Northern Cheapskate

Review: Put More Cash In Your Pocket

2009-11-08T07:00:00.002-06:00

As a person who is trying to make the most of my hard-earned dollars, I'm always open to learning about new ways to make money.

But when I first started reading Put More Cash in Your Pocket: Turn What You Know into Dough by Loral Langemeier, I was a little put off. Langemeier believes that scrimping and saving is the "opposite of what you need to do to breathe easier."

Her attitude is not to cut back, but to make more money so that you can have what you want. I was put off by her strong stance, because I think there's room in our lives for both approaches. I believe when times are tough, it is good to trim back, and it is good to seek out new opportunities for income. I don't think you have to choose one or the other. After all, I make a small income from this blog, writing about that very idea!

I'm glad that those first few pages didn't stop me from reading the rest of the book. What I like about this book is that it gets right to the meat of how to put more money in your wallet. Using four different scenarios, Langemeier shows you how you can turn your skills into $500 to $1,000 of new cash every month.

Langemeier knows business and personal finance. She is the author of the national best-seller The Millionaire Maker and two New York Times bestsellers, The Millionaire Maker's Guide to Wealth Cycle Investing and The Millionaire Maker's Guide to Creating a Cash Machine for Life. In addition to her sold-out Millionaire Maker events, currently acts as a financial expert on the Dr. Phil Show, mentoring families in financial crisis.

Put More Cash in Your Pocket is a quick read, and is full of some good tips on how to get started making money fast using skills you already have. So many of us make excuses for our financial situations, when we could be out making them better. Langemeier provides simple steps to getting started and advice for how to not get caught up in the details.

While this book has good advice, I would have liked Langemeier to take a bit more time to consider legal issues and tax documents of running your own business. She breezes over these issues, and depending on what line of work you are doing, that can be a very critical step. I would also have liked to see more than just a casual mention of the work-family balance. It's very easy to let a side job become all-consuming, and I would have liked to have read more about how to deal with that aspect of running your own business.

I tend to over-analyze most decisions in my life, and so, if you're that type of person, Put More Cash in Your Pocket may be just the kick in the seat of the pants that you need. I was able to walk away with a few new ideas of things I could do to make extra money.

Of course, I'm still going to clip coupons and scrimp a little.

Please note: Harper Collins provided me with a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was not compensated in any other way for this review. The opinions reflected in my review are entirely my own, honest thoughts on this book, and were not edited by the book's author, publisher or distributors. * This post also includes affiliate links to Amazon.com. Please see my disclosure policy for more details.

Frugal Reading from the Cheapskate

2009-11-07T10:14:00.001-06:00

I love this time of year because the deals are abundant. But I also love it because some great bloggers get more philosophical and write some terrific posts!

Here are a few things I've read recently that I wanted to share with you:

Have you ever had a customer in line behind you grow impatient with your coupon usage? I absolutely love how Moms Need to Know handled herself in her post When Coupons and Non-Couponers Collide.

Many, many good things come in small packages. Read The Beauty of Small at mnmlist: the essentials.

Sometimes I see a post, and I find myself saying "YEAH!" right out loud. Read Why Money Won't Solve Your Money Problems at Pocket Your Dollars.

I've shared with you many, many times that good communication with your spouse plays such an important role in your finances. Erin at $5 Dollar Dinners shares how she and her husband talk things out in Sunday Night Meetings. If this doesn't make you want to sit down and chat with your spouse, then I don't know what will!

And finally, a post that made me stop and ask myself what I've been hanging on to in my closet: Let go of the past from your wardrobe at Unclutterer. I really need to buy her new book!

Don't Forget to Vote for Me

2009-11-07T07:28:00.000-06:00

If you haven't already voted for me, and you love this site, I'd be thrilled if you voted today!

I was recently nominated for the Divine Caroline "Love This Site" award in the Career and Money category.

I'm flattered to be nominated and would be honored if you'd head on over to Divine Caroline and vote for Northern Cheapskate.

The winner in each category gets a $250 gift card, and more importantly, gets to feel like a winner!

You do have to become a member of Divine Caroline to vote, but it's simple and free - and well worth it! Divine Caroline has lots of great articles to read on health, parenting, money, and more!

Be sure to check out the other nominees, too. I've discovered a few new great reads!

Thanks for supporting me!

