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email me at Momssaving1@gmail.com
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Well I just completed my first pre-order at Kroger
I have 3 items I need a large amount of. If I told you what they were then I would have no chance of getting any!
I say that because in my area we have shelf clearers and I do not want to chance having let these coupons expire.
The items I hope to get are to donate because they are FREE and others my sister use tons of!
So here is how my Pre-Order went. I first called on Sunday and they told me to call back on Monday that they take orders Monday- Friday.
I am so excited because I can’t type fast enough. Well I called back first thing Monday morning and because all the items were in different departments I had to be sent back to customer service to be transferred to the next department.
Each department was very nice to work with. I gave them my name and number to be reached and how many items of that product I needed. They even gave me the information when the truck comes in and when they take flats to the floor and asked if I would liked to be called when they pull my order out.
Of course I said YES I want to be called and they even offered to pull the products to the front for me and set the to the side so I was so excited.
Here is a tid bit I told them on one of the items that many people will be coming for these so I gave them the number I need personally and suggested they order more for others who probably will not pre-order, The guy did laugh but he said he understood and assured me he was ordering several times more than what I need.
So there you have it. It was a pretty pleasant phone call and only took about 10 mins. for 3 departments.
Have you ever pre-ordered before? I have called before for a few particular items but this is the first major one I did.
So here are my 3 tips on how to get new followers to your site.
Promote, Promote, Promote.
So how do you promote? Be vigilant to get the word out.
1. Take Good pictures and entice people to drool. It does not have to be food pictures it can be something silly your kids did or something you created like handmade cards. Great pictures get anybody talking. Leave a link to your site you will be surprised how many will want to click and know more. Be sure to share your pictures on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Fore example my post on Turkey Vegetable Tray
2. Write enticing headlines. Use words or acronyms like “OMG! Did you see this?” Show excitement and your posts will be viewed and shared.
3. Ask questions. We like to answer questions and so does your fans. Be sure to reply back to those who answer the more you communicate to fans the more others will see that and want to join in and even share your posts.
Bonus. Give step by step instructions on how to do a project. Link to other projects you have done and given tutorial on them. Fans like to learn how easy and simple things can be done for example How to Make a Pirate Treasure Chest Pinata
For more tips on how to get more traffic to your site check out MommybloggerSEO.com
Topic:
3 tips on how to get new followers to your site
Find the Newest Dollar Tree Ideas and Deals under $1. Always Carry the Dollar Tree Coupon Policy. If you are new to Couponing be sure to check out the Be Coupon Wise Series as well as the Coupon Lingo to understand the common abbreviations I use. Remember only 2 printable coupons will be accepted per household per day. Coupons exceeding the product value price will be decreased to the item value price. No overage will be accepted. B1G1 Free coupons are accepted, however cashiers reserve the right to refuse coupons.
Also check out the Coupon 101 Series.
Don’t Miss another Deal and subscribe to the FREE Daily Newsletter and get your Free copy of Moms Saving Money Coupon 101 Guide.
*Please note that product availability vary by store locations. Dollar Tree Coupon Deals and savings are updated on Friday before the new Sunday Coupons come out. Please pay attention to when coupons are released.
If you find a FREE product after coupon not listed and would like to share please email at momssaving1 (at) gmail (dot) com.
You may also be interested in a FREE Shopping Printable Forms
Below are Current
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Check out this Shopping Trip form printable to help you shop with ease.
Having to start all over from nothing, this will be a huge challenge!
A quick summary; We have always struggled financially but we got hit hard in 2013 when one thing after another happened along with our poor choices. We ended up moving in with family, giving away, tossing or selling almost every belonging we had.
We have over the course of the past year gotten jobs, paid of credit card debt, closed out accounts with the exception of student loans. We are now in a position to start over. Thankfully we did not have to file for bankruptcy but it sure felt like we hit rock bottom.
Below is our family journey to starting over. It’s rough and very hard, but we are pushing through it and will make better choices. We are very grateful we have a second chance to start over.
1. Setting a goal – Don’t know where we are going yet, but we can start preparing now. What do I mean. We don’t have a place to live yet because that is several months off in the distance but what we can do as we start setting money aside for our new place we can set goals. As I started thinking of how are we going to set out as a family on our own, we need the very basics. I know we will have help and support from friends and family but we need to rely on ourselves to set goals and making frugal habits.
