Thrifty Project: Lace Earrings

These lace earrings are so cute! I love that every pair is unique and they are so lightweight that you can wear them all day long.

You will need

• Lace (just a few inches!)
• Fabric stiffener
• Earring findings
• Thread

1. Cut out 2 pieces of your desired pattern from lace.

2. Coat the lace with fabric stiffener and let dry. Then coat the other side and let dry.

3. Attach your earring hardware with thread. You can use a jump ring, but since the lace is so thin it can slip off of the jump ring. I'm using nylon earring findings from AAA Jewelry since my ears are extremely sensitive to all metals, making finding earrings that I can wear very difficult!

Try variations using fabric dye or adding beads. Have fun!

All Walmarts are Not Created Equal

I went to return a couple things at Walmart and a customer service representative informed us that Walmart's prices are not the same from store to store! Apparently, Walmarts change their prices based on their locale. In other words, Walmarts in lower income areas have cheaper prices than Walmarts in higher income areas. If you have a choice between two, choose the one in the lower income area!

Shopping Savings

I swung by Publix tonight to pick up a few things we needed. I saved over 50% so I'm happy!

• 5 pkgs cheese ($2 ea)
• 10 boxes cereal ($1.25-$1.50 ea, plus $5 off fruit in peelie coupons)
• 4 pizzas ($2.25 ea)
• yogurt (free after coupon)
• soymilk (free after coupon)
• bananas (free after coupon from cereal)
• grapefruit (free after coupon from cereal)
• 4 jars spaghetti sauce ($1.40)
• gallon milk (reg. price)
• strawberries ($1.75 after coupon from cereal)

Total spent: $48.89
Total saved: $58.78

Trifty Project: Diaper Prefolds and Doublers

Prefolds
Diaper prefolds are great. Some people use them for burp cloths, but I need a few more around the house as diaper soakers. If you have spare, absorbent fabric around the house, this is a great project. However, prefolds only cost about $1 each, so don't spend too much money on this project or it would be cheaper to buy! I happened to have a few extra hand-me-down receiving blankets that we don't need and since they are made out of flannel, they are great for this project.

1. Gather some absorbent fabric (microfleece, flannel, a thin terry, or cotton - think old t-shirt!) and fold it in half. Cut it to 15"x17" with the height dimension (15") on the fold. (You may need to adjust your height dimension to fit your size diapers. Just measure from the front to the back of the diaper and subtract 2 inches so it doesn't hang out. This can be your height dimension.)

2. Measure and mark 4" from the cut edge of the fabric along the opposite side of the fold. Sew along that line. You now have a tube of fabric with an extra 4" flap.

3. Turn the tube of fabric inside out and lay it flat with the sewn seam 4 1/2 inches from the right hand edge. Lay the 4 inch flap to the left so that the entire flap is now flat in the center of the prefold.

4. Stitch down the left side of the center, double thickness section.

5. Zig-zag stitch or serge the top and bottom edges of the prefold to prevent fraying.

Doubler

If you have extra fabric like I did, you can make a doubler! Use these in addition to prefolds when cloth diapering overnight.

1. Cut 4 pieces of fabric the same height as your prefold and 4 inches wide. 

2. Stack the pieces on top of each other evenly and zig-zag stitch or serge around the edges.

Eating Out for Less

Tonight I had the priviledge to have dinner with an old friend. We had a good time catching up over a good meal at Olive Garden. Eating out tends to rack up the dollars, but here are a few ways to save money on your restaurant meals.

