Find It Free

When you are seriously working on stretching your budget, you can’t beat free.  You can join the Free Cycle Network.  In it, people who have something they no longer want offer it free for the taking to anyone who wants it.  The problem is that things move quickly and it’s hard to connect for what you want.

The Second Rule of Couponing

My local store doubles coupons up to $2.00.  That means that if you have a manufacturer coupon for $2.00 and the item costs less than $4.00, you get it free.  Now sometimes the item costs a little more than $4.00.  In that case, you wait until the store puts it on sale so that you can still get it free.  I know it sounds crazy but I know people who buy10+ of the same item for free and smile all the way to their car.  (I think you still have to pay the tax on them but you can use a store coupon with a manufacturer coupon.)

Now, here comes the good part.  You don’t have to use the item that you ‘buy’.  My friend started doing this and ended up with a lot of stuff in her garage.  Her family kept coming over to ’shop’.  Finally someone urged her to have a garage sale and she made a bundle.  When you get stuff free, you can sell it super cheap and still make money.  She has been doing it long enough that people have gotten to know her and call her up to shop even when she isn’t having a yard sale.  Now that’s a good thing.  She takes the money she makes for these things that she doesn’t use and buys the stuff she wants.  All it costs her is time to clip the coupons, visit the store several times and then sell the stuff.

Listen, my friend had to quit her job because after childcare, she wasn’t making enough money to make it worth it.  Her couponing is adding to her family finances and she is doing it on her schedule while she stays home with her son.  Sometimes we get so caught up is what isn’t working for us that we don’t see the opportunities that are staring us in the face.  What can you do to make extra money?

Today’s article is by Lorie Johnson at CBN News. She interviewed several women who are managing to lose their weight and get fit without spending a lot of money. It’s interesting to see how other people are doing it.  I hope the story called Dieting on a Budget will inspire you to keep up with your own New Year’s resolutions.

Since our mindset can keep us prisoner or set us free, we need to start looking for the window when our door of opportunity gets slammed in our face. If it has happened to you, you know what I mean.

Read how this woman made lemonade out of her lemons and then start asking yourself how you can apply that thinking to your situation.

Feeding Families Fruits and Veggies on Budget

I have heard people making remarks about the many foreclosures that are happening all over the country.  Often the person who is commenting sees the ones being forced out of their homes as greedy people who got over extended and are now crying sob stories as they pay the piper.  I am sure there is some of that going on but in many cases there is personal hardship involved.  It doesn’t pay to lump eveyone together because there are as many situations as there are people.

Today, I wanted to share a story that would put a face on foreclosure.  In particular, this married lady named Suzanne shares how she got to the place of losing her home.  If it touches you, you can comment on her post.  Please visit Foreclosure, a personal story by Suzanne Suzannadanna.

When your paycheck shrinks, you can employ the same tactics.  Other people have faced it before you and prospered.  If you glean from their stories, it will help you find your own way through.  When you are struggeling, encouragement is priceless.  Because of that, I have decided to include a section to share people’s stories.  Ideally we will have some success stories of our own, but this week I am drawing from the msn money website.  It’s a story by Karen Datko that she titled I make $6.50 an hour. Am I poor? This one is good because it also includes a follow up link so that you can find out how she is doing today.