Busy schedules usually result in sacrifices. Sometimes it's time with friends, sometimes it's fitness regimes, but more often than not, laziness has a great influence on what we eat. You're both tired after a long day; frozen or take out pizza it is. When we're tired, exhausted, or even just plain lazy, we justify our need for convenience foods. This costs us in multiple ways. We don't eat the food we already have in our house (because that would require time and effort), we make unhealthy decisions because they're usually quicker to satisfy our needs, and we spend way more money on something that has already been mostly, if not completely prepared for us.
We've been way too guilty of this for the last few weeks. But, the best way we've seen to combat the high price of being lazy is to plan ahead. Figure out what nights you won't be home until late and plan accordingly. Take food out of the freezer to thaw or throw something in the crockpot to be ready for when you get home. You can balance out a little sluggishness with at least a sprinkle of proactive thinking.
I love my crockpot and really need to bust it out more often when we're on the go. What are your favorite tips and tricks to help fight the convenience trap?
Happy Saving!
- C
Wednesday, 8 May 2013
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
Waste not, want not!
So I may have just pulled a Nonni. We always joke about how my husband's grandmother will microwave coffee, even if its a day or two old, because why waste it.
Well, I totally see where she's coming from and I may have just done the same thing! It's so hard to know how much to make, who is going to drink it, etc. And seeing as how I drink it with stuff in it anyways, you can't even tell. We probably normally dump out a few cups a week, so I thought I'd see how the day-old stuff tastes. Yep, still has my caffeine fix!
What will you decide not to waste this week?! With Earth Day just passing by yesterday, take an extra thought next time you are going to throw something away that you might be able to use up first.
Happy Saving!
- C
Well, I totally see where she's coming from and I may have just done the same thing! It's so hard to know how much to make, who is going to drink it, etc. And seeing as how I drink it with stuff in it anyways, you can't even tell. We probably normally dump out a few cups a week, so I thought I'd see how the day-old stuff tastes. Yep, still has my caffeine fix!
What will you decide not to waste this week?! With Earth Day just passing by yesterday, take an extra thought next time you are going to throw something away that you might be able to use up first.
Happy Saving!
- C
Wednesday, 17 April 2013
Enter Contests!
It seems as though I have vanished. Yet, it is just an illusion! I am still here, I am just unable to post as frequently as when I did not have such a busy schedule. It seems as though we are never home, and that is more truth than an exaggeration.
This morning, eating my breakfast and catching up with the local morning news, it dawned on me that I had not yet included contests in my blogs! What a great way to save money, by winning things! Let someone else spend their money on you!
Now, I've entered my fair share of contests. Little things from win a free chocolate bar to win a hot tub (which I was a finalist for and got dinner and a party out of the deal anyways!). More often than not, I never ever hear anything back in regards to some life changing notification of my winnings. However, now and then, I've cashed in on some pretty cool prizes. I've won tickets from radio contests, a backyard BBQ party for me and 9 friends, hosted by a local steak house (mmmm!), a cookbook from my morning show, and so on. Like I said, nothing extravagant, but all things that in the end, I didn't spend money on earning. This morning I saw an ad (on said morning tv show) for a $15,000 backyard renovation package they're giving away. All you have to do is upload a photo of your current backyard and tell them why you need a reno. Well seeing as ours is unfinished, dirt, only half fenced, and full of construction garbage that blows in from down the road, I don't think much explanation is needed! Yet, completing the entry is one step to saving us the money we're eventually going to need to spend anyways.
So look around you at the local draws, contests, and giveaways! The more you enter, the higher chance you have of cashing in on something!
Happy Saving!
- C
This morning, eating my breakfast and catching up with the local morning news, it dawned on me that I had not yet included contests in my blogs! What a great way to save money, by winning things! Let someone else spend their money on you!
Now, I've entered my fair share of contests. Little things from win a free chocolate bar to win a hot tub (which I was a finalist for and got dinner and a party out of the deal anyways!). More often than not, I never ever hear anything back in regards to some life changing notification of my winnings. However, now and then, I've cashed in on some pretty cool prizes. I've won tickets from radio contests, a backyard BBQ party for me and 9 friends, hosted by a local steak house (mmmm!), a cookbook from my morning show, and so on. Like I said, nothing extravagant, but all things that in the end, I didn't spend money on earning. This morning I saw an ad (on said morning tv show) for a $15,000 backyard renovation package they're giving away. All you have to do is upload a photo of your current backyard and tell them why you need a reno. Well seeing as ours is unfinished, dirt, only half fenced, and full of construction garbage that blows in from down the road, I don't think much explanation is needed! Yet, completing the entry is one step to saving us the money we're eventually going to need to spend anyways.
An upstairs view of our current backyard oasis!
So look around you at the local draws, contests, and giveaways! The more you enter, the higher chance you have of cashing in on something!
Happy Saving!
- C
Monday, 18 March 2013
Busy Saving!
