummy with raw oysters at that juncture, so I was elated to see these guys on the menu!) I don't own a d

Found this on Pinterest .  Love it.