9 Inexpensive Activities To Keep Your Kids Entertained This Summer

School's out for the summer and now mom has to entertain two kids who get bored very easily.

I know my kids have plenty to do around our house, but the same toys, bikes, books and swing set can get boring after just a few weeks spent at home.

I need to have a game plan for summer activities and they need to be fun, affordable and last longer than 10 minutes.

Here's Nine Ideas To Help Keep Our Monkeys Entertained This Summer:

1. Check out your local library and book stores for their summer reading programs. At our library, the kids can earn small prizes, such as free coupons for pizza and ice cream for reading books through out the summer. They also have a summer schedule for special story times and other activities. A side bonus, our local bank is offering the children $10 for reading just 10 books over the summer.

2. Look for local fairs and festivals for low cost games, food and activities. We love to hit the local harvest festivals in the summer time for strawberries, peaches, and apples. Local towns, libraries, malls and fire halls also host carnivals and festivals as fundraisers. Keep your eyes and ears open for local activities.

3. A Park A Week – One day each week, my kids and I try a different park. I don’t mind driving a few extra miles to try a new park, since it keeps them from getting bored with the same park every week. We pack a lunch, snacks, drinks and sunscreen and head out early in the morning to avoid the hot afternoon sun.

4. Hit the amusement parks in the late afternoon and save considerably on the admission fee. We live near a huge amusement park that is a bit pricey. A whole day at a big amusement park would be too long for my three year old, so we go after 5pm when the price reduces considerably and it is much cooler than at mid-day.

5. Host a theme party. Invite your friends over for an ice cream social or a banana split party. On nice evenings, my hubby starts a bonfire and we invite the neighbors over for s'mores for the kids and Coronas with lime for the adults.

6. My kids will be participating at our church's Vacation Bible School(VBS) this month. It is a week long morning camp with a biblical focus and plenty of fun activities, games, snacks, crafts, and music. Many churches will be starting to advertise their VBS is the upcoming weeks. It usually runs Monday through Friday in the mornings or in the evenings. It is also usually free and open to the community as most churches welcome non-members.

7. Check out your local movie theaters for their summer time specials. A theater in my area offers a FREE showing of Rated G movies on Tuesdays and a FREE showing of Rated PG movies on Wednesdays starting in June.

8. As the above picture depicts, one of my kids' favorite things to do in the summer is run and play in the sprinkler. That Elmo sprinkler was the best 50 cents I have ever spent at a yard sale.

9. If you are stumped for ideas, check out this list to see if your city was included in Staycation Ideas From All Across the Country.

What inexpensive activities do you have lined up for your family this summer? Please share your ideas in the comments.


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Emergency Funds: Emergencies Happen When You Least Expect It

The year 2007 held such promise for us when it started, but by the end of the year we were brought to our knees.

As self-employed owners of a small business, we have lived through some tough months, but in 2007, it was a tough year. For a variety of reasons, our business became difficult that year. There were months when our sales were HALF of what we would normally bring in. Our monthly income must cover our business and household expenses and many months in 2007, our income barely covered our business expenses leaving nothing left for our household.

I remember one morning my husband and I were sitting at the kitchen table contemplating if we should sell one of our cars. It was a scary time for us.

What got us through...our emergency fund.
Had it not been for the money in our emergency savings, we would most likely have used credit cards to survive. We reduced our spending where we could, but the money to pay any shortfall each month came from our emergency fund. It was a life saver, a sanity saver and a marriage saver.

By the end of 2007, our business was picking up again and we were gaining some momentum, but not before we practically wiped out our emergency fund with only $2000 left to spare, not enough to get us through one more month.

We spent the next couple of years building our savings back up, but I am now thinking that it needs to be increased.

How Much Do You Need in an Emergency Fund?
Three months of living expenses? Six months? One year? Depending on our income source and stability and what we are comfortable with, that number might be different for everyone. Three to six months living expenses used to be what the personal finance experts recommended, but in today's environment, maybe six months to a year is more prudent. In 2007, we used about 6 months worth of living expenses and our savings came very close to drying up, so saving one year's worth of living expenses might be more wise for us.

What is considered an emergency?
Surely unemployment, reduced income or a business downturn is considered an emergency, but so is a leaking roof, a broken hot water heater, or a dead car battery. But a broken TV or the snazziest new phone or gadget...maybe not so much. An emergency fund is really a necessity account. Your wants and dreams are secondary and need to be saved for separately.

