Another type of hot "water" bottle is a hot sock. They're pretty much just socks filled with cheap rice and microwaved. You don't have to worry about them burning you or leaving them on all night, and they stay warm for really, really long time.
I don't have a smartphone, but if I did, I'd want an app that told me if a store had an item in stock. Many times I make a trip to a store for a sale item, only to find out there's none on the shelf.
How about an app that keeps track of all my must-buy items and tells me every Sunday morning which store (in my local area only) has the best price, complete with coupon matchups.
My mom loves pine cone ceterpieces. To spruce hers up (no pun intended), she uses decorative ribon or gauzy material in between the pine cone layers. Once she added glass beads to an especially tightly packed vase of pine cones. It was beautiful.
My favorite inexpensive decorating tip is framing book covers. Some of the hard cover books I've picked up over the years have truly great cover art. I frame them using inexpensive frames from thirft stores or the dollar store, and hang them on my white apartment walls (how I *wish* we could paint, ah well) for a bit of color.
There are a lot of generalizations and assumptions in this post, and in the comments. Yes, the people on the show disgust me a bit - buying mustard that won't be used, buying obviously unhealthy food, etc... Also a lot of people posting that would have you believe they eat nothing but fresh fruit, veggies and meat and nothing else. I think reality for most who are into using coupons lies somewhere in the middle. I have gotten into using coupons this year, and I buy lot's of healthy foods, and I do stock up on them when I have a coupon AND the item is on sale. I then use that savings to offset the cost of some of the fresh stuff we want. But there are lot's of "healthy" things that can be purchased with coupons, it's not all Totino's Party Pizza and cookies. I also use coupons for shampoo, soap, razors, etc.... I see no harm in spending a couple hours per week while watching tv with my wife clipping a few coupons that will save me a bunch of money every month. So to those who poo-poo this and make assumptions about those who use coupons, I think you're wrong.
Go freelancing! There are plenty of websites out there: Elance, Freelancer, Odesk and many more where you can find work if you are a marketer, programmer, assistant, accountant, writer.
Marketing has brought us to a point where we believe is essential to have a premium gym membership instead of enjoying the benefits of running in the park, or Tv cable and subscriptions to magazines and newspapers. Most of these are thrown away money since today you can find a lot of information and entertainment on Internet.
The one thing I have noticed is the majority of the stuff these women buy is pre-packaged, highly processed JUNK FOOD. The stuff we should all be cutting down on eating. I want to buy food that is the best for my family, not buy food because I got it for free. Wonder if these women will have coupons for free insulin when the diabetes kicks in.
We check out three pieces of art from our local library every three months. You can renew them for up to 9 months total. Right now we have a Van Gogh, a Renoir, and a Seurat!
I enjoy a fresh cup of coffee every morning. I never really drank it much until a few years ago, and never understood all the fuss. I still refuse to become a coffee snob, though, as I make my own at home and use the stuff they have at work. No $5 a day habit for me!
I agree with Jay. That's the same thing I said when I saw the types of foods that were being purchased by the "extreme couponers". Processed foods that are laced with chemicals and artificial preservatives, colors, and flavorings, not to mention GMO ingredients. These people are greedy and selfish and that is the problem with most people here in America. There are people who are literally starving to death and you have these couponers who are only concerned with getting more and more items, be it food, or non-food items. To clear out whole shelves at a time is just plain ridiculous and unnecessary.
I live below the poverty line and have a hard time making ends meet, so I understand the struggle to make sure that I am feeding my family real foods that are healthy and affordable. I want to save when I go to the grocery store, but I also realize that other people have to buy food as well. I still buy natural and organic foods and I wouldn't become an extreme couponer even if I knew how to do it. There are more important things in life then wasting hours and days clipping coupons.
Keep it in moderation. There's some research out there that coffee spikes cortisol levels in your body - yes, that's that nasty little hormone that promotes the storage of belly fat. We were BIG coffee addicts until we were introduced to Spark from AdvoCare. Much healthier for you, tastes great, and clears the cobwebs from your head in a hurry. While you're googling cortisol, google Spark as well. :)
Wonderful article about the health benefits and costs of coffee. There really are a lot of health benefits to drinking a cup a day and it's definitely cheaper to make it at home. To cut costs, I bought a Keurig single cup coffee maker (with the ground coffee maker piece) to cut my consumption and costs. This way I get my morning "joe" without wasting any coffee nor going out to the local Starbucks and spending $1.50 a cup. All in all, each cup at home costs me less than $0.20 and the coffee maker paid for itself in 1.5 months.