October Budget Review: Budget Fail

2009-11-06T07:00:00.001-06:00

October was a lousy month for us. We overspent in every single category of our budget. While we still are living within our means, I must admit I was more than a little disappointed in our spending.

In the end, I think we just got lazy. Our committments outside the home have really picked up, and it's been a lot easier to grab a meal on the go than to make one at home. I haven't used coupons as much as I usually do, or even watched the sales all that closely. I haven't managed my stockpiles as well as I usually do. I just haven't been as on top of things as I normally am.

Looking at our October numbers, I realized that it's been a long time since my husband and I sat down and really looked at our budget. Sure we go over our income and expenditures every month, but we haven't sat down and reviewed our financial goals for awhile and made sure that our budget numbers are appropriate to our ever-changing situation. This isn't the first month that we haven't be on budget, and I think it is important that my husband and revisit the topic. Either the budget or our spending needs tweaking (probably both!).

My goal for November is to have that chat with my husband and to crunch some numbers. I'd like to start the new year with a new financial plan for our family and I'd like to start that planning now.

How did October go for you? What are your goals for November?

Homemade Christmas Gifts: What Are you Crafting?

2009-11-05T07:05:00.003-06:00

Many people are looking to simplify the holidays this year, and that often means giving homemade gifts.

Homemade gifts are a great way to express yourself, save some money, and delight the recipients. But it can be tough coming up with ideas.

Here are just a few ideas for homemade gifts:

Photo gifts. Frame a special photo or make a photo collage. Put together a small scrapbook or a calendar. There are many photo gifts you can create with your home computer, some digital photos and some free time. Keep your eyes out for photo discounts and deals - they're everywhere now! (I'll share some great photo deals in an upcoming post!)

Homemade mixes. There are a ton of homemade soup, bread, cookie, and beverage mixes that you can create. Just put them in a glass canning jar with directions and decorate with a ribbon, and you've got a great little gift.

Use your crafting skills. If you know how to needlepoint, cross stitch, sew, knit, or crochet, then you have the skills to make a lovely gift for someone.

Coupon booklets. Give your recipient a handmade coupon booklet for things you can give the person all year round. Think of giving coupons like "One night of babysitting" or "One homemade Apple Pie." None of the coupons have to cost much money, but may be much appreciated!

Not into making gifts yourself? There are many great craft fairs going on all over the country right now. And of course, there is always Etsy.com.

What gifts are you making this Christmas? Please share your ideas here!

Winners of Silk Heart Health Soy Milk

2009-11-05T07:00:00.000-06:00

Time to draw the winners of my Silk Heart Health Soy Milk giveaway!

Each winner will get a coupon for a free 1/2 gallon of Silk Heart Health Soy Milk and a Silk pocket thermometer.

I've used the random integer generator at random.org to pick five winners:

Here are your random numbers:

14 40 51 55 80

Timestamp: 2009-11-05 13:18:29 UTC

And the winners are:
Heather W.
Donna H.
Becky B.
Sue M.
Stephanie M.

How do you know if you've won? Check your e-mail! I've sent each of the winners an e-mail telling them how to claim their prize.

Thanks to all who entered!

Be sure to enter my giveaway for two Movie Moments Prize Packs from General Mills, and stay tuned for some more fabulous giveaways coming up!

Save $3 on LED Holiday Lights at Home Depot

2009-11-04T12:38:00.001-06:00

Recycle your used or broken Christmas lights at Home Depot and you will get a coupon for $3 off your purchase of LED Christmas lights.

You can trade in a total of five strings to get five coupons! LED Christmas lights can help you save money on your holiday decorating. They use 80 percent less energy than incadescent lights and can last 10 times as long.

This offer is good from Nov. 4 - Nov. 15. Be sure to check with your local utility company for additional savings. My local utility will give you a $3 rebate for each string of LED lights you purchase.

Great Dairy Coupons Available (Select States)

2009-11-04T09:25:00.001-06:00

Coupons.com has some fabulous dairy coupons available right now.

Be sure to print these coupons twice!

Save $1.50 on any two pounds of cheese. (Any brand!)
Purchase 2 gallons of milk, and get $1 off any half-gallon of chocolate milk. (Any brand!)

Unfortunately, these coupons are only valid in MN, ND, SD, IA, IL, KS, AR, OK, and MO.