Should you impose strict rules on emergency fund spending?
Absolutely! Don't confuse this money with vacation money or new furniture money. It is not a spending account. It is for emergencies. Save it and forget about it.

Which comes first: saving for an emergency OR paying off debt?
Many personal finance experts believe in building an emergency fund to $1000 to get started and then pay off consumer debt. Once that debt is paid off then start building up you emergency fund to your desired number. I like this strategy, but I personally don't think $1000 is enough to start with. We spent that in one week last fall when our hot water heater suddenly broke and one of our vehicles needed four new tires to pass inspection. I think $2000-$3000 will give you more of a cushion to start with and less of a chance that you'll need to resort to a credit card or loan when a disaster strikes.

What happens when you have an emergency?
Take a deep breath, because with a well-funded emergency savings account, you're covered. BUT make it a priority to replenish the account as soon as you get your feet back on the ground.

Do you have an emergency fund? Is it enough to cover your emergency needs? Are you having a hard time saving for your emergencies? Let us know in the comments.

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Changing My Mindset From One of a First Use Consumer to One of Thrift

I'm not one for too many gadgets, but I found that I loved my salad spinner. We eat lots of salads and I liked how it spun the greens dry and I found my salads stayed fresh longer.

So I was very disappointed a few weeks ago when my salad spinner fell to the floor and shattered. I have had it for some time and it wasn't cheap. I paid about $30 for it when I bought it at a home party several years ago. I didn't want to spend $30 again and I'm embarrassed to say that I even spent $30 in the first place.

Unfortunately, my first thought was, "I'll pick one up the next time I'm at Target. I'm sure I can get one there for about $20, far cheaper than $30".

But last Wednesday as I was heading towards the library for Toddler story time, I passed a thrift store. There was a big sign that read "50% off Today" in front of the store. Over the summer, I saw tons of salad spinners at yards sales, so I figured there was a good chance of finding one in the thrift store. I guess it is an item that people buy, but never use. Well I use it and I wanted another one.

I have shopped at this store before, but it has been awhile since I chose thrift over new.

Bingo! There were 4 different ones to choose from and I chose one that was ticketed at $1.99, so I would get it for .99 with the 50% off sale.

As I was walking to my car, it occurred to me that the thrift store should have been my first thought, not Target. I need to re-train my brain that when I need something, I should check the thrift stores first.

Will I ever get over my Target compulsion? Hopefully, because .99 is a lot more better than $20.

What is your mindset? Is it one of a first use consumer or one of thrift?

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If You Want To Save Money, Step Away From The Stores.

This post was originally published in June 2009. I can honestly say that I am doing a better job of staying away from the stores, especially Target, in 2010.

I found myself with some time to kill yesterday morning. My oldest daughter was attending vacation bible school from 9am - noon. I could have gone home to do some housework, but nobody twisted my arm, so I went shopping instead.

I had every intention of going shopping yesterday; the VBS is less than a mile from Target. When my car senses a close proximity to Target, it is programmed to turn into the parking lot.

I had 3 hours to blow, so I cruised the perimeter for any good clearance deals. I found dd#1 some stretch pants for $1.24 for the fall. I bought 3 different colors. That was the best deal of the day and I can justify that purchase. Some of the other things in my cart, not so much. I left spending $20.19 on things that weren't essential, but things that I will use. I found a pair of plastic baskets on the perimeter to store toys under my kids' beds. I also bought a 10 inch turntable for my spice cabinet. That wasn't on clearance, but I have been wanting one and I had 3 hours to kill so why not.

I left Target and headed to Marshall's, the bane of my existence. I usually have two kids in tow, so shopping there is never pleasant for me. Marshall's is a store where you need to take your time, because the merchandise is always different and you never know what gems you might find. Yesterday I only had one child and I was armed with snacks. You see this shopping trip was pre-meditated. I had it all planned out. I brought her favorite snacks and water and I just fed her all through the stores so that I could peruse the aisles a little better. Unfortunately it worked and I left Marshall's with a cute Adidas yoga outfit for $26. It wasn't a clearance deal, but it is really cute.

From Marshall's, we went to Lowe's to pick up one last tomato stake. After Lowe's I still had about 30 minutes to blow, so we went to the library where I SHOULD HAVE BEEN the entire time. No money spent there.

