BREAKING NEWS :

Celebrate each day, always – and find some new holidays or “observances” you can enjoy.   August begins with “National Clown Week”, August 1-7 – and I’m sure you can think of many ways to enjoy clowning around with your kids.  Invite the neighbors and make it a party or play date!  Serve circus food and create a relay race of clown items – see which team can get clownly-dressed the fastest!

August 1-7, according to http://www.brownielocks.com/august.html, is also “Simplify Your Life Week”.  School supply sales and yard sales are great opportunities to find organizing tools – for less.  Choose one area of your life, whether it is daily paper work, kids’ toys or your car to organize – and set out to find the tools at a great price. 

Here are a few other of Augusts’ special weeks.  Find someone to encourage, and a memory to make – have fun!

Single Working Women’s Week, August 1-7 (Is there a single mom at church or living near you?  How can you help her this week?)

National Resurrect Romance Week, August 8-14 – (Surprise your sweetheart!)

Weird Contest Week, August 15-21 – Create fun, silly times with your kids and friends!

Be Kind to Human Kind Week, August 25-31 – Enlist and encourage your kids to practice random acts of kindness this week.  Adopt a neighbor for the day (yard work, invitations to tea, handmade notes, etc.) or other ways to show love to one another.

Other Frugal Fun Times in August:

Friendship Day, August 1.  Be a Friend, Make a Friend.  Talk with your kids about friendship skills.  Find friendship-themed book at the library or create a puppet show!

National Night Out, August 3.  Neighbors getting to know neighbors, as well as safety-related and family-focused organizations gather to promote drug free, crime-reduced communities.  Many communities and neighborhoods have planned events:  http://nationalnightout.org/nno/

Smores Day, August 10.  Can you say campfire and chocolate!  Experiment with new smores ingredients – and don’t forget the washy-wipes n’ cameras!

National Garage Sale Day, August 14 – Get out there and find great deals – use http://www.garagesalestracker.com/ for Garage Sale Apps, sale listings and lists of consignment/flea markets near you.

Facebook is an excellent source of money saving coupons.  For printable coupon updates and networking, join the Coupons.com Facebook group.  You’ll meet other coupon users, and become more familiar with how Coupons.com’s printable can save you money.  Coupons.com assistance is available through their Facebook group. Invite your Facebook friends to join you, and together you’ll be in-the-know as coupons become available. 

Your favorite retailers and manufacturers likely have a Facebook group – join them for deals and updates!  Follow your favorite places to shop, dine, and visit with Twitter – many “Twitter Exclusives” will save you money.

Want help with your spending and other money habits?  Mint.com is a valuable, free website.  Find the credit card, loan or investment that suits your needs.  Register for their free budgeting tools, including graphs to illustrate where your money goes – and tracks your savings for a particular financial goal.  Join Mint.com’s Facebook group to read consumer and expert information. Smartphone apps are available as well, from Mint.com.

Local Blogs: Your Source for Time and Money Saving Ideas Close to Home:

Find families and writers from your area (or a destination you plan to visit).  You’ll be informed of what’s up, and where to go:

AmericanTowns.com:  Enter the city of your choice, or click on a state.  When you’ve chosen a city, you’ll view local news, tweets, blogs, facts, community groups and more. 

Examiner.com:  Join an online treasure of a website, information on every subject awaits you!.  You’ll meet local bloggers, interest groups, and be connected to those with similar interests.

Other Sources:  Visit the website of your local and/or closest metropolitan area newspaper.  Many newspapers are moving their content online, using bloggers.  If they don’t have one, perhaps you’d like to volunteer!  Radio and television stations have “consumer” sections of their broadcasts, the printed version is often posted online. Network television, such as MSNBC, CNN, and HNN have consumer/financial reporters who blog and post at the network’s website.

Summer is a great time to increase your child’s awareness of money, and the issues related to saving, spending and sharing.

