Now is the time to save on summer merchandise with end of summer sales.  Stores need to make room for their fall and winter merchandise and you can save big bucks on clearanced summer items.

You can probably find savings on the following items:

summer shoes – sandals, flip flops, water shoes
summer clothing – shorts, short-sleeved shirts, bathing suits
pools
pool equipment
life jackets
lawn furniture
play toys – water guns, buckets, sand toys, floaties, goggles
gardening supplies – plants and pots
school supplies (back to school promotions)
charcoal and gas grills
yard decorations

This is the time of year when I shop for clothes for our family for the following year.  …read more

I received a Target sale catalog in the mail today called “splash into summer for less”.  You may have received one too, but before you toss it into the recycling bin be sure to look on the back.  Attached, you should find a coupon packet valued at over $55.  You may find some of the coupons to be useful.
Here are some of the sale items that caught my eye:

Fisher-Price sand tools $3.49
Wigglin’ Water Sprinkler $8.99
Cootie Games $4.99
Primary Journal (room for writing and drawing on each page) $2.99
No-Spill Mini Bubble Bucket $4.99
No-Spill Bubble Blitzer (blows up to 3,000 bubbles a minute without re-dipping) …read more

Guest post by Linette Gerlach
You can plant a garden even on a shoestring budget. For very little money you can grow enough food to help feed your family through the winter.

Here are a few tips to help get you started:

Start your plants in recycled pots, or containers you make yourself. You can make your own plant pots out of newspaper, or egg cartons.
Buy your seeds at the local farm store. There you can buy as much or as little of each type of seed as you want, and you’re paying by the weight. You don’t have to buy extra if …read more

Each year we have the same two problems: 
1) My daughter outgrows almost all of her pants in the length. 
2)  It’s hard to find shorts that are long enough.
What is the deal with short shorts anyway????
This year, I decided to take some of her old jeans and try to make shorts out of them.

I cut the jeans right above the spot where she had wore out the knees.  I was just going to roll them up,but decided they might unravel so I had my mom put a stitch in the bottom.

Ta-da. Now we have cute shorts that are long enough and they …read more

The following is a guest post. 
This summer we are avoiding day care costs while the kids are out of school by doing some co-op babysitting with a friend in the neighborhood. Between our three kids and their two it can be quite a zoo. Here are some tips for getting the most out of co-op babystting.
Be Flexible
Co-op babysitting is particularly difficult if the parents work part or full time. Work schedules will add to the amount of babysitting schedule changes. But even if neither parent works out of the house, doctor appointments, vacations and more are going to come up. Tell the …read more

The following is a guest post.
Summer break is almost over. Are the kids getting restless? Or maybe the better question is whether the parents are getting restless. Keeping everyone busy on a budget can be a challenge anytime of the year, but especially during the summer. Here some tips to help you save on entertainment for the rest of the summer and throughout the year!

Research.
This doesn’t have to be a lot of work. I regularly check the event calendars on our state, state parks and library websites. These are full of free and low cost events for all ages. We …read more

In celebration of the June 20th summer solstice, b5media is having The Great Blog Off.  Participating b5media blogs from the Lifestyles, Business, and Entertainment channels will post content at least once per hour for each hour of the day. 
This is the first time since 1975 that the summer solstice hasn’t occurred on June 21.  On this day, the daytime hours are at a maximum in the Northern hemisphere and night time is at a minimum.  It is officially the first day of summer.
The great blog off begins at 12:01 am on June 20th.  Each blog channel will be accepting charitable …read more

This week, I stopped by Dollar Tree and I was pleased with the great stuff that I found.  Sometimes you can find some treasures in there.
If you’re looking for things to keep the kids busy this summer, you should stop by Dollar Tree first to see what they have.  The trip could save you some money. 
Here are some of the treasures I found during my visit.  There’s nothing like the convenience of having a digital camera in your purse. 

Check out these cute swim suits for infants and toddlers.  I bought some of these last year at Target on …read more

 
In the U.S. we are preparing for the official launch of summertime with our Memorial Day Holiday coming up this next weekend.
To welcome the most beloved season, b5media Lifestyles Channel decided to usher Summertime in with a very special tribute to The Good Old Summertime.  A special thanks to Gayla for putting together this month’s blog carnival. 
Mary Emma Allen at One Book Two Book reminds you to check our your local library for their summer reading programs which can be great fun for youngsters, parents, and grandparents.
Be gone foul wasp!  Noreen Crone-Findlay at Hankering for Yarn has designed a crocheted …read more

I went through my daughter’s clothes for this summer and now I know what she needs.  EVERYTHING!  I will keep you posted as to what I am able to find and how much.  This will help me be held accountable with how much I spend.  My limit is usually $3.50 for an outfit.  We will see how I do.  Wish me luck.