Day 6 of the $75 Week Goal

Well, there you have it... end of day 6 and I'm at $57.48...

Which means, I'll have to bring in $17.52 tomorrow.... (holding breath!) This is not going to be an easy task as I think my eBay items are pretty close to where I think they are going to close... surveys are totally slim on Sundays... and well, there's always my AC articles, but I probably won't know until next week whether they helped me cross the goal or not.

I hope you'll hang in there with me!

Today brought a $5 survey from PSB. (If you are not signed up with them yet, they can be found at http://www.psbsurveys.com/ - I don't get a ton of survey opps from them, but when I do, they are all for pay, and they pay promptly!)

eBay bids increased by $3... so here's hoping they close well tomorrow and I get uber close to the goal!

"See" you tomorrow,

Hugs,

Barb

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Ready... Set...

Start! I started the week by listing three items on eBay just prior to midnight to take advantage of the free listing they had in the month of September... wish I would have remembered that tidbit of info a little earlier- ack!

Here's hoping that will at least equate to a $25 profit, which will bring me a 1/3 of the way towards goal. Will have to scrounge around the house some more tomorrow and see what's eBayable... time to clean out those closets!

As for Associated Content, I've written one article so far... and if I do the math, at an average of $6 an article (at least that's my average lately- wish it was higher... they used to pay a lot more prior to the bonus performance pay, though the performance pay is nice too as it trickles in)... anyway... at that rate, I'll have to write 5 to 6 articles this week, so 1 per day if I'm to hit at least $25, or a 1/3rd of the gaol.

The surveys will be a little harder, depending on what's out there and available. Here's hoping I get lucky and find at least five $5 ones! If not, I'll have to make up the diff in articles or eBay.

I'll be reporting in daily as I make progress.

Are you setting goals too? What'cha doin? Would love to hear about it!

Hugs,
Barb

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New Week, New Goals

Okay, so far I'm doing well on the $35 or less at the grocery store... with only three days left, I should do well, especially since we are eating dinner for free tonight at a local fair sponsored by our telephone company- gotta love that!

So...as I'm getting back in the cheap grocery groove by utilizing freebies, coupons, rebates, creativity, sales, and mystery shopping. (Tip: The key to frugal success is to combine everything possible on each shopping excursion.)

My next goal includes earning some quick cash through survey participation, listing a few items I can scrounge up on Ebay, and writing a few articles for Associated Content.

What do you think is a reasonable goal? $50, $100, $150?

I'm posting a poll for you to help me decide how much I should try to make in one week - check out the right column and click on your choice! (And keep in mind, my Ebay items are not high dollar ones.)

On the really good news earning-money-front, I just sold a frugal living/finance article to American Profile Magazine - hurray! Will keep you posted on when it will be published.

Well, back tomorrow with more stuffs! Don't forget to check out http://www.momdotcom.net for today's freebies!

Hugs,
Barb

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Week Two - Score!

Well, I made it through week two- hurray!!

I will be sooooo happy to purchase a few new items for our household, but I know the end result has been worth the effort. We finally have a little padding in our budget from all the money saved.

It also gave me two weeks to store up coupons, and sign up for mystery shops so we are well positioned to have an excellent shopping week next week too. In fact, I'm going to set my goal at $40 for grocery shopping this week. Making it just a little higher to accomodate meat purchases.

How did your week go?

The most difficult part for me was struggling to figure out how to utilize only what we had on hand for meals, in the last few days. The mistake I made was using more readily available, faster to prepare foods for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. This left me having to cook more heavy-duty (spend more time in the kitchen) in the last few days.

This week I'm also going to be exploring more options of working toward zero debt, and I'll be sharing all the things that are already working for me, and all those I uncover along the way.

Hope you'll continue to join me!

PS: If you are... please leave me a note in the comments... yes, I'm needy LOL Seriously, though, it'd be lovely to know I'm not alone in the pursuit :)

Hugs,
Barb

PS- As always, I've posted the best freebies and deal finds I came across this week on my MOMdotCOM blog- be sure to stop by and SAVE! http://www.momdotcom.net
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App-O-Rama?

