Another Coffee Tip

A few months ago I mentioned a great coffee tip where you put Splenda or Stevia on your grounds to cut the acidity.

Today I have another tip brought to you by my father in law.  I've always noticed that his coffee tastes smooth and wondered his secret.  He is not a coffee snob, can't stand flavored coffee, and buys only basic Folgers or Maxwell House coffee so I knew it wasn't some fancy brand that gave it this taste.

Turns out, he uses one or two shakes from the salt shaker on his grounds.  The salt cuts the acidity and you would never know it is on your grounds.  For those who do not like sweet coffee, this is a great way to make your coffee less acidic without making it sweet.

New Approach to Goals for 2012

I've talked several times in the past how I'm not a fan of New Year's resolutions but I'm a huge fan of goals.  This year I've decided to change up how I'm going to reach some of those goals.

In the past, I've set a few long term goals for the year and then tried to work on them all at the same time.  This year, I've been inspired by Money Saving Mom's 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life series.  In this series she encouraged everyone to work on changing one or two things at a time, not reinvent the wheel on life.

So, for 2012, I'm going to work on just one or two areas at a time.  My first focus is going to be my health.  Due to sitting on the couch most of December while I was healing from foot surgery and then eating way too much during the holidays, I'm feeling a little large right now.

I've mentioned in the past how I changed our eating habits this year to a more whole foods diet.  If you would look in my cabinets right now you would wonder if this was really true.  I could barely walk through a grocery store in December so a lot of junk food and quick, easy meals entered my house again.  I'm ok with that for a season, but it is time to clean up again.  This week I'm going to work on restocking my house with good foods.

I'm also going to work this week on a two week meal plan.  Next week, my focus will be on restocking my freezer with several quick and easy breakfast and snack options.  I made several of these items before surgery but they ran out very quickly.

While I would like to get back to the gym to work on the exercise part, I'm still very limited on what I can do.  However, my focus for that area this week is to get my hand held weights out and do some upper body work at home.  I figure a little bit is better than not doing anything at all. 

I have plenty of other goals for this year, such as decluttering my house (I'm pretty sure I tell you guys this every year!), revamping my garden, and spending more quality time with my kids but I feel my whole family needs to get back on track with our health before I can begin working on other areas.

Feel free to post your goals in the comments section.  I know I always stick with them better if I make them public.  Nothing like exposing yourself to whole world to keep you on track!

Coffee Tip

I've shared before that adding a sprinkle of Splenda to your coffee grounds cuts back on the acidity.  I've been experimenting lately and discovered the perfect fall cup of coffee has a sprinkle of Stevia in the Raw, cinnamon, and nutmeg.   

Sprinkle these items on the grounds before brewing and you will have a wonderful cup of coffee seasoned to your taste.

Vacation Tips & Giveaway: Meal Planning

One thing I did not think about before going on vacation was what we would eat once we got home.   I worked hard the week before we left to clean out the food in the fridge.  When we arrived home I realized I needed to go to the grocery store if we were to eat more than frozen meals.  I was too exhausted to come up with a meal plan though.  

I've vowed that on our next vacation I will have a meal plan in place before we leave on vacation.  I will do my best to have a grocery list to go with it too so I can ease back into life after vacation instead of being thrown back into it.

One thing that did help me get back on track after vacation was that Kroger started their annual Cart Buster event just days after I got home.  This allowed me stock up on great name brand products at a reduced price. 

The Cart Buster event continues through August 17 so you still have a few days to get in on the savings.  Be sure to visit the Cart Buster website every day between now and August 16 to download the "Deal of the Day" exclusive offers.

Kroger and MyBlogSpark kindly provided me a gift card to share this annual event with you and they also provided a gift card for me to give to one of my readers.

To enter the giveaway for a $25 Kroger gift card, share one of your favorite vacation tips.  It can be geared towards planning, places to go, how to survive with children, basically whatever you want to share.

For extra entries, subscribe to Living Life With Less via RSS or email.

Mention this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter.

This contest will be open until 9 pm CST on Monday, August 15.  Winner will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

Disclosure: The Kroger gift card, information, and giveaway have been provided by Kroger and General Mills through MyBlogSpark

Vacation Tips: Cruise Excursions

Our recent vacation was a cruise.  I've been on several but we met many people on the ship who were cruising for the first time.  Most of them assumed you had to do an excursion through the cruise line.  In some instances I think this is fine but for the majority of excursions I suggest waiting until you get off the ship and seeing what is available.  