As I sat down with my notebook and jotting down lists I got so excited about the possibility of moving in a few months. Well things happen right? Yup they sure do. I started having visual problems and for the first time in 7 years I finally got insurance, its not the greatest but has enabled me to see an optometrist and yes you guessed it, I need glasses. Spending a lot of time on a computer will deteriorate your eye sight. So what does this mean to my excitement just a week earlier looks like my projected plan is now pushed back a few weeks.
More to happen! Hubby is right, we need to look at replacing our car. So I had to do some homework as to what we can afford and to pay it off before we move out on our own. I had to call our insurance to get a quote on adding another vehicle. Remember we will be adding to our fuel costs as well plus maintenance, taxes and registration. So this now puts up back at least another three months from my original expected moving date. So my advice, set your goal loosy and DO NOT get worked up if you have to readjust constantly. It’s OK we will work towards our goal and if it takes us even longer than that is what will happen. Things will come up and happen, be flexible and adjust accordingly.
2. New to us Car. Our first goal is to get a new to us car that will last a minimum of 2 years. So I am giving you what I am looking for because I am being realistic and upfront. We are struggling and so here is what we need. A car that is under 5K, that is the max I want to spend. I want a 2005 or newer with 100K or less mileage. Has to be a sedan because fuel cost may be low right now but they will eventually increase and because this is a second vehicle for awhile until our current one dies on us we need to think about costs. I know its a tall order but I know God will provide for us and we will get what we need. Yes we are expecting a refund from taxes and have already filed. Yes we are using a portion of it for schooling and a large portion for a vehicle. We plan on putting $2500 into the vehicle as a down payment giving us 2500 to pay in a few months. Because of our jobs and housing situation we can theoretically pay this amount off in 4 months. That is our goal as of right now but remember things happen so it may take us 6-8 months to pay it. Lets hope not!
3. Making a list of every Basic need. Yes it may seem silly, but once you start thinking and writing, the list becomes long. Yes I know toothbrush, toothpaste, toilet paper and something to cook with are essential, but remember I have 3 children and they require a few more basic needs. Because we are not pressed for a certain time, we can take the time to prepare for 1 years worth of basic needs and expand our list. Also we aren’t trying to rely on the help of others, its nice but we as a family need to take responsibility and make the frugal habits now, so we don’t find ourselves in the same situation we have been in. It helps if you visually picture in your mind walking from one room to the next while making your list of basic needs. Start with the kitchen. Move on to the Living Room, Bathroom, Laundry Room and bedrooms. Don’t forget to list items needed for outdoors, like a hose, lawn mover, etc.
4. Price checking online and in store. Now that you have your list of basic needs it is time to be realistic and write out the price of each item. Shop around what may be cheap at Wal-mart may be even cheaper at Dollar Tree or even Walgreens. Double check prices online such as Amazon or even grocery stores. You need to be flexible and not too picky. Yes starting over does give you a chance to decide colors, themes and patterns of items you want but you also need to be frugal minded. For example, when I was at Wal-mart making my first purchases I found pink ice cream scoops, spatulas and more. They were part of the College back to school selection but everything was priced at a $1. This is what I was planning on spending at Dollar Tree for the same items. So I was like “Yes” because I like zebra print and with pink accent to the black and white, I can have a relatively cheap decorative kitchen that is my style. See you can have fun and be imaginative and create your style without spending a ton of money.
Check out Frugal Fresh Start Week 2 – Getting Organized
Topic: Frugal Fresh Start Week 1 – Starting with the Basics
Do you need something simple and easy to carry that you can hand over to a child while you wait in line or going up and down the grocery isle, or while you travel short distances? Then this easy to make Writing Wallet on the go is the thing you need.
I simply used my old Wallet. I don’t carry a wallet anymore so this was perfect to use.
What you Need:
– Old Wallet with pockets (More pockets the better)
– Different patterns of paper
– Pens or Pencils
– Stickers
How to Make:
1. Cut different pattern paper the size of wallet cards. Insert them into the wallet.
2. Add some stickers to on of the pockets.
3. Add some color pencils or pens to another pocket or if you have the pen holder you can use that.
That is it! You are done!
This will not occupy your children very long but it will be enough minutes to collect your thoughts and get a couple things done!
I left you with writing down the prices to the basic items you listed to start a home. Well lets revisit the prices and list.
