Archive for January, 2010

To My 12 Readers!

January 23, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , ,

First of all, I just want to say thank you to all of my 12 readers who have supported  my blog so far. Technically I don’t know if there are 12 of you, I think there might be a few more than that, but to all of you thank you. Seeing that you are reading my blog is inspiring to me to keep going and it lets me know there is an audience listening to my experiences.

I’d love to hear from you! Anytime you’d like leave a comment about your experiences, leave critiques, let me know what you want to hear about… anything… but I’d love to hear from you!

As for the purpose of this post, I just want to say sorry for not posting this week. Life spun out of control a bit and I’ve needed a moment to get my feet back on solid ground. Two of my family members have fallen very ill. For those of you who pray, please pray that God will heal their bodies and that he will bless them and our family with comfort and peace in this difficult time. Also, Chris and I have been on the job hunt. We’re like bloodhounds tracking jobs but unfortunately we aren’t having much, if any, luck. However, over the last two weeks I have created several articles that I will be finishing and editing this weekend so that I can get back on track next week. Thank you for your patience and for checking back even though there hasn’t been new material. You support means the world to me!

For those of you with a Facebook, you can add the application called NetworkedBlogs and add It Makes Cents to Me! Feel free to use the share button to share It Makes Cents to Me! with your friends, family, and co-workers. And while you’re here, feel free to subscribe to It Makes Cents to Me! via email! Just look on the right side for the subscribe button.

And one last quick update, for those of you who are wondering about It Makes Cents to Me!’s furture, once I find a job I will be paying to have a personalized layout and icon made for It Makes Cents to Me! I will also be adding much more content and will be expanding the site. Also, be on the lookout for a fan page on Facebook. It’s currently under construction but I hope to have it up in the next week or two.

God bless and have a good weekend!

Megan

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Price per Ounce

January 14, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , ,

When you’re shopping in a busy store, figuring out which size or what brand to buy can be mind-boggling. That screaming child (whether it’s yours or someone else’s) is making concentration about as impossible as winning the lottery.

Well, for one, this is why I always carry a calculator with my couponing pouch. Two, the good news is that in most stores, and on most items, the hard work has been done for you. There are exceptions like the produce department and medical items, but for the most part, in the grocery section of the store, there are these little tags that can save you multiple gray hairs.

Look directly under the item, typically in the same area as the price tag, and you’ll see what appears to be a completely random number off in its own little section. However, this number isn’t so random and you, my dear reader, should consider it a Godsend. This little number is known as the ‘price per ounce,’ and you could be paying A LOT more attention to it. Think the small bottle always costs more? You just might be wrong. That used to hold true, but more and more, packaging is changing and manufacturers are hoping you don’t notice.  The truth of the matter is, that the smaller bottles are frequently becoming the cheaper option and if you aren’t checking the price per ounce you likely won’t notice the difference. Given the economy and the typically greedy backbone of most corporations, companies are placing dents in the bottom of bottles and smaller bags in boxes. Nothing too noticeable to the naked eye, but one look at the price per ounce or even the ounces on a container and you very well could be looking at a brand new number. So next time you’re shopping, take a second to check up on the price per ounce because it’s changing all over the place. Read the rest of this entry »

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The Importance of a Rotating Food and Supply Storage

January 13, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , ,

If your routine involves shopping once a week or every couple of days for some random items you’re supposed to make into meals, this couponing thing is never going to work for you. That’s especially true if you find yourself going to the store even more often to fill in the holes for the meals you didn’t plan in advance. What’s the problem exactly? Those last-minute purchases, and very possibly your entire grocery list, aren’t on sale and you probably don’t have a coupon for those particular items. Sure you can buy store brand and it might be cheaper, but is it cheapest? Chances are the answer to that question is no.

The thing about making couponing work for you, and the key to mastering frugality, is buying what’s on sale with the best coupon possible. That means shopping for what’s on sale each week, and not for what you want that week. There will be a few exceptions, mostly fresh produce, but I bet you can learn to save money even in that department with a quick perusal of the weekly ads and some forethought.

When you buy on sale, you might buy 8 cans of olives at one time. Yes, in a way, that is excessive, but it’s how you’re going to turn pennies into dollars in the long run. When you buy what’s on sale, you’ll start to realize that sales happen on cycles and that they are also particularly good at certain times of the year. By stocking up when it’s a good sale, or better yet, a GREAT sale, you’re going to save the most money possible. When you combine the coupons I know you’ve been learning to save with the sales you’re learning to look for, you can decide which sales to buy on, how much to buy, and which coupons to use. Once you have mastered the flow of sales and coupons, and then matching the two together, it’s time to start stocking up. Read the rest of this entry »

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Ten Tips for Tuesday: Baking Soda

January 13, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , ,

Ten Uses for Baking Soda

1. Make your own baking powder. Combine the following:

  • 1 t baking soda
  • 2 t cream of tartar
  • 1 t corn starch
  • Mix well

2. Smother a fire. Whether it be a grease fire, flambe’ gone wrong, something fell in the burner, or whatever else may flame you, baking soda is your friend when trying to put flames out on the fly. Of course, if the fire is out of control or spreading quickly, GET OUT!!! But if your instincts say you’ve got time to smother your flames grab the baking soda. It will prevent oxygen from reaching the flames and will put it out almost immediately. Keep several boxes in the kitchen, bathroom, and wherever a fire could spark.

