Save Money by Shopping the Dollar Stores

Dollar stores, there are different types from everything a dollar to more of a discount store. Whichever stores you shop, make sure you’re getting the best value for your dollar.

Save by Shopping the Dollar Stores

TA from The Savvy Age shares Dollar Store Shopping Tips: Save Shop Be Happy!

Since prices range from a $1 up at dollar stores, price comparison is a nice tip along with the quality of the product being bought. Poor quality items are not necessarily a better value.

Sarah from Must Have Mom shares 52 Things You Should Always Buy at the Dollar Store

I normally buy small notebooks for my price book at the Dollar Tree. The last time I bought one was at Walmart and I could have kicked myself for spending more than $2 on it. I also buy my spices there at the dollar store.

Shelly from the Frugal Family Home shares Why Shopping the Dollar Store is Keeping You Broke

I had the attitude of it’s only a dollar, for several trips years ago. When my husband pointed out that I had five things on my list and came out with 20, I knew I was in trouble. I blew $15 that could have been put back into our savings or moved over into another part of our budget. Lesson learned!

Crystal from Crystal Carder shares How to Save Money at Dollar Tree Stores

It’s been a while since I’ve been to the Dollar Tree, I didn’t realize they took coupons. They even had a loyalty program called the Value Seekers Club.

We shop Dollar General for many things like coffee, toothpaste, and name brand cleaning supplies. When we lived in Montana, shopping online for those stock up items saved us a bunch. There are things like toilet tissue we still buy at Walmart because we buy them in bulk.

While I love the idea of one-stop shopping, I’ve learned since being back in the middle of convenience, it’s not always the cheapest. So, we’ve started back to shopping around to save money.

Do you shop the dollar stores?

Saving Money Without Clipping Coupons

When people think about saving money, coupons are the first to come to mind. Coupons are NOT the only way to save money all you need to do is look around at what you’re spending money on. Consider the differences between your needs and wants. Are the wants weighing you down? It might be time to cut them loose and start putting that extra money in your pocket. Your budget will be thankful and so will you in the end. With a little creativity and minor sacrificing, you too can start saving money without clipping coupons.

Saving Money Without Clipping Coupons

Lisa from Drugstore Divas shares 3 Ways to Save $3K Without Clipping Coupons

Skip those fancy coffee shops. You know the ones where you spend more than $3 a cup for a coffee drink. The cost of those cups really do add up.

Kim from Frugal Minded Mom shares Being Frugal Without Coupons

A coupon/stockpiling mom shares how she is being frugal without her coupons while getting ready to move. Aldi is mentioned twice.

Maura from Happy Deal Happy Day shares 7 Frugal Habits To Help You Save on Groceries (Using Coupons Is NOT On The List)

Squeezing out those last few drops of dish and laundry detergent is a no-brainer. Adding water to thin it down some makes it last longer.

Tiffany from Tiffany Meiter shares their Playstation Vue Experience

Very similar to the Roku box, but through a gaming system.

Rachel from Smart Mom Smart Ideas shares How to Watch Your Favorite TV Shows Without Cable TV and Save $100’S Every Month

A Roku box and an indoor antenna are all you really need to watch tv and not spend 100’s of dollars a year.

As you see, saving money takes a little creativity. There’s no need to be clipping away at coupons and is very easy to do if you are willing to make a few sacrifices.

How do you save money without using coupons?

Pet Expenses: Four Easy Ways to Save Money

In forty something years, I’ve had many pets. All were outside pets and only my sweet Mikey has been a house member. When I think about those pets who brought happiness to my heart, Mikey is the only one who has had a special bond. I didn’t realize how much he would mean to me when we opened our home to him. Mikey is my baby.

Saving Money on Pet Expenses

Owning a pet is not something to take lightly. They depend on us, so we must be diligent in giving them proper care. Depending on what breed or type of animal you have, saving money will be needed. But you don’t have to break the bank when facing those pet expenses.

Anne from Anne’s Entitled Life shares 10 Ways to Save on Pet Medication

Make sure the vet will write prescriptions so you can purchase them elsewhere to save money. Double check if the prescription has a human equivalency. Both are something I’ve never considered until now.

Jess from You Brew My Tea shares Ways to Save on Pet Supplies

Making pet treats to save money is an awesome idea. Hopefully soon, I’ll be able to start back making my sweet Mikey’s treats again.

Dave Ramsey shares Pricey Pets: 4 Practical Ways to Save on Pet Care

Don’t forget your furry family member when setting up a budget. Including them is just as important.

We save on food by shopping at the feed store. Dog food is crazy! Some cause a dog to eat and poop more than others. When Mikey came home with us, a huge bag of a national brand came too. All I could think was “again?” several times a day. As soon as that bag ran out, we bought a trusted brand we used when raising beagles.