Saving money, by not spending money is still a struggle for me. I know what our financial goals are, I have them posted above my desk. Yet I still have moments of weakness where the thrill of a purchase becomes almost like a high. There was nothing that I bought yesterday that was so essential that I couldn't live without, but I shopped anyway. Had I gone home and done housework yesterday, would I have an extra $46. to put towards our goals? I guess I could take the stuff back, but my spice cabinet is already organized and my kids' toys are put away. Now that yoga outfit is still in the bag...that one I'll have to think about.

Have you shopped recently and regretted it? How do you fight the urge to shop?

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8 Tips To Help You Save Money While On Vacation

We recently took a much-needed vacation and I watched my husband’s stress melt away.

Vacations are supposed to be enjoyable. We save and eagerly wait all year for our vacation and the last thing that we want to do is stress about the money spent while on our trip.

It might seem so obvious, but a little planning will help you save money while on your trip, so that you can have the relaxed vacation that you hoped for.

1. Use Cash

We take cash on our vacation and when it is gone, well, we’re screwed. We also don’t want to come home to a credit card bill. I hosted The $500 Challenge back in April, where I raised our spending money for our trip. Using cash also prevents me from spending money on unnecessary souvenirs, because I don’t want to waste our cash. The only thing that we use a credit card for on vacation is gas. It is just easier at the pump to use plastic.

2. Make a list of expenditures.

Of course, your planning starts with where you are going? How long is your travel time to your destination? Does your rental have a kitchen? Will you have laundry facilities? How much can you pack in your vehicle? Are there reliable grocery stores at your destination? Brainstorm all of the expenditures that you will have and make a list.

3. Create A Budget.

Everyone’s vacation destination and expectations will be different. Maybe you don’t want to cook at all during your vacation or maybe eating out for every meal is beyond what your budget can handle. What activities will be available where you are going? How much gas do you think you will need to get to your destination?

4. Create a Meal Plan.

On our trip, food was the biggest expenditure and thankfully our beach house had a kitchen. We traveled with my parents, so my mom and I sat down before the trip and talked about a meal plan.

We calculated the number of meals we were going to have and decided how many will be at home and how often we would dine out. We included breakfasts, lunches, dinners and even snacks in our planning. We were gone for 8 days. We ate breakfast in our rental on 6 of those days and bought the most delicious made-to-order donuts on the other 2 mornings. We packed a picnic lunch for the beach for 7 days and ate out for lunch on one day when we took a sun-break. My mom and I were each responsible for 2 dinners. We planned for one night to be ‘clean out the fridge’ night and we allowed for 3 dinners out.

Since this was planned out before our trip I was able to do most of our grocery shopping at home instead of our vacation spot. I planned the menu weeks before we left, so I was able to take advantage of sales. Our beach house had a grill so for my 2 dinners, I grilled chicken one night and turkey burgers and hot dogs on the other night. My mom brought a meatloaf and soup/salad for her two nights. My food was frozen and held up well in the coolers on our trip. I am fortunate enough to have a vehicle large enough to be able to pack the food. For my sides, I did go to the local grocery store for some salad fixings and a huge watermelon that lasted for several meals.

If you are traveling with other families, splitting the menu planning will help alleviate some of the meal planning on your part and save you money, but be sure to discuss each family’s food challenges.

5.What Are Your Non-Food Needs?

Being prepared ahead of time will save you money and time.

• Will you need to supply your own: toilet paper, bath towels, bed linens.


• Will there be laundry facilities? Detergent is much cheaper when bought at home on sale.


• Drinking water – where we were, it is recommended to not drink the water out of the faucet, so we take a lot of water. It is the one time of year that I buy individual water bottles, but I also took gallons jugs. (thank goodness our rental had recycling containers


• What will you need in the kitchen? dishwasher detergent, dish soap, paper towels, napkins


• Will you need sunscreen, bug spray? – so much cheaper to buy at home than on vacation


• Batteries for the cameras

6. Plan for your travel.

To save money and to avoid fast food, we pack our lunch and snacks for our trip. We had a 7 hour drive to our destination, so I pack a lot of snack foods and I try to keep them healthy.

Also plan for gas, tolls and parking.

7. Tourism Centers

Once you are at your destination and are settled in, find the local tourism center to scout out any coupon books. Many local businesses have these books as well. The books usually include coupons for local restaurants, stores and activities.