For instance, we knew we wanted to go to the beach at one port.  We asked the taxi drivers the price and then found someone to give us a tour of the island plus drop us off and pick us up for the same price the other drivers were giving us just for the beach.  Another family joined us so the driver was still making a good profit.


In another country we knew we wanted to go cavetubing and researched several companies online before setting sail.  Once there, we found some of the reputable companies and worked a deal.  The price we paid for two tickets was equal to what the cruise was selling one ticket for.  Also, while on the river the guide showed us where the cruises get out of the water, but we continued a bit further down the water and saw some beautiful scenery we would not have seen otherwise.

If you are going on a cruise or to a resort, I suggest checking it out online first and seeing what others recommend.  This way you will know if you should buy an excursion or seek out something on your own.

Vacation Tips: Plan Ahead

I just got back from a wonderful, kid free, vacation.  It was much needed as now I feel refreshed and ready to face life again.  My kids had a blast too as they got to spend a week with my inlaws at their farm. 

I didn't have computer access while I was away (side note - it was wonderful to have a technology break for awhile) but I kept thinking of little tips that would be helpful towards saving money that I wanted to share with my readers.  I'm going to share some over the next week or so and today I'm going to start with pre-vacation planning.

I don't know about you, but I'm always stressed with last minute to do's right before vacation.  This time I started planning months ahead and it really helped.

We began by looking at how many days we would be gone and seeing if we had enough clothes to see us through.  I realized I needed 1-2 more pairs of shorts and a wrap or cardigan so I set out to check out the deals.  By not waiting until the last minute I was able to find rock bottom deals.

Once we had clothes under control, we moved on to the little things.  A month before we left, we stocked up on any toiletries we were low on and refilled all medications that would be running low by vacation time.  I'm bad about thinking of these things the week before vacation and then not having time to get to the store to get the needed items.

Finally, I dislike coming home to a messy house so we started cleaning it up a few week's before we left.  It helped knowing that my kids and inlaws would be staying at my house for a day or so while we were gone.  Nothing like the pressure of someone else living in your house while you are gone.  By picking up the piles of junk ahead of time all I really needed to do before leaving was some quick maintenance cleaning.

Your list probably contains more than this but these are a few things to start thinking about.  Before you leave on vacation, I suggest making a list of everything you might need to do and then breaking it down so that you can leave on vacation relaxed and ready instead of thinking of everything you didn't get done.

Extreme Couponing Thoughts

The internet is all a buzz with thoughts and reactions to the new TLC show Extreme Couponing that debuted last night.  I finally had a chance this morning to watch last night's two episodes and I felt the need to share my two cents.

First, I think the next show TLC should come up with is Extreme Couponing: Hoarders Edition. It irked me to no end that these people had entire grocery stores sitting in their house and they continued to buy.  One lady kept bugging her husband to put more mustard in the cart because she could get it for 39 cents each. He then commented that they don't even eat mustard and she said she tends to forget things like that when couponing.  

I would have been ok with them wiping the shelf clean if they showed her donating the mustard to charity.  Instead, I'm sure she added it to her stockpile. She was going for the thrill of the hunt instead of the practicality of buying something like 60 bottles of mustard.

Second, people said they dedicated their entire day to couponing so they could save money for their family.  Yes, you can save money but if you do not need the massive amounts you are buying, are you really saving money?  You can put your time and talents towards other things to help save money too.

I'm not knocking couponing at all.  I am a couponer and love a good sale, I'm just stating that you need to be realistic with the amount of time you spend on it and how much you buy.  If you find an amazing sale and you know you will not use it all then I suggest donating it to charity.  In fact, I keep an area in my pantry that is just for charity and everything in that area was bought for probably a quarter or less.

I will continue to watch the show as I think it is interesting but I want everyone to know, this is not reality.  Most of us couponers are not this obsessed and you can save money for your family without spending your entire week trying to do it.

Jewelry Tip

I rarely wear jewelry but sometimes I like to have a trendy piece or two for those rare occasions when I get out of the house without kids.  In my search for affordable pieces, I've discovered the Juniors section at most department stores usually has better prices.  