But there are some other dairy product coupons available for everyone:

Save $1 on any Yoplait Yo-Plus or Yo-Plus Light yogurt 4 pk.
Save 75 cents on Weight Watchers cheese or cream cheese.
Save $1 on Yoplait Fiber One Yogurt multi-packs.
Save $.80 on any two Yoplait Kids yogurts
Save $1 on Haagen Dazs Five 14 oz ice cream product.

Does dairy cause you trouble?

You can save $1 on Lactaid, too!

Free Night at the Movies From General Mills

2009-11-04T07:00:00.009-06:00

Looking for a cheap night at the movies? How about a FREE night?

Staring in November, you can get a free movie ticket when you purchase two specially marked packages of General Mills' Cereals. After you purchase your two cereals, visit generalmills.com/moviecash and enter the code found inside each box of cereal to print your free movie certificate good for admission to any movie at a participating movie theater near you.

Participating brands include Honey Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Lucky Charms, Trix and Reese's Peanut Butter Puffs.

Watch for a sale on these specially marked boxes of cereal. Be sure to use some of these coupons, too:

Save $1 on any 2 Big G Kids Cereals.
Save $1 on 2 General Mills Cereals.
Save .$55 on Honey Nut Cheerios.

Be sure to check out SmartSource and Coupons.com for General Mills coupons, too.

Don't want to wait for a sale and collect your codes? Enter my giveaway!

I'm giving away TWO Movie Moments Prize Packs courtesy of General Mills and My Blog Spark.

Each prize pack includes 4 e-movie cash certificates (valued at $12 each) and one free coupon for any General Mills cereal!

To enter to win this giveaway, simply fill out the form below before 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, November 10. If you're reading this in a feed reader or your e-mail and you can't see the form, please click here.

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You must be a US Resident age 18 years or older. Please only one entry per household. Duplicate entries will be deleted. The information I gather will only be used to notify the winners and send them their prizes.

I will randomly draw two winners and notify them by e-mail once the contest is over. I'll also announce it here. The winners will have 48 hours to claim their prize, or I will draw new winners.

While you are welcome to comment on this post, please note that comments are not considered a valid entry. You must fill out the form to enter!

Disclosure: General Mills and MyBlogSpark provided me the two prize packs for this giveaway in exchange for posting about the General Mills free e-movie cash promotion. I was not compensated in any other way for this post or giveaway.

Hot Online Store Coupons Available Now

2009-11-03T19:30:00.002-06:00

I love this time of year! Lots of great deals available at some of my favorite stores!

Spend $25 on toys at Amazon.com and you can get a free subscription to Parenting Early Years magazine. Don't want the magazine? You can request a $9.97 rebate instead! Plus you'll get free shipping. Read the details here.

Save $10 off your order of $10 or more at Lands End with coupon code LANDSEND and pin 1124. Your purchase must be more than $10.01. This over ends Nov. 24. Shop through Ebates and save an additional 3 percent on your order. (Thanks, Freebies4Mom).

Get a free $10 gift card when you spend $25 at LL Bean. Shop through Ebates and get 2 percent cash back, too.

Save $10 off your purchase of $10 or more at JCPenney. Be sure to scope out their section of deals $9.99 or less. Use the code SWEETS4U. Use Ebates and you'll get 3 percent cash back on your purchase. (Thanks, TheFreebieBlogger).

Buy one pair of shoes at Famous Footwear, get the second pair 1/2 off. Some exclusions do apply.

Payless is having a Buy One Get One 50 percent off Sale until Dec. 1. Make your purchase through Ebates and you'll get 5 percent cash back. (Thanks, Bargain Briana).

Save $5 off your purchase of $5 or more at Kohl's when you sign up for their mailing list. You'll also save 10 percent on your Kohls.com order.

Happy Saving!

Target Toy Coupons Available

2009-11-03T12:37:00.000-06:00

Reports across the internet are saying that the Target toy catalog (complete with coupons) is available at the customer service desk at Target stores.

You can also find printable versions of the Target toy coupons here, thanks to a tip from Dealicious Mom.

Coupons include brands like V-Tech, Fisher Price, Hasbro, and Thomas and Friends. There are more than $250 in Target printable coupons available.

These coupons expire on November 25, just shy of the Black Friday sales. But don't let that stop you from finding good deals. Keep your eyes open for manufacturer coupons that you can combine with the Target coupons for more savings.

So far, I'm only seeing a few match-ups:

Use the $5 off Fisher Price Trio Building Systems when you spend $10 or more with the Target coupon for $10 off Fisher Price Trio King's Castle to get $15 off the castle.