8. Choose Your Indulgences Wisely.

It is your vacation, so I believe a little indulgence is needed. I am a foodie, so my preferred indulgence is food and if we are at the beach, it is seafood. I also spend a lot of my time at home in the kitchen, so when I am on vacation, I want to eat some really good food, but have someone else prepare it for me. I don’t mind cooking and eating in a few nights so that we have some extra cash for a really good, quality meal.

As one of our nights out, we like buy take out crab legs and shrimp from a little road side seafood shack. We find that it is a cheaper to buy in bulk at a local seafood shop than for all of us to order the food individually at a restaurant.

I am drooling now just thinking about those crab legs...

How do you save money while on your vacation? What do you like to indulge in? Let us know in the comments.

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Six Affordable Ways To Entertain Your Kids This Summer

Got kids?

Got kids home for the summer whining that there is nothing to do?

I know my kids have plenty to do around our house, but the same toys, books and swing set can get boring after a few weeks spent at home.

I need to have a game plan for summer activities and they need to be fun and affordable.

Six affordable ways to keep the little monkeys entertained.

1. Check out your local library and book stores for their summer reading programs. At our library, the kids can earn small prizes, such as free coupons for pizza and ice cream for reading books through out the summer. They also have a summer schedule for special story times and other activities. Also, a local bank is offering the children $10 for reading just 10 books over the summer. It is just happens to be the bank where our kids have savings accounts.
   


2. Check out local fairs and festivals for low cost games, food and activities. We love to hit the local harvest festivals in the summer time for strawberries, peaches, and apples. Local towns, libraries, malls and fire halls also host carnivals and festivals as fundraisers. Keep your eyes and ears open for local activities.


3. A Park A Week – One day every week, my kids and I try a different park. It keeps them from being bored by going to the same park every week. I don’t mind driving a few extra miles to try a new park. We pack a lunch, snacks and plenty to drink…and sunscreen too. We go early in the morning to avoid the hot afternoon sun.
   


4. Hit the amusement parks in the late afternoon and save considerably on the admission fee. We live near a huge amusement park that is a bit pricey. We also have 2 young children that need to nap and would not be able to handle a whole day at a park anyway. Therefore, we go after 5pm when the price reduces considerably and it is much cooler than at mid-day.
   


5. Host a theme party. Invite your friends over for an ice cream social or a banana split party. On nice evenings, my hubby starts a bonfire and we invite the neighbors over for s'mores for the kids and Coronas with lime for the adults.
   


6. Check out your local movie theaters for their summer time specials. A theater in my area offers a FREE showing of Rated G movies on Tuesdays and a FREE showing of Rated PG movies on Wednesdays starting in June.

What inexpensive activities do you have lined up over the summer with your family? Please share in the comments.


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• Thrifty Thursday at Coupon Teacher
• Frugal Friday at Life As Mom

January Spending Diet & Eat From The Pantry Challenge

Whew, another holiday season under our belts. I don't think that we over-spent, but I need to let the dust settle a bit and I am proposing that we go on another Spending Diet in January.

We were on a Spending Diet in October and it was successful as we reduced our spending by $500. Although that $500 was quickly eaten up by sudden car and household repairs.

From our experience in October, I learned that the best way to be successful at a Spending Diet is to AVOID THE STORES. Not surprisingly, avoiding the big box stores is a goal of mine for 2010. I will write more about that on January 1st.

Another key to our success in October was reducing our grocery expense. In October, we reduced our grocery spending by $125 by planning our menus and using food in the freezer and pantry.

This leads me to our next challenge in January. I am going to participate in the Eat From The Pantry Challenge that Money Saving Mom and Life As Mom are hosting.

I will buy our basics, like dairy, eggs, oj, fresh fruit and veggies, but I want to really stir up those creative juices and see what kind of menu I can come up with from items in my pantry and freezer. I don't know how long my pantry/freezer will last me. I don't think my stockpile is as extensive as other people taking the challenge, but I will go as long as I can. My goal will be to reduce our grocery bill down to $300 for January. Our grocery budget was $500 back in October, but because of the success we had that month, I reduced our grocery budget going forward to $400. Can I reduce it even more to $300 for January?...we'll see!! This will definitely be a challenge and take some planning. The difference of what I reduce my spending to and my budget of $400 will be divided in half. I will give half to a local food bank and put the other half in our emergency savings account.

Would you like to join me on a Spending Diet in January? Are you participating in the Eat From The Pantry Challenge? Are you up for a challenge? Good Luck!!