• Look for Coupons: There are frequently coupons for restaurants in local newspapers, including in the coupon circulars. You can also check the restaurant website or coupon books such as the Entertainment or Attractions books. (Personally, I find better values in the Attractions book in my area, available at Grille33 @ the Channel in downtown Greenville.)
• Buy Gift Certificates:
• Restaurant.com is a great website for finding discounts on restaurants, but don't settle for their listed price! Always do a search on a coupon code site such as Retail Me Not because Restaurants.com runs so many sales. You can frequently get 70% to even 90% off!
• You can also purchase gift cards at a discount from either Walgreens or CVS from a gift card kiosk if you have a store discount coupon such as a Register Reward (Walgreens) or an Extra Care Buck (CVS). Gift Card Granny also lists restaurant gift certificates available for purchase at a discount.
• Skip the Tip: If you are going to a restaurant where you would need to leave a tip, consider using their to-go or dive-through option instead of sitting down and you can avoid having to leave a tip. Plus, you can take your dinner to a quiet location, like a park, or even eat in the comfort of home.
• Time it Out: Many restaurants follow a sales schedule offering discounts on certain days of the week (such as "Kids Eat Free on Sundays" or "Monday Dinner Special") or at certain times of the day. Coordinating your restaurant meals with their best specials is a great option. Even eating dinner a little earlier may allow you to order off of the lunch menu, which is usually priced a few dollars less.
• Order Less:
• Beverages - Drink water instead of soda, or soda instead of an alcoholic beverage. Doing this will save at least a dollar or two, not to mention the amount of calories you are saving, by not consuming soda and alcohol.
• Appetizers - Skip 'em! The size of entrees in restaurants these days are usually well over the recommended portion size, so you don't usually need the extra food. Many restaurants also give free rolls or bread while you wait for your entree, so you will be able to wait for your meal without starving.
• Entrees - Share! Once again, entrees are usually well over the recommended portion size, so divy up your food before you chow down. Look at combo meals, too, such as a surf and turf or soup and sandwich pair. A slightly higher price for what is still considered one entree may still offset the cost of ordering two separate entrees. Soups are also usually a very budget-friendly entree. They are usually one of the cheapest meal options.
• Dessert - Skip it, or at least share. If you can't manage to skip dessert completely, think about having a dessert ready for you at home, like a freshly baked batch of brownies with a side of ice cream and hot fudge. If you coupon, that is much cheaper that one restaurant brownie and can be just as good!
• Box It Up: Box up whatever leftovers you have and eat them for another meal. This will help your money go even farther!
• Knock It Off: You can actually make some of your favorite restaurant recipes at home! Just do a quick internet search for the restaurant and dish you want to make, and you can find knock-off recipes to try at home. The best thing about this is that you know exactly what is going into your food.

Do you have any other restaurant saving tips? Favorite knock-off recipes? Leave it in a comment below!

Free Money in My Mailbox

This week, my free $10 Home Depot gift card arrived in the mail, as well as my first "Big Fat Check" from Ebates. The best part is that I got both from doing something I was going to do anyway: shop online! My first purchase looked like this:

 $28.14 -- 1 sweatshirt from Department of Goods, plus shipping

-$20.00 -- Free Promotional Credit from the store (more on how I got this later)

   $8.14   --Total Out Of Pocket Cost

+  $2.80 in Ebates checks

+$10.00 Home Depot gift card

Ebates is a company that gives you money back on your purchases by using their site to find places to shop. The percentage back varies by store and promotional period, but usually ranges from 2-10%. Since some stores offer special online promotions, coupons, and sometimes even free shipping (try ship to store if available), shopping online is sometimes cheaper than heading to the store! 

1. Sign up for a free Ebates account when you're ready to make an online purchase. When you sign up, you'll get the option to select what bonus gift card you receive when you make your first purchase. There is a time limit for you to make your first purchase in order for you to receive this gift card, so make sure you don't sign up at Ebates until you're ready to buy.
2. Search for the store you plan on shopping at and click on the link Ebates gives you to go to the store's website.
3. Make your purchase. You don't have to do anything else at this point!
4. In a few days, check your Ebates account for your credit. If it doesn't appear, you can always contact customer service and they will manually adjust your account.
5. Your first check will show up in the mail as well as your gift card!

Happy shopping!

Paperwork Pays

After a few months of persistance and some paperwork, I got the payoff I had been working towards. Actually, payoffs...

Real Estate Assessment
A few months ago we got an assessment notice on our house. The new "fair market value" of our house was over $20,000 more than what it was just two years ago when we bought the house. I would be thrilled if that were accurate, but I knew that in this market with houses in our neighborhood sitting with for sale signs for months on end, that was not the case. This new assessment value was too high and, since real estate taxes are based on that number, that meant our taxes would go up. It was time to fight it!

Appealing our assessment was easier than I thought. I contacted our great realtor, Britt Brandt, at Prudential. He pulled some comps (comparable home sales) for us to show a more accurate value for our home. I included with that a letter that stated why I felt the value was wrong (declining market, stagnant home sales, our purchase being just 2 years ago and the value suggested by the comps). My wonderful husband dropped it off in December and today we got the results. They dropped the value to a more accurate number. That means lower taxes! Savings acheived!

