budget

The Money Saving Mom’s Budget Book Review & Giveaway

by holly on January 12, 2012

Meet Crystal Paine — financial blogger, mom of 3, loving wife, woman of faith and though she prefers to been seen as “real”, Wonder Woman. She’s the most inspirational woman I “know” in almost every aspect of life. She’s also the author of a brand new book, The Money Saving Mom’s Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year. You probably already know Crystal from her website www.moneysavingmom.com which reaches over 4 million people per month. She’s changing people’s lives in positive ways all over the country and beyond. People can relate to her because she is real and she can take any financial situation and show you realistic ways to chip away at your problems by setting incremental goals, implementing a budget and more. Rather than cold, boring stats, you’ll feel like Crystal takes your hand and encourages you every step of the way.

Let 2012 be the year that you get your life and finances in order, set goals, and prepare for a successful future. No matter your current situation, The Money Saving Mom’s Budget will not only set you on the right track but give you the powerful tools and skills you’ll need to succeed — for a lifetime! It might seem like you’ve got the tallest mountain to scale but author, Crystal Paine, is able to break it down into manageable pieces with well thought out and effective strategies. The book The Money Saving Mom’s Budget is chock full of useful information, tips, and strategies that were designed for families of all sizes and income levels. This highly motivational book even includes worksheets to get you started. The book will help you:

Achieve a complete financial makeover
Set up a realistic budget
Never pay retail
Slash your grocery bill
Organize your time & your home
Use coupons wisely
Pay with cash only
Live simply
Become debt free
Choose contentment
Make every dollar count

There’s a lot more to this book than just creating a budget and learning to save money. Crystal has a special way of inspiring people to be the best they can be. She’ll teach you how to simplify your life so you’ll be less stressed and more available to your family. She knows the value of importance of family and factors it in the picture. Buy the book and learn this new way of life. It’ll be the best money you’ve ever spent. The Money Saving Mom’s Budget by Crystal Paine retails for $14 but is currently $8.40 on Amazon. Best of all, Crystal is donating the entire proceeds from her book to Compassion International. Add selfless to Crystal’s endless list of positive traits.

Feeling lucky? Crystal is providing copies of her new book to 5 lucky Mommies with Cents readers.Enter the giveaway by filling out the form below. Also, be sure to check out all of our other giveaways. NOTE: if you are having trouble with the mandatory entry on the form below, click “I did this” first. Then the form will pop up to enter your info. If you don’t leave your address, I won’t have a way to get your prize to you. If you need more guidance, you can watch this video on how to enter Rafflecopter giveaways.

This giveaway is open until January 19, 2011 at 12:01 am CST to U.S residents.

Please leave your name, address, email and answers to the questions (if any) in the form below. This is required for initial entry. Extra entries are optional. For more information on how to enter our giveaways, please see our contest guidelines page. There you’ll find options for extra entries, rules, etc.

Your information is confidential and used for contacting the winner and prize fulfillment purposes only.

A complimentary product/service was provided for this review, however, all opinions expressed are my own. I was not compensated in any other way. See Mommies With Cents disclosure policy for more details.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Time to Start Saving For Next Year’s Christmas!

by holly on December 26, 2011

Phew, we made it through another Christmas! My house looks as if it’s been hit by a toy tornado, but we survived! Organizing the toys will be one of my top priorities in the New Year before we drown in Legos, princesses and Star Wars memorabilia. Holidays can be really stressful but there are ways to relieve some of that stress if you prepare in advance. Financial stress is one of the things I don’t worry about when it comes to the holidays because I find creative ways to save for gifts throughout the year and you can too! Here are a few of the methods I personally use with success:

DISNEY MOVIE REWARDS — earn freebies by entering codes from Disney Movies and more. Even if you don’t purchase movies, this program is worth signing up for because there are plenty of ways to earn free points codes. I post them here on Mommies with Cents so be sure to follow me! Just this year I earned enough points to cash in for $20 gift card to The Disney Store (I bought 2 pairs of pajamas, got free shipping and still had a couple of bucks left over!), and a Disney Princess beach towel. I still have quite a few points left that I didn’t spend and will just save for next time.
HUGGIES REWARD POINTS — again, even if you don’t purchase diapers or wipes, this program is worth signing up for even just for the free points which I’ll post here on the blog when availalbe. You can cash them in for toys, gift cards and more!
INBOX DOLLARS — Easily earn $30 or more in a few weeks just by clicking through emails. Check out this post for a more in depth explanation of how Inbox Dollars works.
SWAGBUCKS- use Swagbucks in place of Google or other search engine to earn points good towards prizes, cash via paypal or gift cards. It’s super easy to use, especially if you download the tool bar. There are additional ways to earn Swag Bucks if you’d like to earn them at a faster pace.
EBATES-Using Ebates for year round purchases is also a good way to build up a little holiday shopping fund. They pay out 4 times per year and you can set aside the cash back that you earned as a holiday fund. With thousands of merchants, you should be using Ebates for all of your online shopping- it’s like free money!
EXTRABUX — Sign up for Extrabux and receive $5 just for joining. They offer up to 30% cash back on purchases from over 2,000 online retailers. Refer friends and receive a bonus of $5 for every friend that joins PLUS 5% of their cash back purchases! This is a great way to put a few extra bucks in your pocket while helping friends and family save money too!
PAID SURVEYS- a few of my favorites are MyPoints, Inbox Dollars and Pinecone Research. You’ll find a wide selection of opportunities in our paid survey category.
USE COUPONS- I like to think of using coupons as saving cash to use towards something else. Check out our extensive list of coupon resources.
CASH BACK- Check out this post on how to get the most cash back on all of your online purchases
SHOP YEAR ROUND — Make it a habit to check out the clearance section of stores when you are out shopping for other things. The trick to this is having a place to store the gifts and remembering what you bought, and for who! Make a spreadsheet if you need to!
SHOP YEAR ROUND AT DAILY DEAL SITES — You can score some really sweet deals at sites like Juice in the City, Plum District, Totsy, Eversave, Zulily and Mamapedia, especially if you think ahead. While some deals may not normally catch your eye as something you need or want, if you are thinking ahead for gift purchases you can potentially save a bundle! I got several gifts this way this year. If you are purchasing a voucher to gift directly to the recipient, be careful of the expiration dates — Just make sure to check the fine print. Many of the deals you can use the voucher to purchase a gift and then just save it until you need it. Most of these places also offer a sign up bonus to save $5-$10 off your first purchase