Kids have more time on their hands – and they may equate that with spending more of your money.  Whether or not allowances are in place in your home, or how their usual spending money is earned, summer is a great time to give your children the experience of long and short term money skills.  You can encourage them to save, spend and share – and that money does not “grow on trees”.  You’ll be glad you did!

Involving your children in some money skills now will inspire your entire household to be “financially fit”.  Before working with your kids and their money, you may have to catch up on your own money habits.  Do you have a budget in order?  Have you put on paper or long and short-term money goals?  Visit mint.com or feedthepig.com for money-saving tips, financial fitness advice and interactive tools.

Here are a few ideas:

Show them the Money:

When parents use debit cards, credit cards, and checks, their children often miss subtraction effect on bank accounts and bill statements.   It’s difficult to clearly show the value of money and balances after spending if they never see cash money change hands. 

For younger children, give them coins and dollar bills.  Talk about sharing their money with charity or church, creating a “savings” bank, and a “spending” allowance for themselves.  Utilize “Wishlists” with pictures or their own writing, (information on a reputable charity or Sunday school bank to encourage giving), as you talk about things not in the present moment. 

When you want them to spend their own money, show them the skills of comparison shopping, budgeting, couponing, and the risks of borrowing against next week’s allowance – to begin their schooling in basic money skills.

Older children can be shown more details of budgeting, as you share with them your household budget.  Show them the cost of basic living and how you make decisions for how income is spent.  Work together as a team to save money towards a family goal, whether it be a purchase, vacation, gifts, etc. 

Share with your children how when we say “no” to a present “want”, we can bank that money for a more significant need or pleasurable spending goal.  Challenge yourselves to save a week’s spending on take-out or candy – and enjoy a special evening or day trip together. 

Whatever you’re doing this summer, there are learning opportunities for your children.  Give them more than memories this summer; teach them to be moneywise for life.  Enlist your child’s help in researching the best, most money-wise options when planning travel or a family project.  Children can internet-search, read travel guides, and be creative – they might just save you a mint!

Here are a few websites to help get your kids enthused about money topics:

PBSKids.org: 

http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/money/index.html

ParentFurther.com:

Talks parents through the process of teaching their kids about money:

http://www.parentfurther.com/parenting/money/talking-to-kids

Visa’s “Practical Money Skills For Life” – games, tips, and in-depth information on

http://www.practicalmoneyskills.com/index.php

Visa has created “Financial Soccer”, a game and learning tool of financial literacy – set in the fun and fast-paced sport of soccer.  Kids begin as an “amateur”, and are promoted in soccer player status as they learn.  Lesson plans and links to more money-wise ideas.  Ages 11 and up.

http://www.financialsoccer.com/

Preparing for a garage sale at your home is simple when you follow the golden rule; prepare for the sale you would want to attend.

Friends and Family: Pre-arrange details, divide up the work, and be sure to have the contact information of those not attending the sale, for pricing and merchandise questions.

When?! Some sellers believe that choosing a weekend around the first or the fifteenth of the month is more profitable. Inform neighbors of your sale. Advocate respect of their property from your buyers.

Best Signs, More Profit!: Durable homemade signs work as well as purchased kits.(Larger cardboard boxes or poster board reinforced with sticks or sandwich-board type signs with balloons attached?) Don’t list what you’re selling onto your sign -drivers can’t read the inventory of your sale—just get them there!

Can You Be Found?: Use wide-tipped permanent markers. Write in block letters, with arrows large enough to follow from several feet away. Uniformity in your signs leads buyers to your sale. If there is more than a mile or two between a sign and your sale, a brightly colored arrow steers drivers in the right direction. If your home is off the main road by several miles, writing “5 miles” on your sign may avoid buyers getting lost.

Find your good stuff: Ensure you have the manuals or accessories for items being sold. Presenting your items in good repair & cleanliness will increase selling value. If an item needs repair/replacement accessories, note it on the tag.