When I'm buying trendy, I'm not looking for the highest quality because I know the trend probably won't last that long, therefore I can get away with a cheaper purchase.  The Juniors section tends to fit this description perfectly.  I came across this by accident but now it is the first place I look when I want new jewelry.

Frugal Fatigue and Seasons of Life

Several blogs I follow have been talking about frugal fatigue this week.  It can get exhausting and old to constantly be frugal.  I believe there are seasons of life where you need to be more frugal.  Some seasons may only be a few weeks where others can last years.

We just came out of a three year season where we had to be frugal.  I am frugal by nature but I had to take it to a whole new level for those three years just so we could survive without debt.  I learned all kinds of new things such as how to make my own laundry detergent, a variety of homemade gifts, pancake mix and much more.  I love how much I learned and still use most of it today.

However, I'm in a new season of life where my husband sometimes works as many as 60 hours a week.  I am very thankful for those hours but with raising a special needs child and a very active toddler, I don't have as much time as I did before to make everything from scratch or hunt down every great deal.  

When you get exhausted from trying to keep up with being frugal, take inventory and see why you are doing it.  Is it because you have financial goals? Do you simply enjoy being frugal?  Do you feel you have to keep up with everyone else?  

As I said, I am frugal by nature, so I will never stop being frugal or looking for new ways to be frugal.  I have, however, started giving myself some slack and sometimes I skip a week of couponing or allow us to eat out dinner so I can get a break.

What season of life are you in and how do you combat frugal fatigue? 

Lessons I Learned When The Washing Machine Broke

The week before Christmas the agitator on my washing machine quit working.  I called my usual washing machine repairman and he was booked for that week and then closed until after the new year.  No way could I wait that long to do laundry so I turned to Facebook to ask for a reputable repairman.  A friend had the same problem recently and she knew how to fix it.  Here are a few lessons I learned from that experience:

1. Google it.  For some reason it never occurred to me to try to fix it myself.  I do a lot of DIY projects but this seemed out of my league.  Turns out there are a lot of tutorials for this problem and the part to fix it was less than $10.  

2. Your washing machine is not as clean as you think it is.  I was appalled at how gross our machine was once I had the agitator out of it.  Every part I took out got a good cleaning and then I cleaned out all of the nooks and crannies I could get to on the machine.  

3. Do not overload your washing machine.  The guy at the appliance parts store said the main reason the agitator stops working is the machine has been overloaded.  He said there should be about an inch of water above your clothes when the tub is full.

3. Laundry piles up quickly when your machine is broken.  I usually do a load a day and it was four days before the machine was fixed.  A load a day doesn't seem too bad but four loads at once made me feel like all I did that day was laundry.

What projects have you tackled that were much easier than you thought they would be?

Six Tips Towards Living With Less

Our pastor does a series every year on finances and last week was the first in the series for this year.  He gave six problems that America has with money.  They are all common sense to me but are things that people are just beginning to learn thanks to the economy.  Here are his six points and a few comments for each.

1. Too much eating out.  There is nothing wrong with eating out as long as it is in moderation and a part of your budget.  He said that on average, drinking only water when eating out will make about every fifth meal free - good food for thought.

2. Too many college loans.  We are huge Dave Ramsey fans and I know he tells people to work their way through college so you do not wind up with loans.  People are constantly amazed that we paid cash for my husband's college even though we did not have full time income.  We worked every odd job we could so we could pay for his school debt free.

3. Too many clothes.  The mood hit this week for me to clean my closet and my husband quickly joined in.  Between the two of us, we cleared out 3 boxes and 6 bags of clothes and we still had plenty of clothes left in our closets.  Neither of us buy expensive clothes but we quickly realized we owned a ton more than we needed.

4. Too much house.  Kids do not realize that their parents did not start out in the house they currently live in.  You have to start small and work your way up.  People are buying too much house in order to have the lifestyle they grew up in.  Let your kids know what your first house was like.  Including taxes and insurance your house should be about 25% of take home pay.

5. Too much car.  The average car payment is $378 a month.  Save this much (and more) each month in a car fund so you can pay cash for a decent used car the next time around.

6. Too much credit card.  Our pastor found a fact that said you will spend 30% more when buying with credit instead of cash.