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Spending Diet Update

Have you ever declared yourself on a spending diet? We needed to in the past, but never followed through. Back in September, I wrote about how we needed to put the brakes on our spending and starting October 1, we started our Spending Diet. We had a few guidelines:

(Our allowable expenses for the month are in bold and our current situation is in italics)

• Groceries - I am making an effort to eat more from the pantry and freezer to try to reduce this expense.
  


• The sign up for swim lessons for our oldest daughter is in October. We decided to also signed her up for tumbling and to get tickets for the girls to see Disney on Ice. These were definitely an unplanned expenses, but we made the choices together. We'll see at the end of the month if that was a smart decision or not.


• Our oldest daughter's birthday is early in November. We are planning a small party with a few of her friends and cousins. I am going to keep it simple, but fun. Her birthday is around Halloween, so I am encouraging the kids to wear their costumes. I am searching online for some party game ideas. She told me she wants a pink cake, I might try to talk her into strawberry cupcakes that I can make with the strawberries I picked back in June. I still have a few weeks left for this to come together at a realistic price, but still be very fun for my girl.


• Dine out using only gift cards. Like I said back on Oct. 1st, this is the most challenging guideline for us. At the end of a long week, we like to go out to dinner. We still went out to dinner and we used our gift cards, but we did spend over the amount of the gift card.


• We will still get our cash allowance for the month. Trust me it isn't much. I have about 20% of my cash allowance left...yikes and there is still half a month to get through. I might be digging under the sofa cushions and in pockets soon...LOL!


• Our oldest will need a winter coat and I will keep my eye out for a good sale. It was pretty chilly this morning as we were getting ready for school, so I pulled out last year's coat and she tried it own. It still fits. I don't know if it will make it through the winter though because she is growing like a weed, but it gives me some time to find a good bargain.

Our Disallowed expenses:

• Everything else - I am really avoiding the stores, because they are too tempting. We did go to K-mart for a Halloween costume and I used a gift card that I earned in the spring and the costume was on sale. As I look at our receipts from the first half of the month, we have done a good job at avoiding other purchases.

As I mentioned in my initial Spending Diet post, we are trying to achieve self-control. It is not always easy and sometimes my husband and I can be easily swayed. Although, the Spending Diet hasn't really dominated our discussions this month and we really haven't needed to remind each other about it. We both know that we are trying to save money and without any tension we are spending less. I will be curious to see how much more we will have in our account at the end of October. As far as what we will do with any overage, we have not decided. There is a long list of things that we could use it on. My vote is for the item that will best affect affect our bottom line.

Are you on a Spending Diet? How is it going for you?

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We are going on a Spending Diet!

It is October 1, 2009 and my husband and I are going on a diet. No, we are not trying to lose weight, we are actually trying to gain weight...to our bottom line.

Last week, I confessed to our excessive spending over the last month or so. I wrote that we needed to put the brakes on. Well the brakes are on and we are at a full stop. As I was entering transactions into Quicken last week I noticed that we have been doing a lot of spending lately, making many unplanned purchases. Some of the purchases were needed, but there were many that were impulsive and hardly necessities. I talked to the hubbs about it and he agreed that we need to take a brake.

The Guidelines of our Spending Diet.
Allowable expenses:

1. Groceries - of course we need to eat, but I'm going to try to eat more from the pantry and freezer to try to reduce this expense.


2. Sign up for swim lessons for our oldest daughter is in October.


3. Her birthday is also coming up and we are going to have a small party with a few of her friends. I haven't planned anything yet, but I will be working on it this month.


4. I received some gift cards for my birthday for restaurants that we will use if we feel the need to eat out this month. But we must stay within the gift card and our only out-of-pocket expense will be for any tip. This might be our most challenging guideline.


5. We will still get our cash allowance for the month. Trust me it isn't much.


6. Our oldest will need a winter coat and I will keep my eye out for a good sale. Although I was planning on avoiding the stores, so I won't be tempted to shop. Let's hope for a warm October!

Disallowed expenses:

7. Everything else.

What are we trying to achieve?

• Self-Control.


• How much more will we have in our account at the end of October?


• What will we do with that overage? How will it best affect our bottom line?


• How creative can we be so that we avoid spending money on things like food, entertainment, clothes?

Do you care to join us on our Spending Diet?

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When life gives you an ear infection, make sure you get a gift card.

Out of the blue last Thursday I got an incredible pain in my left ear. It started around 6pm and by 10pm I couldn't stand it anymore so I downed a couple of Aleve so I could fall asleep. I woke up Friday morning and the pain had subsided but I couldn't hear. My ear was closed up and ringing.

