Never buy toiletries again!

If you are into saving money you undoubtedly have heard about Walgreens and their rebate program. They have stopped their program as of this month and have implemented a new program in which you purchase particular items and then right at checkout receive a coupon for a dollar off amount on your next purchase. This is a terrific program because the benfits to the consumer are terrific if you spend some time organizing your deals.

For example, last week Nivea body wash was priced $4.99. Purchase one and you receive a $5.00 Register reward [coupon] good on your next purchase. I purchased the body wash and did several other separate transactions one after the other all the while using the coupon from the previous sale to purchase the items in the next sale. Walked out with $65.00 worth of stuff and paid tax. I have had people behind me in line stop me in the parking lot and ask me how I do it.

First of all if someone else is doing the work already why should you do it? Time is money. There are loads of websites out the where the bloggers do the deals for you and all you have to do is copy it down on an envelope, put your coupons into the envelope and away you go to score some deals. The site I use most is:

Money Saving Mom

This site writes out all the deals for you plus has a tutorial for how to shop at Walgreens. all the work has been done for you. Money Saving Mom also highlights deals for other stores such as Target and Walmart. No need to spend more money than you need to and no need to speand more time than you need to. These bloggers have paved the way. Happily charge on after them while you save money.

Chickens

I am not the chicken type. Had you asked me two years ago if I would have had chickens I would have said there would be no way I would keep chickens. A year into the process I cannot see how I lived without chickens. Granted we have 1 acre of land but realistically you could keep chickens in an urban backyard. Chickens are very low maintenance and you get quality eggs.

Here is what you need to know:

1.) You only need hens to get eggs. Roosters are unnecessary unless you want baby chicks. Believe it or not so many peole do not know this.

2.) You need water tight shelter. This could be anything. All you need is for it to be secure so a raccoon does not get in and for the hens to be able to roost off the ground.

3.) You do not need many hens. Three hens will usually lay an egg a day. 24 eggs in a week. Not bad and it saves you $2 at the store if you were to buy them.

4.) You do not necessarily have to feed the chickens anything. Ours are free range so they are not caged. They walk around and eat bugs all day. in the winter time when bugs are a little more scarce we supplement with organic chicken feed but a cupful once in the evening and once in the morning is enough to suffice our 12 hens.

That is it. On the surface keeping chickens seems a bit overwhelming but in the grand scheme of things it is really easy to keep hens. And it saves you money.

Which is why we are here isn't it?

One call saved me $300 dollars

I did not need to make the call. There was no piece of mail that suggested it to me. I just decided to call my homeowners insurance company to tell them that the new fire station was built a mile from my house - "Do you guys care?" Apparently they do because just the fact that I live within a 5 mile radius of a fire station they gave me a discount. I would have never known if I had to asked. $300 saved just like that. And in the form of a check mind you. It never hurts to ask. While we were at it I asked if they could review my deductibles and look at some other companies to see if we could lower the premium. Currently I have a $500 deductible. I told her to work up some numbers for $1000, $1500, & $2000 and let me know what kind of savings we are looking at. Granted each family is different in terms of what they are willing to pay out of pocket. But isn't that what your emergency fund is for? Make the call.

I think I Have Decided to Blog Again

Although I continue to do all of the things I blogged about last year I just have not had the time to post since last summer. Life got in the way as we all have happen sometimes. I have decided to try to fit this back into my life again sicne it keeps me accountable and helps me hone my scope of simple living.