The key point of his sermon was that we need to be in control of our finances so that we can give back to others.  I'm glad he stated this as this was one of the first things we did when we finally came back to full time income.  We love to give and found it hard when we could barely pay our bills.  We've committed to still living on less so that we can help others in need.

Save on Prescriptions at Dillons

Dillons currently has a fantastic promotion going on in their pharmacy.  When you fill a prescription between now and the end of the year, you will automatically be enrolled in their pharmacy rewards plan if you use your Dillons card.  With this initial prescription you will receive $50 on your Dillons card!

When our youngest got out of the hospital we had a prescription to fill and I happened to remember this program so I headed to Dillons.  I then bought a few groceries to get us through the next few days and by the time I went to pay, the money had already hit our card (they tell you it takes 24 hours).  I bought those groceries and some the next week for free!

The next reward comes when you have 4 more prescriptions filled.  Refills count towards this reward, not just new prescriptions.  I cannot seem to find details on this but my pharmacy said with 4 fills you receive $100 and with 4 more fills you receive another $100.

If you need any prescriptions filled between now and Dec. 31, head over to Dillons and remember to bring your rewards card.

Amazon Mom

I'm constantly amazed at how many people still haven't heard about Amazon Mom.  It has only been available for a few weeks but thanks to social media, word is getting around pretty quickly.


For those who have not heard of it, let me explain the benefits.  First of all, it is completely free to sign up.  Second, you receive free Prime shipping for the first 3 months and that can be extended up to a year based on your purchases.  Third, you can purchase diapers and wipes at 30% off if you use subscribe and save.  It is very easy to cancel subscribe and save after your purchase has been shipped.  


There is also a 20% off coupon in Parents and Parenting this month that can be stacked with the 30% off Amazon is already giving you.


I have been collecting Swagbucks and cashing them in for Amazon gift cards in order to obtain free diapers and training pants.  Remember that Friday is always Mega Swagbucks day so don't forget to search tomorrow and earn even more swagbucks.

Quick Tip: Breakfast While Traveling

I always look for a hotel with free breakfast when traveling but sometimes I'm stuck at a higher class one and I'm too cheap to pay their high prices for breakfast.

While staying at a Disney Resort for the Tupperware convention this summer, I made my own breakfast in the room using oatmeal packets.  I can't remember where I learned this tip, but I heated water in the coffee maker and made the oatmeal in coffee cups.  It was a cheap, yet filling and healthy breakfast - something I know I would not be able to find at the cafe in the resort.

Answered Prayer!

For those who have followed this blog for awhile or know me in real life, you know we have been on a journey for the past several years.  For those who are new, let me you can catch you up on why we are Living Life On Less, my feelings at one year, and how life changed again earlier this year.

God answered our prayers recently though.  Last week, my husband was offered not one, but two jobs!  God never ceases to amaze me in how he answers prayers above and beyond what I could ever imagine.  After spending the weekend in prayer and him meeting with both companies again yesterday, we made our decision.  Starting the end of Oct, he will have a full time job for the first time in three years.

For the past year he has worked a part time job where he is on call nights and weekends.  It is getting very old but pays great.  We have decided to keep it at least through the end of the year to make sure the new job works out and to help build up our retirement account that was sorely neglected while we were in survival mode.

When we first heard the news of his job cut so many years ago we never dreamed it would take this long.  We also never dreamed we could survive this long.  I estimated we could make it about 8 months and then we would be broke.  His start date is exactly one week before the three year mark and we survived with no debt!  I owe every bit of that to God.  He provided for our needs and calmed our wants during those years.  He taught us to rely on Him and to work hard.

Let me close with the song I shared at the one year point.  It is the song I Am Blessed and we have definitely been blessed throughout this journey.

I am blessed,
I am blessed,
From when I rise up in the morning,
'Till I lay my head to rest,
And I feel you near me,
You sooth me when I'm weary.
Oh, Lord,For all the worst and all the best,
I am blessed.

How to Save on Paper Products

I've heard for years about people not using napkins or paper towels at their house.  It saves money and is environmentally friendly.  I've wanted to do it at my house but figured I could never get away with it. I figured I could limit my paper use though and that would help a little bit.

