Frugal Living

I’m thrilled to have been included in a Clark Howard article on the topic of How to Save Money on Groceries Without Going Coupon Crazy!

Make sure to check it out and share it with those of your friends of family members who may have been scared off by the whole “Extreme Couponing” craze. Couponing does not have to be extreme in order to provide a significant amount of savings!

Here are a few practical first steps for anyone who is just getting into Practical Couponing:

1. Attend a Couponing Workshop in your area! I teach them throughout Colorado and if you are located in another state, there is a good chance that they are being taught in your area too….just check out this map!

2. Find a local coupon blog to do the coupon match-up work for you (see the map above)!

3. Start collecting your coupons. Check out my post on Where to Find Coupons for some tips.

4. Start small and set practical goals!

I cannot stress enough how important each of these steps are. Attending a class in your area will give you a great foundation of things you need to know and will save you hours and hours of time in the long run!

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Have you noticed your grocery bill creeping up lately? It may just be because of rising food prices, but it also may be because you’re falling for one of the four most popular spending traps at the grocery store.

If you have trouble seeing the above video, you can view it here: http://kdvr.com/2013/03/08/how-brand-loyalty-could-hurt-you-at-the-grocery-store/

Check out my recent Good Day Colorado segment above for all the details on what to watch out for and for my tips on how you can avoid these costly traps.

What other spending traps have you fallen victim to in the past? Let us know in the comments section!

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One question that I’m asked quite often is how to get credit card fees and interest waived. My answer is that as long as you are not chronically late in paying, it should be fairly simple.

For example, this week I realized that I totally spaced paying off my Kohl’s card. Now, I do not use store credit cards very often, but when I do, I pay them off immediately so I am not charged any feeds or interest. Unfortunately there is a time or two each year when life just gets busy and I miss a payment and this was one of those times.

When I received the bill that included a late fee and interest, I simply picked up the phone and called the credit card customer service line. It took me less than three minutes to have the conversation above and in the process I saved $26.38. If you were to turn that into an hourly rate, it comes out to $527.60 and hour. Now that is a good use of my time!

Please come back and share in the comments section if you decide to try out this script. I’d love to hear how it goes for you!

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Spending traps at the grocery store do one thing and that is to help our grocery budget inch up, up and up. By the time many shoppers realize that they over-spent they are already up at the register and it is too late to turn back. I shared on Good Day Colorado this morning some of the most common spending traps that we should all be watching out for.

Have you fallen victim to any of these spending traps recently? I think if we are all honest the answer is yes…it is even a yes for me!

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It has been a hot and sweaty summer in much of the country this summer. The good news is that there are many different things that you can do to cool off without spending a bunch of money in the process. Here are some of our favorite frugal ideas:

1. Have a water balloon fight. Water balloons can not only make for a fun time for kids, but adults too! Get outside and enjoy some sunshine and exercise while still staying cool in the process. Water balloons can be found at many stores for under $2! Amazon also has a 200 pack for $6.99. Don’t forget to also pick up a nozzle to fill the balloons.

2.  Make water balloon yo-yos.  This goes hand-in-hand with the water balloon fight.  If you have some extra balloons left over, try making some water balloon yo-yos.

3. Free bowling for kids.  Beat the heat by heading in doors to your local air conditioned bowling lanes.  Kids can get 2 games of free bowling every day all summer long through many AMF Lanes.  Adults can get highly discounted passes as well.

4. Indoor ice skating.  What could be more fun that ice skating when temperatures are soaring outside!  Check out your local ice arena for discounted admission and special free skate days.

5. Go to the Movies.   Regal Cinemas is offering $1 Movies, on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings all summer long.  Harkins also has a similar program, where movies are less than $1 each in advance, or $2 at the box office.  If you do not have a local theater that is participating, you might consider taking in a matinee as they are considerably cheaper than the nightly showings.

6. Check out a Local Museum.  Many museums have special discount days, and some even have free days.  If you live in the Denver area you might want to check out this list of free days at our local museums!

7. Make homemade ice cream.  This could involve the need for an ice cream maker, although I have to admit that my favorite way to make homemade ice cream is with an ice cream ball!  You can sometimes purchase these for less than $20.  Amazon has one for just $19.99.  Also, check out how you can make ice cream without an ice cream maker or even an ice cream ball.

8. Ice cube water color art.  This is so much fun for the kids!  All you need is an inexpensive paint-with-water book (you can sometimes find these at the dollar store) and an ice cube.  No need for a brush or a glass of water.  As the ice cube begins to melt the colors should magically appear on the paper.

9. Eat frozen fruit.   Frozen fruit can make for a great healthy alternative to ice cream or popsicles.  We have been seeing some great deals on fresh fruit lately, so pop some in the freezer and enjoy!

10. Head to the pool.  Many local swimming pools offer weekly discount days or summer passes.   In the Denver Area, check out Foothills Parks & Rec for $2 Pool Parties.

11. Summer Reading Programs.  Head to the comfort of your air-conditioned library and curl up with a good book.  Most offer free summer reading programs for the kids as well!

12. Make homemade popsicles.  You can purchase one of these handy popsicle molds, but all you really need is an ice cube tray.  We sometimes get juice for under a $1, which can make for some very inexpensive summer treats!

13. Wash the car.  For all the parents out there, this is a win-win!  You get a clean car and you and your kids get to cool off.  All you need is a garden hose, a bucket, and a sponge.

14. Play Water Limbo.  Instead of using a stick or a broom handle.  You play limbo using a stream of water from your garden hose.  The kids will obviously have a big advantage, but parents will definitely get cooled off in the process (unless you’re super flexible that is!).

15. Ice Blocking.  This really is a ton of fun for kids and adults alike.  For those of us that live in Colorado, we have some serious sledding hills around!  Just freeze a block of ice (or purchase one of those big ones), take it to a nearby hill and have fun.

16. Head to the local mall.  Many shopping centers have kids play areas, where the kids can play for free and the parents can hang out in the air-conditioning.

17. Marco Polo, Squirt Gun Style.  This is a fun twist on the old-fashioned Marco Polo pool game, except it is played without a pool!  This can be played in your back yard, and only requires a squirt gun.  The person who is the searcher either closes their eyes, or is blindfolded.  They are then armed with a squirt gun, which they squirt when they yell out “Marco” and the other players yell out “Polo”.  As soon as someone is hit with the water they become the searcher.

18. Go out for a frozen treat.  This is not always the most “frugal” of ideas.  However, if you are able to get in on one of the many deals we have been seeing at Baskin Robbins, McDonald’s, and Sonic lately, it can make for a pretty inexpensive cool treat!

19. Splash Pads Anyone?   Take the kids to your local splash pad.  Many neighborhoods and communities have these now.  They are tons of fun, and totally FREE!  If you live in Denver, here is a list of local options.

20. No Cook Dinner.  So for some of us this might be the norm, but for all the gourmet chefs out there this might be something different!  How about serving a “cold” meal?  Perhaps it is sandwiches, salads, or fruit?  Whatever suits your fancy, and doesn’t require turning on the oven.

What other ideas do you have to stay cool this summer?

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Have you been checking out all the Back to School deals  that we have been posting on Bargain Blessings? We should still have a few weeks left of them, so you’ll want to make sure to stock up for the rest of the year.

I’ve also shared some of my favorite ideas for How to Save on Back to School Shopping  on the Denver Post’s Colorado at Home blog, so make sure to check those out before you head out to the store.

How is your back to school shopping going so far this year?

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Don't forget to get the Bargain Blessings toolbar to print coupons and stay up to date on all the latest deals!