Big Savings on Ink!!

This is great for all you couponers! Once I finish this post I will be jumping on this deal...big time!

You have to start through ebates.com (so if you aren't a member yet - and why not?! - click here to join for free). Find 4inkjets.com on the site. Buy shopping at 4inkjets.com you will save up to 76% on ink and toner! In addition, using the code TEACH44 you will save an additional 10% on select products! Could you save anymore? Well use you can! Buy shopping through ebates.com you will receive 13.5% cash back on your purchase! WOW!!

If you are like me you may take your chances and hope that 4inkjets.com is the daily double later on ebates and then you would score 27% cash back on your purchase!

I like to stock up on ink now before school starts. In our house we use a lot of ink...with 2 printers we print tons of coupons, school work and sewing projects! I tend to look for a great sale like this and stock up for about 6 months worth of ink! So good luck with your savings!!

Swagbucks?

I have seen posts on most of the blogs I read about saving money on Swagbucks. I never have been interested in checking it out until today when I had some extra time (very rare in my house!) on the computer. I headed over there and signed up. I am still learning the ropes and trying to figure out how it all works. I understand that I earn points a ton of different ways and then I can redeem them for ??? My thoughts were that it was a way to save money, but a lot of the ways to earn points is to spend too. I'm not sold on this whole thing yet, but I will continue to work with it for a couple of weeks and keep you posted on my thoughts!

I understand that there are still some other sites out there that work like Swagbucks. Please give me your input, what sites are you using and what do you like or dislike about them? Like most SAHMs I don't get a ton of time to spend in front of a computer. Do you have to be sitting in front of the computer all day trying to earn points? Let's discuss this below!!!

All You magazine

While my family and I were on vacation last month my MIL brought a magazine with her. I was bored the first evening while everyone was playing with the kids that I picked it up and started looking through it. I had heard of this magazine before on coupon blogs but never really thought anything of it. Well this magazine is a coupon freaks heaven! There are pages of coupons and sometimes for free items. It's great. So last night I was on another coupon site (I love to read them) and she had written about the All You magazine. She had commented that she doesn't support buying magazines because it's a waste of money but that she loved this magazine too. She forked out the money and bought a subscription, mainly for the coupons. She stated (and I'm using her because I didn't sit down and add them up myself) you can score $80 to $100 worth of coupons in one magazine! Now that is heaven to me!
So I searched the Internet last night looking for the best deal for the All You magazine subscription. I found that if I use offermatic.com (I just posted something about this!) for the 2% cash back for Amazon, and then purchased a 2 year subscription for $34.00 this was the best deal. I was getting each magazine for $1.42, plus I will get the 2% back on my credit card (which is only $.68 but in the end this brings each magazine down to $1.39 each!).
So I bought the 2 year subscription and I can't wait until my first magazine comes in the mail. I will be cutting out coupons, matching them up and saving even more at the store!!

**For all my "Green" readers, we don't get magazines in the mail. I think they are a waste of paper, so I weighed this decision big time before I bought the magazine. I figured that I would be saving a ton and in the end the magazine will  be in my recycle bin!

My new budget site

So I might be a little late with this one but like I always say better late then never! Last night I was online catching up on a few things and I ran across a site (which I fell in love with!) and she had written about a site called mint.com. I had never heard of this (I know pretty bad since I do have an accounting degree) and thought I would check it out. I am in love with it!! I do our monthly and yearly budget and finances on the computer with Excel. I spend hours weekly working on it, last night I spent 5 minutes typing in accounts and bam within seconds it was done for me on the screen! WOW! I love it! I can even send it to my husbands phone so he has it with him at all times. No more wasting time on the computer typing in and editing everything. I even set up goals for reducing our debt ASAP and saving for college for the kids. The site will email you with different alerts and will definitely hold you accountable for everything! I love it! If you are really into saving money and living on a budget you need to check this site out! Mint.com!

Another Cash Back!

I you follow me or read some of my posts you know that I LOVE ebates! I love that I get money when I have to shop online (and really what SAHM wants to pack up all the kids to run to the store all the time!!). I also love Amazon. I have been upset for years that I can't shop with both! Well I have found a way to! It's called offermatic.com. I wrote a post before about this site. I signed up the one time and never really went back to the site again. The other day I received an email from them about cash back offers. So last night when I wanted to purchase something online from Amazon I ran over to offermatic.com and checked it out. Sure enough I can receive 2% cash back on all my Amazon.com purchases!! YAY!!!I couldn't be more excited. So for all you that are in love with receiving cash back (it's really like getting paid to shop online) check out offermatic.com. And as a bonus for you to go and sign up, you get an introductory offer, like $5 off $10 at Target. So head on over and sign up and enjoy some great offers!

