But First, We Have Coffee » great finds

85 Ways To Save Money

Ruth — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 15:27:21 +0000

Use a long distance calling card. I have found Costco’s card to be the best buy. You can refill it, as well.

Make your own baking mix like Bisquick and bake lots of biscuits, muffins, coffee cakes and pancakes.

Turn lights off.

During the winter, bundle up and keep the house at 65 degrees. (Maybe warmer if you have a baby)

Get rid of either cell phones, or the land line. Sometimes paying the fee to stop a contract is cheaper than fulfilling the contract. If you do use cell phones, get rid of extras like texting.

Get rid of credit cards and lines of credit.

Get rid of cable.

Eat more rice and beans.

Don’t even look at the store ads, only go to the store to buy what you need and stick to it.

Don’t run to town all the time. Consolidate trips.

Don’t buy a new vehicle.

Pray about each purchase that each dollar you spend is being used wisely.

Use the dollar store for purchasing gifts.

Stay away from the mall.

Wash your vehicle by hand as opposed to running it through a car wash

Shop thrift stores (with a list of needs). You can find some very classy clothing at very good prices if you shop around.

Pay bills online.

Keep a notebook with you to write down all purchases, even little ones. (See price book sheets on right under freebies) This will help identify the problem. Compare. Find out the best place with the best buys and shop there the most.

Use only cash when grocery shopping. Leave the checkbook and debit card at home.

Plan a menu and shop off that.

Incorporate a meatless dinner into your menu.

Incorporate a couple casseroles and soups into your menu. These usually tend to be stretchers and are less expensive than individual helpings of a veggie, meat, and bread.

Cut out sodas and expensive coffees. Consider making your own specialty coffee drinks at home using your blender.

Cut down juices to just breakfast unless fruit is served.

Make granola and yogurt or baked oatmeal for breakfast.

Change out light bulbs with fluorescents

Learn to change the oil in the vehicle, as well as the air filter.

Make your own cocoa mix, instead of buying it or mix half and half.

Don’t buy prepared gravy mixes, hamburger helpers, etc. Make your own from scratch.

Cut out prepared snack foods like chips and fancy crackers, unless for special occasions. Make popcorn in a good old pot on the stove or in an air popper. Make your own crackers. There are several recipes for crackers and snacks in the More With Less (on right).

Seek out marked down bananas. Let the kids eat the best ones. Peel and freeze the rest in a gallon zip lock bag. Pull out and make smoothies or banana bread.

Shop egg prices. Sometimes buying a large 3 dozen container is less expensive than the smaller containers. They will last for a very long time and are an inexpensive food.

Find a co-op for bulk foods like dried fruits, nuts, seeds, oatmeal, herbs, spices, vitamins and supplements, etc.

Buy generic when possible.

Make your own laundry soap.

Cook from scratch.

Make your own baby wipes.

Buy your cleaners at a janitorial supply store. They are so much cheaper and really good.

Try sharing postage with a few neighbors who have to mail the same utility bills to the same places.

Make your own envelopes instead of buying new ones by forming them from scratch paper. Take apart an envelope to use as a template.

The Tightwad Gazette (on right) suggests there are three ways to save (in a nutshell). They are: Buy it cheaper, make it last longer, use it less.

Wash out sturdy zip types bags to reuse. Just remember not to reuse any that stored meats or grease.

Use leftover rice by making a crust for a quiche. Do this by combining 1 1/2 c. of cooked rice, 1 oz of shredded cheese, and an egg. Pat out in a pie plate. For a larger quiche dish, increase rice and cheese portions slightly. Do not Pam or grease the dish. Bake at 425° for 20 minutes.

For cheap return address labels, cut out all of the mailing labels from your junk mail that has your address all nicely preprinted. Attach them to your envelopes with a glue stick, white glue, or tape.

Turning bulbs on and off wears them out. Since compact fluorescents are the most expensive type to replace, when leaving the room for less than half an hour, you should leave them on. When leaving for less than 15 minutes, leave tube fluorescents on, and when leaving for less than 5 minutes, leave incandescent on.

An inexpensive gift, if you can do calligraphy, might be to write a favorite Bible verse or saying then place it in a yard sale frame.

Buy and use a battery charger and rechargeable batteries.

Do not buy pre-processed potatoes (wedges, mashed, fries). Make them from scratch.

Make your own baking powder by mixing 1 part baking soda, 2 parts cream of tartar, and 2 parts arrowroot.

Make your own cream soup mix instead of buying premade, precanned soups.

Take shorter showers.

Insulate the attic.

Air condition one or two rooms, as opposed to the whole house. Likewise, in the winter, close off rooms that don’t need to be heated.

Hang your laundry out.

Put lids on all pots while cooking

Bake more than one item at a time.

