Saved some money yesterday

Yesterday I saved about 19 dollars in coupons at Walmart. The poor woman behind me seen the mini stack that I had and said well you won't save enough off the bill to make a differance anyway. Well the gal thatwas behind me was shocked to say the least when she heard the beginning total and the ending total. I told here that the beer that I picked up was for free after the coupons. I had the whole line in laughter with that one. I still have to put away most of the stuff from yesterday since I had walked thru the door and get a phone call saying I will be there within 45 min. The truth of it is I am so use to being alone during the week that it shocks me when my Husband comes home in the middle of the day and week. So here I am it is Wensday and I need to get some things done around here today and it is all of the easy stuff to get done. Around my place the hard part is the bathroom and changeing the bed sheets. Other than that it is smooth sailing around here by the middle to end of the week around here. My husband looked in the sink and said to me is that all of the dishes that you used??? I coulden't help but to laugh about it all. I do not go thru that many dishes to do them every day while he is gone so I wait for acouple to 3 days to start in on them. This is why I do not mind being alone for the week at all around here. Well I may as well get the morning rutine going and get as much done as I can around here before the afternoon comes in with a bang. Ok folks have fun and play hard.

Head is really spinning

Well after this one why shoulden't my head spin. Now car maintanace is a big key to make the car happy. Now I just got my van inspected just reacently and expected some things wrong with it. My thing is if you know someone is broke then why give that person a loan for a new car or van or truck. Well when these people bought thier van I knew they coulden't afford the repairs to it at all. That is the problem with forien cars today. The Honda cost me and arm and a leg pluss my first born in the shop fees the Masdas are worse. Now the folks are on disablity and are bringing in less than what I did working full time at Mc Donnalds per month 10 years ago. Anyway after one of my other Hippies was here also. Now I had fixed Mac and Cheese on Thursday and we have left overs today. Well he wanted a taste and he loved it. I diden't have the heart to tell him it was really homemade and then some. Yes I put my own twist on it as always. Now with the couple that was here hollering about thier car also bring in some assistance also. After all of these years niether one know how to shop for thier place also. All I can do is let my head spin at this point anyway. Well with everything that I get for my place it is about 200 dollars a month and that is includeing the dog, cat, and bird. Pluss the groceries and paper products also. It is not hard to do around here at all. So with coupons and sales pluss a few other things it helps out totally. Now with me I end up useing coupons eather way. Even with my Hippy he is printing out coupons for the week while he is gone. I must have trained him right on something around here at least. Free coffee for the next couple of months it works for me. Now that is over 300 dollars again in saveings. I know some who won't play with coupons at all. It is thier loss not mine. Now if the big names diden't wanna print them at all then they woulden't have. They print the coupons with the hope of someone not useing them. Then there are the folks like myself who use them and it does pay off. That doesen't include the can returns that some of us do also around here. I figure why should I let the state of NY use it and still be broker than ever. Now that I have figured it all out around here I keep getting broker around here thanks to NY State becuase the brain farts in Albany just don't give a Damn about us little folks that make the state. Well after next month I will be useing more coupons pluss cutting way back on alot more around here. Between all the cards and coupons and knowing some stores they like shoppers anyway. Ok folks have fun and play hard.

