Preparing for Coupons

So, you’re interested in learning how to save a substantial amount of money with coupons? Well, before you start clipping the coupons and heading to the stores, there are a few things that have to be done first. At least if you like organization, anyways.

1.      Coupon Organization – The first thing you need to do is decide how you want to organize your coupons. There is no way anyone can save a lot of money with coupons if they don’t have an organizational system in place for the coupons they collect. A simple way to organize coupons is to get a large binder with clear organizational sheets, like those used for collecting baseball/football cards. Then, as you clip various coupons you can organize them in a manner that makes sense to you – by food type, store, aisle, etc.

So, why do you need to organize your coupons? You will have a lot of coupons that won’t get used right away because you want to wait until items go on sale. Therefore, when an item goes on sale, you will need to have the coupons organized so you can find it right away and not have to dig through hundreds of coupons.

2.      Storage – Couponing and stockpiling go hand in hand. At least for the hard-core, maximum-saving couponers they do. In order to save the maximum amount of money, you will have to buy multiple quantities of the same item at the same time. Obviously, you won’t use all of the items at once so you will need a place to store the excess. For instance, let’s say Crest toothpaste goes on sale at Walgreens for Buy 1 Get 1 Free, but you have four coupons for Crest toothpaste that are Buy 1 Get 1 Free. Well, with those four coupons, you will be able to get 8 tubes of Crest toothpaste…all for free! Since you don’t need all 8 tubes of toothpaste right away, you’ve got to have a place to store them.

If you are just getting started in couponing, then a large cabinet may be the best place to start stockpiling. Once your stockpile grows, you may move it to the basement or garage. However, for now, a large cabinet or unused coat closet will work until your stockpile grows. 

3.      Finding Coupons – Obviously, before you can save money with coupons you have to collect them. So, where do you find coupons? The best place is the Sunday paper. You will want multiple copies of the coupons you collect in order to save the most. This is why some couponers subscribe to several  copies of the same paper. You can also ask friends and neighbors for the coupon inserts they don’t use. There are also a lot of great coupons that can be printed online, as well. Some people even go to the extreme and raid their local recycling center and/or buy coupons on ebay!

If you have tackled the three things above, then you are ready to move on in your couponing adventure!

Around-the-House Savings

Lavender Flower Girl Dress

You may think that you are saving as much as you possibly can right now, but I imagine there are at least one or two things that you are overlooking. I know that I’m always looking for additional ways that I can save money and I’m usually able to find them, when I look…even when I think I’m doing everything I can to save money. So, for the last few blog posts, I’ve shared tips for how you can save more on your food, laundry and travel expenses. Today, I’m going to help you save even more money around the house!

1.      Create a Budget – This may sound silly but creating a household budget really does save families a lot of money. Dave Ramsey and other financial experts all agree that if you don’t control your money, it will control you. This means that if you don’t decide where you want your money to go before you get it, it won’t get spent on the right things. Therefore, sit down and figure out how much money you have to have to cover all your expenses for the month (utilities, mortgage, vehicle payments, groceries, gas, credit card bills, etc.). Divide the total monthly costs up between the number of checks you receive each month and deposit appropriately into each “account” when the paychecks arrive. Make sure to put money in savings and allow some for entertainment. You will be surprised at the amount of money you can save when you create (and stick to) a budget.

 

2.      Do-It-Yourself – Another great and easy way to save money is to do things yourself. For example, do you really need to pay someone to come out and do your landscaping? Do you really need a housecleaner to come once a week? You can do things like this on your own and save a lot of money in the process. Additional do-it-yourself things include simple around the house projects (painting the eves of the house, cleaning the gutters, fixing the wood fence, etc.). You can also save money by making your own weed killer instead of buying the expensive stuff. Spraying for insects isn’t something only an exterminator can do either. If you buy the product yourself at the store and apply it yourself, you’ll save a lot of money too!