Thank you for adding the disclaimer about the caffeine as well. I am caffeine sensitive but having a little each day helps with my particular illness. I cannot drink more than half-caffeinated or my heart will begin racing horribly. If the person is not normally a coffee drinker, they should really start with decaffeinated coffee first and then try moving up the caffeine level.
Evernote is one of my all-time favorites. It's my digital reference system and note taking program. I used to use toggl a lot, till I found aTimeLogger. The way I use time tracking is mainly for my life, not just work projects. So I track 24/7 where my time goes and I found aTimeLogger a little better to use for that.
For a task manager, I can't endorse Omnifocus enough. It's iOS/Mac only, but in my opinion the best task manager out there.
I can see why the house services would be a money waster. My aunt, who I live with, has a full-time job, my uncle is always busy with work, umpiring, softball, and helping my dad mow yards, so he's not home to help clean. They also have a 8 month baby, yet she still finds time to clean the house spotless. So, even if you have children, it's not entirely impossible to clean the house on your own. Cell phone are a necessity these days. Now, the extras that are optional are probably where your money is being wasted. You don't need texting, a data plan, etc. I pay $45 a month for unlimited internet and texting and for my shared minutes with my dad and step-mom for over 1,000 minutes that we never seem to run out of. Plus, if you talk to people who have your service (which all but like, 5 people I know don't) it's free to talk to them. Which is worth it. My mom pays about $20 or so for her minutes for a pre-paid phone and texting, because she just needs it to call people. I don't see the point of extra TVs, so I agree there. It just wastes more electricity, which costs you. I'm fine with my one TV. I've never had multiples. And you don't NEED cable or anything, really. Watch your TV on Hulu or the station's website. Or spend $10 on Netflix and watch movies online as well. That is a good investment. Honestly with a car, all I ask for is power locks and windows, and maybe a CD player. If not, I have my ipod I can plug in, or just listen to the radio. I don't need anything super-fancy on my car. Especially stuff that's just going to do nothing but distract me. Eating out is a big money waster. It does save a LOT of money to make your own food for lunches and cook your dinner at home. Plus it tastes better usually, and like someone mentioned up there in the earlier comments, it'll save from future health concerns later on because you'd been eating out all the time. As for diapers, I've only changed a diaper twice in my life, and I don't have children, but I do know they make disposables in environment friendly versions to reduce on waste. But, the only thing I can think of other than being a pain in the butt to change and wash all the time, is the amount of extra things you'd have to wash. It might even make an extra load of laundry you'd have to end up doing, which again, if you have an older washer and dryer, it'll use up more electricity and water. I'd rather just buy the environmentally friendly disposables, and do it that way. But what do I know, I'm not a parent. The mention of the Post-Its was just plain stupid, really. Just get a piece of paper, write what you need to remember on it, then bam! Recycle it. Or, another instance when that handy dandy cell phone comes in handy. Most phones (smart-phone or otherwise) all have a notes app on it, or an alarm to set to remind you of an appointment, or whatever you need to remember anyways. I won't ever get a credit card. Mainly because I know how my spending habits are, and I'd be in debt so fast. As for the washer and dryers being $600 a piece, where the hell are you getting your washer and dryers? You don't HAVE to have a brand spankin' new set, you can find ones in the classifieds for as low as $50 which are sometimes newer models. There's flaws to a lot of what you mentioned, basically is what a lot of, if not all, the commenters have obviously pointed out.
I've been "extreme couponing" since 2007. This show is exploiting and taking advantage of people who will do anything to get their 15mins of fame. The show does not pay them to be on it, they do it merely for the TV coverage and advertising for their blogs, classes, etc. Many of them have fraudulently used coupons (including that dang mustard) on national TV and don't lose a second of sleep over it.
