Couponing in Conway, AR

Hey, I had a couple of people ask me for some couponing tips, so I will tell you what I know about this area.  My favorite couponing site is krazycouponlady.com.  The site takes pretty much all the guesswork out of couponing.  They have website, blog, and facebook page. I love all three. On facebook that constantly are updating with different savings options. They also do more than just couponing. I have gotten discounts on gas cards through them, learned about additional ways to earn extra cash.

Thing I like best about them is that they match up coupons and ads. They will release usually on Friday and Saturday all of the adds for Walgreens, Kroger, Target, Kmart, Staples, Walmart and other places. They will also tell you what ads are going to be in the Sunday paper.  This can let you know if you want to buy the paper for the coupons.

My favorite places to shop in Conway are Walgreens, Kroger, and Target.  They to me have the best deals.  I will write a little bit about each store below, but a lot of this same information can be found on the website listed above as well.

Walgreens-I was a little sad when they switched to the rewards card, but they still have great deals.  They have an app you can download  and it will keep up with all your rewards points. You earn points on your purchases and can redeem them for cash off your purchase. They also have register rewards. These are immediate reward dollars to be use on a future purchase. I have never found a time I couln't use them right then.  I got a lot of free stuff that way.  They also have coupon books that they put out each month. A lot of Walgreens stuff is overpriced, so be careful and don't buy overpriced stuff just to use your register rewards. 

Target-Target has a lot of great deals. Lately they have been running a lot of specials where you get target gift cards if you purchase so much. Target will stack one Target coupon with one Manufactur coupon.  Again Krazycouponlady.com will take all the guess work out that for you.  You can alsoget a Target debit card to save an additional 5% on all your purchases. 

Kroger-Kroger will double all coupons up to I believe 50 cents.  They release their adds on Wednesday. 

I will write more later about couponing and Conway.  I also get a lot of good deals at Staples. I check out the Harps ad, but haven't gotten as many good deals. 

Celebrating our successes and looking towards the future!

   Despite being sick, this has a been a big week for my husband and me. We reached our first big financial goal for the year.  We officially have our emergeny fund goal reached.  I cannot explain how excited I am to have that goal accomplished.  We also are pretty close to having our second goal achieved which is to have all of our bills caught up and being paid on time. It is amazing how much money you can spend in just careless late fees. 
   My entire view on money has changed over the last twelve months.  My dad once told me that you want to have enough money so that if you ever need to you can tell your boss to take this job an shove it...(lol I don't think that was his exact words), but I understand now what it means.  I don't want to feel like my husband and I are stuck.  Having money and using it wisely can allow you to have so much freedom.  I want options.  I want to know that when my husband and I have kids that i can stay home if I want to. 
   My life dream has always been to have my own business. I didn't know what type of business, but I knew I wanted something of my own.  I have tried several times to start different things, and last year I quit my career as a counselor to pursue a gift basket business. I realize now that I just didn't have a full grasp on how to make all that happen, and how to prepare for the financial uncertainty that comes with starting a business. But now I do, or atleast I have a better a understanding of what I need to do to lay the foundation. 
   For February, my husband and I have set another goal.  We want to find a way to bring in or cut from our budget an extra $800.00 for the month of February. This will put us totally caught up with everything, and paying everything on time as mentioned above.  I share this just because I am going to be sharing on weekly basis the ideas and tips we come up with to create that extra $800.  I am sure there are others out there that are in way too much debt, would love to stay home with there kids, take a trip, or just have a little more wiggle room. 
   You know my husband and I talk about everything in regards to our money, but I think even he would admit that I pretty much handle our finances.  I think that up till now I really didn't take that role to serious, but now I realize 10 years down the road we are either going to have the life we want or not, and the only one to blame will be me if we don't.  I say that with certainty because I know God has always provided us with what we needed and even more, but it is up to us to manage it, to make it grow, to use it the way we know we should. This month in honor of Valentine's Day I want to love my husband enough to be responsible and manage our money well. 
   I have made it a goal for this month to blog two times a week. My other blog this week will include some of the ways we have already created some extra income this month, and how we are going to save on Valentine's Day;)
  Thanks for sharing this journey with me :)

Progress not perfection: My goal to live on less without going crazy in the process!

    My husband and I just finished a three day weekend. I had this idea that by this time of the night I would be sitting laid back, homework done, kitchen cleaned, and a month worth of meals cooked/mostly prepared in the freezer.  (lol...what was I thinking?)
   Saturday I woke up ready to shop and buy groceries. I had already mapped out what I wanted to purchase for my big cooking weekend, but I didn't realize how much time it would take to cut, clip, an match up coupons with the items I wanted. I had planned out some of the shopping and was able to hit Target, Staples, and Harps, but wasn't ready to finish everything out at Wal-mart.  I got a lot of great deals and ended up earning some unexpected money in the process, but by the end of the day I was really tired.
     Looking back on the day, I wish I had taken a moment to step back an reevaluate my goals for the weekend. It really didn't matter if I had everything cooked for this weekend, and I needed to focus on my school work as well. Now it is Monday night and I kindof feel like I didn't get much of a weekend.  It taught me a lesson though because I don't want to get burned out on trying to make positive changes. 
     There are always going to be deals out there, coupons to clip, and ways to save money. I have to remind myself to keep my mind focused on why I want to save money. It is so we can have more of the life we want, and it be less stressful not more.  Listed below are some tips and ideas about saving money that I have learned.