Well free and others

I have 5 free boxes of tea sitting on the counter and alot of lids missing. Go figure on that one. They were there 3 weeks ago and I already know who and why. Then the question came up of is Jose still there with ya. The Hippy is like no my wife threw his toush out 2 weeks ago and asked and reasked on alot of things and the lazy bum diden't wanna listen. Put it this way the management diden't blame me one bit at all. The lazy bum did the same to her in the office trailer. Now I am happy that I don't have to put up with the B.S. anymore around here. Not only that I did find out today that some of us are still doing better than others at this point. Pretty sick that some of us can sit back and still work on other things than go out side of the place to work. And others are getting thier collage education. Now I can really laugh becuase some of us got lucky. After all of the years of fighing my way up, being cheap, and streaching out the dollars I can somewhat sit at home and still worry but not totally here. What gets to me the most is that I can work from home and do what I have to do around here without a problem. Another thing is that now I have a palce full of food and my bills are all paid up to date also. Now with my one cousin she is so far into debt that she had her 16 yo daughter start working to pay the morgage on the house that they just spent way to much on. Now for years this so called woman has had no food in her place for niether her nor the child they have always went to grandmas house to eat and grab food over the years. I Never did that at all. I would rather starve than have it held over my head that I grabed food there. That is how I am and always will be. That is why I started with coupons and getting very cheap food to feed the household nomatter where I was at. Also I started out early trying to streach out the food in the place weather be in someones house or in my own. Pluss I always had children to feed also. So now all I can do is shake my head on alot of things still and go from there. A good friend of mine said this past week I always had a baby or young child hooked to my hip and she was right. So now that I have the place to myself do I want children yes is it top on my list no at this point yet. I will start looking for more free stuff when I do get prego of course. More coupons sure. It is in my nature to do so and be cheap as possible for the household and I don't care what others think at all.

Finding coupons

Well since I have to get the van inspected this month I am finding coupons for the van. If I can't use them on the van myself the guys know to use what is left for the next person. The nice thing about the internet is if you have a printer hooked up to it look at Products in your household that you use. The site may have a coupon for what you are looking for. Now I know Walmart takes the internet printed coupons here Tops has refused and Wegman's told me to bring them to the sevice counter to be checked and approved for use. Now at times I can get at least 50 dollars off the grocery bill at each place eather way. Some of the cashiers have said that a couple of folks they have money going back to them from thier trip to the grocery store. Ok folks have fun and play hard. I have to clean after the mini bomb went off in the place after the weekend.

Laughing already

I had to laugh this morning when the Hippy asked me if we had store bought bread in the house. He likes it better for the truck. Well while he had went out already and since the Hippy would be out I told him to go over to the regular supermarket for me to pick some things up that I have forgot about. Should be under 10 dollars today for the stuff that I need for several dinners around here. The Hippy forgets that it is cheaper around here in the regular markets instead of going into the truck stops that he normally goes into. That is why I try to stock up on stuff that are in cans that he can cook on the engine of the big truck. I can find stuff that is cheaper at Walmart and between Wegman's and Tops also. The Truck Stops want 3 times than where I shop at since they know you are pretty much stuck in alot of ways. I diden't mind going at one point with him at all becuase, there were times where there was a store within walking distance of where he was loading or unloading at times. The Uni Leaver loads I dident mind niether. I could always hit thier dumpster out back for products that they coulden't sell becuase the box was crushed or a leaky bottle. You get real good at diveing for good stuff in the dumpsters after awhile. Just to save some money in the household. Also when a store has a shoppers card Get one. You get the sale items pluss you get double coupons off the cards depending on where you are at also. Another perk of the cards are the store sends out coupons for thier store also. I have been known to use 50 dollars at a time in coupons also. With the coupons in the blinky machines you can use an out of store coupon also. Now with the coupons there is a trick to it all and you have to read the print on the coupons also. Lets say there is a buy one get one free deal at the grocery store, the coupons says buy one get a dollar off. You can use 2 coupons when they say that becuase you are buying 2 even though you are getting one free. There are lots of things you can do with coupons. As I say it is a huge game at the stores. With the grocery store they set a price for the items and sales at times of the year to rope folks in. Some folks don't care if they pay full price for an item. I have coupons at all times with me in the luggage that I carry. Now what I will do is pull the coupons for the sale adds and carry the extra coupons for the sales that are not in the adds that come out. Now with myself in what I do is I get the meats and try to build meals around that. So lets say I have 6 packs of chicken in the cart I build the coupons with the sale items around the chicken. Then this way there is a hodge podge of extra side dishes in the cart from the coupons. You will never get board of eatting the same things over and over again. As I have said before I have some basics in my place at all times. Onions, garlic, flour, yeast, eggs, and bakeing powder. There is the basics for the most part in my place that I can build alot from there. I also keep raw potatoes, powdered milk and margerine/butter. The Hippy just shakes his head and lets me loose in the kitchen. I know the look when I have cooked to much of the chicken. He looks at me funny and starts flapping his arms and we both start laughing about it. So the next day I start cooking something else. Now I have heard some folks complain about coupon use for thier household. If you buy enough meats there are several ways to have side dishes also. All I am saying is mix it up at all times. Ok folks have fun and play hard.