I'm far from being ready to tackle this one, especially as my current goals include wiping out our credit card debt all together... but I came across this interesting phenom that others are participating in called App-O-Rama.

App-O-Rama is the "art" of making money from credit cards... yup, you read that right... making money from credit cards. And there's merit to it, especially if you have an excellent credit rating.

For more info, check here: http://app-o-rama.com/o/

As for today... still going well with the goal and even had steak sandwiches for dinner... purchased and frozen earlier this year when steaks were actually reasonably priced. If you don't have a deep freezer... consider getting one. The savings from being able to stock up during meat sales will more than pay for the cost of the freezer in the first year alone.

Cheers!
Barb

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A New Week - A New $10 Goal!

Okay, week two here and so far, so questionable... Ran out of milk, so that meant a $3.00 purchase today, which means there's only $7 left for groceries to get through the rest of the week... time to get super creative!

On the bright side, I found I had a reserve toilet paper stash, so I can cross that off my list for the week... and I'm putting all those paper bags from the grocery store I've accumulated this year to good use, by subbing them out for our normal garbage bags. This does mean the garbage can fills more quickly, but hey... this little frugal experiment is keeping much-needed dollars in our bank account.

Makes me want to continue on another week... maybe not with such a low limit, but thinking a $25 might be do-able.

Have you been inspired to try a super low budget grocery store week yet? If so, please share the details- I'd love to hear how you are doing!

Other ideas I've implemented this week are cutting my detergent levels and dryer sheets in half... amazingly (or not so amazingly, this is a long time frugal living habit that many practice) my laundry is just as clean, fresh, and static free as it normally is.

I used to think that habit was a little over-board, but when you add it up (especially with my family of five) that's equal to a $10 savings a month, or $120 a year back in my pocket with no more sacrifice than taking the time to cut a few dryer sheets in half. Cool beanies!

I'll be back tomorrow with a new report and new ideas too. :)

In the meantime, feel free to pop on over to my MOMdotCOM.net board for a helpful article on enjoying fresh produce all year plus oodles of new freebies too!

Hugs,
Barb

Did She Do It?

Okay, for those of you following my week, the question at top of mind must be... did Barb really spend $10 or less on groceries for the week and the answer is....

drum roll, please....

YES!!

Not that it was easy! Especially today as my two youngest had soccer games and you all know how easy it can be to spend money on snacks, beverages, and so on. Not to worry, I came prepared with a game plan- water, juice, and snacks packed in a nice small cooler did the trick and we spent a total of $3 on hot dogs (1 for each child- there are just some things worth splurging a tiny bit- and concession stand hot dogs are one of those things for us- makes the kids totally happy and the profit goes towards supporting the leagues.)

So, my grand total for the week actually was under $5! Woo woo!

Continuing this goal for next week will be a little difficult as I have toilet paper and garbage bags on my list... not exactly small purchase items. So, we'll see how I can work that one out... any and all suggestions and links to coupons are appreciated :)

How did everyone else do? Have you set a goal for next week?

I'll be back with more and some discussions on credit & debt reduction... along with my personal struggles and triumphs... stay tuned!

Hugs,
Barb

PS- here's a few freebies for the road- enjoy!

FRE Sample Pouch of FiberOne Cereal http://www.startsampling.com/sm/FiberOneCereal/captureAddress.iphtml?item=25046&source=251&raf=

FREE Sample of Loreal Vive Pro Shampoo http://vivepro.com/

FREE 50 Million Pound Challenge Kit http://www.fatwallet.com/redirect/bounce.php?afsrc=1&url=http://www.50millionpounds.com/

FREE Subscription to American Cheerleader http://www.freebizmag.com/bramercheer01welcome.htm

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How I Made Money on My Last Shopping Trip

I thought it might be fun to share with those of you on the Zero Debt journey with me, how I made money on a trip to the grocery store today… yes, I said made money, not just saved money.

Totally tickled about this as I’m now exceeding my goal this week already to spend less than $10 at the grocery store.

So without further adieu, here’s the receipt:

Now, “wait!” you say, “I see that you spent $23.56… that’s more than your $10 a week goal.”