1.  Check out some of the coupon sites such as krazycouponlady.com and moneysavingsmadness.  Krazy coupon lady is by far my favorite. They match ads with the best coupons. They have helped us saving money on groceries, gas, and lots of other items.

2.  Fill out an send off rebates quickly. I get a lot of free items at staples, but it doesn't matter if I don't fill out the rebates an send them off. I just spent about 10 miniutes getting over $60 in rebates ready to mail off. Some of them you can even submit online.

3.  Be creative in making money.  I have found all types of ways to make money such as mystery shopping, filling out surveys, and evaluating websites. For me it is a better way to earn money than a second job.  This past weekend I was up for an upgrade on my Iphone. I checked the prices being offered on my phone on Gazelle.com, and i was able to get the phone, and sell my current phone for Gazelle.com for $130.00. That is in addition to the activation fee.

Would love to hear from you if you have any ideas about how to save money and live on less!

Saving money day by day!

     This week has been such the fun week! Wednesday was my birthday. I was a little sad at first because in the past few years I have been going out of town on my Birthday.But this year we just couldn't afford the cost of the hotel, travel, and then all the extras that go with traveling. I know there are ways to save money on hotels, and I know that eventually I will master that aspect of thrifty living, but for this year we were at home. 
   As Sunday draws to an end, and I look at returning back to work, I have to say that this Birthday was by far better than the times we went out of town. I feel so much more relaxed and rested. Plus I honestly feel like we got to do a lot more stuff and didn't go broke doing it.  On my Birthday we went to Hot Springs. My husband and I had never been to Oaklawn, and so we were both able to get $10 in free play. Plus since it was my birthday I was able to get an extra $10 in free play.  We did spend money on gas down to Hot Springs, but it was much less than going to Tunica and we didn't feel like we had to stay there longer and gamble. 
   Also this week I got a  binder and supplies to create a coupon binder/receipe/grocery list binder.  I am very excited about that.  I am planning on really tracking how much money I am able to save from couponing and finding other discounts. I will share as I go.  Plus I am determined to go cook more at home, and make healthier meals. 
  I know that week by week, I will learn more and more tips as far as how to save money, make the best use of time, and get healthier.  I am more excited then I have ever been because my approach feels a lot more fun, and I know have already made progress. My husband and I ended out the week by creating a budget, and for once I feel like it is a very realistic budget.  It is going to be exciting to see how much we can accomplish over the course of the year.  For now here are five tips or websites that have helped me get started in my goal to get out of debt and save money.

1. ) Plan ahead-as much as possible I am learning to plan ahead regarding where we are going and what we plan to do. This gives me time to check the websites of the places we are going and hunt the internet for discounts. Sometimes planning ahead just means before we walk out the door checking really quick the places we are going.

2) Being flexible. Staying open to trying new brands, new places, and new ideas is crucial. I am a person of habit, so this is a little bit of a challenge for me, but I am learning trying new things can also be a lot of fun.

3) Not being afraid to ask.  I have in the past not wanted to bother people. But one thing I decided when things go tight for us financially was that I wasn't going to just stick my head in the sand and pray things were going to get better. I became proactive. I am not afraid to ask or an extension, call and let somebody know what the situation is, or simply just ask if there are any special promotions or discounts. I still have my comfort zone, but I am learning ways around it.

4) Being realistic! As I said above my husband and I set a budget this week. If I think about the big picture of where we want to be and where we are now, I get totally overwhelmed. We based our budget on reaching to goals.  1) By the end of the month we wanted to be caught up on everything, and paying everything/everyone on time. 2) By the end of the month we wanted to have an emergency fund.  Our budget wasn't for the entire year, but for the next four months.  We set small goals.

5) Budget fun! I almost didn't type this one because I know that anybody who really knows us would say that we definetly eat out and do things.  At times it is to our detriment. I think what I realized, however, is that when we tried to set any type of financial plan we didn't budget fun in.  We always ended up rebelling. I know that the budget we set for ourselves is not going to be easy, but we both walked away excited because we actually budgeted money each week for us to do something fun.

These are the biggest things I have learned so far. I look forward to hearing anybody elses comments on what works for them.  Together we can create the lives we have always wanted. 

Free money- maybe it does grow on trees!!

Happy New Year World!  I don't know why, but this year especially has me excited. I am excited about the changes that have already begun to take effect in my life. I am excited about another year with my wonderful husband. I am excited about all the little trips, adventures, and opportunities that the new year will bring. 