3.      Take Advantage of Reward-Offering Cards – There are a lot of people that disagree with using store cards because they affect your credit and increase the chances of incurring unpaid debt. However, if you are disciplined in regards to your finances and use store cards and credit cards like you do your checkbook (i.e., you subtract the money from your checking account when you charge it so you can pay the balance in full when the statement comes.) then don’t be afraid to take advantage of the cards that offer rewards. Regardless of whether it is a store card or a credit card. Sometimes the rewards offered are worth it. For example, my husband and I use a credit card for the gasoline we put in our vehicles. That adds up and the card we put it on pays us a portion of every dollar we spend, giving us a free tank of gas every so often. If we were to start using this card for our groceries and other regular expenses, we would earn even more quicker.

 

4.      Use Coupons – I am not saying to get into the extreme coupons like a lot of people do as that take a lot of time to master. However, I am telling you to take the time to use the coupons for items you buy on a regular basis. It may on be $.50 here and $.50 there, but that add up over time. 

5.      Consider Shopping Online – Finally, consider shopping online for some of the common household items. One of my favorite websites is soap.com. I’ve found a lot of things here for cheaper than I can get them for at the store. Things like paperclips, paper towels, deodorant and vitamins are all things I have saved on. The best part is that they are shipped right to my door, saving me time and gas!

Traveling for Less

One of my favorite things to do is travel. I grew up in a home where we weren’t able to travel a lot, so taking family vacations is something that is very important to me. As you know, the economy hasn’t been the greatest for a while now, which has made it harder on families to take nice vacations together. In fact, many families have opted to take “stay-cations” where they take off work for a week but explore the local area instead of traveling and incurring the expenses associated with lodging and food.

Even if we aren’t talking about a week long vacation, the cost of traveling is expensive nonetheless. Below are a few tips to help you and your family travel for less. 

1.      VRBO.com – One of my favorite sites to use when booking lodging for a family getaway is vrbo.com. It stands for “vacation rentals by owner.” While I love the priceline.com for hotels, I’ve found that the best deals for lodging can often be found on vrbo.com. Why? The listings you will find on this website are apartments, condos, houses, etc. listed by the owners themselves. Often times, you can get a two bedroom condo for the same price as a one bedroom hotel room. For a family with kids, this is a better deal as everyone has more room to spread out…especially for those week long (or more) vacations. And, since they are listed by the owners themselves, they are often used by the owners too...meaning they are often well taken care of. 

2.      Credit Cards – This year my husband and I have planned a 7 night Disney cruise for our vacation. We’ve been saving up since last November and it will be our first big vacation in a year and a half. Since we have been planning it for so long, we had the opportunity to take advantage of some pretty good credit card offers. First of all let me say that I am not a fan of credit cards. My husband and I keep them for emergencies and usually have a $0 balance on them. Anyways, American Express sent us an offer for their Sky Blue card that basically gives us $400 worth of redeemable travel points if we put $500 on the card within the first three months.  

We used the card for gas and paid the balance in full every month. Once we reached the $500 requirement, we stopped using the card. When we book our airline tickets for the cruise, we will basically get one round-trip ticket for free thanks to this offer. Therefore, if you are able to plan far enough in advance for an upcoming vacation, it may be in your benefit to take advantage of credit card offers like the one we received. I mean, who doesn’t want a free airline ticket? That’s $400 we don’t have to spend now! 

3.      Eat In – My priority when taking a vacation (aside from a cruise) is to explore the area. I love to get out and do things. In order to afford the price of some of these activities, my husband and I choose to eat most of our meals at the condo. I make it a priority to book rooms that either have a kitchenette or a full kitchen so that we can make sandwiches for lunch and prepare dinner at night. Yes, we do go out to eat a few times while on vacation, but most of the time we eat in. Food didn’t used to cost as much when it was just the hubby and myself, but now that we have kids…the food bill has risen substantially. We can easily save $300 or more just by preparing our own food!

 

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The Smart and Savvy Mom

Saving in the Pantry

Laundry Room Savings

 

Saving in the Pantry

How often do you find yourself going to the grocery store? Personally, I hate going to the grocery 
store. I know my family (and I) need food to survive, but with the cost of food today I literally cringe at the thought of my total grocery bill. The sad thing is that I’m only feeding a family of four. I can’t imagine those of you who have five, six, or more family members all living under one roof!