When doing dishes, try filling the sink only half way.

Stop eating out or picking up something quick, especially if it means a fast food restaurant.

Learn to cut hair instead of paying someone else to do the job.

Add a little extra dry milk powder to baked goods to boost protein.

If you dine out, only drink water.

Less expensive snack foods would be popcorn, pretzels, Costco corn chips, or home made cookies.

The least expensive vegetables are cabbage and carrots

Get yourself a farmer’s guide from the extension office. Find out when the produce your family enjoys the most comes ripe. Go pick it. Put it up. It’s not that difficult, really.

Buy from produce stands in bulk. Sometimes you can order ahead of time how much corn you want. Freeze it the same day you get it.

Eat before you go shopping

Have a planned list ahead of shopping time.

Make a master grocery list.

Try living on beans and rice for a week.

If you have little ones in disposable diapers, I have found Costco’s to be the best buy.

Stop using paper towels and use kitchen hand towels, instead.

Buy your tp at Costco in a large amount and just store it somewhere. It’s a good buy and good quality.

Bake. Fresh bread will fill a tummy like nobody’s business and makes hearts happy.

Take cash with you when you go shopping or purchase a gift card and just fill it with the amount you have limited yourself. Plan on keeping a little in there for incidentals, especially when you start this.

Don’t cater to picky eaters, unless it is your husband.

Eat hot cereals in the winter. You don’t even need milk.

Stop buying tooth paste. It’s not good for you, anyway.

Use borax and oxy mixed together instead of laundry soap or dish soap for the dishwasher.

Buy inexpensive Suave shampoo and dilute with water to use in your pump soap dispenser

Eat leftovers for lunch.

Powdered milk works well instead of real as a substitute. I make my yogurt with it, even.

Find a dent and nick store.

Ask your grocer if you can purchase old bananas at a discount.

I’m sure this list is incomplete. Perhaps you have some ideas up your sleeve that I have not come up with. Please share!

Post from: But First, We Have Coffee

85 Ways To Save Money

Free HSLDA Membership!

Ruth — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 15:57:53 +0000

If you are a home educator, I would encourage you to become a member of the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). If you ever have questions or problems, they are just a call away. Also, you would be supporting those that need assistance, as well!

I just heard from Natalie, that right now, HSLDA is giving away a few months’ membership at no cost!

Simply fill out the form here. You must make application before April 30th and the membership is good through July 31st.

Each month, you will also enjoy their magazine, which includes articles, as well as updates from all over the US with what’s going on with home education and how HSLDA is active in those areas of defending fellow homeschoolers.

Membership to HSLDA is a wise investment. I hope you are, or will become, a member.

Post from: But First, We Have Coffee

Free HSLDA Membership!

Living On A Dime’s Big Sale

Ruth — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 15:53:31 +0000

I wanted to be sure to let ya’ll know about Living On A Dime’s huge sale going on now. Get 50% or more off right now. They say 63% off print books!

Besides that, if you are one of the first 250 people to order the 3 print book set, which, by the way, is
priced so low that you get 3 books for the price of one, they will also throw in a free Menus On A Dime booklet! How cool is that?

Click on the cook book to go to their site and check it out for yourself.

Post from: But First, We Have Coffee

Living On A Dime’s Big Sale

Dave Ramsey Material On Sale

Ruth — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 03:02:26 +0000

If you have wanted Dave Ramsey’s materials, but haven’t had the money to get them, now is the time to step up and make your purchase! Check out all these items that are marked at a mere $10 each!

My husband and I, as well as our oldest four kids, have gone through the Financial Peace University. To say that it paid for itself is an understatement.

Click here to see!

Post from: But First, We Have Coffee

Dave Ramsey Material On Sale

Big Sale At Sears!

Ruth — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:56:31 +0000

Someone at the CMOMB.com forum shared this with us. Her husband is in management, so she knew about this in advance!

Thursday, October 16th, Sears is having a huge clearance sale. Basically everything that you wear, clothes, jewelry, handbags, hats, kids clothes etc. will be marked down to 9.99 and below. Some items will even be .99!! From past sales she usually found most items for around 3.99.

This would be a fantastic time to check out items for Kidvantage!

Get there early!

Post from: But First, We Have Coffee

Big Sale At Sears!

Let’s Talk Kidvantage

Ruth — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:11:25 +0000

Sears hosts a neat program called Kidvantage. As long as you purchase kids clothing and/or shoes, they will replace the item with a new one of the same size/brand if it wears out. Yes, you heard me right! If your little fellas, crawling on their knees to play cars, wear a hole in their knee, you wash that pair of pants, take them back to the retail store and they replace the garment! And boy, do those 5 and 6 year olds go through the jeans!

Now don’t kick yourself too hard if you didn’t know about this before. It’s one of the best kept secrets around these days.