Last night my husband and I set 10 new year's resolutions. It was nice to do them together, and writing them down gave me a feeling of determination.  Most of the resolutions involved in some way or another our finances.  In 2012 I made a big decision and ended my career as a counselor. It meant a big change in income.   I don't regret the decision at all, but in order to reach our goals for 2013, we are going to have to do some creative living.

I learned last year that there are a lot of opportunities out there to earn extra money, save money, and do the things you really want to do at a cheaper price.  I am determined this year to continually seek out those deals, and to pay attention to where our money is going. 

I want to share the tips, tricks, and ideas I find along the way.  I am hoping that through this blog others will share their ideas as well. This morning I was excited to wake up to find out that while I slept 25 dollars had been deposited onto mine and my husband's serve cards from American Express. I signed up for the cards in December. American Express was running a special where if you load $25 dollars and open a serve card they will give you $25. I opened two accounts (one for my husband and one for me). I loaded the money last night, and overnight the extra $25 dollars was desposited onto our cards. We had immediate access to the money today when I used the cards.  Normally their are fees associated with loading money on the cards, but they are currently waiving those fees as well. If you have kids, you can also set up cards in their names, and get the bonuses.

I have included the link below. Of course I would recommend reading all the information and making sure the fees are still being waived. 

www.serve.com/load25

Be sure and let me know if you utilize the link or if you know of other deals or offers.

Hello, My name is Leslie and I Love Food!

I cannot remember a time in my life when I didn't love food.  I love the way I feel after I eat a really good meal.  I enjoy preparing food and having people over. I like having so much food that everybody can take a plate of food home for the next day.  Along with my life long love for food, I have had a life long struggle with my weight.

This past year was a change for me in the since that I was able to loose 30 pounds and keep it off the entire year.  Most years it has been a process of dieting, losing 100 pounds and gaining it back. Of course 30 lbs was not my goal. I would have loved to lose more, but the point is that I am not going up and what I am losing I am keeping off. 

I think I have finally realized that I am never going to be one of those people that is going to write down my food every day, calorie count, count points, or exercise every day. I totally admire and respect those people, but it is just not for me. So what does that mean for me? Does that mean I just let myself eat whatever, forget about being healthy and just accept that I am likely to have a premature death. That is just not the route I want to go.

I have instead decided on a gentler approach. A plan that will work for me.  I want to take this 30 pounds that I have lost and build on it and more importantly make changes that will allow me to keep the weight that I lose off. 

The funny thing is that I have found that over the past few weeks I have become more excited than ever about cooking, having people over, and enjoying entertaining. I think I have felt like I should enjoy cooking or get excited about food because of my weight. When I was a kid I wanted to be a chef. I don't know that at 33 I am ready to break into that field, but I defiently want to try new things,experiment, and make meals that are both wonderful and healthy.

It is nice to see things from a different perspective, and look at my goal to become healthier as an adventure instead of a battle to stay out of the fridge. Sorry the fridge is going to win every time. I think at some point in our life we have to sit and look at where we are, where we want to go, and more importantly what are we WILLING to do to get there. I can read every diet book, self help book, and motivational story, but if I am not willing and excited about doing something I will never do it. It doesn't mean I won't ever do things that I would not rather do, but I atleast most days of the week need to enjoy it.

I am truly excited to see what the next 12 months bring, and I am equally excited to see what the spaquetti I have cooking in the crock pot tastes like :)

Hello World, It's me Leslie!

This year like most years has been a big learning experience for me.  I have found myself questioning so much about myself and the relationships that I have.  As I get older, I find myself wanting so badly to just be myself. I don't want to hide any part of myself.  I want to be genuine.

I wonder, however, if that is really what the rest of the world wants.  Hiding my emotions was never something I was good at. If I'm sad, I cry! If I'm angry I either shut down and get quite so I can process my emotions, I cry, or I just get mad.  I stop random people to tell them that I like their outfits, I go back and apologize over the silliest things, and when a relationship that i really wanted to work out or be different doesn't work out I grieve.  That is just me.

I have struggled with depression and anxiety since I could remember, and with that my weight has gone up, down, and all around.  I have road rage at times, and then feel guilty for saying mean things. I  know even as I write this that some people will read it, roll their eyes and think why did she write this.  My response: This is who I am.

I spend less than 10 min on my hair every morning, I own two pairs of shoes, and I hate clothes shopping.  I love to get massages.  I cry when I watch Hallmark movies, and it hurts my feelings when people stare at me in the supermarket because of my weight. I wish desperately that people could see beyond my outside and just get to know me.

The shootings on Friday got me thinking about the world we live in. People want to blame guns, but the reality is the boy that shot his mother and then all of those kids was angry, hurting, and probably feeling very much alone. I don't know anything about his family, but I do know a lot about our society. Our society uses terms like "Be Yourself", and "Just Do It", but then we are quick to judge others, to point out others flaws and differences, and quick to walk away when someone needs a helping hand.

I wonder if each of us took some time to open up our minds and hearts to other possibilities, other ways of living, other ideas, and other perspectives how great a world we might live in.