Just to Keep You Updated

Sorry I haven't posted in a while.

My hubby has been having some really serious health issues and I've had to drive him back & forth to dr. appointments for tests, mri, scans, etc. Plus our youngest daughter has had a couple special events for which I had to help out. She attends a co-op nursery school which is much cheaper, but the family has to help out in the classroom (tchr asst).

On a lighter note, I've been working on my first ebook while waiting in those dr. offices. I plan to release it in April, so be on the look out. It will be of great use to moms this summer.

Just keeping everyone informed and let you know what's going on - so if I miss a day or two not to worry :)

HMAH Tip # 21 Save Big with Club Cards & Mailing Lists

This next tip is pretty easy. Take advantage of the discounts offered by your favorite stores by signing up for their membership cards and mailing lists.

Grocery stores offer discounted prices and also free products. One example is the free turkeys and hams given away during the holidays. When you spend X amount on groceries you receive a free turkey for Thanksgiving or at the very least a turkey at a deep discount.

CVS offers bonus bucks or extra bucks. Visit this site to learn how to get products for free or deeply discounted. http://www.savingadvice.com/forums/frugal-questions-answers/27331-how-do-cvs-bonus-bucks-work.html.

Want to receive coupons to your favorite stores. It's as easy as signing up for their mailing list either online or in the store. Lots of stores mail out their latest sales flyer along with coupons for products and services.

Book stores and craft stores in my area do this all the time, and I love it. Borders and JoAnn Fabrics send out flyers with discounts about once a month. It's great getting sewing patterns for $1.99 instead of $12.95 each and books at 15% off.

Create a list of your favorite stores and then one-by-one see if they offer a discounts for joining their mailing list or creating an account online. It's another great way to save money.

HMAH Tip #20 Buy in Bulk

This tip just makes common sense. Save your family a bunch of money by avoiding individual sized packaging.

In my local grocery store items like these pretzels cost approximately $4.50 which is a lot of money when a regular size bag of the same product costs about $2.50 or less on sale. (Gotta love Snyder's Pretzels!)

Another example is to buy a larger package of chicken breasts the store because per piece it is almost always cheaper.

Make sure you calculate it out the per serving price - like I said it is "almost" always cheaper.

Now as you are putting the groceries away divide up the larger packages into smaller servings that are appropriate for your family or even single servings. This way you only have to defrost the amount you need for that meal. Also separate out the snacks into smaller snack-size servings, so your kids can just grab one to put in lunches or for an after school snack on their own.

Have fun shopping everyone :)

Kim

HMAH Tip #19 DIY Frozen Microwavable Dinners

This is one tip that is sure to save you time and probably some money!

Many people are buying those frozen microwavable meals from their local grocery stores for $1 - $5 a meal. Users claim they don't have time to fix a lunch in the morning to take to work, or they just need something quick to feed their families before soccer practice. Well, I found a really easy solution.

Buy some Tupperware CrystalWave Plates or find something similar at a department store near you. Make sure which ever plates you purchase are microwavable and also able to be frozen.

Once you have the divided plates fill them with your leftovers and put them in the freezer. Now they are all ready for you to take to work for lunch or if you need a quick meal for your family.

Many times homemade meals are healthier because there are no added preservatives and high sodium levels that are commonly found in packaged meals. Fill your plates up with low fat, low carb or other healthy recipes and you have your very own diet microwavable meals.

This really quick tip will save you time because you were already fixing dinner to begin with -- you're only making a larger portion. Also, you know your family will like the food because you cooked it and they already ate it for dinner earlier that week.

Hope you enjoyed this simple little tip :)

Kim

HMAH Tip #18 Write at Night

This tip is really easy to do and an excellent way to sleep better. For this tip all you have to do is write before you go to bed at night.

Now I know what you may be thinking who has time to write each night when I have to get the kids in bed, pick up stuff around the house, spend some time with my hubby and I want some time to relax myself. All I suggesting is righting a paragraph or more if you feel up to it.

Here's what you write: a to-do list of things to do tomorrow or things you didn't get done today and a brief summary of what happened today. The summary of the day is pretty important because you'll want to list events that made you happy, mad, sad, confused, etc. Get it off your chest. No one needs to see the stuff you write - you can even throw them away once your done.

The main reason for writing before you go to bed is to "download" or "dump" all the thoughts floating around in your minds. Keeping you up at night. This will also help you remember all those important details that are usually forgotten by morning.

Give this tip a try and see if you are able to sleep a little better at night.

     

Electro-Shock Therapy Killed My Phones

Here's something that has happened to me recently that you may give you a chuckle. Over the past 2 weeks I've zapped two phones and killed them. Yes, I've actually made two of our phones completely stop working, by zapping them with static electricity. One was a cordless attached to the base and one was corded.

The bad part was you could actually see the arch of electricity come out of my finger tip. It was quite painful. My family laugh their heads off at me getting shocked all the time (sick joke about electro-shock therapy). I even touched other metal objects (ie. light switch, door knob, etc.) Nothing worked.

After 2 weeks, I finally remembered there is a great product out now called "Static Guard". I haven't needed Static Guard for 15 years. I just spray the living room carpet twice a day to get rid of the static electricity.

Finally, my electro-shock treatments have ended ;)