Posted by April Pearson

Here's an exciting event for all of you that like to save money on gently used kids' and maternity clothing, toys, and baby gear! The PENNY PINCHING MAMAs Children's Consignment Event is a semi-annual sale where you can find tons of great quality items at a fraction of the cost of buying them new. Their website actually suggests that consignors price their items around 30% of retail!

Let's face it, kids grow way too fast and barely have a chance to wear their clothes and toys out. Why not save some of your hard-earned cash by buying new-to-them clothes and toys instead of paying full price at those over-priced children's clothing stores? 

PLUS, if your kids have already outgrown their cute clothes and they're in good shape, you could be a consignor at the sale and earn 70-80% of your sales less a small $15 consignor fee! Even with the minimal fees you would most likely earn way more money than if you had a garage sale! 

This sale is March 16-17 at the Berry Center. Do NOT miss this event!

Find out everything you need to know on their super-informative website: www.pennypinchingmamastx.com

I am so excited to share this deal with you today, as it is truly invaluable!  Today through Wednesday, you can buy tickets to Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover Live event for only $19 each! This event will be on October 8th from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Reliant Arena. You are allowed to buy 5 tickets for yourself and up to five as gifts. This would be a great gift for friends or family, newlyweds or newly engaged couples!

My husband and I attended this event last year, and I highly recommend everyone going - whether you are in debt to your eyeballs and considering filing for bankruptcy or you are well on your way to being debt free! It is inspiring, exciting, and will give you hope for a better financial future. 

Please make sure you use the link above to purchase your tickets, as this is 55% less than the box office price of $42!

Have you ever attended Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover Live? What did you think about it? Please share your thoughts so people know what they might learn from this event!
 

I recently read an interesting article (found here) about the backlash consumers are facing because of the new TV show Extreme Couponing. While I have experienced this first-hand, I think the most important point of the article is that they point out some good do's and don'ts of couponing. If couponers will stick to these, we'll be better off in the end.

Here are some of them as listed in the article as well as a few of my own thoughts in italics:

Do Know Your Limits. Save time, energy and embarrassment at the register by playing with the rules established by retailers and manufacturers. Visit their Web sites to learn if there have been any updates or changes to their coupon policies. I have compiled a list of some retailers' coupon policies. I recommend printing these and keeping them with your coupons so that you will have the policy if issues arise.

Do Ask Friends and Neighbors to Leave Aside Papers. Some people actually subscribe to newspapers for the articles, not the coupons. It's perfectly acceptable to ask these friends and family members -- politely -- to set aside the coupons for you to pick up at a later time.

Do Start a Small Coupon Swap. Rather than stealing your neighbor's Sunday paper to benefit from the extra coupon circular, create a support system through a small, local coupon exchange. Members can meet once a week in person for 30 minutes to exchange coupons for things they actually would buy anyway. (One person's buy-one-get-one-free instant oatmeal is another person's 50-cents-off cold cereal.) Online exchanges also exist at savingsadvice.com and thriftyfun.com.

Don't Copy Coupons. Many stores mention in their coupon policies that "coupons are void if copied, scanned, transferred, purchased, sold " etc. Again, stick with the official policy. You'll still manage to save a good chunk of change -- and by skipping a long debate at the checkout, you'll also avoid unnecessary delays both for you and the shoppers waiting behind you. This restriction is printed directly on most manufacturer coupons. Please do not copy coupons - it hurts all of us in the end!

Do Ask Manufacturers to Send Coupons Directly. If you can't find manufacturers' coupons readily on their Web sites, email or call them to request coupons be sent directly to your inbox. That's what many successful couponers claim to do. It sometimes earns them freebies, as well. Don't forget that social media outlets are a great place to find high-value coupons and free product coupons!

 What are your thoughts about how Extreme Couponing has affected real-life couponers? Have you personally experienced any backlash in the stores when trying to use coupons? I would love to hear your experiences and stories!

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Mother's Day is quickly approaching and it seems that most families like to take Mom out to lunch or dinner to give her a break from cooking. So, I thought I could help you treat Mom to a nice dinner without breaking the bank.

Top 10 Ways to Save When Dining Out 

Set a budget before you go – Know what you can spend before you go and stick to it. I always scan the menu for all of the options available under a certain price, then shop from those.

Share a meal or save half for a second meal – Not only is this a good choice for your waitsline, but also for your wallet. You’re saving half right off the top! Restaurant portions are often 2-3 times the amount of a healthy portion. Share a meal with your dining companion or box up the other half for a yummy lunch at the office the following day.

Order adult meal for kids to share – You will often get more food for much less. Now that children’s meals are running around $5. Sharing a $10 adult meal, I can typically feed my three little ones, and they get more than enough to eat.

Order water – Drinks can significantly increase your dining bill with soda/tea running upwards of $3.

Kids Eat Free – Many restaurants offer one day when kids can eat free with the purchase of an adult meal. This can save a family a lot when dining out.

Home mailers – Magazines, coupon mailers, and flyers can be a great source for coupons and special offers to local restaurants.

Online - Check the restaurant’s website for special offers before you go.

Email - Sign up for your favorite restaurants’ email lists. You will often receive coupons, free birthday meals, and special offers.

Facebook – Local and national restaurants have jumped on the social media wagon to offer special fan-only deals when you follow them

Restaurant.com – You can buy $25 gift certificates for $10 or less, giving you a significant discount on your dining experience.

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!

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.

Perhaps the best way to learn to save money is to be aware of the ways we waste money.

I found this article on Yahoo! a little while ago and found it to be pretty accurate. So today, instead of sharing a money-saving tip with you, I'm going to ask you to please read this article and see how you might be wasting your money. If you decide to change just one of these bad habits, you will probably realize savings without really trying. Easy enough, right?

Here it is: 25 Ways To Waste Your Money

Note: I will disagree with one point - buying generic over brand name at least in groceries, but that will be a topic for another day. Until I show you how to save on brand names, stick with generics.... for now.

Remember to check out my daily blog about money-saving deals at Deals That Make Cents.

I am always looking for ways to save on gasoline, especially now that prices are rising once again.

First, I like to use GasBuddy.com to price compare in the area to find the best price on gasoline. They have a mobile app now as well which is very helpful if you find yourself out and about and your gas light comes on!

In addition to the lowest price, you can often get discounts. Kroger offers a 3-cent per gallon discount when you use your Kroger Plus Card at the pump. When you accumulate 100 points from grocery or gift card purchases, you can get a 10-cent discount per gallon. Kroger has also partnered with Shell, so you can get your Kroger discount at participating Shell stations.

Lastly, and probably most significantly, your driving habits affect your gas expenses. Some of the top things to do to conserve gasoline is to drive slower, maintain your vehicle, and limit your driving.

If you want to know more ways to save on gas, I found a great list here.

How have you found is the best way to save on your gas expenses?

I want to hear from you! You can email me here at deals@simplycyfair.com.