Some stores/states require you keep the receipt. Be sure to find out when you go in and sign up. One state we lived in did require one to bring the receipt back in with the garment. The state we live in currently, does not.

After $100 has been spent on the Kidvantage program, you receive a coupon, attached to the bottom of the receipt, for 15 percent off your next purchase.

Since they use your telephone as reference when you go in, even grandma could use this plan. My mother-in-law would use my Kidvantage number when she made purchases and received the discount. We rarely new clothes.

Post from: But First, We Have Coffee

Let’s Talk Kidvantage

Use For Junk Mail Envelopes

Ruth — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 16:47:41 +0000

Reuse the back of junk mail envelopes and the envelopes you remove bills from. I use the backs of them for my note paper to makes lists: Grocery lists, to do lists, or jot down things I need to remember. I never buy cute/fancy note pads, although I have been known to receive a few as gifts.

Post from: But First, We Have Coffee

Use For Junk Mail Envelopes

Motivated Moms Planner

Mom — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:47:13 +0000

I admit it. I’m a list-maker. I like to make lists of what’s for dinner, l what I need to do today, what I need to pick up at the store, what I want to do in the future. You name it, I list it ~grin~

I wanted to share with you about Motivated Moms planners. I have heard of these before, but had not purchased it. I know… I’m cheap. $8 for a planner seemed like a lot. Ha! It really isn’t, though, at least not for this planner. AND…. it’s half off because the year is half over! So, if you are interested in taking a peek at her other items, this may be the time to give them a spin. Then you’ll know if you want to go back and spend the extra $4 later.

She has check off boxes for daily and weekly tasks. They rotate week to week. These are a great starter kit for anyone wanting to jump start their daily schedule.

Some items she has are:

Full Size Planner
Half Size PlannerFull Size Planner with Bible Reading Schedule (I wish I had tried this one out)
Half Size Planner
Half Size Planner with Bible Reading Schedule

Let me know if you end up purchasing one of these that I don’t have. I’d like to know what you think… or if you already have one that I don’t have, would love to hear.

Post from: But First, We Have Coffee

Motivated Moms Planner

A Nice Free Find

Mom — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:49:33 +0000

This is for teachers and administrators.

http://rochester100.com/index.jsp?action=show_teacher

Filling out that form got me to wondering…. Do you have a name for your homeschool? If so, what is it? Ours is Home of Higher Learning. I’d love to hear yours!

Post from: But First, We Have Coffee

A Nice Free Find

A Few Of My Favorite Azure Things

Mom — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 13:59:50 +0000

Yesterday, in this post, I shared a little about Azure Standard, a company that supplies businesses and co-ops with whole foods, grains, supplements and more. Today, I am going to share some of my favorite products.

When I started with Azure, I didn’t have a wheat grinder, so I bought my flour from them. They have everything a person could want for all types of diets. Much of it, if not most, is grown on their own farm, Azure Farms. They carry wheat berries, oats, barley and corn for grinding.

Their seed, nut, and dried fruit assortment has been perfect for making granola and trail mix, along with their oats. We have very large bins in our pantry for large quantities of certain items such as flour, oats, sugar, rice, chocolate chips and dried beans.

Early in my relationship with Azure, my orders included additions to my kitchen arsenal. Cookie sheets, pizza pans, and lasagna pans, to name a few. They are stainless steel, which lasts forever. We’ve been using ours for over 12 years now and they hold up so well. The prices at Azure are very good. This is an investment, indeed. Metal bowls were also a must. At that time, I had 5 children and our growing family was outgrowing my mixing bowls. Plus, if one wants to make bread, or anything else, in large quantities, at least one of these bowls are a must.

I found that they have a super selection of books that appeal to me and my family’s health. Books such as The Encyclopedia of Country Living, How To Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor, Midwifery and Herbs, Prescription For Nutritional Healing, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Premenopause, books on vaccinations that got me to thinking, and many more, which are no longer listed. Perhaps I will share some of my favorite books in detail later. We also found some books that work well with our home schooling. They are The Story of Liberty, Sweet Land of Liberty and the Boys of ‘76, written by Charles C. Coffin. These are now required reading for our kids to be considered graduated from our homeschool.

Moving right along… Azure’s prices on baking products such as yeast, baking powder, garlic, and sea salt are good. Anne to add amino acids in our meals, which is not only healthy, but improves the taste of the foods. I also have come to really enjoy brewer’s yeast on my popcorn, both of which I buy from Azure.

When I place my orders, I make a point to check out the current prices on produce, as I have found some very good buys, such as organic oranges for .65/pound.

I can do so much shopping without having to run to the grocery store. This saves time and money.

Post from: But First, We Have Coffee

A Few Of My Favorite Azure Things