Running late as normal

I have my days to where I just run totally behind all day long. That is what I get for not feeling good for a day the next day is just tourched for me. On Tuesday night I went out to eat for a change and guessing all the grease diden't agree with me at all. Show's in how often I really go out to eat anymore. Pluss I had coupons to boot where the Hippy and I went to. A 30 dollar bill got droped down to 14 dollars for 2 meals and drinks. And of course the left overs came home with me. Now with the Hippy being out on the road like he is all week, he is getting points on a card for a mini fridge and a few other things for the 18 wheeler. Every time he fules the truck it is at least 200 dollars if not more. Some places have a perks card. To where you can get showers and other items when you get enough points up. I know several Drivers out there that have crock pots, fridges, T.V.'s, and lots of other things in thier rigs. So it's like being at home without being at home. It gets very expensive if you have to eat out all of the time while you are on the road. That is why when I would go with him at times that I would bring a stack of coupons with me at all times. I have been getting coupons as of late around here to start in on that once again. So when I do the big trip to the store for shopping I can save money also. Many folks that are behind me just don't like to see my fistfull of coupons untill they hear the end total between the card and the coupons. Sometimes it takes 5-10 min for the cashier to go thru them. My moto is hit the new cashiers up when I go into the stores with a healthy stack of coupons. Anyway I had went on Sunday for the groceries and it wasen't to bad when I walked out of there. I had bought alot of chicken since the bump on the log decided that was all he wanted and to deep fry everything that he ate. Now with the frier that I have it does get hot and you have to pull it out from the wall and clear out the space for it. Pluss you can close the lid on the frier so the grease dosen't splatter also. Not the fool that was here useing it. I guess he wanted to see how fast a Trailer could go up with everyone inside. He would leave it against the wall and have a pile of papers and pot holders on and around the thing. I got to the point where I hid the cord to the frier altogeather and said there's the oven use it. So after all said and done he left the place with 2 pieces of chicken and a quart of milk and diden't bother to replace it becuase, he was too busy selling his food stamps that he got for this month. Things that some do while they are on welfare and the bump never went out to look for a job niether. Now he is working for the park once again off the books and collecting full wealfare. At this point my power bill will go down 50 dollars since to tossed him on his toush and out of my place and so will alot of other bills. The dish deturgant stayed the same since he diden't believe in useing soapy hot water for the dishes at all. That is the last person I do take into my place and I don't care anymore. Ok folks have fun and play hard. It is time for me to start cleaning again.