I don't get sick. I go to an OB/GYM annually, but I can't remember the last time I had to go to my family doctor. When I called his office, the receptionist politely told me that since I haven't been into the office in over 6 years, I was considered a new patient. I had to make an appointment for a new patient exam and they could see me in August. Oh and the ear infection, I would need to go to the ER. Okay, glad to see the medical profession isn't affected by the economy.

The ER was out of the question, so I went to an Urgent Care facility that was near my house. I saw a doctor within an hour and apparently I had an ear infection that he normally sees in five year olds. Yikes. He gave me two prescriptions for some drugs that I wasn't too keen on taking. I had my chiropractor adjust me several times and the pain went away, but my ear was still closed, so on Monday I decided to get the drugs.

Ironically, I received a coupon, attached to my receipt, a couple of weeks ago at CVS for a $25 gift card with a new prescription. I usually don't keep these coupons because I have never had a need for them, but thankfully I still had it and I was able to score a $25 gift card for my 2 prescriptions. Sometimes, deals are just too easy.

Although it wasn't a total coup, the two drugs cost me $46 after my insurance, but I was desperate because I.CAN'T.HEAR. Apparently one of the drugs doesn't have a generic version yet.(What are they waiting for!!) Anyway, we have a health savings account that we use to pay for our medical out of pocket expenses.

On the bright side, I'm an optimist and I now have a $25 gift card from one of my favorite stores, CVS. I am going to have fun seeing how far I can stretch it.

Have you taken advantage of the prescription gift cards lately?

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Front yard landscaping - We did it ourselves!

Beware: Attack of the killer yews...

We bought our house from an older couple who decided to downsize into a smaller home. They were the original homeowners of the house that was built in 1969. They took very good care of the house and just a few years before we bought it from them they replaced the windows, roof, siding and garage door; all of the expensive exterior stuff. What they never did was update the inside, so when we bought the house in 2001 we spent the next 5 years updating the interior of the home.

Finally in 2006 we were able to attack the killer yews that had overgrown on our front landscape. As with most of the renovations to our house, we set out to do the project ourselves. And like the rest of the projects, we were not experts, so it took a lot of planning and research.

We had to hire someone to dig out these big over-grown shrubs that blanketed out house. It was unfortunate, but necessary, they weren't coming out with a garden shovel. We had the shrubs removed in the fall of 2006 and as you can see the house looked pretty bare, but so much better at the same time. We didn't realize how overgrown the 37 year old shrubs had become. We hated them so much that we stopped caring what they looked like.


We spent that winter researching, reading and planning our new landscaping. As everything started to blossom in spring of 2007, we would drive around to other neighborhoods and take pictures of landscapes and plantings that we liked. I combed through books and magazines at the library and Borders looking for ideas. Our goal was to plant everything over Memorial Day weekend of 2007. It was getting down to the wire and I still didn't have a solid plan to work with.

In the nick of time, a local nursery advertised FREE landscaping planning if you brought pictures to the nursery. This was an amazing opportunity. I drew out a garden on graph paper, but I was having trouble placing plants. I took my drawing and photos to the nursery and a landscape designer gave me some ideas. This was the help that I needed.


The big shrub in the middle of this picture is an azalea that we kept from the original landscape. It was overshadowed by the old yews. It looks so pretty in early spring when it blooms. The little skinny tree to the left of the azalea is a Japanese Maple. We planted 4 St. Johns wort around the maple and an alberta spruce at the corner of the house.
Right under the picture window are 3 Pieris 'Mtn Fire' plants and 2 silver sword azalea plants.


In front of the the alberta spruce is goldflame spirea and to the right is a hydrangea. Right in front of the door are 2 rose glow barberries and 3 gold barberries.

Fast forward to April 26, 2009. The bulbs are blooming, but I need more color. Note to self...plant more bulbs in the fall. All of the plants in this corner are very healthy.

Fast forward to May 9, 2009. It is amazing how fast plants grow and bloom in the spring. I love this corner of the landscape. The bulbs are done. The St. Johns Wort will bloom yellow flowers over the summer. These are much bigger and hardier than we realized they would be, so we might remove one plant and spread three out. We'll move the fourth plant to the back yard.


Bay window - April 26, 2009.

Bay window - May 6, 2009. We are not happy with this part of the landscape. These plants didn't fill in. Hopefully they just need more time. I am going to fill in with some perennial flowers. This section needs some help.