That being said, I buy lots of basic ingredients as opposed to "processed junk". I do buy candy when free, have to pass out something for Halloween after all and my neighbors' kids love getting a full sized bar instead of a teeny one. I buy produce, lean meat, brown rice, organic, Kashi, Muir Glen, Cascadian Farms and store brand organic/natural all the time. We eat whole wheat bread and non GMO milk. I save a minimum of 50%, often 75% or more on everything we need. Including clothes, computer memory, printers and ink, dog food and treats, movie tickets, redbox codes...
We do also grow our own produce, but I have several friends who barter their freebie HBA products to local farm stands. I have a friend who is even getting art lessons for her daughter in return for HBA stuff.
I stockpile based on what we use and brand loyalty. Everything else goes straight on the donation shelf, which we drop off weekly at the local food pantry. I don't have a shower full of paper products or 100 bottles of mustard. I have enough to get me to the next regular sale. This may be a couple months for things like cereal (regular rotation every couple months or sooner) or a year for things like BBQ sauce (summer sales).
Even with my own coupon blog I don't spend 40hrs a week clipping coupons. I also don't spend hours at checkout or shopping per store. Maybe 10-15mins on average for larger orders, usually 5-10mins for a quick trip. Which includes finding the product and checking out. Knowing the store setup and what I want makes it quick to get in and get out.
I have never cleared the shelf. I have watched several local couponers do it, and several teach classes that encourage it, but there is no need to be greedy and gluttonous. It is an adrenaline rush and not everyone is capable of realizing the bigger picture and how them clearing shelves hurts others.
My favorite app is the one that tells me when the next bus is coming to my bus stop, since I now commute using a combination of walking and riding the bus. This way, I can decide if I want to wait a few minutes for the bus, or if I have time to walk to the next stop before it comes. Saves me money and I get my exercise!
Another type of hot "water" bottle is a hot sock. They're pretty much just socks filled with cheap rice and microwaved. You don't have to worry about them burning you or leaving them on all night, and they stay warm for really, really long time.
I don't have a smartphone, but if I did, I'd want an app that told me if a store had an item in stock. Many times I make a trip to a store for a sale item, only to find out there's none on the shelf.
How about an app that keeps track of all my must-buy items and tells me every Sunday morning which store (in my local area only) has the best price, complete with coupon matchups.
Wow, I've never heard of that -- your library lets you check out framed art? So cool!
My mom loves pine cone ceterpieces. To spruce hers up (no pun intended), she uses decorative ribon or gauzy material in between the pine cone layers. Once she added glass beads to an especially tightly packed vase of pine cones. It was beautiful.
My favorite inexpensive decorating tip is framing book covers. Some of the hard cover books I've picked up over the years have truly great cover art. I frame them using inexpensive frames from thirft stores or the dollar store, and hang them on my white apartment walls (how I *wish* we could paint, ah well) for a bit of color.
I don't even own a smart phone or iPad yet. Just an old-fashioned regular cell phone. So I've never even used an app yet.
There are a lot of generalizations and assumptions in this post, and in the comments. Yes, the people on the show disgust me a bit - buying mustard that won't be used, buying obviously unhealthy food, etc... Also a lot of people posting that would have you believe they eat nothing but fresh fruit, veggies and meat and nothing else. I think reality for most who are into using coupons lies somewhere in the middle. I have gotten into using coupons this year, and I buy lot's of healthy foods, and I do stock up on them when I have a coupon AND the item is on sale. I then use that savings to offset the cost of some of the fresh stuff we want. But there are lot's of "healthy" things that can be purchased with coupons, it's not all Totino's Party Pizza and cookies. I also use coupons for shampoo, soap, razors, etc.... I see no harm in spending a couple hours per week while watching tv with my wife clipping a few coupons that will save me a bunch of money every month. So to those who poo-poo this and make assumptions about those who use coupons, I think you're wrong.
Go freelancing! There are plenty of websites out there: Elance, Freelancer, Odesk and many more where you can find work if you are a marketer, programmer, assistant, accountant, writer.
Marketing has brought us to a point where we believe is essential to have a premium gym membership instead of enjoying the benefits of running in the park, or Tv cable and subscriptions to magazines and newspapers. Most of these are thrown away money since today you can find a lot of information and entertainment on Internet.