Check in the Mail!

Today has been one of those Mondays...very blah! Nothing too exciting has happened and I haven't really been up to doing anything! Until the mail came and I had a surprise check in the mail for $42 from ebates.com! YAY! I know, it's not very much (especially when my last check was over $100) but it was a surprise that I wasn't expecting!  I haven't really been shopping much lately on the Internet so I wasn't surprised that it was a smaller check, but I was happy it was something. Now I can plan a trip to the bank tomorrow and deposit my check into savings! Did you get your ebates check this week, how did you spend it?

If you want to get checks in the mail too head on over to ebates.com and sign up for free. Hundreds of merchants will give you cash back on your online purchases! It's great...especially if you already shop online for tons of your items! Check it out!

Random thoughts on my mind

I haven't posted much in awhile. I have been slacking none the less. I am back though and going to try and keep up with this blog. But I haven't stopped looking for great deals and saving money! In fact earlier this week I was thinking about how much money I spend on books. My husband (and kids) gave me a NOOK a last Christmas and I love it. I have downloaded a ton of books in that time frame and spend some good money (although they are cheaper then the actual book prices!). The kids give me a gift card for most occasions b/c they think I don't have to pay for the books (but they haven't figured out I pay for the gift cards!) So I was on B&N a couple of months ago adding a new gift card to my account and noticed I can purchase the books online and it will upload directly to my NOOK. I knew this before but just never put two and two together. So today I wanted a new book to start reading, so I headed over to ebates.com and clicked on Barnes and Nobles. By doing this I am now getting 4% back on my book purchase. So now I can add up my savings and take those savings to get me a new gift card!!! YAY saving money!

I also wanted to share a new coupon site I found (actually heard about it on GMA and finally had time to sit and check it out this afternoon, and I know what your thinking "Great another coupon site for me to keep up with!"). Couponsherpa.com is GREAT! They have printable grocery coupons, store coupons, restaurant coupons, as well as coupon codes to use online! It's great! Head on over there and check it out yourself and let me know what you think!

I had a little extra time after church today to get online and print out some Target coupons (they just added some new ones so make sure you check them out!) and it got me thinking. I read on all these coupon sites and money saving blogs their opinions on coupons. I have read many times that some women don't throw away their coupons. If they are about to expire they run out and use it, to them it's like money! Then there are others that say it's OK to throw them away, don't buy something you don't need just to use the coupon. So I wanted to know what is your take on this? I myself throw a ton of coupons away! I only buy items if we desperately need them (and have a coupon most of the time!), if they are on sale and I have a coupon (whether we need it or not!), or if I can stack coupons together and save double. I will never just use a coupon b/c it is expiring. So please, share with me your feelings!

I have started to sew a lot more. I have made some people a few items and come to realize that I can make some extra money on the side! Which I love! I am really enjoying the satisfaction of started from nothing, creating an item and seeing it complete! It is really a wonderful experience! I find that I am more relaxed because I have an outlet during the day, it's really great! When I get some extra time I will post some pictures of some of the creations I have been working on! So check back soon!

OK, so that was a bunch of random thoughts currently going through my mind right now. Thought most of it was relevant, so I wanted to share. I promise in the coming weeks I will begin to post more often. I have come to a deal with myself that I only want to post deals that I am interested in! So I won't be posting everything I see!!! DEAL!?!?

Saving money while shopping for mom?

For all of you out there looking for the perfect Mother's Day gift while trying to save your family some money, head over to ebates.com! They are currently offering double cash back at many online retailers just for Mother's Day. Including stores like FTD, Teleflora, Blue Nile, Sephora, Godiva, The Body Shop, and Barnes and Noble! Before you shop make sure you check out the stores page on ebates.com so you can score some promotional codes for additional savings on your purchases!

And if you haven't registered yet to be a FREE member of ebates.com, click here so you can start scoring cash back on your online purchases!! What are you waiting for, a personal invitation? Consider this it!