Health Insurance
My husband and I recently welcomed our baby girl into the world through an all natural birth at Labors of Love with the help of midwives Amy Bixby and Linda Weaver. It was a great experience. Unfortunately, my health insurance denied any coverage for the birth stating it didn't meet their criteria for coverage. They didn't even pay for an ultrasound. The upside is that even paying out-of-pocket the fees for a birth center or home birth can be less than a hospital birth with insurance coverage. However, my story doesn't end there.

When I got a bill for our little one's metabolic screen (given the day after birth) I realized that it could be billed to her insurance, not mine.  We had added her to my husband's policy, which backdated her coverage to her birthday. There was the vitamin K administration, too. What else? I called the birth center and their office assistant, Rhonda, was able to write a bill for the insurance company with all charges related directly to baby. It totaled over one third of what we had paid. After a few attempts at submitting the reimbursement claim, I finally sent in everything they needed. That was a month ago. We got word today that we are being reimbursed for over $1,000. Now THAT is worth the wait!

Shopping Savings

Today I just picked up a few things. Our cupboards are starting to look pretty bare, so I couldn't put it off any longer. Today, however, was a lesson in patience and perception.

Bloom:
1 pack Extra gum (profit)
4 boxes Hamburger Helper (free)
1 jar Pickle Relish (profit)
1 12-pack Mountain Dew (on sale, no coupons)
Total: $1.83
Savings: $13.79

*Perception: I re-checked my receipt when I got back in the car and I noticed that 2 of my coupons didn't scan! I went back into the store, talked to a manager and got my $2 refund. Some of you may wonder why I made a fuss over something as small as $2. This will help put it in perspective; I spend, on average, less than 9 cents per box of spaghetti. $2 is 22 boxes (nearly 2 years worth) of spaghetti in my house.

Coupons plus sales were the key as always. I actually ended up paying $2.03 for all of this. Why? I handed $2 to the cashier, then dug out an extra three cents to avoid getting pennies back. That confused the poor, young, cashier and she took it to mean I didn't want ANY coins. I should have explained, but instead I brushed it off and mused over the failings of education system and our society's reliance on calculators.


Bi-Lo
2 jars Tabasco (profit)
1 pkg Twizzlers (not on sale, no coupons)
8 cans Chunky soup (sale + coupons)
1 Similac SimplePac (reg price + $20 check from Similac Gold)
2 pkg boneless skinless chicken breasts (BOGO)
2 pkg frozen tilapia (BOGO)
*reusable bag credit*
Total: $27.01
Savings: $53.93

One great thing about this trip is that awesome Similac Gold check. They really did just send me a $20 check in the mail, payable to the retailer! Also, don't forget about that reusable bag credit that you can get at some stores. Just bring in your own bags and they'll take money off of your total! Going green really can save green, too!

*Patience: It took nearly 10 minutes and three store employees to ring up that $20 check from Similac, but if 10 minutes saves me $20, you bet I'll wait!

Filing Your Taxes for Less

You may be able to file your taxes for free. There are varying qualifications, but the IRS has a complete listing of free file companies on their website. However, note that it's only the federal filing that is free in many cases, and you may still have to pay to file your state return. TaxSlayer, however, offers a number of free state filings as well, including South Carolina.


If you aren't eligible to free file, or you have a more complicated return, you'll probably want to look into other options. We chose to use TurboTax because it was very easy to use.

TurboTax Original Cost: $111.90

TurboTax Final Cost: $44.95

Savings: $66.95

I have a sole-proprietorship, so at first glance at the TurboTax website I would need the Home & Business version ($74.95 federal, plus an additional $36.95 for state) but after some research I discovered that the Deluxe, Premier and Home & Business include all of the same forms, the only thing that is different is the level of help you get. That means I can get the Deluxe version ($29.95 Federal, $36.95 state).

Then I discovered that you can download the software and pay less overall. ($59.95 for both)

Then, the final kicker - if you go to www.BankofAmerica.com and use their search bar to search for TurboTax, it brings up an ad for 35% off (you don't need to be a bank customer.) Click through and it will bring you to a discount page for TurboTax. There is no difference in price for the online version, but the downloaded version is now $44.95.

*Update! TurboTax at Costco currently has a $10 rebate making the Deluxe software $39.