Save a total of $20 off LeapFrog Tag Learning System with the $10 Target coupon with this $10 coupon from LeapFrog. (Thanks to Coupon Cravings!) You can also get more LeapFrog coupons and there is a $5 off any Leapfrog game coupon in the 11/17/09 copy of Woman's Day magazine or use the online code.

Save $10 on Clue: Secrets and Spies with the $5 Target Coupon and the $5 Hasbro coupon.

Save $10 on Pictureka! Flipper with the $5 Target Coupon and the $5 Hasbro coupon.

Looking for other toy coupons? Check out the Hasbro and PlaySkool coupons, as well as Hasbro game coupons.

Happy Saving!

Lessons from the Taste of Home Cooking School

2009-11-03T07:00:00.005-06:00

I don't really consider myself much of a cook. Oh, I can cook, and I can make some tasty things, but most of the time, I'd rather watch other people cook.

That's why I had a blast at my local Taste of Home Cooking School. I enjoyed an evening out with good company and learned a few things about cooking quick and easy meals at home.

One of the big things I observed is that so much of what we eat is about marketing. From the packaging right down to the photo of the finished item, we are beseiged by all kinds of messages and branding. It definitely makes you think about your food purchases. (Fresh, local, and organic, anyone?)

I also learned that I have forgotten how to properly measure flour. Yes, it is back to Home Economics class for me! Our lovely Taste of Home Cooking School Demonstrator showed us all that the way I was measuring flour could be ruining my baked goods (not to mention costing me more money!). It turns out that the way you measure flour can result in as much as 25 percent too much flour in a recipe. So now I've learned the proper way to measure flour.

One of the other things I was reminded of at the cooking school is that good cooking doesn't have to take a lot of time or a lot of ingredients. I make a lot of excuses on the nights I grab a convenience meal from the freezer or ask my hubby to bring home a pizza. But the truth is this: if you can read a recipe, then you can cook. And it is so much better for you and your wallet to make something at home.

Have you ever been to a Taste of Home Cooking School? What did you think? Did you learn any new tricks?

Home Depot Kids Workshop: Tile Trivet

2009-11-02T07:00:00.003-06:00

Home Depot will be hosting a free Kids Workshop Saturday, November 7 from 9 a.m. to noon. at all of its stores.

Kids and their parents will be able to make a tile trivet. Perhaps this could make a holiday gift or just a nice addition to your Thanksgiving table?

The workshops are geared toward children ages 5-12. The goal is to teach children do-it-yourself skills and tool safety while building confidence.

Each child receives a free project kit, kid-sized orange apron, and, upon completion of their project, an achievement pin.

The Home Depot Kids Workshops are offered the first Saturday of the month. For more information on the Kids Workshops visit Home Depot.

Frugal Reading: Extra Time

2009-11-01T15:54:00.000-06:00

People are always asking "What would you do with an extra hour?" Well, we got that this weekend for those of us who saw the end of Daylight Savings Time.

And I, for one, would love to spend that hour reading about frugal living ideas, so I thought I'd share some of my favorites with you.

First off, I must say I'm very excited to welcome Leaving Excess back to the blogosphere! Michelle took a brief hiatus from blogging, and I truly missed her! Quality writing and good solid frugal living ideas. Can't beat that!

One of my favorite things I've read lately is a little bit of an older post, but well worth a read. Check out "Stop Feeling Sorry for Me: I'm Frugal Not Broke" at Frugal Dad. I'm sure many of you can relate to this post. I know I did!

I read Sense To Save's post "Is Being Underpaid Better than No Paycheck At All?" with great interest. With many college graduates facing a tough job market, some grads are having to settle for less than what they're worth.

I know more than a few workaholics... be sure to have them read "Is Your Work Too Important?" at The Simple Dollar.

And finally, be sure to check out this week's Festival of Frugality at Gather Little By Little. Excellent stuff!

Don't Forget Pampers Triple Points

2009-11-01T07:00:00.005-06:00

Don't forget you can get triple the Pampers Gifts to Grow points when you enter the codes from Pampers wipes between now and November 5.