Aside from the normal bills (mortgage, car payment, utilities, etc.) food is one of the highest expenses for most families. While I can’t eliminate the food bill completely, I can help you save a little extra with the following tips.

1.      Keep Inventory – I can’t tell you the number of times that I would go to the grocery store, list in hand, and come home only to discover that I had purchased several items that I already had in my pantry. I finally decided to keep track of the things I had in the pantry and my spice rack to eliminate this needless spending.



This short dress definitely
makes a statement with
the beautiful swirls of sequins
featured throughout the
entire dress.

2.      Use What You Have – Have you ever went through the pantry only to find a lot of the items out of date? I’ve had that happen too and it’s irritating because I have to throw the food away which only wastes more money. I’ve started to plan meals around the items that I have in the pantry. For instance, if I have a couple cans of cream of mushroom soup and some angel hair pasta, I’ll put chicken tetrazzini on the menu for the week because there will only be a few additional items that I need to buy to make the dish, saving me money.

3.      Be Creative – If you aren’t careful, you can spend half your paycheck on groceries every two weeks! The cost of food is on the rise, making it even more imperative to look for ways to make your dollar stretch. When I sit down to plan my weekly meals out, before hitting the grocery store, I try to be creative with the ingredients I am going to buy. For example, if I’m going to make chicken tetrazzini one night, I make sure to have tortillas on hand for chicken wraps the next day for lunch. If you can find a way to turn one meal into something a little different, it will make eating leftovers interesting for the family, saving you even more money!

4.      Buy Extra – When you can, go ahead and buy a little extra at the grocery store. Don’t buy extra “junk” but instead, buy extra of the foods you and your family eats on a regular basis. For instance, if you are going to use the last can of cream of mushroom soup for an upcoming meal, buy an extra can to have just in case you need another can of it before your next trip to the grocery store. If you find some meat on sale that you regularly cook with, buy extra and freeze the excess. This saves money as you’re getting it at a discount already, but it also saves later when you need the meat because you already have it. There’s no need to go out and buy it!

Laundry Room Savings

Flower girl dresses by Kids Formal

What is it about kids and clothes? I swear, it seriously feels like I can never get ahead when it comes to the mountains of laundry that seem to fill up the dirty clothes baskets in each of my kids’ rooms! Keep in mind that my youngest is only nine months old…and, I honestly think he has more clothes than the rest of us combined!

Again, I know that I’m not the only woman out there who feels this way, regardless of how many children you have. In fact, for a long time I felt like I was the only mother who tumbles clothes at least two or three times because I either don’t have time to fold them right away or forget about them. Then, one day I shared my secret with a couple of my close friends only to discover they do the same thing. Now, while I can’t help you stay on top of the laundry in your house, I can help you save a little money in this area. Below are a few tips:

1.      Regularly sort clothing. I’m not talking about sorting the dirty clothing into whites, colors, socks, towels, etc. I’m talking about regularly going through the kids’ clothes and removing the clothing they have outgrown (or ruined). This will save you time in the long run, because it will minimize the number of clothes the kiddos have in their closets (reducing your work load on laundry day). It will also save you money, because you can either sell or store the good articles of clothing that have been outgrown. This is especially true for outgrown formalwear!

2.      Make your own laundry detergent. Laundry detergent is expensive. Believe me, I have done the math on this one. I have a recipe for homemade laundry detergent that fills a 5 gallon bucket and will last my family at least three months! The amount of Tide laundry detergent that I would have to buy to fill the same 5 gallon bucket would cost me about $500. The cost to make my own? About $10! Here is the link to a comparable laundry soap recipe.

3.      Homemade fabric softener. While you are making your homemade laundry detergent, why not go a step further and make your own fabric softener? When I checked into making my own fabric softener, I was shocked at how easy it was. It’s actually a lot easier to make than the laundry detergent but still saves my family a lot of money! Here is the link to the homemade fabric softener recipe that I use. 