Let’s Make A Dollar!: Successful sellers price their item at a certain percentage of current retail, leaving room for some negotiation. Price clearly and fairly! 

Fuel-Up!: Crock-pot(or potluck) meals for lunch or the post-sale dinner meals prevents the temptation of buying convenience meals.

Catch Those Drive Bys!: Placing nicer/popular, more enticing items at the front will attract drive-by sale-rs. Have a kids’ table lower to the ground for toys & children’s items.

Ambiance: Children can be a distraction and a hazard, both for you and for your buyers. If your children are not ok with their items being sold, the whole process can be excruciating for everyone. Clear any hazards buyers might encounter. Label any items that are not for sale. Keep your out-of –sight home/garage doors locked, as people will wander around your yard

Safe Selling: Take precautions for anything you don’t want to have stolen. In between waves of buyers, take some of your money into your house.

Closing Time: Take down your signs. If the signs are re-usable, note on the back of them where they were posted. Set aside items for your “seed box” to sell at your next sale. Thank your neighbors for their help and patience with your buyers. Have your sale accountant total everyone’s sales, subtracting any amounts agreed upon for division of sale expenditures. Enjoy your profits!

Keeping the Kids Busy; the Free n’ Frugal Way:

Children of all ages, and their adults, can find affordable ways to cure the “I’m bored’s”, this summer, without busting their budgets.  Fun activities can be found online which will inspire fond memories and learning.  Internet sites offer fun resources and a starting point to many new adventures.

Learning Can Be Fun:

DoverPublications.com – Sign up for their weekly FREE Sampler, which includes puzzles, art, reading and activities for all ages.  Print out your choice, every week!

 HighlightKids.com – All the fun of the childhood favorite, available to you (for free) online!

Yellowstone Park: (Nps.gov/archive/yell/kidstuff/scavhunt/index.htm)

Kids of all ages can find an online tours, an alphabet book and scavenger hunt through Yellowstone Park.

Windowsintowonderland.org:  Take an e-field trip through Yellowstone.  Includes “Ask an Expert” and spectacular photos featured as you meet animals who call Yellowstone home.  

 Nationalgeographic.com invites you to online “Congo Trek” adventure and other fascinating experiences. 

 Creative Times:

 Familyfun.go.com: Fun stuff for kids and fun family ideas.  This is free online content from Family Fun Magazine, and more.  Includes recipes, coloring pages, puzzles, crafts… all designed to keep your family having fun together all year long.   

 Kaboose.com: Kids crafts, online games, and information for parents. Offers free Kids Crafts & Activities e-newsletter.

 Crayola.com:  Join Crayola’s free Creativity Central community for 1,000+ coloring pages, craft ideas, online games, and an e-card creator.

 Field Trips, Farm Tours, Farmers Markets and More:

 Localharvest.org:  Find family farms, farmers markets and other local food/farm information.

 FieldTripFactory.com:  Lists factory tours and field trips in your area.

 Share your favorite learning places, online….  Where are you finding your learning and creative times?

Coupon use, can save you money – but, it is only one option for living within our means.  If coupons are not for you, network with those who are kindred to your frugal philosophies.  Utilizing meal planning, comparison shopping and kitchen efficiency, as outlined below can be of help to all shoppers.

Frugal Grocery Shopping 101:

This is where the frugal strategy and the networking come in. 

Find the time, a little at a time, to try new spending methods.  Choose one or two strategies, see what they save you and go from there.  Get more, for less, when it’s on sale and you avoid multiple (expensive) trips to the store to buy what you need at full price.

Supermarket Smarts – Before You Go Shopping:

*Familiarize yourself with store promotions, price matching policies, coupon guidelines and the customer service department.  What you know maximizes what you’ll get for your money.

*Prepare a list (and review your menu).  If you already have a menu planned for the week, compare it to what you have in your kitchen (this avoids rushed, 4pm trips to the store!).