The following products qualify for triple points:

Sensitive Thick Care Wipes
Sensitive Wipes
Clean 'n' Go Wipes
Baby Fresh Wipes
Unscented Natural Aloe Wipes
Calming Lavender Wipes
Skin Soothing Moisture Wipes
Swipers Wipes

You can find the codes on the wipes tubs just under the lid. On the refills, the code is printed on the side of the package.

Pampers Gifts to Grow is a great way to earn things like children's toys, books, photo gifts, and giftcards.

Looking for some free points to add to you Gifts to Grow Account. Check out the collection of Pampers Gifts to Grow points at Freebies4Mom.

Don't Forget: 3 Free Cards at Shutterfly ends 11/4

2009-10-31T09:00:00.003-05:00

There's still a few days left to get 3 free cards from Shutterfly.com.

Just enter the code 3FREECARDS at checkout. You do have to pay shipping. This offer is valid until Nov. 4.

This is a great way to send someone a personalized greeting card or to "try" out a few designs for your holiday cards.

I love the Shutterfly designs - and now you can even put photos or your holiday newsletter on the inside.

New to Shutterfly? Get 50 free prints or free shipping on your first order when you sign up.

And if you're already a member, create a share site! From now until November 6, you can earn up to 60 free prints when you create a Share Site at Shutterfly.

Giveaway: Silk Heart Health Soymilk

2009-10-30T07:00:00.003-05:00

Please note: This giveaway is now closed. See who won here.

Looking for a healthy alternative to cow's milk?

Check out Silk Heart Health Soymilk. Silk Heart Health Soymilk is a dairy-free, lactose-free and casein-free organic milk that claims to lower your cholesterol. According to the Silk Heart Health website, a recent study found that people who enjoyed three servings of Silk Heart Health per day for four weeks, as part of a sensible diet, lowered their cholesterol by seven percent.

Silk Heart Health contains soy protein and phytosterols - two ingredients that can help improve your heart. And it has a delicious taste which is another plus!

Silk Soymilk wants you to get to know Silk Heart Health. Become a fan of Silk Heart Health on Facebook and you can find out how to save $.75 off Silk Soymilk or you can also print a coupon for $.55 off any Silk Soymilk.

While you're there, don't forget to enter to win a Silk Million Hearts Weekend Getaway. For every friend you tell about the Silk Million Hearts Challenge on Facebook, Silk will donate 5 cents to the Larry King Cardiac Foundation.

Not sure if Silk Heart Health is for you? Win a half-gallon here at Northern Cheapskate!

I'm giving away five Silk Heart Health prizes. Each winner will receive a coupon for a FREE half-gallon of Silk Heart Health Soymilk and a Silk pocket pedometer.

To enter to win this giveaway, simply fill out the form below before 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, November 4. If you're reading this in a feed reader or your e-mail and you can't see the form, please click here.

You must be a US Resident age 18 years or older. Please only one entry per household. Duplicate entries will be deleted. The information I gather will only be used to notify the winners and send them their prizes.

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I will randomly draw five winners and notify them by e-mail once the contest is over. I'll also announce it here. The winners will have 48 hours to claim their prize, or I will draw new winners.

While you are welcome to comment on this post, please note that comments are not considered a valid entry. You must fill out the form to enter!

Disclosure: Silk Soymilk provided me the prizes for this giveaway in exchange for posting about Silk Heart Health on my blog, Twitter, and Facebook. I was not compensated in any other way for promotion of this or any other Silk products.

Don't Miss Out: $15 Gift Code at Kodak Gallery

2009-10-29T09:33:00.001-05:00

If you missed out on the first round of Kodak gallery's Million Thanks Giveaway, you can still sign up now.

The first 100,000 people to sign up before Nov. 5 will get a free $15 gift code to use at Kodak Gallery. If you miss out on getting the gift code, you'll still get a coupon code for 40 percent off and you can try again for a $15 gift code Nov. 6-13. Read more details here.

There's a limit of one code per person and the code doesn't apply to shipping charges. I used my $15 gift code to make a travel photo mug for my husband. With shipping, it cost about $7. They do have some photo books that start at $9.99, so this would be a great way to save money on a special photo gift for the holidays!

And of course, you can always take advantage of Kodak Quality Prints for just 9 Cents to print up all those Halloween photos!

A Few Ideas For Making Some Easy Cash

2009-10-29T07:32:00.004-05:00

I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for a way to get free stuff and earn a little spending cash - especially the closer it gets to the holiday season!