How do you earn extra cash for the holidays throughout the year? We’d love to hear creative ways to earn a little extra income that can be put towards holiday gifts. Share with us by leaving a comment!!

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Subway: $2 Sandwiches All Month Long

by holly on December 3, 2011

You’re bound to get hungry while you are out doing your holiday errands. Don’t bust your budget with an overpriced meal. Subway is offering 6″ subs for only $2 for the entire month of December! Choose from Cold Cut Trio or Meatball Marinara.

Only 23 days until Christmas! Click HERE for more Countdown to Christmas Deals.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Rebate Roundup!

by holly on November 23, 2011

There are lots of ways to save money but rebates are one way that often gets over looked. Rebates do take a little but more work but the pay off is almost always worth it. Here is a list of current rebates put together by Simple Saving Savvy. Check it out and see if there is anything you can use!

Woolite $5.99 Rebate - End date 1/15/2012

Receive up to $5.99 rebate, when you purchase Woolite Oxy Deep Carpet Stain & Odor Remover.

Bounce $5 Rebate - End date 12/31/12

Receive a $5 rebate check by mail when you purchase Bounce Outdoor Fresh 6 Month Dryer Bar.

Crock-Pot $5 Rebate - End date 11/30/2011

Receive a $5 rebate check by mail when you purchase any Crock-Pot Slow Cooker with a retail purchase price of $24.50 or greater.

$5 Starbucks Gift Card Offer – End date 12/1/11

Get a free $5 Starbucks gift card when you purchase 3 packages of Starbucks Coffee or Starbucks VIA Ready Brew in a single transaction. Excludes Starbucks VIA® Ready Brew 3-pack and Starbucks® K-Cup® portion packs. Offer valid on:

10, 11, 12 and 20 oz ground or whole bean Starbucks® coffee

6, 7, or 8 ct Starbucks VIA® Ready Brew

Or a combination of three (3) qualifying products

Offer not valid in Starbucks stores. Fill out the form to get your rebate on Starbucks.com

Butterball $5 Coupon Offer – End date 12/31/11

Purchase a Butterball Frozen or Fresh Whole Turkey between 11/13/11 – 12/31/11 and receive five (5) $1 coupons good on any Butterball product.

Totino’s Redbox DVD Rental Offer – End date 6/1/2012

Receive a free Redbox DVD movie rental when you purchase four-specially marked packages of Totino’s Party Pizzas.

To redeem the Code(s) for your free rental, visit the Web site during the Offer Period and follow the links and instructions to complete and submit the registration form, including a valid home address. After you complete the registration you can enter your Codes. You may enter up to twelve (12) Codes during the Offer Period. For each set of four (4) Codes entered you will receive a free 1-day redbox DVD rental code. Free 1-day redbox DVD rental codes can be redeemed at any redbox kiosk.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Great Clips: Unlimited $9.99 Haircuts With Pre-Paid Punch Card

by holly on November 20, 2011

Rita from ChiTownCheapsake passed on some great info on discount haircuts that I wanted to share with you. We cut my son’s hair at home to save money but sometimes I’d rather just take him in and have it done quick and right! Through 12/9 you can purchase a pre-paid card from Great Clips. Each pre-paid cut will cost $9.99 and you can purchase as many or as few as you’d like! According to Rita, from time to time you can find a coupon for a $6.99 – $7.99 hair-cut at Great Clips but if that happens, just use the coupon and save your punch card for another time.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Keep Track of Your Receipts With The Lemon App

by holly on November 16, 2011

I’m horrible about keeping receipts and records. I always have good intentions but I don’t follow through. Lemon is an app that gives you the tools to collect all your receipts in one place. Email your receipts to your own @lemon.com account or snap a photo of your paper receipts with your smartphone and the lemon mobile app. This is perfect for tracking all of your holiday shopping! You can create an account here. I just did!

