artofthecoupon.com

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We have two dogs.  One is perfectly well behaved.  She rarely barks and when she does she starts with a polite little bark, the minimum needed to get the job done.  She sits when told to sit, comes when told to come, and spends her days happily playing or snuggling on her blankie in pillows.  Then, there is the other one.  He’s a howling little maniac. He barks at his sister, he barks at other dogs, he barks at the washing machine.  He is very smart when it comes to causing trouble (for example, he learned that when he scratches at the door he gets taken outside to potty, so now he does it at about 2 AM once or twice a week just so he can get a midnight stroll), but he isn’t quite so smart when it comes to training. (more…)

I hope everyone is taking advantage of all of the good deals this week.  Walgreens has aluminum foil for .89 cents (w/ in ad coupon) and there was a $1.00 coupon in a recent Smartsource that makes it free.  Wags also has excedrin for free after coupon, and Stouffers Mac & Cheese dinners for .99 each (a great price on those!).  And, don’t forget, Kmarts in many areas are doubling coupons up to $2.00. I picked up quite a few things there yesterday including big boxes of Swanson chicken stock for .79/box, (after $1/1 coupon) free Crest toothpaste, (like I need more toothpaste!) free Hormel Complete’s meals, and a whole bunch of bags of other stuff I didn’t really need!

One of the first things people say when you mention the desire to cut down expenses is to get rid of cable tv.  However, I think this nearly universal directive can be wrong, depending on the situation.  We cut our expenses to the minimum, got rid of cell phones, etc. but we kept our expensive cable TV package including HBO and Showtime.  For us, this was the best bang for our entertainment buck. (more…)

In keeping with the theme of the past few days, I’ve decided to write a brief little summary of some tips that I have come to believe are key to having a successful sale on Craigslist. (more…)

As a followup to yesterdays post, I am making a list of 10 places that I like to look to find furniture, and the secrets to succeeding at finding the best bargains.  It is entirely possible to have a house full of beautiful things on a very tight budget, as long as you know the secrets to shopping (more…)

This weekend, I bought some new furniture.  I had a $300 budget for this furniture (it was a Christmas gift) and I decided I wanted to get a bed because our mattress and box spring were just sitting on the ground.  I could have gone to Ikea, or to some other cheap furniture store, and purchased something for right around $300.  And, what woud I have had?  A particle board piece that likely would fall apart the first time we move it.  So, instead, I decided I was going to prioritize quality.  I wanted to find the perfect bed, from a reputale furniture maker, in real wood.  A bed that is truly a piece of furniture that I could keep for life. (more…)

Actually, Walgreens is paying you to buy toothpaste this week.  You need to go and buy 2 tubes of Colgate.  The Colgate is on sale 2 for $3 and there is a $1.50 off 1 coupon here that can be used twice.  Buy the 2 tubes, give the 2 coupons, and pay the tax (here it comes out to .26).  A “register reward’ will print for $1 off your next order. While you are there, you can pick up the Gillete Fusion Gamer if you have the coupon from this past weeks P&G insert the razor will be free after Register Rewards.

If you have newspaper coupons, you can also get free crackers & Fusion Gamer razors.  Nabisco crackers (Ritz, wheat thins, etc.) are on sale 5 for $5 and there were $2 off 2 coupons in the January 25th Smart Source.  Buy 2 boxes, use one coupon, pay $0 for crackers.  While you are there, if you have the P&G coupons from the inserts this week, you can pick up the same razor free after ECB’s.

We don’t want to use up the three free annual reports that we get each year quite yet, but we did want to check our credit and see how our balance transfers are reporting, and what the student loan companies are reporting as the ‘high balance.’  We found Quizzle and it seemed to fit the bill perfectly.  Offered by Quicken, it is a totally free budgeting and money management program.  One of its features is that it pulls your credit report (a soft pull- no dings for an inquiry) and also gives you a score.  My score was pretty close to the actual FICO score I pulled not too long ago, and the report was accurate, up-to-date, and matched the reports I have gotten from the official website.  I don’t know yet whether the report updates or it is a one time thing; but for now, if you are waiting for an opportunity to pull your credit report and score, here is a free place to do it.

The internet is full of frugality tips and tricks.  Some of them seem obvious- make your own lunches instead of paying $5 a day.  Some of them are a little more obscure, like installing a little jacket on your water heater, or plugging your appliances into a special powerstrip that turns off everything when one main appliance is turned off.  All of these tricks work (if you do them consistenly and regularly over a period of months and years, that is).  And all of these tricks stem from the #1 Best True Secret to Frugality- the only thing you really need to know. (more…)

I really want a Kindle.  This is the first gadget I have had my eye on since we saved up and bought our 42 inch LCD TV (purchased entirely with Sears gift cards earned from points).  I won’t spend real money on this since it is not something I need, so I’m going to start saving up Amazon gift cards earned from Surveys and Swagbucks.  I have earned $15 so far, so I have $344.00 to go! Why is it so expensive!!