Frugal Ideas

September is National Coupon Month | Tips for Using Coupons

by Karen Mendes | Frugal Ideas, Saving Money With Coupons | 1 Comment

September is National Coupon Month | Tips for Using Coupons September is National Coupon month so if you don't use coupons, try it out this month. You really can save a lot of money using coupons. Here are a few tips that you may not know about using coupons.... Note expiration dates of Store Coupons – Retailers want you to shop in their store so even if your store coupon has expired, they may still take it. It doesn't hurt to ask because many retailers will honor savings deals post-expiration date. 10 for $10 doesn't mean you have to buy 10 – Lots of grocery stores will offer 10 for $10 deals to get you to buy more than one. What you may not know is that most times you don't need to...

Busy with Back-to-School? Make some Quick, Easy and Affordable Go-To Meals

by Karen Mendes | Frugal Ideas | 4 Comments

Busy with Back-to-School? Make some Quick, Easy and Affordable Go-To Meals We are back to school and in full swing with after school activities. The girls are busy between school work, projects, dance, girl scouts and soccer so our weeks will go by fast now that the season of being busy has arrived! It seems like once they are home from school, I do not sit down. Dinner is important to me and I try to make something every night to not only avoid the drive thru and save money, but to also make sure my girls eat healthy. However I don't always have time to cook so I have some go-to meals that I cook often. Each week when I shop, I make sure I have as many of my staple items for these...

Moving This Fall? Here are some Tips for Saving Money When Moving

by Karen Mendes | Frugal Ideas, Tips | 1 Comment

Looking for some Tips for Saving Money When Moving? Moving is expensive – especially when you take into consideration all of the factors leading up to and surrounding the actual move–apartment deposits, travel, new furniture, change of job, time off work…By the time many people get around to actually booking movers, their budget is already spent. As peak moving season is here, the experts at FlatRate Moving have created insider suggestions below for making the most of your moving budget: Secure a guaranteed price: Some movers charge by the hour and some offer a binding estimate or flat rate based on inventory. Stay away from a company that only gives you non-binding estimates. There is a...

7 Frugal Ways to Learn a Foreign Language

by Karen Mendes | Frugal Ideas | 7 Comments

Have you ever wanted to learn a second language? Being bilingual can make you an asset in your work field, enriches you culturally, and can really expand your horizons. But where do you begin? Sure there are quite a few programs out there you can order, but many of those cost hundreds of dollars. If spending hundreds of dollars is not exactly in your budget, no worries. There are still plenty of ways to learn a foreign language without going broke. Below, you will find 7 frugal ways to learn a foreign language that are fun, simple, and totally frugal. With resources like these available, becoming bilingual has never been easier or less expensive. In no time, you too can be speaking a...

Bluebird from American Express, Not a Credit Card and More Than a Pre-Paid Card

by Karen Mendes | Frugal Ideas, Product Review | 0 Comments

Bluebird from American Express, Great for Budgeting Groceries In December I introduced you to Bluebird from American Express and I've been using it and learning about different ways it can be a valuable tool. It's not a credit card and not exactly a debit card. It's more of a pre-paid card but it has so many benefits that pre-paid cards don't normally have. There are two ways to get a Bluebird card and neither of them are based on credit. You can sign up online, which is FREE and super quick and easy, or purchase a 'kit' from Walmart for a $5 fee. There is no approval process since it's not a credit card so you don't need to worry about your credit. It's basically a pre-paid card...

Bluebird from American Express, Great for Budgeting Groceries

by Karen Mendes | Frugal Ideas, Product Review | 0 Comments

Bluebird from American Express, Great for Budgeting Groceries In December I introduced you to Bluebird from American Express and I've been using it and learning about different ways it can be a valuable tool. I will continue to use my Bluebird account over the next couple of weeks and documenting my experience here on the blog. I know not everyone uses credit cards but remember this is NOT a credit card and Bluebird could be a great tool in budgeting by controlling your spending. You can sign up online, which is FREE and super quick and easy, or purchase a 'kit' from Walmart for a $5 fee. There is no approval process because it's not a credit card so you don't need to worry about your...

Bluebird from American Express, Great for Traveling

by Karen Mendes | Frugal Ideas, Product Review | 0 Comments

Bluebird from American Express, Great for Traveling Eairler this month introduced you to Bluebird from American Express and I've been using it and learning about different ways it can be a valuable tool. I will continue to use my Bluebird account over the next couple of weeks and documenting my experience here on the blog. I know not everyone has credit cards, which this is not, and something like Bluebird could be a great tool in budgeting by controlling your spending. You can sign up online, which is FREE and super quick and easy, or purchase a 'kit' from Walmart for a $5 fee. There is no approval process because it's not a credit card so you don't need to worry about your credit. ...

Bluebird from American Express, Great for College Students

by Karen Mendes | Frugal Ideas, Product Review | 3 Comments

Bluebird from American Express, Great for College Students I recently introduced you to Bluebird from American Express and I've been using it and learning about different ways it can be a valuable tool. I will continue to use my Bluebird account over the next few weeks and documenting my experience here on the blog. I know not everyone has credit cards, which this is not, and something like Bluebird could be a great tool in budgeting by controlling your spending. You can sign up online, which is FREE and super quick and easy, or purchase a 'kit' from Walmart for a $5 fee. There is no approval process because it's not a credit card so you don't need to worry about your credit. It's...