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Rebate Roundup

by holly on November 5, 2011

Family Dollar $10 Gift Card – End date 11/30/2011

Spend $20 or more at Family Dollar on the purchase of Gumout®, Fix-a-Flat®, and Blue Coral® products and get a $10 Family Dollar gift card. Purchases must be made between 9/26/11 and 11/30/11.

Form and receipt need to be postmarked by 12/14/12

Thanks, Who Said Nothing in Life Is Free!

Disney Pixar Cars 2 & Kimberly-Clark $10 Rebate – End date 1/31/212

Receive $10 back by mail when you purchase Disney Pixar’s Cars 2 on DVD or Blu-Ray AND $20 worth of Kimberly-Clark products in one or more transactions. You must make your required purchases between 10/30/2011 and 1/31/2012. UPCs from all products are required, however, they will accept photocopies of receipts. You can see a list of Kimberly-Clark items on the official mail in rebate form here.

Form, receipt(s) and UPCs must be postmarked by 2/29/2012

Disney Pixar’s Cars 2 & Johnson & Johnson $10 Rebate – End date 12/31/2011

Receive $10 back by mail when you purchase Disney Pixar’s Cars 2 Blu-ray or DVD Combo pack PLUS $10 worth of Band-Aid, Neosporin Lip Health, Neosporin, Johnson and Johnson Red Cross brand or Cortaid products. Your required purchases for this offer must be made between 10/15/2011 and 12/31/2011. This rebate allows photocopies of the receipt and multiple transactions.

Form, receipt(s) and UPCs must be postmarked by 1/31/12

Hostess & The Transformers $4 Rebate – End date 11/19/2011

Receive a $4 rebate, when you purchase The Transformers: Dark of the Moon DVD or Blu-ray and any (2) packages of Hostess products.

Form, receipt(s) and UPCs must be postmarked by 11/26/2011.

Scooby-Doo & Tyson $3 Rebate – End date 12/30/2011

Receive a $3 rebate, when you purchase Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phanosaur on Blu-Ray or DVD and Tyson Chicken Tenders.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Food On The Table: Plan Meals Based On Local Grocery Store Sales

by holly on November 2, 2011

Food on the Table is an easy meal planning service that is based on sales at local grocery stores. With Food on the Table, you’ll be able to:

find thousands of easy, healthy recipes
save money by knowing the items that are on sale
simplify your shopping experience with a well organized grocery list

To find out more, click on the image above

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Save Money This Holiday Season By Setting up Price Alerts

by holly on October 21, 2011

Are you someone that shops online and is always digging through your emails to find shopping receipts to make returns or shipment confirmations to see when packages will arrive? Do you ever make purchases and think maybe I should have waited until this item went on sale? If so, ShopSanity has come out with a great new tool that will make shopping easier – and guess what… it’s FREE and the sign up could not be easier (just 2 clicks)! Sign up for ShopSanity.com now to:

See all of your purchases in one location so you can:
See when a package will arrive
Lookup details about any purchase
Print a receipt for a return
Save money by receiving alerts such as price changes (notifies you when purchases you have made go on sale so you can contact the retailer about getting cash back), shipment changes (including backorders and delays)
And much more! Get started now!

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

Save Money By Sharing a Car

by holly on September 24, 2011

Now, some of you may have read that title and thought that I had totally lost my mind, but I am very serious. For the entire 4 years that we lived in California, my husband, Kyle, and I shared one vehicle. When we first moved to California from Virginia, we sold our second and third vehicles to make the move easier. We planned on buying something new once we moved, since our remaining car was paid off. The problem occurred when our Kia just about blew up on us and it was going to cost more to fix it than it was worth. We made the decision to trade it in and purchase a van since I was pregnant with our second child at the time and we needed the extra room. We planned on paying the van off asap and then buying a second used car. None of this worked out like we planned, as usual, and we ended up sticking with just our van for 4 years. It was hard in the beginning, but we began to figure out ways to make it work. I stayed home a lot, but the amount of money that we saved on gas, insurance, taxes, registration and more was well worth it. I also find that when you have a car, you go out more and you find more things to spend your money on:)

So, if you are looking to make some cut backs and really save, see if your household might be able to make it on just one vehicle, or even downsize from 3 to only 2. If you plan carefully and make some sacrifices, you can save some serious money!

Kerri is a pastor’s wife, stay at home mom to two little girls and the author of Adventures Of A Housewife. She loves cooking, decorating, entertaining, saving money and all the other adventures of a housewife!

{ Comments on this entry are closed }

LearnVest: Free Financial How Tos

September 19, 2011

LearnVest Daily is packed with money-saving tips and financial how-tos to enrich your life. It’s FREE! What’s Inside: The best places to travel on a dime. Tips to help you build your wealth Plan the perfect dinner party for under $10 per person. Understand and manage debt. Get beauty tricks for any budget!

budget

Categories

Grab My Button