Even if your pet is on a special diet, price-check your favorite brand; you may save money shopping elsewhere. Don’t forget you can treat your little furry friend with fruits and vegetables.

Grooming and nail clipping is something I do for Mikey to save money. When we lived in Montana, I didn’t have to groom him as often as I do here. While it would be easier to send him to someone to deal with his little emotional issues of nail clipping, I just can’t do it. It’s cheaper for me to deal with his quirkiness.

These are just a few ways you can save money on your pets. Do you have any money saving secrets you’d be willing to share?

If you’ve missed them, you can find more ways we are saving money.

Preserving Foods WITHOUT a Garden

Want to preserve foods but don't have a garden? You still can without spending a ton of money. Whether you live in the city with little space or you have room for a garden, you don’t need a garden to preserve foods for your family. While it is ideal to have your own garden, there are many reasons for not doing so. But they don’t have to stop you from enjoying the harvest of fresh foods and preserving them for your family.

We live in an area where we have access to just about everything when it comes to fresh produce. Communities see the importance of offering weekly farmer’s market days to their locals. Family owned produce farms and businesses are popping up all the time. The state of Georgia has several large state farmer’s markets within reasonable driving distance from any part of our state. There is also a huge international farmer’s market close to Atlanta. While I don’t consider the latter’s prices good enough to buy in bulk for preserving, we enjoy shopping there for items that can’t be found elsewhere. We truly are blessed.

GATHERING FOODS TO PRESERVE WITHOUT A GARDEN

Seven places to find the treasures:

Family and Friends

– do they have garden space for you to work? Or if you don’t have the time or the ability, buy seeds and plants and offer to share the bounty in return will open the door for produce.

Farmer’s Markets

– communities are opening up more to this idea for local garden owners. Do your research on those closest to you. Get to know the sellers and tell them what you are looking for and why; many will be happy to work with you or get you in contact with someone who can help.

If your state has a farmer’s market, visit it. If it is open year round go at different seasons to see the produce. Find a farmer who is willing to work with you on the items and price. - Many will negotiate prices.

Pick Your Own

– these farms are perfect for items like blueberries and strawberries. Many of these farms have a huge variety of items to choose from. Check out the

Pick Your Own

website for farms near you.

Flea Markets

- don't ignore this idea, because the big flea markets have produce vendors and local farmers who will set up for a few hours on the weekend to sell their goods. In the past, we had a farmer set aside their spotted and over ripe tomatoes that would not sell to others so I could make spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, and salsa. One weekend, we bought three cases for a discounted price because they were not beautiful.

Preserving Foods WITHOUT a Garden

The next three considerations we have not used. I’ve researched them several times in the past and they are not feasible for us, but may work out for you.

CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)

– as a consumer you are subscribing (or buying) into the harvest from a local farmer. While many farms are fruits and vegetables only, there are many more who offer other farm items like meat and dairy. There are risks when buying a membership to a CSA; paying up front with no reimbursement for missed pick up dates or slim harvest for the week and failed crops just to name two. Check out the

Local Harvest

website for farms in your area.

Produce Co-Op

– buying shares in a co-op is done either weekly or bi-weekly. While most of these are boxes with enough produce for a week or so for a family, they may run specials on bulk items that are in season (tomatoes, apples, and oranges). By doing a little internet search you should find local co-ops using local farmers and stores instead of those from who knows where. If you can’t find one locally, you may even consider

Starting Your Own Produce Co-op

with friends and neighbors.

Produce Trucks

– just recently an out of state friend mentioned she was already putting away GA peaches. She purchased these from

The Peach Truck

. If your community has a Facebook group where announcements about these types of services are posted, watch for them. The more people interested in a delivery location, a company will add location stops.

It doesn’t cost a lot of money to have a garden, but it does cost sweat equity. Remember that when you are considering the costs of buying foods from others to preserve. Last August after we moved, we went to the big Farmer's Market in Atlanta. We took $100 to spend and only spent $80 on all of these goodies. There's a basket of summer squash beside the watermelon on the left.

That box of muscadines in the right corner of the picture turned into yummy

Muscadine Jelly

and

Muscadine Syrup

.

With these conveniences, preserving foods for a family doesn’t require having a garden spot. You too can preserve foods for your family to eat all year long.

Do you preserve foods for your family? What types of foods do you or would you like to preserve?

My Not So Spring Cleaning Tasks

While we are waiting for the official arrival of spring, now is the time to plan your spring cleaning tasks. While I’m a not a once a year spring cleaning cleaner, I’m sharing the tasks I do once a month in each room.

This post contains affiliate links. You can read my Disclosure.