Bluebird from American Express, A Great Budgeting Tool

by Karen Mendes | Frugal Ideas, Product Review | 0 Comments

Bluebird from American Express, A Great Budgeting Tool Last week I introduced you to Bluebird from American Express. I will be using my Bluebird account over the next few weeks and documenting my experience using it here on the blog. I know not everyone has credit cards, which this is not, and something like Bluebird could be a great tool in budgeting by controlling your spending. You can sign up online, which is FREE and super quick and easy, or purchase a 'kit' from Walmart for a $5 fee. There is no approval process because it's not a credit card so you don't need to worry about your credit. It's basically a pre-paid card and you can only spend what you put on there. I find this very...

Bluebird from American Express, An Alternative to Debit Cards and Checking Accounts

by Karen Mendes | Frugal Ideas, Product Review | 0 Comments

Bluebird from American Express, An Alternative to Debit Cards and Checking Accounts I'm really excited to share Bluebird from American Express with you all. I know that some people don't want to use a debit card (my husband) to make purchases and not everyone has a checking account. If you fall in those categories then Bluebird is for you. Perhaps you've seen the Kiosk in Walmart, I hadn't noticed it so I'll be sure to look for it the next time I'm there. But if you were wondering what it's all about then keep reading. Over the next month or so I'll be sharing with you my experience using Bluebird. It's not a credit card, it's more of a prepaid card and you can only spend the money...

Saving with Coupons Update 8/21/12

by Karen Mendes | Saving Money With Coupons | 0 Comments

I'm back in the game with using my coupons and I did lots of shopping last week. We were running out of a lot of stuff so I needed to do some stock up shopping while the things we use most were on sale. I also want to point out here that I am not an extreme couponer so my savings isn't $1000 a week. I try to only buy what my family will use and stock up on a few things as I find them at the best price possible. My point here is to show you that you don't have to be an extreme couponer and you can still make a huge difference in using coupons. So far this year (with taking about 6 weeks off from using coupons) I have saved enough to make almost 2 car payments or purchase 2 airline...

Saving with Coupons Update 8/14/12

by Karen Mendes | Saving Money With Coupons | 0 Comments

As some of you may know, I moved my family to a new home in June. It's been a lot of work especially with two small children that are home from school this summer, a husband who works full time outside of the home and running a business myself. So coupons were pushed to the side (or really just packed away) for over a month for me. I tried my best to still shop sales whenever possible to save as much as I could. But I'm happy to say that my coupons have been unpacked and I even organized them this weekend so I'm back to using them. I have been to Stop & Shop and CVS already this week and have saved a ton with coupons. I've been taking advantage of a few sales and stocking up on a...

Enter the Atlantic Luggage Legoland Sweepstakes

by Karen | Travel | 0 Comments

I wanted to share this fun mini-vacation sweepstakes with you because I know so many of my readers have families. It's the Atlantic Luggage and Legoland Sweepstakes where you'll have a chance to win a 2-day vacation for 2 adults and 2 children to Legoland in Florida!!! My girls would absolutely LOVE this!! The prize includes a hotel for 2 nights and a car rental. You'll also get to attend a meet and greet with a LEGOLAND Master Model Builder. And to help you on your trip you'll also win a set of Atlantic luggage!! If you aren't familiar with this brand, it's an affordable, durable and lightweight set of luggage which is perfect for families on the go and it comes in a variety of...

Reduce Debt and Save for Vacations with Coupons

by Karen Mendes | Frugal Ideas, Using Coupons | 0 Comments

How many times have you wished you had just a little bit more money each week to pay off your credit card or perhaps just pay cash so you don’t have to charge things? Wouldn’t it be great to be able to splurge and buy something you didn’t need, but wanted instead? When you have a limited income, it's very hard to do that. However, at some point or another everyone should treat themselves to make all their hard work worth it. But if your credit card bill is through the roof, you just end of feeling guilty about spending money on something you want, but don't necessarily need. How about a night out with your spouse or significant other that doesn't consist of only going somewhere for free?...

Saving with Coupons Update 6/26/12

by Karen Mendes | Saving Money With Coupons | 2 Comments

As I mentioned last week, we are moving and this week is moving week! So once again last week, I tried to use what we had so I didn't have to pack much food. That meant we didn't need many things and I didn't use too many coupons. But I did use a few! Here is what we saved with coupons... I shopped at Stop & Shop and saved $2.47 with coupons. I shopped at CVS and saved $4.00 with coupons. I shopped at Walgreens and saved $.30 with coupons I shopped at Walmart and saved $5.00 with coupons MY total saved last week with coupons was $11.77. January 2012 Coupon Savings -$21.60 February 2012 Coupon Savings - $79.94 March 2012 Coupon Savings - $59.60 April 2012 Coupon Savings - $114.11...

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