“Yes,” I reply, “but I chose to go to this store as a Mystery Shopper and was paid $25 for the assignment (more on that later...) So, in reality, I came out $1.44 ahead! And now, I have all the things like milk and pet food that we really needed, and then some.”

Let me take you on a line by line tour of all the items I purchased and how I managed to trim the bill so low.

MILK – Purchased ½ Gallon at $1.25. The full Gallon was $3.49 and much more than I needed, the ½ Gallons were on sale for 4 for $5… a much better price and amount. Even had I needed a Gallon, it’d still be cheaper. Always watch your prices carefully!

VISION CARE- My husband needed contact lense solution. I often dread this purchase as coupons can be hard to come by. However, I shopped the shelves and found Vision Care had an auto $3 off Coupon attached, bringing the cost down from $8.99 to $5.99.

Tip: Most contact lense solutions have the same ingredients- check the labels and don’t be afraid to try different products.

BAND-AIDS- With 3 children, it’s easy to run out of these. Had a $1 off coupon which cut the price nearly in half. Normally, I would wait for a sale or shop around on other store visits, but we were completely out of this much needed item, and just my luck, some one would instantly get a boo-boo when I got home if I didn’t pick them up.

KLEENEX- The store had a sale of 10 for $10 on the big boxes. Total deal! If I had more coupons, I would have picked up more, but I settled for two boxes with a 35 cent off coupon.

CEREAL- Had a free coupon for this item, passed my way by a friend – gotta love that!

TIDY CATS- With a store coupon combined with a manufacturer’s coupon clipped from the Sunday ads, plus a sale on this item, it was a must buy even though I have a box at home. The normal $6.69 box cost me $3.49.

GOODLIFE RECIPE DOG FOOD- Had a free coupon from a freebie I posted on momdotcom.net a few weeks ago… the promo is no longer active, but they do have a $1 off coupon available if you need one. http://www.goodliferecipe.com/coupon_reg.aspx

Tip: I mix freebies like this in with my dog’s regular food in small doses so that the dog does not have digestive problems (got this tip from our local vet.) If you don’t wish to stretch your dog food in this manner, when you run across freebies like this, please donate them to your local vet.

PURINA ONE DOG FOOD- Again a free coupon, this time from the Purina One 30 Day Challenge.

This offer is still active, so run and sign up! http://www.purinaone.com/radiochallenge/intro.htm Purina is our preferred brand, so this is a great freebie for our household. If that link doesn't work, cut and paste this link http://www.purinaoneresults.com/ to sign up for the 30 Day Challenge.

SHEBA CAT FOOD- Snagged a free coupon again from a freebie I previously posted on momdotcom.net (If you aren’t reading my daily blog over there… might I suggest it? Lots of freebies!)

This offer is also still active http://www.sheba.com/home.asp (only now it looks like they are sending the can directly to you, rather than a coupon... not a biggie, still a free can!)

ALPO DOG FOOD- Free with coupon cut from Sunday ads.

MEOW MIX CATFOOD CAN- Free with coupon cut from Sunday ads.

PURINA PUPPY CHOW – Found this on sale and I had a $2 off coupon I received from Purina as I’m on their mailing list.

Tip: It pays to be on manufacturer’s mailing lists as they often send out useful coupons and sometimes samples too.

So for $65.22 (before in-store sales) worth of needed groceries, I paid $23.56… a $41.66 savings!

Of course, it got better because I chose to shop this particular store due to the availability of a Mystery Shopping assignment, which I detailed the results of above... bottom line, earned $1.44 plus I now have $65.22 worth of free groceries.

While I cannot tell you, to keep with confidentiality agreements, which shopping company… I can direct you to the lengthy list I compiled earlier this year of Mystery Shopping companies: http://momdotcom.blogspot.com/2007/01/lengthy-list-of-mystery-shopping.html

In addition (because I always love additions and combining all the frugal-savvy-ness I possibly can) I used my banking card, which is a credit union card and offers a fab point program for free! Always shop around for banks too, it’s in your best interest to take the time to do so.

So there you have it – I am $1.44 to the positive on my $10 or less grocery shopping goal for week 1.

I hope this helps you make it closer to your goals too!

Hugs,
Barb

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