Oh my goodness how busy it has been! My apologies for no posts for the last few weeks, I can't even believe it has been so long since the last post. Time has completely flown by this month, but here's an update!
A while back I mentioned I was going to be starting with Pampered Chef, and man I feel I've started with a BANG! So far I've had three shows submitted and have earned over $650 in commission, and $200 Pampered Chef dollars to spend on whatever products or supplies my little heart desires. And I am having a blast! I get to cook, drink, and socialize with so many different groups of people, and then I get perks of commission and bonuses out of that. Cooking, drinking, and socializing, hardly things I'm any good at! I love that I can squeeze parties into an evening or afternoon and then earn some extra savings on the side. So great!
So how has all the saving been going? Amazing! We're so proud of how far we've come in 5 months of strict budgeting and deliberate saving, and we're feeling the rewards. We've also switched to an accelerated biweekly mortgage payment schedule, which may not necessarily be a direct saving, but it gets us in one extra payment a year and will, in the big picture, help us pay off the mortgage quicker. Oh yes!
Here's to your savings and your adventures as well. Keep up the good work, it's so rewarding when you see it paying off! I can see blinds in this house by the end of the summer!!!
Happy Saving!
-C
A while back I mentioned I was going to be starting with Pampered Chef, and man I feel I've started with a BANG! So far I've had three shows submitted and have earned over $650 in commission, and $200 Pampered Chef dollars to spend on whatever products or supplies my little heart desires. And I am having a blast! I get to cook, drink, and socialize with so many different groups of people, and then I get perks of commission and bonuses out of that. Cooking, drinking, and socializing, hardly things I'm any good at! I love that I can squeeze parties into an evening or afternoon and then earn some extra savings on the side. So great!
So how has all the saving been going? Amazing! We're so proud of how far we've come in 5 months of strict budgeting and deliberate saving, and we're feeling the rewards. We've also switched to an accelerated biweekly mortgage payment schedule, which may not necessarily be a direct saving, but it gets us in one extra payment a year and will, in the big picture, help us pay off the mortgage quicker. Oh yes!
Here's to your savings and your adventures as well. Keep up the good work, it's so rewarding when you see it paying off! I can see blinds in this house by the end of the summer!!!
Happy Saving!
-C
Thursday, 28 February 2013
GROUPON!
Now, as excited as I am about this one, they don't offer any Groupons for Lethbridge! Aw man!
Groupon is a discount-coupon website, where you can search the city you're looking to purchase something in, and they offer coupons for discounted services for different companies. The usual format is you pay $x.xx for $xx.xx worth of services. So for example, you buy the coupon for $15.00 for a restaurant, and then when you go, it has a $30.00 value. It's easy to save money on things you were looking to do anyways, but careful! It is also really easy to start buying things because they're a good deal, but then you may never end up using them before they expire. I saw a Facebook friend's status the other day that he'd purchased an oil change for like $20. A year later it was about to expire and he had to drive to an outlying community on the south end of a big city to redeem it at the small shop. A perfect example of how a good deal might not really set you ahead in the end, if its going to cost you in other ways to redeem where you saved.
Nonetheless, I sent a few to my mom to redeem, as they're exactly what she needs right now. She's selling her last car, and there was a Groupon for each auto detailing and windshield replacement! As well, a restaurant she has recently discovered that she really enjoys has one of the $15 for $30 worth of food Groupons. Score!
Fingers crossed the same sort of thing expands to smaller city centers, or the old site that used to have deals called Bullfrogbuys.com get back up and running! I miss the deals :(
How have you found Groupon in your city, or does it not extend to your region as well? What about deals?! Share your great Groupon redemptions in a comment!
Happy Saving!
- C
Groupon is a discount-coupon website, where you can search the city you're looking to purchase something in, and they offer coupons for discounted services for different companies. The usual format is you pay $x.xx for $xx.xx worth of services. So for example, you buy the coupon for $15.00 for a restaurant, and then when you go, it has a $30.00 value. It's easy to save money on things you were looking to do anyways, but careful! It is also really easy to start buying things because they're a good deal, but then you may never end up using them before they expire. I saw a Facebook friend's status the other day that he'd purchased an oil change for like $20. A year later it was about to expire and he had to drive to an outlying community on the south end of a big city to redeem it at the small shop. A perfect example of how a good deal might not really set you ahead in the end, if its going to cost you in other ways to redeem where you saved.
Nonetheless, I sent a few to my mom to redeem, as they're exactly what she needs right now. She's selling her last car, and there was a Groupon for each auto detailing and windshield replacement! As well, a restaurant she has recently discovered that she really enjoys has one of the $15 for $30 worth of food Groupons. Score!
Fingers crossed the same sort of thing expands to smaller city centers, or the old site that used to have deals called Bullfrogbuys.com get back up and running! I miss the deals :(
How have you found Groupon in your city, or does it not extend to your region as well? What about deals?! Share your great Groupon redemptions in a comment!
Happy Saving!
- C
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