Wow, 2.5 hours and it starts!!

I have been soooooo busy this week! Work, family, and a sister in law's wedding to try to help with, I haven't posted any more tips!! So here you go, some catch up :)

3. Coupons. Ohhhh, the dread of every Walgreen's and Target cashier in North America. The biggest thing I hope to convey by doing this is that you can live well and save a LOT of money by using coupons to your advantage. It's all about matching the deal with the coupon to get the most bang for your buck. Then stockpiling things when they're on a really good sale or free so you don't have to buy them out of necessity. I started out using www.grocerygame.com (use my email pirnq@yahoo.com as a referral if you want to try their 1 month trial for only $1). Eventually I just learned to do it myself and use my other online references, referrals and friends to help me out. Some other great sites are www.hotcouponworld.com, www.slickdeals.net, www.pinchingyourpennies.com, www.afullcup.com, www.couponmom.com, www.taylortownpreview.com and my personal favorite: http://community.babycenter.com/groups/a7465/coupon_deals_for_bargain_hunters . All these sites have helped me track my coupons and find the sales to use them. Hopefully I can slowly impart some strategies to anyone choosing to read this blog :)

4. Never pay full price. My husband recently said to me as we used a $10 off when you buy $50 at Lowe's coupon at Home Depot: "I can't believe we ever pay full price for anything!" Yesssssss honey, NOW you're getting it!! You can use competitor's coupons at some stores. Joann Fabrics and Michael's take each other's coupons. Lowe's and Home Depot will accept each other's too. You can print off coupons online. www.retailmenot.com has the best selection of codes to use when you shop online. I too am angered whenever we go to a store and just "buy" now. Why pay full price??

5. Water usage. Now, Colorado has this ridiculous law that they don't want you to save rainwater or the water going down the drain because it's supposed to go downstream as part of an asinine water rights thing they signed way back when. Well guess what, you charge me for what comes out of my tap. I pay, it's mine. And rain is not your right to govern. So there. Anyway, we all know the "water your flowers and plants with collected water". But you can also use it to help fill your washer when you wash your clothes. Soap it up and wash the car. Fill the kiddie pool. Give the dog/cat water. Fish would much prefer rain water to chlorinated city water. Rinse your hair with rain water if you want cleaner hair. Fill your sink and wash your dishes. Boil pasta in collected water (use a clean pot). Water the dead/dry spots on your lawn. There's a lot you can do with it. Be creative, you paid for it if it came from your tap and if it came from the sky? I seriously don't think imminent domain applies...

6. Thrift Stores. Now, I'm hesitant to put this one down. Lately the stores around here have been trying to charge $8 for a pair of used jeans. I DON'T THINK SO!! But if you can hit them when certain tags are half off or search for the better deals on the rack, there's still plenty to be found. That's where I'll fill a large part of my $100 household budget.

7. Free Days. You have to have a bit of patience for these because lots of people like the word free. It will not be you and one other person at these free events, be ready for crowds. This summer you can get free movies on weekdays or free bowling in your area (links to come I hope). The Zoo, the Natural History Museum, even sporting teams put out coupons (we have one for the Rockies this summer) for free admission days. Look on the websites and see what they say. As long as you aren't people claustrophobic like I am, then it's a good way to get free entertainment.

8. Cut dryer sheets in half. Really, a little goes a long way. Half a sheet will reduce your static level the same and you'll still get the same fresh smell.

9. Check your Grocery Receipt. Guess what, it's a computer, it screws up. A lot. Several stores have a policy that if it doesn't ring up right then it's free. Or at least they'll refund you the difference. Unfortunately, nearly 80% of my receipts have this affliction. It saves me a lot by month's end just to be vigilent about it.

I think that gets me caught up to now!! I'll have the first installment of the All You challenge very soon. I've already screwed up and worn the wrong shoes to work tonight and didn't put an extra set of workout clothes in the car. But, I guess it's all part of the challenge :) I have pictures of the stockpile I'll be leaving behind and I'll post them tomorrow. Hopefully I can figure out how to post an excel spreadsheet too so people can follow our totals. Tomorrow's a busy day too so we might end up eating 0.69 Hot/Lean pockets for dinner. But maybe not because I'm pretty sure we'll be eating them for lunch at least!! The health aspect won't kick in until I can get to the grocery store in earnest. There will be a few "theoretical" buys for tomorrow and maybe on real trip. We'll see what I can accomplish on no sleep and a 1.5 hour window to do it all in!