Today you can get $24 worth of Classic American fare from our very own local Cypress Station Grill for only $12 through Groupon. Simply follow this link to the Groupon site and click Buy! While you're there you can check out all of the other deals that are for the Houston area, too!

Groupon is a daily deal site that offers discount deals for restaurants, spas, theater, sporting events and more. This is a great way to save money while frequenting familiar spots or trying something new!

Earth Day is April 22nd. Even if you’ve never thought about celebrating Earth Day, did you realize that ‘going green’ could save you money? Here are some ideas on how to save the earth and save your cash.

10 Ways to Go Green and Save Money:

1. Carpool – Cy-Fair area offers Park & Ride bus service to downtown or you could find a work buddy to share a ride. Save on gas and wear and tear on your vehicle.
2. Buy Used or Freecycle  - CyFair Free Recycle is a Yahoo group you can join to help keep things out of the landfill. It provides a network for you to give away things you no longer need and also get things that you do need for free. Craigslist is also a great place to buy used items, sell your used items, give away or get items for free, or even barter/trade items.
3. Recycle your old electronics – Your old cell phones, laptops, and  could be worth some cash and some parts are toxic if thrown in the landfill
4. Reuse and repurpose household items. I’ve been known to wash and reuse plastic baggies and your plastic grocery bags are great for small trash cans or disposing of dirty diapers. I also save on grocery bags by recycling through our curb recycling program.
5. Utilize online banking – get your bills and statements electronically to save on paper waste and pay your bills online – you save on stamps!
6. Grow your own vegetable garden and/or raise your own chickens for eggs.
7. Make your own household cleaners, dishwasher detergent and laundry detergent.
8. Compost – turn your food scraps into nutrient-rich compost for your garden and flower beds. Save on fertilizer and trash bags.
9. Use cloth diapers – While the initial cost may be startling, you will actually save money in the long run and won’t be throwing all those diapers in the landfill.
10. Conserve water and electricity – if you’re conscious of how you’re utilizing your utilities you can lower your bills by using less. Check out my electricity money-saving tips here.

How do you save money by going green? I would love to hear your tips!

Lori Nielson, a new Cy-Fair area Mary Kay Consultant, is offering Simply Cy-Fair readers this great deal:

Get $10 off your Mary Kay order when you register on her website and mention Simply Cy-Fair when you place your order!

There are no minimum purchase requirements. Also, when you contact her to order, be sure to ask how you can earn up to $200 in FREE products!

Share this deal with your friends so they can get in on this great deal, too!

The summer months are approaching and we are already getting a taste of the warm weather here in Cy-Fair. And with that weather comes higher electricity bills!

Everyday things you can do to save on electricity include:

1. Turn on a fan before you turn down the A/C. Fans use a while lot less energy and can make you feel a few degrees cooler almost instantly! Just remember to turn the fan off when you leave the room. While it makes you feel cooler, it doesn’t actually cool the room.

2. Keep the sun out.  Keep your blinds closed when the sunlight is coming in directly, use insulated window treatments that are now available, or put UV sunscreens or window film on your windows to block the heat.

3. Do chores during cooler times of the day. Running appliances (washer/dryer, vacuum, etc) produces heat. Do your chores first thing in the morning or later in the evening when you’re a/C unit doesn’t have to compensate for the extra heat.

4. Keep filters clean. Keep fresh filters in your a/c units so they’re not working overtime to cool your home.

5. Cook outside when possible.  Keep the heat outside so you’re not paying to cool the inside. You don’t have to eat outside, but it could make for some great family picnics!

And a few bigger things you can do to save over time:

1.  Get an energy audit. This is a great idea because it will point out your biggest energy wasters. You should then have a plan of attack to correct any energy wasters in your home and hopefully have them corrected before the dead heat of summer gets here.

2. Seal leaks. Your precious conditioned air could be seeping out of places you don’t even know of, like your chimney flue, around doors and windows, and even your electrical outlets.

3. Install programmable thermostats. These allow you to set thermostat higher while you’re away and program to cool when you’ll be home.

6. Equip your attic. Believe it or not, in the sixth grade, my science fair project was called “Attics: Keep ‘em Cool”. There are definitely significant energy reductions to be had when proper insulation, radiant barrier and ridge vents are installed in your attic. Also, if you’re having a new roof installed, try to choose the lightest color shingle for your home. It helps!

