Take a picture of your plumbing problem

Does this story sound familiar? You go to the hardware store spend forever trying to buy what you need, go home and realize you bought the wrong thing.

Or how about this story? Something goes wrong and you don't know how to fix it so you hire someone and pay a minimum of $50 for the repair.

I've found a much better solution. Take a picture of your problem before heading to the store. In the past year all 3 of my toilets have broken, a pipe corroded under my kitchen sink and most recently I had a leak at the connection under my kitchen sink (pictured). I have been able to fix these problems for less than $4 each time there has been a problem. Much less than it would have cost to pay a professional.

I simply take a picture of the problem area and take my camera with me to Lowe's. I show the worker where I have the leak and seek their advice on what tools I will need to fix it. They then show me where to find the parts as well as give whatever advice they may have on fixing it. In the instance of the pipe that corroded I also took a picture of the writing on the pipe so that I would know exactly what size I needed to get, not allowing my handwriting to confuse me if I had written it down.

Some plumbing problems can be very complicated and I would recommend a plumber for those but a simple problem such as a leaky faucet can be easily remedied by anyone as long as you know what parts you need. The best part of it all? The satisfaction of acomplishing something and not spending a lot of money doing it!

Fill Out Those Product Information Forms!!

You know when you buy a baby item such as a crib, high chair, stroller etc. they come with a little card for you to fill out your information and send it back to the company? They often call these product registration forms. FILL THOSE OUT!

I have much better things to do with my time than to scour random websites to see if any of my child's toys or other items are recalled. However if you fill out those forms and send them in you don't have to search they will contact you.

Recently I received an e-mail informing me that my child's crib (Jardine Americana) had been recalled. The reason? Some super human babies were strong enough to kick and break the wooden rails and 13 of them got minor scrapes and bruises. Not really concerning to me but the good news was I was now eligible for a new crib!

I hated the crib that we originally bought. Pregnancy brain, stress and a husband who was sick of spending countless hours wandering the aisles of Babies-R-Us forced me to buy a crib I wasn't in love with. For the past year I looked at it with resentment, plus my child was able to chew on the wood which made it uglier than ever.

Because I was informed about the recall I immediately was able to contact the company and was sent a voucher for any crib I wanted within the limits of the highest price that I could have bought the original crib at which for me was $299. The one I ended up with was a beautiful, dark wood, sleigh crib that was on sale for $299 down from almost $500.

So my advice - fill out those papers! It could pay off not just in a newer model but it could also potentially save your child from injury. Also, if your child's items fall apart or become hazardous don't be afraid to contact the company. You should at least be able to get a refund and you could save someone elses child from an injury in the future as well as help direct companies to make a stronger, safer product.

Only buy select-a-size paper towels

After a visit to my parents house I became shockingly aware that not everyone in the world knows of the beauties of the select-a-size paper towel.

I went to grab a paper towel to clean up a small spill and it was as if I pulled a bath towel off the roll. The paper towel was huge! What a waste of money, since I just needed a 1/3 of the towel.

Select-a-size paper towels are no more expensive than regular paper towels. They are the regular paper towel but perforated into thirds. This way if you have a small spill use one towel, medium, two towels, etc.

You will save so much more money in the long run because you will be wasting less. Don't even ask questions. Get the select-a-size next time you buy paper towels. You'll thank me for it.

Pick your own produce

A few Saturday's ago my family and I spent the morning picking our own blueberries! It was a great family activity and the part that made mom really happy was that we got 4.75 pounds of blueberries for just $4!

We went to

Bear Mountain Blueberry Farm
8227 Clayton Cove Road
Springville, Alabama
681-8656

Look for farms in your area. Pickyourown.org is a site that can help you locate farms in your area. It's a great way for the family to get out as well as get a great deal on fresh produce!

The value of a penny

If I haven't convinced you to use coupons before maybe this will help...

The total cost of all of the items you see here is 1 penny.