3. Turn that $2 bag of litter into a $10 bag of litter for a $1. Expensive litter that’s extra absorbent of both liquids and odors can easily cost an arm and a leg. Go ahead and save yourself and your wallet the heartache and grab that cheap bag of litter. Before you leave the store head to the baking aisle and grab a box of baking soda. Put a thin layer of baking soda on the bottom before you add the litter and it will work just as hard as the teeny tiny box of $10 litter. You can also stretch your buck even further by freshening your litter up for an extra day or two by adding a sprinkle to the top of your box. Read the rest of this entry »

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Cents on the Dollar

January 13, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , ,

Turn a 10 cent meal into a $10 meal.

Ramen anyone? Yes, I know, it’s not glamorous, but it gets you by in a pinch and it’s part of eating from the pantry.

I didn’t have anything thawed for lunch today and I didn’t want to spend money picking something up. Chris’ solution was ramen so I figured I’d join him but I needed more than just noodles.

Here’s my up-scale version of ramen! Enjoy!

2 packages ramen

2 baby bok choy

2 handfuls broccoli slaw

2 green onions

8 slices char siu

Boil ramen noodles with seasoning packet. Add bok choy and broccoli slaw. Add char siu and let meat heat through. Place in bowls and top with sliced green onion. Viola!

This entire meal cost about $1.25 for the both of us. If you bought this out and about, even at a good hole-in-the-wall restaurant, it would set up back $10 a piece.

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Ten Tips for Tuesday: Vinegar

January 6, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

So, I’ve decided to start my first regular blog posting. Welcome to 10 Tips for Tuesdays! This is my first edition and I already have about 10 weeks planned out.

10 Uses for Vinegar

1. Sanitize. Vinegar has natural sanitizing properties. I keep a large spray bottle or two around the house and use it for counters, toilets, door knobs, light switches- you name it! Yes, it does smell for a bit, but the smell dissipates quickly. You can also be happy knowing that using white vinegar for every day all-purpose cleaners prevents saturating your home with unhealthy chemicals, dyes, and fumes that can lead to a host of health problems including neurological damage and fertility problems.

2. I use that very same spray bottle on my windows and mirrors. Vinegar can remove even the toughest of streaks and it does the hard work for you. The best way I’ve ever found to clean windows and mirrors in both my home and in my car is to use an old cotton t-shirt to wipe down glass surfaces sprayed with white vinegar.

3. Remove Odor. It doesn’t matter if your new puppy left a puddle for you on your new carpet that smells to the high heavens or if you stored spaghetti sauce in a plastic storage container and you just can’t get the smell out, soak your container, carpet, and even your garlic hands in white vinegar and you can kiss that odor goodbye! Read the rest of this entry »

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My Late Night Savings Adventure to Albertson’s

January 6, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , ,

So maybe the commercials for Albertson’s do lie… but if you mix their half-truths with my coupon genius it makes for a very good night.

What I bought and how I saved:

(*For those of you reading in the local Mountain Home area, aka- Slitmywristsville, you can’t typically get double or triple coupons in the local Albertson’s ad, but you can get them in the Boise ad, which I happen to get from my Mom.)

What I bought and the original price: Read the rest of this entry »

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What’s Cooking?

January 6, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , ,

In an effort to take back part of our dining room and our freezer, this month’s menu is largely based on using what we already have in our ‘pantry’ and in our freezer. I’ve also come up with several New Year’s Resolutions. I’ll go through those in another post, but part of our financial goals will involve being good stewards of our money and our finances. I put this aspect of that resolution into action in the last couple months as to not bombard myself at the beginning of this year, so I’m well on my way. The first part of this goal involves couponing and shopping for what’s on sale. That’s what I have been up to for the last month or two. The second part is creating a rotating food storage (no spinning necessary) to prevent waste and spoilage by using what’s oldest first and putting the new stuff in the back. The last part involves building monthly menus around what I have on hand in the freezer, fridge, and in our makeshift pantry. (Weekly or bi-monthly shopping will revolve around what fresh produce is on sale and in season.)

I don’t plan on updating what’s for dinner every day, but when I have good examples of how I’m stretching a buck to feed my family and use what we already have I’ll share with you. Read the rest of this entry »

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Getting Off to a Rough Start

January 6, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized · Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Just as I was creating this blog our world came tumbling down… we have lots of faith in God to get us through, but smart financial decisions will be necessity for a while. I started to learn about couponing and frugal ways of life out of want. I was led by a desire to provide the most I could for my family. We’re small but we have family spread out all over the country, we’d like a house one day, and while loads of money will never be what makes us rich, having a little extra in the bank gives us a definite feeling of financial security. However, we found out 3 or so weeks ago Chris will be losing his job with the Air Force which now makes frugality a necessity.

It’s a long story, one that I’m just not going to bother re-hashing, but the Air Force announced it would be cutting back 3,700 Airmen and Chris just happened to be standing in front of the firing- no pun intended. God blessed me with a sense of calm from the beginning and while we’ve had our moments of trying to control our life, we are constantly reminded that if we want to get through this unscathed we’ve got to put it in God’s hands. The job search began yesterday and we’re casually looking at rentals and for a second car. Read the rest of this entry »

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