How do I react

I dont know how to react at this point I have the place to myself. I am still doing laundery of course and maybe the dishes will wait untill tomarrow morning. I still have at least 3 more loads of laundery to do as of this moment. I am still looking around and just in awe of haveing the place to myself. Oh well at least I can try to catch up on things that need to be done around here anyway while I am at it all. Pluss get more of a grocery list up also. Or should I say a dream list at this point in time. With being so stocked for a good while that you tend to notice when things start getting low around a household. Even the sales have slacked off even. So I may just let the coupons pile up and see what I can do with them all after this. Even my guys over at the fix it shop tend to laugh becuase I always have coupons on me at all times for the place. Every little bit helps in my book. And that is why the Hippy never really pays much mind if I have the buy one get one free and so on in the coupons. Even the Hippy will even say that I am almost the tightest woman he knows besides his own mother. I do try to streach everything out as much as I can around here. Almost have to in todays world. Pluss it is one of the bills that you can controle besides the power bill and a few others in life. It is eather get a good grasp on them or go broke as I see it at this point in time. That is what I am trying to tell the new guy on the block here in the can. Pluss I can say that he is in just total shock that I am trying to do all of this and be cheap about it all at this point. Some he just diden't realize in what was going on since the break off from the crazy lady of the park. Pretty bad when a child asks someone are you with the crazy lady as of yet. One that should have help with finances and just doesen't have a clue of you can't spend everything that you have and then depend on the children that you have to help out at all. The crazy lady as the person is known as complains that there is no money and turns around and starts in on the welfare to get food and everything else for her place. When someone helps her out and she gets mad at them the stuff that got bought for her from that person eather gets tossed or gave away so she can say ooooooooo poor pity me I don't have this or that. Well I have heard from the grapvine that she does this and seen it also with my own eyes. With me I find a way to get something like groceries even if I go hungery for a couple of days untill I can hit a dumpster or collect enough cans to get some food for the place. Or hit up a food pantery one. Pluss I learned real quick that you can make pan cakes out of a cake mix also. It works for food and you can freeze the leftovers of what you don't eat. One of the workers told me about that trick. This is why I say have enough flour, eggs, and powdered milk in the household. Then this way you can make bread sticks and pancakes at least untill you scrape up the money to get other things. I can sit here and tell you alot of the trick of the trade for makeing something out of nothing for food. A few things that I always have is flour, eggs, powdered milk, yeast, onions, garlic, butter/margerine, and sugar. Some folks do not get in why and I can tell you that I can make a meal out of what I always have. That goes with when folks barrow things and you ask if they have an extra piece of chicken and you have an even traid between neighbors. I have made chicken soup out of one piece of chicken and it fed my household for a week after that. When you are that broke you can not complain one bit at all. Ok folks have fun and play hard.

Now I can laugh again

Well someone came over yesterday and a comment was made on the new food processor in the kitchen. And what the person doesent know won't hurt her niether on what I had paid for the new appliance. I never pay full price anyway on anything so I will let her think I paid over 200 dollars on the thing when I diden't. Coupon codes are a wanderfull thing at all times. Pluss the person was bragging up on a child who diden't need it also. This is why I only talk to the one person once a month so I don't go into overload and blow gaskets. Well after it's all said and done at this point I will keep to my place and keep the glimmer of hope that I will be out of the can and leave no forwarding address to alot of people one of these days. Anyway at this point it gave me new light on alot of things around here yesterday and that I will be ok after. I have cut and slashed here in the can and started drinking hot tea in the afternoons also. I cut the coffee to one pot a day also. Now to come up with something for dinner tonight and go from there of course while I am at it thru the day. Ok folks have fun and ply hard.