Yes, that's right, that penny that was on the ground that you didn't pick up, was picked up by me and I turned it into all of this!

Using a combination of store sales, coupons, free samples, and CVS's extra care rewards program the total cost of everything ended up being one penny. I bought $40 worth of items that day that
are not pictured here but these were just a penny. Ahhhh.... it feels so good.....

What are you waiting for? Get couponing today!! http://www.moneysavingmom.com/ has helped me learn the tricks of the trade. Let her help you too.

Publix Weekly Penny Item

As if you needed another reason to love Publix here is one more - the Publix penny item!!

Each Sunday and Monday Publix has a mystery item that they price at just one penny! That's right, one penny! You might as well consider it free.

How it works: You must buy $10 worth of groceries (before coupons and the original cost of the penny item is included) and you can only get one item at that price per visit. There is a coupon in the ad in the Sunday paper but many stores do not require it. The Publix on 31 in Vestavia and Hoover, Alabama do not require the coupon. Make sure the checker discounts it though if you don't have the coupon.

Items that have been the penny item recently have been, apple juice, toilet paper, tortilla chips, salad dressing, window cleaner and more.

I save my shopping for Monday and there are two stores close to my house. I will go to one in the morning to get most of my items and get a penny item then. If there were items that the first store had sold out of I will then go to the other store to get the rest of my items and get another penny item.

Don't forget that Publix doubles coupons up to $.50 and you can pair a manufacturers coupon with a store coupon to maximize your savings. Also, don't forget that they also take competitors coupons so all those Bruno's $5 off a $30 purchase (pre-coupon savings) can be used as well.

Make Your Own Coupon Keeper

This picture is just another reminder that buying with coupons and store sales has its rewards. All of the items on this table cost me just under $25. Also, another reminder that the WIC program is a great way to be able to give your babies the nutrition they need. The items on the Lazy Susan in the center (cereal, milk, cheese, juice and eggs) were from WIC. To view my previous post about WIC and to see if you qualify click here.

Now... onto the coupon keeper....

Here is to all of you who say "If you haven't used something in 6 months, get rid of it." Well, I have a hard time following that principle because of days like today. I was in desperate need of a larger coupon holder and I didn't want to have to buy a binder and business card holder inserts. I estimated that to do so would have cost me around $10-$15 which would have defeated the point of all my coupon clipping these past few weeks.

So, this morning I went digging in an old drawer and found a picture holder from the 7th grade (yes, that would be 15 years ago). Thank goodness I didn't throw it out! There were a few crummy pictures in it and I hadn't touched it for years. I took the pictures out and created paper tabs (I cut my tabs using my Cricut but you can just fold over rectangles of paper) and stapled them to the inside. I then sorted my coupons.

Simple as that! They are now organized, easy to view, and easy to find. Now I won't be flipping through my messy stacks of coupons trying to find what I am looking for. It's a great way to reuse all those picture books you are not using.

Why Coupons Are Awesome!!!

So I have some great friends who are amazing and have inspired me to start using coupons. The picture above is from my first trip trying out the coupon technique the pros use. I have to admit is was a complete success and I couldn't be happier. The above items should have cost me $92.23 (before taxes) but instead I saved $64.02 and all of this food only cost me $28.21 (before taxes). I was grinning form ear to ear as I left the store revelling in my new triumph.

Now, let me tell you how I did it...

How to get coupons: You can get coupons from the paper, blinkies and stands in the aisles of the store, from ads at the front of the store, from signing up for free coupons and freebies from the manufacturers site, or there are a plethora of websites that will direct you to coupons you can print from your computer. Here is one that I like called Money Saving Mom. Collect as many as you can.