*If your menu is decided by what’s on sale, gather the circulars and/or study (free) forums on websites such as hotcouponworld.com, BeCentsable.net and afullcup.com.  These forums cut out a whole lot of time you would spend searching for the best deals yourself. Weekly circulars are matched with available coupons, giving you the inside track on how to save the most money this week. These boards and blogs are maintained by shoppers (with more valuable frugal wisdom). Store promotions, available without the use of coupons, are also listed.  If you’re short on time or want a quick introductory to matching coupons with sales, subscriptions can be purchased from TheGroceryGame.com.  The same “stacking” of sales with coupons information will be sent to you, at a minimal fee per store. 

 Coupons – The Where’s and How’s:

Coupons are printed weekly (except for holiday weekends) in coupon inserts, included in weekend papers.  Internet printed coupons can be found throughout the internet.  Manufacturer and independent coupon websites (boodle.com, coupons.com, wow-coupons.com, etc.) offer coupons you can print at home.  When shopping, look for “blinkie machines”, which offer coupons from store shelves.  “Catalinas”, are coupons which print at checkout, triggered by products you have purchased or by store promotions.  To acquire coupons in bulk, use sites such as thecouponclippers.com or couponsandforms.com which offer to send you coupons in exchange for handling and postage fees.  Products sometimes have coupons attached to them and coupons can be acquired by mail when you join retail or manufacturer mailing lists.

Coupons- How Do You Keep Them?

Coupon organization philosophies vary.  The best advice is to research and compare to find the one that works for you. Coupon files come in all sizes and types, from purse size to baby-seat sitting fileboxes.  The best tip is to keep coupons for items you use frequently with you, so that you can save big on that unexpected sale.

Coupon File Note: If you’re opposed to coupon files (or are short on filing time and space) and you want to “list and go”, there is the option of writing your menu and list on an envelope (recycling!), and placing coupons in that envelope. 

Most coupon users organize their coupons in the grouped categories found in stores.  For best frugal efficiency, designate file space for a particular store within your coupon holder.  Other file options include our favorite file tab; “check out”, where I keep coupons for the items my kids and I spot as we wait in line.

Grocery Coupon Expert Blogs Do the “Deal Stacking” For You: In order to utilize grocery coupon blogs which match sales with coupons, you must acquire an inventory of coupon inserts.  A single file drawer or portable (with a lid) file box work well.  Before you file the coupon insert, clip out coupons which match this week’s sales or coupons for items you buy often.  Insert dates are often hard to read (they’re printed on the spine of the insert), so use a dark marker and print the date on the front cover.  File each week’s inserts, by date, into hanging files (which are labeled by date). 

Each week, as you read the grocery coupon blogs, they will tell you the date and brand of coupon insert for a particular coupon.   Go to the filed inserts for that date, clip the coupons and put them into your travel coupon file (again, designated by store is most efficient).

Some of our Favorite Blogs:

MoneySavingMom.com

SurvivingtheStores.com

AFullCup.com

As weeks go by, periodically weed out inserts from your home coupon file which contain all expired coupons.  This will give you space for more current inserts.  (By the way, put the word out to friends that you’re clipping coupons.  Between your network of friends, churches, social groups and coupon groups, you can acquire all kinds of coupons.)  Subscribe to the weekend paper only, if only for the coupon inserts. 

No-Clip Coupons:  An emerging trend is occurring with retail companies.  In larger markets, your grocery store may have the option of loading coupons onto your frequent shopper card via their website.  Kroger, Proctor and Gamble, Upromise and others are companies offering this paperless option to saving money. Where there is more competition between stores, “Double Coupons” and the accepting of competitor coupons may be available. Rebate programs, store coupons and clearance aisles are other options for “stacking” savings (matching sales with coupons). Get to know the coupon options and money-saving opportunities in your area. 

Coupon use does take some time to implement and become a part of your shopping routine.  Be flexible (an important frugal attitude) and look forward to adding up your savings.  Calculating an hourly wage from the (decreasing) time you’ll spend to save money keeps you going (as does a little friendly competition!). It can be fun, it can be done and it’s awesome to know you’ll never pay full price again!