Went to Walmart again

I ended up over at Walmart after the bank yesterday.  It seems like I run out of dog and cat food at about the same time around my can along with the cat litter.  And 75 dollars later for a few other things also while I was there.  A friend started laughing when she walked in and there's both of the big bags sitting by the door.  Pluss I wanted to catch up with the woman on what was going on with her.  Both of us are busy during the day and see eachother about once a month for coffee at my place.  So eather way Both get caught up for the families that we have.  Also I will admit that I am still learning for being more frugal or cheap eather way you look at it.  With the both of us we traid in what works for us in eather household.  It can be fun at times just like traiding coupons back and fourth also.  There are alot of us that do it in my neighborhood just to save money on the grocery bill and the household goods also.  Some of us still collect the cans out of the yard and a few other places also.  I picked up 10 cents yesterday out of a vacant lot here in the park.  Some of the kids around here just do not care if it means a nickle in thier pocket.  As I say nickles add up also around here for everything of course.  I should start going on my mini walks again and take a plastic bag with me also.  It is well worth the trouble to pick up the cans and bottles around the walks.  Even if it means another 10cents pluss in my pocket.  Now I had an extra 6 dollars last Monday that went into another jar for my wood burner.  I have already after the past couple of months here ended up with about 7 dollars already.  Not including what is still in the back of my van to turn in.  I know some folks do not get in what I do with the cans at all.  I know alot of the places around here throw away the cans also.  I have asked them to save them back for me and just put the small bags into the mud room that I have.  They won't even bother with it.  Even if it means a pair of shoes for thier daughter.  I will say that after I got dumped on the curb from the chat room I have been doing even better without the drama that was being created form it.  Alot of folks would never approve if they know in what I was doing or trying to do for my household.  I know that the so called room owner diden't approve of it.  Alot of people are funny when it comes to coupon use and bottle returns and trying to live below the paycheck means of life.  All I can do with those folks that do not like what I have tried to do is shake my head at them and go from there.  I notice the folks that cut you down in life are not worth the trouble that they like to make.  I know that I have been cut down at the ankles with alot of folks over the years and I did survive it and got alot mouthier over the years and got alot more blunt also while I was at it.  I have also cut my bills dramaticly while I was at it.  I did what I have had to do.  Like streaching out what is here in the place and money while I was at it all.  It all works for me and I want to start streaching even harder for the place.  I know it bothers some folks and they do not have to live here nor a few other things.  I will keep shopping for the best deals and keep useing coupons and returning the nickle deposits for my place.  It is funny when I do have the fist full of coupons when I hit the checkout lanes I have heard alot of moans and groans untill they hear the finnal total of when the coupons come off the bill.  And there is the down right shock on some faces that are behind me in the checkout lanes.  Some of the cashiers will tell you that I am good and some others are a bit better than I am on the coupons and rebates.  When I can get at least 16 dollars still off the bill at one of the stores without even trying it is still a good trip to where I am at.  It is and extra 16 dollars pulled back in my eyes.  Now when I was on food stamps at one time the social worker asked in how I was streaching out the stamps.  All I could do was laugh and shown a reciept of how I did it.  She asked if she could get a copy of it.  I said sure go for it.  It was to show others that they could do what I did also.  I was getting free coupons from the sunday paper becuase the people diden't want the inserts back.  Some of us split the inserts up went home clipped away and returned with an envalope the next day of the coupons we dident want and did a huge traid on who wanted what.  So it all worked out for alot of us at the one place that I worked at.  Ok folks have fun and play even harder.

Got most of the list done and going thru coupons

I will say this that I do write everything down that I see that needs to be done in the can.  Then the other list of little stuff that has been ignored for way to long also for here at my place.  I will try to tackle some of that today and take an inventory of what is needed.  The Hippy remined me last night of the other list that needed to be done also.  It wont hurt as bad as we all think it will I have a ton of coupons for this go around for the stores at least.  That is the saveing grace for this month of course.  Once you figure out the coupon system it gets easier with every trip to the store.  When there is a buy one get one free of something on sale and depending on how the coupon reads, you can use 2 of the coupons if it reads for a singal item on the face of the coupon.  If the coupon reads like a dollar off 2 then it is just that a dollar off 2.  Pluss most of the grocery chains will double the coupon up to .99 of the value.  So if you can hit the sales pluss the coupon the better on the grocery budget.  And you may get a bit of everything from the coupon use but there is always a way to make a meal out of what you have.  I have noticed that not every store take the printed coupons so check with the stores policy on it.  I know with Walmart they do so does Target.  I have both policies printed and in my saddle bag just in case if the cashier does not want to take the printed ones.  It is in black and white for them and they can read thru it.  Now sometimes I can get 27 dollars of saveings with the printed coupons and then there are always the days that I can get over 50 dollars at the store in the coupon saveings.  One of the gals up here asked me in how I really do it all and keep everything straight for the coupons.  I told her the envelope system that I have and a small box for them.  That is how I keep organized for the most part.  And at first you may want to start small with it.  I know some folks who have a huge box full of coupons and all seperated also.  Then there is the rebate end of the grocery store also.  I have done some rebates thru the years and you have to watch them very close.  Becuase some of the rebates are bunk.  So just be carefull of the rebates that are out there.  Now what I do to get coupons for the stores is first I print them out depending on what store I am going to and get the Sunday paper also.  In some areas the coupons come out on Wensday.  Also beware of the coupons that some sites want you to pay for the coupon or rebate.  I am very leary of places that do charge for the coupons becuase you never know if they will be expired or not by the time they hit your mailbox.  Anyway since I have been useing coupons I have heard so many behind me complain about the stack that I had in my hand and saying that we will be here forever.  Untill they see the 30 to 50 if not more drop in the grocery bill.  They get a bit surprized by the time I am done.  Sometimes I get the last laugh on alot of things while standing in line.  Also when you are first starting out with the coupons clip the ones you want.  Like if there is bar soap coupons clip them along with laundery deturgant pluss the drier sheets.  There are alot of coupons out there you may not use also.  IF you are a housewife and are lucky enough to be, have a get togeather to traid coupons along with all the kids they can play while the swap is going on.  And traid houses with it all, one person this week  the next person the next week and so on.  Ok folks have fun and play even harder.