I started by using kitchen towels instead of paper products.  Then, I started "forgetting" to set out napkins with dinner.  I always had a kitchen towel on the table so my oldest and my husband started reaching for it or getting another one without even thinking about it.  Finally, after not replacing the napkins for close to 2 months, I mentioned it to my husband.  He said he had noticed there were no napkins around but he didn't really think twice about it.

I didn't really realize we had officially made the switch until recent weeks when two incidences happened.  First, I was sent a package of napkins to try out and then fill out a survey.  They estimated it was 2 weeks worth of napkins.  Although I really liked them, I still have half the package and I've had them a month.  

Next, my inlaws came to visit this weekend.  We've been going through a roll of paper towels about once every 6-8 weeks.  The one day they were here, they used an entire roll. 

I'm starting to realize that some frugal and eco-friendly changes really are easier than I first thought. What changes have you made recently that you thought your family might be against?
 

Couponing: Start Small

In the past few weeks, I've had several people ask me about couponing and how I manage to keep our grocery budget so small.  Every time, I was then told it took too much effort and there was no way they could get their bill so low.  With each person, I had to remind them to start small.  Over the next few weeks, I'm going to share some beginning couponing tips and tricks that I have learned over the years.  If there are any questions you have, feel free to leave a comment or email me and I will work them into the series.

Today I simply want to remind you to start small.  Do not expect to save 70% your first trip and do not try to hit 5 stores your first time out.  If you currently do not use any coupons, aim for saving 10% off your next grocery trip.  Once you start feeling more comfortable, try for 15-20%.  My current average is 40-50% at the grocery store with the occasional 70-80%.   Drugstores tend to be a bit higher in savings but that is because I usually only go there to get the deals and nothing else.

Stay tuned as my next entry will be about the number of stores I shop at.

Savings With Shoe Carnival

Shoe Carnival is offering a great buy one, get one 1/2 off sale right now.  On top of that, you can get a surprise coupon for additional $5, $10, or $15 discount.  This could make for some inexpensive summer shoes if you need some (and what girl couldn't use a new pair or two of shoes?).

How We Paid For College Without Loans

People are always shocked when they hear we paid for my husband's college out of pocket - no loans were involved.  All of this was while we were (and still are) living on a very limited income.  Here are a few of the things we did in order to afford school:

Sold items from our house: The first two semesters, we went around our house and found items to list on Craigslist.  It helped clear out some clutter and pay for a good chunk of school.  We also have had two garage sales in the two years he was in school.

Took on an extra job:  My parents own their own business and have always hired someone to clean their offices.  I took over when my husband first had his job cut back.  About six months into it is when my husband decided to go back to school so we moved that income to our college fund.


Surveys: They do not pay a ton but I had done surveys off and on for years.  I started setting aside time each day to work on them and after awhile we had enough to pay for many of his books.

FAFSA: This is the form you have to fill out in order to get many scholarships and for government aid.  The first year of school we did not receive anything but these last two semesters we were given a grant.  The second semester was actually a higher amount than the first semester this school year and came as a huge surprise to us.  We thank God for looking out for us in this area.

Identity Crisis

My blog is having an identity crisis!  When I first started blogging I was so anxious to get started that I didn't fully think things through.  I came up with the title of my blog and was determined to keep it.  However, the name was not available as a Blogger URL so I picked an alternate name.  Currently, I'm all over the internet as both Living on Less and Life With Less.  Seeing as I worked in marketing for six years, I knew better than to do this but I did it anyway.  I did not properly brand myself and now I'm regretting it.

Also, I've been wanting to buy my own domain name for awhile now but I'm too cheap to pay for it and the thought of figuring it all out kind of intimidated me.  After receiving an affiliate check a few weeks ago I decided it was time to use a small portion of that check and take the plunge.  I did a quick search and Living on Less and Life With Less were both taken. I pondered on this for a few days, asked my husband for ideas, and asked Twitter friends for ideas too.  After a bit more searching I decided to combine both names.  From here on out, this blog will be titled Living Life With Less - meaning less income and less stuff.

As I've mentioned before, I have great ideas for this blog but life has been incredibly busy lately.  This is just the first step in improving this blog and I hope to take many more of those steps in the near future as time allows.  In the meantime, feel free to let me know if there is a topic you would like covered, a question you have, or suggestions for this blog.

Also, check out the Facebook Like button that I recently added to all posts.  If you like a post, click this button and let your friends know about the post too.