The one thing I have noticed is the majority of the stuff these women buy is pre-packaged, highly processed JUNK FOOD. The stuff we should all be cutting down on eating. I want to buy food that is the best for my family, not buy food because I got it for free. Wonder if these women will have coupons for free insulin when the diabetes kicks in.
We check out three pieces of art from our local library every three months. You can renew them for up to 9 months total. Right now we have a Van Gogh, a Renoir, and a Seurat!
Thanks. I collect material like this, to pull out when someone declares self-righteously that they've given up coffee. Coffee is good.
Thanks for the shout out! Rock on, my friend :)
I enjoy a fresh cup of coffee every morning. I never really drank it much until a few years ago, and never understood all the fuss. I still refuse to become a coffee snob, though, as I make my own at home and use the stuff they have at work. No $5 a day habit for me!
I especially love the word art idea; it's fabulous!
I agree with Jay. That's the same thing I said when I saw the types of foods that were being purchased by the "extreme couponers". Processed foods that are laced with chemicals and artificial preservatives, colors, and flavorings, not to mention GMO ingredients. These people are greedy and selfish and that is the problem with most people here in America. There are people who are literally starving to death and you have these couponers who are only concerned with getting more and more items, be it food, or non-food items. To clear out whole shelves at a time is just plain ridiculous and unnecessary.
I live below the poverty line and have a hard time making ends meet, so I understand the struggle to make sure that I am feeding my family real foods that are healthy and affordable. I want to save when I go to the grocery store, but I also realize that other people have to buy food as well. I still buy natural and organic foods and I wouldn't become an extreme couponer even if I knew how to do it. There are more important things in life then wasting hours and days clipping coupons.
Not to be critical but aren't points 1 and 4 essentially the same argument. Also aren't 2 and 3 seem pretty similar.
And for a little comic relief, just about every addiction is healthier and cheaper than smoking crack (from mention in point 1).
Keep it in moderation. There's some research out there that coffee spikes cortisol levels in your body - yes, that's that nasty little hormone that promotes the storage of belly fat. We were BIG coffee addicts until we were introduced to Spark from AdvoCare. Much healthier for you, tastes great, and clears the cobwebs from your head in a hurry. While you're googling cortisol, google Spark as well. :)
Wonderful article about the health benefits and costs of coffee. There really are a lot of health benefits to drinking a cup a day and it's definitely cheaper to make it at home. To cut costs, I bought a Keurig single cup coffee maker (with the ground coffee maker piece) to cut my consumption and costs. This way I get my morning "joe" without wasting any coffee nor going out to the local Starbucks and spending $1.50 a cup. All in all, each cup at home costs me less than $0.20 and the coffee maker paid for itself in 1.5 months.
Thank you for adding the disclaimer about the caffeine as well. I am caffeine sensitive but having a little each day helps with my particular illness. I cannot drink more than half-caffeinated or my heart will begin racing horribly. If the person is not normally a coffee drinker, they should really start with decaffeinated coffee first and then try moving up the caffeine level.
Thanks again! Awesome article!
Evernote is one of my all-time favorites. It's my digital reference system and note taking program. I used to use toggl a lot, till I found aTimeLogger. The way I use time tracking is mainly for my life, not just work projects. So I track 24/7 where my time goes and I found aTimeLogger a little better to use for that.
For a task manager, I can't endorse Omnifocus enough. It's iOS/Mac only, but in my opinion the best task manager out there.