Here are a few ideas for making some easy cash:

Sell some stuff. List it on eBay, sell it in the classifieds, or use sites like Kijiji or Craigslist to get rid of things you no longer need. Don't forget consignment shops and garage sales, too.

Try some online surveys. I've had good experiences with MySurvey and Global Opinion Panel. I've also used Zoom Rewards.

Get paid to look at websites. Try MyPoints or YouData. You won't get rich, but you also won't spend a lot of time on this either. MyPoints sends you a lot of e-mail and gives you points when you click the links in the e-mail. The points are cashed in for gift cards. With YouData, you earn cash for viewing websites. How easy is that?

Get paid to search the internet. Swagbucks is a great way to earn gift cards and cash just for searching the internet. The fastest way to earn Swagbucks? Refer lots of your friends and make sure you use it for every single search you do.

Scrounge up your change. You may be surprised to find you already have some cash, it's just in the couch cushions, trapped in old purses, and rattling around in your minivan.

Use your skills. Do you have a hobby you could turn into extra cash? Perhaps you could do some alterations for a neighbor or design a scrapbook for a friend. Get creative! You may find a market for those skills.

More Halloween Freebies for You

2009-10-28T21:31:00.000-05:00

Since I posted a few Halloween treats for you, I've discovered a few more goodies you may want to check out this weekend, especially if you are in a costume!

Start Halloween early at T.G.I. Fridays with penny appetizers. Just show up in costume between 9 p.m. and Midnight on Oct. 29 and you'll get penny appetizers with the purchase of a beverage at the bar.

Bring your kid (age 10 and under) in costume to Old Spaghetti Factory between noon and 5 p.m. and you'll get a free kid's meal when you purchase an adult meal.

Stop by Caribou Coffee in a Halloween Costume between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on October 31, and you'll be able to get a free drink with the purchase of another beverage.

Get a free BlackJack Taco from Taco Bell between 6 p.m and Midnight on October 31.

And be sure to check out these Halloween Freebies at Pocket Your Dollars.

Determine Your Gift-Giving Plan Now

2009-10-28T07:00:00.001-05:00

I know that some of you have got it all together - you've been shopping all year-round and have saved a lot of money on your holiday shopping and for all I know, you're already done.

For the rest of us, it's time to determine your gift-giving plan now. Money is tighter than ever for most families this season, and credit cards are not the answer.

Instead, sit down with your family members and map out a plan for how you're going to handle gift exchanges this holiday season.

Here are a few gift exchange strategies you and your family members may want to consider:

The name draw. Each family member draws a name and buys a gift for that person. Every person buys one gift and gets one gift. You may want to simplify this even more by drawing just for the kids or drawing for family gifts. You can have more fun with this by playing Secret Santa.

Homemade Christmas. Consider making a rule that any gifts you give to each other must be handmade.

Recycled Christmas. Instead of a handmade holiday, consider a recycled one. Anything you give to each other has to be either made from recycled items or come from a secondhand store, garage sale, your own storage closet. This is a great way to celebrate a green Christmas and save some green.

Make 'em laugh. Decide that instead of traditional gifts, you'll exchange gag gifts. Remember to be funny, but tasteful. You don't want to be the one who makes Aunt Edna cry with a mean-spirited joke gift. You may find great inspiration from the dollar store for these gifts, or using your computer to design funny magazine covers, family trading cards, etc.

Play a game. My husband's large family has a Bingo game every Christmas. Everyone who wants to play the game, has to bring a prize (which costs no more than $10). Once you've won, you can still play but you can't win any more prizes. We always have a blast and the family has gotten very creative with the prizes! We've also played the dice game, but be forewarned, this one can get crazy pretty quickly!

Share an activity together. Instead of buying gifts for your family, consider sharing an experience together. A friend of mine said he and about 20 of his relatives took a sleigh ride and went sledding instead of exchanging gifts. Others may go to a sporting event, a musical, or even a movie.

Consider donating to charity. Rather than exchange gifts with each other, some families will buy presents for other families in need. (Check with your Salvation Army chapter for ways you can help). Others will volunteer as a group at their local soup kitchen or homeless shelter. Joining together for a great cause can be a bonding experience, and can help the kids realize the true meaning of Christmas.

Don't exchange gifts at all. Many people would be relieved at the idea of not having to buy a gift, or figure out what to do with a gift they've received. What's important is that you're spending time with people you care about. Make a memory instead of a purchase on the plastic.