The front door - May 6, 2009. I'm pleased with how these plants are filling in.

I love this 'Gold Flame' Spirea.

We still have some work to do, like the center of the landscape. I also want to fill in with some perennial flowers and more bulbs. When we first started this project I wanted to hire a designer to help us plan a layout and his crew to plant everything. My husband was the one who said, NO, we can do this ourselves. I am so glad we did it ourselves.

I am not sure how much we saved by doing the work ourselves, but I do know my parents hired someone to design and plant their front landscape of about the same size for $1000 and that didn't include the plants. We bought all of these plants from three different nurseries and took advantage of the coupons they were offering at the time. I do remember paying a little extra to have the compost and mulch delivered, but we don't have a vehicle to haul all of that ourselves.

In the end, we actually had fun planning, designing and planting the landscape. We are really proud of the work that we did and I am sure we saved ourselves a ton of money!

What do-it-yourself home improvement projects are you most proud of?

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Taking a break from deal chasing...at least this week.

Do I really need another tube of toothpaste? How much deodorant does one family really need? These are questions that I am asking myself this week. I am grateful that there aren't any exciting deals for me this week at my favorite store, CVS. I am grateful for the break and my kids probably are too.

I was a deal chaser years ago before I had kids. I was an avid rebater at Rite-Aid and CVS. I had loads of health and beauty products and I was very happy to donate what went unused. For some reason I unconsciously stopped the deal chasing, I really don't know why. Only recently have I started up again. I am sure my recent discovery of 'deal' blogs has helped. I am grateful for those wonderful women who alert me of the possible deals to be had at CVS, Rite-Aid, Target and Walmart, but this week I am taking a break. It came to me when my dd#1 asked me last week as we were pulling into a mall parking lot, "we're going to Target again, Mommy?'.

I know these deals help our grocery budget, but I am beginning to realize that I have to put a limit on this deal-chasing bug that I have been bitten by. I have to become okay with letting an amazing deal go by, because I am sure it will swing by again in a few weeks or so.

I think this is what happened last time, I got sucked in by a potential money-making deal of deodorant and I went over-board. Upon reviewing my bathroom closet(above photo), I realized today that I have enough stuff to last me for a long time, at least until the bug hits me again...next week.

Are you a deal-chaser? Have you ever felt the need to take a break?

Today's trip to CVS - This is what 22 cents looks like.

I stopped by CVS today to check out their sales and I found some great clearance deals over in the deodorant aisle. The Dry Idea deodorant in the photo was marked down to $1.00 and I had two $1.00/1 coupons in my new coupon organizer. The Suave deodorant in the photo was marked down to .60 and I had one $1.00/2 coupon. I also had a coupon for free gum. The bottom of the receipt stated that I saved $13.75 today, but today this is what 22 cents looks like!

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Finally, I found a coupon organizer that I like!

I have been looking for a coupon organizer that I like and that fits my coupon use for a long time. I was using a small plastic box for years, but it was hard to manage and it didn't fit in my handbag. When it broke recently after it fell on the floor, I set out on a mission to find an organizer that I really like and find useful.

I use enough coupons that I need an organizer, but I am not at the level where I need a big binder. As I was strolling through Wal-mart, I found an organizer that I really like. It is flat so it fits in my purse and I can now keep it with me at all times. It only has 13 tabs, but I consolidated my tabs and it is working out for me. There is a back pocket where I keep my Wegmans coupon book and my CVS bucks.

I never thought I would be so excited over a coupon organizer...I really need to get out more!

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Don't throw those pineapple peels in the compost yet, use them for an at-home pedicure.

Long gone are the days when I go to a salon for a $45 monthly pedicure. Don't get me wrong, I love to get pedicures. I find them very relaxing, but at $45 a pop, I just can't justify the expense right now. With the temperature creeping upward, I have dusted off my flip-flops and taken off my socks...yikes...my feet are in need of some pampering. So I created a "citrus spa" last week in our sunroom and my 3 year old and I spent the afternoon pampering our piggies.

I gathered all of the supplies: foot bath, citrus foot soak, citrus foot moisturizer, nail polish and pineapple peels.