What do I mean I’m not a once a year deep cleaner? I like to keep my spring days open for fun like fishing and antiquing than to be worrying about cleaning. Once a month, I take a room and deep clean it from top to bottom. Most rooms only take one day, but there have been times I cleaned more than two days in a room. With my once a month schedule, clutter and grime have a hard time sticking around.

No matter when you do your spring cleaning or how often, it is best to have plan and stick with it. Don't let the mess overwhelm you, remember the little quote, "Slow and steady wins the race". Depending on your home,work life, and schedule, cleaning every day for a week maybe out of the question. Find a schedule that works for you. What works for me don't always work for others. Test the waters on timing and methods while cleaning as you find what works.

My Not So Spring Cleaning Tasks

Kitchen – the heart of the home. When it is in a disarray our lives can become stressful.

Clear all surfaces. Starting at the top, working your way down clean everything inside and out: cabinets, drawers, and appliances. Don’t forget the walls, crown molding, windows, and baseboards If you are short on counter space, consider removing small appliances that are not used enough. Free up space by bringing out the appliance when ready to use helps in keeping a look of clutter down.

Now’s the time to go through your storage bowls. Missing lids, or bowls with no lids, toss and replace them. Do you have a cabinet full of Great Aunt Eliza’s dishes and milk glass that hasn’t seen the light of day in a good long while? Consider selling or donating it. There’s no reason in keeping a cabinet full of dishes that will never be used.

Don’t forget to clean the pantry. Throw out any out of date or stale foods. Wipe down the cabinets and walls. When you’re ready to put everything back, organize your shelves. It’s much easier to find needed items when you are not searching through a wall of potato chip bags out in front.

If you don't do a weekly cleaning of the refrigerator and freezer, now's the time to deep clean it.

Sweep and mop.

Dining Room / Living-Family Room / Bedrooms -

Clear all surfaces. Remove and launder curtains, bedspreads, pillows. If any mending is needed, now’s the time to take care of it. Wipe down everything, don’t forget the windows. Any drawers piling up with those “I don’t know what to do with it”, go through them and toss any junk. Vacuum/ damp mop dust, and sweep floors.

Go through clothes drawers and closets. Donate out grown, or no longer worn clothes and shoes.

Ceiling fans can be cleaned by using a pillowcase. Place a blade inside the case and wipe good. The pillow case will catch all the dust build up. Take the pillowcase outdoors to shake out the dust.

Clean the walls, and vacuum/sweep yourself out of the rooms.

Bathrooms -

Take down curtains, shower curtains, guest towels and washcloths and launder them. If your plastic shower curtain liner is in good condition and only needs cleaning, pop it in the washer with the other items and clean it. Be sure to hang it up to dry.

Throw away any old soap scraps, shampoo bottles, out dated makeup and toothpaste.

Get rid of any raggedy towels and washcloths. In fact, you can turn these into house cleaning rags to use and then toss. Go through your cleaning supplies and toss out the old, don’t forget about your toilet brush, replace it if needed.

When cleaning the bathroom, start with the mirror and sink, move on to the shower/tub and then finish up with the toilet before sweeping and mopping the floor.

Laundry Room-

Clear off all the surfaces. Wash down walls and windows. Now’s a good time to clean the inside of your washer according to the manufacturer instructions. While most know to clean out the vent on the inside of the dryer, don’t forget about the vent hose that leads outside your house. When that hose is not kept clean it makes your dryer work even harder at drying clothes. It’s also a fire hazard if you’re not careful.

You’ll need a strong arm and back to help you move the washer and dryer out so you can clean behind and underneath them. It’s amazing what can be found hidden behind them when we go looking.

If your laundry room also acts as a storage room, don’t forget to go through the stored items and clear out any clutter.

Dollar Tree has all your cleaning needs. And they're only a dollar, you can't beat that!

Porch / Patio / Deck -

Make this area look inviting even if it is not warm enough to enjoy yet. Sweep away any dust and cobwebs and wipe down the light fixtures. Check the doormat, does it still look nice or does it need replacing? If it’s warm enough, set out some plants. If not, look into artificial plants and flowers to bring about that touch of spring. Depending on how late your threat for winter weather is you can set out your patio furniture or cushions to offer that homey feeling.

Have you missed any of my posts about cleaning? You can catch up HERE.

What does your spring cleaning list look like?

Immune Boosting, Cold and Flu Fighting Homemade Elderberry Syrup Recipe

Not too long ago, my family was exposed to the flu. Last week my son was down for the count the whole week while my husband took one sick day from work. And all I could do was remember how I felt last year with the flu and how it seemed to never end. Being determined, I raced to the store to grab some elderberry syrup because I was not catching it. If I did, I was going to do what I could to lessen the symptoms and the duration of the dreaded illness.