The tips above may not seem like much, but they will actually save your family a substantial amount of money in the long run. The money you save can go a long way in funding some of those additional child-related expenses such as vacations, sporting equipment, private lessons, etc.

The Smart and Savvy Mom



Free Shipping on all children's formalwear

I love being a mom. I never question whether or not I would choose another path if I had it to do all over again, when it comes to my kids. However, that doesn’t mean that, from time to time, I envy the people out there who made the decision to wait before having kids. My husband and I were 23 when we got pregnant with our first son (I was 24 when he was delivered) and, yes, he was planned. We had been married for three years and thought that we were ready to become parents.

For the most part, we have done a great job. The only thing we would have done differently is wait a little longer. Instead of having our first kiddo at 24, we probably would have waited until we were 25 before we started trying (if we could do it over). Neither one of us were prepared for how expensive kids really are before we had our first.

Yes, we knew that the little bundle of joy would cost us some money for nursery furniture, baby gear and all of that stuff. But, I didn’t think about the fact that babies grow up and turn into little people, requiring more space and more money. I know, kinda dumb not to think about that, right? But, I’m pretty sure that I’m not the only one out there who didn’t think that far ahead when the “baby” talk came up the first time.

Babies do cost money and it doesn’t stop as they get older. In fact, it just gets more expensive. Think about the cost of clothes, groceries, toys, electronics, extracurricular activity fees and equipment, daycare/babysitting costs, college funds, new car (at 16), etc. The list just goes on and on. As I previously mentioned, I wouldn’t trade my boys for anything or chosen not to have kids, but I would have waited just a hair longer so we could get our finances in a little better shape. But, that’s not what happened. As a result, I have learned how to stretch the dollar and save money in a number of areas in order to afford the necessities that my family needs.

In the next few blog posts, I will share with you how you can save money in these areas too. You may already be familiar with some of the tips I am going to share, but there may be some new ideas that you can save with. Therefore, I encourage you to either follow our blog or keep checking back so you don’t miss anything. I think you will find that the timing of this series is perfect considering summer vacation is about to start, which is typically a time when families see an increase in overall spending!


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Laundry room savings

 

The Smart and Savvy Mom

Traveling for Less

   

Tips for Keeping Stress Away from Kids

Someone once told me that young children are a lot like sponges because they soak up everything that goes on around them. This statement wasn’t something I thought much about until after I had children. It’s true. Kids really do pay attention to the things that happen around them, even when we don’t think they are listening (and watching), they really are.
 

girls' tiered-ruffle halter dress
from Kids Formal


You may think I’m trying to make the point that we should start being more careful with the things we say and do around our kids, but that isn’t necessarily the point I’m trying to get across either. Yes, I do think it is important for parents to be careful when talking around their kids, but I really wanted to get the point across that kids not only pick up on language and actions, but they also pick up on stress.

Believe it or not, kids can feel when their parents are stressed out and it really does affect them. Young kids may not be able to verbalize the fact that they are “stressed” but that doesn’t mean that they don’t feel stress and get stressed as a result. So, how can parents keep their stress away from their kids?

1. Pay Attention when Arguing – It doesn’t matter if you are in a heated argument with your spouse at home or an argument with your mother on the phone, when little ears are around, these arguments do affect them. Therefore, pay attention to who is around you when you are arguing. If the little ones are around, it may be best to put the argument off until they aren’t present.

2. Talk to Your Kids – It’s impossible to keep everything hidden from your children. Therefore, when your kids do overhear things and/or pick up on the negativity, explain to your children that sometimes arguments do happen and then reassure them that everything will be okay. Talking about these things does a lot for young children and their sense of security.

3. Remain Calm – When parents are under a lot of stress it can be difficult for them to continue acting as if everything is fine. Some parents have a tendency to take their frustrations out on their children. All this does is send the message to the kids that there is something wrong, causing them stress. Therefore, do whatever you can to remain calm around your kids when you’re under a lot of stress. This may mean that you need to hire a sitter for a couple hours so you can leave for a couple of hours and regain control.

