Friday, December 31, 2010

Elevate Your Finances in 2011 - Goals

With 2011 upon us, it's time to make new financial goals for the year. 

Experts say that when you make goals, you should make them SMART:
  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Attainable
  • Realistic
  • Timely 
There's lots of information on the Internet about good goal-setting; I won't repeat the information here.  But in this case, I think "Attainable" is the most important when it comes to financial goals.  As you choose a financial goal, be sure that you'll be able to meet the goal within a reasonable timeframe.  Meeting that goal, however small it might be, will give you the confidence to set another, higher goal.

My main financial goal this year is to reduce the amount of my home equity line of credit, a goal which I started on last year. Though I would like to completely pay it off in 2011, I'm not sure this is attainable given my situation.

So, my first financial goal is by December 2011, I will have paid off 50% of the remaining balance from January 2011.

My second goal is to straighten out my finances... literally. This will include:
  • Creating a list of all of our important papers, accounts, investments, etc. so that all the information about our finances is in one place, in case of an emergency.  This will be in place by February 2011.
  • Rolling over our 401(k) accounts with previous employers into self-directed IRA accounts.  This will be completed by April 2011.
  • Redoing my financial paper filing system.  Right now, it's more of a piles of paper system. This will be completed by June 2011.
Tomorrow, I'll be posting my blogging goals.  Happy New Year!

What are your financial goals for 2011?  Leave a comment below, or if you have a blog, link up to your blog post!  Please link back to Elevate Your Goals in 2011 at Frugal Follies.



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Extreme couponing for normal people

On Wednesday, a special entitled "Extreme Couponing" appeared on TLC.  I didn't see it, unfortunately. (It will air again on January 4th at 10:00 pm EST and January 5th at 1:00 am EST.)  But from what I have read about, it portrays couponers as way, way outside the mainstream.  From TLC's description:

Extreme Couponing profiles four shopaholics who use coupons to save thousands of dollars and amass huge stockpiles of goods.These shoppers go to the extremes, dumpster diving for coupons and spending hours a day searching the internet for great deals.
To show a different side of couponing, Ruth over at Living Well, Spending Less made a video called "Extreme Couponing for Normal People," showing her shopping trips to Publix, CVS, and Walgreens.  The amount of time and effort Ruth spends on couponing is more typical of the average couponer and is far more doable for the vast majority of Americans.  Take a look at her trip, and then check out her savings.


Great job, Ruth!  I hope that more people will realize that with just a little effort, by combining sales and coupons they can save money and help their families!

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Under a Buck at Walgreens 1/2/11 - 1/8/11

Got a great Walgreens deal?  Leave a comment below!

Trying to keep your Walgreens bill low, but don't have time to clip coupons?

Here are some of the items that are under $1.00 this week.  All you'll need is the weekly ad, which you can pick up in the store, and a pair of scissors to cut out the in-ad coupons.  A * means that an in-ad store coupon is required.  This list is based on an online ad scan; please double-check your local ad to see if these bargains are applicable in your area.