My New Favorite Place to Shop AND Save

This morning I went shopping since I wouldn't have time this holiday weekend. I decided to try our grocery shopping at Target. Our Target just got a full fresh grocery section and I thought, what the heck! I printed some Target coupons before I went and took my envelopes full of my regular coupons and headed on out. In addition to our weekly groceries I also needed some shoes for Easter and some more Easter basket fillers.

I have to admit, it was really nice to be able to walk through one store and get everything I needed in one trip out. I was a little overwhelmed walking through the grocery section. I headed to the store on a whim and so I didn't have a shopping list or a sales ad. I was trying to match up store coupons with sales and with coupons I already had, while trying to remember what my husband (he does all the cooking) had written on the list. In the time limit I had to shop, I think I did pretty well. I saved over $50 on everything. I did get a few things that were full price and I didn't have a coupon (which is not like me at all, I guess I was being generous this holiday weekend!).

My trip out this morning was pretty productive. I think I might be switching my stores! I love the atmosphere in Target and how everyone is so friendly. It's clean and very well organized. They have a ton of organic, healthy options that are priced very well. Their coupon policy is amazing! You can use their store coupon along with a manufacturer's coupon. If you have a plan you can get a lot of items free or below a $1! Their website is easy to navigate through and print your store coupons off of. And don't forget (had to add this on Earth Day) you get 15cents off for your reusable bag! I am really liking this place now!

So, my adventure out this morning was a success and it made me (and my husband) very happy in the savings department! Please share your experiences with me, where is your favorite place(s) to shop and how do you save money there?

Starting to Coupon?

I've gotten a couple of requests about how and where to begin with the couponing for grocery shopping. So I thought I would post my tips and ideas. As you begin you will start to find your own niche and what works for you. Go with it, and remember the most important thing is to not stress out!
When beginning, only cut out coupons you know you are going to use. Cutting out everything is a waste of time. If you don't have a dog don't cut out the coupons for dogfood! I know this sounds common sense but you won't believe what some people do! The first couple of weeks you might feel more comfortable putting all your coupons in one place and not have them organized. Then when you head to the grocery store make a mental note about how you shop. Where do you start? How do you go down the aisles? What do you buy first and what do you buy last? Write the answers down. This I find will help you organize your coupons. For example, when I shop at the grocery store I start out in the frozen (I don't know why, that just happens to be on the right side of the store!). So I put all my frozen coupons together in an envelope. The next aisles are my canned and boxed goods, so all those go in an envelope, etc.
On Wednesday's I sit down (during nap time) and look at the grocery store flyer. I do this because it happens to come in the mail on Tuesday afternoon. I look at all the sales for that week and with a pencil I circle the items that we use in our household. Then I start at the front of the ad and I look for coupons in my stash that match up to the items I have circled in the flyer. I get everything together and then I make a written list of what I am going to get at the store. I write the item down then next to it I write how many I need (based on what the coupon says). I know this sounds tedious but I don't have much time when I shop. I don't have time to flip through coupons and read them. I have a time limit when I shop so I have to do it the fastest I can and I have found this way works the best! There are always items that I need that I don't have coupons for, that's when I head to the computer. Coupons.com is a great site to find what you need. Also, I check the actual company website, you can find great coupons on there! Print them off and use them, that's what they are there for! Then there will be times that you can't find a coupon for an item that is currently on sale. You have to ask yourself if you really need that! If it's a great deal, buy it, if not, don't! In our house we don't buy much that we don't have a coupon for, we make do with out it for awhile! But that is a personal decision you have to make.
After a couple of weeks you will start to get the hang of this and start to see how much money you are saving. This is when you can go bigger. Ask neighbors if they use their coupons, if not ask them to save them for you. Collect as many as you can from the Sunday papers and you can save even more!
When starting out, don't shop at every grocery store in town. I only shop at one! I don't have time to shop all over town and compare ads and sales. I don't even have the time to read the blogs that do the sales/coupons matchup for me! I have my one store I go to and that's it. I do go to one drugstore as well, and I do the same process for that as well.
Don't stress over it. Just like anything else that is new, it will take time to get better at. You will never be perfect...there is always something new to learn. But remember what works for me may not work for you. You will have to find what works best for you. So be patient, calm and START SAVING!!!

