I’ve found that taking the time to search for good deals (shopping or even “fun” deals) and actually clip (and use) coupons from the paper and internet – I save a little (tiny) bit of money each month. I also try and supplement our income by taking some freelance work on the internet (be it blogging or design work). It’s not a lot of money – but it makes my PayPal account happy which in turn makes me happy because I can actually afford to see a movie or take my kid to Chuck E. Cheese occasionally. What I really need to do is try and find some easy scholarships that I can apply for and take a chunk out of those darn student loans I keep applying for! Now THAT would be a nice money saver!

What do you do to save money or bring a little extra dough into the house?

Please share your tips!

DiGiorno – $1 and $1 off coupons

Pizza Hut Deals – Various amounts

Little Caesar’s Crazy Bread Combo – $1.99 (expires 7-31-2010)

How It Works:

1. Each day we feature something cool to do at an unbeatable price.
2. You only get it if enough people join that day… so invite your friends!
3. Check back the next day for another awesome Groupon!

I check the Groupon site each day because I subscribed to the site via email. It was my friend Erica who actually got me (and about half of our kids’ playgroup) hooked onto Groupon and a lot of us bought Virginia Beach Aquarium memberships on Groupon for 1/2 off the normal price.

You can even refer a friend to Groupon and get $10 for it! I’ve got my $10 sitting in my hopper so if there is another cool coupon that I want to purchase my $10 goes towards that.

I’ve seen Skinny Dip coupons and belly dancing lesson coupons on Groupon as well as coupons for local restaurants like Finn McCools. There is a Groupon site for a ton of cities across the United States. So there just might be on for your neck of the woods!

Ps. Why yes, those are ALLLLL affiliate links! Click away m’hearties!

Pps. This has been cross-posted on my other blog too – because that’s how much I love Groupon coupons! Hurray!

Eco-friendly Solo products – grab some savings on eco-friendly cups, plates, and more.
Heinz 57 – $1.00 off coupon
Hefty Waste Bag – $1.00 off just “like” the page to print yours out.
Scott paper towels - printable coupon saves you $1.00
Off Power Pad Lamp – buy one, get one free (up to $10 value) with printable coupon.

Check out the details on how to enter to win this super cool label pack!

I also have included some notebook paper for writing down prices although most of our grocery shopping is done at the Commissary. It’s normally the cheaper option.

Also today (pats on the back) I wiped down the television, vacuumed the living room and finished picking up junk off the floor. I also worked on half of Xander’s bedroom and vacuumed and cleaned the carpet. I plan on moving a table in there to put his television on and stacking some boxes underneath for toy storage. He’s just got too much stuff and no place to put it. We’ve already weeded a LOT out too – and while I know he could stand to get rid of more, I don’t mind keeping it if I can find places to put it. There is a lot of unused space in his room.

I’ve asked hubby to PLEASE do the dishes today as I’ve already gotten sick going into the kitchen. It sounds like a super-terrible place but smells (even little smells) just completely get to me lately. Darn pregnancy! Once the dishes are done and the fridge is cleaned out I can re-fill it with groceries I plan on purchasing today. Hopefully he comes home from work soon … already getting hungry and there’s no way I can grocery shop on an empty stomach.

Today I was planning on making hard shell taco’s with lettuce, shredded cheese and sour cream. Sounds good but I don’t have ANY ingredients for it! I might run to Farm Fresh to grab the stuff for dinner tonight then maybe after dinner we can grocery shop. There’s an idea! Or – he can just stay here and do the dishes (and keep the kid) while I do some SOLO grocery shopping! (Gosh, that sounds even better).

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) — Colonial Williamsburg and other Virginia sites are joining a National Endowment for the Arts initiative to offer free admission to active-duty military members and their families this summer. The Blue Star Museums program includes more than 600 museums across the country offering the deal from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Other state attractions include the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Roanoke’s O. Winston Link Museum and the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond. At Colonial Williamsburg, military families have free access to the Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area, Bassett Hall, the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum and the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum.

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I personally LOVE the budget one! It is actually an Excel spreadsheet (.xls format) and it breaks down items that you would normally budget for so you just have to pop in your usual amounts spent (or saved). Just enter your planned and actual expenses and it will automatically calculate how well you’re doing. It makes budgeting a real snap since I am completely budget-stupid.

There is also an awesome printable calendar page specifically for busy moms. Unlike most planners, this design leaves just as much room for your weekend as the rest of the week. See all of your appointments, reminders and entire To Do list, all on one page. Fits any standard 8½ x 11″ binder. This is definitely on my To-Print list!

What are you using to stay organized?

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