1. Taking pictures – Our memories are not very great and we tend to remember differently then what we actually saw. So lets not take our memories word for it. Take the extra step and take pictures as you are getting prices. Because of our financial situation, I do not have a cell phone but my hubby does. Either way I did not have a camera on hand or a device to take pictures such as a cell phone so I wrote everything down. Believe me going thru Wal-mart and Dollar Tree to write basic descriptions of the products and cost takes time. I have been to several stores and done online pricing several times. I think I have easily invested 10 hours but the best thing is I have plan and although I can be flexible I know I will accomplish most of my goal each purchase. Remember we are looking at basic needs so pictures come in handy when it comes to calculating the best buy. For example buying Dish Detergent or any liquid you will want to know the best value for your money so you need to take into consideration ounces per unit. Also very helpful to be realistic when in my case I want to have 1 yrs worth of cleaning and health and beauty products. So for me its a bit easier because a couple years ago when I first started couponing and creating my stockpile I wrote down how often we use a certain product and how much if needed for a year.
My kids are much older now so I do have to adjust shampoo, body wash, etc for their higher usage now then just a couple years ago. So as you can see these pictures will help you plan out how much you will need to reach your goal whether it will be for a year stockpile or more. Don’t rely on your memory, I’m sure you are stressing out over other items right now like me!
2. Setting up a budget plan – finances. Oh boy this is so hard to do but you really need to chug through it and write it all out so you can see the entire year and be able to see how to plan it out and know exactly how much you can spend each month toward your goal. Start with each month dates of your paychecks and how much they are or expected to be. I used Microsoft Excel to set up a simple table. I did not start from January because its passed and what was made was already spent. I started from the nearest paycheck to come. Both my hubby and I get paid close in date. I get paid 2 times a month and my paycheck is the exact same every time. I don’t have to guess is its less or more. I am not salaried but payroll purposes it seems like it. My husband on the other hand is part time and his schedule is a week to week basis but we can guess he gets between 20-23 hrs a week so for our realistic purposes and manage our money effectively we budget that his check will be the lowest he has been paid in the past year minus his first paycheck which is always the lowest. This way we know his check will be that amount for a minimum of 20 hrs a week. There is no surprises, we can expect the bare minimum and it also seems like we are cheating because we get to celebrate every time its a little more than expected which is most of the time.
Now that we have the bare minimum we know to expect for 1 months time, we can plug in our monthly expenses; groceries, fuel, car insurance, health insurance, schooling, and yes Netflix! Netflix is our sore spot. But for $7.99 we can pamper ourselves with a little entertainment! Don’t forget housing, utilities, cell phone and so on. Write down all your expenses for the month in broad categories. Really quick you will be able to see how much is going to each category. Do you find yourself shock? I hope not, now you need to write out projected costs and when you might have the services done. For example health, dental, eye appointments, oil changes and vehicle registration and inspections if your state requires them. These are expenses that are not monthly but over the course of the year you will need to have done. Don’t forget property taxes! Being able to write it all out on paper will show you where you need to plug them in your budget and how long you need to save to pay for the services. Do you feel tied down now? It was a very depressing site for me when I did this for my family. I cried and tons of thoughts went through my head about how will we ever get on our own again. I am scared and I apologize if I come of paranoid and silly but we’ve been rock bottom and its not fun. As a family we have to take every precaution and think of every little expense. We do not want to end up in the same situation we have been in.
After much prayer and talking to God, I got a grip on my emotions and realized our expenses are not so bad. They could be worse. In fact not even 12 months prior I hadn’t found a job yet and my husband was only part time and had only been working a month at most and we were so swallowed in debt and not to mention a whole lot of other stuff was going on as well. We were by the state considered homeless. I tell you this because when I started to have a fit over $20 it was a huge deal to me. $20 is a lot. I can buy about 18 items at Dollar Tree with that amount so to put that amount away in an envelope has hard for me. But I was being very silly. We could afford to put $100 away in an envelope towards a new to us car and $100 towards household items for our new place. We are not rolling in money, believe me we are not. The federal government says we are 400% below the poverty line for our size family. Doesn’t feel good at all.
So now that we have set aside in an envelope of $100 for the car and $100 for household items, we can now set our goals of our basic needs.
Check out Frugal Fresh Start Week 3
Now that you have figured out your storage issue, now its time to take a look at your lists and make a game plan.