Saving Money at Amusement Parks

My husband and I don't necessarily spoil our kids, but we don't deprive them either. Every 2 years (or so) we enjoy a trip to Disney World. We aren't rich and we don't make the money to save a tons, but we do enjoy our vacations. I get asked a lot about how we can afford these trips all the time, and I tell them it's pretty easy. So I thought I would share some of our tips. I know some of these will be common sense, but sometimes you think about it and just don't do it. What my husband and I practice really works! In addition to our vacations to Disney World we also have season passes every year to Busch Gardens. We use most of these practices there as well!
When you plan your vacation plan it around a time that is during the off season. This may mean you have to pull your kids out of school, but in the long run you could be saving thousands of dollars. Also think about going during the week and avoiding the weekends. A lot of resorts will increase prices for the weekends and drop them for the weekdays. Check in to also timeshares off of the actual Disney property. Check Craigslist for availabilities as well. And of course, if you have family anywhere near your destination use them! They would probably love the company and you get a free (of course you might want to do something in return!) place to stay. This is our option!!
Flying vs. Driving. This is always a hard decision for us. We fly to many of our vacations but we also tend to drive as well. We have done both to Disney World and find that we like to drive more. It's easier for us to gt around while down there and in the long run it's a lot cheaper for us. It takes us a day to get there and filling up the tank is close to half of a one way ticket prices for our whole family. There are websites now, like http://www.gasbuddy.com/ that will calculate your price for gas for your entire trip.
Park tickets is another big ticket item on your trip. Shop around before you buy. If you're military, use it! If you're a AAA member, use it! There are a ton of options out there as far as tickets, do your research, use the Internet and score a great price! Don't settle on the first thing you see! And remember you don't have to go to the parks every day of your vacation. Most of the time, during a week vacation we only hit the parks 4 of the days. It's just enough for the kids and the tickets are cheaper!
My husband and I pack all our food for our vacation. On or drive we eat snacks in the car and pack sandwiches and drinks in a cooler. This saves tons of money because we are not stopping for fast food or even a sit down meal. And of course all these snacks and drinks were bought on sale with a coupon! :)
While visiting Disney the kids love the character dining, and I think honestly us parents love them just as much! We plan one for everyday that we plan to spend in the parks. Whether it be breakfast, lunch or a dinner we plan something. Then we plan other meals around that. If possible we try and eat breakfast before we even head to the parks. At the Character Dinings a lot of them give you a ton of food! We all fill up, including the kids. These meals will last us most of the day, resulting in us not having to eat more meals. We take snacks with us into the park, granola bars, fruit snacks, string cheese, etc. so that the kids have something to munch on when they are hungry or bored. In the parks we usually only drink water. It's good for you and FREE!!!
Souvenirs! This is a big one, especially when you have kids! Anytime you walk through a store they want EVERYTHING! Our kids now from the get go that they can look but are not aloud to ask for anything. If my husband and I are feeling generous one trip we will tell them ahead of time they have X amount of dollars, after that they have to pay out of their own money. This generous thing doesn't happen much! I posted a couple of days ago about a sale at Disney Store online. I love this website! When I know we are going I constantly check for sales (I get email updates!) and I buy anything and everything before we go. From autograph books to new t-shirts, pins to flip flops. You name it, it's on the website. If you get the sales, its cheaper to get them online then at the parks. Most of the time the kids don't even now, mainly because mine don't have the patience to stand in line to buy anything, so they think I do and it's actually in the backpack already!! And don't forget, if your an Ebates member you get money back on your purchase! You won't get that at the parks!
If you plan on staying at the parks in the evenings beware that the kids are going to want all those light up things! Mine ask all the time, but we come prepared! Before our trip I head over to one of the Dollar stores in town and load up on glow sticks, necklaces, and bracelets. The kids have a new one every night we are there and they don't know that I didn't pay $10 for a glow in the dark necklace! We also have a princess flashlight that the girls have acquired over the years, we bring that with us. It's princess and fits in!
I am sure I am missing some topics somewhere, while I remember them I will come back and add them! And remember if you have some tips please share them! I love learning new ideas!!