What is your gift-exchange strategy? Do you do one of these things or something else? Please share!

Photo credit: Mysza / CC BY 2.0
Be sure to check out other Frugal Friday posts at LifeasMom.com.

Five Ways to Save on Winter Clothing

2009-10-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

One of the biggest challenges of living in northern Minnesota is finding affordable winter gear.

It's hard! The temperature fluctuates so much that you need to have different levels of cold weather clothing. And then there's the whole need for dress coats vs. play coats vs. snowmobile jackets. Ugh.

Here are a few ways I've saved money on winter gear:

1) Shop the end of season sales. When you are soooo sick of winter that you never want to see another snowman, that's the time to hit the stores and shop for new winter coats, hats, and boots. Check out the catalogs and online stores for overstocks (Lands End is a personal favorite) and be sure to use a cash back site like Ebates to save even more money.

2) Put the word out to friends and family that you're looking for winter stuff. This is especially helpful if you have kids. A quality winter coat or snow pants can be passed around to several kids in the family. Be sure to pass your unused gear to someone who could use it.

3) Use the internet. Check out Freecycle.org, Freepeats.org, Craigslist, and eBay. You may be able to find free or cheap winter clothing from folks desperate to clean out their closets.

4) Hit the thrift stores. Shop at thrift stores and consignment shops to find deals on used winter clothing. Chances are if it's survived this long, it will make it at least one more winter. Secondhand stores are especially good sources for winter dress coats... they hardly get worn!

5) Choose a color scheme. This is one of my favorite tricks for saving money on winter clothing. In fact, if you really want to be frugal, you can use this trick for your whole wardrobe. Stick to a common color scheme - black, navy, white, or gray (it can be an accent color instead of the main color, if you like) for your winter coat, and you'll be able to use all of your accessories from year to year. It's expensive enough to buy a new coat without buying a new hat, scarf, mittens, and ski pants to match. A neutral color scheme makes it a cinch to clothe children of all different sizes, and makes it easy to replace a lost hat or stray mitten. And when you're finally done with the gear, you'll discover it's a lot easier to sell a pair of navy snow pants than a pair of orange plaid ones!

How do you save on winter clothing? Please share your tips!

Using Credit Card Shopping Portals to Save Money

2009-10-26T08:18:00.004-05:00

The following is a guest post from Ask Mr. Credit Card. For those of you who know me, I'm very anti-debt. But I'm not anti-credit card. Used properly, credit cards can actually help you save money. Read on for some great ideas from Mr. Credit Card on how to save money with your credit cards.

For those of you who use coupons, hunt high and low for bargains, you know the thrills that come when you spot great deals or figure out how to stack coupons to really get something for cheap. Many of you are familiar with stacking coupons, (i.e using manufacturers' and store coupons together and getting getting discounts or rebates (depending on how you look at it).

But you can save even more money at the groceries by stacking coupons and using cash back rewards credit cards or gas rewards credit cards. These rebate cards reward cardholders for using the card by paying back a small percentage in rebates for every dollar that is spent on the card (typically 1%). But the good ones pay more than 1% (usually 3% to 5%) on things like gasoline and supermarket expenditures.

But credit card issuers have been facing a big issue with their cash back programs. Smart consumers will typically only use their cards just to spend on the items that pay the most rebates. Because most pay in full and there is no annual fee on most of these cards, credit card issuers have found this to be a losing proposition. One of the more innovative features they have come up with is the concept of a credit card shopping portal.

What is a shopping portal?
This is how a shopping portal works with your credit cards. The credit card issuers arranges partnerships with many online merchants. They gather all their merchants onto a portal on their website. Cardholders can access these online stores via logging in to their accounts. By accessing these online stores through your credit card account rather than directing through the website, you can either earn cash rebates or extra points when you use your credit card.

So explain things simply and assume that you have a Discover Card as an example (since I've done an extensive review of their shopping portal program). Rather than going to say www.landsend.com directly from your web browser, Discover Card holders can login into their accounts and go to landsend.com from Discover. By doing so this way, every purchase you make will be tracked and (in this particular case) you will earn 5% rebates. If you went to www.landsend.com directly, you would not have earned any rebates at all.

List of credit card shopping portals that give you rebates
Here is a brief list of shopping portals offered by credit card issuers.