1. Creating maps/Put your pictures in your mind down on paper. Why is this important to me? Because for me seeing things on paper, makes it feel like I can really accomplish something. Its more concrete for me plus I can erase and adjust it very easily. You can physically write and draw with paper and pencil or you can use the computer. Which ever way works best for you. If I can visualize my needs, I can create smaller goals to get to the end result.
For example I want to have our very basic needs to start a home before we move on our own. I also want to have another vehicle to replace our current one. So what does my thoughts look like on paper? For the car I put how much I want to spend, what mileage I want it to be under, the year and the possible make and models. I have also put down how much I plan on putting down upfront and that is 2500. I also wrote how much from each paycheck I am able to put towards the vehicle. The most important, I wrote down registration and licensing, taxes, inspection, insurance cost and estimated fuel for the year. I want to see the big picture of how much a car will cost us because it is a huge factor on whether we can afford it and maintain it. Remember I am paranoid so I want to make sure we can afford it before making a huge decision. Hence I don’t want to be stuck with a car payment for a couple of years. I want to pay it off before we move and yes that may seem like eight or nine months away but take 2500 and divide by eight months that is just over $300 a month and like always, things happen and I may not be able to put that much towards the car each month. I want to give ourselves some wiggle room but not put ourselves in a bad situation again.
Continue to map out each goal you want to accomplish in starting over. The more work you put into it the more will want to achieve it and make it happen.
2. Check things off as you get them. I admit it was a thrill and rush to make my first purchase trip. Now I get to actually show you what I purchased on my first trip! The hubby went back to school so getting him a book bag was one of my purchases. He had some Kohl’s gift cards from Christmas so originally I had him pick out a bag on Kohls.com. They were having a sale but even with the gift cards I was going to be spending a bit more than I was wanting. So I took the few bags selected and searched on Amazon. I found one even better than the ones selected and even cheaper with shipping included. I ended up spending $24 and some change. That left me with around $75 to spend.
Remember I had already set out to get a 12 pk of toilet paper each purchase trip so that was on my list. Just to let you know I typically round up to the nearest dollar so it takes into account of taxes. I have a solid $100 to spend each purchase/check trip so taxes are included in that amount. At the beginning I had you visualize room by room and write down what is needed in each room and get prices for each item. I started with all the dollar items.
Back to those Kohl’s gift cards we had $20 and Kohl’s also sent me an email to save $15 on a $50 purchase plus free shipping. So it took me 2 days pouring over household items on that were on my list that I can get a better deal that I had originally planned. What did I get! I got 9 Large Bath Towels originally $9.99 each and 3 Queen size Big One Pillows that were $11.99 each. Did I mention they were having a sale on Household items excluding luggage so the bag the hubby picked out did not fall in the sale (I was bummed). The pillows were on sale for $4.99 while the towels were on sale for $3.99. This made my total 50.88 plus taxes. After the $15 off and $20 in gift cards I ended up having to pay shipping but my total came to $24.30. Which made everything just over $2 a piece which was cheaper than I would have spent if I bought the items at Wal-mart for the cheapest ones.
I still had $50 to go so I bought the toilet paper $6, another item I need tons of is Snack Bags so that was another $2, spent another $10 in Washing Soda, Baking powder, course salt, lemon juice, white vinegar, Purex Laundry detergent so I can make my own Dish washing tablets and Laundry detergent tablets. I spent $12 on Beach towels from Wal-mart. We have never had beach towels but I did get these for the kiddos. I spent $10 in Wash clothes, Shampoo, Bar Soap, Body Wash, Deodorant. I then spent the remainder $8 in kitchen utensils; such as pizza cutter, spatula, ice cream scoop, measuring cup, cutting board, silverware.
I know not to exciting but I was extremely excited when my huge box from Kohls.com came in the mail because I had to clean out a second storage tub just to fit the pillows in. I need to put 2 containers on my next purchase trip because I don’t have room in my first container anymore. Did I mention I have been cleaning out all my items to see what I still have.
We didn’t get rid of totally everything. We kept our modem, cordless phone (Do not know if the work), Thermometer, personal plug in fan, glue gun, first aid kit and so on. With these household items they take up a bit of room in the container that I started with.
Check out Frugal Fresh Start Week 5 – Getting everyone on board