Great New Way to Save Money

I was reading one of my favorite blogs today, Hip2Save, and she wrote about a great site...Offermatic. I was a little reluctant at first but gave it a try. What an awesome idea! You register your credit cards and debit cards on the site. It's 100% secure...you can check out their security policy on the site. Then based on your purchase history you will recieve money saving offers. But the best part of this whole thing is you don't need coupons or promotional codes. All the offers, rebates and deals are applied directly to your card! Amazing! I shop on Amazon all the time for everything, and right away I got a $15 back deal with a $30 purchase at Amazon! You can also automatically earn points through the site which you can redeem for gift cards. So, if you shop using your credit or debit card a lot, and really who doesn't, then head on over and register your cards, even your store cards, head on over to Offermatic and start saving some of that hard earned money! Enjoy saving!

Couponing Overload

I have cut coupons for years now and saved tons of money. It's like a high for me, watching the total at the register drop and only having to pay very little for a lot! I only shop onsale and with coupons for everything. Christmas presents are bought throughout the year while items are on sale. Clothes are bought on sale and usually with a coupon. I have learned to beat the system and I LOVE it. So last year I didn't cut out grocery coupons. I started slacking off while getting ready for the new baby and when we brought him home from the hospital my husband took over the duty of cooking dinner and I never wanted to take it back. So he started doing some of the grocery shopping, and he would NEVER take the time to cut coupons! Since we started this Spending Diet in January I knew one place to cut back on spending money was grocery shopping. So I started cutting coupons again and looking at the sales ads. I started Googling coupon matchups for my favorite grocery stores. The first couple of weeks I was running to a bunch of different grocery stores for a couple of things at each store. It was madness! So I started a new plan....

Each Saturday morning I have to take my daughter to ballet class. Down the street from the studio is a very nice Food Lion. This is where I have choosen to do my grocery shopping. I get the ads on Tuesday and matchup all the sales to all the coupons I have. I don't buy anything that is not on sale and I have a coupon. We then use whatever is in the house that week for dinners. 2 weeks ago I saved over $90 on our weekly groceries and this past week I only spend $37 on groceries. There is only one grocery store that carries the brand of yogurt that we feed the baby so I did have to make another stop, but I had coupons! My goal is to spend $50 to $75 on groceries each week for our family of 5. Once I get my "mini" stockpile (I call it this because I don't want to have a huge stockpile of groceries sitting in my house) I should be able to spend only $50 a week.

So in addition to the weekly trip to Food Lion I also have choosen to shop at Walgreens for medicine, health items and some food. We have a Walgreens close to our house, which is the reason I have choosen to shop there. I constantly look at Target ads and if there is a steal of a deal I will make a trip over there.
I know the major money savers compare all stores and always find the best deals. I don't have the time to do that! Hence the reason why I have choosen only a few stores. For those individuals who are just starting to save money but cutting coupons and matching sales I would start by using these tips. Choose just one or two stores and begin the process by using the interent. There are hundreds of websites that already do the sales and coupon matchups for you. Let them do it and it will save you hours of your own time! After awhile you will get the hang of it yourself and be able to match them up yourselves.
If you really want to begin saving your family tons of money, start this practice. Reach out to the websites for help, in the end it really will be worth it!

Homemade Baby Food

With both of my oldest children I bought commercial baby food for them. I thought nothing of it, it was convenient and at the time my husband and I both were working full-time outside of the house. It has been close to 4 years since I had anything to do with baby food, so when I got pregnant with our yongest I had some research to do. In the past 4 years there has been an abundance of information on organic food and the best options for baby. Since our family is choosing to live a green lifestyle I wanted to do what was the best fit into our lives. So hands down I knew I wanted to make our baby food. I have to cook for my oldest 2, so making baby food wasn't hard at all! I found an amazing website, http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/, which has so much information on it about making baby food, when to introduce what foods, and even recipes as baby grows. This website has been a great resource to always go back to.

Our middle child has always been a sick child. We have been through ear tubes at 14 months, tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy at 2 years old, she was diagnosed with urinary reflux at 4 years and now finally we have her healthy! Because we have been through so much I have researched a lot on natural remedies and preventions so we never have to go through all this again. As I was researching homemade baby food I came across information about waiting to introduce baby food until baby was older. This helps prevent allergies later in life. Of course I jumped on this idea and waited until my son was almost 7 months before we started him on any food. Because of all the medical issues we have had in the past I also wanted to make sure we were only introducing the most nutritious and healthiest options to our son. We only buy organic fruits and vegetables to make his food. I buy them in season and when the produce is on sale. I steam everything first and then puree (now we are at the dicing stage though) and then freeze everything. Because we freeze everything I am able to bulk up when produce goes on sale. I look back now and think about how much money I spent on commercial baby food with my oldest two and it's kind of scary! Not only was I feeding them watered down, over processed food but I spent a fortune on it! By spending 3 hours every 2 weeks in the kitchen peeling, cutting up, steaming, pureeing, and freezing fruits and vegetables I am saving a ton of cash! What a win win option for us...healthy food and extra money!