I just can't stand the van

Now I know why I hardly go anywhere during the week.  The 2 hr. drive just sucks the life out of me.  Pluss made the bed in the bunk while I was at it all.  Maybe what it is also is I do not like driveing at night on roads that I do not know also.  Anyway I made it home and that is all that matters.  Now with the news going there are another rash of car jackings going on in the Buffalo area.  I thought that's nice.  The gun permits never left me and niether has my .45 at all.  I kept the permits just becuase over the years.  As I say cheaper to keep them instead of trying to get them all back at some point.  And now really nobody really messes with an alert person anyway.  It's all in the confadence you throw out.  I learned that years ago.  Maybe that is why I just blow gaskets more than normal.  Well at least I have something to look forward to during the week while I am alone.  Saveing on the power bill and alot of other things in the can.  Pluss I don't mind being alon most of the time anyway.  It gives me time to cut corners without anyone here and try other new things.  If I like them then I will say something about it.  And http://www.coupondad.com/ has alot of good coupons this go around.  It is funny around here I get really board and start searching for alot of stuff.  It makes some folks heads spin let me tell you.  So when I make another big trip to Walmart I will take the printed coupons with me also and save that much more while I am there.  Pluss the household cans.  So between the both I may do well at the stores this time around.  There is so much to do here that I may be busy for the next couple of days.  So I will be around.  Hve fun and play even harder.

Well dinner was very little

I ate very little tonight.  One burger.  Maybe soup tomarrow night I am not sure yet.  Anyway it was a calm day around here at least with lots of laundery done.  I need to end up at Walmart here for this weekend and a few other stores.  It is bad when you start running out of things in the place.  I will be takeing my coupons as normal.  Some saveings is better than nothing as I say.  Oh well I will start makeing the rest of my list for the store tomarrow.  Along with a few other lists to go for the day also.  With the free stuff from the mail box it does help out around here to stock the place up.  Thanks to the Hippy for finding me some stuff.  Well a full thing from http://www.bettycrocker.com/ also.  Shocking pluss a coupon.  The fun part is you never know what you will find out on the web for free.  When I started looking for free stuff I started looking at things around the place and started typeing in the search box the product.  Most times you can type in something and the web site will come up.  Most of the stuff will be under the promotions buttons sometimes it is right on the first page when it comes up.  It depends on the site.  Sometimes the mail man/lady wants to just beat me becuase he has braught a tote back full of free stuff for me.  He brings it into the can and dumps it where I want it so he or she can have the tote back.  And some I forget that I did ask for the free stuff.  So it is better than just getting Dirty Mail (bills) in the mail.  Not always but there are times where they send out full sized of the product or samples.  Eather way you can try before you buy the product.  I have had enough bars of soap in the place that I diden't have to buy any for about 6 months.  With myself I will let the samples build for when January comes along I do not have to get much at all.  So do the free stuff hunt you may be surprised in what you can find.