Share your skills, and your good ideas with others. If you can get products for free, using your money saving strategies (and you’re not going to use them), consider gifting them to charities.  Frugal living is about sharing and caring, enough to find ways to be more efficient with our resources and to pass our enthusiasm for living well onto others.

Frugal Quote for Thought: “The more we do, the more we can do”-William Hazlitt

Frugal Reading Review: “Super Baby Food”, by Ruth Yaron

This encyclopedia treasure of a book does not stop at advice for feeding your baby and toddler.  350 Recipes for delicious and nutritious meals are included, as are dozens of family fun ideas for food decorating and crafts.  “Super Baby Food” tells you what to feed, how to pay less for it – and advocates for healthy options at all stages.  Kitchen and food safety, time-saving tips, and a comprehensive index will keep this book on your shelf for years

Thrifty meals are made with a bit of planning, frugal strategy, creativity and networking. When you invest a bit of your time into preparing for your meals (outside of the kitchen), the outcome is healthy both for your family and your checkbook.

 Let’s begin with planning.  Take a look at your calendar for the week.  Designate evenings that need quick or prepared meals. Which evenings, with a less hurried pace, can you look forward to sharing the preparation and dining with your family? 

For many, the easiest way to narrow the options is to plan with the “Themed” approach.  As your family accumulates favorites, you can mix them in with the themed plans however you wish.  An alternate method is to simply list your family’s favorites and chart them ahead of time throughout the month.   Balancing your favorites with heed to what you have in stock and what’s on sale will save you the most money.

 Frugal Family Food Tip:  Have Fun, Create Potential Meal Themes:
Meatless Mondays (an opportunity to try fish or legume entrees), Stir Fry, Breakfast for Dinner, Slow Cooker Nights (for those busy days), Soup Night, “Planned-Overs” (roast sandwiches or casseroles from the previous night’s main entrée), etc.

 Frugal Family Food Tip: Remember what you buy, is a valuable resource:

Families throw away 20-50% of purchased food.  Take stock of what you have.  Plan items you have near expiration date into your menu planner sooner than later.  As you bring new items in, place them behind older items.  When expiration dates are difficult to read, write them in permanent marker where they can be easily seen. Maintain a running list available to everyone, on the refrigerator, of items you’re about to run out of.

 Frugal Family Tools for Menu Planning:

Menus4Moms.com offers tools for frugal kitchens.  Subscriptions are available, to receive pre-planned menus, or you can peruse the cornucopia of great, free ideas.  This weekly planner combines your schedule (To Do’s) with meal planning:

http://www.menus4moms.com/pdf/weeklyplanner_rev.PDF

 OrganizedHome.com offers blank Weekly or Monthly Menu Planners (and lots of other FREE home organizing advice):

http://organizedhome.com/printable/houseworks-planner/monthly-menus

Frugal Living  Note:   It is true that not everything that you need (or is good for you) can be bought with coupons.  Often times, buying the store brand and buying unprocessed foods are the better options.  Every family has their preferred diet, and we would be remiss not to encourage families to choose the healthiest options for themselves.  Coupon use, can save you money – but, it is only one option for living within our means. 

Our next post will focus on Frugal Meal Shopping.

You see the signs and if you know the game, you follow them. This is a sport like any other. It requires speed, knowledge, determination and – cash??  Termed “Garage Sale-ing”, as it is known to seasoned competitors, it adequately defines this game of buying and selling. Like any other sport, those who are successful veterans arrive prepared each week and usually walk away as winners. You can see them around 2pm on Saturday, a little spring in their step and grinning as they head home with their scores of great deals. How do they do it week after week – and just what are the rules of this (usually) non-contact sport? Let’s take a look at what the great sale-rs know.