I am no expert on making homemade baby food, in fact I am still learning everyday, but I do have a few tips that I have picked up the past couple of months. I buy a bunch of bananas when they are on sale and I let them sit on the counter for a few days until they are ripe, maybe a little over. Then I unpeel the bananas and I wrap each banana seperatly in plastic wrap (yes, we still use that in my house). I put the wrapped bananas in the freezer, and when I am ready to use one I take it out. They are easy to cut up when frozen and with a dash of formula it will puree to a smooth cream (kind of looks like icecream). Then I place the pureed bananas in a glass bowl and mircowave for about 20 seconds. They will get watery but then just add a dash of rice cereal. This way you don't have to puree the bananas and have them sit forever, they don't get that strong banana smell and baby will love them!

I have learned from experience that peas and green beans don't puree very well. You have to add a ton of cooking water. Because I waited so long to start my son on food he was almost at the age where he could pick it up. So because of this I waited to introduce peas and green beans until he could feed them himself and chew them up.

Natural, homemade baby food tastes different then conventional baby food because it is missing all those perservatives. Because of this introducing new foods to baby may not be a good experience. I started with my son to add the new food to his cereal. Each new food was added to his cereal about 3 times before I fed it to him alone for the first time. Rice cereal seems to always be baby's first food, so they tend to like the taste and enjoy eating it. So distorting the taste is ok, they learn to like that new taste and will eventually eat it alone!

Fast Food or Packed Dinners?

Growing up my brothers and I were always busy with sports and extra curriculer activities in the evenings after school. It was important for my mom that we have healthy dinners even though we were so active. I can remember my dad bringing my dinners in the car and I would eat them on the way home from gymnastics practice. We talked while I hate and I had a healthy dinner, and for us it was "normal".
Now that my kids are getting older, and both are becoming more active we are on the go A LOT! My oldest has soccer practice in the evenings and we don't get home until after 8 most of the time. This is way to late for my youngest to be eating. A year ago I started packing our dinners for soccer practice. My middle child and I would sit in the car many times and eat our dinners together, while we talked, and my oldest would eat either on the way to or the way home from practice. We still get our family time together and talk about our day, but most important we are eating healthy.
The best part of this is the amount of money I am saving my family. Sometimes though I think how easy it would be to stop by a drive thru on the way to or from practice and grab dinner. But not only would my famiyl be eating a very unhealthy supper but I would be forking out so much more money! We have the same foods that we could have at a fast food restuarant. I fix chicken nuggets (all white meat) with sweet potato fries and a vegetable. I throw in some homemade mac - n - cheese when I have the time. I also make subs with veggie chips, as well as fish sticks with a couple of sides. It takes some planning on my part and a lot more work to get it all packed up, but in the end it is so worth it. I am teaching my kids so many lessons in a simple quick dinner: how to save money, how to continue with family dinners even on the go, and how to always eat healthy even with limited time! Next time you think it's easier to stop at the closest drive - thru think about the lessons you are passing along to your kids...is it worth it?
Don't get me wrong, we still stop at the drive - thru every now and then, but it's more for  a special occasion then for a nightly dinner. And when we do end up stopping the kids are excited about it, not just expecting it! It's a win win for me!