I found this tip to exfoliate feet in my Feb 1, 09 edition of Women's Day magazine. It sounded funny at first, but we eat a lot of pineapple so we always have pineapple peels that I usually just throw in our compost bin. Apparently the pineapple skins contain bromelain (a meat tenderizer), which naturally helps to exfoliate feet. We sat on the floor rubbing pineapple on our feet and then used the foot bath to soak and rinse off our feet. My husband bought the foot bath years ago to help his aching feet and it has been in a closet for years. I cleaned it up and filled it with warm water and I think that was my daughter's favorite part of the pedicure. I put a tiny bit of foot soap in the water and it bubbled up.

I'm not going to show you my toes, because I really want you to come back to my site, but take my word for it, they needed some attention. I think I will need a few more applications of the pineapple to really get rid of my dry cracked feet, but they did look a lot better after some pampering. I also saved myself $45 and spent a fun afternoon with my daughter.

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In today's economy, it pays to ask for a discount.

Asking for a discount can be intimidating for many people. In my past life I would negotiate with vendors for better pricing and deliveries to help my company's bottom line. Currently the bottom line that I am responsible for is my family's, which is more precious to me than my previous employer. I have a Family Balance Sheet to maintain and by simply asking for a discount or price adjustment I can help my family's finances.

Some recent examples:

1. I was at a big box store to purchase a bridal shower gift from a registry. My budget was $25, but since the registry was pretty much filled I settled on a gift that was $30. This particular store runs occasional coupons in the Sunday paper, but unfortunately I didn't have one with me. When I got to the register I asked the sales person very kindly if she knew if there would be a coupon in the next day's paper and if so could I bring it in for a price adjustment. She wasn't sure but told me that she would give me the 20% discount on my purchase. I was thrilled that I saved $6.00 by simply asking a question and my gift ended up being within my budget.

2. We use credit cards on a lot of our purchases to earn points and to get coupons in the mail from certain stores. We pay our cards off every month. Recently, one day after a store credit bill was due I realized that I never mailed the bill. So with two kids in tow I went to the store to pay off my bill. When I got my next statement I had incurred about $30.00 in late fees. I immediately called the credit company and pleaded my case. Again in a kind manner, I told them that I was only one day late and I had paid off the balance. I also told them that this was my first offense. The customer service person had no problem reversing the $30.00.

3. We recently refinanced our mortgage and will save about $9000 over the remainder of the loan. What I failed to do when we switched companies was close our checking account with the original bank. The mortgage payment was automatically withdrawn every month and there was about $100 left in the account. When I received my statement at the end of February, I noticed that a $20 bank fee was deducted. Again with two kids in tow I went to the bank to close out the account and ask about this $20. I opened the account so long ago that I couldn't remember what the minimum rules were. The customer service person was sorry that I was closing my account and had no problem giving us back the $20. Now that is customer service!

4. Recently, my hubby received a parking ticket outside of our house. His car was parked behind our van in our driveway and the tail end was blocking part of the sidewalk. At 2:20 AM, an officer cruising our neighborhood gave him a ticket. He noticed the ticket on his way to work that morning and went to the police station over his lunch break. The officer told him that people do walk their dogs through out the night and the car cannot block the sidewalk. But he did reverse the ticket and my hubby was very grateful. (I am also grateful knowing that the police cruise our neighborhood in the middle of the night.)

The moral of these stories is to simply ask. In a nice, respectful manner you might receive an additional discount, fee reversal and maybe even a ticket reversal. Although you probably only get one chance to reverse some of these offenses. In today's economy people are more choosy on where they are spending and placing their money. They want your business and in many cases are willing to work with you to get your business.

Have you had success recently by simply asking or negotiating for a discount?

This week is "America Saves Week", who knew?

According to this article, "the federal government reported that the U.S. personal savings rate jumped to 3.6% in December". Apparently the savings rate has been zero or close to it for years. Could it be that something good will come out of this economic crisis? Will we become like the generation that lived through the depression and become a nation of savers and thrifters again? And when the economy turns around will the savings rates continue or will Americans go back to their spendthrift ways? Hopefully we have all learned a valuable lesson that we need to be prepared for job losses, health issues, leaky roofs, squeaky brakes, junior's braces, retirement, and on and on....

AmericaSaves.org is sponsoring the America Saves Week which runs from Feb 22 - March 1, 2009. I have never heard of this promotion, but I think it is a great idea to encourage savings among Americans. This site offers strategies and tips for saving money. It also offers a free e-wealth coach email.

How will you celebrate America Saves Week? I am going to open savings accounts for my girls and commit to teach them the value of saving money and living within our means.