1st Birthday Party Ideas

Those of you who have been following our blog know that I have two boys. One is five and the other is a week away from 9 months. With my oldest turning six a couple months after Kindergarten starts, it’s safe to say birthdays around here are going to start getting
interesting.

My youngest son turns the big ONE this August and since the first birthday is a big deal, I’m starting to get some ideas rounded up now. Now, you have to understand that I’m pretty good at procrastinating so the fact that I’m thinking three months in advance for his birthday is pretty amazing. And, since I’ve been looking at first birthday party ideas, I thought I’d share a few with you in case you, or someone you know, have a little one turning one in the next few months!

1. Baby Water Party: Since my son’s birthday is in August, this idea is pretty appealing to me. It can be done at home or at the local pool, depending on your preference. Personally, I like to invite family and close friends (and their kids) only for the first birthday party so I would opt for at home. All you have to do to make this party a hit is fill up a small wading pool with a couple inches of water and advise parents with small children that there will be pools available for splashing. If you have kids of different age groups, you may need more than one pool. Definitely make sure that parents are supervising their kiddos while they’re in the water.

2.  Family BBQ: Some people like to keep birthdays for kids under five simple and only invite family over. There’s nothing wrong with this, especially for the first birthday party when the little one won’t remember anyways. It’s a simple idea that usually takes place around noon on a Saturday or Sunday. Hamburgers, hot dogs and other grilled favorites are served and once everyone is full, out comes the cake and everyone gathers around to watch the little one “smash” his/her own personal cake. Then gifts are opened and everyone is able to leave and get home at a decent time! This is definitely the way to go if you prefer a simple first birthday party for your little one.

3. Paint Keepsake Party: This one works well for boys or girls and lets the kids bring home a keepsake for their parents. Since most of the kids at your little one’s first birthday will probably be little, you will want the parents to help with this. Have a table with a plastic table cloth prepared with paper plates, small paintbrushes, paper and paints. Have the kids dip either their hand or foot in the paint and then press on a piece of paper and have parents paint the child’s name and date in the corner. Set aside and let dry. At the end of the party, parents can take the pictures home and frame them for a keepsake!



You can read more tips for kids and parents on my blog here.

How to Spend Your Tax Return

It’s that time of year again…tax time. The time of year many people dread because it means that they will have to pay the government even more money. However, sometimes we get “lucky” and end up getting money back. If you are getting money back this year, what do you plan to do with it? There is a saying that says something like, “if you don’t control your money, it will control you.”

This is true, especially when we get an unexpected amount of money back. If we don’t have a “plan” for what to do with it, then we will most likely spend it on something in the spur-of-the-moment and it will be gone. So, what do you want to do with your tax return? Below are a few suggestions.

1.      Establish an Emergency Fund. A lot of people live paycheck to paycheck, which is scary because you never know when an emergency may occur…or an unexpected job loss may happen. An emergency fund will help make the “emergency” a little less urgent and help you fill in the gaps when needed. Therefore, it’s a good idea to set some of your tax return aside and start an emergency fund. 

2.      Replace old Clothes. If you have children, then you know how fast they go through clothing. Kids aren’t cheap and when they are growing, it seems like we are constantly buying clothing. Setting aside part of your tax return to buy new summer clothes for your kids, may be a smart idea. If you start watching the sales now, you will probably be able to get your kids nice summer clothes for great prices. (A great way to save money on clothes is to shop online.)

 

3.      Date Night. So many parents don’t make enough time for themselves because there is so much going on with the kids. And, when they do have time, it seems like there just isn’t enough money so they make the sacrifice and stay home. Set aside $100 or so and go on a date night together.

 

4.      Vacation. Family vacations are important because they give the family time to reconnect with one another. Family vacations don’t have to be a week long or cost a lot. But, it’s important to make time to get away together, if only for a weekend. If your tax return is decent, put some back for a small family vacation this summer.