Cloth Diapers

Cloth diapers are a huge topic these days with families who are living a green lifestyle. My husband and I decided with our youngest who was born last spring we would use cloth diapers. When I brought this topic up to my mom and others they said I was nuts! Cloth diapers were a pain; washing them was a nightmare; disposables are so easy; why would you want to put in that much effort. I took all the comments, thought about them and then made my own decision. The first 4 months we used disposable diapers. I did a ton of research on disposables, all the chemicals in them that is harmful to baby's skin and their health. I thought about all the space in the landfills that disposable diapers were taking up and how long each diaper would take to finally break down. After a ton of research I found Nature Babycare diapers. These diapers are produced in Europe, they don't have any harmful chemicals to hurt baby and they decompose! They were great! We used them for 4 months and also when we are out of town. They are great. I totally recommend these for anyone who doesn't ever want to use cloth diapers with their baby.
After 4 months (and the whole 4 months I did research) we decided we were ready to switch over to cloth diapers. I talked to friends who currently used cloth diapers and found our their favorites and what they liked and disliked about each one. My husband (really just me) decided on two different brands, Bum Genius and Fuzzi Bumz. We love our cloth diapers! Every time I was a load of diapers I think about all the money I am saving my family by not having to fork out another $30 on a pack of diapers. I think of all the landfill space we are saving by not throwing away diapers. I believe it is one of the best things we did for not just our baby boy and his health, but also for our checkbook and the environment!
The major argument I hear from individuals is that they could never imagine washing cloth diapers. That was my biggest fear about switching to cloth diapers. But I have to be honest, it's really not that hard! I was diapers about every other day. I was the shells by themselves and then wash the inserts by themselves. To me this is faster and I feel they get much cleaner. It takes me a couple of hours to complete the wash and then about 5 minutes to stuff the inserts in the shell and that's it! It's so simple. For anyone thinking about using cloth diapers I would have to say to do it! Make the switch, especially for those SAHM's trying to save money! It's a big investment in the beginning, but with websites like diaperswappers.com you can buy them pretty cheap. Friends are willing to swap with you as well if they no longer plan to use them. I believe it's one of the best things you can do for you baby!

Some perks of shopping online

Being a SAHM and babysitting during the week, leaving the house during the day is a bit frightful! Over the past year I have gotten really good at searching for the best deals online and saving a ton of money! Amazon.com is a great site to find wonderful deals from household goods, food, baby items, books, shoes and clothes! If you are a prime member you get free shipping on hundreds of items on their website. Each day they have a great deal at a wonderful discount price and ongoing sales all the time. We have also taken advantage of the Subscribe and Save program they have. We get our toilet paper, paper towels (I know we are suppose to be "green" but we still use paper towels...but they're made from recycled materials!), baby formula, wet wipes, and some of the kids snacks this way. You sign up for what you want, the amount you want and how often you want amazon to ship to your house; you get a discount on the price for being a member of the subscribe and save program and that's it. You sit back and never have to worry about it again! It's great!
Another site I have found very useful is Ebates.com. I was a little reluctant at first, but after the first check came to me in the mail I was convinced! We have found tons of new sites to shop from online for items we would normally buy, and buying then through ebates.com is even more profitable because I get money back from my purchase. Last summer we booked our hotel, baseball tickets and zoo tickets through ebates.com and scored a ton of money back on our family vacation.
Between these two sites (and there are a ton more out there!) our Christmas shopping this past year was a profitable one! We were able to buy more this year and save more then ever before! It was great! Please be sure to share with me your favorite money saving sites too!

Saving Money

I grew up in a family where my parents saved all the money they could. We were not poor, but my mom shopped with coupons, we only got new clothes when we needed them and we never went out to dinner. So living on a budget and saving money is second nature to me. However, my husband likes to spend money. If it's in his wallet he will spend it on anything! He likes the newest electronic gadgets and going out to dinner is simple for him. So, needless to say, the past couple of years we have struggled with this. And now that we live on a very strict budget it's even harder. This year we made a New Year's Resolution together...spend less money. I implemented the Spending Diet. On January 1st we started a notebook that we write down everything we spend money on. It has really become a great tool. My husband doesn't want to have to explain any useless spending so he doesn't do it anymore. He started taking his food to work (which is a lot because he spends 24 hours at the firehouse, but we are saving a fortune!). And I started cutting coupons again and matching them to store sales. The past year I got away from doing this because, honestly, it takes a lot of time. With the new baby and everything else going on I didn't have the time to spend. But now I do! I devote one day a week to grocery shopping. That's it! No extra runs to the grocery store (unless we need milk!). We never eat out anymore except our weekly Friday nights out with my parents to the family pizza place down the street. It's great! I'm really hoping we can continue to keep this up, not just this year but as a lifestyle change!
Because we live on such a strict budget, we have made a lot of changes over the years. I have learned to cut corners, scrimp on somethings, shop for the best deal, and scour the Internet for great deals! This page on my blog I will share with you areas and places that I save money. Like every other page, please leave comments and your ideas! I love to learn from others!!! I hope I can help you all too!