Cutting your bills

Cutting down or cutting out on the bills are worth every effort in the household. Now for me it is useing coupons and turning stuff off in the household. Pluss several other things that I do. Just like I DO NOT eat out at resturants as a general rule in the household. It is ok on the rare occation but not all of the time. The only way to get me out to eat is free stuff like sandwiches or free of something and it really has to be a big saveings for me. Now another thing that I do is when I hit the grocery stor or the Walmart super center is that I look for the cheaper cuts of meat. You will be surprized If you know how to tenderize cuts of meat that are tough. Pluss there are this day only specials at the meat counters also. I really like to sweet talk the butchers and I can get more soup bones and other things for cheap. Like deli ends are a good thing around my house. A chest freezer is a nice thing to have also. When whole chickens or turkeys go on sale for like below 50 cents a pound that is the time to buy them and put them back for later use. There are sales all over the place now adays. If you can catch the sale item pluss use a coupon it drives the cost down even more. Just like the Buy one Get one Free stuff did you know you can use 2 coupons for that sale. Just like last month there were frozen pizzas that were 2.50 a piece. I had several coupons for 2 dollars off of a piticular brand. So it is really up to you in what you want to do with it all on the coupon part. I know some people don't use coupons at all. I say if they are out there the companies want you to use them. They would rather take a loss on some of us folks becuase they know some people like to pay full price on the items that they offer. Well with the power bills shooting up now a days and new TAXES being on them in some MONEY HUNGERY STATES some of us have figured out how to keep the cost of that down also. In the summer time I hang out laundery to save from extra heat not going into the household. The washer is energy star rated and it was worth the extra 100 dollars on it for everything like useing less water also. It costs maybe at most 3 dollars a month to run the thing at all times. I genorate alot of laundery in my house hold also. I try to use the dryer as little as possible anyway only becuase it uses alot of power to use it. Now for the computer I do use mine more times than not. There are days that I have it totally off along with the modem also. The only bad thing is that the phone is on the modem also. I have a cell phone to make alot of calls off also. And it does help when the power goes out around here. People say drop one for the other and I say what if MYSELF or OTHERS are stranded out on the road. The kindness of people help and I have returned the favor that was done to myself also on that. But shop around for the best plans for the cell phones. Another thing about the power bills are that you have to unplug the PHANTOM DRAINERS. Like power cords that are not in use. I have saved over 50 dollars on the power bill by unplugging charger cords that are not in use. Pluss I have alot that is unpluged also while I am at it. You don't need the mixer plugged in 24/7 do you? All of the appliances in the kitchen are unpluged untill we need them in my house. Most of the lights are not burning niether. I may have one light going if that during the day. Pluss during the winter months I have a candle burning when I am in the kitchen. Another energy drainer is when you leave the computer going 24/7. Mine gets shut down at night. Pluss it saves on the mother board and hard drive. And it gets shut down when I leave the house also. Another good thing is if you have the bundle packages for alot of things like the cable, internet, and phone on one bill. It saves money most times. Now for my household also I have had to learn that a quiet house is a good thing around here. I can say after you get use to the idea that it is quiet you may not want stuff on like the T.V. or the radio on constantly. Now there are times when I do an alday search on recipies. Eather from the cookbooks that I have or over the internet. Then I mix them up to make them my own. All I can say is be creative on it and do not overload your husband and kids with a week of new recipies. Do it maybe once a week or so and see if the kids and others will like them if its not a hit then toss the recipie. Also I have learned over the years that some kids are very picky eaters. As the old saying goes if the parents put thier foot down then the problem wouldent be there. Unless there are food alergies. Anyway there is still alot of tricks of the traid out there and more that I dident mention so far in this one. So try new things and do not be scared to do so niether.