One: Fuel Up: You’ve heard that “Early to bed, early to rise…” saying.  With garage sale-ing, it’s a must. The night before is crucial for vehicle and physical preparation. Making sure that all of your gauges are on “F” for full will ensure you an edge on beating out the competition at the first sales. For proper pre-game fueling, fill the car, set out breakfast, pack snacks, a lunch if desired and get to bed early.

Two: Cash For Speed n Deals: This means carry cash and coin. Exact change speeds up the payment process and enables you to better present your final offer. How can you offer only $5 for a $7 item when you’ve just flashed them a ten or twenty? Cash is good; checks are time consuming and increasingly unaccepted.

Three: Mind Your Manners: Garage sale-ing is as much of a social affair as it is a sport. Remember those out there are often people you will see again, long past the possible score of a great deal. Good manners and sportsmanship go along way toward netting you not only new treasures, but new friends as well. Be respectful of others’ belongings. Listen politely to them about their prized possessions (and how much they can’t bear to part with them…”. Make an offer that is reasonable, leaving room for their inevitable rebuttal. If you are a prepared, cash-carrying competitor, you’ll win the deals. Fighting over plates or digging through someone else’s stash of finds won’t earn you any points with your fellow sale-rs (neighbors).

Four: Love Thy Neighbors: Those would include the neighbors of those who are holding the sale. Be patient and courteous with long, narrow driveways. Be mindful of whose lawn you may be parking on. Respect the property of others! Even if it means walking the extra steps up the driveway, instead of across the driveway, do go the extra mile. Neighbors also include our honorable mail carriers. Please do not park in front of mailboxes. After the sale is over, whomever you are buying from will appreciate a peaceful rest from their undisturbed neighbors.

Five: Map Your Course: I have to hand it to my Dad here. He’s a seasoned sale-r (sailor) through both the high seas and the garage sale-ing game. Dad knows how to map a route and he’s got his map book in the car. (Great maps can be found in your local phone directories or by contacting your chamber of commerce). Dad numbers the sales by time and location (or sometimes by items listed in the ad he’s particularly interested in). Charting a course before you set off saves you time and prepares you mentally for the game ahead. When you know where you’re going, you can get there faster.

 Six: Networking, Networking, Networking: Though this “hobby” may be seen as a sport to some, it really is about people helping people. With this in mind, exchange information with those you see regularly out on the trail. Get to know the folks and let them know what you are looking for. While you are seeking the deals, seek information about what the other sales are like today or about an unknown address. Networking pays here- you may even find your next job, home or best friend while garage sale-ing.

Seven: Know your goals, Seek your Goals (or “Look Quick, Grab Fast!)”:. There are sale-rs out there who are very quick on the draw! Some write lists, some take orders and others are seeking specific things (bookworms, antique collectors, handymen, ebay-ers, ect). Do your homework. When you see something you like, grab it fast! Items move very fast and so should you! By knowing what you’re looking for, you know whether a sale is for you – or whether you should cruise on down to the next one.

Garage sale-ing, whether for sport or for keeping the cost of living within a reasonable budget, is great fun—and adventure. Once you’ve been out there, seeking the treasures and finding great deals, it can become addictive. Garage sale-ing fits in well with the rising popularity of living simple and recycling. Many local organizations also, hold great sales, as fundraising events.

My hometown is home to the best garage sales seen in our region—and your community may be as well. Our neighbors hold the best sales—and the best stuff.  The sale-ing folks believe that perhaps nothing new comes onto our island, we just move it from house to house, from year to year. This can be illustrated by the reappearance of my own highchair, coming back into my family just in time for my son’s use – 15 years after my parents sold it at their garage sale. There are many other stories like ours. Many happy reunions of old things once owned, super deals made and neighbors met when someone else’s discards become someone else’s treasure.