5.      Pay off Debt. Another great idea for tax return money is to pay off debt with it. If you money racked up on a credit card and have enough to pay it off, then pay it off. That’s one less payment you will have to make every month. Paying off debt will not only take away a monthly payment, but it will also make you feel better about your finances – which can be a big relief.

6.      Put some in Savings. Savings is not the same thing as an emergency fund. An emergency fund is not to be touched unless there is a real life emergency. Savings is different because it’s there for when something comes up and you need it. For instance, if you’ve been needing a new mattress and you find one on sale. You weren’t planning on buying it yet, but it’s too good of a deal to pass up…that’s what savings is for. Try to put at least 10% of your return in savings.

Life is Precious: What I’ve Learned from Boston and Texas

There is no doubt that this week has been a very sad week for America. On Monday, we experienced the horrific Boston bombing, which shocked the nation. Then, on Wednesday night the town of West, Texas suffered from the deadly fertilizer plant explosion.  At Kids Formal, our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by these two tragedies. There are not enough words to express how sad we truly are for the people affected.


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As a mother, tragedies such as these two always make me think of all the parents of the victims. It doesn’t matter how old someone is when they pass away, they are always somebody’s child. It has been said that the greatest pain in the world is the pain of losing a child. I am very fortunate that I haven’t experienced this pain, but when tragedies happen, I can’t help but think about how precious life is and how I could lose one of my children in an instant.

The fact is that nobody knows when it will be there time to go and, therefore, none of us know when the last time we will see our children will be either. Just look at the poor parents in Newtown, CT who sent their little ones off to school expecting to pick them up later that day. I honestly don’t know how any parent can’t relate to those poor families.

Below are some of the things that I have learned from these unexpected tragedies.

1.      Be thankful for every day. I think that everyone gets a little lax sometimes when it comes to appreciating the gift we are given each night when we lay our heads down on our pillows. We aren’t one day in this life, and unfortunately, neither are our children. Sadly, it doesn’t matter if our children are 3 or 30…death doesn’t discriminate when it comes to age. When our time is up, it’s up. This is why every night when I go to bed, I’m consciously thankful for being given another day with my family. 

2.      Don’t sweat the small stuff. I know that we have all heard this saying and, if you’re like me, you don’t think much of it. But, when something horrible happens that is beyond our control, it really puts things in perspective. For instance, my son and I recently got into an argument about whether he should wear his boots or tennis shoes with the outfit he chose for the day. Looking back on it now, it was a petty argument that could have been avoided. So what if I didn’t agree with the shoes he chose for the day? The important thing was that he was wearing shoes. If wearing the boots made him happy, why did I care if it looked funny? That’s something he can figure out on his own. Those are the types of issues that I’m talking about when I say, don’t sweat the small stuff. Just be happy that you and your family are all healthy and able to spend another day together. 

3.      Make time for fun. This is another one that I’m guilty of. I’m always busying myself with things around the house that need to be done instead of spending quality time with my kids (and husband). The fact of the matter is that there is always going to be laundry to do, dishes to put away and toys to pick up, but there won’t always be time available to play catch with my boys or watch a movie with my husband. Through the events this week, I’ve come to realize that I need to make time for fun with my family. So what if the dishes have to wait until tomorrow? It’s important that I take time to play with my kids now because I may not get the chance tomorrow. 

4.      Always say “I Love You.” I can’t imagine the regret that would come from losing a loved one after an argument, especially if I didn’t say “I love you” before I left. However, I have heard stories from people who have lost loved ones who did not express their love the last time they saw their loved one alive and they all live with this regret. Since we don’t have any guarantees in this life, I make it a point to tell my husband and my kids that I love them before I leave for the day, even if I am upset with them.

Thankfully, I didn’t know anyone who died or was injured in the Boston bombing or the Texas explosion, but those events definitely caused me to think about life in general. Now, I look at things a little differently and try not to take anything for granted. I want to live every moment to the fullest and I want my family to do the same.

More articles from Andrea K. Clark