One nice thing about being home

I finally relized I don't mind being home all of the time. I can look up free stuff come up with new recipies and look for coupons. And find ways to be cheaper than dirt about things here in the house. It is bad when I can find ways to save money on groceries, the power bill, and everything else in the place. And i just hollared at a friend to turn off the light above the sink also today. Even though it is pennies still the same rather have them pennies in my pocket. Most of the place is on power strips so I can automaticly turn off alot of stuff at one time. It pays to be cheaper than snot in my household. I can go out to my yard now and more than likely can pick up 20 cents worth of cans and or bottles. Most times thats how i pay for groceries along with coupons. It is wierd but it is true. And I use paper towles for cleaning only in my household also. I have hand towles all over the place for wipeing of the hands. It is a cardnal sin to use a paper towel to wipe your hands after you wash them on those. You wont find paper plates nor the plastic cups nor the plastic forks knives or spoons. They are a waste of money in my eyes. I have cut ans slashed everything in half like the dish soap and laundery deturgant. As they told us growing up a little goes along way. And they were not kidding niether with that saying. As I say the bargin racks are our best friends at all the stores. When I can find a pair of pants or jeans for 3 dollars when they were 15 normally. That is how i have dressed most of the household or thru yard sales. And alot of people will shake thier heads at me. It dosen't bother me anymore when they do that. Or when I am at the check out lanes with a fist/paw full of coupons I have heard people start hollering about it till they see the finall bill at the end of the coupons and for the can return. I sent a 45 dollar bill down to $4.95 at walmart one day and one of the elders was impressed with me. That's when I first got Oliver and alot of it was for him. So there are ways to cut the bill down for Walmart and other places. Some that come over to my place are amazed in what i can do for the month in only shopping once a month shopping trips that I do make. I alos plan out everything as much as I can for meals and other things. Once I got use to the fact to planning out and getting organized enough it made it easier on myself. Alot of folks don't understand that you dont need to go to the store once a week. There is alot of farmers markets and road side stands at this time of the year. Pluss with one of the buttons that I have added with the vegies in season so you can tell what is and isent in season at the times of the year. You can catch sales on alot of things and some things are seasonal cheap. Just like football season tater chips as I call them are cheaper along with beer and dips. Even though it is still cheaper to make your own at most times of the year. Ok folks I will have more later on play safe.

Back to looking again

I'm always looking for samples and free stuff out there along with good deals on and off the net. As I say if they dident want you to have samples and coupons the manufacturers wouldent put it out there for people at all. Some people laugh at me about what I have got thru the mail already. Pluss the free stuff i have got with being out and about also. Down to free tee shirts to bags to rolls of T.P. There are several ways to get them from signing up in sweeps to just asking for them also. I rememmber one time I was out with friends and i had a certian beer in my hand and I ended up with a free shirt out of the deal. The couple that I went out with were in shock. Well all I can do is laugh sometimes about it. And it pays to get the free stuff sometimes becuase they all do send coupons also with the sample or freebie. Then there's free stuff if you ask for it also in the resturants. Anywhere from a free kids night out to free sandwiches to free drinks. Some you have to go really looking for and others you do not have to. Or you can make a few phone calls and ask what promotions they have for that day week or month. Or of they have coupons to dine at that piticular place also. I know it sounds like some of us are begging for free food and it's not like that at all. Saveing money when you can is always a good thing. Just like I got a box of goodies for my dog thru UPS when we first got her. Ever since then the dog has liked the UPS guys and the mail men. Pick a treat that they like and go to thier web site and see if they have coupons and or treats under thier promotions. Works like a charm. Even if you go to a web site and ask if they have coupons that they can give you. The worst they can tell you is No. I have also got cat samples. And yes for the most part everyone gets along. It's like haveing 3 2 year olds in the house at times but it is well worth the fun times in the house hold. OK folks have a good one and I will be back.

Laughing now

Well I went back to Walmart after the reservation run today. Saveing over 50 dollars for a carton of smokes does something for a person. You got to LOVE NY State for all the high taxes that they get for doing nothing for some of us small fry in the state. It's a wanderfull place at www.smokinjoes.com. If you go in its just a down right neat place. So anyway I went back to Walmart today for a few other things that I needed that i forgot on Wensday and forgot the canned corn of course for dinner tonight. And I had another dollar in coupons when i walked in. So I got to thinking with the last more coupons anyway, well why not get more freebees while I'm at it all. Free samples are always good in my household. Theres a thing on www.walmart.com for free stuff in the other things on the start page. I have got alot of free samples over the years also since I got the computer and internet connection. The best was 2 free TP rolls just to sign up for it. Theres a ton of sites out there for free stuf anyway and got to a site that you like the product(s) and ask if they all have coupons and or free stuff to give you. The worst they could tell you is NO. I have done it for coupons to free stuff to alot of other things also. So now I looked at alot of my free stuff pages on my fave's list and dident find anything today but tomarrow is always another day. Tomarrow will be another day and i will be back again. With love and always a tone of trying to save.




Cricket