7.  Shop electricity providers. Here in Texas we have options when it comes to electricity providers. Use sites like www.electricitytexas.com and shop for the best rate and program for you.

After browsing all my grocery ads, I think Food Town has the most good deals this week. Here are some of the best ones that I see along with a bonus meal idea!

 Mild white onions $.39/lb

 Rio Star Grapefruit (18lb Bag) $3.99

 Hass Avocados 2/$1

 Pilgrim's Pride Frozen Boneless Skinless Fryer Breast 3 lb bag $4.47 ($1.49/lb) Stock-up price!*

 Bar S Corn Dogs (3lb box) $3.99

 Jiffy muffin, pie crust, brownie, pizza crust, or pancake/waffle mix 4/$1

 Jiffy Corn Muffin mix 3/$1

 Peter Pan Peanut Butter B2G1 Pack $2.99

 Lily's Bathroom Tissue (12 Rolls) $3.77 - $1.00 off In-Ad Coupon w/ $10 purchase = $2.77

 Del-Dixi Hamburger Dills (32oz) $.99

 Kraft Honey BBQ Sauce $.66

 Hunt's Tomato Sauce 4/$1

 Verde Valle Pinto Beans (2lb bag) $.99

*We eat a lot of chicken in our house, so I would buy several bags. You will rarely, if ever, find boneless, skinless chicken breasts at this price. Consider picking up as many as you would use in the next month or two.

Dinner idea: You can cook pinto beans in a crockpot with water, chopped onion, salt and pepper for 5 hrs on high, or soak them over night and turn them on low in the morning before you head out. Let them cook 8-10 hours on low.

With pinto beans, you can make your own refried beans (huge money-saver considering cans are usually around $.99 a piece) or eat beans over rice for a very frugal dinner! Add ham or sausage for extra protein, but beans are a great source of protein on their own.  Serve with cornbread muffins (Jiffy mix is on sale!) and your favorite veggie for a complete meal.

See nutrition facts of Pinto Beans here.

For more grocery deals at HEB, Randalls and Kroger, visit Deals That Make Cents.

Budgeting Basics

I recently reevaluated our household budget. Things are changing for us, and we need to know exactly what that means for us financially.

The first of the month just passed. Do you know where your money went last month? Do you know where it’s going this month?

If you find yourself in a situation where you always (or most often) have a lot of month left at the end of your money, I would venture to guess that either you haven’t bothered making a budget, or you’re not sticking to the budget that you’ve created. I want to help walk you through a simple way to budget so that you can get started today.

How to make a budget:

1. Know your income. What is your GROSS (before taxes, 401K, etc) Income? What is your NET income (the amount that comes home)?
2. Give/Tithe. I am a strong believer in giving. God gave you every penny of the paycheck you bring home, and you should be giving back to Him. If you are not affiliated with a church, you should be giving to a charity that you believe in.
3. Write down all of your monthly expenses. Include everything! Mortgage/rent, utilities, groceries, gasoline, insurance, credit cards, student loans, dining out, entertainment, clothing, etc. Everything!  Tip: Go look at your bank account and credit card statements. Where does your money go? All of these things should be on your budget. Use an Excel worksheet, financial software or even a piece of paper and a pencil! Use what you have. Don’t make it more difficult than it has to be!
4. After you have written everything down, evaluate your expenditures. Do they ‘fit’ your income? Where do you need to cut back? What are your financial goals? What do you need to do in order to achieve those goals? You don’t have to answer all of these questions today. Having your budget written down is a big step for a lot of people.

Your goal is to spend (on paper) every penny that is coming in. This creates intentionality (spending with purpose, not by accident). You must be intentional in your spending or you will be left at the end of the month wondering where your check went.

I’m a huge fan of Dave Ramsey. His advice has been a major help in our family’s endeavor to get out of debt. Here are some pointers he gives on his website about budgeting:

• Give it three to four months to start working. It won't be perfect the first time you do it.
• Spend every dime on paper before the month begins.
• Over-fund your groceries category. Most people underfund that category.
• Husbands (if applicable) need to loosen up and quit using the budget as a whipping tool on their wives.
•  (I would add that wives, this goes for us, too! - April)
• If married, spouses need to do the budget together. The preacher said "... and you are ONE."

Do you make a budget every month? How do you stick with your budget? Do you have any helpful hints or tricks to share with our readers? I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below or email me.