I can see why the house services would be a money waster. My aunt, who I live with, has a full-time job, my uncle is always busy with work, umpiring, softball, and helping my dad mow yards, so he's not home to help clean. They also have a 8 month baby, yet she still finds time to clean the house spotless. So, even if you have children, it's not entirely impossible to clean the house on your own. Cell phone are a necessity these days. Now, the extras that are optional are probably where your money is being wasted. You don't need texting, a data plan, etc. I pay $45 a month for unlimited internet and texting and for my shared minutes with my dad and step-mom for over 1,000 minutes that we never seem to run out of. Plus, if you talk to people who have your service (which all but like, 5 people I know don't) it's free to talk to them. Which is worth it. My mom pays about $20 or so for her minutes for a pre-paid phone and texting, because she just needs it to call people. I don't see the point of extra TVs, so I agree there. It just wastes more electricity, which costs you. I'm fine with my one TV. I've never had multiples. And you don't NEED cable or anything, really. Watch your TV on Hulu or the station's website. Or spend $10 on Netflix and watch movies online as well. That is a good investment. Honestly with a car, all I ask for is power locks and windows, and maybe a CD player. If not, I have my ipod I can plug in, or just listen to the radio. I don't need anything super-fancy on my car. Especially stuff that's just going to do nothing but distract me. Eating out is a big money waster. It does save a LOT of money to make your own food for lunches and cook your dinner at home. Plus it tastes better usually, and like someone mentioned up there in the earlier comments, it'll save from future health concerns later on because you'd been eating out all the time. As for diapers, I've only changed a diaper twice in my life, and I don't have children, but I do know they make disposables in environment friendly versions to reduce on waste. But, the only thing I can think of other than being a pain in the butt to change and wash all the time, is the amount of extra things you'd have to wash. It might even make an extra load of laundry you'd have to end up doing, which again, if you have an older washer and dryer, it'll use up more electricity and water. I'd rather just buy the environmentally friendly disposables, and do it that way. But what do I know, I'm not a parent. The mention of the Post-Its was just plain stupid, really. Just get a piece of paper, write what you need to remember on it, then bam! Recycle it. Or, another instance when that handy dandy cell phone comes in handy. Most phones (smart-phone or otherwise) all have a notes app on it, or an alarm to set to remind you of an appointment, or whatever you need to remember anyways. I won't ever get a credit card. Mainly because I know how my spending habits are, and I'd be in debt so fast. As for the washer and dryers being $600 a piece, where the hell are you getting your washer and dryers? You don't HAVE to have a brand spankin' new set, you can find ones in the classifieds for as low as $50 which are sometimes newer models. There's flaws to a lot of what you mentioned, basically is what a lot of, if not all, the commenters have obviously pointed out.
i'd like an app that tells me the price of anything, including groceries!, at local stores =P wishful thinking i think
I've been "extreme couponing" since 2007. This show is exploiting and taking advantage of people who will do anything to get their 15mins of fame. The show does not pay them to be on it, they do it merely for the TV coverage and advertising for their blogs, classes, etc. Many of them have fraudulently used coupons (including that dang mustard) on national TV and don't lose a second of sleep over it.
That being said, I buy lots of basic ingredients as opposed to "processed junk". I do buy candy when free, have to pass out something for Halloween after all and my neighbors' kids love getting a full sized bar instead of a teeny one. I buy produce, lean meat, brown rice, organic, Kashi, Muir Glen, Cascadian Farms and store brand organic/natural all the time. We eat whole wheat bread and non GMO milk. I save a minimum of 50%, often 75% or more on everything we need. Including clothes, computer memory, printers and ink, dog food and treats, movie tickets, redbox codes...
We do also grow our own produce, but I have several friends who barter their freebie HBA products to local farm stands. I have a friend who is even getting art lessons for her daughter in return for HBA stuff.
I stockpile based on what we use and brand loyalty. Everything else goes straight on the donation shelf, which we drop off weekly at the local food pantry. I don't have a shower full of paper products or 100 bottles of mustard. I have enough to get me to the next regular sale. This may be a couple months for things like cereal (regular rotation every couple months or sooner) or a year for things like BBQ sauce (summer sales).
Even with my own coupon blog I don't spend 40hrs a week clipping coupons. I also don't spend hours at checkout or shopping per store. Maybe 10-15mins on average for larger orders, usually 5-10mins for a quick trip. Which includes finding the product and checking out. Knowing the store setup and what I want makes it quick to get in and get out.
I have never cleared the shelf. I have watched several local couponers do it, and several teach classes that encourage it, but there is no need to be greedy and gluttonous. It is an adrenaline rush and not everyone is capable of realizing the bigger picture and how them clearing shelves hurts others.
My droid light has been the single most useful app (besides maybe gmail). I love it!
My favorite app is the one that tells me when the next bus is coming to my bus stop, since I now commute using a combination of walking and riding the bus. This way, I can decide if I want to wait a few minutes for the bus, or if I have time to walk to the next stop before it comes. Saves me money and I get my exercise!