Use them with Buy One Get One Free deals: I shop at Publix which frequently has B1G1Free sales. When chips are normally $4 and you can B1G1Free you don't have to buy two to get the deal you can just buy one for just $2. If you also have a coupon for $1 off you end up paying only $1 for the chips that were normally $4 saving you $3! Many stores also double coupons that are 50 cents or less. So a 50 cent coupon is actually $1. Where you can really stock up is when you have more than one coupon. Check your stores B1G1Free deals for the week and plan ahead. If your coupon is for more that the price the remaining money is called overage and is deducted from another item.

Here's a breakdown of some of the stuff that I bought today and the savings.

A-1 Sauce Various Flavors

• Originally $3.79.
• B1G1Free Sale Price $1.90
• Coupon $2.00 off
• Total for each $-.10

Oscar Mayer Beef Jumbo Franks

• Originally $3.99
• B1G1Free Sale Price $1.99
• Coupon $1.00 off when you buy 2
• Total for each $.99

Kraft Dressings Various Flavors

• Originally $2.99
• B1G1Free Sale Price $1.49
• Coupon $1.50 off
• Total for each $-.01

Betty Crocker Turtle Supreme Brownie Mix

• Originally $2.55
• B1G1Free Sale Price $1.28
• Coupon $.50 off when you buy two but was doubled so it was actually $1 off when you buy two
• Total for each $.78 plus there is a coupon on the boxes for 2 free movie tickets with 10 UPC's all I need is 4 more from other participating brands and I get to see Harry Potter 6 for free too!

Lenders Bagels

• Originally $2.09
• B1G1F sale price $1.05
• Coupon $1.00 off when you buy 3
• Total for each $.71

Philadelphia Cream Cheese Spread Assorted Flavors

• Originally $1.99
• 4 or $5 sale $1.25 each
• Coupon save $1 when you buy 2
• Total for each $.75

Triscut Assorted Flavors

• Originally $3.19
• B1G1Free sale price $1.60
• Coupon save $1 when you buy 2
• Total for each $1.10

I also got a dollar off of the roast beef from a store coupon and the olives weren't on sale, I just wanted them. :) As you can see the savings are significant and I'm not even a pro yet. A friend of mine bought $180 dollars in groceries the other day and only ended up spending $60 a savings of $120!

Think of what this will mean to your budget as well as your food storage. You never know what is going to happen if you will loose your job, a grocery worker strike or a natural disaster with take out the food supply. Won't it feel good to know that your savvy shopping and the food you have stored up will be there when you need it? Doomsday's aside - I'm just happy that I now have brownies on hand for all those parties and Church activities that I will be asked to bring a treat to!

Free Gifts and Coupons from Publix

I love shopping at Publix and less than a year ago I signed up for a great program that they offer for babies, The Publix Baby Club

When you sign up for this club you get a free book "Caring for your Baby and Child" as well as several coupons for practical items in their store. Many of the coupons were for free items such as rubbing alcohol, hand sanitizer, cocoa butter lotion and more. They also send coupons for large discounts on items such as diapers, wipes and baby dishes. In addition, I received coupons for items that you just don't ever find coupons for like meat from their deli and other meats.

Before my daughter's 1st birthday I also received generous coupons for ice cream, cake and Mylar balloons. When I say generous I mean coupons that range anywhere from $1-$6. They also accept manufactures coupons and frequently have buy one get one free sales (where you don't have to get 2 things to get the discount).

Publix also has a program for preschoolers called the Preschool Pals Club. I have not yet participated in this program but if you visit the link you can view all of the things your preschooler can receive.

Another reason I love Publix - they have "car" shopping carts which keep my little one entertained (along with sanitizing wipes for the carts), free cookies for kids, free coffee for parents (though I've never tried it) and the service you get there is excellent.

Before You Go To The Book Store Check Out The Library

I love to buy books. I know that at the library you can check out books for free, but sometimes you just want to keep a book for your own read it over and over again, crinkle the pages and bend the covers.

But the library isn't just for rentals anymore. At many libraries you can buy books too. Libraries are constantly buying new books so they have to make room for them by selling their older books.