Shopdiscover.com - As I mentioned earlier most Discover credit cards have this feature in their cards. They have over 100 partner merchants and shopping with these merchants from the Discover site allows you to earn anywhere from 5% to 20% rebates. For their point based cards, you can earn extra reward points for shopping through Discover instead.

Citi's Extra Cash - Citi has a program called extra cash that is available to their vanilla MasterCard holders. They operate on the same basis as Discover's shopdiscover.com program. They just have different merchant partner (I'm sure some are the same) and have different rebate rates for different partners.

Chase Cash Plus - Chase also has a similar program called the Chase Cash Plus. With their new Ultimate Rewards program, they will be migrating that feature over as well. Like shopdiscover.com, you can earn up to 20% cash rebates with that program.

ShopAmex.com - American Express has a shopping mall called shopamex.com. If you use your Amex card at the mall, you can earn extra reward points and even use reward points when you shop online.

Things to be aware of
There are a couple of things that you have to be aware of when using these shopping portals.

Firstly, rebates do not apply to things like taxes and shipping cost - which I think is understandable and will not be a big deal for most people

Some items are excluded. For example, if you shop at bestbuy.com through Discover's shopdiscover shopping mall, you cannot buy certain items like laptops, desktops and hard drives.

You also will not be able to use other discounts or coupons. For example, to save money shopping at Walgreens online, you cannot use any other coupons. While this may bother some folks, I look at this as another way to get discounts if there are no coupons for the stuff that you want to buy

Most will not give you rebates for buying gift cards - which is perfectly understandable

Conclusions - So there you go, a new way to get discounts by using your credit cards shopping portal. Most people aren't even aware of this. But if you do your research properly, you can save lots of money with this method.

This guest post is written by Mr Credit Card from www.askmrcreditcard.com. If you are looking for a credit card, then check out his best credit card deals and offers section.

Free Grilled Chicken at KFC

2009-10-25T10:28:00.002-05:00

KFC has declared Monday, Oct. 26 as "UnFry Day" and will be giving away a free piece of Kentucky Grilled Chicken at participating locations.

There is a limit of one piece of chicken per person, no other purchase necessary. Your free piece of chicken is at manager's choice and may vary by location.

Be sure to check if your KFC is participating in this promotion. You can find your local KFC here.

Review: Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel

2009-10-25T09:46:00.005-05:00

I don't know for sure, but I'm pretty sure Phil Villarreal is the guy stealing all of the great peelies off products in the stores.

I'm also pretty sure he might be the guy who signs up for freebies using 20 different e-mail addresses.

No, I don't have proof. Not unless you count his new book Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel: 100 Dirty Little Money-Grubbing Secrets.

Villarreal, who is a reporter for the Arizona Daily Star and a contributing editor at one of my favorite blogs, Consumerist.com. uses his book as a pulpit for the evil side of frugality. Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel outlines all of the low-down, no-good strategies for saving a buck. This book undoes all of the work I've done here to erase the stigma of "cheapskate."

A few examples from the book:

Swapping your scratched DVD with a good one you've borrowed from Netflix.
Dumping your pet at an animal shelter to get vet care for it, then adopting it back later.
How to benefit from free illegal labor (Hint, rope your neighbors and their kids into doing your work).
Getting your fiance a cubic zirconia engagement ring, then telling her it is a family heirloom so she won't get it appraised.

Anyone with this little dignity when it comes to saving a buck, has to have a slight sense of humor, Right? And that's exactly why Secrets of a Stingy Scoundrel is listed as a humor book, not a personal finance book.

Amid all the dark, twisty, not-so-nice methods of saving money, I did gather a few pearls of frugal wisdom from the book:

Take a Pac-Man approach to money (Pick it all up, no matter what!)
Head to a WNBA game instead of an NBA to save money.
Learn to play hardball with car salesmen.
Saving on magazine renewals. (Don't!)

Read this book with the goal of being entertained and you'll find yourself laughing out loud at Villarreal's cheap exploits. Read this as a frugal living guide book and fight back the dry-heaves as you become completely disgusted with the sadistic practices of one of the stingiest people on the planet.

Read Secrets of Stingy Scoundrel at your library, or maybe just one chapter at a time at your local book store. I'm pretty sure that's what Villarreal would do.

Please note: Skyhorse Publishing, Inc. provided me with a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was not compensated in any other way for this review. The opinions reflected in my review are entirely my own, honest thoughts on this book, and were not edited by the book's author, publisher or distributors.