Are you interested in earning some extra money?

I am really enjoying doing this blog.  I enjoy it because it keeps me focused on my goals, and I get to share what I am learning along the way.  I have had several friends ask me about some of the opportunities i have found to make some extra money online.  I decided to focus the next seven days of blogs on that topic.  Here is the list of upcoming topics for the next seven days:

Tuesday-Tips to finding online opportunities and avoiding scams
Wednesday-Mystery Shopping
Thursday-Online surveys
Friday-Couponing, Rebates, and Trial period offers
Saturday-Task based money makers
Sunday-Work from home jobs

I would love to hear if anybody else has tried any online money making opportunties.  I look forward to posting in the next week.  I plan on only discussing opportunities that I have personally tried and received checks or payments from.  Thanks for everybody that has been reading my blog :) Hopefully together we can all reach our financial goals and have more of the life that we want. 

Saving money while vacationing

My husband and I just got back from vacation.  We went to Branson for Valentine’s Day.  I have to say that we had the best trip.  We would love to be able to take more small mini vacations, but we also have goals of getting out of debt and wanting to buy a house.  Here are some steps we took to save a little bit of money on our vacation. 

1)      Pick a hotel that offers extras for a good price- My husband and I love to go swimming, and a lot of times we would rather spend a day just strictly soaking in the hot tub and swimming in the pool. We always stay at hotels that have that option.  We stayed at the Welk resort in Branson.  They have a waterpark and game room.  At different times of the year they also offer breakfast package options. 

2)      Bring your own drinks and snacks-The Welk resort has small refrigerators in the room.  We always bring drinks with us.  This can save lots of money.  Bringing our own snacks also helps.  A lot of times if breakfast is included in the hotel rate, we will snack for one meal and eat out for the other meal.  This vacation we splurged a little more and ate out twice a day.

3)      Plan ahead on what you can- I think life can get boring if you over plan.  Part of going on vacation is not having to have a set schedule, and to be able to do something just because it looks like fun.  Most people, however, usually have some idea of a few things they want to do on vacation.  We always want to eat at certain places when we got to Branson.  We love to eat at the Outback in Branson and Fuddruckers.  I checked out the Outback in Branson site and found a coupon I could purchase for 1.50 for our favorite appetizer (saved us $5.00) plus they had discount certificates to purchase that were sent by email.  I was able to get a $50 gift certificate for $40.00. 

    We also love Fuddruckers.  I signed up for their email club, and they send out coupons for your Birthday.  I got my coupon, but it expired before our trip. I emailed them and let them know that we do not have a Fuddruckers close by but would be traveling to Branson.  They emailed me back and told me to email them closer to the trip.  I did, and received a coupon that day for a free burger.  We both ate at Fuddruckers for under $12.00. 

4)       Look for fun free items to mix in with more costly adventures- I am sure there are some people that could spend a lot less on vacation.  I have read blogs where people only do free things on vacation.  I am all about saving money, but also want to feel like I’m not missing out on things I want to do.  I think a good mix can be found.  Some of the things that made Branson so special this trip was that we ventured out more.  We love to go to Branson Landing.  They have the water show and it is totally free.  We also went to Outback on a night that they had live entertainment.  We didn’t plan for that, but in the future I will be looking more to find places that offer life entertainment.  We also visited Eddie Biggs Dueling Piano Bar.  They had great food and only charged $5.00 per person to get in.  The show starts at 8:00pm.  They played great music and we had so much fun singing along. 

5)      Keep an open eye for opportunities to save a little-I am learning to look totally different at money.  I still have a long way to go.  I look back on our trip and I still see ways we could have spent a little less, but I think that is the point to keep trying.  Even on vacation I am constantly keeping my eye open to find coupons and ways to save.  I think it is important to write down ideas or things you discover even if it is too late to use those ideas on your current trip.  There is lots of information on the internet about saving money on trips. 

Would love to hear any of your tips for saving money on vacations.  We are excited to now be planning a trip to Tennessee in the fall.  Hoping to find lots of ways to save money along the way. 

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.