Hi. My name is Jenn, and I’m a scrapaholic. Yes, I have a room full of funky scissors, expensive paper, ribbons, leetle flowers and WAAAAY too many stickers. And I NEVER use them. But I scrap every day! Yes, I’ve gone digital.

I imagine over the years I’ve spend hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars on all that stuff gathering dust in my craft room – but I avoided using it because it was too much work to get it all out; I didn’t want to just have to clean it all up again in order to eat dinner, the kids …read more

You don’t have to spend a lot of money on dates for them to be fun.  Fortunately, there are some entertainment options that don’t have to break your budget.
1)  Bowling - You don’t have to be a good bowler to go bowling.  Being silly and laughing at yourself are part of the fun.
2)  Parks -  It’s ok to swing on the swings and slide when there’s no kids around.  Plus, it’s dark and you don’t have to worry about looking foolish.
3)  Natural attractions - Just a few weeks ago our family visited my parents.  My husband and I always know we’ll get a date night there.  We went …read more

Recently, we did some work to our yard and I saw just how quickly money can be spent. We spent a few hundred dollars and all we got was a little dirt, mulch, and five small bushes.
If you’re willing to be patient, there are some ways that you can save a lot of money while gardening.
1) Post an ad on freecycle or Craig’s list. Many gardeners are willing to share their excess plants. I am a member of freecycle and I have seen several ads lately for gardening supplies.
2) Buy perennials instead of annuals. …read more

Whenever I go into a store and they don’t have the items that are on sale, I get a raincheck.  Many stores don’t have an expiration date on their rainchecks, so I use them for my advantage.  Here are some ways that I have used rainchecks to save money.
1)  I get the raincheck and I don’t use it until I absolutely need that item.  This saves room in my cabinets and allows me to stockpile other sale items.
2)  If the item is at a really good price, I’ll use the raincheck once I have some room and buy several while …read more

As I promised earlier this week, for Frugal Friday I am giving you some tips for playing The Grocery Game. 

When playing The Grocery Game (TGG), you do not clip the coupons until you need them.  It is such a time saver.  Each week, I take the inserts out of the paper, write the date on the front of each packet, and file a week’s worth into a section of my expandable file folder.

Another option is to use a notebook with plastic sleeves or folders and file the coupons that way.

With our busy lives, it seems more and more of our money is going towards eating out.  In fact, I read recently that 40% of food money is spent on eating out.  Here are some tips to help lower the amount you spend.

 1.  Go out for lunch instead of dinner.  Lunch prices are usually much lower.
 2.  Check to see if your restaurant has promotional evenings.  Some restaurants have nights where kids eat free.  This alone can save you at least $10 if you have 2 children.
 3.  See if the restaurant offers frequent visitor cards.  This may sound cheesy, but some Mexican and Chinese restaurants offer …read more

We have all this stuff sitting around my house – clothes the kids have outgrown, toys they no longer play with, things we no longer use.  Yard sales are a ton of work and sometimes bear little reward for their labors.  I do take a lot of clothes and toys to the consignment store, but you have to split your earnings.  Sometimes I want to get more for certain items and consigning the things doesn’t seem like a good idea.  So, what do you do with all your stuff? 
Trust me, I’m all for helping someone and an organization.  I just donated …read more

Here we are with just a few weeks left until Christmas and I thought you all could use some tips to help you save time while shopping.
1.  Ask for gift suggestions.  If you don’t feel comfortable asking the person, the try asking their friends or family members.
2.  Go shopping with a list.  Have each person’s name on the list and some gift ideas.
3.  Avoid shopping during mealtimes.  This will only cost you more time and money, plus the wait time in the restaurants from all the extra business.
4.  Delegate.  If possible, give some of the responsibilities to someone else.  Have …read more

I want to introduce you to one of my favorite new websites . . . iMommies.  Jennifer works hard each week to inform us of opportunities.  Some of the great stuff on her site includes information on:

free magazine subscriptions
coupons for free or nearly free food
opportunities to make extra income
free entertainment
free movie screenings
coupon codes
rebate offers
home studies
medical studies
other free items

I also subscribed to iMommies.  I want to be informed of the free offers before the companies run out.  So far, my favorite deal has been the $5 Polly Pocket coupon.  I checked the Mattel site and it is a legitimate offer.   Our family has been …read more

A few months ago, I told you that I donate filled shoeboxes to Samaritan’s Purse for Operation Christmas Child.  I’m sure many of you have heard of this and some of you probably participate in this annual event.
Each year, our family donates 5-11 shoeboxes to Operation Christmas Child.  You’re probably wondering how in the world we afford to do this.  I’m going to share my secrets and tell you how. 
Here are pictures of 2 shoeboxes.  As you can see, there is a lot of stuff in the shoebox.  I make sure I pack the boxes full of stuff.  After all, …read more