See the 1/2/10 - 1/8/11 Walgreens ad scan here.
  • FREE - Finesse Clean + Simple shampoo or conditioner, 10 oz, or hair spray, 8 oz (buy one at $1.99, get $1.99 RR)
  • FREE - Children's Oscillococcinum Homeopathic Flu Medicine, 6 ct (buy one for $8.99, get $8.99 RR)
  • FREE - Omega Factor-3 (buy one for $10, get $10 RR)
  • FREE - Salonpas Arthritis Pain Patches, 5 pack (buy one for $5.99, get $5.99 RR)
  • 11¢ - Digital prints, each *
  • 19 - Papermate mechanical pencils, 5 pack *
  • 20 - American seed packets *
  • 34 - Hunt's tomato sauce, 8 oz *
  • 39 - Bowl Fresh, 1.76 oz *
  • 39 - HomeCenter household gloves *
  • 49 - Hershey's candy, 1.4-2.5 oz *
  • 50 - Big Roll bathroom tissue, 1000 sheets *
  • 50 - Deerfield Farms baking soda, 16 oz *
  • 50 - Morton iodized salt, 26 oz *
  • 50 - Comet cleanser, 14 oz *
  • 50 - W toilet bowl cleaner tablet, 1.7 oz *
  • 50 - Geisha mushrooms, 4 oz *
  • 50 - Madam mandarin oranges, 11 oz *
  • 50 - W thin liners or pantiliners, 20 or 22 ct *
  • 69 - Sharpie highlighters, 2 pack *
  • 69 - Papermate stick pens, 10 pack *
  • 69 - Penway composition book, 80 sheets *
  • 79 - Dentyne, Stride, or Trident gum, 12-18 pieces * 
  • 79 - Swanson chicken broth, 14 oz *
  • 79 - W facial tissue, 80-200 sheets *
  • 89 - Walgreens nuts, 1.25-4.75 oz *
  • 89 - Blue Diamond almonds, 1.5 oz *
  • 89 - Cafe W snacks, 3.5-5 oz *
  • 89 - Walgreens wax paper, 75 sq ft *
  • 89 - Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil, 20 sq ft *
  • 99 - 7Up,  A&W, Sunkist, Canada Dry, or Hawaiian Punch, 2 liter *
  • 99 - Chicken of the Sea pink salmon, 5 oz *
  • 99 - Chicken of the Sea solid white tuna, 5 oz *
  • 99 - Niagara spray starch, 20 oz *
  • 99 - W Clean to Go instant stain remover *
  • 99 - Hyponex potting soil *
  • 99 - Nivea Arctic Freeze shave gel or after shave, 3.3 oz (buy one at $3.99, get $3 RR)
  • 99 - Softsoap liquid hand soap, 7.5 oz *
  • 99 - W cotton balls, 70 or 100 pack *
  • 99 - Studio 35 polish remover, 8 oz *
  • 99 - Palmolive dish liquid, 10 oz *
  • 99 - Nabisco cookies or crackers, 4-8 oz *
  • $1.00 - Theater pack, king size, or Ferrero candy
  • $1.00 - Hometex microfiber kitchen towel or 2 pack dish cloths
  • $1.00 - Yum! gadgets
  • $1.00 - Chapstick, 0.15 oz
  • $1.00 - Blistex, 0.15 or 0.25 oz
  • $1.00 - Halls cough drops, 30 ct
  • $1.00 - Crest toothpaste, 6.4 oz (buy one at $2, get $1 RR)
  • $1.00 - Oral-B Indicator toothbrush (buy one at $2, get $1 RR)
Of course, by using coupons and figuring out Register Rewards deals, you can get some of these items and many more for less or even for free!  Check out these great Walgreens deals at Frugal Follies, or these sites:
Link up your great shopping deals at Wednesday Weekly Shopping, and check out my Under a Buck series for more deals at supermarkets and drug stores!

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Under a Buck at CVS 1/2/11 - 1/8/11

Got a great CVS deal?  Leave a comment below!

Are you trying to keep your CVS bill low, but don't have time to clip coupons or figure out complex ECB deals this week? 

Here are some of the items that are on sale at or under $1.00 this week, without coupons.  The only thing you'll need is your CVS card. The information below is based on an online ad scan; please check your local ad to be sure that the deals are available in your area.

Click here for the 1/2/11 - 1/8/11 ad scan.
  • 34¢ - Extra or Extra Dessert Delights gum (buy three for $2, get $1 ECB)
  • 50¢ - Mars singles
  • 88¢ - Pepsi products, selected varieties, 2 liter
  • 88¢ - Palmolive, 10 oz
  • 88¢ - Kleenex, 78-100 ct
  • 88¢ - Theater box candy
  • $1.00 - Glade air freshener, 9 oz
  • $1.00 - Glad scented oil warmer
  • $1.00 - Select grocery items
Of course, if you do use coupons and figure out ECB deals, you can purchase many other items for under a buck or even for free!  Check out some great CVS deals at Frugal Follies, or these sites:
Link up your great shopping deals at Wednesday Weekly Shopping, and check out my Under a Buck series for more deals at supermarkets and drug stores!