Many libraries give books away, some have sales a few times a year and some have permanent bookstores. The Hoover Public Library has a permanent bookstore. Books, CD's, Books on Tape, Encyclopedias, and Movies are all sold and range in price anywhere from .25 cents to $1.

Not all the items for sale are books that are ancient and uninteresting. There was a whole section of awesome hands on science and craft books, CliffsNotes and even those travel books for foreign countries that people like to buy before a big trip. There were so many books in there to chose from I can't list them all here.

So next time you are looking for a book to buy, check out the library first. You'll be getting a great deal and you'll be giving back to library too.

Never Buy Another Shower Curtain

Is your shower curtain or shower curtain liner disgusting? Don't beat yourself up about it, it happens to the best of us. Just don't throw it out and buy another one!

Instead of throwing it away and buying a new one you can just throw it in the washing machine with a little bit of detergent and bleach. When it is done washing just hang it right back up to dry and it will be as good as new.

I have a fabric shower curtain (that I bought on clearance for $4) that I will wash with my other linens but the liner I have has been washed this way several times. It is still as sturdy as ever.

The Only Way to Buy Ribbon

Little girls love ribbon! And big girls do to! It is great for crafts, scrapbooking, clothes, hair, presents, the uses are numerous.

I have collected a varied and plentiful supply of ribbon and have paid just a few dollars for all of the ribbon I have. How you ask? I buy remnant ribbon packages! What they are are packages of 30 yards of ribbon in various widths, textures and colors. Each package is different but each has about 3 yards of 10 different kinds of ribbon. The best part about these packages is that they cost only $1.99! You can barely buy a spool of 15 yards of ribbon for that little.

Where can you find them? I have seen them at many craft stores but I can confirm that they are $1.99 at Hancock's and Hobby Lobby. Each time to go I get a little goddie bag full of beautiful, satins, organza's, and grosgrain ribbon. Check it out you're never by spool ribbon again!

* Oh yeah, and don't forget to save the ribbon on packages that people give you!

Download and listen to free music

As with many women I am head over heels for all things Twilight. I was debating if I wanted the The Twilight Score music or not and I found this site which lets you listen to a sampling of each song. I love to listen to it over and over again. I'm going to ask for the full soundtrack for my birthday.

Beacuse of this I followed the link to Amazon MP3's and discovered a whole treasure trove of free and very cheap music. Most of the free music is stuff I don't immediately recognize but that is when you find the best stuff. It looked like there was a lot of classical, jazz, Christmas but also some more modern lesser known artists. They also only charge $.89 for regular song downloads and had entire albums between $4 and $8. Check it out!

Think Outside the Christmas Box

Everyone knows that after Christmas is the best time to buy things for the next Christmas. For example last year we got $50 from our grandma for Christmas. My husband and I bought a 6 1/2 foot tree with lights, and over 200 christmas ornaments. We saved hundreds of dollars since the tree alone was over $150 the day before.

But what many may not think about is that this is also a great time to stock up on items for other times of the year too. There are always table cloths and plate sets and other house hold items that we never think to look for that are also majorly discounted. I have several beautiful table cloths and place setting that I have purchased for pennies that don't "look" Christmasy so I use them all year round. For example plain white or a beautiful sage green, both of which match my kitchen.

Think about other special occasions as well. I was getting married in April and I knew that my colors were going to be black, white and red accented with gold. My mom and I went to an after Christmas sale and stocked up on red and white candles, gold platters and thousands of white lights. We used them to decorate my reception. It looked elegant and not like Christmas at all. The money we saved was spent on the designer dress I just had to have and our honeymoon at Lake Tahoe. A much better allocation of funds.

Also, be sure to check out clothing departments. You can always find very nice dress clothes for your kids at very low prices. Some dresses and things are clearly Christmas but many can pass all year round. If it's an item that is clearly Christmas that you just love buy it in the size you think your child will wear next year. If it doesn't fit them when the next year rolls around sell it at a consignment sale. You'll probably get more for it than you paid for it.