Tips and Links for Buying Second-Hand:

Be advised of Product Recalls and research products you may be looking to buy used: http://www.recalls.gov/ (six federal agencies)

Consumer Product Safety Commission:

http://www.cpsc.gov/

To Find a List of Thrift and Second Hand Stores Near You (and tons of other frugal shopping blogs, links and information) http://www.thethriftshopper.com/

Garage Sale Listings around the country and Garage-Saler Tips:

http://www.garagesaleshopper.com/

http://gsalr.com/

Estate Sales (Tag Sales, Auctions and Estate Sales around the Country.  Companies who conduct Estate Sales as well-has a “notify me of local sales” option):

http://www.estatesales.net/

Emergencies can occur at any moment.  Our best chance for survival and protection of further damage is to be prepared – in writing.  You can not only protect your family by being prepared, but you are able to make a difference in the lives of others when you’re not in chaos over your own circumstances. 

Ready.gov:

http://www.ready.gov/america/index.html

Ready.gov is the best and most user-friendly emergency preparedness resource.  This website will lead you through the process of putting your plan in writing.  Ready.gov advocates that we “Get a Kit, Make a Plan, Be Informed”.  Here are some of the resources you can download, complete and refer to.  You can complete them online or print them and fill them out by hand:

Family Emergency Plan:  Communicate now how your family will reach each other and where you will go in the event of an emergency.  Make copies once you’ve completed them (for your emergency kit, automobile, work, and vital contact people):

http://www.ready.gov/america/_downloads/familyemergencyplan.pdf

Family Communication Plan:  This form identifies and establishes communication plans should an emergency occur while the family is separated:

http://www.ready.gov/america/_downloads/family_communications_plan.pdf

Adult Folding Wallet Card:  An emergency plan, to carry with you in your wallet.

http://www.ready.gov/america/_downloads/fep_download/FamEmePlan_Adult.pdf

“QuickShare” Your Emergency Contact Information, The Email Text Option:  Complete this form online.  Your information will be transferred into a text format which you then email to those who need this information.  Ready.gov suggests that families complete the Family Emergency Plan to be best prepared; the Email Text option is not as comprehensive. 

http://ready.adcouncil.org/beprepared/quickshare.html

“Readiness U”: Communicating With and Including Children in the Emergency Preparedness Process: Children, with their caregivers, can find emergency preparedness information at this website.  Features are written in an easy to understand language, with the help of Sesame Street Characters and other kid-friendly activities.

http://www.ready.gov/kids/home.html

Sesame Workshop has an entire “Let’s Get Ready” website devoted to explaining emergency preparedness to young children.  Printable activities, video segments, and more can be found here:

http://www.sesamestreet.org/ready

Coffee and Tea – If you’ve got to have your coffee, and you want to support your local baristas, map your course.  Chart who’s doubling stamps when, and where the “happy hours” are.  On your Smartphone or in your glove box notebook, have a list of deals of the day and you’re on your way to having your coffee and saving money too.  Organization Tip:  Utilize a small index card box to keep all of your punch cards and coupons at the ready, not lost along the way.

Dining, Spas, Favorite Community Attractions and More – Groupon.com is the place for “Collective Buying Power”, in many cities across the country.  Register and you’ll receive the Groupon Deal of the Day for your city.  Alerts, Facebook group, Gift Certificates and more are also available.

Fashion, Home Décor and More – Join WorkitMom.com and you’ll know where the best deals are for all of those extras.  Check out their “Affordable Luxuries” blog to read what others are finding — and share your own “good deal alerts”.  Quick recipes, checklists, and home-living tips are also found here.

Share Your Talents for a Treat – Within your circle of friends, there’s someone who bakes homemade bread, sews, paints beautiful nails or loves to bake fancy desserts.  Offer to exchange their work for something they would enjoy.  Not only will this serve as an affordable indulgence, you’ll hone your talents as well.

 What Have You Heard? -  Keep your eyes and ears open to upcoming sales in your neighborhood.  Build a network of deal-seeking friends, whether it is on Facebook or via email.  The best deals are often unadvertised – and the early shopper gets the best, for less!