Homemade Elderberry Syrup

Elderberry syrup is not something new for our family. We’ve been taking it for years, but I was out and had an order for dried black elderberries in the mail when the sickness hit our home. Making a batch of homemade elderberry syrup was already on my to do list because the store-bought brand tastes horrible to me because of the glucose syrup (corn syrup). But, I had to put aside my tastes so I could reap the benefits of the precious little black berries.

I am living proof, elderberry syrup works! After two teaspoons of the syrup, the scratchy feeling in my throat went away. For the next several days, I took upwards of 10 teaspoons each day and never had a symptom to rear its ugly head. My stubborn son refused his momma’s magical syrup and my husband gladly took it after spending most of the sick day in bed.

Elderberries are an actual food; they are used in jellies, jams, pies, and even wine. A yummy food with healthy benefits. Elderberry has a long history of being used in traditional medicine. Only the flowers and berries can be used, but the berries must be ripe and cooked if ingesting them. Unripe berries can be green or red depending on the variety. If you pick wild elderberry, BE SURE you know how to identify them.

There can be drug interactions when taking Elderberry with prescription medicines. Pregnant and nursing women are warned against taking them.

There should be no ill side effects when you properly take Elderberry. Although, it has been known to cause tummy problems when too much is ingested. Nothing too serious, you just won't want to leave the house. :)

I’ve not read anywhere about the length of time on taking Elderberry. Because of this, we only take it when we need to combat a cold or flu.  We also take it a couple of days before we know we are going to be in a large group of people for a long period of time.

Just a thought about honey. Children under a year old should not ingest honey. While you can certainly leave out the honey, the berries are so tart – almost bitter, a sweetener is needed. Look at using cane sugar as a sweetener.

Just a thought about elderberries. The seeds are bitter. If you mash the berries too much, you’ll give off the bitterness from the seeds.

Elderberry Syrup

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried elderberries
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup honey (cane sugar)

Directions:

In a medium pot, bring water and berries to a boil. Turn down and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by half. Strain the juice into a glass container (I use my large measuring cup). Little press on the berries with the back of a spoon, being careful not to crush the seeds. Allow the juice to cool. Add the honey and stir until mixed well. Store in a jar in the refrigerator.

Dosage:
Adult - 1 Tablespoon up to 4 times a day.
Child – ½ – 1 teaspoons up to 3 times a day.



Do you take elderberry syrup or another traditional medicine to combat a cold or the flu?


Disclaimer: I am NOT a healthcare provider. I am simply a wife and mom who is sharing what she has learned from research and a trial and error routine of finding healthy foods and all natural methods  for my family to enjoy.

Earning Money While Shopping Online With Rakuten

Earning money by shopping online. It's a real thing I have been doing for years and you can too. The best part is it's free to join and super easy to shop.

Affiliate Links are included in this post.

Scrolling through my emails I love to find a subject titled “Your Monthly Cash Back Statement”. When I see those words, I forget all the other emails and focus on that one to see how much money I earned (for free) by shopping online through Rakuten, formerly Ebates. I love Rakuten, but I love earning free money even more. We've been members for almost three years and have earned over $500 just by shopping online.

Do you realize when you shop online you can save even more money by going through Rakuten first than you can by going directly to the online store? If not, you can. Right now with the start of Christmas shopping, buying online will earn you free money and fewer headaches than wandering through stores and malls with all the crazy shoppers.

Earning Money While Shopping Online With Rakuten

If you sign up with Rakuten right now, they will give you $10 for free. FOR FREE!  All you have to do is sign up, there is no credit card required.  The best thing, it's FREE to sign up!
Rakuten has over 2,000 stores (you know many) that have partnered up to help you earn money. The awesome thing about Rakuten, you can have family and friends sign up under you and Rakuten will pay you. How cool is that?

Each month, Rakuten features stores where you can earn double from your purchases. I feel sneaky when I earn double money. :)

The Daily Hot Deals are just that - deals for only one day where you can earn extra money.

Once you sign up, Rakutens is very easy to use. Find the store you want to shop or if you don’t know the store, search a brand name or item. Scroll through the offers and choose the one you want and click through to the store using the link they provide. That’s it! Then you too will receive those famous “Your Monthly Cash Back Statement”.

Rakuten has even started an in-store shopping and earning option. If you are comfortable registering a credit card with Rakuten and find and In Store Cash Back Offer you like you can earn money when you use that card. Macy’s, GNC, and World Market are three of the many stores where you can shop in store and earn. ** I’ve not linked a card with Rakuten.**

Big Fat Payments (your earnings) are sent quarterly to either Paypal or by check to your mailbox.  I have mine sent to Paypal for security reasons.

A Secret: 

Magazine subscriptions are a HUGE earner! What better way to earn money back and buy for the hard to buy for person on your shopping list?