This year, think outside the Christmas box and save youself a lot of money on things you can use year round!

Grate your Cheese

Could cheese be any more expensive? I love cheese. I think it is one of the greatest foods on the planet. That is why whenever I buy it I eat it as fast as I can, or at least I used to...

I discovered that when I would buy block cheese I had no problem cutting large chunks of it and eating it. My cheese wouldn't even last a week. When it costs anywhere from $7 or more (sometimes much, much more) for a two pound block of cheese it can add up.

The remedy? Buy grated cheese or grate it yourself. Why it works? When cheese is grated you eat less of it. You are less likely to snack on grated cheese. When you cut slices or cubes you are using up a great deal of cheese. With grated cheese it looks like you are using a lot of cheese when you really aren't. It's almost like a mind trick.

What I do is buy a 5 pound bag of fancy grated cheese from Sam's Club for $14. I take it home and fill smaller bags with the grated cheese. I keep one bag in the fridge and put the rest in the freezer. When I need a new bag of cheese I just pull it out of the freezer. It thaws in just a few minutes. I can still snack a little on the grated bits and it is very easy to put on the meals that I cook. I use less and it lasts weeks longer than when I was buying block cheese.

Try it... your waistline and pocketbook will thank you.

Buy Expensive Wipes to Save Money

Just because a box of generic wipes is cheaper at the store it doesn't mean it is a better buy. For example, the last time I bought wipe refills at Sam's Club the store brand was $13 the Huggies brand was $15. I decided to save $2 and go with the store brand. Big mistake. Not only were they a little rough (causing me to use a little more diaper rash cream) but they refused to tear in half. Most of the time you don't need to use a full wipe, especially when wiping a face or changing a wet diaper. Spend the extra $2 and get the name brand wipes. They will work better, last longer because you can easily tear them in half and will save you a lot more money in the long run.

Consignment Sales

One of my favorite ways to buy inexpensive things for my daughter is through consignment sales. There are many consignment businesses open year round as well as organizations that do sales on a yearly basis.

My favorite, and the largest that I know of, is in Birmingham, Alabama. It's called Kid's Market. It is held biannually and is housed in an old grocery store. You can sell your child's old items and you can buy new ones.

I like to look for toys, bedding, books and clothes. Kid's Market has strict rules on items in working and good condition so you almost always find great items in great condition for great prices. At the close of the sale items are sold at 50% off which makes many items practically free. Try selling old items at these sales and if you are unsuccessful you can then donate them.

Check around for consignment sales in your area. Also look for Mother's of Twins sales, double the stuff for half the price! You can save and make yourself a lot of money.

Wallgreens Super Saver Program

Walgreen's has a great program to save you money. It's called their Super Saver Program.

What it is

Each month they publish a new Super Saver catalog. You can get it from their website or in the store. The catalog has a ton of coupons as well as rebates on select items. Many of the rebates are very good and cover a large portion of the cost of the item. Each month they also feature select items that are free.

How it works

Go into the store during the designated dates and purchase the items you need from the Super Saver catalog. Save your receipt. You can then redeem your rebate via Internet or mail. I have found that the Internet is the best way. You just go to their site and type in the necessary receipt code and they will review your receipt and either send you a check for your rebate or you can choose to get your rebate in the form of a Walgreen's gift card. If you choose this option they will give you an additional 10% of what your rebate is worth. I have received my rebate in less than a months time. *Note: the state taxes you pay are not refundable in the rebate.

What it's saved me

I've only been participating in this program for two months but the savings are already awesome. The following items are things that I have received for free through this program.

L'oreal face moisturizer - $19.99

Rimmel foundation - $7.49

Alamay mascara - $6.99

L'oreal facial cleanser - $6.99

8 x 10 photo - $2.99

Total Savings: $44.45