Here's to hoping you get a refund!

Thrifty Project: Making BabyLegs

BabyLegs: www.babylegs.com - $10

DIY BabyLegs: $2

Savings: $8 

BabyLegs are just adorable. They keep those little legs warm in all sorts of fun colors and even protect the knees of crawlers; not to mention the ease of diaper changes! I first saw BabyLegs when I was pregnant. I was hooked. I wanted them. Lots of them. But there was no way was I going to spend $10 for tubes of knit fabric. This is an easy project for you beginning sewers! You will need the following:

• Sewing machine
• Thread
• Crew, Tube, or Knee High Socks ($2 in the Target clearance bins)

Directions:

1. Cut your socks just above the heels.

2a. For a ruffled ankle: Use a very short width zig-zag stitch and stitch around the bottom edge, stretching the fabric while it feeds through the machine.

2b. For a cuffed ankle, turn the sock inside out and fold over your cuff. Then, use a medium-width zig-zag stitch to stitch over the edge of the cuff. This will prevent fraying.

Finished BabyLegs!

Budget 101

Although budgeting isn't fun, it really is step #1 to saving money. You need to know where your money is going before you think of ways to to stifle the flow. We'll get through this as step number one, but don't worry, the fun stuff will be right behind!




Set Your Goals
If you haven't set your goals yet, it's time. I'm a visual person and I wanted a big fat reminder of why we're living on a tight budget. Solution: I slapped up a big three foot by four foot piece of brown Kraft paper on our wall. Our one year, five year and ten year goals are nicely spelled (and drawn) out on our wall as a giant reminder.

What are your goals? Whether you are planning for retirement, trying to adjust to a smaller income, planning a big vacation, paying off debt, or even just trying to make it by month to month, identifying your goals will help you focus and stay on budget.




Creating a Budget
One great service to help you create your budget is Mint.com. It is a free service that helps you see where your money is going, create a budget and set your goals. What's great about this service is that it pulls information straight from your bank account, so it saves you a lot of time! It even has a mobile app so you can manage your money on the go! Worried about your privacy? Mint.com is an Intuit company (the makers of TurboTax and Quicken), so you can trust that your information is in good hands.

Unfortunately, my credit union doesn't work with Mint.com (although most banks do), so we do our budgeting the old-fashioned way. My budget workbook can be downloaded at links below. Please let me know if there are any bugs in the workbook.

Budget Workbook (Open Office Format, Excel Format)

1. Determine your monthly income. Click on the Avg. Monthly Income tab in the workbook. This gives you a number of areas in which you may have income. Enter your numbers and your average monthly income will total for you.
2. Determine your expenses. This includes many categories! If you have the ability, look back at the past year and take an average of what you have been spending. Taking an average over the year will help you be prepared for spending spikes during the year such as Christmas gifts, going on vacation, a winter heating bill, annual tax bills and vehicle maintenance. Enter these numbers in the Monthly Expenses tab. The totals will fill in for you.
3. Evaluate your current budget and make adjustments as necessary. It is recommended that you follow common financial planning percentages when planning your budget. This will help keep you from overspending in any one area. In the budget workbook, click on the Budget Calculator tab. This tab automatically pulls all of your numbers and will tell you if you are within the recommended percentages, or if you are overspending.

Keeping Your Budget

Creating a budget is one thing, but keeping that budget is a whole other ballgame! Here are a few tips to help you stay in line.

• Cut up those credit cards! They feed the ability to overspend.
• Use the 'envelope system'. At the beginning of the month, stock up labeled envelopes with the amount that you can spend in that category - in cash! Once the money is gone from that envelope, you literally will have no more to spend!
• Use the buddy system. If your friends know that you're trying to stick to a budget, they may be willing to find cheaper forms of entertainment. They may even be willing just to ask you how it's going and help you work through issues you are having. It's funny how even the closest of friends clam up when it comes to money, but if you share, they can help!
• Lose the shame! There is NO reason to feel ashamed about living on a budget. You are working towards a goal and sticking to it! Be honest with the people around you. "Sorry, that's not in the budget this month. I'm trying to (pay off my college debt)."

Keeping your budget may be difficult, but when you are able to achieve your goals you'll be happy you stuck to it!


I wish you luck on getting your budget together. It can be challenging, but it's worth it! Do you have any budgeting tips?