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Thursday, December 30, 2010

atTENding to Our Finances in 2010 end-of-year update

Wow, it's the end of 2010! Let's see how well my family completed this year's financial goals:

  • Save up and pay cash for the expenses of my daughter's bat mitzvah in October 2010.  Completed!
  • Save up a proper emergency fund.  This was completed, then was depleted a bit.  Though it could still use more, I'm calling this one completed for now.
  • Pay off our home equity line of credit.  As of now, we have paid off 14% of the amount from January 2010.
One other goal that I did not list in January: Survive through the time of my husband's unemployment. 

My husband lost his job in February 2010.  This was not unexpected; he had known that his job would end and had been unsuccessfully looking for work since July 2009.  Through much work and a little luck, he was able to find and start a new job after just one month of unemployment.

Because of the impending unemployment, I started looking for ways to save on the family budget in the summer of 2009, and came across all of the great money-saving blogs which described how to use coupons and get great deals.  I loved doing this so much, I decided to start Frugal Follies last January to share my own experiences.  It's been a great year - thank you!

Coming up on Friday will be my financial goals for 2011, and on Saturday, my blogging goals.

Have a wonderful New Year!

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Frugal Food Thursday: Orange-Oatmeal Bread

Welcome to Frugal Food Thursday!  If you have a great frugal recipe, please link up below! 

And... We'll be hosting a Clean Out the Cupboards month in January.  Join us!

Last week, I had left out my New York Times Cookbook while copying down the original recipe for what became my recipe for Whole Wheat Waffles. My youngest daughter (age 5) found the cookbook and turned the pages randomly.  "Can we make this?" she said, pointing to a recipe.

"Uh, I don't think you'll like Cabbage a la Bretonne," I said.  (Though maybe I should have just gone with it!)

So I flipped through the pages, reading out names of recipes that 1) she might like, 2) would be easy for a 5-year-old to help with, and 3) we had the ingredients for.  After many "no!" responses, I came across Orange-Oatmeal Bread.  She said that sounded yummy, so we gave it a try.

One problem: the recipe called for oranges.  Though we had tangerines in the house, they proved too small and seedy for the recipe, once I had cut one up.  I did use the fruit's zest, and substituted canned mandarin oranges from my pantry.

I also wish I had substituted some whole wheat flour for some of the white flour.  One of my goals for 2011 is to get white flour and sugar out of my diet except for special occasions.  Next time, maybe!

Orange-Oatmeal Bread (adapted from The New York Times Cookbook)

3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
1-1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1-1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup old-fashioned oats
2 tbsp butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup water
2 tbsp grated orange zest

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place mandarin oranges in a small bowl and sprinkle with 2 tbsp sugar.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder and soda, and remaining sugar.  Mix, then add oats.

Add melted butter, eggs, water, and orange rind to the mandarin oranges.  Add this set of ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing until the dry ingredients are moistened.

Pour into a greased 9x5 loaf pan and bake for 55-60 minutes.  Allow to cool in pan on a cooling rack.

There are lots more cheap recipes posted here at Frugal FolliesClick here for the list!

Got a great frugal recipe?  Link below to your actual post, not your main page.  I'd appreciate it if you would link back to Frugal Food Thursday as well!


Check out more recipes at:
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Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Wednesday Weekly Shopping: Cupboard cleaning and year-end totals

I invite you to link up to your best grocery deals below, to inspire others to save more!

I was already preparing for the Clean Out the Cupboards Challenge this week - I pretty much bought all my food at ALDI this week.  I really didn't add anything to the cupboard, just bought dairy, eggs, breads, and vegetables.

In addition, I've decided to add more protein to my family's diet - too many spaghetti and pizza dinners lately - so I purchased some chicken and fish at BJ's.  And I went to CVS twice and used up a lot of ECBs that were burning a hole in my pocket.  So now the bathroom cabinets are pretty full, too!

Overall, this week I spent $81.24 for items worth $139.66, or a 42% savings.  (But don't compare percentages!

See all my shopping here.

And for the year-end totals... well, I didn't keep track of my spending during the months of June, July, August, and September, due to kids being home for the summer as well as bat mitzvah planning.  But for the other eight months, I averaged $79.65 per week for items worth $159.10, or just a hair below 50% savings.  And just below my weekly budget of $80!  Woohoo!

How did your shopping go this week? What bargains did you get? Please leave a link to your blog post about your weekly shopping. The aim is not to brag, but to inspire!  Please link up directly to your post, not to the blog itself. I'd appreciate it if you put a link to Wednesday Weekly Shopping in your post as well. If you don't have a blog, please leave a comment!



Check out the following to see how others shopped this week!


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Shopping details 12/29/10

Here's what I got this week for $81.24:


Product Quantity Shelf Price Total - Coupon - Savings TOTAL Details
CVS






Pantene 2 $4.99 $9.98 $3.49 $3.01 $3.48 $2 ECB
Dawn Hand Renewal 2 $1.69 $3.38 $1.00 $1.50 $0.88
Herbal Essences 2 $4.29 $8.58 $3.99 $2.60 $1.99
Charmin Basic 3 $8.99 $26.97 $3.00 $12.00 $11.97 $1 ECB
Cascade 1 $4.99 $4.99

$4.99
Tone body wash 1 $5.49 $5.49 $1.00 $1.61 $2.88 $3 ECB
tax

$2.33

$2.33
$25.22 ECB


$25.22
-$25.22








ALDI






yogurt 8 $0.37 $2.96

$2.96
whole wheat bread 2 $1.19 $2.38

$2.38
milk 4 $1.99 $7.96

$7.96
tortillas 3 $0.99 $2.97

$2.97
eggs 1 $0.69 $0.69

$0.69
apple juice 3 $1.19 $3.57

$3.57
baby carrots 1 $1.19 $1.19

$1.19
all-purpose flour 1 $1.39 $1.39

$1.39
bananas 1 $0.92 $0.92

$0.92
celery 1 $0.79 $0.79

$0.79
cashew halves 1 $2.59 $2.59

$2.59
fruit bars 1 $1.89 $1.89

$1.89
cottage cheese 1 $1.99 $1.99

$1.99
shredded cheddar 1 $2.49 $2.49

$2.49
32 oz yogurt 1 $1.59 $1.59

$1.59
American cheese 1 $1.79 $1.79

$1.79
apples, 3 lb 1 $2.89 $2.89

$2.89
avocados 4 $0.49 $1.96

$1.96
cucumbers 2 $0.29 $0.58

$0.58
spinach 1 $1.79 $1.79

$1.79
romaine lettuce 1 $2.09 $2.09

$2.09








BJ's






chicken breasts 2 $10.49 $20.98

$20.98
tilapia fillets 1 $10.49 $10.49

$10.49








Total Out-of-Pocket

$139.66 $37.70 $20.72 $81.24




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Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Clean Out the Cupboards Challenge: Take inventory

I hope you've read about January's Clean Out the Cupboards Challenge, which will be co-hosted by me, Denise at Shopper Strategy, Robbie at Going Green Mama, Crystal at Mrs. Happy Homemaker, and Rebecca Jean at Midnight Maniac.

If you're planning to participate (and I hope you are!), here's a tip to start on now, before the challenge begins: Take inventory!

Go into the back or bottom of your freezer and attempt to identify the contents.  (If you can't, perhaps you shouldn't be eating it!)  Go into the way back of your cupboards and see what's back there.  Check out your refrigerator, throw out what's going bad, and make sure you can see all the stuff that isn't.

Keep a written list of what's in there, and what you want to use up during the challenge.  I'd suggest giving top priority to refrigerator items as well as already-opened items in your pantry and items that have been in the freezer for a while.  Leave unopened packages and recently-frozen items for later.

While you're looking through the pantry, look for unopened items that you can't imagine eating during the challenge.  You might have items in our pantry that you bought for a specific recipe and never used  Or perhaps you got excited about a sale and picked up a dozen boxes of a rice mix that your family ended up hating.  If you won't use it during the challenge, consider donating those items to a food bank so they can help someone else.

Check your spices, too!  I cleaned out my spice shelf last weekend and found some spices that had been in there a long, long time.  I threw much of it out.  I also had several open containers of the same spice - I consolidated them to save room.  Hopefully I won't buy more of what I already have in the future.

Once you've taken inventory, you'll probably find many items that you'll be looking forward to using up next month.  I hope you're joining us for the Clean Out the Cupboards Challenge!

Check out these sites for other frugal ideas:

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